Romans
8:1-9
8:1
“Therefore”
begins a summary and conclusion of chapters3-7.
Paul’s statement in 7:6 is expanded in
detail here.
Romans 3:20 is the “therefore” of
condemnation;
“Therefore no one will be declared
righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become
conscious of sin.”
Romans 8:1 is the “therefore” of no
condemnation:
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
(Wiersbe, 1:538)
The justification described in chapters
3-7 is the basis of Paul saying “there is no condemnation.”
Justification must occur before
sanctification. To grow into the image
and character of God you must have God’s power and character in you. This can only occur after ju
“Now”
refers to a new era in the history of salvation. The age of the Spirit
that began with the church on Pentecost.
“Condemnation” As
Romans 5:12-21 taught there is no eternal condemnation in Christ.
Death was in Adam; Life was in Christ.
Romans
8:34, “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.”
8:2
“For”
shows that this verse explains why there is no condemnation.
Law” is
used here to mean “principle” not the Mosaic Law.
1) The
focus is on the certainty of the principle like the law of gravity.
2) “Law” or
“nomos” can mean “principle, authority, power”
The topic of discussion here is no
longer about Jesus justifying us but about the Spirit’s work in our
lives to sanctify us.
Jesus has set us free, but we left to
our newly saved selves still have no power as is seen in chapter 7. The
saved person has a new nature that wants to follow
God but is still overcome by the sin
nature. This is the struggle of Paul in chapter 7. We have hope of
deliverance in eternity but are left to live with the sin
nature today.
Now here in chapter 8 the new believer
finds there is now hope for today also because of the presence of the Holy
Spirit.
Without the Spirit we would be saved
but powerless. With the Holy Spirit we have power over the sin nature we
are left with.
This understanding adds meaning to
Jesus’ words in John 14:15-:
“If you love me, you will obey what I command. “
(Which is impossible left to ourselves)
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with
you forever – the Spirit of truth.
(Jesus realized that those who loved
him would want to obey him but would need a power greater than themselves. )
The
world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor know
him.
(The
Holy Spirit’s power is not available to the world.)
But
you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave
you as orphans; I will come to you.”
The Spirit will:
1)
2) Rescue
the believer from both physical and spiritual death
3) Accomplish in us what the Law (or, law) never
could do
8:3
The Law of Moses is holy, righteous and
good but it can not set us free from our sin problem.
The Law of Moses or any standard of
righteousness may inspire us to be good and obey God, but it does not provide
the power.
Since the law was powerless to help us
God sent his Son to deal with sin.
“For” now
explains when, where and why the law of the Spirit of Life takes affect.
It is when the work of Jesus is applied.
“Law” or
“nomos” is now taking about the Law of Moses
“in
the likeness of sinful man” – is literally “likeness of sinful
flesh”
“Likeness” is
“homoioma” ‘omoiwmati and here it means “form”
The idea here is that Jesus had
real flesh like men, but it was not flesh with a sin nature like men.
Paul is saying Christ really had flesh and was a real man, but Paul is
also steering clear of putting Christ in the category of fallen men with a sin
nature.
sarkoV ”of flesh” -
amartiaV ”of sin” -
to gar FOR
adunaton
POWERLESS
tou
THE nomou LAW
en
IN w THAT
hsqenei
IT WAS WEAK
dia THROUGH thV THE sarkoV o FLESH qeoV GOD ton HIS eautou OWN
uion
SON pemyaV HAVING
SENT en IN omoiwmati LIKENESS sarkoV OF FLESH amartiaV OF
SIN kai AND
peri
FOR
amartiaV SIN
katekrinen
thn CONDEMNED
amartian
SIN en IN
th
THE sarki FLESH
“to be
a sin offering”
– is literally “for sin” and does not have “to be” or “offering”.
In the LXX this phrase often meant and
was translated as “sin offering”
God judged and condemned sin in Jesus
on the cross. So the judicial requirement for punishing sin has been
done. The wrath of God has been poured out and finished on the
cross. So, in Christ there is no more condemnation for sin by God.
The power of sin and the results of sin are broken, gone, satisfied.
8:4
Romans 8:4 ina THAT to THE
dikaiwma
REQUIREMENT tou OF
THE nomou LAW plhrwqh SHOULD
BE FULFILLED en IN
hmin US toiV WHO
mh NOT
kata ACCORDING TO sarka FLESH peripatousin WALK, alla BUT
kata ACCORDING TO
pneuma SPIRIT.
