Holy Spirit - Romans (Part 4)

pneuma (408 Times in the NT)

“pneuma” = The Root and General Word for “Spirit” (Sometimes “Wind” and “Breath” - 379 Times

“pneumatikos” = “Spiritual” - 26 Times

“pneumatikōs” = “Spiritually” - 2 Times

“theopneustos” = “Inspired By God” - 1 Time

Romans 5:1–5 (NASB95)

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

As is the Main Theme of the Book of Romans:

God Justifies/Makes Righteous Those of Faith in Jesus

And When We are Justified, We are at Peace with God (Good Relationship)

By Faith We Enter into God’s Grace

And Those Within God’s Grace Have Hope of Glory

Glory = Resurrection to Glorified Bodies and Living a Glorified Existence with God Forever

This Hope Allows Us to Rejoice in the Hardships of Life

Because Hardships Lead Us to Greater Christ-Likeness

And the More Like Christ We are, the More Assured We are of Our Hope of Glory

Hope is Confident Expectation

We Have Confident Expectation Because God’s Love for Us was Poured Out Within Our Hearts…

Through the Holy Spirit Who was Given to Us

Another Duty of the Holy Spirit is to Grant Hope to Those He Indwells

This Hope He Gives is Entirely Based Upon God’s Love for Us

The Love that Led Him to Give His Son as a Sacrifice on Our Behalf

Romans 5:6–8 (NASB95)

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

God’s Love was Manifested in the Giving of Both His Son and His Spirit

His Son to Die for Us

And His Spirit to Live Within and Transform Us

We Experience the Love of God Through the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit

Romans 8 Will Go Deeper into this Concept

Romans 7:1–6 (NASB95)

Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband.

So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man.

Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.

For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.

Since We Have Died to Ourselves and Been Given New Life as New Creation in Christ…

We are Dead to the Law

We are No Longer Held By it

That Doesn’t Mean We Aren’t Expected to Keep the Moral Principles of the Law

It Simply Means We’ve Been Given a New Way to Obey the Law

In Our Earthly Bodies, We Have Sinful Lusts and Passions

When We Try to Obey a Written Code of Law, Our Weaknesses Prevent Us

But in Christ, We are Given the Spirit of God

He Transforms Our Heart and Produces in Us the Desire to Obey God

It’s My Opinion that the Spirit Doesn’t Only Work Through the Scriptures

If that Were the Case, We Wouldn’t Have Any Advantage Over the Israelite People

We Would Have a List of Rules to Keep Just Like Them

I Believe the Spirit Lives Within Us and Gives Us a New Heart, as the Prophets Said He Would

This Gives Us a Major Advantage Over Israel

We are No Longer Held to a List of Rules

We are a New Creation with a New Heart that is Set on Pleasing God

And the Spirit Produces His Fruit Within Us that Enables Us to Naturally Keep God’s Laws

Romans 8 (NASB95)

1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

3 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,

4 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.

5 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.

6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,

7 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,

8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 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.

10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

11 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.

12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—

13 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.

14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

15 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!”

16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,

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.

18 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.

19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.

20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope

21 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.

22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

23 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.

24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?

25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

26 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;

27 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.

28 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.

29 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;

30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

32 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?

33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;

34 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.

35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 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.”

37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

39 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.

In our weakness we have the help of the Spirit. Jesus is our intercessor in heaven (Heb 7:25), and the Spirit is our intercessor on earth within our hearts. We are limited and ignorant, but the Spirit uses unspoken groanings to communicate our needs. It is wordless. Our heavenly Father knows what is happening in our lives and within the deep recesses of our personalities (1Sm 16:7; Pr 15:11; Jr 17:10).