When in Romans… Live by the Spirit, Not the Flesh

Intro

Well we are continuing in our sermon series When In Romans, and in many ways, we arrive at the center of the entire letter. If Romans is a mountain range of gospel truth, Romans 8 is the peak. Up until this point, we have been climbing and climbing, but now, we summit. We arrive at the target destination, something we actually see in our series graphic. You may have not noticed that there is a latitude and longitude line that intersect, but each line has a number on it - 3.23 & 8.1. Those are not random, but those are two of the most critical verses in all of Romans

Romans 3:23 NLT

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Romans 8:1 NLT

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

Shoutout to Avery Wetzstein who always does an incredible job making our series graphics. This is so true. The gospel can be summed up at the intersection of those two realities. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but now because of what Jesus has done, there is hope. And there is no clearer articulation of what this hope is than in Romans 8. Philipp Spener, a 17th Century Lutheran Pastor said, “If Scripture was a ring and the epistle to the Romans its precious stone, chapter 8 would be the sparkling point of the jewel.” That’s how critical this chapter is. That’s why we are actually spending the next three weeks just in Romans 8. Three weeks of standing on the peak and gazing at the glory of what is before us.

But today, Paul begins with this contrast between two ways of life - life in the flesh, the life from where we came from and life in the Spirit - this new life that is ours through the gospel. And in just this first section of Romans 8, Paul is going to reveal how drastically different life in the gospel is from the life from where you came. Four life-changing shifts that the Spirit of God brings to those who are in Christ. The Spirit moves us from condemnation to freedom, from weakness to power, from death to life, and from hostility to adoption. Today as we walk through this new life that is yours, see are there any places in your life where you are headed back down the mountain to your old life rather than living in the new life the Spirit has for you.

The Spirit moves you from condemnation to freedom.

Let’s start with the first one. The Spirit moves you from condemnation to freedom. Romans 8:1 starts,

Romans 8:1 NLT

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

Paul begins with “So now…” meaning everything that he is about to say is a result of what came prior. Since Jesus is the answer. Since Jesus went to the cross and freed you from this life dominated by sin and death. Because that is true, there is now no condemnation for you. None. But what does condemnation mean? Well, it’s actually a legal term referring to “the judicial pronouncement upon a guilty person.” This is the judge handing down the verdict “guilty.” That means, for those who are in Christ Jesus, the guilty verdict from is no longer there. The guilty verdict that was meant for you was given to someone else - Jesus.

I heard a pastor say something once that really struck me—and I’ve never forgotten it. He said that when we confess our sins—which we’ll be doing shortly, before receiving communion—it’s not like we’re hoping God might be merciful, as if we’re begging Him to forgive us. No. When you are in Christ Jesus, it would actually be unjust for God not to forgive you. Why? Because the punishment has already been paid. The debt is settled. The ledger is balanced. Forgiveness isn’t just a kind gesture—it’s what’s right. It’s what’s just. It’s the freedom that Jesus Christ has earned for you. Where life in the flesh is one where you are carrying the weight of your sin, ridden with guilt, wondering if you are doing enough for God, live in the Spirit moves you from condemnation to freedom. There is no failure that can threaten that freedom, because Jesus paid it at the cross.

The Spirit moves you from weakness to power.

The second thing the beginning of Romans 8 reveals is that the Spirit moves you from weakness to power. Paul goes on and says,

Romans 8:2 NLT

And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

He continues this thinking in verse 5,

Romans 8:5–9 NLT

So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you.

This challenges how we often think about ourselves. Our culture says, “You’re a free, independent person—able to choose your own path.” But is that how Paul describes us? Not at all. He says you’re either under the control of your sinful nature or under the control of the Spirit. And notice—true life and peace aren’t things you achieve; they come from which master you serve.

At WLC, we talk about The Disciple [Life] - the marks of a disciple of Jesus. And one of those marks is becoming more like Jesus. That as Jesus’s disciples, our lives would actually start to look more like His. Now the temptation in this is to think that this is some self-improvement path. That if I just try harder, surround myself with the right people, read a few more self-help books, my life will start to look like Jesus. But Paul is saying you don’t need a self-improvement plan. You need the Spirit of God, because it is only by the Spirit of God living in you and producing fruit that your life can even begin to look like Jesus. I love how the Anglican priest William Temple puts it.

The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott The Spirit of Jesus Can Live in Me

“It’s no use giving me a play like King Lear or Hamlet, and telling me to write plays like that. Shakespeare could do it; I can’t. And it’s no use giving me the life of Jesus and telling me to live a life like that. Jesus could do it; I can’t. But if the genius of Shakespeare could come and live in me; then I could write plays like that. And if the spirit of Jesus could come and live in me, then I could live a life like that.”

—William Temple

The very Spirit of God dwells within you. And Paul says that Spirit now controls you. You are no longer ruled by your flesh. And that Spirit has the power to do within you what you could never do on your own: transform your life to look more and more like Jesus.

The Spirit moves you from death to life.

The third thing the Holy Spirit does it is moves you from death to life. Paul goes on,

Romans 8:10–11 NLT

And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

And let me tell you why this reality - life after death - is not just some future gift we are waiting for, but it transforms our life right now. If all of life ultimately ends in death—if we’re here for a short time only to end up in the ground—then where is your purpose? Where’s the meaning in anything? You might try to create your own meaning, but if death is the end, nothing truly matters.

But as soon as Jesus walked out of that tomb, he began a reality where death is no longer the end. You have the promise that the same Spirit that raised Jesus will raise you. Not only life will go on, but it will be in these physical bodies and everything will be renewed and restored, then not only does you life have meaning. It has eternal meaning. How you raise your family has eternal meaning. How you love your neighbors has eternal meaning. How you serve at your job has eternal meaning. The Spirit is working through you to usher in the kingdom of God, and if death is not the end, our lives are given incredible purpose here and now.

The Spirit moves you from hostility to adoption.

And finally, the Spirit moves you from hostility to adoption. Earlier, we heard that our sinful nature creates hostility between us and God. We were enemies with God. But with the Spirit, Paul says,

Romans 8:15–16 NLT

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.

We were at little Willa Christensen’s birthday party this weekend and I got this picture of Naomi and Micah. It is hard to describe the love that I have for these two kiddos. I am sure those of you who are parents can relate. I can try to tell them, but if I’m being honest, they will never truly know the full extent of my love for them. If that kind of love can be given from a broken, sinful parent, how much greater is the perfect love that is given from the perfect Father. What does a love like that even look like? I’ll tell you what it looks like: it looks like a Father who sees His child trapped in brokenness, lost in rebellion—and rather than giving up on them, He sends His own Son to bring them home. A Son who, at the cross, takes the place of enemy that was rightfully ours, so that we could take the place of child that was rightfully His. You are God’s child, and Paul concludes.

Romans 8:17 NLT

And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.

As children of God, we are His heirs. And what is our inheritance? It’s not merely a reward or a place. It’s not even heaven as a destination. Our inheritance is God Himself. The greatest gift the gospel gives is not something apart from God—it is full communion with Him. To know Him. To enjoy Him. To be eternally satisfied in Him. He’s not just the means to some greater end—He is the end. And the Spirit of God is leading you toward that day when you will see His glory not dimly, but face to face. So don’t turn back to what Christ has already rescued you from. Don’t settle for the destruction of life in the flesh. Look ahead. Step into the new life the Spirit is leading you into. Let us pray.