All Scripture text will be presented in normal cased lettering, and all notes within the text will be in TRUE TYPE FONT, as shown. This (I hope) will allow you to avoid confusion between God's Word and my notes. As I update this web site, I will continue to embellish the text so that anyone using NETSCAPE 3.0 or MICROSOFT 3.0 will be able to read the document easier. Greek tenses are abbreviated as follows:
7:1
Romans 7:1 "Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."
Having established in the previous chapter that the Christian is dead to sin, now Paul also notes that he is also dead to that which incites or points out sin, that is, the Law. Paul often uses parallels to get the point across, and the parallel here should leave no doubt to the Christian as to what a believer's position should be.
In this parallel, the Law is contrasted to the husband and the institution of marriage. The woman (illustrative of the believer) is bound under that husband as long as he lives. The term "bound by" is the Greek DEDETAI, which literally means "bound without release". As long as the man (Law) lives, the woman (believer) is bound within the marriage. If the woman leaves her husband to love another she is in adultery. When her husband dies that previous way of life also dies, and the woman is no longer under the marriage vow. The woman is now free to marry another without penalty. She is no longer under the bonds of marriage.
How can we parallel this to the Christian walk? We all, before we were saved, were dead in sin, obligated under the Law. In our dead state we were the enemies of God. The Law, though righteous, did little but lead to more sin and rebellion because that is our nature. When we accepted Christ as Savior, God killed the power of sin in our life. We moved from the old way of life and became dead to sin. Since we died to sin we were released from the old vows of the Law. We received the divine nature of holiness, a replacement to the husband (Law) which died.
The Law is no longer needed to convict of sin. The Spirit of Christ now lives in the body of the Believer. The Law is a symbol of the old powerless life that we used to live. God destroy the Law and married us to another (Jesus Christ). We are no longer under the old marriage, but must live in the new and more sure God given marriage of Christ. Weuss states "The Christian who puts himself under the Law fails to avail himself of the resources of Faith". The legalist is a defeated Christian, one who is in spiritual adultery against his Lord. No longer are we under precepts that have only power to incite to sin, but we now reside in the power of the Spirit of God. To come back to that old relationship is to love a corpse when you could live a much more beautiful relationship in Christ. To fall into legalism is to become an adulterer against Christ.
One of the greatest sins of legalism is that it ignores the intimate marriage relationship that the Christian has with his Savior. The Law was impersonal and condemning, whereas Grace is individual and warm.
Ephesians 5:29-30 "For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones."
2 Corinthians 11:2-4 "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. "
Legalism ignores the holy bonds of spiritual matrimonial that we have with Jesus, and believes God to be powerless to maintain these bonds. We are intimately united with Christ. The Christian faith is a simple faith, not one built on statutes, law books, and codes all designed to force our obedience. It is a faith maintain by the very power of God. Legalism is a delusion of the devil, binding the hands of the saints. It compels them to live by the book rather than by the spirit. It robs the Christian of joy, and removes the controlling Spirit from his life. Legalism is a perversion of Satan and one of the greatest stumbling blocks in Christianity.
Note the last phrase in our Romans text: that we should bring forth fruit unto God. The Law, as Paul has shown up to this point, has no power in itself. The Christian who commits spiritual adultery, who turns back to reliance on the law as opposed to reliance on God, moves from the realm of power to the realm of powerlessness. We should turned away from reliance on the law and unto reliance on the spirit that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
Hebrews 13:15 "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."
One of the fruits that we should bring to God in Grace is worship and honor. The Law is incapable of bringing acceptable worship to God, and we are exhorted to worship God in Spirit and in truth. Worshipping God "when you have to" is not acceptable. He wants us to love Him in purity because we want to.
James 5:7 "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain."
One of the greatest fruits that the Christian is to bring to God is that of the lost soul. We are commissioned in Matthew 28.18 to seek the lost, and to bring all that we can into a knowledge of the truth. The Legalist deludes this truth, the simplicity of Christ, and makes salvation a complex thing. The law cannot bring anyone to salvation, and the legalist turns the seeker away to other pastures. The fruit of lost souls can not be brought to God under the guise of works. The legalist clouds and perverts the Gospel of Christ.
7:5-6
Romans 7:5-6 "For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter."
The word motions is the Greek PATHEMA, which means the "emotions, violent stirring up, incitement". Though the Law did not cause sin, neither did it give power against sin. Since man was in the flesh and an enemy of God, the law incited rebellion by pointing out sin, rather than destroying the it's effects.
