Free at Last
Romans 8:1-14
I. “In Christ Jesus”, 1-4
A. There Is No Condemnation, 1
B. There Need Be No Control by Sin, 2
C. There Should be No Continuance in Sin, 3, 4
II. Insight into “the Flesh”, 5-8
A. The Enemy of the Spiritual Mind, 5, 6
B. The “Enmity” of the Carnal Mind, 7, 8
III. Indwelling of the Spirit, 9-11
If you are saved you are indwelt!!
Filling/Thrilling/Fulfilling
IV. Indebted to Christ, 12-13
V. Included in the Family, 14-16
Maybe you’ve heard about the 3 ministers who went fishing one day, all friends who pastored different churches in the same town. While they were fishing they began confessing their sins to each other... The first pastor said, “Do you know what my big sin is? My big sin is drinking. I know it’s wrong, but every Friday night I drive to a city where no one will recognize me and I go to a saloon and get drunk! I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help it, it’s my big sin.” The second pastor said, “Well fellas, to be honest with you, I’ve got a big sin too...my big sin is gambling. As a matter of fact, you know all the money I raised for that mission trip to India? I took it to Las Vegas instead and lost it all! I’m so ashamed, my big sin is gambling.” Finally it was the third pastor’s turn. He said, “Guys, I probably should have gone first, because my big sin is GOSSIP—and I can’t wait to get back to town!”
The eighth chapter of Romans begins with no condemnation and ends with no separation.
The natural question is: Must a believer spend his whole life on earth frustrated by ongoing defeats to indwelling sin? Is there no power provided to achieve victory?
Paul described the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God who is the source of divine power for sanctification and the secret for spiritual victory in daily living.
I. “In Christ Jesus”
A. There Is No More Condemnation, 1
1 ¶ There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Where is all that blessedness received? It is received “in Christ Jesus.” To be saved is to be “in Christ” and for Christ to be “in me.” (No less than 164 times in his thirteen epistles, Paul made reference to the Christian’s being in Christ.) The believer in Christ is joined with Christ in His death, in His resurrection, and in the victorious life which He lives on this side of the cross and the empty tomb. Whatever happens to the Christian happens to Christ, for they are joined as one.
B. There Need Be No More Control by Sin, 2
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
We are justified, declared righteous, and therefore stand in His grace (Rom. 5:2) and not under His wrath (1:18), and possess eternal life (5:17-18, 21). Christ is the sphere of safety for all who are identified with Him by faith.
Illustration: When you stand beside a 747 jet on the runway, its massive weight (836,000 lbs.) and size makes it seem incapable of breaking the holds or law of gravity.
But when the power of its engines combines with the laws of aerodynamics, the plane is able to lift itself to 35,000 feet and travel at 564 miles per hour. Gravity is still pulling on the plane, but as long as it obeys the laws of aerodynamics, it can break free from the bonds of earth.
The law of aerodynamics overcomes the law of gravity.
Flying with my dad to Maranatha for College...
“The Spirit of life” is the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is the Member of the Godhead who regenerates every believer (Titus 3:5) and bestows life (John 3:5-8), the resurrection life of Christ (Rom. 6:4, 8, 11).
8:2 has the first mention of the Holy Spirit since 5:5, but He is mentioned 18 more times through 8:27. This law (“principle”; cf. 7:23) set me free (the Gr. aorist tense suggests a once-for-all act of freedom at salvation) from the law of sin and death.
As the principle of sin it contrasts with the Spirit; as the principle that brings death it also contrasts with the Spirit who gives life.
C. There Should be No More Continuance in Sin, 3, 4
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, (In other words He came to do something about sin. What He did was to condemn it. He “passed a judicial sentence on it”) condemned sin in the flesh:
Having stated the fact of freedom, Paul explained how it is achieved.
He declared again the impossibility of attaining freedom over sin through the (Mosaic) Law. It was powerless to free from sin.
God accomplishes deliverance over sin by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man. (The Incarnation)
Mary Had the Lamb of God
Mary had the little Lamb, who lived before His birth;
Self-existent Son of God, from Heaven He came to Earth.
