<p>8:7<b>&nbsp;</b><i>Because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be</i>- This is defined in 8:5,6 as the mindset which inclines to flesh rather than Spirit; that reads trashy novels rather than God&rsquo;s word; than thinks of money and cars and holidays and restaurants and fine clothes and expensive jewellery... rather than the things of God&rsquo;s people and His service. That willingly thinks about banality rather than the things of Jesus and the Spirit. That doesn&rsquo;t really think much about the things of God&rsquo;s Kingdom but rather the things of this world. This kind of mindset is hatred towards God. So says Paul. This is the mindset of those who are in the flesh status, who mind the things of the flesh (8:5). Note that Paul is here talking mindsets, not total sin nor total righteousness. This kind of mindset of the flesh can never be &ldquo;subject&rdquo; to God&rsquo;s law, His principles, His Spirit. It is self-centred rather than God cantered. Yet the same Greek word for &ldquo;subject to&rdquo; occurs in Rom. 8:20, where we read that we have been subjected beneath the state of vanity which there is in this fallen world, and yet we in Christ have been subjected to this in hope. The point is, whatever sense we have of being &lsquo;subjected under&rsquo; the things of the flesh and indeed this present world, this is involuntary. It&rsquo;s not what our real self would wish for. We have subjected ourselves under the righteousness of God (Rom. 10:3), become servants to that wonderful concept that His righteousness has been imputed to us. We find ourselves therefore in subjection to this righteousness and yet involuntarily living in subjection to the sinful state we find ourselves in.</p>