Romans 8:18-22

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18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. ~ Romans 8:18-22

Romans 8 chronicles the activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives as believers in Christ. The activities of the Holy Spirit in our lives has one main goal, that we grow in our personal relationship with the God of truth. In the first four verses of this chapter the Holy Spirit reminds us that we are not condemned, despite the fact that we still sin. In verses five through eight, the Holy Spirit teaches us to think God's thoughts. In verses nine through thirteen, the Holy Spirit enables us to live the life that the Lord Jesus died to give us. And, in verses fourteen through seventeen, the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.

In today's passage, we learn that the Holy Spirit teaches us the value of our trials in this life as we await the return of the Lord Jesus. The greatest thing that you and I can ever experience is to know our Creator. What makes this process so difficult is that most often, it is required of us to suffer, in order for us to draw nearer to Him. We tend to think that we can handle life without Him, yet it is our trials that make us draw nearer to the Lord.

In v.18 of today's passage we read, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

This verse links together two things that we probably would not put together: sufferings and glory. These belong together, and we find them together in almost every passage of Scripture that deals with the suffering of the Christian. Suffering is not the same thing as pain which can be a good thing. What qualifies something as suffering is the heartache that goes with pain. In context, the Apostle Paul, uses the concept of groaning in order to describe this suffering. God uses the groanings of creation to illustrate for the believer the value of his suffering. This word speaks of a heavy awareness of how wrong this life is. There will be suffering for believers and we can't deny that, but we can see its positive end and trust the Lord to bring good out of it. But, the real ultimate goal of it all is for us to know Him more intimately.

Throughout the Scriptures there is a thread of hope which speaks of a day that is coming when all the hurt and heartache and injustice and weakness and suffering of our present experience will be explained and will result in a time of incredible blessing upon the earth. 

In v.19 of today's passage we read, "For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God."

The word in the original language which is translated "earnest expectation" pictures a man standing and waiting for something to happen, craning his head forward. All of creation is standing on its tiptoes, as it were, eagerly awaiting the revelation of the sons of God. This revelation will take place when the Lord Jesus returns at His Second Coming, and He will return with us. The Apostle strained in this attempt to describe this fantastic thing that is about to happen, which he calls the revelation of the glory that is coming. We are going to be on the stage with the God of all glory. We are going to be involved in it. It will be a glory that will be "revealed into us," and we will be an obvious part of it.

In v.20-21 of today's passage we read, "20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God."

Creation fell when man fell. Not only did all of mankind fall into the bondage of sin and death, but the entire physical universe fell as well. It was man's sin that put thorns on roses. It was man's sin that made the animals hate and fear each other and brought predators and carnivores into being. With the fall of man came the spreading fear, hostility, and hatred in the animal world, and the whole of nature testifies to this fact. It was subjected to futility or frustration.

This phrase "the bondage to corruption" is a description of the second law of thermodynamics. This is the law of infinite increase of entropy. Everything is decaying; everything, with no exception, is running down. Though for a while something may seem to grow, eventually it dies. Even human life dies, and so does all that is with it. All of this is because of the rejection of God's truth by man..

But the Apostle argues that, if this is true, and it is, it is also true that when man is delivered from this corruption, nature will be delivered as well. Therefore, when the hour strikes when the sons of God will be revealed as delivered from the bondage of sin and death, nature will be freed from its bondage. And, it will burst into a bloom that no one can possibly imagine.

In v.22 of today's passage we read, "For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now."

Creation groans in today's passage. And, we will see that the believer groans in v.23-25. And then, in v.26-27 the Holy Spirit groans. All of the groans are an indication of an unfulfilled reality. Our groanings are the expression of our suffering crying out to the only One who can do anything about it. All of creation yearns and churns in the hope that it will be delivered from the effects of man's sin, and it will be. Creation has been subjected to its inability to achieve its purpose. The evidence of this is seen in earthquakes and hurricanes and other natural catastrophes. 

Ironically, creation will be the saved when man's ultimate redemption is revealed. The order of creation will be reversed in the end. Whereas God originally created the universe and the land and the trees before He created man, when He recreates, it will all be done in reverse of the original. It is said that currently, all of the sounds of nature are in the minor key. All nature sings the song of bondage, yet it sings in hope. It sings it in the hope that one day it will step into that which we all long for, a world without pain and hatred and destruction.

Romans 8:14-17

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14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to 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. ~ Romans 8:14-17

Romans 8 chronicles the activity of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer in Christ, resulting in the believer's sanctification which is the changing of his mind, will, and emotions. This process will never come to its completion until the believer is delivered from the presence of sin. 

In Romans 8:1-4, the Holy Spirit reminds the believer that he is not condemned, especially since he still sins after being "born again." In Romans 8:5-8, the Holy Spirit teaches the believer to think like God thinks. In Romans 8:9-13, the Holy Spirit enables the believer to live the life that the Lord Jesus died to give him. And, in today's passage we learn that the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are "the children of God."

In v.14-15 of today's passage we read, "14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'"

Today's passage teaches us that we are adopted children of God if we have placed our faith in the finished word of the Lord Jesus Christ. For the first time in this letter to the Romans Paul used the phrase "children of God." He used it in the context of explaining adoption which was a unique practice in the Roman culture of that day. The Greek word translated "adoption" occurs only five times in the New Testament and it literally means: "the place and condition of a son given to one to whom it does not naturally belong."

Once sin entered the world all mankind was separated from God. We, at that point were made to be illegitimate children by sin. And since we were made illegitimate, God had to do something special to buy us back. And the way He did it, well, that was special. He adopted us through His Son to be in His family forever. Adoption, in the Roman world at that time, included the deliberate choosing of one who was not the biological child of the adoptive father. It was done in order to perpetuate the father's name. The adopted child was in no way inferior in status to a biological child born unto the father. By using this word translated "adoption," God was emphasizing the fact that He chose us to be in his family, not we Him. And, now that we have been included in His family, we can be assured that we will spend eternity with the Father, even though we struggle yet with sin.  

When we were born again, the Spirit of God came into our spirit, and we no longer should fear the wrath of God, even though we still sin. When we were adopted into the family of God, God deliberately included us in His family. When we were born into Adam's family, we are all children of Adam by natural birth. We belonged to the human family, and we inherited Adam's nature of sin with all of its defects, problems, and the evil that made us children of disobedience. By nature we were not part of God's family. 

Now, God has taken us out of our natural state in Adam, and, by the person of the Spirit, has made us legally sons of God, and we are part of his family. We are in His family by adoption so that we might never take it for granted, especially when we fail in this process of sanctification. It is only by the grace of God that we have come into His family. And, now, we actually share the nature of God because we have been born of His Spirit. This is why in v.16 we read, "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children."

In v.17 of today's passage we read, "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."