The law stirred up sin because of it's very holy nature. Note that the text states that we are delivered from the law because we are delivered from sin. Now we are exhorted to serve in our new capacity, in newness of the Spirit, not in the oldness of the letter. The word oldness is the Greek PALAIOS, which means "that which is wore out, useless, so that it has been set aside". The law's intent was to show all men that there was and can never be any inherent righteousness in man. The law was also used to point out sin, being used as a measuring stick for God's judgment of man. The Christian has been brought out of this relationship and is now under Grace. We no longer need the law to show sin, as the Spirit now abides within us to personally convict us of sin. God will not use the measuring stick of the law to judge the Christian, as we all will now be judged under the blood of Christ. The law is useless for the Christian to rely on.
Colossians 2:20-23 "Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh."
7:7-9
Romans 7:7-9 "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died."
With these verses we look at the law in a different way. The law itself was not sin, but was a perfect reflection of the Holy nature of God. As Paul states:
Galatians 3:19 "Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. "
The law was added because of transgression, the sin of man. If the law had not come, man in his sin would have had no absolute knowledge of his error. A likeness can be drawn to the illness which was not yet been diagnosed. You may fill a little ill, know that you're sick, but not specifically know why. When you go to the doctor and have the illness diagnosed, then and only then do you know why you're sick. The law specifically diagnosed sin. Man prior to the law, in sin, knew he was in sin, but not the specific nature nor reason of that sin. Yet when the law came, it diagnosed the specific sin, condemning all under sin.
On the other hand, man was an enemy of God and the holy law aggravated our sin nature. The Law was not sinful but sin took advantage of the law. Thus the sin nature of man fought all the more against God. Where the law was not, man in ignorant bliss felt that he was alive. Yet when the law pointed out the Spiritual death of man, man then reckoned himself as dead, and became dead in knowledge as well as in deed. Because God gave this law unto man, man hated the Almighty all the more.
The word occasion is the Greek APHORMEN, which means, "a starting place, a base of operations". Sin used the law as the starting place for disobedience. It took the law as a base of operations for it's evil designs. The word wrought is the Greek KATERGAZOMAI, which means, "to achieve an end, to carry something to a conclusion". Sin, using the law as a base of operations, used the law as a fulcrum to cause man to actively and knowingly sin. So though the law was not send, it was used by sin or by our sinful nature, to draw man deeper into active disobedience to God.
7:10-13
Romans 7:10-13 "And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful."
The law was not evil, for the law is the reflection of the nature of God. But the nature of God toward uncovered and unredeemed sin is condemnation and repugnance. The law, as the righteous reflection of God's nature, caused man to view his own filthiness. It is of no consequence to tell a dirty blind man that he's dirty. If he believes that he's clean no amount of discussion will convince him to the contrary. But if you tell this deluded soul that he's dirty, and open his eyes to the dirt he will see the truth. Yet in seeing the truth, he may began to hate you for pointing out his flaws. In this way the law opened the eyes of mankind, letting all know that they were dirty. This led to rebellion. This is the essence of what Paul meant by that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good.
7:14-20
Romans 7:14-20 "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me."
Many commentators review these verses and apply them to the Christian life, stating that Paul referred to the sinful nature residing within each one of us. Regardless of the fame of the teacher, I feel that he ignores the chapter content. If you remember in chapter 6 (6.6-8) Paul taught that the sin nature within the Christian is dead. The Christian should reckon or consider himself powerful over sin, and believe that sin is powerless against him because of Christ's work. We are in the Adamic state able to choose, inclined toward the the good. In the light of this context we cannot say that Paul was referring to the Christian life here.
Note that in chapter 7 leading to this point Paul taught that sin, by the righteousness of the law, incited rebellion. Also in our opening verses (7.1-4) Paul taught that we are dead to the law because we were made dead to sin by the work of Christ. In Romans 7.14-20 Paul measures his life against the law, noting that by it his sinful nature rendered him powerless. Paul has before taught that the Christian is dead to the law, so he cannot be applying the law to his life as a Christian. Instead Paul is using himself as an example to illustrate how sin works wrath and more sin in the carnal men.
In our opening text Paul states, I am carnal, sold under sin. This is not a statement of fact, but a illustration used to get the point across. No Christian is sold under sin, as he has been redeemed from the slave market of sin by the blood of Christ.
1 Peter 2:24-25 "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls."
Based on the context we can say that Paul uses himself as a literary illustration of the powerless, defeated, and sinful life that the unsaved person has. They are sold under sin. By his illustration Paul notes the uselessness of the carnal to live their lives by the law.
The carnal man, even though he is an enemy of God, has a love/hate relationship with sin. This relationship is magnified by the purity of the law. Carnal man loves sin because it strikes out against his enemy (God), but hates sin because his conscience burns within. Man, to escape this burning conscience, developed the teachings of atheism and humanitarianism. Yet the law would not allow men to forget that there was a God.
The Law was Spiritual, but it had no power to transmit its Spirituality to dead men under sin. Reading these verses in the light of their proper application we see the powerless, the victimized life that the carnal live. When they desire to do good they do evil. When they will good things they have no power to do that which they will. The carnal man attempting to live by the law is a pitiful person, unable to please God or to meet the teachings of the law. The Christian who attempts to live his life by the law, rather than living his life by the Spirit, is a defeated person living a powerless faith.
7:21-25
Romans 7:21-25 "I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."
Paul sums up the parallel of the carnal man, the man who strives to live under the law. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man. The term I delight is the Greek SUNEDOMAI, meaning, "I consent unto". The carnal men sees the law of God in all its purity, and inwardly contends that the teachings are pure and true. Yet I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. That sin nature in the carnal men fights against the Holy precepts, disobeying it's teachings and truths. The carnal man has no power to obedience due to his own nature. The Christian who relies on the power of the law leaves the power of the Spirit of God, and moving back into disobedience.
Paul, in this parallel, cries out O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? In the word wretched here is the Greek TALAIPOROS meaning, "wretched through the exhaustion of hard labor". The carnal man, finally exhausted from fleshly obedience to a law without power, cries out for relief from his torn life. Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? The answer is the same today as it was nearly 2,000 years ago.
It is the Christ, the Savior, who will deliver carnal man from the vicious circle that sin, using the law as a lever, puts him through. In Christ we have power if we have accepted Him as our Lord and Savior. It is Grace and the inherent power of the Spirit that gives the Christian power over sin.
Galatians 5:1-5 "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith."
The Christian who seeks circumcision, that is, who seeks to live by the law, to him Christ shall profit you nothing. Not that he is lost (as in unsaved), but rather that he has lost the power of Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, and is living as if he were unsaved. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. The Christian who seeks to live by the law, who seeks justification under it's powerless precepts, has fallen from Grace. Based upon the immediate context, this person has fallen from the power of Grace. It is not that the carnal Christian has been cast from salvation by God, but rather that he has turned and walked away from the power inherent in salvation. The Christian life is a life lived in the Spirit, and not under legalism. Note what Paul states next in our Romans text:
The word for mind is the Greek NOUS, which means, "the mind, the intellect". To the Greek the mind was considered the seat of the human Spirit. Paul was saying that with his Spiritual mind, that mind reliant on the Spirit of God, that he serves the inner law of God. In other words, the Christian who relies on the Spirit is able to serve the unwritten Law of God, living righteously by faith. Paul is also saying that, with my fleshly mind, the mind that does not followed the Spirit of God but instead follows the law, I serve sin. In other words, to rely on the Spirit, your inheritance by grace, you are enabled to live a righteous life. Yet when the Christian falls from Grace and tries to live his life with the flesh, he must serve the law of sin. He lives a powerless life against the power of Satan.
8:1
Romans 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
The word for condemnation is the Greek KATAKRIMA, "An adverse sentence". There is no adverse sentence for the Christian who walks after the Spirit, there is no internal struggle and powerless life, for he is relying on the greatest power in the universe. There is also no condemnation to eternal punishment for the Christian:
John 3:18 "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
John 5:24 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
The Christian no longer stands in the place of judgment, but is now in the place of mercy. There is no condemnation for we have our lives, our Spiritual lives, rooted in the power of the Spirit of God and not in the law.
8:2
Romans 8:2 "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. "
The law of the flesh (legalism) gives power to condemnation, whereas the law of Grace gives power over sin. The Holy Spirit of God, the Spirit of life, is the power behind the law of Grace. He is the most intimate member of the Godhead with saved humanity while we are here on earth. As Christians we understand God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, but in most cases are ignorant of the power of the Holy Spirit. If you have never been acquainted with the Holy Spirit I ask that you read on as he leads us through this study. The Baptism, Filling, and Gifts of the Spirit will be covered in the Tongues of Fire series, so I won't go into these areas at this time.
