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Walking in the Spirit
Romans 8:1-28
8 :1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, {NU-Text omits the rest of this verse. } who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (NKJV).
We left off with these two verses of Romans 7:
Ro 7:24 “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”
Paul begins this chapter with some good news: “No condemnation”. It is not too difficult to see why this 'news' is important. What Paul has ended with in chapter 7 with a statement of despair, “O wretched man that I am!”, and a thankful comment that deliverance is through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Chapter seven has described a battle between our flesh nature and our inner being. In that chapter Paul did not mention any solution, other than at the end of the chapter. The solution would have to come through Jesus. In the meanwhile he left off by saying that his body … his flesh nature, would serve sin, but his mind would serve Christ.
This beg's a very important question; 'Will we receive condemnation for what we do in the flesh nature?' That is what Paul is answering in this verse. What we do as a result of our flesh nature will not condemn us. By condemn, I believe Paul would mean 'lose' our salvation. If we could be condemned for our 'flesh-nature-based' actions, that would base salvation upon works rather than upon grace. This is a completely separate aspect of salvation vs condemnation that we could delve into, but we will not do so here.
The last part of verse one is not included in many other translations … ESV, NIV etc. That is because it is missing from some of the oldest, but more recently discovered, manuscripts of the New Testament. So why was it included in the 'Textus Receptus' from which the King James and New King James Version are taken? It is hard to answer that definitively, but if it was added into the margin by a well-meaning scribe, and then later inadvertently added right into the text by further copying, it does not seem to take away from the context and teaching of this chapter.
As we move into this chapter we will be presented by the phrase 'set your mind' (ESV), or 'have your mind set …' (NIV)
It will have much to do with our 'walking in the Spirit'.
Ro 8:2 “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do1. 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.”
From verse 3 “...what the law … could not do” (Luke 10:25-28). If we did not have the sin nature and could keep the law perfectly, it would have given us the information necessary for us to please God totally. And it would have been a wonderful and appreciated set of instructions. So the commandments of God comprise a list of instructions to follow, and if followed perfectly, produces peace with God. Imagine, I have the peace of knowing that I please God! But, no … it does not work that way. I have a clear knowledge of what it would take to please God. But that just makes me feel all the worse because I can't do it! Adam! It's all your fault!
But we read in verse 3b that Jesus came and kept the law perfectly. He pleased the Father. He then offers his perfect record to me … I just have to accept it … O, but one more thing … My record of sin, transgression and failure must first be erased. The cost of removing my sin record was His sacrifice for me on the cross. The prerequisite for removing my sin record is repentance; Godly sorrow for my sin which put Jesus on the cross. These two things, by faith believing that Jesus is the Son of God who kept the law perfectly, and confessing my sins, asking for forgiveness results in my name being recorded in His book of life.
In verse 4b we read, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. This sounds like a 'qualifier'.
I will paraphrase verse 4 and 5. “Jesus came and fulfilled the law in your place. This means it will be recorded that you fulfilled the law yourself. That is, as long as you walk in the spirit and not in the flesh.” Before we deduce that this is 'salvation by works', we need to read further.
Ro 8:5 “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”.
Two phrases stand out here; the first is 'those who live' and the second phrase, 'set their minds'.
'Those who live', I believe, is talking about an observable life style, a way life, a life characterized by a certain overall way of living. I do not believe this is talking about a person who has, in sorrow for their sin of not having recognized Jesus for who He is, has repented of that … has put their faith in Him, has started out walking with Him, but then slips up as the 'flesh' tempts a person to take their eyes off of Jesus for a time. That would not, in my opinion, be classed as 'setting ones mind on the flesh'.
So that leads to the second phrase … set their minds.
This reminds me of the words to a hymn:
I have started out to follow Jesus, Ev'ry day ev'ry hour I want to be
Just a little more like my blessed Jesus; He means more than all the world to me.
In His footsteps I will always follow: In His ever gracious presence I would be.
Though the storms of life may rage, my Lord will guide me. What a kind and faithful Savior is He.
Chorus: Oh, wonderful, wonderful is Jesus. He gave His life on cruel Calvary.
He'll be there when I start to cross the Jordan; What a wonderful Savior is He.
