Well, if we observe the context, verse 12 of this chapter clearly identifies that Paul is addressing Christians here. The term “brethren” illustrates that and actually from verse 9 you can see that those here in view are “Christians”.

Now. we have here written, “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die”.
Since Paul’s brethren are here in view, i.e., Christians, the word “die” in this context does NOT mean eternal death.
We clearly know this because the Bible teaches what is known as the “eternal security of the believer”, also known as “Once saved, always saved”.

Many seem to have a problem with the term “Once saved, always saved”, but may I say unto you, that that is precisely what the Word of God teaches.
You CANNOT lose you’re salvation, if saved, always saved, if you’re not saved, it’s because you weren’t saved to begin with.
You might say,”Where does the Bible teach the eternal security of the believer?” Well, doesn’t the Bible teach that your works have NOTHING to do with salvation? I’d reckon so (Rom 4:5; Tit 3:5; Eph 2:8-9; Rom 11:6).

Follow closely here, if any tells you that you can lose your salvation then ask that person how? He will most likely give a self righteous response such as, “by living in sin” or “by committing too many sins” or something of similitude. After he tells you that, then ask him, “isn’t ceasing from sin a work?”

If he’s honest, he’ll have to confess that it is, but if he’s dishonest, then he’ll utter complete absurdity which cannot be substantiated by Scripture. You can then tell him that the Bible teaches that works are not a part of salvation. He might ask you to prove it. Show him Rom 4:5, Tit 3:5, Eph 2:8-9, and Rom 11:6, because they ALL teach that salvation is WITHOUT works.
If you weren’t saved by good works, you CANNOT be lost by bad works.

Now, as we said before “die” has another meaning here.
Remember when God created man, He told him that in the day that he ate of the fruit, he would surely die. Interestingly Adam lived 900 and more years after, what happened? Is there an error here? God forbid, i.e., far be it from us to think such a thought.
Adam didn’t die until over 900 years passed, that is PHYSICALLY, BUT he did die SPIRITUALLLY the moment he ate the fruit.
“Death” therefore means separation from God.

Now we can understand what Paul was saying. When Paul said “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die”, he was simply saying that,you die to God, i.e., you have no fellowship with God. If you are a child of God, when you sin you’re in a state of separation from God, that is, from His fellowship.
We see this principle in 1 John 1:6. 1 John 1:6 is saying the same thing, you can’t have intimate fellowship with God while living in sin, but you can have fellowship if you walk in the light, i.e., walk after the Spirit.
This doesn’t say that you can’t be a Christian and live in sin, it IS INDEED possible to be a born again man and live in sin, because you choose to yield to the flesh, i.e., the sinful nature, instead of the Spirit, but the difference between the unregenerate man and the born again Christian is that the Christian will hate his sin, and why? Because the indwelling Holy Spirit will chasten Him, in fulfillment of Heb 12:8. God chastens His own, no child of God can get by with sin because he’ll be in constant misery, the Spirit of God that dwells in him will hinder his enjoyment of sin. The unregenerate man paints the town red and when he comes home he says, “I’ll get a bigger bucket and go again tomorrow,” he experiences NO conviction.

Paul here says “but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”, what Paul here meant was that believers who follow God’s will with the enablement of the blessed Spirit of God and mortify, i.e., put the deeds of the flesh away, they will live.
“Live” here probably means to experience abundant eternal life,i.e., experience eternal life to its fullest potential.
It is possible to have eternal life, yet fail to experience it fully (John 10:10), this happens to carnal Christians who were saved by GRACE ALONE, through FAITH ALONE, in CHRIST ALONE, but yielded their will to the flesh, to walk after the flesh, to choose a life of carnality or worldliness, and fail to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Christ.

“Live” can not only be applied to abundant eternal life which faithful believers shall experience, but you’ll also be alive in fellowship with God.
You’ll be able to have intimate fellowship with God.

Therefore I leave you with this passage of Scripture,

“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Gal 5:25)

Commentary by Darien
Posted on: 12/25/2009 06:13 am