1 Corinthians 6:11 "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. "
When we parallel this verse to our Romans phrase Spirit of life, we see that it is the Holy Spirit who gives us our new birth. We are washed, that is, cleansed of our old sin nature. We are sanctified, that is, set apart for the work of God and empowered to lead a holy life. We are justified, that is, declared innocent of sin. Note that these three ministries come in the name of Jesus, but are through the mediate power of the Holy Spirit. Other texts support this interpretation, such as found in the teaching of Christ to Nicodemus in John chapter 3:
John 3:3-7 "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."
The text is self explanatory: we are born of or through the Spirit if we are Christians. One text note: Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit. The and the used in this text is the Greek EIS. EIS (a conjunction) can be translated in several different ways, each of them depending upon the context at hand. In the King James text the word was rendered transitionally, in other words as the word and. To render the text this way is to assume that baptism in water along with the power of the Spirit causes regeneration. Neither the immediate context of our Lord's teaching nor the Bible uphold the idea of the works salvation or a "Baptism saves" Doctrine. Several noted professors of Greek feel that the EIS should be translated causually. In such the translation the word would be rendered "even or that is to say". The causual rendering would be more appropriate to the Biblical context. The text would read:
The Holy Spirit of God watches us, cleanses us of sin. He is our spiritual water. It is the Spirit of God who causes us to be born again away from the spiritual death that we were in. We were born because of the Spirit God.
2 Corinthians 3:3-6 "Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. "
Galatians 5:5, 16-18 "For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law."
It is the Spirit of God that empowers the Christian to live a powerful, productive, and righteous life. When we casually seek to live our lives in our own power or through the law, we always fail. But when we rely on the power of God the Holy Spirit, we are led into all righteousness. It's not a point of giving up, but rather a point of reliance. We rely on the Spirit of guy, seeking his power in our continuing sanctification. The Holy Spirit is not far off or hard to reach because:
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
The Holy Spirit lives in the body of every Christian, intimately choosing to be close with each one of us. If we would only call on the power within we would not and could not walk in sin. Sin is deceptive and a trap, but it has no power over the Christian who relies on the Spirit.
John 14:26 "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
John 16:13 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. "
1 Corinthians 2:10-13 "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual."
The last area we want to look at is the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is an often neglected area of the Spirit's ministry, but one of the most important to the Christian. Many Christians today ignore the scripture but knock the dust off their Bibles to carry them to Church on Sunday. God placed his Word on the earth for the edification or building up of the Christian. The Spirit is the key who unlocks that Word and helps us to apply the teaching to our lives.
Granted, the life giving or regenerating ministry of the Spirit is the most important thing He does for us. Without regeneration there would be no need for His other ministries. For continued existence as victorious Christians we must be fed through the teaching ministry of the Spirit. Rely on the teaching ministry of the Spirit. I am only human and there are times (though the Lord knows I seek to avoid them) when I have misinterpreted scripture. I know this is happened in my earlier ministry when I followed the errors of the legalist and Christian monotheism. I know this and encourage you to rely on the Spirit while studying these lessons, seeking his face as to the truth of what is talked.
I think it is significant that the first mention of the Spirit as the promise of God was when he was given the title the Comforter. I am reminded of Paul's teaching to the Thessalonians Church about the Rapture. False teachers had come into the assembly teaching that there was no real resurrection of the dead. This doctrine disturbed the Thessalonian Christian (as well it should). Paul corrected this lie and, immediately following his teaching on the Rapture stated:
1 Thessalonians 4:18 "Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
The Thessalonians Church had been invaded by false teachers who taught that those who died before the coming of Christ would not see the Lord, nor would the living ever see their dead loved ones again. Paul taught them the Spiritual truth of the Rapture, that the dead and living in Christ would be reunited again in the Lord came. This teaching, giving by the Spirit of God through Paul, comforted those who had fallen pray to the false doctrine.
While worldly teachers relying on false philosophies and doctrines cause pain and trouble, the Holy Spirit in his teaching ministry brings comfort and rest to the Christian. In his teaching ministry he will call all things to our remembrance that are consistent with God's Word. In this world the Christian is beat down, and tormented: yet the Bible is our refuge, and its teachings our comfort.