This is what we mean by a mind-set. But because we also have the sin-nature... the ugly thoughts and desires of our flesh nature pop up. But these shall never be a 'mind-set'. If they become a way of life, we are in big trouble, as verse 6 points out.
Ro 8:6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
This is possibly raising the question of eternal security. We may look at this in some detail in the last part of this chapter.
Verses 7 and 8 talks about those whose' life's testimony shows that they have minds that are set on this world. Paul says this kind of a life is 'hostile' to God.
Ro 8:7,8 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. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Here a couple of references come to mind:
James 4:4 “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
Philippians 3:17-20 ¶ Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
We 'set our mind' on spiritual things when we first came to Jesus. It was our obvious 'mind-set', visible and unmistakable to others. But we can 'grow cold'. We can become distracted by the world and attracted to things that are so pleasing to our basic flesh nature. In this case, we need a 'mind-reset'. Paul said in Col 3:2 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” We need to be reminded of that periodically.
Ro 8:9 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.
Unbelievers, non-Christians, whose life style clearly shows their mind-set is on the world and the flesh-nature, cannot live lives pleasing to God. But we can. When we committed our heart and life to Jesus, to following Him, to loving Him more and more … we left the old mind-set behind. We are now living in Him … in the Spirit. He dwells within each believer. Our whole mind and attitude has been changed. Our desires are changed. If you look inside yourself and take a quick assessment and have to admit that 'acting like a Christian is work', if you really don't think like Jesus, if your 'clean living and your talk' is like a 'cover-up' for who you really are … you may not have the Spirit of Christ in you at all. That can be a very sobering realization. What can you do to fix it? Confess your unbelief and sin to Him and ask Him to save you. All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. Christ will then be 'in you'.
Ro 8:10 ¶ “But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”
This is what brings our minds to the point where they are set on Him and 'things which are above'.
Paul sums up with this:
Ro 8:11 “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.”
This is what the Christian life is all about … this world is not our home, our focus, our final abode. It is all passing away. Our focus in this world should be to influence as many unbelievers as possible to come to Jesus. Our mortal bodies will be brought to life by the Spirit of God and He will be our God and we shall be His people for ever and ever.
Paul recaps now:
Ro 8:12 “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
He says that we owe the flesh nothing. When we are tempted to say, after we have failed in some way or another, “O well, that is just me”, we better think twice. Is that REALLY you? It better not be! It better be a failing, a slip, or whatever, but it better not be you and 'just the way you are'. The new 'you' is a follower of God. You have turned from this world to God. Your life is in Him. That is the new you.
Ro 8:14 “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God”
If the Spirit is genuinely in us, we are led from the inside out. He changes the desires of our heart. We want to live for Him. We cry inwardly when we fail. We sense His presence inside of us.
As I mentioned earlier, it is possible for us to grow cold for a number of reasons. We need to be encouraged to come close to God. Paul says;
.Ro 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"
As little children (don't fool yourself into thinking that you are really advanced as a son of God), as little children, when you feel yourself slipping, call out “Father!” “Daddy, help!”
Ro 8:16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,Ro 8:17 ¶ and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.
We are children. But we are not JUST children. We are also HEIRS. Are you familiar with the song lyrics, My Father is rich in houses and lands … and I'm His heir? But before we begin to 'miss-apply' biblical truth, a word of caution. Because we are heirs does not allow us to adopt the attitude, “Hey! I am a child of the King! And king's kids go first class!” The wording that corrects such faulty thinking is in the last part of the verse … that we may also be glorified with Him.
Our 'inheritance' comes when we begin our eternal phase. The teaching that, because we are children of the King, God wants us healthy, wealthy and wise, is a very attractive teaching here in the western world. But tell that to the millions of other Christians who are living in terrible conditions; some of them suffering great tribulation as we speak. The 'name it, claim it' mentality is incredibly selfish and sinful.
Yes we are heirs. And the King is coming. And one day the kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of Jesus2 (Rev. 11:15). So we look forward to that day.
But in the meanwhile Paul is saying:
Ro 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God”.