As believers in Christ we are co-heirs with Him. This means everything the Lord Jesus Christ has by divine right, we have received by divine grace. All that He has accomplished, His perfect life here on earth and death and resurrection, even His suffering and its results, have been applied to our account before God. To share in His sufferings is to have identified with His accomplishments while He was on this earth, especially His accomplishments while He hung on the cross. It was on that cross that He procured our salvation. And, as a result, we are co-heirs with Him. And, we are in the family of God for eternity.

Romans 8:12-13

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"12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." ~ Romans 8:12-13

In Romans 8, we discover the things that the Spirit of God enables the believer in Christ to realize, resulting in experiencing eternal life, now. You will remember that Romans 6-8 is about sanctification. This inside out change takes place in the soul of the believer. The soul has three parts: the mind, the will and the emotions.

In Romans 8:1-4, the Holy Spirit reminds the believer that he is not condemned, especially since he still sins after being "born again." In Romans 8:5-8, the Holy Spirit teaches the believer to think like God thinks. In Romans 8:9-13, the Holy Spirit enables the believer to live the life that Jesus died to give him.

In v.12 of today's passage we read, "Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it."

In context, the Apostle Paul clearly draws a distinction between the flesh of the believer in Christ, which is he sinful desires that yet abide in us, and the Spirit of God. These are the two primary influences in the life of the believer in Christ. The one we feed the most wins in a given day.

The believer in Christ is not obligated or indebted to the sinful desires within us. The reason we are not obligated to the flesh is due to the fact that we are no longer enslaved to the flesh. The Greek word that the Apostle Paul uses for "obligation" carries with it the gratitude that we gained once we first understood and appreciated the gospel. It is the very love of God that motivates the believer in Christ, who is no longer destined to hell, into action. You will remember that mankind's descent away from God began with a lack of gratitude. Implied in the usage of this word is the very important role that gratitude plays in the motivation of the believer who in learning to walk in the Spirit. When my sons were children, they loved to put their feet on top of mine and they would experience my inertia as we walked along. This picture gives us an idea of what it means to walk in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit is recognizing the leading of the Hoy Spirit in our every day lives and depending upon His inertia at living the Christian life.

In v.13 of today's passage we read, "For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live."

The Apostle Paul utilized the word "Spirit" here, because he is referring to the Holy Spirit. Whenever we see in and through our yielded lives the truth of God being expressed, we must be quick to recognize that this is the work of the Holy Spirit. This is not our works. This is why God's them to fruit of the Spirit.

Here, the Apostle Paul describes the inside out difference that the Holy Spirit brings to the life of the follower of Jesus Christ. When we all entered this world, we entered it indifferent to God. As the Apostle Paul tells us in the book of Ephesians, we were dead in our sins and trespasses. But, once we trusted in the finished work of Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin, we were given a new heart for God. This difference is a new way of looking at God, a new way of understanding Him. Trusting in Christ rendered in us an inner new-birth that liberates us not only from sin, but from our old way of viewing God. It is as if the scales that were causing us to be blind to God were removed.

Our newfound relationship with God has as its goal a deeper intimacy for us with Him. The secret to drawing nearer to God is having Him draw near to us. And, our intimacy with Him most often comes on the heels of learning to hear His voice in our hearts as we go through the trials of life. The trials drive us to Him and His word enables us to hear Him. Trust is at the heart of intimacy with God. The more we trust Him, the closer we let Him get to us. The degree to which our trust in Him is the degree to which our intimacy with Him grows.

This is real life, when we connect with the God of the Bible who chose to become vulnerable enough to attract our hearts, this results in the arresting of our hearts. His vulnerability has shown up in our lives in a variety of ways from His virgin birth to His death on the cross. This has resulted in the opening wide of our hearts to this God who is convincing us that the way of the flesh, the way of sin is futile because it only delivers death in all of its forms. The beauty of it all is that He has supplied us His Spirit so that we can not only say yeas to the truth but also to know the truth for ourselves in the most intimate way.

  

Romans 8:9-11

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9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. ~ Romans 8:9-11

In Romans 6-8 we are given instruction about sanctification which is the process whereby God is changing our souls on a daily basis. Our souls are made up of our minds, wills and emotions. Thus, our sanctification begins with what defines our thinking.

Romans 8 chronicles the activity of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer in Christ. In v.1-4, we are taught that the Spirit of God teaches us that we are not condemned, even though we still struggle with sin. In v.5-8, we are taught by the Spirit to think God's thoughts. And, in v.9-11, the Spirit of God teaches us how to walk in God's ways.

In v.9 of today's passage we read, "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."

The believer in Christ has been delivered from the penalty of his sin and has now been translated into the kingdom of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. However, the believer in Christ still has a daily choice to feed the Spirit of God who lives within us. When we are not feeding the Spirit or following His lead in our lives, we automatically will feed the flesh which are the evil desires that are yet within us. 

In v.10 of today's passage we read, "And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." 

If the believer in Christ feeds the Spirit of God within, we will experience life. We have, before, referred to this life which is the kind of life that is not of this world. This life essentially is the life of Christ. With His life we gain God's ability to evaluate the life that we live in this world. Thus, we are enabled to walk in God's ways, which is what the Bible calls walking in the Spirit.

The way of the Believer in Christ is unraveled in the mystery of what God wants to give us as we yield our lives to Him. This never-ending search for clues about God and His ways is primarily found in His word, the Bible. As the Believer listens to the words of God and learns His thoughts and ways, he will recognize His voice in every avenue of life. And yet, there remains the stranger that resides within. The more we learn and know about God, the more we will walk in His ways.

The tragedy of modern faith is that it seems to no longer be capable of what the Bible calls transformation. This transformation of one's life begins with the bone-chilling, earth-shattering, gut-wrenching, knee knocking, heart-stopping, life-changing fear that leaves us speechless, paralyzed, and helpless? What happened to those moments when we would open our Bibles and our hands started shaking because we were afraid of the Truth we might find there? “Truth” has different expressions, according to the Bible. 

The first way that truth is presented to us in God's word, as Mike Yaconelli once said,  "Brings with it a description of a wrestler grabbing an opponent by the throat; a word meaning to describe the humiliation of a criminal who was paraded in front of a crowd with a dagger tied to his neck, its point under his chin so he could not put his head down. That is what the Truth is really like! It grabs us by the throat, it flays us wide open, it forces us to look into the face of God. When is the last time you and I heard God’s Truth and were grabbed by the throat? We are afraid of unemployment, the collapse of our government, not being fulfilled, more than being afraid of God."

Now, I can hear someone saying, "but you told me that in Romans 8:1-4, the Spirit teaches us that we are not condemned?" This is true, but the fear that I am referring to here is different that that type of fear. This is respect, which is a product of experiencing God's grace. I would like to suggest that we become a people who hears God saying to us, “Fear not” again. Our relationship with God is not a simple belief or doctrine or theology, it is God’s burning presence in our lives. I am suggesting that the tame god of comfort be replaced by the God whose very presence shatters our egos into dust, and strips us naked to reveal the real person within. 

