Overview of Romans 8
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday October 9, 2008
Romans: Overview of Romans Chapter 8
Lesson # 239
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 8:1.
This evening we will begin a study of one of the most magnificent, if not the most magnificent chapter in the Bible, namely Romans chapter eight.
In this passage, Paul continues his discussion regarding the Christian’s sanctification, which he began in chapter six.
Specifically, in this chapter, he teaches that the utilization of the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential if the Christian is to experience his sanctification.
There are nineteen references to the Holy Spirit in Romans chapter eight, which is the greatest concentration of reference to the third member of the Trinity in the New Testament, which is an average of one almost every two verses.
The church age believer is totally dependent upon the Holy Spirit in order to attain Christ-likeness and as a result execute the plan of God (Ga. 5:5, 16; Eph. 3; 16-17).
He is the believer’s true teacher (John. 14:16-20, 26; 15:26; 16:7-16; 1 Co. 2:10-16; 2 Co. 13:14; Ga. 5:5, 16-25; Eph. 3:16-19; 5:18; 1 Jo. 2:20-27).
The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to produce Christ-like character in the believer (Ga. 5:22-23; Phlp. 2:13).
He takes the Word and empowers, guides and directs the believer in the process of executing the Father’s plan (Acts 8:29; Rm. 8:14, 26; Phlp. 3:3; 2 Per. 1:21; cf. Heb. 4:12).
He calls attention sin in the life of the believer by taking the Word of God and using it to convict him (2 Ti. 3:16-17; Heb. 4:12; cf. Jo. 16:7-11; 1 Co. 2:10-16; Eph. 4:30; 1 Th. 5:19).
The great theme of Romans chapter eight is “assurance” in the sense that it gives the Christian “assurance” that he is eternally secure.
Romans chapter eight contains many promises that are designed to produce assurance and confidence in the Christian with regards to his relationship with God.
In Romans 8:1-4, Paul presents a statement of the Christian’s position in Christ, which is designed to assure his readers in Rome that they have freedom from judgment.
Romans 8:1-4, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
In Romans 8:5-10, Paul teaches that the Holy Spirit enables the Christian to experience his new position in Christ and consequently his deliverance over his sin nature that was accomplished through Christ.
In Romans 8:11, he guarantees that his Christian readers that the Spirit’s omnipotence will provide them a resurrection body.
Romans 8:5-11, “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But 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.”
In Romans 8:12-13, Paul teaches his readers in Rome that they are no longer under obligation to the sin nature and that through the power of the Spirit they can experience deliverance over their sin nature.
Romans 8:12-13, “So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh -- for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
Next, in verses 14-16, Paul teaches that the Spirit assures the Christian that he has been adopted into the family of God and is a now a child of God.
Romans 8:14-16, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.”
Then, in verse 17, he assures his readers that they are children of God and have the potential to be heirs of Christ and receive rewards if they are faithful in enduring undeserved suffering.
Romans 8:17, “and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”
Therefore, in verses 1-17, Paul emphasizes the omnipotence of the Spirit is absolutely essential if the Christian is to experience sanctification and his deliverance from the sin nature.
In verses 1-8, Paul teaches his readers that through the Spirit they can experience deliverance over the sin nature and in verses 9-11, he says that they can experience deliverance from temporal spiritual death as well through the Spirit.
In verses 12-17, he reminds his readers of their deliverance in a positional sense from slavery to the sin nature.
Paul in verses 18-25 assures his readers of their future glory in a resurrection body and that all of creation eagerly awaits the Second Advent of Christ since it will also result in the Adamic curse being lifted from creation.
Romans 8:18-25, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”
In Romans 8:26-27, Paul teaches that his readers that the Spirit intercedes for them.
Romans 8:26-27, “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
In Romans 8:18-27, he mentions three groans in this passage in anticipation of the resurrection of church.
In verses 18-22, he speaks of creation groaning and then in verses 23-25, he speaks of the believer groaning and then in verses 26-27, he teaches that the Spirit groans as well.
In these verses, we have the goal of sanctification, which is the glorification of the believer in a resurrection body.
In verses 28-39, Paul assures his readers that their sanctification is guaranteed.
Paul in verses 28-29 assures his readers that God has a perfect plan to conform them into the image of Christ, which He will accomplish.
In verses 29-30, to support this statement he reminds them that they have been predestined, called, justified and already glorified from God’s perspective.
He assures his readers in verses 31-32 that God is for them since He did not spare His own Son for them and will therefore freely give them all things.
In verses 33-34, he reminds his readers that they have been declared justified and that no one can condemn them and that Jesus Christ intercedes for them.
Lastly, in verses 35-39, Paul assures his readers that nothing can separate them from the love of the Father as manifested in their union with Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:28-38, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, ‘FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”