Micah 5:2
Mary had the little Lamb; see Him in yonder stall —
Virgin-born Son of God, to save man from the Fall.
Isaiah 7:14
Mary had the little Lamb, obedient Son of God;
Everywhere the Father led, His feet were sure to trod.
John 6:38
Mary had the little Lamb, crucified on the tree
The rejected Son of God, He died to set men free.
1 Peter 1:18
Mary had the little Lamb—men placed Him in the grave,
Thinking they were done with Him; to death He was no slave!
Matthew 28:6
Mary had the little Lamb, ascended now is He;All work on Earth is ended, our Advocate to be.
Hebrews 4:14-16
Mary had the little Lamb—mystery to behold!
From the Lamb of Calvary, a Lion will unfold.
Revelation 5: 5,6
When the Day Star comes again, of this be very sure:
It won’t be Lamb-like silence, but with the Lion’s roar.
Psalm 2:12; Revelation 19:11-16
—Marv and Marbeth Rosenthal
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
The goal of this was so that the righteous requirements of the Law—a life of holiness—could be fully met as believers do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
II. Insight into “the Flesh”, 5-8
A study of Romans 7 shows how much that chapter is dominated by the words “I,” “me” and “my”.
In contrast, Romans 8 is dominated by the Holy Spirit, who is mentioned no less than 19xs in the chapter.
The new Lord in the believer’s life is the Holy Spirit
In verses 5-8 Paul answered the implied question, What does it mean to live according to the sinful nature and according to the Spirit?
analysis of paralysis
A. The Error of the Carnal Mind, 5, 6
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
An unbeliever cares only for his sinful interests and has no regard for God. The exact opposite is true of those who live according to the spirit. They aspire for or have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Paul explains that the mind-set, aspirations of sinful man is death, that is, it is equivalent to death, or it leads to death in all its forms (physical and spiritual).
On the other hand the mind-set, aspirations controlled by the Spirit is life and peace immediately and ultimately.
B. The Enmity of the Carnal Mind, 7, 8
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
To explain why he said (v.6) that it ends up in death:
(1) It is hostile to God;
(2) it does not submit to God’s law; and
(3) it cannot do so.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
The result is that those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
On a balmy October afternoon in 1982, Badger Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin, was packed. More than 60,000 die-hard University of Wisconsin supporters were watching their football team take on the Michigan State Spartans.
It soon became obvious that MSU had the better team. What seemed odd, however, as the score became more lopsided, were the bursts of applause and shouts of joy from the Wisconsin fans. How could they cheer when their team was losing?
It turns out that seventy miles away the Milwaukee Brewers were beating the St. Louis Cardinals in game three of the 1982 World Series. Many of the fans in the stands were listening to portable radios—and responding to something other than their immediate circumstances.
Paul encourages us to fix our eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen (2 Cor. 4:18). When we do, we can rejoice even in hardships because we see Christ’s larger victory. — Greg Asimakoupoulos, Naperville, Illinois
III. The Indwelling of the Spirit, 9-11
After speaking objectively about the two types of persons, Paul now addressed his readers directly. “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
If you are saved you are indwelt!!
Perhaps his point is that we all have the potential for victory. No one can say, “But I don’t have the Holy Spirit.” If you are saved you do!
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
The philosophy of the world is “seeing is believing.” This materialist philosophy makes it impossible for unregenerate individuals either to know or to receive the Spirit of God. He is real, but he is invisible.
16, 17, 20. 17b. Indwelling. “. . . for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
The Holy spirit comes to take up permanent residence in a believer’s heart and life. Thus the body of the believer becomes the temple of the Holy spirit, a truth of immense importance.
1 John 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
1 Corinthians 3: 16, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
1 Cor 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1 Cor 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Romans 8:10 ¶ And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
The purpose of the indwelling is to control the new nature.
Gal. 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Eph. 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
Walter Knight told of an old Scottish woman who went from home to home across the countryside selling thread, buttons, and shoestrings. When she came to an unmarked crossroad, she would toss a stick into the air and go in the direction the stick pointed when it landed.
