For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
What does Romans 8:13 mean?
If the Spirit be in us, Christ is in us. He dwells in the heart by faith.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Romans 8:12-15 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Romans 8:13
For if you live ... - If you live to indulge your carnal propensities, you will sink to eternal death; Romans 7:23 . Through the Spirit - By the aid of the Spirit; by cherishing and cultivating his influences. What is here required can be accomplished only by the aid of the Holy Spirit. Do mortify - Do put to death; do destroy. Sin is mortified when its power is destroyed, and it ceases to be active. The deeds of the body - The corrupt inclinations and passions; called deeds of the body, because they are supposed to have their origin in the fleshly appetites. Ye shall live - You shall be happy and saved.
Key words
- the deeds of the body
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the deeds of the body.
- the deeds of the body
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the deeds of the body.
Context in Romans 8
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Romans 8 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as justification and Abraham. Romans is Paul’s fullest sustained exposition of sin, grace, righteousness, faith, Israel, the Spirit, and transformed life in Christ. Read this chapter with the wider themes of justification, grace, and faith in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Passages on trusting God, receiving Christ, persevering without sight, and the relation between faith and lived obedience.
Key passages on God's unmerited favour, the grace of Christ, salvation by grace through faith, and how grace transforms the way believers live.
Passages on the nature of sin, its consequences, God's judgment, repentance, and the way of forgiveness through Christ.