At the close of World War II, two pictures appeared in a magazine showing a soldier in conflict with a tank. The first showed a huge tank bearing down on a tiny soldier about to crush him. The picture was proportioned to show the odds involved when a foot soldier with a rifle faced a tank. The next picture showed what happened to that soldier’s odds with a bazooka or rocket launcher in his hands. This time the tank appeared to be shrunken in size and the soldier at least equal in size, if not a little larger.

Without the power of God released in our lives, when in conflict with sin, we are like an infantry soldier in the presence of a tank. We cannot do a thing. But when we rely upon the Holy Spirit we have the greatest weapon at our disposal.¹

Romans chapter 8 is the greatest chapter in the Bible dealing with the Holy Spirit and the spiritual life. In the previous section (7:7-25), Paul vented his frustration with sin. Now in this new section, he expresses his confidence of victory because of the Holy Spirit. Named only three times before now,²the Holy Spirit is mentioned 18 times in chapter 8. The theme of this chapter can be found in verse 37: We are “more than conquerors.” In Romans 8:1-17, Paul will exhort us to live out the conquering life by plugging into our power source. This power source, the Holy Spirit, can enable and empower us to experience three victories. The first victory is found in 8:1-4.

1. We can live above the Law (8:1-4).This section speaks of freedom. This passage begins in verse 1 with a foundational principle. This verse is considered by many to be the jewel of the entire Bible. So let’s look at it carefully. The word “Therefore”³looks back to Paul’s struggle in chapter 7 and his thankful shout in 7:25. Paul now depicts the freedom of living in the Spirit. This verse speaks of the fact that we are no longer under the sentence of the Law, but empowered by the Spirit to live for Christ. The word translated “condemnation”⁴literally means “the punishment following a sentence.”⁵Although this verse is often related to justification, it is better understood to relate to sanctification. It is important to note that this section no longer describes Christ’s work for us (3:21-4:25), but the Spirit’s work within us. Paul already made a similar point with regard to justification in 5:1: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” In this context, the word “condemnation”pictures the anguish of a life that desires God’s will but is dominated by sinful power. Paul is saying that believers redeemed from the guilt of sin are no longer doomed to a life of bondage to it.

And notice two other things: (1) Paul writes that the believer is free from condemnation “now.”He does not have to wait until death or future glorification to have freedom from slavery to sin. (2) Paul also places the word translated “no”⁶in the emphatic first slot of this great sentence. Paul does this to make the point that God will never, ever bring condemnation against us. Paul doesn’t say there is no failure for those who are in Christ Jesus, or no fault, or no inconsistency, or no need for discipline. But he does say that there is no condemnation.

This means that God will not reject us. If we get caught up in the struggle with sin and find ourselves doing the very thing we don’t want to do, God doesn’t respond by kicking us out of His family. You don’t reject your children when they misbehave, even consistently, over a long period of time, so why should you think God does it with His?

The reason that these realities are even possible is because we are now “in Christ Jesus.” This phrase occurs in each of Paul’s 13 epistles.⁷It expresses the union the believer experiences with Christ when he is justified. We are now one with Jesus.

Paul begins 8:2 and 3 with the word “For.” The word “for”now explains why there is “no condemnation.”In this verse, Paul talks about two different laws. A law is a set pattern of how things happen; it is a rule. The law of gravity deems that a heavy slab of concrete will remain where it is placed. Thus, sidewalks stay in place. But we all have seen a sidewalk that is heaved up and twisted because once a small acorn fell between the slabs of the sidewalk and now has grown into a massive oak tree whose roots are powerful enough to move great weights.⁸That is what is meant by the triumph of one law over another.

Or how about another example: When you stand beside a 747 jet on the runway, its massive weight and size makes it seem incapable of breaking the holds of gravity. But when the power of its engines combines with the laws of aerodynamics, the plane is able to lift itself to 35,000 feet and travel at 600 miles per hour. Gravity is still pulling on the plane, but as long as it obeys the laws of aerodynamics, it can break free from the bonds of earth.

What does all of this mean? It means we are no longer condemned because, through God’s provision, “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” Please notice this is an accomplished fact. Paul writes that the Holy Spirit “has set [us] free” from the law of sin and death. Although the law of sin and of death is certainly powerful, God is all-powerful.

In 8:3, Paul gives another reason why we are not condemned: “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 condemned⁹sin in the flesh.” We are not condemned because Christ’s death not only delivered us from condemnation; it also delivered sin to condemnation. Jesus Christ was God manifested in human flesh. At the birth of our Lord, sinless humanity was added to His perfect deity. He was not sinful in His nature or deeds, but having taken on our sins, He must be described as being “in the likeness of sinful flesh.” Paul’s words are carefully chosen to maintain the sinlessness of our Lord who came in the flesh, and yet to reflect the fact that He took our sins upon Himself.

