ROMANS 8 COMMENTARY

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I. IN CHRIST THERE IS FREEDOM FROM SIN (1-13)

A. There is No Condemnation. (1)
Key word - "now." Previously condemnation existed under the Law. In Christ we are free from this condemnation. Paul is not teaching that it is impossible for a Christian to ever come under condemnation again.

B. One is Free From the Law of Sin and Death. (2-4)

1. Made possible by the law of the Spirit of life. This law of the Spirit is the gospel of Christ (1:16), while the law of sin and death is that law Paul discussed in 7:83.

2. An accomplishment not attained under the Old Law. However, God did accomplish a plan that would free man from the law of sin and death. This salvation is perfected through Jesus Christ, who came to earth as a man of flesh and condemned sin while in that flesh. Eph. 2:1-10 might explain what Paul is getting at in the first part of verse 4. The gospel has freed us from sin, making us righteous and thus it is able to accomplish what the Law of Moses could have only accomplished if it had not been transgressed.

An introductory chart might be helpful to use in conjunction with our study of verses 5-9.

C. One Who Has Been Set Free From the Law of Sin and Death: (5-13)

1. Enjoys life and peace (Gal. 5:28-25). To give our time and attention to things of this life is having a mind of the flesh, while attending to spiritual matters is having a mind of the spirit. To live spiritually one must have the mind of the spirit, otherwise they are dead.

2. Is not enmity against God. However, if we continue in the mind of the flesh we cannot put ourselves in subjection to God. Thankfully we are not trapped, but can put off the flesh and put on the spirit through the gospel.

3. Is not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. There is some argument as to whether Spirit here is the Holy Spirit or the human spirit. From our point of view it is easier to read it as the human spirit, because then we can say to be in the flesh is living a sinner's life and to be in the spirit is living a Christian's life. However, we cannot deny that the Holy Spirit dwells in us if we are a Christian and does not dwell in us if we are not.

4. The body is dead but the spirit is life. If Christ is in you, the body is dead on account of the sin to which it tends, but the spirit is life on account of the righteousness to which we attain Christ.

5. The mortal body shall be quickened by His Spirit. Since God gave life to Jesus the man, he has the ability to give life to us, because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is not by or through the agency of the Holy Spirit, but because we are Christians. God will raise us spiritually and physically, but Paul is talking spiritually in this passage since all people, good and evil will be physically raised at the end-time.

6. Is not indebted to live after the flesh, because God would not indebt us to follow a path that would lead to our destruction. We must therefore be indebted to the Spirit.

7. Can mortify the deeds of the body. We will die physically no matter what. So spiritual death is what is under consideration. To live after the flesh will result in spiritual death, even for Christians!

II. THE BLESSINGS OF BEING SONS OF GOD (14-39)

A. We Are Being Led By the Spirit. (14)
If the gospel is God's power to save, then we are led by the Spirit through the word of God. How does the Holy Spirit work through the word in conversion?

B. We Have received the Spirit of Adoption. (15,16)
Spirit in this verse refers to disposition or attitude. Our motivation to trust and obey is through our sonship not our slaveship. The spirit of fear is replaced by one of reverence, trust and worship. There are two witnesses that testify to our sonship:

1. First witness - The Holy Spirit, through the Word.

2. Second witness - Ourselves, per the example 1 Jn. 5:10.

C. We Are Joint-Heirs with Christ in All His Glory. (17-25)

1. If we suffer with him, we shall even more so be glorified together with Him. The fruits of the sonship - joint -heirs with Christ. This inheritance is conditional, see end of v. 17. The sufferings we endure on earth will be worth it if we attain heaven through them. 2 Cor. 4:17,18; 2 Tim. 2:11,12

2. The whole creation of God waits with earnest expectation for the manifestation of the sons of God. Paul knew that the Jews dreamed of a renovated world. Here he gives creation a consciousness and nature a longing for the day when sin's dominion would be broken, death and decay gone and God's glory would come. Gen. 3;17 reminds us that the whole creation was under a curse. Nature indeed will be set free to take part in the freedom of the glory of the children of God. This could very well be a reference to the "new heavens and the new earth." (Commentators vary drastically on the meaning of vv. 18-23.) Paul continues his personification of creation and likens the time prior to the end-time as a time of child birth.

3. Likewise do the saints themselves wait with hope and patience. Who possessed the first-fruits of the Spirit? The apostles had miraculous powers. Paul wants Christians to endure suffering, so he indicates that even the apostles with their special powers were not immune to suffering and were waiting for redemption of their bodies. All Christians live in hope. A true hope is unseen, because a thing seen is not hope, but an experience. If our redemption was already complete, there would be nothing left to desire or expect. Without hope there is no endurance.

D. The Spirit Helps in Our Infirmities in that He Makes Intercession for Us. (26,27)
The inability to pray correctly is a weakness that all Christians must try to overcome. Paul himself had prayed incorrectly (2 Cor. 12:7-9). God is the great heart searcher. From 1 Cor. 2:10 we can very well conclude that God does His searching through the agency of the Holy Spirit.

E. All Things Work Together for Good to Them That Love God. (28,30)

That is, for Christians. We should not think that he is speaking of every conceivable force or circumstance in the world. Instead we must take this statement in the context of the gospel, the Holy Spirit and Christ. From Jn. 14:21; 1 Jn. 5:3 and 2 Jn. 6 we know who loves God. But what does "called according to His purpose" mean? His purpose was to save believers, Mt. 5:6; 11:28; 2Tim. 1:9. Foreknew -> predestined -> called ->justified -> glorified. God knowss in advance who will obey Him. Does He control this? No, but He knows. See Acts 26:5; Rom. 11:2; 2 Pet. 3:17; 1 Pet. 1:2; Acts 2:23. Predestined refers to what these faithful would become, or be conformed to namely Christ. In other words, the plan was predestined. Acts 4:28, 1Cor. 2:7; Eph. 1:5,11. Firstborn is a reference to the preeminence of all Christians. Called how? By the gospel 2 Thess. 2:14. Glorification and justification come to all who answer the gospel call.

F. Nothing, Can Separate Us from the Love of God. (31-39)

1. God, who spared not His own Son, is on our side. Certainly then, Christians are in the physical minority, but in the spiritual majority. Since His gift of His Son has no equal, any lesser thing that might be for our good would not be withheld. God does not choose at random, those elected by Him (Christians) were chosen because of their faith and obedience. God justifies these chosen ones.

2. Christ is at the right hand of God making intercession for us. Anyone justified by the Father will not be condemned by the Son (the Judge). Mt. 25:31,46; Jn. 5:22; Acts 17: 30,31.

3. Through Him that loved us we are more than conquerors over those things that could possibly separate us from the love of God. An alternate way of looking at "love of Christ" is our love of Christ. Why? Because this list of perils should not affect His love for us, but could affect our love for Him. Paul quotes Ps. 44:22 to bolster his argument. These perils, if we can withstand them, will make us super-conquerors. In conquering we will grow in patience, faith , character and in favor with God. Notice the list includes outside influences only. Nothing is mentioned as to what might occur from within. No power or force can cause one to quit loving God, if we quit, we do it of our own accord. Love can wax cold, we can depart from our first love. Our love for God and His love for us have a meeting place, in Christ.