2/08/15
– Romans 8:1-17 “If we are Christians, then our lives will demonstrate it!”
Romans
8:1 – [There is] therefore
now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit.
This follows directly
on from the last chapter where Paul agonises over the
conflict in his life between the old man flesh nature and the new man spiritual
nature. Here he is simply saying that in spite of that conflict and his
tendency to be “sold under sin” (Romans
7:14), there is no condemnation (from the law,
that is) for those who have accepted the gift of God paid for by Christ on the
cross. It is clear that walking after the flesh (habitual sin) is not a real
choice for Christians who should be walking according to the Spirit. Note the
fruit of the flesh vs the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5.
Of course, when
Christians sin, they are still doing that which God condemns, but under the pardon
of the gospel the law no longer can apply the penalty for sin. All law’s
penalty for sin was paid for on the cross (“It is finished!” – John 19:30 – was the cry from the cross) but must be accepted in order to be
activated (according to God’s requirements) in that person’s life. That is,
Romans 10:13 – For whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved.
Thus there is no condemnation to Christians because they
do not (or rather, should not) walk according to the flesh but according to the
Spirit.
Romans 8:2 – For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
This is where our old
‘marriage’ is ended and our new ‘marriage’ relationship begins (see Romans 7:1-4).
Our perfect position in Christ before God is having exchanged our old man for
the new man. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ supersedes (overrules) the
law of sin and death, and while we are still not perfect in reality, we are now
able to oppose the old nature, the flesh. The flesh doesn’t have to be obeyed;
we choose to do so all too often. We may still break the law of sin and death,
but there is no longer any penalty (“no
condemnation” – vs 1 above) demanded by the law if we
are no longer under the rule of the law.
Romans 8:3-4 – 3For what
the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his
own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the
flesh: 4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
The law was too weak to
achieve its end goal of righteousness for those in the flesh. All the law did
was to condemn sin outright. It offered no forgiveness, no
latitude at all for sinful behaviour. It demanded perfection! One sin alone
could condemn utterly (James
2:10). But God sent His Son in the likeness of
Adam (and his sin) in order to deal with the problem of sin. By overcoming the
demands of sin to take Him into captivity, Christ condemned that sin in the
flesh; He was not subject to the penalty of sin, neither Adam’s sin (Christ was
not born of an earthly father), nor the sin as defined by the law (for He
resisted all temptation to sin).
Hebrews 4:15 – For we have not an
high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but
was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin.
If the first-born from
the dead (Colossians 1:18) could and did resist all sin, then He is also able to aid us who
struggle with temptation and sin.
Hebrews 2:18 – For in that he himself hath suffered being
tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
And because Jesus paid
the full penalty for all sin on the cross, He has taken away the bondage that
sin had on us. Without hope for forgiveness and pardon, we could never come to
God, but now we may because the barrier of sin has been removed. The righteous
requirement of the law was that sin must be condemned and dealt with; the law
demanded consequences! The righteous requirement of the law demanded the penalty, but those who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (also see Vs
1 above) are freed from that condemnation while still having the righteous requirement
of the law fulfilled in us through Jesus Christ who brought all that
condemnation upon Himself for our sakes.
Romans 8:5 – For they that are after the flesh do mind the
things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the
Spirit.
Those who live
according to the flesh bear the fruit of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21), while those who live according to the Spirit bear the fruit of the
Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). You will always reap what you sow!
Galatians 6:7-8 – 7Be not
deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also
reap. 8For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap
corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life
everlasting.
Thus you will know the person by the life he/she lives.
Romans 8:6 – For to be carnally minded [is] death;
but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace.
carnally – of the flesh, seen here as the opposite of being spiritually-minded.
Not “leads to death”
but “is death”! And not “leads to life and peace” but “is life and peace”! Death isn’t just the consequence of serving the desires of the flesh;
there is death itself in the very act of serving the flesh. And likewise there is life (and peace too) itself in the very
act of being spiritually minded. Note the contrast: those who are carnally
minded are as much dead as those who are spiritually minded are
alive.
Romans 6:2 says we (that is, those who are Christ’s) are dead to
sin, as opposed to being dead in sins and trespasses (Ephesians 2:1).
For Christ is our peace:
Ephesians 2:13-15 – 13But now
in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of
Christ. 14For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath
broken down the middle wall of partition [between us]; 15Having
abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained]
in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making
peace;
Romans 8:7 – Because the carnal mind [is] enmity
against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
The mind that desires
to serve the flesh is opposed to God’s will. The carnal mind is subject to the
law of sin and death (see Vs 2), and therefore belongs to the old ‘marriage’
relationship (see Romans 7:1-4). The new relationship is of the law
of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Vs
2). Those who are of the new relationship with God are now dead to the law through
the body of Christ (Romans 7:4). The old relationship has ended; the wife in that
‘marriage’ is now released from the law (Romans 7:2)
that bound her to her first husband (the old man, the flesh, the carnal mind).