In 8:4, Paul cuts to the chase and tells us how we can live above the Law. Notice the purpose clause: “So that the requirement¹⁰of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Please notice “therequirement of the Law” may be fulfilled in us when we walk “according to the Spirit.” The “requirement of the Law” is singular-to love the Lord your God. . .and to love your neighbor as yourself.¹¹This has been perfectly and completely fulfilled in Christ. And since we are “in Christ,”the Law is fulfilled in us. Notice the Law is NOT fulfilled “by us” but “in us.” It is fulfilled in us through the work of Christ, referred to in verse 3. However, Paul is saying that the life of Jesus can be lived out in us because we are now indwelt with the Holy Spirit. This means that the Spirit empowers and enables us to obey the Law as we deny the flesh and “walk according to the Spirit.”

Chapter 8:1-4 is critical to our understanding of the Christian life. It tells us that we are free in Christ. We can have confidence and assurance in Christ. There is a principle in law called double jeopardy which states that you can’t be tried twice for the same crime. This law also applies in the spiritual realm. Jesus has already paid for your crime. He was condemned, sentenced, and put to death for your sin. And He rose from the dead to prove that His sacrifice was all-sufficient. So don’t let Satan try you again. You have already been convicted, but Christ has satisfied the demands of a holy God. So now you and I are to walk in newness of life.

[Not only can we live above the Law, Paul informs us in verses 5-11 that...]

2. We can live beyond the flesh (8:5-11). This section speaks of fruitfulness. There seems to be a distinction between those who “walk according to the flesh” (which includes Christians), and those who “are according to the flesh” or are “in the flesh.” The first category has to do with the way people live; the second category has to do with who people are. Verses 5-8, therefore, describe the unbeliever (though a Christian can live like an unbeliever). Verses 9-11 describe the believer.

In 8:5-8, Paul explains why it is impossible to please God by means of the flesh. In 8:5, Paul speaks about two different mindsets: one, “according to the flesh,” the other “according to the Spirit.” The concept of “setting [one's] mind”¹²includes a person’s will, thoughts, and emotions. It also includes assumptions, values, desires, and purposes. Setting the mind means being oriented to, or governed by, those things on which we focus.

Paul continues his contrast with this principle in 8:6: “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.” The mind set on the flesh promotes sin and death; the mind set on the Spirit promotes the very opposite (”life and peace”). In this context, “life” cannot be physical life because all men have that. It cannot be the new life in Christ because all believers have that, by way of the new man. So it must be something that all believers have the potential for, but not all believers experience the reality of, and that is the spiritual life or that which comes from the new nature, which is empowered by the Holy Spirit, through faith. In this context, the term “peace” has the sense of wholeness and harmony. “Death,” then is the opposite of “life and peace.” It is a failure to experience the life and peace God intends.

In 8:7-8, Paul tells us two crucial truths about the flesh: (1)“The flesh is hostile toward God.” (2)The flesh is powerless: “…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.” Apart from the powerful work of the Spirit, the unbeliever or the believer who walks according to the flesh is in for a fruitless existence.

However, there is good news. Verses 9-11 explain why it is possible to please God by means of His Spirit. Three times in these three verses, Paul stresses the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Verse 9 informs us of the good news that we are not “in the flesh but in the Spirit.” We belong to Christ! Paul makes it crystal clear in 8:9 that if a person is without the Spirit he/she is not a Christian. In verse 10, the first word “if”¹³is better translated “since.““Since Christ is in us, even though our body is dead because of sin…the spirit is alive because of righteousness.”

In 8:11, Paul writes, “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.” Wecan live a powerful, resurrected life. As the context shows, this resurrected life refers to a present resurrection. So great is the power of God’s Spirit within us that He is able to overcome the spiritual “deadness” of our bodies so that we may live to God as those who are alive from the dead and can yield the members of our physical bodies to God, as instruments of righteousness.¹⁴What an amazing truth! The same Spirit who raised our Lord Jesus from the dead dwells in us. And by His mighty power He can make our poor mortal bodies vessels for the expression of divine, supernatural life. Paul is saying what the Lord Jesus Christ acquired by His death, burial, and resurrection; the Holy Spirit applies through His indwelling ministry in the life of the Christian. What Christ has won for us positionally, the Holy Spirit works in us practically.

[We have seen that we can live above the law (8:1-4) and beyond the flesh (8:5-11), now we need to see that...]

3. We can live around the throne (8:12-17). This section speaks of favor. In 8:12-17, Paul applies the principles he has just taught in 8:1-11. The application to Paul’s teaching is given in 8:12. Verses 13-17 provide the support for the application. In 8:12, Paul writes, “So then,¹⁵brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.” Paul uses the word “obligation”¹⁶to remind us that we are obligated to serve Christ on account of all that He has accomplished for us. Note that 8:13, 14, and 15 all begin with “for,” indicating that they explain the reason for Paul’s statement in 8:12.

