William Life in the Spirit
Rom 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
Rom 8:3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
Rom 8:4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Rom 8:5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
Rom 8:7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,
Rom 8:8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Rom 8:9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
Rom 8:10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
v1 – If we have truly accepted Christ as Savior through His finished work on the cross, we will never face the prospect of eternal condemnation and ultimately eternal separation from God. “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:1-2. Putting it another way, if we have accepted Christ as savior through His death on the cross, our condemnation is eternally in the past. It does not reside in the present or future.
v2 – Why is there no condemnation? Paul answers in this verse. Because we are saved, the Spirit of God enters us and through Him, we are set free from the law of sin and the law of death. We are justified, declared righteous, therefore we no longer are under the law of sin or the law of death.
v3 – The law is good, but one thing it cannot do is reconciles us with the Father. The Law can show us our sin, the fact that we do sin. But that is as far as it goes. It cannot save us from our sins. ” For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:20. Jesus did not come to condemn the sinner, but the sin in the flesh. To declare it dead. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:16-17
v4 – Through His death, burial and resurrection, our guilt is pardoned because the penalty was paid by Jesus. His righteousness, by the complete adherence to the law, was something we could not do, therefore His righteousness is imputed upon us. However, only for those who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
vs5-8 – This is a very critical part of this section. Here we see a differentiation between those who walk according to the flesh and those who walk according to the Spirit. Those who walk according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, with no interest in the things of the Spirit. This will ultimately mean their death, probably in the sense of spiritual death in that they will be condemned to eternal punishment or ruin. Their mindset is hostile to God and thus they do not submit to Him but to their own flesh and it’s desires. They cannot please Him and not doubt have no intention of doing so. This is not so for those who walk after the Spirit. Their minds are set on the Spirit which results in life and peace. They desire to please Him and that is their mindset, thus resulting in eternal life. Our goal, as Christians is to please God, obey His will and subject everything to Him. If we walk after the flesh, this is not possible.
v9 – Paul then says, speaking to the Church at Rome, we are not in the flesh but in the Spirit. Then he places this stipulation. If indeed the Spirit of God dwells in us. This is true if we are under the direction and influence of the Holy Spirit and not under the corrupt desires and passions of the flesh. That we listen to Him and follow His ways. In essence, He is in us and we are spiritually minded. The next part of this verse is very important for us to understand, and is a very solemn warning. If the Spirit of God does not dwell in us, then we are not truly Christians. If we do not walk after the Spirit but after the flesh, then we were never born again and we have not submitted ourselves to His Lordship, which is the meaning of the words ‘we do not belong to Him’.
vs10-11 – However, if the Spirit of Christ is in us, then even though our body is dead because of sin, our spirit is alive because of His righteous which was declared upon us through justification. Our bodies are dying, there is no doubt about that. Doctors and scientists will confirm this. However, if we have Christ in us, we are alive regardless of what is happening to our bodies. And taking the next step, though our mortal bodies are dying, and for many already dead this is not a permanent condition. For the one who raised Jesus from the dead will do the same with our bodies as well. In this life, we are new creatures in the same body. At His coming, we will have new bodies as well.