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At the core of every human being is the desire to be approved – to be liked. We often set our self esteem on the opinions others have of us. Why is it that so many of us feel so badly about ourselves? Is it because deep down we have a sense that we have failed in some way – failed either to please those around us, ourselves – or our God?
The Apostle Paul, in fact, seems almost to fortify our own notions of failure through the first seven chapters of Romans – we realize that whatever shred of self reliance, self sufficiency, or self justification we have mustered up is utterly useless in the quest for acceptance.
In my flesh, that is in my old nature, Paul tells us, dwells no good thing. In fact, when we try to do good we do bad, and when good needs to be done, we do not do it. Paul sums it up at the end of chapter 7 by saying: “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”
Then, he answers his own question in the same breath: “Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
It is not then through our own efforts, through our family line, through our associations or deeds that we receive acceptance – but it is through the efforts of Jesus Christ on our behalf that we are rescued, cleansed, and loved – then empowered and changed.
That is the message of Romans chapter 8. There are really only three points I want to make from this chapter – and I’ll give them to you ahead of time – and then we’ll see them and their associated sub points as we work through the chapter. But I want you to see how much God is not a judge in the lives of those who belong to Him, but a helpful, loving Father.
The three points are:
1. Receiving Christ means freedom from condemnation but war against sin
2. Closeness to God means losing control but gaining a new nature
3. Belonging to God’s family means facing death, but receiving a rich inheritance
Living in Christ means freedom from condemnation and war against sin
8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
This one verse should be tattooed on everyone’s hand – printed on paper and posted on your refrigerator, and memorized by every believer. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, how you’ve acted, who you are – how much you think you have failed – if you are in Christ, your are NOT condemned anymore. Think about that, let it settle in.
God isn’t sitting up there with a giant hammer just waiting for you to mess up so He can whap you on the head. This is hard for us to accept – we are so quick to judge ourselves – so Paul goes on to tell us why this is a reality.
2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
We’re under a new jurisdiction now – its like when you leave the United States, you are no longer under U.S. law, but the law of whatever country you go to. By believing in Jesus Christ you have left the country called “the world” and have joined God’s kingdom – and are now under a new law – a law called “the law of the Spirit of life.”
So, point 1: in Christ we are not condemned because we have been set free (vs 1-4) – set free from what?
5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
So set your mind on the Spirit (vs 5-11) I know that’s easier said than done – but its important for us to see the distinction. I think one of Paul’s points is that we have been empowered and set free so we can now choose which mind will control us.
Before I was a Christian my sinful nature controlled my mind. I’ve told the story before of how I became a Christian – how I got this little tract called “Have you heard of the Spirit filled life?” Inside it showed the life of a person who doesn’t have Jesus – priorities, hopes, actions – all out of whack with no order or purpose.
Jesus said “You cannot serve two masters.” We like to think of ourselves as really independent – but in reality we are not. We are controlled – either by the sin nature, or by the spirit nature – the Spirit of God.
9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 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 through his Spirit, who lives in you.
A life controlled by Jesus has order and purpose. This order becomes more evident the more time you spend in Christ. In practical ways our lives are a constant ceding of control over to Jesus.
The wonderful promise is that even though we continue to live in bodies and live with a nature that is opposed to God – one day our perishable bodies will put on an imperishable nature. Like Jesus we will have a perfect, indestructible body without a flesh nature – won’t that be wonderful?
So where then does our allegiance lie?
12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation-but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,
We have an obligation Paul says – it’s the idea of owing a debt to someone. God gave us life through the Spirit so we are in debt to Him, He owns us – it’s a spiritual reality we need to make an outward reality in our lives. We are no longer indebted to the sinful nature – in fact, we need to put to death the flesh (vs 12 – 13)
Paul doesn’t mean that if you sin you are going to hell as a Christian. There is a truth, though, that if you live according to the fleshly nature you will experience death as a natural consequence. If you steal, you will feel guilt, you may get caught and you will be punished – and more importantly, you’ll miss out on the life God’s Spirit is trying to live through you because by ceding to the fleshly nature you are not ceding to the spiritual nature. And that leads to the next point:
Closeness to God means we lose control but gain a new nature
14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 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.
There is so much here but the main point is this: the fleshly nature leads to death and fear – fear of punishment and condemnation. But when we come to Christ we don’t get condemned, we are welcomed into a special relationship. “Abba” was the cry of a child to it’s daddy. Not only that but are now heirs of God’s riches – and boy does He have riches – not the kind you spend in a store, but the kind you live off of for the rest of eternity.
