The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is now in a detailed study of Paul's epistle to the church in Rome. These are the notes for Session 9.
Paul’s primary purpose in writing Romans was to teach the great truths of the gospel of grace to believers who had never received apostolic instruction. Unlike with some of Paul’s other epistles, his purpose for writing Romans was not to correct detestable theology or rebuke ungodly living. The Roman church was doctrinally sound, but, like all churches, it was in need of the rich doctrinal and practical instruction this letter provides.
The overarching theme of Romans is the righteousness that comes from God: the glorious truth that God justifies guilty, condemned sinners by grace alone through faith in Christ alone.
Beginning with this chapter we are going to start talking a lot about the Holy Spirit. Here in chapter 8, Paul mentions the Spirit almost twenty times. It is the Spirit who frees us from sin and death, enables us to fulfill God’s law, changes our nature, gives us the ability to overcome the desires of our unredeemed flesh, confirms our adoption as God’s children, and guarantees our eternal glory. There can be no success or progress in the Christian life apart from dependence on the third Person of the Trinity
Click below to read my notes.
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We Must Choose to Accept God’s Grace
By Rick Warren
“The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 NLT).
The Bible says in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (NLT). You might say that grace is the gift that keeps on giving. When you get to know Jesus Christ and his grace and love, it gets better and better and better. It is available and extended throughout eternity. The best is yet to come!
What’s heaven going to be like? You’re going to be reunited with loved ones who know the Lord. You’re going to be rewarded for your faith. You’re going to be reassigned a position of work that you love to do. You’re going to be released from pain, depression, despair, shame, and guilt, and you’re going to rejoice and party for eternity. What a deal!
But there’s a catch: You have to accept it.
Imagine going home today and finding a gift on your table, but leaving it there for the next year, unopened. That would be ridiculous! A gift is worthless unless you accept it. You must accept God’s grace through his Son, Jesus Christ.
Maybe you have held off because you’re afraid of being rejected. Maybe you were rejected by your parents. Maybe you were rejected by a boyfriend or a girlfriend, and that hurt deeply. Or maybe you were rejected by a brother or sister or by classmates. Maybe you have been rejected by a former spouse who walked out on you and said hurtful things that you still think of today.
But there is one person who will never reject you, and his name is Jesus Christ. He’s saying to you, “Come home.” Have you been secretly overwhelmed by that shame in your life? You can get rid of it today. The more you understand the grace of God, the more you fall in love with God and the more you want to draw closer to Jesus—because it’s almost impossible to not love somebody who loves you that much.
Beginning with this chapter we are going to start talking a lot about the Holy Spirit. What does the average person think of when he or she hears the phrase “Holy Spirit”?
Background of the Passage
Having spoken of condemnation (due to human sin) and justification (due to Christ's sacrifice on behalf of sinners), Paul turns next to the vital issues of sanctification (the believer’s ongoing struggle with sin) and glorification(transformation into the image of Christ). We talked about Paul’s struggle, which is our struggle, last week.
In the first seven chapters, God’s Holy Spirit is mentioned only once.
Romans 5:5 NKJV Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
We will find here in chapter 8 that Paul says that
Romans 8:16 NKJV The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
Here in chapter 8, Paul mentions the Spirit almost twenty times. It is the Spirit who frees us from sin and death, enables us to fulfill God’s law, changes our nature, gives us the ability to overcome the desires of our unredeemed flesh, confirms our adoption as God’s children, and guarantees our eternal glory.
In short, there can be no success or progress in the Christian life apart from dependence on the third Person of the Trinity.
Paul closes the chapter with profound teaching about the believer’s absolute security.
Not only are we saved by the blood of Christ and indwelt by the Spirit, but we also are safe in the Father’s love. The God who is in control of all things, who has graciously saved us from sin and death, and who has begun the process of transformation in us, will never let us go.
We Are Free From Indwelling Sin
Romans 8:1-11 NKJV 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. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 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, 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. 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. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 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. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 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 8:1 NKJV 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.
Verse 1 In the last chapter Paul explained how powerful sin is. People might want to please God. And they might try to obey his law. But human nature is too weak to oppose the power of sin.
God’s law explains how he wants people to live. But sin seems like another law, which opposes God’s law. So people feel as if they are struggling against sin. And their efforts to do the right thing seem hopeless.
But the wonderful news is that God frees people from the power of sin. And he frees them completely. He forgives their sin. He makes them righteous. He does these things because of his grace. And he does these things for everyone who belongs to Christ Jesus. They are not guilty now. They have become God’s special, holy people.
Ephesians 2:1-10 NKJV And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Romans 8:2 NKJV For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
Verse 2 Sin is like a law that controls people. Nobody could avoid its power. And if you are under sin’s control the result is death.
Romans 6:23 NKJV For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
But God made another law that would free people from the law of sin. Paul does not mean the written law, which told people the nature of sin. He is writing about a new law, which tells people how to live in order to please God.
Jeremiah wrote about such a law
Jeremiah 31:33-34 NKJV But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord : I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord ,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord . For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
It would not be like the written law. It would be in people’s hearts and minds. It would show them how to know God and to love God. It would give them a right relationship with God. And God would forgive their sins.
John 14:15-18 NKJV “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
Romans 8:3-4 NKJV 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, 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.