So for now … we struggle. Our bodies become weaker and sometimes our minds are affected as well. The last part of the book of Ecclesiastes is a reflection of reality3 (Ecc 12:1-7). In Paul's statement about present 'sufferings', he very likely was talking about suffering as a Christian. Christianity was not looked on favorably in his day. The Jews were against it. The gentiles had other gods and could not tolerate the Christian view that there is only one God and all the others ones are not Gods. People do not like to be told they are wrong. So Christians suffered a lot. And in most of the world today they still do. Paul says that we should add up all the sufferings of this present time … and ask, Is this Christian life, with all its risk and suffering … really worth it? Of course it is worth it! Paul says you can't even begin to make a comparison.
He ends verse 19 by saying the very creation is longing for Jesus to return.
Ro 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
Although some biblical commentators have various alternate uses for the word 'creation', I take this simply for what it says … The whole creation was subjected to futility (NIV says subjected to frustration). In Adam's day God said, (Ge 3:17b)
“Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life”. God subjected the creation to this 'frustration' because of Adam's fall. But He did it in hope. That is, He had a long-range plan, an eternal purpose.
And that plan is ...
Ro 8:21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
But for now we wait for the plan of God to unfold
Ro 8:22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. :23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
At the end of the labor pains comes the joy of welcoming a child into the world. At the end of the labor pains of this creation comes the joy of an earth with no more curse. The millennial kingdom of Jesus will be a time of joy and worth it all. We look for a world free from the curse and new bodies so wonderful that we can only imagine.
Ro 8:24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?Ro 8:25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
The use of the word 'hope' might be a little different from the way you have used it or heard it used. This 'hope' is a sure thing. It is not hoping for something that might happen. The use of hope, in this case, is a sure thing somewhere in the future that we are patiently, yet joyfully waiting for.
Sometimes the waiting gets hard. But we are not in this alone. Yes, we have one another in our local churches who are to be “encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near”Heb 10:25b, but we have help from above.
Ro 8:26 ¶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
What would we do without that! Far too many Christians have taken this verse and used it for something else entirely. They have used it as some kind of a proof text of a prayer language, so as to validate their practice of speaking in tongues during a church service or prayer meeting. We need to imagine that 'out' of our thinking. The setting for this, as you have no doubt noticed, has to do with living our daily christian lives with its struggles and tribulations. It is talking about in our desperation having to call out to God for direction and wisdom and help … and not even knowing what to ask for at times. But the Holy Spirit knows what you really need. In those times … when you are before the throne of God in prayer, perhaps totally silent, perhaps weeping … the Holy Spirit knows exactly what you really want and need. At that moment, whether you are aware of it or not … the Spirit has taken your desires and turned them into a prayer.
God hears that.
Ro 8:27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God
We have been told by Jesus that we need to pray 'according to God's will'. As we read our Bibles we discover what things are according to God's will and what things are not. But when we are in the situation mentioned in verse 27, the prayer the Spirit brings before the Father in Heaven is 'dead-on' the will of God.
Ro 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
This is a 'well-worn' promise. Sometimes miss-used. 'All things work together is' is the reassuring and wonderful promise to suffering believers. It is also a good and wonderful promise to those of us right here in the western world, thus far free from tribulation. Are we 'the called according to His purpose'? I believe we should put as much emphasis on the word purpose as we do on the word called. We can expect things to 'work together for good' as we endeavor to carry out His purpose on earth. We are to pray, 'Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven'. That prayer would be very shallow prayer indeed if it becomes just something to say, and in reality we have no intention of being a part of doing His will on earth.
But as one of the 'called according to His purpose' it is a very assuring promise. It has eternal implications. Whether we should be called on to be a martyr for God … be put to death for our faith … it is still a promise … all things will work out for good. And tomorrow, as you make 'seeking first His kingdom' your priority, You too can know that whatever comes up … good or bad, all things will work out for good.
1Lu 10:25 ¶ And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
26 He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?"
27 And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor
as yourself."
28 And he said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live."
2Re 11:15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever."
