In recent years several polls have shown disturbing beliefs and behaviors among those who profess to be Christians. For example, a Pew Forum poll indicated that 57% of evangelical church attenders believe many religions can lead to eternal life.

Other surveys show that only 9% of teens and 32% of adults who claim to be born again believe in moral absolutes. That means that over 90% of “born again” teens and two-thirds of “born again” adults do not believe in moral absolutes!

These shocking numbers may be explained in part by a lack of solid biblical preaching. But beneath this lack of solid preaching is a basic misunderstanding about the nature of the gospel.

Have we have wrongly assumed that when someone makes a decision to be immersed in water in order to have their sins forgiven but not yield to Him as Lord? Or we mistakenly assume that all who profess Jesus as Lord, especially those who serve Him, will go to heaven. But Jesus made it clear that only those who obey Him can expect to be welcomed into heaven.

Matthew 7:21-27 (ESV) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³  And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ ²⁴  “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

The Bible is clear that salvation is a matter of God’s imparting new life to a person who was dead in his sins. And such new life always manifests itself in changed belief and behavior.

This is not to say that those cannot fall into gross sins. But it is to say that they cannot live complacently in sin. While growth in godliness is a lifelong process, there is such growth in the lives of all who have been born of the Spirit.

Paul paints a picture of these two distinct groups: those according to the flesh; and, those according to the Spirit.

Since there are only two groups of people with two very different destinies, make sure that you are “according to the Spirit,” not the flesh.

1. There are two and only two groups of people in the world: Those who are according to the flesh and those who are according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:5 (ESV) 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.

“Those who are according to the flesh” describes the spiritual condition of unbelievers. The nature of each group determines their present behavior and their final destiny.

There is a popular but mistaken view that there are two optional tracks for the Christian life. If you’re prone toward masochism (masochism: the tendency to derive pleasure, from one’s own pain or humiliation) you can sign up for the discipleship track. Under this plan, you give up everything to follow Christ.

• You have to deny yourself and take up your cross daily.
• You will suffer hardship, sacrifice, and perhaps even martyrdom.
• You have to give the control of all of your material assets to Christ.
• You may be required to take the gospel to a foreign culture, where you’ll live in difficult and perhaps dangerous circumstances.
• But, your rewards in heaven will be great. This discipleship track is for the super-committed.

The other track, the “cultural Christian track,” is for the rest of us more “ordinary” believers. Under this plan, be immersed in water in order to have sins forgiven (to make sure that you’ll go to heaven), but also pursue your dreams for success and personal fulfillment in this life.

• You get the best of both worlds without needing to be gung ho, like those on the discipleship track.
• You can enjoy the fellowship of a good church and pursue the American dream at the same time.
• Just drop something in the offering plate once in a while to pay your dues.
• Once in a while you can volunteer to help out at the church, when it fits in with your busy schedule.
• Don’t be too hard on yourself about obedience to the Bible. After all, we’re all human. God is gracious and He understands your weaknesses.
• So accept yourself and don’t think that you have to be all-out for Jesus. That’s just for the fanatics on the discipleship track.

But Jesus made it clear that there is only one track for the Christian life: Mark 8:34-38 (ESV) And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ³⁵  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. ³⁶  For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? ³⁷  For what can a man give in return for his soul? ³⁸  For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

It’s pretty clear that Jesus is talking about eternal life or eternal condemnation. If you want eternal life, you must die to self and follow Jesus.

In Paul’s language, that describes a person who is “according to the Spirit.”

The other track describes those who are “according to the flesh.” These are the only two groups in the world when it comes to eternal life or eternal death.

2. These two groups are sharply distinguished by different mindsets. Paul describes the mindset of those who are according to the flesh as “the things of the flesh” (8:5). This mindset is death (Romans 8:6: For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.)

It is hostile toward God, not subject to God’s law (8:7), and not pleasing to God (8:8).

On the other hand, the mindset of those who are according to the Spirit is “the things of the Spirit” (8:5). This mindset is life and peace (8:6).

By implication, since it is the opposite of the mindset of the flesh, the mindset of those who are according to the Spirit is friendly toward God, subject to His law, and pleasing to Him.

To be “according to” the flesh means to live under the flesh, to make it your rule, or to obey it. To live “according to” the Spirit means to be “ruled and determined by His awakening, regenerating, illuminating presence; characterized by the fact that He dwells in [us]”

Those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh (8:5a).

These deeds include sins that we might categorize as sensual (immorality, impurity, drunkenness); but they also include worshiping false gods, strife, jealousy, and anger.

So to live according to the flesh is to live independently of God, in dependence on oneself, with self at the center. The fleshly person may be outwardly moral, but his motives and goals are for his own glory or gain or comfort, without regard for the glory of God or the good of others.

To set one’s mind on the things of the flesh is much the same as when John says in 1 John 2:15-16, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”

Loving the world or setting one’s mind on the things of the flesh means to live for the temporal things that the world values, in disregard of God and eternity.

B. Those who are according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit (8:5b).

To set your mind on the things of the Spirit does not mean that you go around with your head in the clouds, detached from everyday matters.

It does not mean that you must join a monastery and spend hours every day in meditation and prayer. It does not mean that you do not get your hands dirty with mundane things like work, paying bills, cleaning the house, fixing meals, mowing your lawn, or reading the newspaper.

Rather, to set your mind on the things of the Spirit means to relate all of life to God and His Word. God has seen fit in His Word to tell us how to have our sins forgiven and to have eternal life through faith in Christ.

That is the most important thing, because you could die at any moment and stand before God. That is why Paul says in Col. 3:1-4: Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

So to set your mind on the things of the Spirit means especially to think often about matters of salvation. It means to worship God and commune with Him.

In the context of Colossians 3, Paul goes on to talk about sex, greed, anger, abusive speech, and truthfulness. He gives practical commands regarding relationships, marriage, child-rearing, and work.

These two distinct groups are marked by mindsets that lead to two completely different destinies: death or life and peace. Romans 8:6: For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

The scary part is this: If those who are dead in their sins continue in that state until they die physically, they will continue throughout eternity in the awful condition of separation from God, under the penalty of His just wrath.

The Bible calls this the second death and it is spent in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14). The next verse (Rev. 20:15) adds, “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

This state of eternal spiritual death does not mean that those in hell are annihilated or cease to exist. That would be a blessing for them! But the Bible is clear that eternal spiritual death means enduring conscious torment forever (Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:16-31; Rev. 14:10-11).

These frightening truths come to us from the Lord Jesus Himself and from John, the apostle of love. If we reject this truth, we are not following Jesus.

The good news is, if you have been given new life through the Holy Spirit, although your physical body will die (Rom. 8:10), God will resurrect your body (8:11) and you will enjoy life and peace with Him and with all the saints throughout eternity.

The application of our text is obvious: Make sure that you have new life through God’s Spirit and that you are not living according to the flesh!

Do you remember the “big rocks” illustration? A professor came in with a large jar filled to the brim with big rocks. He asked the class, “Is the jar full?” “Yes,” they responded. He poured in some pea gravel and shook it down through the cracks. “Is it full now?” They weren’t so sure. He poured in some sand. Then he added water. The point of the illustration is, if you don’t put the big rocks in first you won’t be able to fit them in at all. Schedule your priorities or they will get crowded out by the urgent but trivial. Your biggest rock is your relationship with God. Set your mind on the things of the Spirit!