Audio commentary on this verse

Note 23 at Rom. 8:10: Based on the previous verse as well as John 14:20, 2 Corinthians 13:5, and Colossians 1:27, Christ is in every born-again believer. Therefore, Paul is saying that for every Christian, our body is dead because of sin (see note 24 at this verse).

Note 24 at Rom. 8:10: The body is dead "because" of sin but the Spirit is life "because" of righteousness. The Greek word translated "because" here is "dia" which "denotes the channel of an act; through." Therefore, our bodies are dead through or because of the influence of sin in our lives.

In the same way that some people who have recovered from the polio virus still have crippled bodies, so Christians who have been delivered from the old man (see note 9 at Rom. 5:21, p. 775) still have to deal with the corruption that the old man released into our physical bodies and minds. That's why no one can please God in their flesh. The flesh has been corrupted and is therefore dead or incapable of living up to God's standard.

To counter this, the Spirit of God is releasing life because of our new righteous spirit that we received through faith in Jesus. Sin has left its mark on our bodies but the Spirit of life within us is more than enough to overcome these problems. That's why it is imperative that the Christian learn how to walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh.