I believe chapter eight to be one of the most important chapters in Romans. The subject of the entire letter is the gospel–The Good News. Paul began Romans by explaining that people need to get into right relationship with God–without God in our lives we’re surrounded by all the temptations of the world to do evil, beginning with idolatry. But idolatry is the path to destruction.
Our first parents introduced evil to the world when they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Just as the serpent seduced them, the enemy is ever present trying to seduce us–to bribe us with all kinks of promises of unspeakable happiness and joy. All we have to do is…(You can fill in the blanks). What Adam and Eve did wasn’t all bad, however. When Eve reached out and took that fruit she initiated the concept of Free Will. As we all know, our free will is one of the greatest gifts God gave us, but until she took that step she and Adam didn’t even know it existed.
However, humanity quickly found out that free will is a two-edged sword. It allows us the ability to make our own decisions as to how to live our lives, but it forces us to make our own decisions as to how to live our lives. Our human decisions aren’t always the best decisions we can make for ourselves, as Adam and Eve quickly learned when they found themselves put out of the garden. But God didn’t leave humanity totally alone in its struggle to make its way through life.
First God gave us ten simple rules–the Ten Commandments–to help us in our decision making process. Human beings quickly added to, expanded, defined and redefined them into what was called the Law. But the Law was woefully inadequate in that it was impossible to keep in its entirety. While good in itself, by itself it did not have the power to bring us into right relationship with God. So God sent Jesus to show us the way–to teach us how to live in right relationship with God. When Jesus died, the veil of the temple, which separated ordinary humans from God, was torn in two. Before the crucifixion contact with God was available only through an intermediary–the high priest. Now, every human being could have direct access to God.
Then God gave humanity two more gifts. First came the resurrection to teach us that death is never final. Resurrection was followed by ascension and removed the human form of Jesus from earth. The bodily form of Jesus could no longer serve any earthly purpose. Instead, the ascension set the stage for the next great act of God: Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit of God would come and dwell within all believers. The Holy Spirit is God’s action and direction in each of our lives, helping us, guiding us, challenging us and directing us to live our lives in the best way possible. Chapter eight and those following, tell us how this indwelling of the Spirit happens.
All the way back when we were studying chapter three, I said the following: “Most churches teach, “Repent and be saved!” I teach, “Be saved, and repent!” I said that if we would be saved all we have to do is have faith in Jesus Christ and we will be saved. Then I said, “The ‘repent’ part comes later, but it will come, trust me.” Well, here it is!
It is important to remember the power some words seem to have that evoke strong emotions in us. We will be using some of these emotionally charged words in this chapter, so let’s examine a couple. Repent can be one of those words. Yet, as used in the New Testament the original word was metanoeo and means to think differently, to reconsider. Not so “hellfire and damnation” as we usually think it means, is it!
Sin and sinner are two other words with a lot of emotion attached. Remember that the original word for sin, hamartano, is an archery term meaning to miss the mark and so not to share in the prize. To say you’re a sinner is simply to say that you are not perfect–to say you are not God. While all of us understand that Hitler was certainly a sinner, let us not forget that so was Mother Theresa a sinner.
In this chapter Paul refers several times to the term sinful nature. There is a common imagery used by cartoonists and others to denote when a person is struggling with his or her conscience. On one shoulder appears a cherub: The symbol of an angel, directing the subject to do the good and right thing, while on the other shoulder appears another cherub: A spirit in the appearance of a “devil” to encourage the individual to engage in bad, mean or hurtful behavior. It is the concept denoted by this “devil” spirit that Paul is referring to when he uses the term sinful nature. Psychoanalysts might call it the Id. It is that part of us which represents our baser instincts.
Chapter 8 begins by reminding us that when we accept Jesus as our Savior we cannot and will not be condemned. This is another very emotionally charged word for the GLBT community who for so long has been told just the opposite. However, accepting Jesus is only the first step in what can and should be a life long personal relationship with God. We’re no longer alone left to drift with the tide. We’ve got a helper to give us guidance and direction. Claiming Jesus as our Savior taps us into a power greater than ourselves. Repentance is a life long process, but we don’t have to do it alone. We’re not expected to do it alone. We really can’t do it alone. That’s what the Law showed us.
Chapter 8 will introduce us to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In the 14th chapter of the Gospel of John (15-18) Jesus told the disciples, “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask God who will give you another counselor to be with you forever–The Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept the Spirit, because it neither sees or knows the Spirit. But you know the Spirit, for the Spirit lives with you and will be (some early manuscripts say “is”) in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” The Greek word translated counselor in the NIV was parakletos and means several things. First, it means supporter, or consoler. In addition to that the word also means one who strengthens, helps and counsels. But even more than that the word means one who acts as a legal advocate–who stands beside you as in a court of law–your defense attorney, as it were. By extension, you will see in this chapter that as far as Paul is concerned, Jesus was not only saying these words to the disciples present, but to all of us. When we accept Jesus, not only are we saved but we are given a counselor, comforter, and legal advocate to be on our side.
We previously read where Paul said (Rom. 7:15) I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. We’ve all found ourselves in this predicament from time to time, more often than we care to admit, I’m sure. Chapter 8 will tell us that what we can’t do by ourselves, the Holy Spirit will be there to guide and direct us and give us the tools we need to succeed. God’s desire for us is that we live useful, purpose-filled, happy, joyful and abundant lives. It is the goal of the Holy Spirit to show us how to do that. Chapter eight begins to tell us how it works.
Romans 8:1-2
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
In some of the later manuscripts the following phrase was added after the word Jesus: Who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Remember that the Bible was originally written by hand and in four original languages: Hebrew or Chaldee, Aramaic and Greek. Copies were made of copies, were made of copies, and translations were made of translations, were made of translations. With all the multitude of copies and translations, it’s not surprising that words got changed, added or deleted. In actuality, considering all those copies and translations, it is remarkable how much of the Bible has remained consistent. Students of scripture will prefer the earliest available manuscripts, as they are going to be the ones closest to what the writers wrote. But don’t get confused. If you’re using the King James (1611) Version, it will have the phrase shown above in it, while the more recent NIV will not. Remember that what I said applies to manuscripts–those scrolls that translators used to make the translations. Therefore, the NIV is more accurate than the King James Version because the NIV translators used earlier manuscripts than did the translators of the KJV.
To be in Christ Jesus is to have accepted Christ as your Savior. For some people accepting Christ as Savior is as simple as making a one-time statement of faith. For others, it’s a life long process, which must be reaffirmed on a daily basis. It takes what it takes, but the reward for taking this step provides an eternal payoff. No condemnation! That’s it! No dues to pay, no hoops to jump through, no brownie points to earn. The gift (eternal salvation) is given, and all you have to do is accept it and say thank you. (Don’t forget to say thank you.)
Notice it doesn’t say “For the select few who do what we tell them.” It says if you accept Jesus–if you’re in Jesus, you are not condemned, plain and simple. How can this be? Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. We’ve already seen that it is impossible to keep all of the Law (The old covenant) all the time, and because of that impossibility Paul calls it the law of sin and death. Paul is now telling us that we are under a new law he calls the law of the Spirit of life.
Romans 8:3-5
For what the Law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending Jesus in the likeness of a sinful person to be a sin offering. And so God condemned sin in sinful humanity, in order that the righteous requirements of the Law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
The gist of these sections can be summarized in these words: What you focus on is what you give power to. You cannot merely give lip service to faith. If you want to have faith in your life, you must want to have faith in your life. Remember that the greatest gift God gave us is free will. We can choose to have Christ in our lives or not. We can choose salvation or reject it. And that choice is available to us at all times.
I’ve often been asked, “Can I lose salvation once I have it?” The answer is “It can’t be taken away from you, but you can reject it.” That which you reject you no longer have.
Paul refers frequently to the sinful nature. This term refers to our base instincts–self-preservation, self-centeredness, selfishness, coupled with disregard for the needs of others–in short, all those things that cause us to break the law of love–of God, of neighbor, or of self.
Paul is saying that even though the Law is good and righteous, because we are human we can’t fully live up to it on our own. God knew that, so God sent Jesus to be the final sin offering. Then God instituted a new plan in Jesus. This new plan is based on intent, rather than on following a bunch of rules. This is what Paul was talking about in Romans chapter 3:28-29. Paul used the term Jew to refer to one of the “chosen” people, and said, “A person is not a Jew if he or she is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, one is a Jew if he or she is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.”
Micah 6:8 says, “What does God require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Jesus told us that if we live the law of love we would keep all of God’s commandments. God knows that we will make mistakes–we will sin–we will miss the mark, but before we can do the good and right thing, we must have the desire to do it. However, when our focus is on doing the right thing our minds will be set on what the Spirit desires, and that’s the path to God.
Romans 8:6-11
The mind of the sinful nature is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God, It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he or she does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, the One who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through the Spirit who lives in you.
In the overview for this chapter I spoke of two cherubs that sit on our shoulders and fight for our attention in order to gain control–one angelic and one demonic. Remember: What you focus on is what you give power to. Paul is warning that if you choose to focus on the demonic one, no matter how enticing its offers may be, it can lead only to alienation from God, to ruin and finally to death.
It is true that being human our bodies all die, The thing is, many people des spiritually long before their bodes go. When your mind only focuses on evil, that’s all you will see around you. If you’re a cheater, you’ll see that everyone’s trying to cheat you. If you’re a thief, you’ll have to guard your possessions very closely since everyone’s trying to steal from you. If you’re a gossip you’ll know that everyone’s talking behind your back. The more evil you create the more evil you will be subjected to.
On the other hand, if you focus on finding out what the Spirit desires for you, if you try to live in accordance with the Spirit’s guidance, you will find you will live a better life–a more peaceful life, a happier life, a joyful life. When you focus on doing good to and for others, you’ll be amazed to see how many people want to do good to and for you!
It doesn’t matter where you have been in your life. It doesn’t matter what things you have done in the past. Once you accept Christ as your Savior, the Holy Spirit, Christ’s spirit, will come and be with you and live in you. You may be full of regret, guilt and shame–so much so that you wish you were dead, it makes no difference. You can’t go too low for God to find you and bring you up and out of your degradation, depression and despair. You don’t have to feel unworthy any more. There is now no condemnation for you.
Once you choose to have faith in Jesus, you are in Christ Jesus. Once you are in Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit is in you! Once the Holy Spirit is in you, you are set free from that old law that said you weren’t good enough, righteous enough, holy enough. That was the law of sin and death. Once the Holy Spirit is in you, you are under the law of the Spirit of life. It is the life that brings hope to the hopeless, a goal to the floundering, an answer to the befuddled, and a promise of life everlasting.
Romans 8:12-17
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation–but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you receive the spirit of adoption. And by the spirit we cry, “Abba.” The Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in Christ’s sufferings in order that we may also share in Christ’s glory.
Earlier I substituted the phrase “Repent and be saved,” with “Be saved, then repent,” based on the definition of repent meaning, “To give up our sinful ways.” My concept is based on the idea that we by ourselves do not have the strength to make the changes that we need to make in our lives to make ourselves holy and acceptable to God.
That’s why mere adherence to the Law failed. We can’t do it alone. However, when we choose to put our faith and trust in Jesus to show us the way we “plug into” a power source. Our acceptance of Jesus not only gives us immediate salvation, it gives us access to the power of the Holy Spirit–the spirit of life. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that helps us make the changes in our loves that lead us to wholeness and to holiness.