3Ec 12:1 ¶ Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them” 2 While the sun and the light, The moon and the stars, Are not darkened, And the clouds do not return after the rain; 3 In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, And the strong men bow down; When the grinders cease because they are few, And those that look through the windows grow dim; 4 When the doors are shut in the streets, And the sound of grinding is low; When one rises up at the sound of a bird, And all the daughters of music are brought low; 5 Also they are afraid of height, And of terrors in the way; When the almond tree blossoms, The grasshopper is a burden, And desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home, And the mourners go about the streets. 6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, Or the golden bowl is broken, Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, Or the wheel broken at the well. 7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
We left off with these two verses of Romans 7:
Ro 7:24 “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”
Paul begins this chapter with some good news: “No condemnation”. It is not too difficult to see why this 'news' is important. What Paul has ended with in chapter 7 with a statement of despair, “O wretched man that I am!”, and a thankful comment that deliverance is through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Chapter seven has described a battle between our flesh nature and our inner being. In that chapter Paul did not mention any solution, other than at the end of the chapter. The solution would have to come through Jesus. In the meanwhile he left off by saying that his body … his flesh nature, would serve sin, but his mind would serve Christ.
This beg's a very important question; 'Will we receive condemnation for what we do in the flesh nature?' That is what Paul is answering in this verse. What we do as a result of our flesh nature will not condemn us. By condemn, I believe Paul would mean 'lose' our salvation. If we could be condemned for our 'flesh-nature-based' actions, that would base salvation upon works rather than upon grace. This is a completely separate aspect of salvation vs condemnation that we could delve into, but we will not do so here.
The last part of verse one is not included in many other translations … ESV, NIV etc. That is because it is missing from some of the oldest, but more recently discovered, manuscripts of the New Testament. So why was it included in the 'Textus Receptus' from which the King James and New King James Version are taken? It is hard to answer that definitively, but if it was added into the margin by a well-meaning scribe, and then later inadvertently added right into the text by further copying, it does not seem to take away from the context and teaching of this chapter.
As we move into this chapter we will be presented by the phrase 'set your mind' (ESV), or 'have your mind set …' (NIV)
It will have much to do with our 'walking in the Spirit'.
Ro 8:2 “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do1. 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.”
From verse 3 “...what the law … could not do” (Luke 10:25-28). If we did not have the sin nature and could keep the law perfectly, it would have given us the information necessary for us to please God totally. And it would have been a wonderful and appreciated set of instructions. So the commandments of God comprise a list of instructions to follow, and if followed perfectly, produces peace with God. Imagine, I have the peace of knowing that I please God! But, no … it does not work that way. I have a clear knowledge of what it would take to please God. But that just makes me feel all the worse because I can't do it! Adam! It's all your fault!
But we read in verse 3b that Jesus came and kept the law perfectly. He pleased the Father. He then offers his perfect record to me … I just have to accept it … O, but one more thing … My record of sin, transgression and failure must first be erased. The cost of removing my sin record was His sacrifice for me on the cross. The prerequisite for removing my sin record is repentance; Godly sorrow for my sin which put Jesus on the cross. These two things, by faith believing that Jesus is the Son of God who kept the law perfectly, and confessing my sins, asking for forgiveness results in my name being recorded in His book of life.
In verse 4b we read, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. This sounds like a 'qualifier'.
I will paraphrase verse 4 and 5. “Jesus came and fulfilled the law in your place. This means it will be recorded that you fulfilled the law yourself. That is, as long as you walk in the spirit and not in the flesh.” Before we deduce that this is 'salvation by works', we need to read further.
Ro 8:5 “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”.
Two phrases stand out here; the first is 'those who live' and the second phrase, 'set their minds'.
'Those who live', I believe, is talking about an observable life style, a way life, a life characterized by a certain overall way of living. I do not believe this is talking about a person who has, in sorrow for their sin of not having recognized Jesus for who He is, has repented of that … has put their faith in Him, has started out walking with Him, but then slips up as the 'flesh' tempts a person to take their eyes off of Jesus for a time. That would not, in my opinion, be classed as 'setting ones mind on the flesh'.
So that leads to the second phrase … set their minds.
This reminds me of the words to a hymn:
I have started out to follow Jesus, Ev'ry day ev'ry hour I want to be
Just a little more like my blessed Jesus; He means more than all the world to me.
In His footsteps I will always follow: In His ever gracious presence I would be.
Though the storms of life may rage, my Lord will guide me. What a kind and faithful Savior is He.
Chorus: Oh, wonderful, wonderful is Jesus. He gave His life on cruel Calvary.
He'll be there when I start to cross the Jordan; What a wonderful Savior is He.
This is what we mean by a mind-set. But because we also have the sin-nature... the ugly thoughts and desires of our flesh nature pop up. But these shall never be a 'mind-set'. If they become a way of life, we are in big trouble, as verse 6 points out.