In v.11 of today's passage we read, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."

Unfortunately, many say this verse refers to the promise of the resurrection at the end of life, when we will be given new bodies. But that is not what Paul is saying here. He is talking about the Spirit giving life to our mortal bodies. A mortal body is one that is subject to death. It is dying, but it is not yet dead. Therefore, this is not talking about the resurrection, he is talking about what the Spirit does in the believer in Christ now. We cannot reverse the processes of death, no one can. Our bodies are going to die. But we can refuse to let the members of our bodies become the instruments of sin. We do not have to give in to sin. 

After I invited the Lord Jesus into my life, just one month before my eighteenth birthday, I remember the chang that was rendered in my heart. Where up to that point in my life, I didn't want to go to church. Once I trusted in Him,  I wanted to go to church. And, all of a sudden, I wanted to read the Bible. I didn't want to read the Bible before. I wouldn't have understood it had I tried to read it. But, once I was born again, I had such a craving for reading the Bible. That did not mean that I would no longer sin. I have sinned throughout my life. But, my relationship to sin is different now than it was before I was born again. I now see how foolish sin is. So, I have been known to turn away from it. I have also been known to embrace the culture of God, and that is the wisest thing I have ever done.

Romans 8:5-8

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5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ~ Romans 8:5-8

Today, we return to our study of Romans 8 which is a part of a three-part process that renders sanctification to the believer in Christ. The Christian life is not about sin management as many think. It’s about admitting that we do not have what it takes to measure up before a holy and righteous God which is what Romans 1-3 teaches us. In addition, the Christian life is about turning to God for the gift of righteousness by faith in His Son which is what is taught in Romans 4-5. It is also about learning to submit to the Holy Spirit who expresses the very life of Christ in us, to us, and through us. Incidentally, this is what we are being taught in Romans 8.

So, Romans 8 chronicles the activity of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer in Christ. As we considered in our last study, the first thing that the Holy Spirit does for the believer in Christ is to teach us and to remind us that we are no longer condemned by our sin, even though we still struggle with it. Yes, Christ died to deliver us from the penalty and the power of sin, and even the presence of sin. But, our struggle with sin will not be over until we get to heaven.

In today's passage we are considering the second thing that the Holy Spirit does in the life of the believer in Christ which is to teach us to think God’s thoughts. When we think God's thoughts and make choices accordingly, we will experience the culture of God which is what the law of God is all about.

In v.5 of today's passage we read, "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit."

In Romans 6-8 the Apostle Paul instructs us about our sanctification which is a process whereby our souls are being changed by God. Whereas justification renders our spirit alive to God, sanctification makes our souls which are made up of our minds, wills, and emotions, more alive to God. In today's passage, the Apostle makes a clear distinction between walking in the flesh and walking in the Spirit. The believer's on-going relationship with the Spirit of God is life-giving. An on-going relationship with the flesh or the sinful desires that we still have within us, invites various forms of death. The one that we feed the most, either the flesh or the Spirit, on a given day will be strongest.

Now, as believers in Christ, we have a daily choice whether to feed the flesh or the Spirit. We feed either of these in our lives by obeying the lead that both provide. When we feed the flesh, we feel conviction from the Holy Spirit who abides within our spirit. This is good because this is God's way of telling us through His Spirit not to go in the direction of sin. This guilt from the Holy Spirit in response to the poor choice of feeding the flesh within us is a good thing. But, when we feed the guilt and punish ourselves as a result, we essentially allow sin to drag us further away from God. When we live with a sense of guilt that drives us away from God, we must correct that poor theology and move on. We should not sin because it is not wise to do so, but we will never this side of heaven be perfect at this process of sanctification. Sin will always lead us to be more self-absorbed than self-giving, whereas the Holy Spirit will always lead us down the path of humility and selflessness. 

When we walk according to the Spirit or we feed to some degree the Spirit who lives within, we will experience the life the Lord Jesus died to give us. We will never 100% walk in the Spirit this side of heaven, however we can get better at it. This will result in the inculcation of the culture of God within us and we will realize a heightened sense of God's involvement and influence in our lives. We never earn God's influence but we realize it when we walk according to the Spirit. When we walk according to the flesh the process of walking with the Spirit is hampered. This difference can be seen in what we "set our minds on." Our sanctification begins with what we choose to put first in our thinking which informs our volition and our emotions.

In v.6 of today's passage we read, "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

When we, as a Christian, live like the world, we are living according to the flesh. Having our thinking governed and framed up by the flesh leads us to various forms of death. These forms of death include: fear, guilt, hostility, and emptiness. Death is not something waiting for us at the end of our lives, it is something we experience right now, whenever we feed it.

When we are defined by anything other than God, we are being defined by sin. As mentioned, fear results. Fear shows up in our lives as worry and anxiety. Guilt shows up as shame, self-hatred, self-righteousness, or legalism. Hostility manifests itself as hate, resentment, bitterness, revenge, or cruelty. Emptiness arrives in our lives as loneliness, depression, discouragement, despair, and meaninglessness. These are all symptoms of death.

When we are defined by God and His word we find ourselves walking in the Spirit. The qualities that we enjoy when we are walking in the Spirit include: trust, hope, and confidence. The are the qualities of eternal life which will render the peace of God in our everyday experience. Once we were made right with God by trusting the finished work of Christ on the cross, we should have experienced the feeling of acceptance, security, and assurance. Poor theology can hamper such good thinking informed by biblical teaching. Biblical thinking informs us that we are totally accepted by God through His Son and we should never have a different posture. But, at times, we have unbiblical thinking which is caused by our poor choices. We must be patient because our sanctification is a process and it takes time to learn to set our minds on the messages that the Holy Spirit speaks to us on a daily basis. The Holy Spirit will never tell us that God no longer loves us. His primary message to us is that we are no longer condemned. And, it is from this posture that we learn the thinking and culture of God, all the while being taught by the Holy Spirit who always works in tandem with God's word, the Bible.

In v.7-8 of todays passage we read, "7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

Those whose minds are set on the flesh are being defined by the flesh which is in its essence sin. Sin always delivers destruction. Oh, it is fun for a while until it decides to render its death in our lives. When we are defined by sin, we are "carnal."  To be carnally minded is to live after the things that are opposed to God. Those who think life consists only of making money, pleasing self, and being defined by something other than God are in opposition to God. And, as we read in James 4:6, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Whenever we live for self, for our own advancement, God is against us. This does not mean we lose our salvation, it does means that a spanking from the Father will be soon arriving.

On the other had, the mind that is set on the Spirit pleases God. This is what God desires for us because it is His way that brings life into our existence. God's grace is accessed this way. When we walk according to this world's way of thinking, even though we are believers in Christ, His grace can not operate as He desires unless we avail ourselves to His culture. He loves us just the way we are, but He loves us too much to let us stay the way we are.

