Romans Chapter 8
This article first appeared as a post I wrote for The 555 Club. Before your read this article please read Romans chapter 8.
In Romans Chapter 8 Paul after having made his case in the preceding chapters that the Law only condemns and makes sin very visible, he now tells us that we can overcome sin and walk in the power of God by choosing to focus our minds on the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us we have choices to make. We can focus our mind on the flesh which will lead to sin and death, or we can focus our mind on the Spirit of God that lives within us resulting in life and peace.
It is sometimes said that we can not keep the Law, and that is true if we are talking about sheer human effort to be accepted by God through keeping the Law and thereby earning our salvation. But Paul makes it clear that through the power of the Holy Spirit it is possible for the believer to live a holy life. We are not required to keep the ceremonial aspect of the Law of Moses, but God certainly expects that Christians live the moral and holiness requirements of the Law.
There are folks who look to the Holy Spirit to only do miracles and give spiritual gifts, but they neglect to see that the greatest display of the Spirit’s power is in helping us live for Christ daily. In other words, the fruit of the Spirit are just as important as the gifts of the spirit.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:1-13 NIV
Paul says the Law is correct to condemn sin and God does not just dismiss the guilt but instead has given us Jesus to take our punishment and condemnation that the Law required so the sinner can go free because the righteous requirement of the Law has been satisfied in Jesus.
But the scripture also teaches us that through the Holy Spirit we receive the ability to live in a way that obeys the Holiness and morality of the Law. We do not live a moral life to earn salvation or to keep salivation but because we want to please God. Because of the indwelling Holy Spirit we have the ability to choose to put our minds on the Spirit rather than our sinful flesh.
This takes us back to the promise that God gave to Israel through the Prophet Ezekiel.
Eze 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
The prophet tells them that a day was coming when the Holy Spirit would give them ability to walk faithfully in the Law of God. That day came on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church.
Paul writes to the believers in Rome that they had the power because of the Holy Spirit to choose to do what was right.
One of the ways to be freed from the mastery of sin in our daily lives is to be careful where we choose to set the focus our minds. If we set it on our fleshly sinful desires we will be enticed and entangled by sin, but if we set our minds on the Holy Spirit that lives within us and seeking His power. He will give us the ability to not be mastered by sin.
Paul teaches us that the way to put to death the “misdeeds” or sins of the body is by the Holy Spirit. In other words, to put our focus on relationship with the Spirit of Christ within us rather than sinful flesh.
Someone might say that the problem with sin is that a person will not want to put their focus on the Spirit, they will want to focus on sin and flesh. But we must remember that we are not just talking about the power of the will to set the focus of the mind, we are talking about a person who has been born again and truly in their heat wants to please God. We are talking about a person that wants to do what is right. We are talking about a person that is like Paul in Romans 7:19, and Romans 7:24.
Ro 7:19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-- this I keep on doing.
Ro 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
This kind of person will spend time asking the Holy Spirit in prayer to give them strength to overcome sin. This is where the power of the Spirit is delivered. It is at that moment when we desire to be free and then exercise faith, that the power of the Holy Spirit is unleashed.
Paul is teaching us the principle that we have a partnership with God. But we must exercise our will and have a godly desire to be free. This is where Christ comes to our rescue.
In the following passage Paul describes the action that should be happening in the heart of the believer.
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Romans 8:14-17 NIV
So, this chapter tells us if we are having a problem with sin overpowering us we need to ask ourselves the question is the Holy Spirit causing us to cry out “Abba Father”? Is there a strong and sincere desire to turn from sin? Are we asking the Holy Spirit to give us power over the temptation?
Do we loath or sin? Or do we love our sin? God calls us to be completely honest about the condition of our hearts as we cry out to Him.
Then Paul shows us what attitude we need to have if we are to be empowered to overcome sin – we are to see this present world and all the sinful desires of the flesh as temporary. He talks about how all of creation is groaning to be released from sin and how we should also groan to be released from this body and be set free.
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” Romans 8:18-25 NIV
So instead of reveling in sin and enjoying it, we should long to be set free from this sinful body and looking forward to the future when we will be free of sin and with Christ in a sinless eternity.
So, in this chapter Paul teaches the superiority of the Spirit over the Law, and shows us how we are to walk in the Holy Spirit and overcomes the sins of the flesh.
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”
Romans 8:26-27 NIV
The Spirit within us is working to bring about God’s will in us.
Then on top of all of this, Paul writes about how we need to know that God has been involved in our life from long ago. He chose us.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” Romans 8:28-30 NIV
God does not leave your salvation up to chance, but He is active in guiding your life in such a way as to lead you into the path He has for you.
When we look at what Paul has listed in this chapter we should feel the mercy and love of God. He has delivered us from the condemnation of the Law. He has filled us with the Holy Spirit and given us power to overcome sin. He has caused us to groan to be released from these fallen bodies. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us from within our heart. He has been involved in our lives from the beginning - choosing, predestining, glorifying, and guiding us to His path
Then Paul ends it by this glorious point – that God loves us with a very special kind of love.
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-39 NIV
God gave us Jesus, which proves he loves us so much that He will withhold nothing from us. No matter what we go though it will never separate us from His love.
What Paul has done in this chapter is made a list of things that are so much greater than the Law. He is trying to show the Jews that the hope they have put in the Law, is no hope at all. He shows them all the features of salvation. He is showing them the superiority of Jesus and the grace of God over the Law.
For a Jew who has been under the condemnation of the Law all their lives this was like drinking a cold glass of water on a hot day.
In Romans Chapter 8 Paul after having made his case in the preceding chapters that the Law only condemns and makes sin very visible, he now tells us that we can overcome sin and walk in the power of God by choosing to focus our minds on the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us we have choices to make. We can focus our mind on the flesh which will lead to sin and death, or we can focus our mind on the Spirit of God that lives within us resulting in life and peace.