We have a special closeness to God (vs 14 – 16)
Also look at the end – there is something to sharing in Christ’s sufferings that is a part of this process of becoming a child of God – but look at what Paul says about it:
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
Having this new relationship means we will be changed (vs 18 – 25). Right now creation itself has been waiting since the fall for the day when we receive new bodies. It hasn’t happened yet – but its coming. In the meantime, “wait patiently” Paul says. How – when we are constantly in this battle between flesh and spirit? Read on:
26 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 with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
In the meantime, the Spirit helps our weaknesses (vs 26, 27) Don’t you love that? God’s Spirit searches your heart and then prays to the Father to bring about specific things in our lives that will bring us into accordance with God’s will. Need a prayer partner? You’ve got one! So now next comes one of the most important concepts in this book:
28 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. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
There is a lot of theology in these verses – and many books have been written on predestination and foreknowledge. It’s at the bottom of an argument between Calvinism and Armenianism. Calvanists believe that God chose who He was going to save and we had little to do with it. Armenians believe that we chose God and God had little to do with it. My position is in the middle – I believe God knew beforehand those that would chose Him and so predestined them – that there is a balance between the actions of God and the actions of man when it comes to salvation. Time doesn’t allow us to fully talk about this topic, but I can provide some more resources to you if you would like to research it further.
What I want to focus on is verse 28. And in all things God works for the good of those who love Him (vs 28-30). Do you really believe this? A more literal way to translate this would be: “to them that love God, all things work together for good according to His purpose.”
It all starts with that relationship. This promise does not extend to those outside of the relationship. In that case this Scripture is true: 2 Peter 3:9
He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. Once that repentance happens ALL things work together for good.
The word “work together” is a good one – its where we get the word synergy. Synergy is where more than one thing works together well – the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In your life an isolated event might seem bad – like getting in a car wreck. But because that wreck brought you to the hospital you were able to share Christ with a man who was dieing and now he’s going to heaven. It “worked together” for good. The word “good” means: “benefit.” It’s not “good” like “virtue.” God isn’t saying “well you’re going to suffer but it’s a good thing to suffer.” “No pain, no gain!” There is an actual benefit that God works through circumstances – yes there will be suffering, but know that part of this relationship you have means in the end God will work even the bad to your benefit. Now, we might not see that benefit till we get to heaven – and that leads to the final major point:
Belonging to God’s family means facing death, but receiving a rich inheritance
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 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? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? 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. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
God is on our side (vs 31-36) and we need fear no enemy – not losing our job or sickness or hardship or even death and taxes. What a wonderful picture he is building – accepted into a new family all things work together for good and God, who was our enemy, is now on our side – but it gets better.
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
So we can conquer in God (vs 37). The base word for “conquer” means “a means of success.” Not only that but it’s a “super” success. We vanquish our foes – the enemy has nothing on us, we are valiant warriors – not on our own but “through Him who loved us.” Sin no longer has mastery, trials no longer hold terror, life is no longer something to be dreaded because we ARE more than conquerors. It doesn’t mean we are free from suffering, but we are always connected to the One who works for our benefit – no matter what. As if that weren’t enough, Paul puts the cap on this wonderful chapter of promises with this:
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 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.
What more could we ask for? - nothing can separate us from God’s love (vs 38, 39)
Paul lists four areas here: “death nor life” meaning that nothing in our human existence can separate us from God’s love – “angels or demons” meaning nothing in the spiritual realm can separate us from God’s love – “the present or the future” – and “height nor depth” perhaps suggesting that you can’t go anywhere where God’s love can’t go with you.
What great confidence we have, then. There is no one, no thing, no event, and at no time that you can be torn from God’s love in Jesus. There is no reason to fear. No reason to say “Oh, God can’t love me anymore after what I’ve done.” Oh yes He can and does. Far from separating from you He wants to forgive and cleanse you.
This is the capper – separated from fellowship with God in the Garden of Eden, now returned to God FOREVER.
Let’s recap the progression then through chapter 8:
Living in Christ means freedom from condemnation and war against sin
In Christ we are not condemned because we have been set free (vs 1-4)
So set your mind on the Spirit (vs 5-11
And to put to death the flesh (vs 12 – 13)
Closeness to God means we lose control but gain a new nature
We have a special closeness to God (vs 14 – 16)
Which means we will be changed (vs 18 – 25)
In the meantime, the Spirit helps our weaknesses (vs 26, 27)
And in all things God works for the good of those who love Him (vs 28-30)
Belonging to God’s family means facing death, but receiving a rich inheritance
God is on our side (vs 31-36)
So we can be more than a conqueror in Him (vs 37)
Knowing that nothing can separate us from God’s love (vs 38, 39)
