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NASB | Romans 8:13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 8:13 for if you are living according to the [impulses of the] flesh, you are going to die. But if [you are living] by the [power of the Holy] Spirit you are habitually putting to death the sinful deeds of the body, you will [really] live forever. |
Bible Question: What does it mean to live according to the flesh? Does this scripture mean that if we continue to sin or repeat the same sin over and over we will die? This scripture confused me because it seems to be saying that works have an affect on whether we have eternal life or not. Forgive me if I am misunderstanding the scripture. I am a fairly new Christian and sometimes it's hard for me to understand. Thank you! |
Bible Answer: Hi, leonore! Part of the problem is confusing the works of the Law (as prescribed to the people of Israel) with the changes that are expected from accepting Christ (which means being in Christ). Matthew 11:13 tells us that there is an apex, a culmination, to the prophets and the Law. Since the Word came onto the world, all the prophecies that foretold about the coming of the Messiah, the Emmanuel, were fulfilled, all of the Laws that mirrored the True Sacrifice were completed, and all of the circunvention that were created to nullify God's commandments were eradicated! So we live not under the Law but under Grace! Yet, though Salvation is a free gift, we must be active participants! Jesus warned that not all who called Him Lord would be Saved. So the same is that not all who say I am born again, I am saved or any other catch phrase are automatically granted a place in Heaven. God does not change! From the very beginning He has commanded us to "be His people" and He would "be our God." Being His people or calling Him Lord means being doers of the Word not just grabbing tags and running with them. We must repent, turn back to God, and be in God. We must change our old nature into the new nature: we must give up our sinful lives and live for the Lord. We cannot simply say that we are children of the Light, we must walk in the Light! Being born again is a change from the sinful existence to God's faithful servants. Our first testimony of this is the water baptism... but that is not the only works that we have to claim! Re-read Matthew 5 through 7; and then read James 1:19 through 2:26. God Bless! Angel |