Romans 8 (Pt 1)

Romans 8:1-2 (ESV)

[1] There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

If we understand being set free from the law of sin and death only as forgiveness then we miss the point altogether. Romans presentation of the gospel is not just about a judicial exchange in which Jesus took our penalty and we receive forgiveness. That is certainly true, but the gospel is about so much more. It is about life. “The Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus.”

The verses that follow almost sound like salvation by obedience. “Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8:5-6). If you just read these verses by themselves they could be made to mean that what you set your mind on determines how you live, and how you live determines life or death. But that is exactly opposite of their intended meaning. Verse 2 says that we are “set free in Christ Jesus.” Verse 9 says that, “we are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” So it is the presence of the Spirit in our lives that determines whether we are in the flesh or in the spirit. “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” (Rom 8:11).

When one puts their faith in Christ they are crucified, buried, and raised to new life in Christ. They are indwelt by the Spirit. The dilemma of Romans 8 is not that our salvation is determined by whether we walk by the Spirit or by the flesh. Rather, the issue is that believers are indwelt by the Spirit. They are in the Spirit, not in the flesh. Why then would they continue to follow the lead of the flesh? And yet we so often do.

As believers we are free to make a choice. We are free to follow the Spirit or the flesh. The indwelling Spirit of God empowers believers to walk in and by the Spirit. As Romans 8:12 says, “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary says it this way, “We have an obligation. . . . to live each day in the control and power of the Holy Spirit.” Freedom is both freedom from and freedom to. In Christ we have freedom from the power of sin and flesh. We also have freedom to live by the Spirit. Our eternal outcome is not dependent on what we do, but on whether we have faith in Christ. But, having faith in Christ, we need to understand that we are then new creations, children of God, fellow heirs with Christ empowered by his Holy Spirit (see verse 17). Isn’t it time that we, as believers in Jesus Christ, live like ones who have been raised from the dead and empowered by the Spirit. “We have an obligation. . . . to live each day in the control and power of the Holy Spirit” (Bible Knowledge Commentary on Romans 8:12-14).