Previously in Romans 7, we saw how believers are dead to and set free from the law. We are no longer under its condemnation. It does not give us the power to say no to sin; however, it is still good because it reveals the sin that is already there. We also saw Paul’s struggle with sin as a Christian, and how is only hope was faith in Jesus Christ.
In light of what he said in chapter 7, Paul continues, “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.” As I mentioned before, if the devil cannot succeed in keeping us from getting saved, he will do his best to make us ineffective for the kingdom by getting us caught up in sin. He then hits us with condemnation, which if we yield to, will only pull us down further. He will try to get us to a point where we don’t think we can even come to God for forgiveness. One of the ways we can tell the difference between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the condemnation of the devil is that the Holy Spirit’s conviction draws us to the Lord for forgiveness and restoration, while the devil’s condemnation draws us away from the Lord into isolation and further sin.
Many scholars believe the latter part of verse one should not be in the text, but I see no conflict either way. If there were, then we would have the same problem with verse four. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Remember, we are counted righteous and justified by faith and faith alone, and therefore cannot be condemned because our faith is in Jesus who was not condemned. Walking after the Spirit merely characterizes those who are already in Christ Jesus, and walking in the flesh characterizes those who are not. Again, we have been set free from the guilt and punishment of sin.
The law of the Spirit of life (law of the life-giving Spirit) in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. It’s been likened to the law of gravity: the law of gravity affects all of us; however, under the right circumstances, gravity can be overcome. The life of the Spirit has overcome sin and death (we have been set free from the power of sin). Praise the Lord!
God sent His Son to do what the law could not do. The law detects our sin, but cannot deliver us from its guilt, punishment, or power. Jesus, coming in the likeness of sinful flesh, did all three. He came because of sin and condemned sin in the flesh on the cross. Because Jesus kept the law perfectly, now the righteous requirements of the law are fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Continuing his contrast of the life of the flesh with the life of the Spirit, Paul states those who live according to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh, while those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. Whatever they are doing outwardly, they have already been thinking inwardly, and whatever they are thinking inwardly, it is according to their nature. To be carnally minded leads to death, but to be spiritually minded brings life and peace. The carnal mind is at enmity with (hostile toward) God. It is not obedient to the law of God, and, in fact, cannot be. So then, those who are in the flesh are not pleasing to God. This is the plight of the nonbeliever.
On the other hand, a believer is under the control of the Spirit because the Spirit of God dwells in them. Here we see Paul’s focus turn to the role of the Holy Spirit. Some within the Church attempt to downplay the role of the Holy Spirit, but the Christian life would be impossible without Him. Jesus told His disciples, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (Jn 14:16-18) For the believer, the Spirit dwells in them, giving them a new nature. Paul told the Ephesians that once they believed, they were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise who is the guarantee of their inheritance. Sealed means to be stamped for security or preservation, and earnest refers to money or property given for a down-payment as security for the final purchase. So then, the Holy Spirit has stamped or marked us for security and preservation from Satan in this life and the wrath of God that is to come. He also is our down-payment of our inheritance of eternal life that God has promised to all believers. Going back to verse two, it is the Holy Spirit that has set us free from the law of sin and death. It is through His power that we can live a victorious Christian life.
If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ (the Holy Spirit) dwelling in him, he does not belong to Christ. If Christ is in us, our bodies are dead because of sin (we will all die one day), but the Spirit of God dwells in us, bringing us life because of the righteousness of Jesus. However, since the same Spirit of God that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us, He will also give life to our mortal bodies. It is the Spirit of Christ who can bring healing to our physical bodies, and the same Spirit who later will resurrect those same bodies. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 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.’”
Because of all the Lord has done for us, we are debtors, not to live after the flesh, for they that live after the flesh will die. Rather, we are to, through the power of the Holy Spirit, put to death the deeds of our body and live. The Holy Spirit leads believers into righteousness, and the proof that an individual(s) are children of God is that they follow His leading.
Believers have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear. The belief that a believer is still in bondage to the law and fearful of God’s wrath is not biblical. John wrote in his first epistle: “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” (1 Jn 4:17-18) Believers needn’t walk in slavery to sin or fear God’s judgment because they have been set free by the Spirit of God and are loved by Him.
We have received the Spirit of adoption. This idea of adoption into the Kingdom is an interesting one, and bears significant implications for believers. As David Guzek writes, “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.” A believer’s old life has been completely wiped out, and their debt of sin has been canceled. Nothing from their past is counted against them, and they have obtained all the rights of inheritance of the family of God.
By this Spirit of adoption we can cry out, “Abba, Father.” This phrase appears three times in the NT, once by Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane in Mark 14:36, here in Romans, and in Gal 4:1-7. The word Abba is akin to a child calling his or her father Daddy, a term of endearment. So, just like Jesus, we can confidently approach our heavenly Father with a closeness and an intimacy because we have been adopted into the family of God.
Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Again, John writes, “Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” (1 Jn 3:24) We know when the Holy Spirit dwells in us because we have a new nature and we have a desire to keep His commandments. If we are children, then we are heirs. We are heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus. He repeats a similar thing in his letter to the Galatians, “Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” (Gal 4:1-7)
In ending this section, Paul says that we are joint-heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, if we suffer with Him that we may also be glorified together. Many turn their backs on Christ, counting the sufferings of this life not to be worth it. Paul told Timothy, “This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Tim 2:11-13) We must be willing to suffer and endure the hardships that accompany being a Christian, not denying Him, for our reward is the inheritance of eternal life. In the remainder of the chapter Paul will continue his discussion on the suffering that we encounter in this life, and how believers have hope in this suffering.
No comments:
Post a Comment