One day, however, she was seen tossing the stick up several times. “Why do you toss the stick more than once?” someone asked. “Because,” replied the woman, “it keeps pointing to the left, and I want to take the road on the right.” She then dutifully kept throwing the stick into the air until it pointed the way she wanted to go!
How to Be Filled with the Spirit
Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
Confused with indwelling,
Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Explain the difference between filling and indwelling.
“The filling . . . does not mean the believer gets more of the Holy Spirit, but rather the Holy Spirit gets more of the believer.” —Willmington
Even sinning Christians are indwelt by the Spirit.
1 Cor 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1 Cor 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
You can indwell without filling.
Let me stop and make a critical distinction: Being filled with the Holy Spirit does not mean I have more of the Spirit, it means He has more of me.
Illustration: I can invite you into my house without allowing you to fill it or go anywhere in the house you wish. There are places in my house I may not want people to go and there are places in our lives we do not allow the Holy Spirit. (TV, morality, drunkenness)
Is it important?
Commanded: “Be not drunk!” - Do you believe that?
Do you believe just the first half?
If violating the first half is sin, violating the second half is a sin as well!
We will not be good Christians until we obey the whole verse.
Just not getting drunk does not make us a good Christian - that is just half of the verse
What does it mean “filled with the Spirit?”
“Be continuously filled” or “being kept filled”
“filled” = “controlled by”
Luke 4:28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
they were controlled by wrath
Acts 13:45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
they were controlled by envy
example: liquor
How can you tell if your filled?
Acts 6:3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
feeling, act?
Can you tell when someone is drunk, guy on Larimer st. talking to light pole.
Drunk is bold.
Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
compare Eph. 5:18 ff- with Col 3
Eph. 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Col 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
To “be filled with the Spirit”=Letting “the word of Christ dwell in you richly with all wisdom.”
Filling/Thrilling/Fulfilling
IV. Indebted, 12-13
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Paul drew a conclusion and made an application from his previous discussion. Therefore we have an obligation.
At Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-78, George Washington and his troops were in utterly desperate straits. He appealed to the governor of Pennsylvania for help. Jacob DeHaven was a staunch believer in the revolutionary cause and lived near Valley Forge. Hearing of Washington’s appeal, he loaned him $50,000 in gold and $400,000 in supplies.
The army survived the winter, but after the war DeHaven was never repaid. Now his descendants are trying to collect. They claim that the loan, compounded at 6 percent interest daily, amounts to $141.6 billion.
In one sense, all the money in the world could never repay DeHaven for what he did. In reality, he saved the cause of freedom for all America.
Jesus:
He gave His all, His life, His blood,
That we redeemed might be;
Oh, what can we give in exchange
For love so rich, so free? — Anon
V. Included in the Family, 14-16
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
When we come to the subject of the ‘adoption’ of the Christian, we come at one and the same time to one of the most crucial, and yet on of the most neglected doctrines of the New Testament. J. I. Packer laments this tragedy when he writes:
It is a strange fact that the truth of adoption has been little regarded in Christian history. Apart from two last-century books, now scarcely known (R. S. Candlish, The Fatherhood of God, R. A. Webb, The Reformed Doctrine of Adoption), there is no evangelical writing on it.
Packer also reminds us that although the doctrine of justification is the primary and fundamental blessing for the Christian, it is not the highest blessing. In justification, we are declared innocent of sin and righteous through the work of Christ. In adoption we are constituted sons of God. If justification makes us the servants of God, adoption makes us sons.
Let me illustrate it in this way. Suppose that I was an incorrigible criminal, standing guilty before a judge. It would be one thing for the judge to pronounce me innocent in the eyes of the law on the basis that my wrong doings had been paid for. But it would be something far greater for the judge to make me his own son and take me home to be a part of his family. The Holy Spirit is the source of our sanctification in that He is the Spirit of Adoption.
I think this goes to motivation. Mephibosheth vs. Ziba, “why should I go against the king, he has made me a part of the family.”
2 Sam 19:27 And he hath slandered thy servant unto my lord the king; but my lord the king is as an angel of God: do therefore what is good in thine eyes.
28 For all of my father’s house were but dead men before my lord the king: yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thine own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the king?
29 And the king said unto him, Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the land.
30 And Mephibosheth said unto the king, Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house.
