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The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is studying salvation. Salvation is deliverance from danger or suffering. To save is to deliver or protect. The word carries the idea of victory, health, or preservation. Sometimes, the Bible uses the words saved or salvation to refer to temporal, physical deliverance more often, the word “salvation” concerns an eternal, spiritual deliverance.
Salvation can be and has been defined in many ways. Among them, four stand out as the most comprehensive and functional.
First, salvation can be defined as the deliverance from the power, penalty, and presence of sin. To receive salvation is to receive God’s mercy and His grace.
Second, salvation can be described as a finished work, an on-going work, and a work to come. It is a finished work because Christ died once to bear the sins of humanity. “It is finished,”
Third It is an on-going work because He is continuously conforming us to His image and working to maintain our relationship with Him.
Romans 8:1 ESV There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Let’s start today reading Romans 8:1-11
Romans 8:1-11 ESV There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not 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 set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Life in the Spirit contrasted with life in the flesh.
Let’s take a look at verse 1
Romans 8:1 ESV There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
The simple declaration of no condemnation comes to those who are in Christ Jesus. Since God the Father does not condemn Jesus, neither can the Father condemn those who are in Jesus. They are not condemned, they will not be condemned, and they cannot be condemned.
To be condemned is a fearful thing. It means to be declared unworthy or even evil, to be judged and declared guilty. Condemnation is an expression of the strongest disapproval.
It’s not something any of us would want from anyone—especially God.
But God tells us in His Word that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. That means that if you are found in Christ,
God does not disapprove of you. In fact, His response to you is just the opposite. God not only approves of you, He even counts you as righteous because of His Son.
Paul’s therefore is important. It means that what he says comes from a logical argument. “I can prove what I say here.” What he proves is if we are one with Jesus and He is our head, we can’t be condemned. Because You can’t acquit the head and condemn the hand. Joined Jesus, the verdict: is“no condemnation.”
This confidence and peace comes after the confusion and conflict in Romans 7
Romans 7:21-25 ESV So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
But this chapter is more than just the answer to Romans 7; it ties together thoughts from the very beginning of the letter, from chapter 1 through chapter 7.
It started in chapter one with the good news that in Christ sin can be forgiven, selfishness can be overcome, guilt can be removed, anxiety can be alleviated, and people can, indeed, have hope and eternal glory.
Romans 1:1-6, 16-17 NKJV Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
Then came the bad news Everyone stands guilty before a holy God. Human nature is corrupt. Human thoughts and actions are vile. Human motives are impure. We are without excuse.
Romans 1:18-25 NKJV For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Romans 1:26-32 NKJV For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
He defended God’s judgment on mankind.
Romans 3:9-20 NKJV What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Then Paul says that the solution that God provides is through our faith in Him and his promises.
Romans 3:21-26 ESV But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Next, Paul moves to answer two important questions. First, how complete, or how secure is this salvation provided by Christ?
Chapter 5 of Romans, when looked at carefully, is a source of great comfort and genuine awe in a God who is able and willing to provide such a great salvation.
Faith Brings Joy
Romans 5:1-11 NLT Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
Romans 8 begins with no condemnation; it ends with no separation,
Romans 8:38-39 ESV For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. In between there is no defeat. Because of Jesus we have a new and wonderful life and that’s salvation.
New let’s get back to our chapter, chapter 8.
Romans 8:1 ESV There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Remember what it said in chapter
Romans 7:21-24 ESV So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
We all have remnants of the old sin nature clinging to us to the point that we often do wrong even when we want to do right. Like Paul, we get frustrated. But there’s an answer.
Romans 7:25 ESV Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
God has made a way for us through Jesus, and we know this is true. And yet so often we still stand condemned in our own minds and in our own hearts.
But God tells us in His Word that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. That means that if you are found in Christ, God does not disapprove of you. In fact, His response to you is just the opposite. God not only approves of you, He even counts you as righteous because of His Son.
All the sin you and I have committed and will ever commit deserves condemnation. But God poured it all onto Jesus so that those who believe in Him would never experience condemnation. And because of that, we don't have to condemn ourselves. We don’t have to continue to ask God to forgive us for this sin or that sin that keeps nagging at our conscience if we have already asked for His forgiveness.
The good news is that God doesn’t hold our sins against us, that He doesn’t deal with us according to our transgressions.