When we served the flesh (the old man sin nature), we were enemies of God; we refused
to submit to His law, we refused to obey God’s law. The decisions of our carnal
(fleshly) minds refused to acknowledge the requirements of the law. The carnal
mind will not subject itself to the law of God. Our carnal mind was opposed to
God. We declared ourselves enemies of God. Romans 5:10a – For if,
when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son …..Our flesh nature was hostile to God’s law; it wouldn’t
submit to His standards. Thus to be carnally minded is
death!
Romans 8:8 – So then they that are in the flesh cannot
please God.
Clearly so, because our
flesh nature will not submit to God’s law, and never will. Thus
we cannot change by fixing up our old flesh nature. There is nothing at all we
can do to make our flesh nature acceptable to God. It will always oppose God’s
law and thus will never please God.
So what does please God?
Have faith in God – Hebrews
11:6 – But without faith [it is] impossible
to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that]
he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Be spiritually minded – Romans
8:8-9a – 8So then
they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9But ye are not in the
flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
Fear God – Psalm 147:11 – The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear
him, in those that hope in his mercy.
Obey God – 1 Samuel
15:22 – And Samuel said, Hath the Lord [as
great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice
of the Lord? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to
hearken than the fat of rams.
Doing God’s will – Hebrews
13:21 – Make you perfect in every good
work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing
in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom [be] glory for ever and
ever.
Offer the sacrifice of
praise to God – Hebrews 13:15-16 – 15By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God
continually, that is, the fruit of [our] lips giving thanks to his name.
16But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such
sacrifices God is well pleased. do
good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Romans 8:9 – But ye are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any
man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Here is an emphatic ‘But’ in order
to emphasize the contrast: “ye are
not in the flesh”. Note also the use of
the conditional ‘if’ in the rest of this passage.
From Vs 9 to Vs 17 we
have a series of conditional statements, characterized by the use of the word “if”.
These conditional statements offer contrasting options.
if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you – The main point of this
passage today is to demonstrate that if we are at enmity with God (by the way
we behave, for instance) by living (being) in the flesh, then we are demonstrating
that the Spirit of God does not dwell in us. Thus we
cannot belong to Christ. “he is none of his” Vs 9.
And the opposite also applies: that if God’s Spirit dwells in us, then we
cannot be in the flesh. We cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). We must be either in the
Spirit or in the flesh. We must be one or the other, not both. So if we are not in the flesh, then we are in the Spirit, and
the Spirit of God dwells in us. But if we are in the flesh, then we don’t have
the Spirit of God.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 – 16Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the
Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17If any man defile
the temple of God, him shall God
destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are.
If we claim to be Christian yet defile our lives with sins of the flesh, then
we are not Christ’s; we are none of His; and God will destroy that defiled
temple! If God dwells in us, then we are holy, the temple of the living God. We cannot have the Spirit dwelling in us and
continue in the sins of the flesh. The two just don’t mix! If the Spirit of God
does not dwell in you, you are not of Christ. The Spirit of Christ = the Spirit
of God; Jesus is God.
Ephesians 4:30 – And grieve not the holy Spirit of God,
whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 – Quench not the Spirit.
Romans 8:10 – And if Christ [be] in you, the
body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because
of righteousness.
Paul continues with his
emphatic denial of Christians being in the flesh…. “If Christ (be) in you” is the contrast to “ye are not in the flesh”. Note that word ‘if’
though. No-one should just assume that just because they make a commitment to
be saved according to the gospel, they are assured that Christ is in them. If
the commitment is through worldly sorrow (remorse) it will
bring death instead of life.
2 Corinthians 7:10 – For godly sorrow worketh repentance to
salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
And if Christ is in you, and therefore you are
not in the flesh, your body (your flesh, your old man nature) is dead to the
desires and domination of sin. That is, if Christ is in you, you should
not be sold under sin (Romans
7:14). Instead, being in the Spirit, you
should have life because of your righteousness (your right standing with God).
This does not mean that
you will live a perfectly holy life once you are a Christian, but that God
imputes righteousness to you through your status of being in Christ. God sees in
you the righteousness of Christ.
Romans 8:11 – But if the Spirit of him that raised
up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead
shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
if – this teaching
is conditional, and can only be applied if the Spirit indwells you.
See 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 above – Christians are the temple of God, the dwelling place of the
Holy Spirit, that same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead.
John 14:19b – because I live, ye shall live also.
Hebrews 2:10 – For it
became him, for whom [are] all things, and by whom [are] all
things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their
salvation perfect through sufferings.
This same Spirit who
raised Jesus from the dead indwells Christians who will also receive eternal
life through that same indwelling Spirit. Our fleshly (mortal) bodies will die
one day but Christians will then be changed from corruptible to incorruptible.
1 Corinthians 15:50-53 – 50 Now this
I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God;
neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on
immortality.
Romans 8:12 – Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to
the flesh, to live after the flesh.
Therefore we are in debt, that is to Christ, and not to the
flesh which sought to dominate us before we became dead to that sin by entering
into the new relationship with Christ. We don’t owe our flesh anything at all.
We have no obligations to the flesh for it has done nothing good in us and for
us at all. So why should we live according to the flesh when we are under no
obligation to do so? We have been made alive in the Spirit through Christ; all
to Him we owe.
Jesus paid it all; All to Him I owe!
Sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow. (Fanny
Crosby)
Romans 8:13 – For if ye live after the flesh, ye
shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify (put to
death) the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
If we live according to the flesh, then we
are debtors to the flesh, and the flesh is a cruel master to be in debt to. If we cannot repay our debt, we
will die. The wages of sin is
death (Romans 6:23)
However, if we, through
our new relationship with Christ through His Spirit, put the old man desires of
the flesh to death, we will indeed live.
Romans 6:6 – Knowing this, that our old man is crucified
with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we
should not serve sin.
Romans 8:14 – For as many as are led by the Spirit of God,
they are the sons of God.
as many as are led – all who are led in this way and only those who are
led in this way.
For only those who are
under the domination of (= led by) the Spirit of God can be called the sons of
God, no more, no less.
John 1:12-13 – 12But as
many as received him, to them gave he power to become
the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: 13Which
were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,
but of God.
1 John 3:1-3 – 1Behold,
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called
the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2Beloved,
now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we
know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as
he is. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth
himself, even as he is pure.
Romans 8:15-16 – 15For ye
have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the
Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16The Spirit
itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are
the children of God:
You did not receive a
spirit that bound you, enslaved you, to fear. That is, you are not enslaved by
that which uses fear (of punishment, being deprived of something, etc) in order to control you, much as a dictator ruler
might control his subjects. The sinner should be subject to such fear because
he has committed offensive acts against God. He can only expect condemnation
and thus he tries to please an angry God who just might (he thinks) be easy on
him. God then is someone to fear, and the sinner’s behaviour is dominated by
this need to not get on the wrong side of an angry God. But the Christian has
not received any such spirit of bondage to fear! We aren’t slaves who must obey
or be punished; we are adopted children of God.
God’s Spirit who
indwells us bears witness to this fact. By God’s Spirit we have been adopted
into the family of God, and with God’s Spirit we cry out, “Abba, Father!”
We are not slaves but
children of God, not bound by fear of punishment but by a desire to please.
Abba – father,
customary title used of God in prayer. Whenever it occurs in the New Testament
it has the Greek interpretation joined to it, that is apparently to be
explained by the fact that the Chaldee ABBA through
frequent use in prayer, gradually acquired the nature of a most sacred proper
name, to which the Greek speaking Jews added the name from their own tongue.
Mark 14:36 – And he said, Abba, Father, all things [are]
possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless
not what I will, but what thou wilt.
Galatians 4:6 – And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth
the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
It appears that calling
God “Father, Father!” is to emphasize our status as His children, denoting the
intensity of our feelings toward the One who has given us His Spirit as a
witness to our favoured family status with God.
Romans 8:17 – And if children, then heirs; heirs of
God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him],
that we may be also glorified together.
As children we inherit
the kingdom along with His first-born and only begotten Son, Jesus (joint heirs
with Christ). Thus we are much more than just the
slaves that McArthur would falsely teach as our position with God. However,
note the conditional ‘if’.
If we are His children, then we are joint heirs with Christ. And if we
go to the next level: If
indeed we suffer with Him! It does clearly teach that if we suffer with Him, we may also
be glorified together with Him. This does strongly imply that if we
choose to not suffer with (or for) Christ, we may not be glorified together! Note
that Christians are called to suffer.
1 Peter 2:21 – For to
this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an
example, that you should follow His steps
This passage today
teaches that if we are Christians, then we will live in a way that testifies of
the Spirit who indwells all genuine Christians. If we are Christians, then we
will live as such, or else we may not be Christians at all! What we do
speaks much louder than what we say! The old life is in the past; the
new life is now and ahead of us. If we desire the world so much that we cannot
let it go in order to serve a new relationship with Christ, then we might not
end up inheriting the kingdom of God. If we are genuine Christians, then we
will demonstrate this! Our faith, unless it is evidenced by works, is dead (James 2:17).
Romans 8:9; 13 – 9But ye
are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell
in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ,
he is none of his.
13For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through
the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
Note the following
words of Jesus, which must be read as a single paragraph. (The word ‘For’
indicates a following-on from the idea in the previous sentence.)
Luke 9:23-26 – 23And he
said to [them] all, If any [man] will
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow
me. 24For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but
whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25For
what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world,
and lose himself, or be cast away? 26For whosoever shall be
ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he
shall come in his own glory, and [in his] Father’s, and of the holy
angels.
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