Answer: No, we cannot leave the house where the Spirit of God dwells, but we are to “go forth unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach.” The camp there is the Judaizing system of man’s religion. We learn in Scripture that we, that is, all true believers, are dead with Christ and risen with Christ, and knowing “the flesh profiteth nothing,” we see that the religious man put Christ to death, and that no good can come out of him, and Christ being rejected by him, we are now called to go forth therefore unto Him, outside of the camp, bearing His reproach.
Answer: In this chapter the gifts are looked at as ministers who are building the house of God. They are laborers together under God. Paul laid the foundation, and every man is to take heed how he builds thereupon – this shows man’s responsibility. The foundation is Jesus Christ, but even on this foundation, those who are not real Christians may be built into it. In the day of manifestation, all will be tried with fire; the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. Wood, hay and stubble will not stand the fire. Gold, silver, precious stones will remain (verse 12).
We get three samples of builders.
In verse 14 the builder builds according to the Architects plan, and so is rewarded.
In verse 15 the builder does not build according to the plan of the Great Architect, and though himself a saved man, he suffers loss, for the Lord cannot reward any of us for disobedience to His Word.
In verse 17 we find an unconverted servant who, along with his work is destroyed. We see in all this how men are responsible for their work in the professing church of God. Thus we see that verses 16, 17 speak of the church in its responsibility.
Answer: The Epistle to the Romans is a treatise on the salvation God has provided. It does not speak of the failures of Christians in laying hold of this truth, but speaks of it as God has given it. What their behavior ought to be, follows from chapter 12:1.
The question of our sins is dealt with up to chapter 5:11. After that, from verse 12 of chapter 5, the race of Adam, to which we belong, and the root of sin in us, is dealt with. In chapter 7:13-24 is seen the experience of a quickened soul trying to overcome the evil he finds in himself, and there we discover that two natures are in him; the one is evil, and the other is good. He cannot change the bad, but he learns that God has condemned it in the death of Christ. This is seen in chapters 6:6, and 8:3; and in chapter 6:11 he is taught to reckon himself dead to sin, and alive to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. In the death of Christ, he sees his death with Christ, and learns to look at himself just as the Word speaks of him.
Chapter 8 begins with the believer’s standing in God’s sight. He is in Christ Jesus, there no condemnation can ever reach him (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24); 1 Cor. 1:3030But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: (1 Corinthians 1:30); Heb. 10:1414For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14)).
Verse 2 is the believer’s new state. He has a new life, and the Spirit of God dwelling in him, is the power of that new life, and that is called, “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus,” so that he is not a slave to sin and death, he is free from that (Notice again, our failures are not seen in Romans). So that through the death of Christ, sin is condemned, and the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. That is the Christian’s walk normally. This new state is contrasted with the old state in verses 5 to 7, and verse 8 tells that he in the old state could not please God.
Verse 9. “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.” John 7:3939(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:39); 1 Corinthians 6:1919What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19); Ephesians 1:1313In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (Ephesians 1:13), and many other passages tell us the Spirit of God dwells in the believer.
“Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” The true rendering we are told (see JND Trans.) is “he is not of Him.” The difference is not that he does not belong to Christ, every quickened soul belongs to Christ, but that the character of Christ’s life cannot be produced by him. This explains the change of expression from “Spirit of God” who dwells in us, to “Spirit of Christ” to be seen in our ways. It is the character of Christ seen in the Christian. When we see grace coming out in a child of God, we say, “That is the Spirit of Christ.”
Verse 10 adds, “If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” There we see Christ is in the believer, so that he is not guided by what pleases the flesh, but by what pleases the Lord.