Chapter 8
1-4 One Law Freed us from another Law
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath 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 sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
The Doctrine of the Flesh: Is verse 1 stating that if a Christian ‘walks after the flesh’ that he is under condemnation? I believe that ‘walking after the flesh’ is referring to a lost person, and ‘walking after the Spirit’ a saved person. They are classifications. Thus, the unsaved (walking after the flesh) is under condemnation (i.e., Hell). “The Law no longer has any jurisdiction over you [when you get saved]: you are dead to the Law and free from the Law”. (The Bible Exposition Commentary)
Is it possible for a saved person to ‘walk after the flesh’? Well, they can surely follow their carnal nature, the flesh, but they are no longer those that are classified as those ‘who walk after the flesh’.
A saved person falls under a new ‘law’; the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus… aka, the law of the Spirit. He is no longer under the law of sin and death. Rom 7:25 …So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. This new law, the law of the Spirit, has freed us from serving the law of sin. We aren’t in bondage to it anymore, Praise God!
“The legalist tries to obey God in his own strength and fails to measure up to the righteousness that God demands. The Spirit-led Christian, as he yields to the Lord, experiences the sanctifying work of the Spirit in his life.”
(The Bible Exposition Commentary)
The Doctrine of the Sin: The law could not save one who has broken it; it only condemns (3). God needed someone who could relate to our sinful flesh, thus His Son had to come in flesh, but yet without sin. Sin comes from the flesh and thus must be condemned in the flesh. The only way that we could be found righteous (in breaking the law) is for the Righteous One who never broke the Law to become sin for us (4).
5-8 Carnally minded or Spiritually minded
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after 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, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
The Doctrine of the Spirit: Again, ‘after the flesh’ equates with being unsaved, and ‘after the Spirit’ equates with being saved. A saved person will ‘mind the things of the Spirit’; they will be on his mind; he will tend to do them; that will be his characteristic. ‘Carnally minded’ is equated with ‘after the flesh’ (the unsaved); ‘spiritually minded’ is equated with being saved. When one is born again, they become ‘spiritually minded’; they have a new mindset… a new way of thinking… they are now capable of thinking spiritually. A carnal minded person, i.e., a lost person, is at enmity against God. His mind, his way of thinking, is by default (naturally, automatically) rebelling against the law of God…i.e., God’s way. Being ‘in the flesh’ will be commented on in the next section.
9-14 Do you Live after the Flesh?
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
The Doctrine of the Spirit: In verse 8 we see that if one is ‘in the flesh’ they cannot please God. Then, verse 9 explains that this is a classification for a lost person, for the ‘ye’ here are those that are saved in Rome. To be ‘in the Spirit’ means that you indeed have the Spirit of God dwelling in you; i.e. you’re saved. A Christian can have his flesh (carnal, sin nature) control him, but that is not, apparently, being ‘in the flesh’, technically. Our ‘fleshly’ bodies are dead, because of sin; i.e., they are going to eventual die; but the spiritual side of us will live on eternally… with God.
A saved person is apparently exhorted here not to live ‘after the flesh’ (12,13)… hmmmm? They are to mortify the flesh through living after the Spirit. The dying here is probably referring to a physical death… for living a sinful life will undoubtedly cause an early physical death. A true son of God, saved person, will be led by the Spirit of God; this will be manifested by them trying to mortify the deeds of the flesh.
15-17 Joint-Heirs
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
The Doctrine of Salvation: The spirit of bondage may be referring to the Spirit of God’s control over you; in bondage as you were to the sin nature before; a fearful bondage, enslavement. It is not that at all! You are adopted into the family of God as a child of God the Father! The word ‘Abba’ is Chaldee (Syriac) and means ‘father’. You should ‘know’ that you are God’s child; for the Spirit of God within your spirit will be witnessing to that. And, praise the Lord, we as His adopted children are ‘joint-heirs’ with our ‘Big Brother’ Jesus Christ. But, you apparently don’t automatically qualify for everything just by being a child of His; you need to suffer for righteousness (17). Not every child receives the same inheritance in a family; but they are nonetheless heirs.
18-23 The Manifestation of the sons of God
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
The Doctrine of the Children of God: “Perhaps there is not a passage (19-23) in the New Testament that has been deemed more difficult of interpretation than this.” (Barnes’ Notes)
We saved ‘creatures’ are earnestly expecting our new ‘creatures’, the new glorified beings that we will be, as sons of God. Watch out for the cult group that calls themselves the ‘manifested sons of God’. Our ‘manifestation’ of the glory given to us will not be revealed until we are ‘changed in a twinkling of an eye’. Our own flesh, the ‘creature’, shall be delivered from all this ‘corruption’ some day; the creature will be delivered into the liberty of the immortalized children of God (21). Life on earth for all living entities is cursed by the effects of sin; it all, in effect, groans and travails in pain because of this curse. Don’t you oh so desire to get a new body… especially you who have a body that is all worn out and sickly?! Don’t you groan within for a new glorified body? The ‘adoption’ physically occurs at the ‘redemption of our body’, which is at the Rapture (23).
24-27 Are you Hoping for Something?
24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. 26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
The Doctrine of Hope: We are saved ‘by hope’. You do not officially ‘hope’ for something that you can actually already see, experience. We ‘hope’ for that which we see not, and haven’t yet obtained. The Bible’s hope is a sure thing; it isn’t a ‘cross your fingers’ type of ‘hope’ like the world defines it.
The Doctrine of Prayer: We are limited in our comprehension of what is going on around us in the spiritual rhealm; also we don’t fully understand what we are hoping for (technically speaking). And, the Spirit helps us pray in these matters; He groans and causes us to groan in our spirits (not with the mouth) while we are praying; have you ever had this happen? (26) Make sure you are listening for the Spirit as He intercedes for you in your prayers; He will guide you to
pray in the will of God, vice the will of the flesh (27).
28-30 Predestinated and Called
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
The Doctrine of Predestination: An often misquoted verse (28): it will always work out for good if you actually are ‘loving God’ (i.e. obeying His commandments, following His will) and thus would be following His calling for your life. But, all things do not work together for good just because you are a child of God. God’s foreknowledge (thinking prior to man’s creation) caused Him to predestinate those that would receive His Spirit and be saved, to follow a course of conforming to His Son. I believe in ‘predestination’; children of God are predestinated by God to conform to be like Jesus Christ (but not as God). Furthermore, all those that would receive salvation were ‘the called’ (vs. 28), and were, hence, called to walk after the Spirit; they would all also be ‘justified’; and they were all predestinated to be glorified someday (30). Predestination does not mean that people were chosen for salvation and others were not. It simply means that those that met the prerequisite here (salvation), would have these blessings, for sure.
31-39 What can Separate us from the Love of God?
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We are indeed special people; God is going to protect His dear children; we are called ‘the elect’; this is in the same principle as discussed earlier about predestination and called (33). His children, once children, are then automatically elected to have ‘all things’. Christ is for us, His brethren, and is right next to the Father in Heaven making ‘intercession’ for us; He speaks on our behalf (34). This interceding deals with our prayers, I believe. Nothing shall or can block God’s love for His dear children; the world and the devil sure will try to block us from other blessings though. We always will have that everpresent love from God pouring into our beings. Times might get tough, but we will always have His love! (35-39). A child of God will always be loved by his Father; forever; eternally; he can’t sin it away… nothing can take this love away; this speaks of the eternal security of the believer.