Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Romans chapter 8 as we continue our study through the Word of God. Tonight we will finish the third main division of this letter, and continue to look at the sanctification process. We saw in Romans chapter 6 that the main subject was sin, mentioned some 17 times, and that chapter concluded with Paul saying “For the wages of sin is death, but the [free] gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23. Then in Romans chapter 7 the main focus was the Law, mentioned some 23 times and Paul concluded that chapter by saying “I thank God — through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.” Romans 7:25.
Now in chapter 8 we are going to see tonight the power of the Holy Spirit working through the life of the believer to empower him to live a life of holiness unto God. In this chapter the word “Spirit” is mentioned some 22 times and thus, is the main subject in this chapter. As Paul concluded chapter 7 he said “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God — through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.” Romans 7:22-25.
Paul is speaking of a battle that is going on in our lives as Christians, a battle between the spirit and the flesh or the Law of God and the law of sin and the cry of many if not all Christians is “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Romans 7:24. You can hear the anguish upon Paul’s heart but then he tells us it is Jesus who gives to us the victory in this battle. What does that mean to us, Paul tells us in Romans chapter 8, beginning in verse 1, so let’s begin reading this section of Romans and see what the Lord has for us this evening.
VERSE
1
How much condemnation, judgment comes upon us? None, absolutely nothing!
Who is this for? Paul tells us it is for all of those who are in Christ Jesus, believers! How wonderful, how liberating that should be for us. Christ paid in full the penalty for our sins and thus, the Law of double jeopardy applies – we can’t be tried again for something that has already been paid for, Jesus became sin for us so that we could become the righteousness of God in Him! It is as Jesus said in John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
Martin Luther put it this way: “It is impossible for a man to be a Christian without having Christ, and if he has Christ, he has at the same time all that is in Christ. What gives peace to the conscience is that by faith our sins are no more ours, but Christ’s, upon whom God hath laid them all; and that, on the other hand, all Christ’s righteousness is ours, to whom God hath given it. Christ lays His hand upon us, and we are healed. He casts His mantle upon us, and we are clothed; for He is the glorious Savior, blessed for ever.”
Then who are condemned, who are judged? Those who are not in Christ, those who are not believers. Jesus made that point in John 3:18-20 when he said, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” It is as Spurgeon said regarding those who are not in Christ Jesus: “It is no pleasant task to us to have to speak of this matter; but how are we that we should ask for pleasant tasks? What God hath witnessed in Scripture is the sum and substance of what the Lord’s servants are to testify to the people. If you are not in Christ Jesus, and are walking after the flesh, you have not escaped from condemnation.” Sometimes the truth hurts!
Let me ask you this, “Why in the world do we as Christians feel condemned at times when we do things we want don’t want to do and don’t do things we want to do?” Because we are listening to the Devil instead of God. The Devil will condemn us, which leads us away from God. We do something wrong and we don’t go to church because the Devil tells you that you are not worthy to go. We stop reading our Bible because what is the use, God doesn’t love us. We stop praying because God won’t hear and you have been deceived by the Devil! Paul said in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” The Lord does not condemn us; he draws us closer to Him through the conviction of sin. If you are feeling condemned, it is not of God!
One more point before we move on. That phrase at the end of verse 1, “ . . . who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” is not found in some of the earliest manuscripts of Romans and may be a copyist error for this same phrase is found in verse 4. Does it affect this passage either way? Not at all, there is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus – period!
Why is there no condemnation? Look at the next verse and you will see the reason why!
VERSE
2
We are not only free from the guilt of sin but also by the power of sin. There are two laws, the Law of the Spirit and the Law of sin and death. One brings a person life and the other drags one down to death. Think of it like this; the Law of gravity keeps a plane on the ground, it can’t just float away. But, if that plane gains enough speed as it goes down the runway the Law of aerodynamics will supercede the law of gravity and the plane will fly. The Law of the Spirit supercedes the Law of sin and death and we can fly you might say, we have life, liberty in Christ! The Law of sin and death, even though it is still in effect, has no power over the Spirit of life!
