What does it look like to live according to the Spirit (Romans 8:5)?

In Romans 8:1–17, the apostle Paul focuses on the role of the Holy Spirit in the day-to-day life of the believer. By contrasting two different modes of living—one “according to the flesh” and the other “according to the Spirit”—Paul shows us how to tap into the spiritual power that enables us to please God, obey Him, and do His will: “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” (verse 5, ESV).

To live according to the Spirit involves letting spiritual virtues and concerns (rather than earthly or fleshly matters) dominate our minds and change our behavior. The phrase set their minds comes from the Greek verb phronousin, which means “to think, direct, or dispose the mind in a certain way.”

We set our minds on spiritual things when we direct them to prioritize spiritual values. We seek to align our thoughts and actions with the desires and purposes of the Holy Spirit. Paul instructed the Philippians, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8–9, NLT).

“Things of the Spirit” include virtues of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23, NLT). We set our minds on things of the Spirit and live according to the Spirit when we dispose our thoughts toward loving our neighbor (John 13:34–35), doing good to others (Galatians 6:10; 1 Timothy 6:18), serving faithfully (Matthew 25:23; 1 Corinthians 4:2), and exercising gentleness (Ephesians 4:2) and self-control (Titus 2:12).

To live according to the Spirit results in a life characterized by spiritual discernment, as we seek God’s guidance in everything (Romans 8:14). To the Galatians, Paul explained, “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other” (Galatians 5:16–17, NLT).

To live according to the Spirit, we must “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). In the original language, the phrase translated as “keep in step” refers to the kind of careful observance a soldier requires to walk in file or in a straight line. A believer who is keeping in step with the Spirit is careful not to “conform to the pattern of this world” but is “transformed by the renewing of [his] mind. Then [he] will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).

Living according to the Spirit means yielding to His control, following His lead, and submitting to His influence in every moment. It is the opposite of resisting or grieving the Spirit (Acts 7:51; Ephesians 4:30).

We live according to the Spirit when we set our “minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2; see also Matthew 16:23; Philippians 3:19). We devote ourselves to studying God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:14–15; Colossians 3:16) so that we have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5; 1 Peter 4:1) and illumination to follow in His teachings (Psalm 119:105; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19).

Life according to the Spirit is a new way of life made possible by God through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:4). Our old life of sin is gone. We no longer live in bondage to our sensual cravings or as slaves to religious rules and rituals (Romans 2:29; 7:6; 8:2; 2 Corinthians 3:6; 1 Thessalonians 4:7–8). Now, we live as spiritual children of God (Galatians 4:6) who are being transformed daily by His Spirit into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18).

As Christians, we have a choice. We can live dominated by the desires and directives of the flesh, but such a life is “hostile to God” and ultimately ends in death (Romans 8:6; Philippians 3:19). The other way we can live is according to the Spirit, empowered by the Holy Spirit, always seeking to please God with our thought and actions. This way leads to “life and peace” (Romans 8:6).