Untitled Sermon
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. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 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, 4 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. 5 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. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 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. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 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.
Many blessings are available to those who have been justified by faith:
• No condemnation (8:1): As a result of the believer’s faith and identification with Christ, nobody can accuse us. Neither Satan nor anyone else can use our past sins and present failures to question our standing in Christ. Our new position in Christ does not depend on our performance but on what Christ has accomplished on the cross for us and our faith in Christ.
Freedom from the law of sin and death (8:2–4): What the law could not do, God did by sending his son (8:3) and by giving us the Spirit whose indwelling empowers us to live holy lives. God’s action fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law (8:4). The law of the Spirit of life, proclaimed in the gospel, has liberated the believer into a new life. When we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, we meet the requirements of the law. The Spirit provides the power to make us holy and to produce fruit.
A mind controlled by the Spirit (8:5–8): Where we set our minds determines how we live. Choosing to set our minds on the desires of our sinful natures leads to sin and hostility with God. Choosing to obey the Spirit leads to obedience and to peace with God. A compromise is not an option. A mind controlled by the Spirit thinks of godly things, while the mind controlled by the flesh is full of the things of the flesh. Our mind sets the agenda for our relationship with and attitudes towards God (8:8). A mind controlled by the Spirit delights in the Lord.