Mind Your Manners – Romans 8:5-8

 I read a statement years ago that I thought was cute – as well as true. I have referred to it several times, and I’ll probably continue to use it once in a while. There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who divide the world into two kinds of people and those who don’t. I am one of the first kind of people.

There are those who are under condemnation for their sin, and those who are not. The Apostle Paul parallels those two kinds of people again and again here in this scripture. One WALKS after the flesh, and the other walks after the Spirit. One MINDS the things of the flesh, and the other minds the things of the Spirit. One lives in DEATH whether he realizes it or not; the other lives in life and peace. One is AT ENMITY against God, and the other is not. One is NOT SUBJECT to the law of God and the other is. One CANNOT PLEASE GOD and the other can. We could probably increase that list a dozen-fold. But the thing that really sets each kind of person apart from the others is the Lord Jesus Christ. “If any man be in Christ Jesus he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.” We’re talking about God’s saving grace – regeneration and conversion. Most people are dead in trespasses and sins, but some have been quickened by the Spirit.

Verses 5 through 8 describe some of the difference aspects of those differences. We’re talking about character, relationships and pursuits.

We’re talking about CHARACTER, first of all.And I remind you that character is not the same thing as temperament. Temperament might be defined as the sort of people that we are – as we are fashioned at our birth. This refers our inborn traits that lead us towards shyness, extroversion, contrariness or whatever. Temperament is defined as that part of our personality which is genetically derived. The experts use words like: “sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric and melancholic.” Fortunately, our character can overcome our native melancholy or sanguine nature.

Character is not our personality either. Personality is the outward display of our character and temperament. But I’m talking about character, the real you, the nature of your soul as it is, whether exposed or hidden. At this point Paul is not talking about what you do, but what you MIND. He’ll get to the doing later in the Book of Romans.

Paul summarizes character as either basically physical or spiritual. We are all, to varying degrees, either carnally-minded or heavenly-minded. And, sad to say, there is not a person here who is 100% heavenly-minded. We all have earthly responsibilities which require some degree of attention. And any attention drawn away from spiritual things, makes us more earthly and carnal – and sometimes sinful. I wish that we had no one here who is 100% fleshly-minded, but I fear such is the case. Until we are born again we are completely fleshly-minded. And after we are made children of God, we still are of the flesh, and to some degree, fleshly-minded.

But again, what does Paul mean when he speaks of the “flesh”? Every person in this room has flesh – some of us have more of it than others. The Greek word speaks literally of “meat” – the muscle and sinew between skin and bones. But Paul is taking it to mean the natural humanity that we were given by Adam. It includes most of our appetites, our sympathies, our weaknesses and our propensities (tendencies). The flesh can be a harmless part of our character if controlled by our Holy Spirit-controlled spirit, but as Paul said in Romans 7:18 – “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing.”

Carnal people “mind” the things of the flesh, rather than “minding” the things of the Spirit. Here is the nucleus of the problem – our minding, our loving, what we are thinking about. So, you are all in the house of God tonight. Is that a part of your character – or is it an aspect of mindless habit? Have you been forced to come here, or are you here because you yearn for the things of God? We answer the question in some fashion with the word “mind.” The Greek Bible here is, “phroneo” (fron-eh’-o) – to exercise the mind or sentiment, opinion. Quickly let’s note how that word is used elsewhere. Matthew 16:23 – “But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou SAVOUREST not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” Romans 12:3 – “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to THINK; but to THINK soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 15:5 – “Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be LIKEMINDED one toward another according to Christ Jesus.” I Corinthians 13:11 – “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I UNDERSTOOD as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” Colossians 3:2 – “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. SET YOUR AFFECTION on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

Okay, how carnal is your character? How much do you yearn for the things of this world? How preoccupied are you with money, with your house, with your new car? Are these things tools to help you on to God, or are they the goal, the end? Maybe its your hobby which is the problem. Now, here is a question that I’m not sure exactly how to answer: How much carnally-mindedness does anyone have to have in order to be considered carnally-minded? You might have two or three things of temporal delight that occupy your mind. I certainly do. Then again you might only have one thing that you love more than nearly everything, including God. Can someone be carnal-minded with only one carnal yearning in his heart? There is no simple formula, but you might be a VERY carnal Christian over just two or three things. You don’t need to sail on every sea in order to be a long way from home.

