Romans 8:11-14
‘If the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you — He Who raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit Who dwells in you…. We are debtors…, to live!… If you live after the flesh, you shall die! But if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live!’ Romans 8:11-13.
Calvin comments: “Paul takes his confirmation…in the following manner. ‘If Christ was raised by the power of the Spirit of God, and if the Spirit retains eternal power, He will also exert that power in us’…. He takes it for granted that in the Person of Christ there had been exhibited a specimen of the power which belongs to the whole body of the Church. Since He makes God the Author of the resurrection, he (Paul) attributed to Him the life-giving Spirit.
“‘(The Spirit of Him Who) raised up Christ Jesus’…. He ascribes to the Father, the glory of having raised up Christ…. When Paul says ‘God (the Father) raised up Christ by His Spirit Whom He also communicated to you’ — this cannot be contradicted. Since God has thus made the hope of the resurrection, certain for us!….
“By (‘He…shall also quicken your) mortal bodies’ — he (Paul) means all in us that still remains subject to death. Paul’s general practice is to apply this name (‘mortal bodies’) to the grosser part of us…. He is not speaking of the last resurrection which will take place in a moment, but of the continual operation of the Spirit by Whom He gradually mortifies the remains of the flesh and renews in us the heavenly life. ‘So then, brethren, we are debtors (…to live)!’… The Spirit ought to reign in us…. We are debtors to the Spirit…. ‘Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God in Whom you were sealed unto the day of redemption!’ (Ephesians 4:30). So also in Galatians 5:25 — ‘If we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also walk!’….
“‘For if you live after the flesh, you must die!’ He adds a warning, in order to shake off their sluggishness with greater severity. This also provides a useful refutation of those who boast of justification by faith, without the Spirit of Christ…. It is indeed true that we are justified in Christ by the mercy of God alone. But it is equally true and certain that all who are justified, are called by the Lord to live worthy of their vocation!
“Let believers therefore learn to embrace Him not only for justification but also for sanctification!…. He has been given to us for both these purposes, so that they may not rend Him asunder!… ‘But if by the Spirit you mortify the deeds of the body, (you shall live)!’… We may still be subject to sin. Nevertheless, He still promises us life — provided we strive to mortify the flesh!”
Calvin also says in his Institutes III:2:39 & 25:3,8: “He holds out the hope of a blessed resurrection to those only who feel His Spirit dwelling in them (Romans 8:11)…. He says that the Spirit when He dwells in us is life, because the end for which He was given — is to quicken our mortal body…. ‘He that raised up Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies!’ (Romans 8:10-11).” We keep on living through the Spirit, Who raised Jesus — Who raises us too!