Romans 8:1-4

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1 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. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ~ Romans 8:1-4

Today, we transition into Romans 8 which is about the Christian's relationship with the Spirit of God. Whereas Romans 7 is all about our former bondage to sin, Romans 8 enables us to hear the chains of our bygone enslavement falling to the ground. Our chains are broken and they are no longer on us.All those personal pronouns that the Apostle employed in Romans 7 are absent in Romans 8. In their place is a reference to the Holy Spirit who up until now has only been mentioned twice in the entire book of Romans. The word "Spirit" is used  21 times in Romans 8. And, as we will see, the Spirit of God not only made our once dead to God spirits alive to God, but it is His Spirit who enables us to live the life that the Lord Jesus died to give us now. Romans 8 describes all that the Holy Spirit of God has and is doing in the life of the believer in Christ.

In v.1 of today's passage we read, "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."

In Romans 6 we were instructed on how the believer should relate to sin, that we should turn away from its deceptive powers. In Romans 7 we learned about the believer’s relationship to the law, that the law only condemns the one who is trying to earn God's favor by trying to adhere to it. In Romans 8, we are instructed on how to relate with the Holy Spirit. 

Romans 8 is the Apostle Paul's explanation of his statement in Romans 7:6, which reads, "But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." 

So now, the Holy Spirit is on center stage in Romans 8. Since we have been united with Christ, we have released from the penalty and power of sin and even to adhering to the law of God. We need not fear the condemnation of God. This is why this chapter begins with no condemnation and it ends with no separation. There is therefore now not one ounce of condemnation for the forgiven sinner in Christ.

The first thing the Spirit of God does for the believer in Christ is to remind us that we are no longer condemned in our sin because through the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross our sin has been judged and thus removed from us. Yet, many remain burdened with feelings of condemnation. This is so needless. A proper theology renders the believer free to a life of obedience to God and His word. This freedom is the opposite of what many think it is. This freedom enables us to see the deceptiveness of sin and enables us to see how foolish we are when we obey it.

In v.2 of today's passage we read, "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."

Since the Lord Jesus Christ died and was punished on the cross for our sin, we no longer bear the weight of our sin. Therefore, there is no longer any condemnation for us. Even though we yet sin. And now, since the Holy Spirit has applied the victory that the Lord Jesus gained over sin and death, He has applied that victory to our account before God. And now, we are free as free can be. For us, eternal life has conquered eternal death. And, the question that remains is: Will we live in and out of this freedom earned for us by the Lord Jesus. 

As we have seen in our previous studies, the Mosaic Law, which God gave to Israel immediately after their exodus from their bondage in Egypt, was unable to lead them to true freedom. In the Garden of Eden, the "flesh" bent all of mankind toward rebellion against God. The "flesh" is the sinful desires that are yet in us. Like Israel, all mankind could not measure of the truth which offers us a personal relationship with God. This is why the truth had to come as a vulnerable baby who grew to be a man. Then He died so that we could know the truth who sets us free.

Paul used the term "law" in his writings two different ways. And, he meant two different things by its usage. When we think of law, we think of something that is a dictate, a rule, or a regulation. Like obeying the speed limit. But, there's another way in which the word "law" is used by Paul. When used this way, it means principal or driving force or that which motivates us. So in v.2, he says, "The law of the Spirit." That's not the law of Moses. That's not a legal mandate or a legal requirement. He's speaking here about the motivational principle from God via the Holy Spirit. Having been "born again", we now have an impulse that grants us the desire and drives us to do right.  

God gave man His law, but His law couldn't fix us. The problem wasn't with the law, the problem was with our sin. The law diagnosed our problem, but it could not deliver the solution. The Lord Jesus is God's solution to the damning diagnosis that was delivered by the law to sinful man.

In v.3-4 of today's passage we read, "3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." 

Here, the Apostle informs us how God dealt with sin and death. God dealt a death blow to sin and death when by His Spirit, He brought us life by bringing death to His Son. The Son, at great cost to the Father, came in the "likeness of sinful flesh." The Apostle did not write "in sinful flesh". As the Son of God, He became a sin offering for all of sin-drenched mankind. God passed sentence on sin in the body of the Lord Jesus while He hung on the cross and brought sins reign to an end for the willing. God condemned sin, not the sinner, in order to impart eternal life to us through His Spirit. 

Once we have received the life of the Lord Jesus through His Spirit, we will be characterized by walking according to the Spirit, not according to the law of the flesh, even though we continue to wrestle with the sinful desires that remain in us. We must be mindful that the Apostle Paul is not saying that we fulfill the law by walking according to the Spirit. No, the Lord Jesus did that on our behalf. And, we must be careful to understand that we do not earn our "no condemnation status" as we walk in the Spirit. The Spirit has set us free from sin and death and He has imparted to us the very life of the Lord Jesus. We can therefore be defined as those who walk, however imperfectly, according to the Spirit. And, as we do this, we will know the freedom of those those who have been completely forgiven.

Romans 7:21-25

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21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin." ~ Romans 7:21-25

Today, we conclude our study of perhaps the hardest passage in the Bible to understand. It is so hard to understand because we have a hard time believing that the grace of God is as good as it is. His grace was earned for us by the Lord Jesus Christ. It was His perfection that made it possible for us to be drenched in the favor of God. In fact, God shows believers in Christ His favor as if He were showing it to the Lord Jesus Himself. We understand God's standard of perfection, and, we wrongfully believe that we can somehow get to that standard. This, of course, is so unrealistic. God's grace meets us where we are, and it never waits for us to be where we ought to be to show up in our lives. The grace of God is not merited or earned by us in any way.

In v.21-23 of today's passage we read, "21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me." 

The grace of God bottles us up to the reality that we face everyday, and that reality is: we are still fallen sinners. We have been forgiven of all of our sin, but we still wrestle with the temptations that could possibly and do sometimes lure us away from God. The grace of God reminds us that no matter how much we struggle with sin and give into it, we are acceptable through Christ. The grace of God is free and it tells us that God loves us and is committed to us no matter what.

We value God and His culture because He lives in us. When we cried out to Him for help and we invited Him in, He came to live in us for life and eternity. This is not a stretch when we think that our hearts beat because He made them to beat. Also, the breath that we breath came from Him, and, we have been breathing since.

Our inner man has been inhabited by God and this is why we delight in God's law. But, there is yet the presence of sin in our being that is at war against God and the culture He daily desires to deliver to us. Those who have more of His culture inculcated within by the Holy Spirit are often referenced as more godly than others. They are only godly because God is there making His presence know. Those who would be called by others as "worldly" are those who are being defined by this world and its culture more than God and His culture.

