Bible Truth #7 - Romans 8:5-8

Romans 8:5-8

5  Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
6  The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;
7  the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.
8  Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

There is good, GOOD teaching in this passage. Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires - no if’s, ands, buts, or excepts, PERIOD. You can’t read INTO Holy Scripture that those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on things that nature desires except when the Holy Spirit comes drawing. The sinful mind, those without the Holy Spirit, can NOT understand the things from the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14) so God sends the Holy Spirit to those He has already converted, those He has already quickened, those He has already SAVED.

Now, who are those who live according to the sinful nature? Those are they without the Holy Spirit, i.e. the lost! Christians frequently sin but that’s because we give in to the flesh and temptation - but we don’t LIVE according to it. The lost LIVE according to their sinful nature and what do they have on their minds? It sure isn’t the Light of the World and what God wants. They have their minds set on what nature desires and the nature of man does NOT desire God.

...the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. If the sinful mind (the mind of a lost man) is hostile to God, how can it choose Christ? I have not seen any Scripture that gives the impression that man can change his mind (heart) - but there are plenty of places where God says that man CAN'T change his heart (Jeremiah 13:23), and that HE changes a man’s heart (John 6:29), that HE works in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). Paul even writes not only is the sinful mind hostile to God and that it does not submit to God’s law, but he says it CAN’T submit to God's law (v7). In other words, the sinful mind doesn’t have the ability.

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; you see how they are opposite? You may think, yes, of course, I knew that. I’m sorry, my point is not only that they are opposite, but to emphasize the idea that the lost man NEVER has on his mind, nor CAN he have on his mind, LIFE - the things of the Holy Spirit or things that are holy unless God FIRST converts him. His mind is death, and only death. That’s why God saw in Genesis 6:5 that every, EVERY, inclination of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil, CONTINUALLY. There is no exception to what God saw - only evil, all the time. THAT is why those controlled by the sinful nature CANNOT please God. Ask yourself, wouldn’t true heartfelt repentance be pleasing to God? Of course! Doesn’t that answer your question? A lost man can’t please God, hence a lost man can’t repent, can’t believe, can’t accept - if he did, he would be pleasing God and doing something opposite of his nature.

The lost man doesn’t choose Christ because he can’t do something that would please God. In fact, the lost man can’t choose Christ. The lost man hates God and without God FIRST working in him and changing his heart (John 6:29), no man would ever be saved. I thank God that He chose me, converted me, and gave be the gift of salvation, faith, belief and repentance.