The second title which Christ refers to the Holy Spirit as it is the Spirit of truth. Christ says that the Spirit will guide you into all truth. The word guide here is illustrative of guiding as blind person. Even though we are washed and given the ability to choose righteousness over sin, our choices will often be wrong when we don't rely on the guidance of the Spirit. Many Christians are deceived by false doctrines: Catholicism, Arminianism, Monotheism, Legalism, a list of "isms" a mile long . They are deceived because they reckon their power to discern comes from within themselves, when that power really comes from a reliance on the Spirit of God. We should allow ourselves to be guided as blind men into the true teachings of the Scripture, guided by the Holy Spirit.
In Corinthians we see that the Spirit searches the deep things of God. The Christian in himself has no power to discern the true teachings of the Scripture. If we rely on ourselves we may dilute and water down its teachings to the point of false doctrine. The Spirit is the knife the cuts into the Scripture, turning it into bite sized morsels that we can understand. Without the teaching ministry of the Spirit we never will even understand the very basics of salvation.
8:3-4
Romans 8:3-4 "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: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
Paul again emphasizes that the Law was not wrong, but failed because it was weak through the flesh. In other words it was weak because of our sinful nature. The law had no power to counteract our sin nature therefore the Law was weak because of that which it could not counteract.
Paul says that God sent Christ to the earth in the likeness of sinful flesh. Christ did not come as sinful flesh for then he would be a sinner like us, an unacceptable sacrifice. He came in the likeness of this flesh. Likeness refers to "a shadow of something, not possessing the total attributes of the original". In other words Christ came to earth looking like the sinful man, though He possessed no sin nature which is the norm in mankind. Though Christ was fully man he was also fully God, and therefore perfectly sinless. He came for sin, that he is, it was his mission to destroy the dominion of sin over man. He came to atone for our sins. Christ in his death condemned sin in the flesh. Condemned here could be better rendered "to destroy the power of". Christ destroyed the dominion of the law over the Christian.
The word walk is the Greek PERIPATEO, which means "to order one's behavior or conduct". Christ came to destroy the dominance of sin so that we could live as a reflection of God, that is, to fulfill the righteousness of the law into us. The law is not evil, but it is an exact reflection of the nature of God. To enter into the Kingdom we must be like Him, sinless and pure. This purity of the law could not be fulfilled through the medium of the law, yet the purity still had to be obtained. And obtained it was, being obtained through the blood of Christ. We who are Christians do not order our behavior or conduct through the flesh (through the law), but we rely on the power of the Spirit for the righteousness of God. We walk after the Spirit.
8:5
Romans 8:5 "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. "
The word mind is the Greek PHRONEO, which means "to direct the mind to something, to seek or strive for, to obey". They who are after the flesh or are carnal obey or strive for the things of the flesh. Those who are Spiritual strive for the things of God. This verse can be applied to two different types of people:
Romans 8:6 "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. "
This verse may be applied toward either the carnal saved believer or the lost unbeliever. For the unsaved, to be carnal minded is to remain in Spiritual death, and to inherit eternal damnation.
Revelation 21:8 "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
As applied to the carnal Christian his reliance on self leads to sin, and that sin may lead to the sin unto death if the believer will not repent.
1 John 5:16-18 "If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. "
All reliance on the Spirit as a way of life is the only way to peace and eternal life. I, as well as all believers in this present age, must understand this concept.
8:7-9
Romans 8:7-9 "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 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."
In these verses we see a distinctive line drawn between the saved and the unsaved. Toward the unsaved Paul cites:
Those who are Christian are those who should be subject to the Spirit of God dwelling in them. All Christians are little Temples, and the Holy Spirit lives in that Temple with their souls. As Paul stated, Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
8:10
Romans 8:10 "And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness."
Wuess states of this verse: "The believer's human body is dead in the sense that it has death in it because of sin, Adam's sin which brought both Spiritual and physical death to each member of the race". Though we are dead to the dominance of sin, sin has wrought the damage of death in our bodies. Christ's atonement and the Spirit's regeneration does not take away our earthly death: we will all die if Jesus doesn't return in our lifetime. But, Paul states, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. We who are saved have the promise of eternal life because of the imputed righteousness of Christ and by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Death to the believer is but a doorway into a new life, a better life. Death is not an end, but a beginning.
