ROMANS 8
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set youfree in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. – Romans 8:1-8
ROMANS 8 HEDONISTICS CANNOT PLEASE GOD
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When a person is indulgent with worldly pleasures
He will acknowledge God but chase material treasures
His mind is focused on his own desires and cravings
He will not please God or bow down to a higher being
Self-seekers can never please God for they are their own idol
They idolize themselves and are unable to revere the Lord.
Paul emphasizes the difference between someone who lives for God and those who live for themselves. In Christ, he points out that we have victory over our sinful nature. On our own, we will never overcome the flesh. In verse 5, he explains that anyone who lives for the flesh (human psyche) will always obsess over things that are physical or material. They do not understand that there are more important things aside from what they see. Matthew 6:19-21 says 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. So, those who are hedonistic cannot please God because their hearts are focused on earthly treasures.
REFLECTION
- How can we fight the love for the things of this world?