This battle is won in our minds which is one third of our souls. The key is to agree with God that His way is right, that is confession by the way, and then we will make the choices that are informed by His word. The Holy Spirit has the responsibility to apply the culture of God to our souls. 

Some try to fight this battle against sin with the law, but trying to adhere to the law is a losing battle for the sinner. The law of God puts the magnifying glass on our sinful natures, and in doing so, it crushes us to the point of being convinced that it is only the Lord Jesus Christ that is our savior. The real power is discovered only in none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. His death on the cross was not only efficacious for our justification but also for our sanctification. If we try to fight this battle with sin with the power of the law, we will lose every time.

In v.24-25 of today's passage we read, "24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."

This is the cry of a man who is sick and tired of this recurring losing battle with his sin. The word "wretched" means miserable or afflicted through the weight and burden of slavery. This is no surprise since back in v.14 the Apostle reminded us that we were sold to sin at the slave market. Like Paul, all of us are slaves to sin, and we cannot bear the weight and the burden  of slavery for ourselves. We desperately need a savior, not only to get us into heaven but to get heaven into us now.

I find it interesting that the Apostle brings up the idea of a slave or a servant. You will remember that the first fifteen verses of this book of Romans includes the characteristics of a servant. And, you will also remember that the final five chapters of Romans is about what a servant looks like in every day life.

When we have come to the end of self and we are found crying out to God for His help, we then are at the best spot ever. When we think we can control evil in our lives by sheer determination, then we have yet to come to the end of ourselves. This is the place of desperation and when we operate out of this reality, our God will always step up to the plate.

The phrase "this body" in v.24 is quite instructive. The Apostle Paul grew up in a town called Tarsus. In that town, in that day, the sentence for a murderer was that they would take the corpse of the person who had been murdered and they would attach it to the murderer. And they would force the murderer to walk around and live with the corpse attached to him until, eventually, decay and disease set in. Then the actual murderer would die. The body of death was attached to him and he was forced to carry around the remnant of his sin. Paul seemed to have this in mind when he spoke of his old nature. 

Once we have been convinced that sin isn't worth it because it is out to totally destroy us, it is then that we are ready to be the servants of the one who laid down His life for us. In the same way that as sinners we had to look outside of ourselves to the cross to be cleansed of sin, which is justification, so we must look outside of self to the Lord Jesus for the power of sanctification. The Lord Jesus is the answer. He's always the answer. In Him, we find the power to live a sanctified life.

Romans 7:17-20

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17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. ~ Romans 7:17-20

Today, we return to our study of Romans 7 where the Apostle Paul instructs us that although we play a role in our sanctification, it is not us that renders the changes that come therein. These changes are rendered in and through our souls by the Holy Spirit Himself. When we were "born again," it was our spirit that was awakened to God and His culture. Our spirit was made alive to God due to our justification through our faith in Christ. That is when the Holy Spirit came into our hearts to make us alive to God and His culture. Not even our changed hearts make us right with God. 

Our sanctification takes place in our souls which is made up of our minds, our wills and our emotions. Simply put, our sanctification is the aligning of our souls with the culture of God as spelled out in His word.

In Romans 6-8 the Apostle Paul gives us a three part process whereby we are being changed by God from the inside out for the work of the ministry to which He has called us all. This process involves a biblical understanding of our relationship to sin as spelled out in Romans 6. This process also involves a biblical understanding of our relationship to the law of Moses in Romans 7. And, as we will see in Romans 8, this process also involves a biblical understanding of our relationship with the Holy Spirit.

In v.17-18 of today's passage we read, "17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find."

For the believer in Christ who has been redeemed by the grace of God, there is now something within us that causes us to want to do good, something that agrees with the Law and says that the Law is right. That something is the Holy Spirit. He is that something within us who says what the Law tells us to do is right. The Apostle Paul also says, there is something else in us that rises up and says "No, go your own way away from God!" That would be the flesh or the sinful desires that are still in us. Even though we find ourselves determined not to do what is bad, we suddenly find ourselves in such circumstances that our resolve to do good wanes, and, we end up doing what we had sworn we would not do.

So, there is a division within the believer in Christ. As humans, we all have within us a spirit, a soul, and a body. These three parts of our souls are distinctly different one from the other. Our spirit desires not to sin, it agrees with the Law that it is good. And yet, there remains in us "sin," which wars against our spirit. Due to this, failure is always a reality for us, even though we may be resigned to resist the temptation to go against God's Spirit who lives in ours. Since we have God's Spirit dwelling in us, we do not have to be constant failures. And, our success is always due to His presence within us.

In v.19-20 of today's passage we read, "19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me."

Here the Apostle Paul underscores God's solution to the situation that has been accentuated in the previous verses. As believers in Christ, we can fight this battle in which we are engaged. Whereas, it is sin that is the ultimate culprit for all of the death and destruction in our lives, through our sanctification God is getting us to the place where we take responsibility for our choices. This does not mean that we will ever be perfect this side of heaven, this merely means that we are capable of living the type of life the Lord Jesus died to give us.

Our sanctification is a work primarily in our thought life. In 2 Corinthians 12 the Apostle Paul tells us about his "thorn in the flesh," which was a "messenger of Satan." This unwanted  "thorn" was key for Paul's growth in the culture and wisdom of God. Our story is no different that Paul's. Sometimes these trials come in great succession, and the design of these unwanted trials is to drive us into a deeper intimacy with God. Trails, although often from Satan, are useful to the process of our sanctification. And, the goal of this process is always "more of Him and less of me."

We must be careful to heed this warning against trying to live a holy life in our own strength. When we do this, we set ourselves up for failure. When we give in to that which we are dead to, namely sin, even though it may appear to be godly, we are not living out of faith but out of works. Just as it is futile to try to work our way into heaven, it is futile to work our way through our sanctification on our own. We are at our best when we are most dependent upon the Lord. When we operate apart from Christ, we will experience the dichotomy that Paul is describing in this passage. But, even this failure to walk with Him and to know Him, is a very important part of the process.

Romans 7:14--16

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"14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good." ~ Romans 7:14-16

Today, we return to our study of sanctification in Romans 6-8. In Romans 6 we learned of the believer's relationship to sin. In Romans 7 the Apostle Paul describes the Christian's relationship to the law. The Apostle wrote primarily to a group of people who didn't understand the purpose of the law. They didn't understand that they couldn't measure up the law and therefore earn God's favor. This does not mean that we should ignore the law because it delivers to the believer our sanctification.

The law was not given to us in order to solve our problem with sin. In fact, we are unable to solve our problem with sin. This is why the Lord sent us His Son, so that we could be delivered from the penalty, the power and the presence of sin. At the cross the Lord Jesus rendered the penalty of our sin null and void. It is through our sanctification that God is training us to be delivered by the power of our sin. One day, we will be delivered from the presence of sin when we are translated into heaven.

