By Faith - Romans 8:1-17

Back to Romans

We have been out of Romans for a little while. We took some time to explore Spiritual Disciplines. This was because we end Romans 7 looking at how we have been redeemed. The Spiritual Disciplines are practices we can give ourselves to in order to press into what God has already done. We are not earning but becoming from a place of acceptance.

We started Romans with the understanding that we all have sin. None of us are perfect. We all short.

We saw how God gives us the gift of faith and that when we use the gift He gave us He also gives us righteousness, justification, and sanctification. These are gifts God gives us. That because of this we are accepted and received by Him. Now we turn our attention to Romans 8.

Romans 8:1–17 CSB

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, in order that the law’s requirement would 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 have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit. Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace. The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him. Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you. So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

No condemnation for God’s children

No condemnation for God’s children. Conviction yes, correction yes, consequences yes, condemnation no.

God loves us too much to not expose our sin when it is habitual and when we are saying we have Christ in us. His desire is a holy and pure bride. Now we all fall we all still make mistakes but He desires us to walk blamelessly.

The law of sin and death says - sin and die

The law of the Spirit of life in Christ says you are free and alive.

What are we free from?

We are free from one law but bound to the another.

If we are on earth we are bound to the law of gravity. It does not matter if you like it or not. If you go up to a building and jump you cannot say I disagree with the law of gravity so I will fly. You are bound to that law. It overrides your like or dislike of it.

If we go into the vacuum of space we are no longer bound by the law of gravity On earth. You are now bound by the laws of space.

There are always things we are bound or tied to but the connection to one is to the exclusion of another.

On earth you are bound by the law of gravity. Sure we can do things that make us think we not. We can fly in an airplane, but the moment that plane runs out of fuel we are reminded we are still bound by the law of gravity. If we want to not be bound by it we must change locations.

Pick Your Binding

In the same way if we are not in Christ and under His blood then we are bound to sin and death.

When we come to Jesus and confess Him as Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead we have a change in binding and location.

We are now seated with Christ in heavenly places. Because of this we need to change our thinking.

New Location and New Thinking

That is what occurs when we accept Christ and submit to His Lordship we have a change of location and we need a change in thinking.

Colossians 3:1–3 CSB

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

When we come to Jesus and submit to Him we have a change of location and a change in binding. We are now seated in heaven with Christ. That is our position. We also have a new set of rules.

We can get confused because God does not always do things or move in the time we understand.

2 Peter 3:8–9 CSB

Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

His goal, His desire is for us to walk properly with Him.

Romans 8:6 CSB

Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace.

If we have a new location we need a new way of thinking. We cannot have a mindset of the flesh but need the mindset of the Spirit which is life. Quite simply we need to change our thinking.

When we change locations we have to change the way we think.

Think about the way we in English say I am hungry. We say it like that.

I - AM - HUNGRY

It is a state of being for us in our language. The hunger is part of our being at that moment.

In some other languages they do not say it like this. The hunger is not a state of being but something you have.

Spanish:

tengo hambre

French:

J'ai faim

German:

Ich habe Hunger

When we learn a new language we also learn a new way of thinking. When we come to Christ we must also learn a new way of thinking. This is because we have a new way of being.

We must change our thinking to match our new position. John 9:25

John 9:25 CSB

He answered, “Whether or not he’s a sinner, I don’t know. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see!”

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now I'm found Was blind, but now I see

Here is the kicker though it is not just about a new way of thinking.

This Bible is amazing and if you live by the principles laid out in Scripture I believe your life will be better. You can try and do things Biblically and not have eternal life. We can mimic what we read in the Bible and still be dead.

Romans 8:7 CSB

The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so.

If our plan is to follow the Bible to do things the right way and get life we will fail.

Instead the flow is submit to Jesus and then do things Jesus’ way.

Verses 9-11

These verses tells us that if Christ is in us we live. If we read Genesis this should make perfect sense to us.

Genesis 2:7 CSB

Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

This section in Genesis tells us that it is God’s breathe in Adam that made him a living being.

We try and find life apart from God all the time but it is His breathe that gives us life.

Jesus is our life and if we try to find sustenance in anything but Christ it will not give us life. It cannot.

Sports are great but they cannot give you life.

Family is great but it cannot give you life.

Money is fine but it cannot give you life.

Applause is dandy but it cannot give you life.

The only thing that gives us life is Christ.

John 6:54 CSB

The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day,

If we want life why do we insist on returning to moldy decaying bread when we have true life available to us?

Jesus is our source of life.

What if when things are heard we decided we would intentionally breathe in the life and Spirit of God. Now do not misunderstand me or take what I am taking the wrong way. Some people have anxiety disorders and other problems. These things are real and valid. Yet, sometimes what we need to do is breathe in the life and the Spirit.

How do we do this?

To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.

Martin Luther

It is prayer and quite literally just breathing.

The Spirit Intercedes for us

Verse 15

We have the Spirit in us and the Spirit is in us is crying out Abba Father. The Spirit is always calling us back to the Father. Always calling us back to remember. Always crying out for our Father.

We so often are trying and striving but we need to press into and rest in the Father. Trust in the finished work of Christ.

Let the Spirit cry out Father and then receive what He gives to us.

Verse 16

The Spirit testifies with our spirit that He made alive that we are God’s children because we cry out Abba Father. The internal conflict we have testifies or gives us proof that we belong to God. The waring we feel, the fact that we feel conviction tells us we belong to Him.

If we belong to Him we know we are secure because Jesus says so.

John 6:37 CSB

Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out.

Jesus made a promise that He will not cast you out. He promises that.

2 Corinthians 1:20 CSB

For every one of God’s promises is “Yes” in him. Therefore, through him we also say “Amen” to the glory of God.

We can trust that He will comfort. He will give us a way out if our temptation. He will deliver us. That is His promise.

If we are trying to do it on our own we will fail because the flesh cannot do it.

Romans 8:8 CSB

Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

It is impossible to please God on our own we cannot do it.

Hebrews 11:6 NLT

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

We please God by coming to God in faith and He rewards that faith.

What faith, how much faith? As much as you have. Whatever level of faith you have is how much God wants from you. Bring the faith you have and seek Him. He will reward you. Do not try and strive to please Him but approach Him in faith.

What does that faith get us? What is the reward for that faith we bring to Him that He gave us anyway? What reward do we receive?

Romans 8:1 CSB

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,

We are free and we get a new life. The life of the Spirit in us. We use what He gave us. We come to Him with that and we get Him in us!