Psalm 32:2 ESV Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
He doesn’t bring up our past or remind us of our faults?
Psalm 103:10-12 ESV He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
And keep in mind that no means no. No condemnation doesn’t mean there’s almost no condemnation or just a little of it. No means none, zero, not an ounce of condemnation to be found because of the blood of the Lamb. As far as the east is from the west is how far He removes our sin from us—an evidence of His steadfast and enduring love (Ps. 103:11–12).
Freedom in the Spirit
Romans 8:2-4 ESV For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
We never can seem to make ourselves perfectly clean, totally pure, always loving, perfectly obedient. Our striving never leads us to perfection … so we end up feeling like failures. We may even be tempted to give up trying to live the way Jesus taught us to. If we can’t ever get it right, what’s the point?
This is similar to the “law of sin” that Paul talks about in verse 2. He’s not talking about the Mosaic Law which is in Exodus through Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. He is talking about the power of sin over our lives. Sin has such power over our flesh that it acts like a law: try as we might, we can’t stop ourselves from following it.
Even the Mosaic law can’t break the power of this “law of sin.” The Mosaic law reveals sin to our hearts and minds, but it can’t stop us from sinning. So instead of freeing us, the Mosaic law actually condemns us. Knowing a problem without being able to change it is the very definition of helplessness!
You can’t do this Christian Christ thing by your own righteousness. In addition to that there is nobody without sin.
1 John 1:8 ESV If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
So we have a problem. No matter how hard we try, we will come up short because of the power of sin in our lives. On our own—in our flesh—we have no hope of pleasing a holy and perfect God.
Thank God for Jesus. God sent His Son to do what the law could never do and what our flesh could never do. Jesus fulfilled the law’s righteous requirement, which is perfection. Jesus is the only perfect One. He is the only One who could make a way for us to theFather—by making the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf.
2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
A fresh knowledge of our need for salvation through Jesus can transform how we walk through this life of ours. Walking by the flesh—trying to get through on our own strength—leads to weariness, discouragement, and ultimately sin. We don’t trust Jesus for our salvation and then do the rest in our own strength. We trust Jesus for the rest of our lives—for every step of our Christian walk.
Setting Our Minds on the Spirit
Romans 8:5-8 ESV 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 set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Paul gives an easy way for us to determine if we walk in the Spirit or walk in the flesh. Just check where your mind is set. The mind is the strategic battleground where the flesh and the Spirit fight. Your mind is never really quiet and relaxed is it? It is usually racing with thoughts of what happened or what is coming up.
Would I be able to accomplish all I needed to the next day? Would those things I forgot to do today bring me trouble? This goes on even though you know that you need to rest.
Psalm 127:2 ESV It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.
Most sin originates in the mind. Maybe that's why Jesus said this.
Matthew 22:36-38 ESV “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.
We know how to act, and there are a number of things we likely wouldn’t do just for fear of what others might think. But our minds are another story. No one sees what we are thinking—at least, that’s the lie we tell ourselves. We can have vengeful, angry thoughts; wecan lust; we can be anxious; we can judge others—all within the confines of our mind.
We don’t have to say a word or move a finger to sin. God knows every hair on our heads—and what’s inside our heads, too. He knows that we need not only transformed action,but also transformed thoughts. If we let our thoughts dictate of actions the result is anxiety, fear, and conflict.
In contrast, setting the mind of the Spirit leads to life and peace.
Isaiah 26:3 ESV You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
The Spirit also enables us to love.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
The Spirit in You
Romans 8:9-10 ESV You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Because the Holy Spirit is given to each believer when they are born again, every Christian has within themselves a principle higher and more powerful than the flesh.
Every believer has the Holy Spirit. However, many do miss out on living the Christian life in the constant fullness of the Spirit because they are not constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit. As I have said many times, being filled with the spirit means being directed by the Spirit being controlled by the Spirit and that is a choice you must make every day.
Ephesians 5:15-21 ESV Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Here's what happens if you allow the Spirit to control you. Your motives, ambitions, ideology, even desires were transformed. The Spirit changes you from your old self into a new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 ESV From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Although we have Christ through the Holy Spirit in us we can be tempted to forget about the miracle work of grace and begin to notice and focus on all the things we do wrong. We can begin to confuse ourselves with our sin. We can even become more aware of sin than we do of God’s grace.