Israel, like all of us, was conflicted and in need a new heart. The law, which Israel was trying to adhere to, could not give them a new heart. Israel had become persuaded that the law, not God, had become their savior. Like Israel, when we believe we can earn God's favor, it makes us believe that we are superior to others. This superiority positions us to make those who do not fall into line with our rules based approach to life, as less than us.

In v.14 of today's passage we read, "14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin."

When we invited the Lord Jesus into our lives, many of us believed that turning away from sin meant never sinning. We thought that since we became followers of the Lord Jesus that all of a sudden we should no longer sin. But, this is totally unrealistic. And, when we fail at our attempts to not sin, we struggle with the idea that God has to be appeased into liking us again. We thought that our sin put Him out and that since we turned our backs on Him that He turned His back on us.

We did this because we did not understand the difference between justification and sanctification. We did not understand that our justification or rightness before God was a total gift. We earned not one ounce of God's favor, the Lord Jesus did it all on His cross. To think that we have to add anything to what the Lord Jesus did on the cross is to say that He was a failure at procuring our salvation. Justification is a one time deal, whereas sanctification is a daily process. God understands that we are all in process, and that we will never be perfect this side of heaven. 

In essence, the struggle that the Apostle Paul writes about in this chapter is of a man trying to live out the teachings of Romans 6, trying to live free from the penalty and power of sin without the Holy Spirit. Romans 7 is a description of someone trying to live out Romans 6 without the power of God. And, when we get to Romans 8, we will understand the full teaching of what a grace saturated and motivated life looks like.

In Romans 7, the word "I" is used some 30 times without a single mention of the Holy Spirit. Add to that the amount of times that the Apostle Paul used "me," "my," or "myself," that brings us to a total of 37 times in this passage that the "self" is accentuated. And, in Romans 8, we learn of the key to the success of the believer in the arena of sanctification: the Holy Spirit who is referenced at least 20 times in Romans 8 is the key. Our sanctification is the work of God in our broken and yielded lives, and in order to get to this point we must with Paul acknowledge that we are the problem.

The Apostle used the word "unspiritual" in v.14 which literally means that our flesh still "belongs to this fallen and sin-sick world." Every single believer in Christ, no matter how far along in the sanctification process we are, struggles with sin and we are in and of ourselves unspiritual. Paul wrote here of himself, that he himself was unspiritual. In fact, he goes on to say that we were "sold as slaves to sin." Even though we have been forgiven and we are assured heaven, we will struggle with sin until we matriculate to heaven.

Here, the Apostle, was simply describing what happens when  we, by our dedication and willpower and determination, try to obey God in order to gain or maintain His acceptance of us. When we do this, we are living under the Law. And Paul is telling us what to expect when we live like this. Sin deceives us into thinking that we must factor into our salvation.  

In v.15-16 of today's passage we read, "15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good."

Oh, the civil war in the soul of the believer in Christ. Once we have been "born again" we want to obey God because He is in our lives and He is opening our eyes to the reality of the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden. A proper sanctification changes our motivation to obey God from "having to," to "wanting to." And, we struggle with the desire to meet our needs the way we had always met them before we became believers in Christ, in the flesh. The flesh, for all of us, is a fire hydrant that is hard to turn off, and, it will not be turned off fully until we get to heaven.

As believers in Christ, we struggle with the fact that we struggle over and over with certain reoccurring sins, and, we can't seem to get away from. This is what the Apostle Paul is describing here in these two verses. Paul is saying that he desired to do good and that agrees with the law. But the good that he wanted to do, he could not do. All believers in Christ struggle with this. This is a normal part of the process of our sanctification.

In Galatians 5:17 we read, "For the flesh wars against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. These are contrary to one another so that you cannot do the things that you would." 

Since sin continues to dwell in us, nothing good apart from the Lord Jesus, via the Holy Spirit, dwells in us. This is a vital step to our deliverance from this often disappointing reality. We must have a realistic look at who we are in Christ and the fact that we are still sinners. In 1 John 1:8 we read, "If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Apart from God, we can do nothing of eternal value. 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ announces that since He won the battle over sin and death, we have been free to face the reality that we still struggle with sin. This frees us to be honest about the civil war that rages within us. We are able to do this because we are totally righteous before God through Christ. The perfection of Christ has been imputed to us and we are therefore fully justified on the basis of his finished work. Nothing can separate us from God’s love which is in Christ Jesus.

Since the Lord Jesus was strong for us, we’re free to be real. Oh yeah, we desire to bring glory to the Lord, but there are times that we fail in our pursuit of this. We are unwise when we do not walk in the truth which is what renders in and through us the very wisdom of God. This process of our sanctification underscores why we not only need the Lord Jesus for our justification, we also need Him for our sanctification. And, even the failure in our lives to battle sin factors into our sanctification. You see, our failure magnifies His success and His heart towards us. This makes us love Him more, and this, is what invites us into deeper intimacy with Him.

Romans 7:12-13

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12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. 13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful." ~ Romans 7:12-13

Today, we return to our study of sanctification in Romans 6-8. In these three chapters the Apostle Paul reveals a three part process useful to believers as we are learning to walk with God. Essential to this daily attempt to walk with God is understanding our relationship with sin, the law of God, and the Holy Spirit. At the end of the day, it is the Holy Spirit who expresses the life of the Lord Jesus in and through our yielded souls. It is the Lord who should always get the glory for the godliness of the believer in Christ.

In v.12 of today's passage we read, "So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good."

Whereas the Apostle Paul had just informed us in the previous verses that the law reveals our sin to us and it awakens sin in us, he now says that the law is holy, righteous and good. His point is: the problem is not with the law of God, the problem is with sinful man. If a person is convicted and sent to prison for murder we would not blame the law, would we? We wouldn't even blame the judge or the jury. The whole purpose of a court is to merely uphold the law. And so, the law of God is holy, and it reveals how short sinful man comes in reference to measuring up to it. 

God's law has always promoted goodness to mankind, but when it does not have free rein, its enemy, sin, runs rampant. As a result, sin delivers destruction to man which comes in a variety of ways. We experience sorrow, pain, and loneliness due to sin. The law of God is holy because it reveals God’s perfection, it is just because it is totally fair, and it is good because it promotes man’s highest blessedness. 

The nice part of this unfolding scenario is that where sin abounds, the grace of God abounds even more. This only happens as we allow God to have His rightful reign in our lives. Our problem is a lack of trust that is only gained when we go through the stuff of life and He demonstrates His faithfulness. As the law stirs up our sinfulness, we are potentially positioned to realize that we need help from God. And, anytime we run to the Savior, we will always discover that His grace is available to us.

In v.13 of today's passage we read, "Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful."

In Psalm 19:7 we read, "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple."