“the
righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us” –
The righteous requirements of the law
are fully met in us by the power of the Spirit, but it is not automatic for
every person or every believer.
“who do
not live according to the sinful nature” -
“but according to the Spirit.” -
8:5
Romans 8:5 oi THEY THAT gar FOR kata ACCORDING TO sarka FLESH
onteV ARE ta THE
THINGS OF thV THE sarkoV FLESH fronousin MIND oi AND
de THEY
kata ACCORDING
TO pneuma SPIRIT
ta THE
THINGS OF tou THE pneumatoV SPIRIT
8:5a
– “being according to the flesh” or “according to the Spirit”
8:5b
– “thinking the things of the flesh” or “thinking the things of the Spirit”
8:6
- “the mind of the flesh” or “the mind
of the Spirit”
8:8-9
– “being in the flesh” or “in the Spirit”
"Flesh" refers to these things in
scripture:
1) The physical life experienced by both the
saved and unsaved
2) Ethical - the corrupt and sinful nature
3) Reference to the unregenerate or unsaved
"Spirit" as used here could refer
to:
1)
The spirit part of a mans make up such as spirit, soul and body (as in 1 Cor.
5:3)
2)
The divine life of the believer which is the new nature
3) The Spirit of God
The
Answer to the meaning of "Flesh" and "Spirit"
Paul
is describing and contrasting two different classes of people in these verses.
Many times we read this and think Paul is encouraging the believers not to walk
in the flesh.
Paul
does this in Galatians 5:16-26, but
here Paul is not talking about the behavior of people but instead the being
of people.
Paul
is contrasting the state of the:
a)
Unregenerate
and the regenerate
b)
Condemned
and the Justified
c)
Unsaved
and the saved
d)
Unconverted
and the converted
e)
Unbeliever
and the believer
This
opinion can be supported by these three observations:
a)
in
8:8 it not possible for a believer to be “being in the flesh”
b)
there
are no imperative verbs (mood of command) in these verses. The verbs are indicative (statement of a
fact, it is the mood of reality)
c)
Paul
uses the third person to describe general groups of people
d)
Paul
is careful to exclude his readers (who are believers) from the group of those
in the flesh in 8:9.
Paul’s
point is to express the complete opposites of life in the flesh and life
in the Spirit.
The
reason for Paul’s point in 5-8 is to explain why only those with the
Spirit can have the Life or the
eschatological life describe in verses
1-4
The
reference to "Spirit" is a reference to the Holy Spirit in these
verses because:
1)
The chapter began talking about the Holy Spirit and there has been no
indication that we have switched.
2)
This chapter refers to the power and life of the Spirit. It would seem Paul is talking about the source of the power and life which
is the Holy Spirit. He would not be referring to our human spirit or our new
nature since those are not the source but the recipients of this new life.
8:6
Romans 8:6 to THE gar FOR fronhma MIND
thV OF
THE sarkoV FLESH
qanatoV IS DEATH to BUT
de THE
fronhma MIND tou OF THE pneumatoV SPIRIT zwh LIFE kai AND eirhnh PEACE
“Mind” is more than
the mental task of thinking and concentration.
It also includes the will and the
desires. So to say “the mind of the
spirit” or “the mind of the flesh” is
to say not only what it thinks but what it desires.
8:7
Romans 8:7 dioti BECAUSE to THE
fronhma MIND
thV OF
THE sarkoV FLESH
ecqra IS ENMITY
eiV TOWARDS
qeon GOD
tw TO
THE gar FOR nomw LAW
tou OF qeou GOD ouc IT IS
upotassetai NOT
SUBJECT oude NEITHER gar FOR dunatai CAN IT BE
8:8
Romans 8:8 oi AND THEY
de THAT
en IN sarki FLESH
onteV ARE
qew GOD
aresai ou PLEASE dunantai CANNOT
The
Sinful (Unsaved) man is described with four points
1) He is hostile toward God
2)
He is insubordinate to God's law
3)
He fails to pleas God
4)
He is living in death.
The
sinful man (unsaved) must be born again.
8:9
8:10
8:11
8:12
Point
here is that the power of the Spirit the believer now has is only effective if
the person allows the Spirit to work in their lives.
8:13