8:11
Romans 8:11 "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. "
Quicken is the Greek ZOOPOREO, meaning "to cause to make alive, to give life". The Spirit is our promise that we shall undergo bodily resurrected in the latter days.
John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
The Christian has a three fold promise that he will inherit eternal life.
8:12-13
Romans 8:12-13 "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 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."
The word debtors is the Greek OPHEILETES, which meaning "one held by some obligation, bound to a duty". We can parallel this to the beginning of our study where we saw though we are the DOULOS, or servants of Jesus Christ. We are debtors to Christ because he died for us, and therefore we are under obligation to obey him. We are debtors to the Spirit because he resurrected us from our dead nature and freed us from sin. We have debt to obey Christ, we also have a debt to rely on the Spirit. Our primary debt cannot be met unless we have satisfied the second debt, the debt of obedience to the Spirit. Without the power of the Spirit we will never meet our obligations as the DOULOS of Christ.
In our text we are told to live through the Spirit and so we can mortify or destroy the sinful deeds of our bodies. We are not power unto ourselves. Though we are in the Adamic state, that alone does not empower us. Remember what happened to Adam in the Garden of Eden when he neglected the power of God for his own strength. It is no more viable in the Adamic state to live under one's own power than it is in the post Adamic state. We must live through the power of the Spirit.
..If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die. The Greek tense of the word live denotes an action with past and future repercussions. The term could be rendered "if ye habitually live after the flesh". Again, the Christian in habitual sin may find himself under the sin unto death.
8:14-15
Romans 8:14-15 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 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."
The word sons in this text is the Greek HUIOS which refers to a child of God who is mature and in good standing with God. This is used against the more general term TEKNON. TEKNON may be used for all Christians, though usually for the carnal Christian. The Corinthians, who were carnal, were often referred to as TEKNON, but rarely as HUIOS. So though all believers are the TEKNON of God, we can grow through the Spirit and study of God's Word into mature HUIOS.
The next statement emphasizes the place we were at before salvation: ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear. I often feel, in my heart, that unsaved people act the way they do in an attempt to mask their fear. I know that when I was unsaved, about half of my cursing was committed in an attempt to forget my fear of death and judgment. (I actually stayed late at night, afraid to sleep, scared of death and wondering what it would be like.)
As believers we should place ourselves in a state of bondage to the Lord, not to the flesh. We are not to be placed in this state of bondage by force, but should allow the Lord to dominate us because we are under obligation to the Spirit. We should strive to obey the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of life, God's Holy Spirit in all we say and do. While under His control we have no need to fear anything. We have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The beauty of this text is emphasized when paralleled to:
Galatians 4:6 "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."
We who are Christians do not cry out to the Father alone. We in union with the Spirit cry out with the Spirit. The beauty of Christianity is that we are not alone. We not only have God living inside of us, we are in partnership with the Spirit of God. We do not attempt to do things or to serve God on our own, but we do all things in partnership with his Spirit. Christian sanctification on earth (progressive sanctification) is a process where we, through the power of the Spirit, rely on the power of the Spirit to learn to walk in the Spirit. What a grand and glorious union, one which we do not deserve by received because of Grace!
8:16-17
Romans 8:16-17 "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 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. "
Wuess says of this verse: "the Holy Spirit bears testimony to our human spirit that we are the children of God, and our Spirit energized spirit thus joins the Holy Spirit in a joint testimony to that fact".
James 2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
Titus 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
We are the heirs of God in that we have the promised inheritance of eternal life. This everlasting life, a life without the end, will allow us to forever be with and serve the Father. Since eternity will be spent serving God, don't you think it's a good idea to "get in the habit" while we're on the earth?
1 Corinthians 15:24-25 "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet."
2 Timothy 2:11-13 "It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. "
Revelation 5:8-10 "And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. "
Revelation 20:6 "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. "
We are the joint-heirs of Christ because we who walk in the Spirit as the adopted sons of God shall reign with him in the millennium. Based on the texts above it is the HUIOS, rather than the carnal TEKNON, who will reign with Christ. The above verses speak of the committed Christian, one who lives by the power of the Spirit and for Christ's sake. This promise of victory in the afterlife was particularly comforting to the Roman Christians. Remember that the Romans were going through horrible pressures and tortures for the sake of Christ. Paul's statement, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together, was a statement that uplifted and edified these tormented Christians, and a statement that speaks to the suffering believer even today. Yes, you are in pain. Yes, you are tortured. Yet one day we will rule and reign with our Jesus. This comforts me to no end, praise His name!