It is sometimes said that we can not keep the Law, and that is true if we are talking about sheer human effort to be accepted by God through keeping the Law and thereby earning our salvation. But Paul makes it clear that through the power of the Holy Spirit it is possible for the believer to live a holy life. We are not required to keep the ceremonial aspect of the Law of Moses, but God certainly expects that Christians live the moral and holiness requirements of the Law.
There are folks who look to the Holy Spirit to only do miracles and give spiritual gifts, but they neglect to see that the greatest display of the Spirit’s power is in helping us live for Christ daily. In other words, the fruit of the Spirit are just as important as the gifts of the spirit.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:1-13 NIV
Paul says the Law is correct to condemn sin and God does not just dismiss the guilt but instead has given us Jesus to take our punishment and condemnation that the Law required so the sinner can go free because the righteous requirement of the Law has been satisfied in Jesus.
But the scripture also teaches us that through the Holy Spirit we receive the ability to live in a way that obeys the Holiness and morality of the Law. We do not live a moral life to earn salvation or to keep salivation but because we want to please God. Because of the indwelling Holy Spirit we have the ability to choose to put our minds on the Spirit rather than our sinful flesh.
This takes us back to the promise that God gave to Israel through the Prophet Ezekiel.
Eze 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
The prophet tells them that a day was coming when the Holy Spirit would give them ability to walk faithfully in the Law of God. That day came on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church.
Paul writes to the believers in Rome that they had the power because of the Holy Spirit to choose to do what was right.
One of the ways to be freed from the mastery of sin in our daily lives is to be careful where we choose to set the focus our minds. If we set it on our fleshly sinful desires we will be enticed and entangled by sin, but if we set our minds on the Holy Spirit that lives within us and seeking His power. He will give us the ability to not be mastered by sin.
Paul teaches us that the way to put to death the “misdeeds” or sins of the body is by the Holy Spirit. In other words, to put our focus on relationship with the Spirit of Christ within us rather than sinful flesh.
Someone might say that the problem with sin is that a person will not want to put their focus on the Spirit, they will want to focus on sin and flesh. But we must remember that we are not just talking about the power of the will to set the focus of the mind, we are talking about a person who has been born again and truly in their heat wants to please God. We are talking about a person that wants to do what is right. We are talking about a person that is like Paul in Romans 7:19, and Romans 7:24.
Ro 7:19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-- this I keep on doing.
Ro 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
This kind of person will spend time asking the Holy Spirit in prayer to give them strength to overcome sin. This is where the power of the Spirit is delivered. It is at that moment when we desire to be free and then exercise faith, that the power of the Holy Spirit is unleashed.
Paul is teaching us the principle that we have a partnership with God. But we must exercise our will and have a godly desire to be free. This is where Christ comes to our rescue.
In the following passage Paul describes the action that should be happening in the heart of the believer.
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Romans 8:14-17 NIV
So, this chapter tells us if we are having a problem with sin overpowering us we need to ask ourselves the question is the Holy Spirit causing us to cry out “Abba Father”? Is there a strong and sincere desire to turn from sin? Are we asking the Holy Spirit to give us power over the temptation?
Do we loath or sin? Or do we love our sin? God calls us to be completely honest about the condition of our hearts as we cry out to Him.
Then Paul shows us what attitude we need to have if we are to be empowered to overcome sin – we are to see this present world and all the sinful desires of the flesh as temporary. He talks about how all of creation is groaning to be released from sin and how we should also groan to be released from this body and be set free.
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” Romans 8:18-25 NIV
So instead of reveling in sin and enjoying it, we should long to be set free from this sinful body and looking forward to the future when we will be free of sin and with Christ in a sinless eternity.
So, in this chapter Paul teaches the superiority of the Spirit over the Law, and shows us how we are to walk in the Holy Spirit and overcomes the sins of the flesh.
- The focus of our minds. A mind focused on flesh will lead to sin, which leads to death
- Paul teaches a partnership where we choose to pursue holiness and deny sin, and this is where the Holy Spirit gives power. God will not do it all, but meets us when we call out for help and trust Him to give us power to overcomes
- Then we set our hope not on this sinful world, but we recognize that the world groans to be released and we should also groan to be released, and put our focus on what is to come rather than the sins of this world.
- We should recognize that the Holy Spirit is praying within us and working from the inside out to make us into what He wants us to be
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”
Romans 8:26-27 NIV
The Spirit within us is working to bring about God’s will in us.
Then on top of all of this, Paul writes about how we need to know that God has been involved in our life from long ago. He chose us.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” Romans 8:28-30 NIV
God does not leave your salvation up to chance, but He is active in guiding your life in such a way as to lead you into the path He has for you.
When we look at what Paul has listed in this chapter we should feel the mercy and love of God. He has delivered us from the condemnation of the Law. He has filled us with the Holy Spirit and given us power to overcome sin. He has caused us to groan to be released from these fallen bodies. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us from within our heart. He has been involved in our lives from the beginning - choosing, predestining, glorifying, and guiding us to His path
Then Paul ends it by this glorious point – that God loves us with a very special kind of love.
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-39 NIV
God gave us Jesus, which proves he loves us so much that He will withhold nothing from us. No matter what we go though it will never separate us from His love.
What Paul has done in this chapter is made a list of things that are so much greater than the Law. He is trying to show the Jews that the hope they have put in the Law, is no hope at all. He shows them all the features of salvation. He is showing them the superiority of Jesus and the grace of God over the Law.
For a Jew who has been under the condemnation of the Law all their lives this was like drinking a cold glass of water on a hot day.
Posted in Pastor\'s Commentary
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