Romans 8:1-17
V1-Therefore, now, there is not even one bit of condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. V2 For the law of the Spirit, of the life in Christ Jesus, freed you once for all from the law of sin and death.
V3 For that which is an impossibility for the law, because it was weak through the flesh, God having sent His Son in likeness of sinful flesh, and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh,
V4 in order that the righteousness requirements of the law may be brought to completion in us who, are ordering our behaviour and walk, not as those dominated by the flesh, but as those dominated by the Spirit.
V5 For those who are habitually dominated by the flesh, put their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are habitually dominated by the Spirit, put their minds on the things of the Spirit.
V6 For to have the mind dominated by the flesh is death, but to have the mind dominated by the Spirit is life and peace;
V7 because the mind dominated by the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not marshal itself under the command of the law of God, neither is it able to.
V8 Moreover, those who are in the sphere (realm) of the flesh are not able to please God.
V9 But, as for you, you are not in the sphere (realm) of the flesh but in the sphere of the Spirit, provided that the Spirit of God is residence in you. But assuming that a person does not have the Spirit of Christ, this one does not belong to Him.
V10 But assuming that Christ is in you, on the one hand, the body is dead on account of sin, on the other hand, the spirit is alive on account of righteousness.
V11 And assuming that the Spirit of the One who raised up Jesus out from among the dead is in residence in you, He who raised out from among the dead Christ Jesus, will also make alive your mortal bodies through the agency of the Spirit who is resident in you.
V12-13 So then, brethren, we are those under obligation not to the flesh, to live habitually under the dominion of the flesh. For, assuming that you are living habitually under the dominion of the flesh, you are on the way to dying. But, assuming that by the Spirit you are habitually putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
V14 For as many as are being constantly led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.
V15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery again with resulting fear, but you received the Spirit who places you as adopted sons, by whom we cry out with deep emotion, Abba Father.
V16 The Spirit himself is constantly bearing joint-testimony with our spirit that we are God’s children,
V17 and since children, also heirs; on the one hand heirs of God, on the other, joint heirs with Christ, provided that we are suffering with Him in order that we may be glorified together.
Poem -
Do this and live the law demands,
but gives me neither feet nor hands.
A better word the Gospel brings.
It bids me fly and gives me wings”.
PRAY
Background
In Ch1 Paul provides a reality check that we would not be blind or fooled into deceiving ourselves that “we are OK”. READ 1 v 28 – 32
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know
God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Paul took us down to the depth of the depravity that man found himself before a righteous God. He identifies the cause and the key performance indicator (KPA). We are doubly doomed –
➢ We are enslaved to sinning – experiential - Ch2v1 – “Therefore you have NO excuse, O man (and woman)” – he goes on the show how, whether Jew or gentile, all have failed before the righteous requirements of a Holy God. Jew and gentile alike have sinned (Rom 2v12 -12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law and in 3v23 – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”)
➢ We are guilty of having sin – Judicial -Again whether Jew or Gentile we are all fallen in our very being (Rom 3v9,10 -9 What then? Are we Jews[a] any better off?[b] No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,)
he summarises the situation 3v10 (quoting Ps 14v1-3 and Isa 53v1-3)
“as it is written, “None is righteous, no, not one;
No one understands No one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless”
Well, Paul tells us in Ch6v23 – “the wages of sin is death.” So we are doubly condemned ie being with sin and continually sinning.
HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?
Now, From 3v21 through to 8v39 Paul deals with God’s grace response and answer (the Gospel) in dealing with the problem of these two matters (the Gospel) and it concerns all mankind – you included -
➢ Enslavement to sinning - 3v21 to 5v11 – Deals with our outward condition where we are condemned as legally guilty based on our actions and our sinning.
➢ Corrupted in sin - 5v12 to 8v39 – Deals with our inward condition, which is corrupt and perishing ie our sin nature.
THREE points to note as we read in Romans–
1. The use of the word “law” in Romans does change from context to context and may be referring to the Mosaic law or Levitical or “written code” (7v6). Or it can be referring to a principle eg. “a law when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand”.
Commonly in Ch8 it refers to the general Law of God encapsulated in the 10 commandments ie almost as a record of what is written into the heart of every human by God.
2. Likewise the use of “spirit”. It often refers to the Holy Spirit but can refer to a principle of inner motivation or outward intent.
3. “flesh” is the fallen state man is in and is the sin nature that is conjoined with our physical mortal bodies.
Paul is drawing us out of the depths of depravity and as we move into Chapter 8 Paul continues to draw us out of this pit and it will culminate in the proclamation “WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM WHO LOVED US” (don’t miss next week)
In Chapter 8 he addresses the freedoms that make us more than conquerors, which we have in Christ and to free us to respond to the sin nature –
We are FREE from
• Condemnation,
• Fleshly obligations,
• Discouragement
• Fear.
Today in 8v1-17 we consider the first two.
A. FREE FROM ANY CONDEMNATION (V1-8)
God’s once in a lifetime offer – The Ultimate transaction.
Paul now reverses the condemnation stated in Rom 3v20 20 For by works of the law no human being[c] will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. And Rom 7v25 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. -
8 v1 There is therefore now no (not even one little bit)condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.[a] 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you[b]free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (Refer to Wuest)
The Law cannot condemn any more – Judicial – Why?
1. You have moved to different Realm
8v2 -You have changed spheres or realms from the law of sin and death to the law of the Spirit that gives life. This Spirit of life is ours through Christ Jesus. The law has no claim on you – You have died to the law, being united and dying with Christ (7v4 - marriage dissolution).
2. Your debt has been paid
8v3 – Christ has already suffered the condemnation (though he was not deserving) for you on the cross. He came in the LIKENESS of sinful flesh (not “in sinful flesh”) as fully man. The law’s demand for our guilt from a sinning has been settled.
Christ paid, (through his undeserving death on the cross) and by being united with him in his death through faith, we are free from having to pay for those same contraventions. Just as we are cojoined with the sinful nature, we by faith move to be cojoined with Christ in his righteousness. The law of Double jeopardy applies. In Christ we have had our sinning paid for.
3. You now meet God’s righteous requirements
8v4 -The law has lost its hold on you, as you now meet the righteous requirements of the law as we now live in step with Christ (united)/the Spirit and not the flesh. (Phil 2v12,13 -12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.)
NOW, figuratively speaking we have escaped death row (you are justified) but “I feel and see that it appears that I am still stuck in the jail of slavery to sinning”? Paul’s sentiment in Ch7
In V5-17 Paul shows how we are to move from what we were, to what we are and what we should be in living –
B. FREE FROM ANY OBLIGATION TO THE FLESH (and a defeated sin-slavery life)(v5-17) OR WHAT GOVERNS YOUR MIND?
There are 3 levels but the exhortation is to live at the highest level. Paul starts off the lowest level the Unbeliever –
THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION (v1) WHY? IN CHRIST WE MOVED TO A NEW REALM TO LIVE ACCORDINGLY – PAUL NOW OUTLINES THE DIFFERENCE -
A. Unbeliever - “You have not the Spirit” (Vs5-8)
1. In the flesh Vs in the Spirit
V5 - Paul picks the role of the mind Chapter 12 where we read that the mind is the battlefield for our spiritual life and key to our “true and proper worship”.
See also 8v9b – without the Spirit you can’t please God and you don’t belong to Him. Without the Spirit are in the realm of sin and death which is Satan’s realm.
2. Death Vs life
V6 -You may be moral and even religious, but without the Spirit you lack spiritual life, you are spiritually dead. 7v19-21,23 – I see another law at work in me waging war against the law of my mind (God’s law) – hence against God.
3. War with God Vs peace with God
V6-7 -Peace - the inner assurance that past sins are forgiven, that present events no matter how painful are being overruled for good and that nothing that might occur in the future will be able to separate us from the love of Christ. Basic freedom from fear, restlessness or insecurity rather contentment and inner tranquillity –
but realistically tainted with a clear sense and awareness of the weakness of the flesh and what wretched people we can be until we are raised to newness of life.
4. Pleasing self Vs pleasing God
V8 - We live to please the self and the flesh (this is what sin does in us) and deny God. To be in the realm of the unsaved is the lowest level of life and leads to eternal death. B. Believer in Jesus “You have the Spirit” (v9-11)
V9 “But, as for you, you are not in the sphere (realm) of the flesh but in the sphere of the Spirit, provided that the Spirit of God is resident in you”.
The “But” (For) indicates the oppositional nature of the one in V5-8 against this one.
That’s the bottom line – if you have the Spirit. You are no longer operating in the realm of the flesh but in the realm of the Spirit that gives life. The challenge is what we do we do with it.
V10 – our death due to sin is nullified since the Spirit gives it life because of righteousness (which is gained from our being in Christ). PHYSICAL DEATH IS A REMINDER OF THE CONSEQUENCE OF SIN AND SINNING
V11 – RESPONSE T0 V10 - the life is manifest because of the Spirit that is in us and he will give life to our mortal bodies IN NEWNESS OF RESURRECTION.
C. Disciple of Jesus “The Spirit has you” (v12-17)
“THEREFORE” - It is NOT ENOUGH for us to have the Spirit. The level we desire to reach is that the Spirit must have us!!!.
V12 ,13– Put to death the misdeeds of the body - we are no longer slaves to our sin nature, we have no obligation to live according to it, rather we are to put it to death by the Spirit that is resident in us. The Spirit must habitually dominate our living.
V14,15 – Testify with your cojoined spirit (inner motivation) - Led by the Spirit of God, walk in step, testified by the Spirit that we are God’s children and we can speak to him as Abba Father ie. “Dear father” – His children. Not in fear, not as slaves but as sons of God.
CONCLUSION
1. Problem => Sin = corruption and Death => Solution – Justification by being in Christ TICK 2. Problem => Sinning and perishing = Enslaving power => Solution – Sanctification through the Spirit’s power TICK.
As an advert some time ago said – “We’ve been having it!”
BUT – Practice makes progress. This is a corollary. Without practice, there is no progress.
The struggle to overcome a bad habit or an addiction – practice and perseverance are necessary. Q: Does the Spirit habitually dominate my life? Is his perspective the filter through which I see life?
• Sunrise – thing of beauty from God
• Travel in the traffic on business – opportunity to engage with a fallen world and provide for my family • Eat lunch – God’s gracious provision and blessing to me. Interact with others with my Christ like desires. • Read to my children – making them disciples of Jesus.
• Cancer – Trust
• Exaggerate about my achievements – Repentance
Do this and live the law demands,
but gives me neither feet nor hands.
A better word the Gospel brings.
It bids me FLY and gives me wings”.