sentiment of v. 6. To live after the flesh is death ; to live after the Spirit is life. For if ye live after the fleshy ye shall die ; but if ye through the Spi" "-it, &c. The necessity of holiness, therefore, is absolute. No matter what professions we may make, or what hopes we may indulg'e, justifi- cation or the manifestation of the divine favour is never separated from sanctification. Ye shall die in the comprehensive scriptural sense of that word, Rom. 6 : 21, 23 ; see Gal. 6 : 8. £ut if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. The nse of the word mortify y to put to death or destroy, seems to have been sug-gested by the context. Ye shall die, unless ye put to death the deeds of the body ; see Col. 3 : 5. The destruction of sin is a slow and painful process.
Deeds of the body. It is commonly said that body is here equivalent to flesh, and, therefore, signifies corruption. But it is very much to be doubted whether the word ever has this sense in the New Testament. The passages commonly quoted in its behalf, Rom. &: &. 7 : 24. 8 : 10, 13, are very far from being decisive. It is, therefore, better to take the word in its literal and usual sense. The deeds of the body is then a meto- nymical expression for sinful deeds in general ; a part being put for the whole. Deeds performed by the body, being, by implication, taken for evil deeds.
The destruction of sin is to be effecied through the Spirit, which does not mean the renewed feelings of the heart, but, as uniformly throughout the passage, the Holy Spirit which dwells in believers ; see v. 14, where this Spirit is called " Spirit of God." Ye shall live, i. e. enjoy the life of which the Spirit is the author ; including, therefore, holiness, happiness, and eternal glory.
(14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. This is the reason why all such shall live ; that is, a new argu- ment is thus introduced in support of the leading doctrine of the chapter. Believers shall enjoy eternal life, not only because they have the Spirit of life, but because they are the sons of God. To be led by the Spirit and to walk after the Spirit present the same idea, viz. to be under the govern- ment of the Spirit, under two different aspects. Gal. 5 : 18. 2 Pet. 1 : 21. The former phrase refers to the constant and effectual influence of the Holy Ghost in regulating the thoughts, feelings, and conduct of believers. Are the sons of God. The term son, in such connexions, expresses mainly one or the other of three ideas, and sometimes all of them united. 1. Si- milarity of disposition, character or nature; Matt. 5 : 9, 45, "That ye may be the children ( Gr. sons) of your Father which is in heaven." So, too, " sons of Abraham" are those who are like Abraham ; and " children of the devil" are those who are like the devil. 2. Objects of peculiar affection. Rom. 9 : 26, Those who were not my people, " shall be called sons of the living God;" 2 Cor. 6: 18, "Ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." So frequently elsewhere. 3. Those who have a title to some peculiar dignity or advantage. Thus the " sons of Abraham" are those who are heirs with Abraham of the same promise,