The Holy Spirit living in us testifies to a new and transformed life. God looks on us and sees the righteousness of Christ
Colossians 3:2-3 ESV Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
How can a God who knows everything in our hearts—eventhe bad stuff—still see us as righteous?
The answer is grace—merciful, amazing, stunning, incomprehensible grace. God freely chooses to see Christ’s righteousness in us when we choose to come to Him. And then we have the pleasure of fighting sin by the Spirit, secure in the grace that comes with our salvation.
Christ in us creates the potential for joy-filled, abundant life.
Life to Mortal Bodies
Romans 8:11 ESV If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Salvation and the gospel, is good news not only for our souls, but also for our bodies.
God’s work in our lives affects every aspect of us. Paul tells us something remarkable here: the power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same that lives in us. Which means that when we are in Christ, we too will be raised from the dead by the power of the Spirit.
Think about this mind-blowing reality of the resurrection which emphasizes just how powerful and trustworthy God is. If God would raise Jesus from the dead then surely you can trust Him resurrect our mortal bodies.
The Christian has a body that is decaying like it said in verse 10 but at the same time enjoys a spirit, a mind, that is alive. And, Not only must our spirits/minds not follow our flesh now, but one day our flesh will follow our spirit. In Greek thought, the physical was bad, to be rejected and hopefully one day to be left behind; the spiritual is good, to be embraced. But according to what Paul wrote someday, even our bodies will be totally renewed and made eternally alive by the Spirit. Knowing we will live forever should motivate us to live with eternity in mind. Just as we are working to care for our souls, we need tonwork to care for our bodies. Remember that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, and that the Spirit dwells in us.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 ESV Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
With eternity in mind, we remember that bodily training, though not ultimately important, does have some value. For example, it allows us to serve others. With eternity in mind, we accept our responsibility to be living sacrifices, not being conformed to this world but renewing our minds.
Romans 12:1-2 ESV I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
And with eternity in mind, we And with eternity inmind, we remember that whatever we do in the body—whether it’s eating or drinking or working out or whatever—we seek to do to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Even in our bodies we are not living for ourselves. We consider the Spirit that dwells in us and the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf. And we remember with joy that one day our mortal bodies, which are gifts from God, will be fully renewed and restored.
Next week I want you to read Romans 8:12-17.
As you read I want you to reflect on some things.
Romans 8:12-13
Romans 8:12-13 ESV So then, brothers, 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.
REFLECT
1. What does it mean to “live according to the flesh”? In what ways might you “die” if you live this way?
2. How does living according to the Spirit bring life?
3. Think of a time when you a) gave in to sin because you felt there was no way out, or b) were tempted to sin but experienced the way of escape. What happened? What didyou learn from this experience?
Romans 8:14 ESV For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
REFLECT
1. What is your own experience of an earthly father? How has it helped or hindered your feelings toward your heavenly Father?
2. What are some ways we can become more responsive to the Spirit?
3. How do being led by the Spirit and being a child of God compliment each other?
Romans 8:15 ESV For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
REFLECT
1. What kinds of “slavery” are you prone to fall back into? How can having the “spirit of adoption” help you avoid
2. What fear is Paul referring to in these verses?
3. How might understanding that we can call God our Abba impact how we approach Him? Do you feel comfortable approaching Him in such an intimate way? Why or why not?
4. Read Mark 14:36.
Mark 14:36 ESV And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
What does it mean that we get to use the same name for God our Fatherthat Jesus tenderly used in the garden of Gethsemane?
Romans 8:16 ESV The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
REFLECT
1. In what ways has your experience with your earthly father (or father figure) shaped the way you think of God the Father?
2. What does it mean for the Spirit to bear witness?
3. In what ways have you experienced the Spirit bearing witness with your spirit?
4. We know that Jesus has made a way for us to boldly approach the throne of grace.
Hebrews 4:16 ESV Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Yet have you ever struggled to have the confidence to approach Him? If so, why? Has this struggle changed in any way over the years?
Romans 8:17 ESV and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
REFLECT
1. What are some of the ways you have suffered in the past or suffer now? In what ways does knowing that your suffering is temporary and has purpose change your outlook?
2. We are not able to suffer as Christ did, nor are we called to do so (crucified ona cross, bearing the wrath of God). So what does it mean to suffer with Christ? How might we do so?
3. What does it mean to be glorified with Christ? Is this only for the future, or do we partake in some of this today?
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