Interestingly enough, up to Romans chapter 8, in the first 7 chapters of Romans the Spirit is only mentioned twice. The first was just a passing reference to the Spirit in Romans 1:4, “and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” The other is found in Romans 5:5, “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Now, as I have said, here in Romans chapter 8 the Spirit is mentioned some 22 times showing us the liberation we have through God’s Spirit. It is as Paul said in II Corinthians 3:17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
VERSES
3-4
The Law is good, the Law is perfect as Psalm 19:7-11 tells us, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.” You see, the Law is not weak but we are, we can’t keep the Law. The weakness of the Law, if there is one, is that it was never meant to save us but to show us the holy standard, the holy requirements of God, which we can’t keep. Thus, as I have said, the Law really is not weak but we are in the flesh. It is as Manson said: “Moses’ Law has right but not might; sin’s Law has might but not right; the Law of the Spirit has both right and might.”
What the Law couldn’t do Jesus did as God sent His only begotten Son “in the likeness of sinful flesh.” Notice that it doesn’t say “in the likeness of flesh” which would say that Jesus was not flesh and blood, maybe some kind of spirit or ghost. But that is not what the Bible tells us. In John 1:14 we are told, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Nor did he say that the Son was sent “in sinful flesh” which would say that Jesus was born in sin and yet the Bible tells us that Jesus was without sin. In II Corinthians 5:21 we are told, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” And in I John 3:5 we are told, “And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.”
Thus, God sent His Son into this world to fill the righteous requirements of the Law and as He did, we were set free from the power of sin to live a life after the Spirit if we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. I like the way the nineteenth century Scottish evangelist, Robert Haldane, put it: “We see the Father assume the place of judge against His Son, in order to become the Father of those who were His enemies. The Father condemns the Son of His love, that He may absolve the children of wrath.” Amazing grace – How sweet the sound – That saved a wretch like me!
VERSES
5-6
Where is this war, this battle fought? It is in the mind and the flesh tries to control the mind and the spirit tries to control the mind. What is your mind set upon, the flesh or the spirit? As we walk in the Spirit, as we have made peace with God through Jesus Christ, then the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds. The thing we must all remember is we all go through good times and bad times, times of calm and times of storms, both on the just and the unjust, the difference being is where the set of your sails are. May the sail of your mind be set upon Jesus as He leads you through those storms of life!
VERSES
7-8
This is a powerful point that Paul is making here. He is saying, “The carnal mind is enmity against God.” Not “The carnal mind was at enmity with God.” Because of that condition they are in is Paul saying that they can only please God when they really do good? Not at all, Paul says that those who are not born again, those who remain in the flesh can never please God until they are born again! How can that be? That is not fair! Why is that true? Because you are created to bring pleasure to God and thus, if you are at war with Him, you will not please Him and you will be at war with Him until you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior! In Revelation 4:11 we are told of this very thing, the reason why we were created and this is from the King James Version of the Bible, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
Of this enmity against God, Spurgeon said: “It is not black, but blackness; it is not at
enmity, but enmity itself; it is not corrupt, but corruption; it is not rebellious, it is rebellion; it is not wicked, it is wickedness itself. The heart, though it be deceitful, is positively deceit; it is evil in the concrete, sin in the essence, it is the distillation, the quintessence of all things that are vile; it is not envious against God, it is envy; it is not at enmity, it is actual enmity.” In other words, they are more interested in their own will than God’s will. They are the master of their destiny and refuse to bow their knee to God. Thus, they are not subject to God’s Law and they are warring against God for Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.” Matthew 12:30.