Quite some time ago, I was talking to a very perceptive man who speaks lovingly of the Lord. Part of that love is due to a very great blessing: God spared his son from death. That fellow admitted that perhaps if his son had died his attitude toward the Lord might different. He confessed that he was not prepared to give up his son, even though God willing gave up His Son. This illustrates that we can be carnal even about our closest loved ones. We can become carnal even over the direct blessings of God. I know of people who refuse to love the Lord because He took away their idol or their pet. Maybe it was a father, or a son. Sometimes it was a faithful, or an unfaithful wife, or one’s career or health.

Is there something in your life from which you refuse to part? An honest answer to that question may reveal how carnally-minded you are.

Paul is talking here about relationships – our relationship to the Lord.A carnal mind is enmity against God. Most carnally-minded people do not think of themselves as at war with God. The reason that they don’t think this is because they don’t think – period. And they certainly don’t pay much attention to the Word of the Lord. It takes the revelation of God to bring this enmity to our minds: “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity against God?” “If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” The prince of the power of the world is a being named Satan. But do most people realize that they are living in rebellion against God? Do most realize that they are subjects of the Wicked One? That fact doesn’t become apparent until there is a crisis of some sort. “Forget it God, I refuse to give up my pay check to you, it’s mine to spend.” I know a man who claims to be a Christian, but who refuses to attend church on Sundays. He’ll go on Wednesday for prayer and Bible study. But Sunday is his day to fish. He loves to fish, more than almost any other thing. He is carnally-minded and at enmity with God over who has the authority over the Lord’s day. Perhaps God has given you a great talent. Let’s say that you have the gift of creative writing. You could write irresponsible worldly fiction, or you could write things that glorify Christ. God gave you that gift; your hard work developed that gift; but it could pull you down and away from the Lord. Paul is speaking about relationships here.

And remember that to be carnally-minded is death. “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” This doesn’t mean that if we think carnal, fleshly thoughts we are bound for Hell. If that be true, who then can be saved? No, the meaning is “carnal thinking dwells in the realm of death.” The things of this world are all temporal, temporary, and dying things. “The world passeth away and the lusts thereof.” If our thought-life, our hearts live forever in the world, then there is reason to be concerned about the state of that heart. It’s one thing to once in a while visit the trash container outside the house, but it’s another thing to dwell on it, love it, or to live in it.

In contrast to the carnal mind, to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Does that mean that if we think about good things and about God, we will merit and earn eternal life? No, it means that spiritual-mindedness belongs to a higher kingdom – one of life and peace. But the person whose heart is often upon Heaven and Spiritual things is probably heaven-bound.

And a simple test proves both of these statements. What happens when you set your affection on winning the Powerball Lottery – $243 million? Do thoughts of the lottery give you peace or agitation? Do they make you content and satisfied with your possessions, or lustful and heart-sore? Does gambling make people happy or miserable? State-approved gambling is proof of the corruption of our national morals. If thoughts of winning the lottery never enter your mind, or if they do, they slide right back out without leaving a trace, then you are not carnally-minded in this area.

Those who are spiritually-minded have crucified the flesh with it’s affections and lusts. They enjoy the Lord, when others can’t. They don’t have much love for the things of the world. They are not bound to winning the Lottery in order to have joy in this world.

Then lastly, Paul is talking about PURSUIT.We’re all living in the flesh, and as a result, we’re all carnal to some degree. To be carnally-minded is as easy as falling off a log. We don’t have to crave to be carnal, it’s going to happen.

But as Christians, our obligation is to mind the things of the Spirit. That means we must demand of ourselves to set our minds upon the things of God. For quite some time I was counseling a Christian man who was filled with hatred. He said that he was yearning to be free of his carnal and sinful passion. But he’s living proof of Romans 7:18. I basically counseled him to mind the things of the Spirit.

And specifically what is that? Set your affection on what the Spirit has revealed, that is, on the Word of God. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Covet and yearn for more of the fruit of the Spirit, rather than revenge, wealth, prestige and position. Pray, realizing that we are totally dependent upon the Lord for victory over the world, the flesh and the Devil. These are the things that please God. And these are the things that characterize us as children of the Lord. Furthermore, these are things that give us tools for evangelism.