SERMON NOTES Introduction In light of all the bad news and negative circumstances in the world, we all need to hear some good news. Paul’s letter to the church in Rome contains all the good news we could ever need. In this series, we’re going to walk through Romans 8 verse-by-verse. This is perhaps one of the most profound chapters in the New Testament. Before we get to Romans 8, let’s get the context for what Paul is going to teach us. ‌ Context from Rom. 1-7: ‌Rom. 1 — The world has been ruled by sin and suffering the consequences. ‌Rom. 2 — God is the Judge of all people. ‌Rom. 3 — All have sinned, no one is righteous. ‌Rom. 4 — Righteousness is by faithfulness to Jesus. ‌Rom. 5 — The law of sin and death: All sin so all die. ‌Rom. 6 — Baptism is death and resurrection. ‌Rom. 7 — The law of sin and death: sin rules everyone. ‌ 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. ‌ There is therefore now = Paul is tying together everything he has said in the previous chapters. The Law didn’t solve our sin problem. No one has been able to be or stay righteous. But Jesus came to solve that problem. “Now” because Christ has come and delivered us from the law of sin and death, there is “now” good news. ‌ No condemnation = Grk. oudeis katakrima - This does not mean that we haven’t been guilty, but that the penalty has been removed. “Condemnation” refers to the sentence for sin, which is death. For those who stay faithful to Jesus by practicing continual repentance, the death sentence has been removed. In Christ sinners are offered grace and mercy to those who repent. As long as we practice repentance, there will be no condemnation/punishment. ‌ Those who are in Christ Jesus = Paul uses the phrase “in Christ” repeatedly in his writings. To be “in Christ” is to be one with Christ. Staying faithful to Christ is the only way to stay in Christ. Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you” (John 15:4). Those who follow Jesus are part of Jesus. This is why the New Testament calls the church/believers the “body of Christ.” ‌ The law of the Spirit of life = In the biblical storyline, Adam is the first to receive the “breath of life” or literally the “Spirit of life.” As long as Adam was in the garden with God and the tree of life, he had the opportunity to live forever. After Adam sinned, he and Eve were exiled from the tree of life and began to die. Paul is saying that now we have access to the Spirit of life, which gives us eternal life. ‌ Set you free in Christ = In Greek this phrase refers to someone who has been dominated or controlled by something, but is now liberated or released. Specifically, this refers to being set free or released from “the law of sin and death.” ‌ The law of sin and death = The law of sin and death has been effect since Gen. 3. God warned Adam that if he disobeyed that he would surely die. The law of sin is this: all who sin will die. It is called a “law” because it cannot be avoided. All humans who sin (which is all humans) will also die. Paul has already explained this in Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” ‌ Romans 8:3–4 ESV 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ‌ The law is weakened by the flesh = The entire Law (the Torah) was designed to give God’s people a way to be faithful, forgiven, and have access to His presence. The Law even had provisions for what to do when you sin. As long as you obeyed the laws and repented when you broke the law, you were forgiven and welcomed into the presence of God. However, God’s people were so sinful that they didn’t even obey the laws about repentance. The Law was good, but the people were so rebellious that the Law wasn’t enough. The Law itself could not accomplish what God wanted for His people. ‌ God did what the law couldn’t do = While the Torah was good, it could not change anyone’s heart and could not save anyone. If God wanted to dwell with humanity, something had to be done about the rule of sin in our hearts. Since sin was the problem, God had to do something about the power of sin. ‌ By sending his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh = God sent His Son as a human who looked like an everyday sinner. However, Jesus was without sin. Unlike Adam, and every human after him, Jesus never failed to obey God. Therefore, Jesus fulfilled what God intended for humanity, which is obedience. Jesus is the only human to overcome sin. ‌ And for sin = The Greek phrase here implies “as a sin offering.” Although God had provided a way of repentance through the sacrifices of the Torah, sin rendered these sacrifices ineffective. The Old Testament prophets make it clear that people had corrupted sacrifices and worship. The motivation behind the sacrifices became ruled by sin. Because we could not offer a sufficient sacrifice for our sin, Jesus took matters into His own hands. He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice. ‌ Condemned sin in the flesh = The Greek word for “condemned” here (katakrino) is the same word in Rom. 8:1. Paul is being clear that we sinners are not condemned, but sin itself has been condemned. ‌ Rom. 5:12 says that all die