Ro 8:6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
This is possibly raising the question of eternal security. We may look at this in some detail in the last part of this chapter.
Verses 7 and 8 talks about those whose' life's testimony shows that they have minds that are set on this world. Paul says this kind of a life is 'hostile' to God.
Ro 8:7,8 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. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Here a couple of references come to mind:
James 4:4 “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
Philippians 3:17-20 ¶ Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
We 'set our mind' on spiritual things when we first came to Jesus. It was our obvious 'mind-set', visible and unmistakable to others. But we can 'grow cold'. We can become distracted by the world and attracted to things that are so pleasing to our basic flesh nature. In this case, we need a 'mind-reset'. Paul said in Col 3:2 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” We need to be reminded of that periodically.
Ro 8:9 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.
Unbelievers, non-Christians, whose life style clearly shows their mind-set is on the world and the flesh-nature, cannot live lives pleasing to God. But we can. When we committed our heart and life to Jesus, to following Him, to loving Him more and more … we left the old mind-set behind. We are now living in Him … in the Spirit. He dwells within each believer. Our whole mind and attitude has been changed. Our desires are changed. If you look inside yourself and take a quick assessment and have to admit that 'acting like a Christian is work', if you really don't think like Jesus, if your 'clean living and your talk' is like a 'cover-up' for who you really are … you may not have the Spirit of Christ in you at all. That can be a very sobering realization. What can you do to fix it? Confess your unbelief and sin to Him and ask Him to save you. All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. Christ will then be 'in you'.
Ro 8:10 ¶ “But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”
This is what brings our minds to the point where they are set on Him and 'things which are above'.
Paul sums up with this:
Ro 8:11 “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.”
This is what the Christian life is all about … this world is not our home, our focus, our final abode. It is all passing away. Our focus in this world should be to influence as many unbelievers as possible to come to Jesus. Our mortal bodies will be brought to life by the Spirit of God and He will be our God and we shall be His people for ever and ever.
Paul recaps now:
Ro 8:12 “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
He says that we owe the flesh nothing. When we are tempted to say, after we have failed in some way or another, “O well, that is just me”, we better think twice. Is that REALLY you? It better not be! It better be a failing, a slip, or whatever, but it better not be you and 'just the way you are'. The new 'you' is a follower of God. You have turned from this world to God. Your life is in Him. That is the new you.
Ro 8:14 “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God”
If the Spirit is genuinely in us, we are led from the inside out. He changes the desires of our heart. We want to live for Him. We cry inwardly when we fail. We sense His presence inside of us.
As I mentioned earlier, it is possible for us to grow cold for a number of reasons. We need to be encouraged to come close to God. Paul says;
.Ro 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"
As little children (don't fool yourself into thinking that you are really advanced as a son of God), as little children, when you feel yourself slipping, call out “Father!” “Daddy, help!”
Ro 8:16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,Ro 8:17 ¶ and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.
We are children. But we are not JUST children. We are also HEIRS. Are you familiar with the song lyrics, My Father is rich in houses and lands … and I'm His heir? But before we begin to 'miss-apply' biblical truth, a word of caution. Because we are heirs does not allow us to adopt the attitude, “Hey! I am a child of the King! And king's kids go first class!” The wording that corrects such faulty thinking is in the last part of the verse … that we may also be glorified with Him.
Our 'inheritance' comes when we begin our eternal phase. The teaching that, because we are children of the King, God wants us healthy, wealthy and wise, is a very attractive teaching here in the western world. But tell that to the millions of other Christians who are living in terrible conditions; some of them suffering great tribulation as we speak. The 'name it, claim it' mentality is incredibly selfish and sinful.
Yes we are heirs. And the King is coming. And one day the kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of Jesus2 (Rev. 11:15). So we look forward to that day.
But in the meanwhile Paul is saying:
Ro 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God”.
So for now … we struggle. Our bodies become weaker and sometimes our minds are affected as well. The last part of the book of Ecclesiastes is a reflection of reality3 (Ecc 12:1-7). In Paul's statement about present 'sufferings', he very likely was talking about suffering as a Christian. Christianity was not looked on favorably in his day. The Jews were against it. The gentiles had other gods and could not tolerate the Christian view that there is only one God and all the others ones are not Gods. People do not like to be told they are wrong. So Christians suffered a lot. And in most of the world today they still do. Paul says that we should add up all the sufferings of this present time … and ask, Is this Christian life, with all its risk and suffering … really worth it? Of course it is worth it! Paul says you can't even begin to make a comparison.