VERSES 9-10
Paul is showing us how we are when we have crucified the flesh, put the old man to death, we are then alive in the Spirit and because of that, the things we do in the Spirit are pleasing to God. You see, by the power of the Holy Spirit we are completely new, as Paul said in II Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Also, it is the Holy Spirit that indwells us and bears witness to us that we are saved; we have been adopted into the family of God. Paul, in Romans 8:16 tells us this fact as he says, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” On the other hand, if the Spirit of God is not in you, then the Spirit of Christ is not in you, and you are not saved, you are still lost in your sins.
Why does Paul speak of the “Spirit of God” and the “Spirit of Christ”? Is he speaking of two different things? Not at all, what Paul is saying is that the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, which tells me that Jesus is God, it testifies of His deity! I do realize that some like to deny the fact of the deity of Jesus or say that He is a lesser God, but that is ridiculous!
For in Isaiah 43:10-11 we are told, “‘You are My witnesses,’ says the LORD, ‘And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, And besides Me there is no savior.’” So Jesus can’t be a lesser God, He is God, the second person of the Holy Trinity. If you still have doubts then listen to what Paul said in Titus 2:13, “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Not only is the Father God, but Jesus is God and the Holy Spirit is God as we are told in Acts 5:3-4 as Ananias lied and we are told, “But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.’” Please understand, I am not saying that there are three God’s, but one God manifested in three distinct persons. I don’t fully understand it with my finite mind, but our infinite God has told us this in His Word and I believe it!
Thus, the identifying mark of a believer, as I have said, is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and as the Holy Spirit indwells us the characteristics of Jesus will flow through us; like love, compassion, joy, forgiveness, kindness, gentleness, self-control, and-so-on. What is controlling your life?
As we come into this relationship with Jesus by His Spirit, our lives should be radically changed. Of this D. L. Moody tells us of his conversion experience: “I was in a new world. The next morning the sun shone brighter and the birds sang sweeter. . . . The old elms waved their branches for joy, and all nature was at peace.” You see, we truly look at life differently through the eyes of Jesus and the new life He has give to us. May we not lose sight of that and return to the old ways, the old view of life for Jesus truly enriches our life!
VERSE
11
God has given a promise to all who receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, a spiritual resurrection not in the future, but here and now! Thus, if the Holy Spirit makes our spirit alive, then also by the Holy Spirit the flesh will be and is crucified. It is a spiritual resurrection now!
Not only that, but we look forward to a future, to another promise, a future physical resurrection for our mortal bodies. Paul tells us in II Corinthians 15:53-57, “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul also speaks of this physical resurrection of our mortal bodies in Romans 8:23 where he tells us, “Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” Two precious promises of God, one for us now, a spiritual resurrection and one in the future, a physical resurrection of these bodies of flesh as God prepares for us a new body for our spirit and soul to dwell in.
VERSES 12-13
This is not saying that a believer who sins will face eternal death in Hell, but he will lose the joy of walking in the Spirit. The thing is what do you owe your sinful flesh nature? Absolutely nothing! What benefits did your old sinful nature give to you? Absolutely none! Then why are you feeding it, why do you go back to it? Feed the spirit and starve the flesh. You owe the old sinful flesh nature nothing but you do owe the Lord everything! Thus, live accordingly as Paul tells us in Titus 2:11-12, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” You see, God is not necessarily making us into happy people but holy people by the power of His Spirit! Thus, He did that for us so that we might live, can’t we live for Him in holiness, not out of obligation or constraint, but out of love? We should be able to do that, not in our own strength, but by the Power of God’s Spirit working in us and through us, the sanctification process! It is as the Scottish Theologian David Brown wrote, “If you don’t kill sin, it will kill you.”