The law of the Lord changes our minds, wills, and emotions, even though we can not measure up to it. Slowly, God uses His word to inculcate His culture into our souls. As a result, it makes wise the simple, it enables even the most unlearned to know the right way of living. And, as we have mentioned, the law does not get the blame for our sin. Of course, the key to all of this is the humility that enables us to admit that we have the problem, not God and His word. The law has never been bad or deadly. It is sin that is the culprit. When met with our sinfulness, the law revealed how undefined by God we truly are. The law reveals sin.    

The essence of sin is exposed when the definitions of God are revealed. It is through God's word or His definition of things that we understand what is right or wrong. The word of God exposes sin for what it is. The word of God undresses sin that we might know how conniving and destructive it is. Sin works death in everything and in every way, whereas God's word bring security and healing to our souls.

In the light of the law of God, we see ourselves falling short. Ideally, this posture should lead us to recognize how wretched we truly are, and, this is when we are primed to cry out to God for His mercy. Perhaps, you remember the story the Lord Jesus told in Luke 18 where the tax-collector said, "God be merciful to me a sinner."  The arrogant tax-collector made that request because he came to the realization that he was a sinner. This is what the law or the truth of God does to us. It is the law of God that informs us of our lost condition. Like the tax-collector, we were lost because we had wandered from God and His truth.

Having said all of this, we must be mindful that sin can even twist and pervert the purest thing there is. The law which was made to bring life, when mixed with sin, it becomes twisted and perverted. It is that twistedness and pervertedness that brings destruction and death. Sin manipulates God's law to deceive and damn us. This is why we must know the teachings of God for ourselves. This is why we, as believers in Christ, must maintain constant exposure to the word of God, the Bible. 

We came to Christ because we saw our need and we cried out to God for help. It is most blessed for us to be backed into a corner and thus being convinced that God is our only hope. In addition, as we relate with Christ every day, we need to and will see our sin so that we can confess it and be freed from it. When we trusted Christ as our savior, He forgave all of our sin, our past sins, our present sins, and our future sins. As believers, we do not confess our sin to gain God's forgiveness because we already have it. We confess our sin so that we do not develop a hard heart toward God and His truth. We confess our sin so that we can be delivered from the power of sin because the more we feed sin, the more powerful the flesh becomes.

This is exactly why King David wrote, "Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee." Even though King David was an Old Testament saint who never knew what it means to be "born again," he understood that when we keep ourselves exposed to God's law, we will be less apt to stray from the heart of God which is what provides for us the soul-curing intimacy with God that we so desperately need. 

Romans 7:7-11

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7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet." 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. ~ Romans 7:7-11

Today, we return to our study of Romans 7 where we are being instructed on the topic of sanctification. You will remember that beginning in Romans 6 through Romans 8 we are given a three fold process which results in our sanctification. Our sanctification will never be perfect this side of heaven. In Romans 6 we learned about the believer's relationship to sin. In Romans 7 we are learning about the believer's relationship with the law of Moses. And, in Romans 8 we will learn about the believer's relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Throughout the Bible, we discover that the gospel of Jesus Christ sets us free from the penalty, the power and the presence of sin. As we go through the sanctification process, we are being freed from the power of sin. Christ came to earth as a man to die, and He rose from the dead, so that we might come to know Him as our savior and friend. Christ paid the penalty for our sin on the cross so that we might be freed from selfishness, self-centeredness, bitterness, anxiety and all kinds of other dysfunctional things due to our fears. Sanctification takes place in our souls which is made up of our minds, wills, and emotions.

In v.7 of today's passage we read, "What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet.'"

In today's passage the Apostle Paul goes from using the third person, to using the second person, and then to using the first person. He talks about I, me, my, and myself. This observation reveals that this is his autobiographical sketch detailing his struggle with sin or his flesh. We should be encouraged that the Apostle struggled with sin and the Apostle was willing to reveal it to us. This is the struggle of the saved soul. So often, we think that this struggle is a bad sign. We have often thought that we had lost our rightness with God because of this. This is not so. In fact, our struggle with sin is a sign that there is the life of God within us. If He were not in us, we would not struggle as we do. The struggle is real because we still live in these bodies of sin and we have the Holy Spirit living in us.

Understanding this section helps us to navigate the Christian life that many think should be an upward success story toward perfection. Of course, we know that the Christian life includes many struggles and failures in our pursuit of walking with God. In fact, the Lord expects more sin out of us than we do ourselves because He knows how wicked sin really is. He also knows that we will never reach perfection this side of heaven. The beauty to it all is that with God failure isn't always the opposite of success. This is why Paul points out that the problem is not with the law, the problem is with us. 

In v.8 of today's passage we read, "But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead."

Paul's argument here is that the law draws out the rebellion that we know that is still within us, even though we have been justified before God through Christ. Here, Paul highlights the tenth command, "Thou shalt not covet," because covetousness is at the root of all sin. The Law deals with our hearts and it reveals to us our sin. This is the only way anyone can come to the salvation of the Lord. That which leads us to true salvation is an understanding of the absolute righteousness of God and our total depravity. The Law of God expresses God's perfect righteousness and it puts a demand on everyone who breaks it in the slightest way. We are led to true salvation through the overwhelming and frightening sense of the implications of breaking God's law. We are also kept in the faith through our continuing struggles with temptation and sin. The Lord Jesus not only wants to deliver us from the presence and penalty of sin, He also wants to deliver us from the power of sin. This is a big part of our sanctification.

In v.9-10 of today's passage we read, "9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death." 

The forbidden nature of sin serves to make it more attractive to us. This is partly why it is so danged hard to resist it. According to Deuteronomy 30, the law holds out the promise of real life. If the Jews had obeyed and measured up to the law from their hearts, the nation would have been sustained as God’s people. But they, like us, were deceived by sin which deceived them into being defined by the self. The consequence of sin has always been exile from the presence of God which is the most damning expression of sin and death. It is this death that shows how wicked sin really is because it takes us further and further away from God. 

In v.11 of today's passage we read, "For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death."

The Apostle hammers the idea that it is impossible to rely on our adherence to the law to make us right in God's eyes. This is so because even though the law of God is good and perfect, we are not. And, since we are imperfect, we can not measure up to the truth for ourselves. The law simply crushes us, but, this is good because it positions us to see the utter preciousness of the work accomplished by the Lord Jesus on the cross on our behalf. Christianity is not about the wood of a ladder that enables us to climb up to God. Christianity is about the wood of a cross that allowed God to come down to rescue sinful man. Christianity is about failures who give up on themselves and cast themselves upon the forgiving mercy of God through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Romans 7:4-6

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"4 So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5 For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. 6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." ~ Romans 7:4-6

Today, we continue our study of Romans 7 which describes the Christian's relationship to the law. The Apostle Paul addresses this theme because he is writing primarily to Jewish Christians who lived in Rome who had a faulty understanding of the purpose of the law of Moses.  