He ends verse 19 by saying the very creation is longing for Jesus to return.
Ro 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
Although some biblical commentators have various alternate uses for the word 'creation', I take this simply for what it says … The whole creation was subjected to futility (NIV says subjected to frustration). In Adam's day God said, (Ge 3:17b)
“Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life”. God subjected the creation to this 'frustration' because of Adam's fall. But He did it in hope. That is, He had a long-range plan, an eternal purpose.
And that plan is ...
Ro 8:21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
But for now we wait for the plan of God to unfold
Ro 8:22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. :23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
At the end of the labor pains comes the joy of welcoming a child into the world. At the end of the labor pains of this creation comes the joy of an earth with no more curse. The millennial kingdom of Jesus will be a time of joy and worth it all. We look for a world free from the curse and new bodies so wonderful that we can only imagine.
Ro 8:24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?Ro 8:25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
The use of the word 'hope' might be a little different from the way you have used it or heard it used. This 'hope' is a sure thing. It is not hoping for something that might happen. The use of hope, in this case, is a sure thing somewhere in the future that we are patiently, yet joyfully waiting for.
Sometimes the waiting gets hard. But we are not in this alone. Yes, we have one another in our local churches who are to be “encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near”Heb 10:25b, but we have help from above.
Ro 8:26 ¶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
What would we do without that! Far too many Christians have taken this verse and used it for something else entirely. They have used it as some kind of a proof text of a prayer language, so as to validate their practice of speaking in tongues during a church service or prayer meeting. We need to imagine that 'out' of our thinking. The setting for this, as you have no doubt noticed, has to do with living our daily christian lives with its struggles and tribulations. It is talking about in our desperation having to call out to God for direction and wisdom and help … and not even knowing what to ask for at times. But the Holy Spirit knows what you really need. In those times … when you are before the throne of God in prayer, perhaps totally silent, perhaps weeping … the Holy Spirit knows exactly what you really want and need. At that moment, whether you are aware of it or not … the Spirit has taken your desires and turned them into a prayer.
God hears that.
Ro 8:27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God
We have been told by Jesus that we need to pray 'according to God's will'. As we read our Bibles we discover what things are according to God's will and what things are not. But when we are in the situation mentioned in verse 27, the prayer the Spirit brings before the Father in Heaven is 'dead-on' the will of God.
Ro 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
This is a 'well-worn' promise. Sometimes miss-used. 'All things work together is' is the reassuring and wonderful promise to suffering believers. It is also a good and wonderful promise to those of us right here in the western world, thus far free from tribulation. Are we 'the called according to His purpose'? I believe we should put as much emphasis on the word purpose as we do on the word called. We can expect things to 'work together for good' as we endeavor to carry out His purpose on earth. We are to pray, 'Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven'. That prayer would be very shallow prayer indeed if it becomes just something to say, and in reality we have no intention of being a part of doing His will on earth.
But as one of the 'called according to His purpose' it is a very assuring promise. It has eternal implications. Whether we should be called on to be a martyr for God … be put to death for our faith … it is still a promise … all things will work out for good. And tomorrow, as you make 'seeking first His kingdom' your priority, You too can know that whatever comes up … good or bad, all things will work out for good.
1Lu 10:25 ¶ And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
26 He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?"
27 And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor
as yourself."
28 And he said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live."
2Re 11:15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever."
3Ec 12:1 ¶ Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them” 2 While the sun and the light, The moon and the stars, Are not darkened, And the clouds do not return after the rain; 3 In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, And the strong men bow down; When the grinders cease because they are few, And those that look through the windows grow dim; 4 When the doors are shut in the streets, And the sound of grinding is low; When one rises up at the sound of a bird, And all the daughters of music are brought low; 5 Also they are afraid of height, And of terrors in the way; When the almond tree blossoms, The grasshopper is a burden, And desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home, And the mourners go about the streets. 6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, Or the golden bowl is broken, Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, Or the wheel broken at the well. 7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.