VERSES
14-15
Many people in America claim to be Christians, the sons of God, but claiming something is a far cry from being something. Let me explain. I could claim to be the worlds greatest repairman, have all kinds of tools for the work, have signs made up, shirts claiming this fact, but if my work is not reflecting what I claim, then what I claim is worthless! The same is true for us, we can claim we are Christians, have all kinds of Bibles, have all kinds of tee-shirts and bumper-stickers to claim this fact, but if it doesn’t match up with our walk, it is worthless, it is empty, we truly are not sons of God! It is as James tells us, “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead . . . For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James 2:17, 26. Also in James 1:22 we are told, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” You see, our life should reflect the new nature we have in Christ, not the old nature of sin. You see, it is not what you claim but what you are, what you are living that shows you are a child of God!
Now, how are we lead by the Spirit of God? Some have taken this to bizarre or weird extremes when the reality is; being lead by the Spirit of God is very simple. First we see the Spirit of God led us by illumination or by opening up, clarifying, helping us to understand the Word of God. Have you ever read a book or heard an unsaved person speak of a portion of Scripture and you wonder where in the world did they get that from, that is not what the text is saying? I have! Why is that? Because it is the Spirit of God that illuminates to us the Word of God as Paul said in I Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” But as we read God’s Word, as we pray and meditate on Scripture, God’s Spirit speaks to our hearts, exposes sin in our lives, directs us and-so-on. This process begins from the moment we are saved on through our whole Christian life till we go to be with the Lord. Paul put it this way in II Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” And The Living Bible puts these verses like this, “The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right. It is God's way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone.”
The second aspect of being lead by the Spirit of God is the empowering to do those things He has shown us to do, the sanctification process. You see, that is where the Law fell short, it showed us our sin but had no power to deliver us or help us to walk in holiness. But now, by the power of God’s Spirit we are able! It is as Paul put it in I Thessalonians 4:7, “For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.” And in Romans 6:13, 19 Paul tells us, “And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God . . . I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.” We are thus willingly led by the Spirit of God and follow Him!
Notice how we respond to God now, not at a distance, not in fear, but as a child to His Father. In fact, the word “Abba” is an Aramaic term that can be translated “daddy” or “papa”! It was an intimate term for an intimate relationship we have with God. I never called my dad, “Hello father” but “Hi dad!” an intimate relationship, not a distant one and the same is true with our relationship with God. How did this happen? Jesus has allowed us to be adopted into the family of God, not a second-class citizen but as Paul said, “joint heirs with Christ.” Romans 8:17. Image that, we are joint heirs with Christ! Of this we are told, “Under Roman adoption, the life and standing of the adopted child changed completely. The adopted son lost all rights in his old family and gained all new rights in his new family; the old life of the adopted son was completely wiped out, with all debts being canceled, with nothing from his past counting against him any more.” (David Guzik). That is what God has done for us and thus, we can cry out “Abba, Father” and He will listen for we are His children, adopted into His family through Christ!
VERSES
16-17
In Ephesians 1:3 Paul tells us, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” In Matthew 25:34 we are told, “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’”
All that the Father has is ours and when Jesus returns to set-up His kingdom on this earth we will rule and reign with Him as we are told in Revelation 5:9-10, “And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals;
For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.’” In Revelation 20:6, “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” And in Revelation 1:5-6, “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
How do we know all that Paul has told us is true? Because, as the Jews believed and God said, by the mouth of two witnesses this shall be established and here the Holy Spirit confirms with our spirit these truths – it is true – and it will come to pass!
Also, our suffering in this life is just as our Lord suffered and it is out of that suffering that we will receive a future glorification! It is just part of being His Son and before the glory comes the cross, the suffering. And when you think about it, there can be no loss of our salvation between our justification and our glorification because there can never be justification without glorification. Let me explain it this way, if justification is the beginning of our salvation and glorification is the completion, then what God has begun He will complete, He will finish it in us. What a comfort to know and apply that to our lives!
Obviously we will not finish this chapter of Romans tonight but we will finish it next week. Let me leave you with these words to think about as we close tonight, we must not only experience the power of God’s Spirit in our lives but we must also live or apply the things that God’s Spirit is telling us for there is the joy, doing what we were created for, to bring pleasure to God! Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh!