BELIEVERS NOW LIVE OUT THEIR LIFE UNDER A DIFFERENT LAW:
THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE
Romans 8:1-27
As taught by Dave Lindstrom
I. Believers in Christ Jesus should now live out their life in a new way which is free from condemnation (vs 1-4).
A. The Mosaic Law bring condemnation (a judgment against someone) to the flesh. The flesh is the core nature of unbelievers and the “sinful tendency” remnant in believer’s lives. Remember Paul’s equation of flesh (sin) + Law + death which he formulated in chapters one through seven (vs 1).
1. Believers now have dies to sin (Rom. 6:2) and have died to the Mosaic Law (Rom. 7:4) through Christ (vs 2; Gal. 3:19, 23-25; Col. 2:13-23).
2. Believers now have the law of the Spirit of life. Therefore, Paul’s new formula is new nature + Spirit= life (vs 2; Rom. 6:22,23; 7:6).
B. God has fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law in us through our justification (past-tense salvation) in Christ (vs 3; Rom. 3:19; Matt. 5:17).
C. God desires for His believers to now learn to walk according to the Spirit so that we might fulfill His will (righteous requirement) for us (vs 4). In Paul’s mind, this would be present-tense salvation, sanctification, or walking in holiness (Rom. 6:19, 22; 7:22,25).
Thought: What are some way believers can slow down their sanctification.
II. Believers in Christ Jesus now have the choice of obeying the Holy Spirit or the flesh (vs 5-11).
A. The flesh will produce death (which for the believer is broken fellowship with God and fellow believers, loss of good fruit, and loss of reward and inheritance) and the Spirit will produce life and peace (vs 6; Rom. 6:21-23; 7:4-6; Gal. 5:16-26).
B. Living or walking in the Spirit pleases God now (vs 7,8; Gal. 3:20; Eph. 5:10).
C. All believers have the Holy Spirit living in them now (vs 9; I Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:13).
D. All believers continue to have dying physical bodies and yet the core of their being is alive through the new nature and the Holy Spirit (vs 10). Also, because of the Holy Spirits presence, we are assured of having a resurrected spiritual body in the future (vs 11, I Cor. 15:35-49; 2 Cor. 5:1-6; Eph. 1:13,14).
Thought: If all believers have the Holy Spirit, why do some believers still pray for the Holy Spirit?
III. What the Holy Spirit now does in a believer’s life (vs 12-27):
A. He helps us “put to death” our flesh (sinful tendencies) and therefore truly live (vs 12-17; Col. 3:5-9).
1. This is a process. As we are led by the Spirit of God, we are living out our children of God position (vs 14, I John 2:28-3:3).
2. This process should not lead us back to the old ways of the Law but rather to a deeper understanding of being God’s adopted children (vs 15a; Gal. 4:6,7).
3. This process should deepen our relationship with God as our Abba (An Aramaic expression used in the family circle for father)(vs 15b, 16).
4. This process involves suffering with Christ but it will also produce future inheritance (vs 17; Matt. 19:28-30; 2 Tim 2:11-13; Rev. 20:4).
B. He will give to us our resurrected spiritual bodies as well as a restored and new heaven and earth (vs 18-23).
1. The creation was subject to frustration (“mataiotas”- vanity (Eccles. 1:1), aimlessness, inability to reach or obtain results) by God at the time of the fall (Gen. 3:14, 17-19). It is portrayed as looking forward to it’s restoration (vs 18-22; Isa. 60; Eph. 1:10; Rev. 21:1-22:6).
2. We also continue to groan because we still have our remnant flesh and physical body that are ill-adapted for eternal life (vs 23; John 14:1-4).
C. He helps us in our weakness by praying for us (vs 26, 27).
1. We pray in imprecise, spoken ways to Abba, Father (I John 5:14,15).
2. He prays in precise, unspoken ways according to God’s will (John 14:15-18).