In Romans 6-8, Paul is giving us a formula for sanctification. The first part of that formula is the Christian's relationship to sin which is to not be a slave to it. The second part of that formula, given here in Romans 7, is the Christian's relationship to the law: not to think we can adhere to it. Later, we will discuss the third part to this formula found in Romans 8 which is about the believer's relationship with the Holy Spirit.

In v.4 of today's passage we read, "So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God."

As believers in the Lord Jesus, we now serve God, not sin, because of our union with Christ through his death and resurrection. The proof that we are dead to the old and alive to Christ is by the fruit produced. Essential to our sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit who enables us to "bear fruit for God." In this new way, the Holy Spirit replaces the law and creates a new kind of servant who strives to obey God from the heart. 

The "body of Christ" refers to the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross. The Lord Jesus came to earth to take on a perfect human body through the virgin birth. He did this so that He might die on the cross to provide forgiveness from God for our sin. On the cross of Calvary, the Lord Jesus Christ was made sin for sinful man. He took our place on the cross, and by doing so, He freed us from the penalty of the Law of Moses.

In v.5 of today's passage we read, "For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death."

The flesh here speaks of our old sinful nature. Through Christ the believer in Christ has been freed from the power of sin. This does not mean that we will ever be sinless this side of heaven, it merely means that we do not have to obey the allurements of our sinful flesh. Our struggle is with the idea that we are totally forgiven of our sin, past, present and future, and yet, we struggle with the flesh which still trips us up in its sin.  

In v.6 of today's passage we read, "But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." 

Believers in Christ have been released from the penalty of the Law and the power of sin so that we could serve in the new way of the Spirit. The goal is service which is the ultimate point of the book of Romans. You will remember that in the first fifteen verses of the first chapter of Romans, the Apostle Paul subtly shared with us the characteristics that enables one to be a servant. And, you will also remember that the final five chapters of this book has as its theme service.

The word translated "serve" is the work that is chosen by the one who has experienced the grace of God. This service is perfect freedom, whereas the service of sin was a perfect drudgery. We gladly take on the role of a servant only after we have come to see the heart of God for the wretched sinners that we are. This service is the product of the Holy Spirit's work in our hearts.

"Bearing fruit for God" in v.4 is parallel to "serving in newness of the Spirit" in v.6. In John 15 the Lord Jesus shared the secret behind realizing the fruit of God in our lives: "abiding in the Vine." While the branch is a metaphor for the believer in Christ, the Vine is a metaphor for Christ. As a result of the branch abiding in the Vine, there will be fruit-bearing in and through his life. When we are consciously walking with the Lord, His life more freely flows through us. As a result, His fruit is realized in and through us. This is the secret to this life of service that the Lord Jesus has called us to. And, when we have been given His heart, we will want to do what a servant so desired to do: to carry out the will of this One who has laid down His life for us.

The new covenant promises an inner transformation. Under the old covenant, the law tried to control man's conduct. The new covenant promises a change in our hearts. By the law comes the knowledge of sin. But the law was unable to bring us to the complete knowledge of salvation. Under the law we were limited to reading the sheet music. Under the new covenant God says, I am going to put my song into your heart. This is why it is such a blessing to serve Him.

Romans 7:1-3

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"1 Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? 2 For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. 3 So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man." ~ Romans 7:1-3  

Today, we transition into Romans 7 where the overall topic in Romans 6-8 is the sanctification of the believer in Christ. You will remember that sanctification is about the salvation of our soul (our minds, our wills and our emotions).  And, you will remember that justification is different than sanctification. Whereas justification is being made right with God, sanctification is gaining the thoughts, ways, and wisdom of God, enabling us to experience the life the Lord Jesus died to give us. You will also remember that justification is based solely on our faith in the Lord Jesus' work on the cross. And sanctification is based on our ability to say, "no" to self, and, to say "yes" to the Lord in our thinking and choices.

In v.1 of today's passage we read, "Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives?"

In today's passage the Apostle Paul addresses those who think that they measure up to the law of Moses and subsequently earn God's favor. The most often used word in Romans 7 is the word "law". Therefore, the theme of Romans 7 is the Christian's relationship to the law of Moses. These, to whom Paul wrote, believed that the Lord Jesus plus their goodness equaled their salvation. They did not understand that they could not measure up to the law, not even in the slightest bit. They did not understand that the law of Moses is completely perfect and inflexible. They did not understand that there is no bending of the laws rules and there were no exceptions. They did not understand that the law finds all under its jurisdiction guilty before God and deserving of hell. 

In v.2 of today's passage we read, "For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him."

Here, the Apostle Paul uses an illustration from marriage to demonstrate that Christ has fulfilled the requirements of the law, and the believer in Christ is subsequently dead to the law. Death ends the believer's responsibility to the law. The Believer has died to the law through our union with Christ. So, just as in a marriage, if the husband dies, the wife is free to remarry, the believer in Christ is free from the law and is now married to Christ. Just as the wife is free from the law because death ends her responsibility to her husband, the believer in Christ died in Christ and is therefore dead to his responsibility to measure up to the law. 

The law of Moses does not enable any human to rise above our sinfulness. The believer in Christ has been separated from the demands of the law when we were united with Christ. As a result, the Lord Jesus measures up before God on our behalf. It is a good thing that the law of God crushes us underneath its perfection, because when we have been brought to an end of self, the Gospel wraps us in its message and makes us presentable to God. And, the gospel only makes sense to those who have run out of options and have come to the relieving realization that we are incapable of measuring up to God's demands.

In v.3 of today's passage we read, "So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man."

Due to the entrance of sin into the world through Adam's choice in the Garden of Eden, all of mankind has been turned over to the dominion of the god of this world, Satan. By one man sin entered the world, and death through sin. Death spread to all. And, sin made us adulteresses with reference to God our Creator. Our existence was contaminated with a natural rebellion toward God.

When we were conceived, we were given a body, a soul and a spirit. Our soul is our consciousness, our ability to make decisions and to reason. Our bodies are inextricably connected to our souls. Our spirit was dead to God, because of what Adam did in the Garden of Eden. And, according to the Lord Jesus in John 3, in order for sinful man to be made right with God and to live with God for eternity, we must be "born again." And, of course, this is what happens to us when we trust in the finish work of Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin.

Through the death of Christ on the cross the requirements of the law were met on the behalf of all who have placed our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result, our lives should not reflect a ladder-centered version of the Christian faith. Rather, now that we have been forgiven through Christ, our lives should be lived out of a cross-centered perspective on life. 

For us who believe in Christ, God is now destroying our idol of self-sufficiency in order to reveal Himself as our sole sufficiency. God kills in order to make alive; he strips us in order to give us new clothes. He lays us flat on our backs so that we’re forced to look up to Him. God’s office of grace is located at the end of our rope. The thing we least want to admit is the one thing that can set us free: the fact that we are weak and helplessly dependent upon God.