Verse 3 Remember the written law showed people the nature of sin. But it could not free people from sin, because nobody can become righteous by their own efforts. But God’s grace was more powerful than sin was. And God had a plan to rescue people from the power of sin.
His play was to send His Son to live in a human body. Jesus had a real human nature that could be tired, hungry and thirsty. Paul says He sent Jesus in likeness of sinful flesh. Paul knew that Christ never sinned. *Christ obeyed his Father completely. Then, on the cross, Christ offered himself for human sin. So, as a perfect *sacrifice, he removed the punishment for human sin. We can receive the benefit of his death. God will forgive us and he will make us righteous. But first, we need to accept what God did by Jesus. God did this because of his great love for people.
Verse 4 We could not become righteous by our own efforts. And we could not obey God’s written law by our own efforts. But God has changed our situation. Now we can be free from guilty feelings and from the fear of punishment. The Holy Spirit will guide a Christian. He will give to Christians the power to live a holy life. Paul wrote ‘Live by the Spirit. Then you will not do the sinful things that you want to do because of your human nature’
Galatians 5:16 NKJV I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
In this passage Paul really contrasts two kinds of life.
Romans 8:5-11 NKJV 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. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 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. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 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.
Paul contrasts two kinds of life in these verses.
One is a normal life without the power of the Holy Spirit. Someone who lives such a life cannot please God. Instead, that person lives by their own thoughts and desires. And such a life will be sinful, because sin controls that person’s mind. Death is the result of such a life.
The other is a life that the Holy Spirit controls. This is the kind of life that a Christian should have. God’s Spirit guides that person’s thoughts and desires. So that person pleases God. And the results of that person’s life are good.
In verses 5-8, Paul speaks in a general manner. In verses 9-11, he speaks directly to the Christians in Rome when he says ‘you’. But these words are also true for every Christian.
In this section also Paul uses three different names for the Holy Spirit. These are: the Spirit, the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of God. He is not describing three different Spirits. The Holy Spirit comes from God the Father and God the Son. So the Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of God.
OK let’s look at verse 5
Romans 8:5 NKJV 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.
Verse 5 Paul contrasts two opposite situations. Human nature causes sinful behaviour. But life in the Holy Spirit pleases God.
Paul shows this difference very clearly in
Galatians 5:19-21 NKJV Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
He sets out many kinds of behaviour that people follow because of human nature. But everything in that list is sinful. And can cause pain or trouble. Because of human nature, people may desire power, entertainment or possessions. And they do evil acts in order to gain these things.
But then, in Galatians 5:22-23, Paul sets out a very different list.
Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
This is the list of the results of the Holy Spirit’s work in a believer’s life. Everything in this second list is good. And everything there helps other people. This is because the Holy Spirit works to achieve good things for other people by the believer’s life.
Verses 6-8 The results of these two situations are very different.
Romans 8:6-8 NKJV For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Death is the result of sin. Life and peace come from the Holy Spirit. A person will have the gift of eternal life. He will be at peace with God. He will be at peace with other people. He can now obey God. So he is no longer God’s enemy. These good things happen because that person is not still trying to please himself. Instead, the Holy Spirit guides that person’s mind.
Romans 8:9-10 NKJV 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. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Verses 9-10 Christians do not need to worry about their human nature. God has sent the Holy Spirit to live in their lives. It is as if their human nature is not still alive. Instead, their spirits are now alive. And God’s Holy Spirit guides and directs their lives.
Romans 8:11 NKJV 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.
Verse 11 In the end, the human body will die. But the death of the body will not be important, because the spirit will remain alive.
II Corinthians 5:6-8 NKJV So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
God raised Jesus from death. Those who share Christ’s life by the Holy Spirit will rise again too. They will have a new body that will never die again. Paul explains this in 1 Corinthians chapter 15.
God’s children
Romans 8:12-17 NKJV Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Romans 8:12-13 NKJV Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Verses 12-13 Christians must end all the wrong behaviour that belonged to their past life.
Galatians 5:24 NKJV And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
People who belong to Christ should no longer have a lifestyle of sin. They should act as if their human nature died on the cross. And all the desires and emotions of human nature have ended too. When people do this, the Spirit of God gives new life to them. They will know the real freedom that God gives. And so they will really know what it means to be alive.
Verses 14-17 Paul speaks about the difference between a slave and a son.
Romans 8:14-17 NKJV For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
He describes someone who adopts a child. At the time when Paul wrote, a person might choose to adopt a child. That child would continue that person’s name. And that child would receive that person’s property. There was a serious ceremony in Roman law that handed over the child to his new father. The ceremony had to happen in front of witnesses. The former life of the child did not still exist. He began a completely new life. He had the same rights as children by birth. He would receive his new father’s property.
Our old life, which the sinful nature controlled, has gone. We have begun a new life. We are the sons and daughters whom God has adopted. The Holy Spirit is the witness in us that we have become God’s children. We can call God ‘Abba’. ‘Abba’ is the word for ‘father’ in the language called Aramaic. This word shows the family love between father and child.
Jesus used the word himself when He was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane
Mark 14:35-36 NKJV He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will. ”
It showed the close relationship between Jesus and his Father, God.
Christians receive similar benefits to children whom someone has adopted. Christians have the promise of God’s property, because he is their new Father. They will share the glory of God’s own son, Jesus Christ. Christ suffered before he received his glory. So Christians must expect to suffer too.
But they have the promise of future glory.
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