Shout Out!
However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. Romans 8:9 NASB
If indeed – eiper (εἴπερ) is an exclamation point in Greek. It is used to intensify an expression. Paul is not suggesting a possible alternative, as we might read “if indeed” as a subjunctive clause (like, “You could be right, if indeed your evidence is true”). He is shouting a declaration! “You are!! in the Spirit of God. You are not!! in the flesh.” How can Paul make such a declaration? His reason is found in the verb oikéō.
The root of this verb is the noun oikos. It means “house, family, household” and “race.” What Paul is asserting is that his readers (“you” – plural) are in the household of God. That’s what it means to dwell. “The NT, however, uses oikía not only for ‘house’ (Mt. 5:15; 7:24ff.) but also for ‘family’ (Mt. 10:12; 12:25) and even for ‘possessions’ (Mk. 12:40). Mk. 3:24–25 associates oikía with the kingdom, and cf. Mt. 12:25, which brings together kingdom, city, and family.”[1]
To be in God’s house is to dwell within His family, and for Paul’s Gentile readers, this means to be an integral part of the Kingdom. A full, participating member, not an adjunct add-on. Paul’s view of the soon-to-be-revealed Kingdom includes ethnic Gentiles completely incorporated into the Kingdom of God under the rule of the Messiah. That’s worth shouting!
It’s been a long time coming. Two thousand years waiting. Do you suppose our shout has turned into a whimper? Are we still ecstatic about membership in the family, or have we become so used to the propaganda that it barely registers on the list of important concerns? Has the delay dampened our determination? Are we just comfortable with religious plurality? Paul’s Gentile readers were euphoric when they heard this news. Finally, they belonged. Not just as peripheral attendees but as real (though adopted) sons and daughters of the God of Israel. Their enthusiasm for the Messiah did not leave them in limbo, excommunicated from their native pagan cult yet unacceptable to their new Jewish community. Paul tells them, “You are in!” Joyful, elated, exuberant, blessed. What else was there to say? But two thousand years later, when the divide between Jewish and Gentile is wider than ever, despite political and religious correctness, we may not feel the way these Roman Gentiles felt. We might feel that there isn’t really any place for us at all. We’ve left our native, pagan, synchronistic Church behind, often with pain and depression. But we haven’t arrived at the welcoming arms of the Jewish community. If anything, we are viewed with suspicion, not because we did something to deserve it but because we were born Gentiles. Oh, just like those Gentiles in Rome so long ago. We have each other, but, unlike Rome, we’re spread out all over the globe. We’re not next-door neighbors. Life is lonely.
Maybe we need an eiper shout more than ever!
Topical Index: eiper, if needed, oikéō, dwell, house, family, Kingdom, Romans 8:9
[1] Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 675). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
Be sure to check out the new recipe, Italian Angel Food Cake, at Rosanne’s kitchen
