⁵ For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

Mind and behavior interconnect. In verse 4, the distinction is made between living “according to the flesh” versus living “according to the Spirit.” That refers to one’s manner of living or behavior. In verse 5, we see behavior as an outflow of what’s in one’s mind. This is not a commandment that Christians should think more about spiritual things than fleshly things. It is a statement of cause and effect. For the one whose behavior is like that of an unbeliever, you can be sure that his mind is that of an unbeliever. The cause is the mind; the effect is the behavior. For the one whose walk reflects the Spirit, you can be sure his mind occupies itself with things of the Spirit of God. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks within himself, so he is.”

Throughout this section of the book of Romans, the apostle is making the case that since the justified believer has a new mindset, his behavior will now show the difference. The ramification of justification is not that a person is free to go out and sin, since he is no longer under law but under grace. Rather, the person who is justified by grace has a changed mindset—and this is a very real change. Paul is not here entertaining the thought of a genuine Christian who has the mindset of the unbeliever, whether that is possible or not. At this point he is keeping focused on the main theme and not digressing into a complete systematic theology of all tangential issues (real and important as those issues may be, but that is not his purpose here).

Certainly there is some room for reflection by the Christian on the importance of “walking” in conformity with being a justified believer who lives according to the Spirit, but here Paul speaks about the logical sequence. This is the baseline against which other questions may be measured (e.g. “Can a Christian lose his justification?” “Does sinful behavior demonstrate that a person is not a Christian?” “Does a person who backslides give evidence that he never truly became a Christian in the first place?”).

Christians, nonetheless, are encouraged throughout the NT to focus on our minds, what we think. “Set your mind on things above, not on the things of the earth” (Col 3:2), “[C]onsider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession …” (Heb 3:1b), “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ … ” (2 Cor 10:5).

Lord, I confess that at times I have fallen back into old habits of thinking according to the flesh. I renew my trust in You that I am justified in the Spirit.