because all sin. In the Bible, sin is described as an evil force/spirit that seeks to destroy humanity. In Gen. 4, God tells Cain that sin is crouching (like a serpent) and wants to rule Cain. In that story, sin and the serpent are the same spirit. Once we allow sin/satan to rule us, it leads us into death. In other words, sin kills sinners. Since Jesus was sinless, He should not have died. But Jesus offered His sinless life so that sin/satan would be condemned for killing an innocent human. ‌ When sin killed Jesus, it was the first time sin killed an innocent human. When the innocent Jesus died, God sentenced sin to death. Sin was justified in bringing sinful humans to death. But sin was condemned when it took a sinless human to death. God fooled sin/satan into doing this by sending Jesus in the likeness of a sinner. ‌ Requirement of the law fulfilled in us = Because Jesus obeyed God’s law and died on own behalf, we can be declared righteous and live in obedience. How can we live in obedience? Because we have the Spirit of God living in us. Just as Jesus fulfilled the law by being obedient, we too can be righteous by “walking according to the Spirit.” ‌ Romans 8:5 ESV 5 For 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. ‌ Live according to the flesh = Meaning, according to sinful desires. To live according to the flesh is to let sinful desires control you. Self-control is traded for sin-control. ‌ Live according to the Spirit = Instead of allowing sinful desires to rule us, we allow the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) to rule us. ‌ Set their minds = Grk. phroneo - regard, honor, intent, outlook. Paul is saying that how we live shows what our minds are set on. If we live according to the flesh, our entire outlook and attitude will be shaped by the flesh. ‌ Romans 8:6–8 ESV 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ‌ The flesh is death = Sinful desires always lead us into death and destruction. To set our minds on the flesh is to choose death as the goal. ‌ The Spirit is life and peace = To set our minds on the Spirit is to choose life and peace as the goal. If you want a peaceful life, turn away from the flesh and set your mind on the Spirit of life. ‌ The flesh is hostile to God = Why? Because our sinful desires do not, and cannot, submit to God’s law. The flesh is ruled by sin, and sin is hostile to God. Therefore, we cannot please God if we’re living in the flesh. The point here is that without the Spirit living in us, we cannot submit to or obey God. If we have the Spirit, and are living by the Spirit, we submit to God and please Him. ‌ Romans 8:9–10 ESV 9 You, however, 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. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ‌ You are not in the flesh = Those who have repented, turned to Christ, and stay faithful to Him through continual repentance are no longer “in the flesh” but are living “in the Spirit.” ‌ If the Spirit of God dwells in you = Notice the “if” in this passage. The evidence that we are in right-relationship with God is the presence of His Spirit in us. How can we know the Spirit is in us? We should see the fruit of the Spirit growing in our lives (Gal. 5:22-23). Paul also calls the Spirit of God the “Spirit of Christ.” The evidence that the Spirit is living in us is that we are becoming more like Christ. ‌ The body is dead = Paul says in Rom. 6:1-5 that believers who have been “baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death.” Paul says we were “buried with him by baptism into death” meaning that our old sinful self has died with Christ. ‌ The Spirit is life = Our old self was “buried with Christ.” But the Spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead. If we are in Christ, we too have been raised to “newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). ‌ Because of righteousness = Because Jesus was righteous, and we are now the body of Christ, we are now considered righteous through faith/faithfulness. The righteousness of Jesus is applied to us because we are now “in Christ.” ‌ Romans 8:11 ESV 11 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. ‌ The Spirit of God raised Jesus = Just as the Spirit of life was breathed into Adam and he came alive, the Spirit of life in Jesus raised Him from the dead. ‌ Dwells in you = The same Spirit of God that dwelt in Jesus is the same Spirit of God that dwells in those who follow Jesus. ‌ Give life to your mortal bodies = If we have the same Spirit of life who raised Jesus from the dead living in us, then we will also be raised to life. Our old self is dead and we are now a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). ‌ ‌Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faithfulness to the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” ‌ Conclusion ‌ How should we respond to this Good News? ‌If you are already “in Christ,” take time to repent, worship, and redeclare your faithfulness to Jesus by taking Communion. If you have never really placed your faith in Christ, there is no day like today to make that decision. We are here to help you and bring you to Christ. ‌