SCRIPTURE Romans 8:13–14 “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”  

COMMENTARY Written to Christians, it states un-categorically that those Christians who live after the flesh will die (spiritually) and distinguishes the true sons of God as those who walk with the Holy Spirit.  Again this is written to Christians so unless we believe God is not being truthful this states quite clearly that God knows that some Christians will live according to the flesh. This is consistent with the Textus Receptus version which echoes that there is, “no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).  A similar message is conveyed in Romans 8:2–6.  Those who are part of God’s family, are those who are actually led by the Holy Spirit, not those that have the indwelling Holy Spirit, but are led by the flesh.  We already looked at the manuscript evidence for Romans 8:1 earlier and it seems clear that the idea we not continue yielding to the flesh is incorporated in Romans 8:1.