When we claim the power of the Holy Spirit for ourselves we begin to see things differently. We begin to see that doing things “our own way” didn’t do too much for us. There’s an old joke that says, “The self-made man (or woman) is a perfect example of unskilled labor.” We begin to see how our old selfish, self-centered thoughts and acts work against us instead of for us. Fortunately, we’re under no obligation to live that way any more.
We soon come to realize that many of our fears stem from the way we’re living, and for many of us we begin to see that a life of self-will leads us to no good end. When we use others we fear that others will use us, when we take advantage of others, we fear that others will take advantage of us. When we cheat others, we worry that others will cheat us. It’s a downward spiral of fear.
The Spirit makes us aware of what we’ve been doing and offers us a way out, if we would but follow. The Spirit makes us realize that we are beloved children of God. Often our behaviors are reactions to the way we were brought up–sometimes in retaliation for the way we were raised, what we were not given, what we felt we needed-love, encouragement, attention, or when we were shunned, ignored or rejected. Regardless of what we lacked in our formative years, regardless of what others failed to do with and for us, the Spirit makes us aware that we are children of God.
Further, the closeness of the Spirit makes us aware of the closeness of God–God is not some distant warrior figure, ready to pounce on us if we make a mistake, but God is a dear, loving parent whom we can call Abba. Abba is a word that is usually translated father, but it means more that that. It is really a diminutive akin to daddy or mommy, which gives a sense of lovable familiarity.
Paul says that, more than close, the Holy Spirit joins in with our spirit to declare that we are God’s children. Jesus said, (John 14:17-18) “…You know the Spirit, for the Spirit lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphan; I will come to you.” As long as we are willing the Holy Spirit makes a home with us, leading us and guiding us along, directing our minds, hearts and footsteps. When the road of life becomes too hard for us to walk on, the Spirit will carry us. When the pains of this life become too terrible to bear, the Holy Spirit will provide comfort, when dreary fatigue sets in from struggles that seem to take forever, the Holy Spirit will bolster our faltering spirits.
Now here’s a most important point. We talk about living in accordance with spirit and not in accordance with our old natures. Changing our ways is not an instantaneous process. It’s a life long process of spiritual guidance and direction by the Holy Spirit. It’s our getting up and falling down and getting up again, it’s making mistakes after mistake after mistake, but always trying to do better. It’s and inch by inch proposition. And did you note the process? We accept Jesus, just as we are, with all our faults, failings and shortcomings. If we accept Jesus, Jesus accepts us. We are saved! We have God’s grace and mercy and compassion. And we have the Holy Spirit to guide us into all the truth. Once the spirit of God lives in us the Spirit begins the process of bringing to our minds those things that need changing. And this is the only voice we need to listen to.
Note this especially: It is only to the voice of the Holy Spirit should we be beholden. Not anyone else. It is the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, who will guide us into all the truth–not someone else. That’s why we ought not judge one another–it’s not our job. It’s not anyone’s job to judge another person. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to instruct us in the changes we need to make in our lives to be pleasing to God–no one else’s.
Note also that the Spirit comes and helps us with our spiritual housecleaning after we have accepted salvation. We didn’t earn that salvation. It was given as a gift. All we had to do is accept it. Often, however, because we have accepted Jesus, when we’ve invited the Holy Spirit to become part of our lives, we get the idea that this means we’ll never have another problem, suffering or pain. And when troubles come, we think we’ve been duped by the Spirit. Ever find yourself thinking, “I’ve been so good and worked so hard and this is the thanks I get?”
If we are God’s children we are heirs of God’s estate. That means that we are siblings of Jesus, and co-heirs with Jesus. Paul says, we share in Christ’s sufferings in order that we may also share in Christ’s glory. Suffering is a natural part of living. Being God’s child doesn’t mean we won’t suffer. Jesus is a perfect example of this, through His crucifixion. But the promise is, whatever sufferings we must endure as a part of life, we can rest assured we will also, as Christ’s siblings, share in the glory.