8:18-22
Romans 8:18-22 "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. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now."
The word reckon is the Greek LOGIZOMAI, which means, "to compute or calculate". Paul reasoned, knowing that the pain that the Romans were going through now as compared to the glory that was to come, that the present pain was worth it all to get the future glory. Too often we look at the world around us with cateracts on our eyes. I do, too, you know. I have a wonderful home, a family that loves me, and a secure job. Yet often I look at the job and the problems it causes in my life, and focus on that rather than the blessing God has given me. Paul says, "Look beyond your suffering toward the goal. Remember, this present suffering is only temporary, and will some day be forgotten in the glory of eternity". We must look beyond the present, and look toward our inheritance in eternity.
1 Peter 4:13-14 "But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. "
Paul believed that the present pain was not worthy to be compared with the future glory of our inheritance. Worthy is the Greek AXIOS, which means, "weighing much, of like value, worth as much". What Paul was saying can be summed up in this statement: "Look at all the pain I am going through! I am hated because I am a Christian! But that is nothing: I must hang on and endure the pain, looking forward to the glory that is to come. There is no comparison between the two and the future glory should overshadow my present suffering".
To the next text: For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. This verse shows the importance the Church holds for the whole of creation in the plan of God. Earnest expectation is the Greek APOKARADOKIA, which means "a watching for with the head erect and outstretched, a state of suspense". The Greek for creature it is KTISEOS, which means, "the non-rational creature, or nature". We as the Body of Christ are the only hope of the redemption of nature. Environmentalists like to talk about saving the spotted owl, saving the rain forests, saving the whales. Though these are noble pursuits, they only preserve the species but do not save nature. Nature fell to sin when Adam, the Federal Head of the earth, fell in the Garden. Prior to the fall animals lives in harmony with one another, but after the fall sin caused animals to attack one another in an elaborate food chain. Man's fall caused the fall of the animal kingdom. Nature itself, Paul said, waits in a state of suspense for the final redemption of the Church.
If you doubt that the fall of man had an adverse effect on creation, read this:
Genesis 3:17-19 "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."
The fall of man brought a curse on creation, a shared curse on all of nature. Christ, when he came to die, came to die for man, not nature. Nature had no hope of recovering from the fall but by the salvation of it's Federal Head, mankind. The final redemption of man will bring nature back into the peace of God lost in the Garden.
"For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope.."
Vanity is the Greek MATAIOS, which means "Idleness, resultessness, futility, aimlessness." Creation was subjected with men into the empty life and void known as sin. Creation did not willingly submit to this emptiness as Adam did, but of necessity followed man into subjection. The "him who hath subjected the same in hope" refers to God, who, when he cast mankind and creation into judgment or death, left them both with hope from the very the beginning.
Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
God, even in judgment, is merciful. When he cast man out of the Garden it was with the promise that the serpent (Satan) would one day be defeated. The Messiah was the promise to man, the redemption of men was the promise to a waiting creation.
"..Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.."
Have you ever never noticed that in nature the major law is the survival of the fittest? Have you ever noticed the cruelty in nature: the bug being eaten alive by ants, the fly slowly devoured by the spider, the innocent doe chased down and savaged by the wolf? These are all consequences of the fall of Adam whereby mankind drew creation into corruption. Though creation has no power to reason as we do, the Scripture teaches that they instinctively know that the redemption is coming. Denney states:
".. It was on account of Him -- His righteousness might be shown in the punishment of man -- that the sentence fell upon man, carrying consequences which extended to the whole realm intended originally for his dominion. The sentence on man, however, was not hopeless, and creation shared in his hope as in his doom. When the curse is completely removed from man, as it will be when the Sons of God are revealed, it will pass from creation also; and for this creation sighs..".
To see what the final redemption of the Sons of God will be like for both man and nature, let us look at some scriptural passages:
Isaiah 65:20-22, 25 "There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. .... The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD."
Isaiah 11:6-9 "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea."
Though these verses refer to the millennium, that thousand year reign of Christ, the millennium will be the beginning of the redemption of nature. Beauty and peace will begin to abound within the animal kingdom, and no more will survival of the fittest be the rule of the day. See Revelation 20-22 for a full Biblical treatment of life after the close of the millennial period.
We'll take a short break, and continue this study shortly.
God Bless you all!
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