Symptomatic
For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, Romans 8:6 NASB
Life and peace – Returning to Paul’s great exposition of life in the Messiah, we have learned that “the mind set on” is really the single Greek word phrónēma, a word that encompasses both physical and mental actions and attitudes. It’s a “whole person” summary word, not just a word about our cognitive orientation. Paul previously gave us a list of the symptoms associated with the whole person commitment to self. Many of those symptoms are found in Galatians 5. Now Paul gives us the symptoms commitment to the Spirit, but he provides only two: life and peace. Does it seem as if Paul over-emphasizes the “bad” side? There are plenty of symptoms for a life of self-service, but only these meager two for a life committed to God. Why doesn’t Paul expand the list to match the “flesh” side of his equation? Maybe the answer is found in unpacking his two choice words: zōḗ and eirḗnē.
zōḗ (life) is the Greek idea of vitality. In Greek thought, zōḗ inhabits everything that lives. In fact, we could think of it as “the force,” to use a modern Hollywood parallel. While it is expressed physically in the human body, it isn’t limited to humanity. It is both a natural and supernatural phenomenon, insuring the continuation of the animated world. Divinity has eternal zōḗ, and in Greek mystical religions, “Life as divine vitality comes as a new birth when there is union with God. It can be experienced in ecstatic vision and in this sense is a physical state, but it is still awaited as the blissful vision of God.”[1] For the pagan/Gentile world, Paul’s choice of zōḗ immediately calls forth divine connections. It’s not just living. It’s being alive!
Of course, Paul connects this Greek idea of a Hebrew concept, namely, ḥayyîm:
The term ḥayyîm covers only physical, organic life, yet it contains a value judgment. Life is good-the supreme good (Job 2:4; Prov. 3:16)-as the presupposition of all else (cf. Eccl. 9:4). Long life is a special grace (cf. Gen. 25:8 etc.), a reward for keeping the commandments (Dt. 5:16 etc.). Life itself comes from God, who breathes the breath of life into our nostrils (Gen. 2:7). The center of life is in the blood (Gen. 9:4). Life, however, has been disrupted. On the one hand it has been shortened (Gen. 6:3), on the other made bitter, by reason of human sin. The tree of life signifies a destiny of eternal life that was forfeited with the fall and expulsion from the garden. More important than the origin of life is the actual relation of life to God, who is Lord of both life and death, who controls the book of life (Ex. 32:32), and who, having given the covenant, determines the preservation or loss of life by the response to his word. Life is not secured by magical rites but by a decision for obedience (Dt. 30:15ff.; 32:47). It does not depend on bread alone but on God’s word (Dt. 8:3).[2]
Therefore, Paul uses the Greek term to introduce a modified and expanded Hebrew idea. zōḗ as ḥayyîm is not simply enhanced living. It is obedient living in the presence of the One True God. Life is a gift from the Creator, precious, intentional, designed. To experience it fully, it must be lived in connection with its Author. In the Hebraic context, life is God-related. Death is God-separated. Animation is not the sole determinate of life. Relationship is.
In a similar vein, Paul converts eirḗnē (Greek – peace) into the Hebrew shālôm. “For the Greeks eirḗnē primarily denotes a state, not a relationship or attitude. It is the opposite of pólemos (‘war’).”[3] In the Hellenistic world of the Gentile, peace is a political idea. To be at peace simply means the absence of hostility, primarily between political entities. In fact, peace is an unusual state of affairs in the world. The normal condition of the first century Mediterranean world was war.
But Paul thinks Hebraically. eirḗnē is not simply the opposite of war. It is shālôm, the covenant blessing of well-being. Once again, true shālôm is the gift of God (cf. Judges 6:24). “God creates peace in the heavens (Job 25:2), but he also pledges peace to us, blesses his people with peace, and wills the welfare of his servants; . . The peace that God gives is all-sufficient.”[4] In Hebrew thought, peace is far more than a political condition. It is a religious experience of divine favor, both corporately and individually.
Now, perhaps, we can understand why Paul thinks it only necessary to contrast a long list of symptoms of the flesh with just two Greek/Hebrew ideas. Both “life” and “peace” are symptomatic of a relationship with God. Neither is possible without this connection, and with this connection, all of the other aspects of God’s involvement with us come into play. If the doctor reads “life and peace” on your medical chart, he can rightly conclude that your connection to the Father is solid, good, and fruitful. What else could you want?
Topical Index: life, zōḗ, ḥayyîm, eirḗnē, shālôm, peace, Romans 8:6
[1] Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 291). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid..