In 8:13, Paul writes, “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.” In this context, death does not refer to physical death, because those who live according to the Spirit also die physically. It refers to the experience of those who live their lives apart from God. If we, as Christians, live according to the dictates of our physical nature, we will experience the “death” that is in our body (cf. 8:10). That is, we will be cut off spiritually from the fellowship of God and from any vital realization of the eternal life within us. On the other hand, if we choose to depend upon the Holy Spirit so that the “deeds of the body” are put to death, our experience will be life by the resurrecting power of the Holy Spirit Himself. This will involve fellowship with God and fruitfulness in life.

Paul writes in 8:14, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” In this context, “being led by the Spirit of God”¹⁷is parallel to“walking according to the Spirit.” Although every believer in Jesus is a “son” or“daughter,” those who “walk according to the Spirit” demonstrate their sonship. We could say that we are sons indeed as we walk with the Lord, being led by Him.

In 8:15-17, Paul concludes this section: “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, 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.“

The doctrine of justification is the primary and fundamental blessing for the Christian; it is not the highest blessing, the blessing of adoption is. In justification, we are declared innocent of sin and righteous, through the work of Christ. In adoption, we are constituted sons of God. If justification makes us the servants of God, adoption makes us sons. Suppose that I was a ruthless crim­inal, standing guilty before a judge. It would be one thing for the judge to pay my bail and then pronounce me innocent in the eyes of the law. But it would be something far greater for the judge to make me his own son and take me home to be a part of his family. The Holy Spirit is the source of our sanctification in that He is the Spirit of adoption.

Most people misread Romans 8:16 as though it read, “The Spirit Himself bears witness to our spirit that we are children of God.” Actually the text says that He “bears witness with¹⁸our spirit.” The Holy Spirit bears witness along with our human spirit that we are children of God. But to whom does He bear witness? The answer is clear in the context. Verse 15 indicates that we (i.e., our human spirits) cry out, “Abba, Father.”¹⁹In other words, our witness is to God the Father. If the Spirit is bearing witness with our human spirits, then He, too, must bear witness to God the Father. This conclusion is confirmed by 8:26, which asserts that whenever we pray the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. Clearly, the Person to whom He is interceding for us is God the Father. God the Father is the One to whom our human spirits, and the Holy Spirit, bear witness.

The Holy Spirit’s witness does not occur constantly. Rather, it happens as we pray. Whenever our human spirits cry out to God saying, “Abba, Father,” the Holy Spirit witnesses to God the Father that we are indeed His children. To call God our Father is a way of reminding Him that we are His children.

Whenever that greeting is true, that is whenever a genuine child of God is praying, the Holy Spirit confirms its validity.

A final truth about adoption is that it involves an inheritance. This can be seen in 8:17, where we are described as heirs. In the final portion of 8:17, Paul describes the future of those who persevere in the spiritual battles we fight this side of heaven. He calls them “fellow heirs”²⁰or “co-heirs.”²¹Those who share in the sufferings of Christ will also share in His glory. While all of God’s children have an inheritance based upon their relationship to God, only those who suffer with Christ will experience the full extent of glory.

Someone asked Roger Staubach, former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, about football injuries. “How do you keep on keeping on if you’re playing professional football?” Roger said something important: “If you’re not playing hurt, you’re not playing football.” It’s exactly the same way with the Christian faith. If you’re not living it hurt, you’re probably not living the Christian faith.²²

Since we live in a country where there is little true persecution, you may not feel that you suffer much. In fact, you may ask, am I even suffering? It may be that you are active in sharing your faith and you are labeled “preacher.” That is a form of suffering with Christ. Maybe you are a person of integrity and that prohibits you from advancing in your job-that can be suffering with Christ. You may have taken a stance for purity in your local junior high or high school and now your friends call you all kinds of names and you are ostracized. That is a form of suffering with Christ. These will not go unrewarded. Jesus will remember every act that is done is His name.²³

On September 2, 1945, the documents of surrender officially ending World War II were signed by the Japanese and designated representatives of allied nations. General Douglas MacArthur officiated the ceremony aboard the USS Missouri and was the last to sign on behalf of the United States. MacArthur, flanked by his military colleagues, took his Parker fountain pen and simply signed his first name “Douglas.” He then passed the pen to General Wainwright, who signed “Mac.” MacArthur then handed the pen to General Percival, who signed “Arthur.” This unusual procedure was MacArthur’s way of honoring the two United States generals who had suffered severe persecution as prisoners of war. They had persevered, and now they were allowed to share in the glory of victory.

Copyright © 2001 Keith R. Krell. All rights reserved. All Scripture quotations, unless indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, C 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, and 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, and are used by permission.

Permissions: Feel free to reproduce and distribute any articles written by Keith Krell, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this information, not protect or restrict it.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: by Keith Krell, Timeless Word Ministries, 2508 State Ave NE Olympia, WA 98506, 360-352-9044, www.timelessword.com

Notes

All Scripture quotations, unless indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, and 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, and are used by permission.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
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