Romans
Chapter 8 Verse 1 ,2
There is no condemnation (blame, guilt) to those that are in Christ Jesus, those who do not walk after the flesh (earthly desires) but who walk after the Spirit.
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ has made me free from the law of sin and death.
God’s spirit in me is what rules and controls me now. Because of that I am free from trying to obey all the rules and laws of the Old Testament. God’s spirit is one of love, caring about others, being kind and generous, living honestly—-if I obey the spirit of God I will automatically obey the 10 Commandments and God’s law.
All the many laws and rules of the Old Testament were for the purpose (reason) to have people do right to others and to God. The spirit of the Old Testament law was one of caring, kindness, honesty, and worshipping only God in heaven. The spirit of Christ is the same.
So if I walk in the spirit of Christ I am doing the things God wants me to do.
Romans Chapter 8 Verse 3 – 10
The law was not successful in making men righteous, because men were weak and gave in to fleshly desires.
God sent his own son in a human body (flesh), to take sin on Himself, to die and pay the death punishment for sin, so we can be free from sin. We can have righteousness. We walk not after the flesh but we walk after the Spirit.
People who desire only things of this earth, do things that belong to this earth. People who desire spiritual things, do things that please the Spirit of God.
People who only think about their bodies’ desires and things on this earth, will have no part of eternal life.
People who think about the spirit and take care of spiritual things will have eternal life and peace.
The mind that thinks only about earthly things is opposite (enemy) of God. Because they do not think about pleasing and obeying God. The natural sinful nature does not think about God.
So people who think only about things of this earth can not please God.
But you (the people Paul is writing to) are not thinking about earthly things and things your sinful nature wants—you are in the Spirit–because now the Spirit of God lives in you.
If any person has does not have the Spirit of God in them—they do not belong to God.
Christ is in us. We still have sinful natures. But we die to our sinful wants and desires. The Spirit of Christ in us gives us new life and righteousness.
Romans Chapter 8 Verse 11 – 15
If the Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead lives in you—that same Spirit will “quicken” (make alive) your body which will someday die.
Just a Jesus was raised from the death and was given a new body—we will also have a new body someday. I Corinthians 6:14 “God who raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.” John 11:25,
I Corinthians 15: 12-20
We owe a debt to God for what He has done for us. We should not live after the flesh because to live after the flesh means we will die eternally.
If we put away and stop doing the things of sinful fleshly desires and wants and live after the Spirit, we will live eternally.
Those who follow the leading of the Spirit, they are the sons of God.
We are not to live in a spirit of fear. We have been adopted to be God’s children. We call Him “Father”.
Romans Chapter 8 Verse 16 -19
The Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. (The Spirit of God speaks to our human spirit letting us know that we belong to Him and that everything is right between God and us.)
If we are God’s children then we are heirs. Heirs are the sons and daughters who get all the money and houses, etc. of their parents after the parents die.
So we get all the blessings and riches of God because we are His children.
Jesus is God’s son, we are God’s children—so we are heirs together–joint heirs—to receive all the blessings and riches of God.
If we suffer with Jesus, we will receive the blessings and glory with Jesus.
As Christian people who follow Christ—we may have to suffer for Jesus. Those of us who in in the United States have not had to suffer much for Jesus. We have had freedom to say how we believe. Most of the people in the United States have believed that Jesus was God’s son.
Things may change. If you read history books you will read about different counties that did not like Christians—they killed them, put them in jail, beat them, etc. In the United States we have not had that problem, but things may change. We do not know about the future.
We need to think about how important it is for us to believed in Jesus and have our sins forgiven so we can go to heaven. That is not something we want to give up.
If we say we do not believe in Jesus, then we will give up eternal life.
The Bible says that if we “deny” Jesus—say we do not know Jesus—then someday in heaven Jesus will say He does not know us.
Matthew 10:33, Mark 8:38, II Timothy 2: 12
If Jesus says that He does not know us—-we will not stay in heaven with Him but we will go to hell.
Verse 18 Paul says that the suffering we may have here on earth will be worth the trouble for all the glory and blessings that we will receive in heaven someday.
We are waiting to see the wonderful things that God has for us as His children.
Romans Chapter 8 Verse 20 – 31
The things of this earth–people, animals, plants, —all have come under the curse of sin—there is sickness, death, weeds, thorns —all because of the curse of sin.
All things created wait to be free from this curse of death.
We, also, wait to be free from this earthly curse of death. We suffer and groan with pain waiting for our bodies to be free from sickness and death.
We are saved by hope. A person hopes for something that is not yet seen. When he sees it—he does not need to hope any more because it is here.
We hope for the saving of our bodies and souls from death. We wait for that to happen.
The Spirit of God also helps our weakness. We do not know what to pray for, but the Spirit helps us pray. The Spirit prays through us to the Father. The Spirit knows what to pray for. Sometimes the Spirit prays through us so strong that we groan in prayer. The Spirit is praying hard for the things that need to be prayed for. The Spirit is talking to the Father.
Our minds may not know all the Spirit is praying. Our spirits feel the Holy Spirit praying inside us. That is okay. The Holy Spirit is talking to the Father about things that need to be prayed for even though our minds do not know it.
The Spirit will pray matching the will of God.
Sometimes we want things and we pray for things that are not God’s will for us. When the Spirit prays through us—He will pray in a way that is what God’s will is for us.
Verse 28 We know that all things will work out for good—things will work together for good—for those who love God and who are called and live for God’s purpose.
Sometimes terrible things happened to us. We can not see how such terrible, hurtful, sad things could work for our good. Sometimes it is very hard to trust God.
People who have walked with God for many years will tell you that in the end—many years later—they could see how God used those terrible things to work out good things in their lives.
Verse 29 The people God called to be His, He knew and planned for them to be like His Son. Jesus was the firstborn son. Those who believed became sons of God after Him.
The people God knew and planned for, He called them to be His sons, He justified them (made right with God), and He will give them glory one day.
Verse 31 If God is for us—who can be against us and succeed?
If God is on our side—those who are against us will fail.
Romans Chapter 8 Verse 32
God did not save His own Son. He gave Jesus up for us. If God did that—will He not give us all things that we need?
Who can blame those who belong to God? God has justified us—made us right with Him.
Who can condemn us (say we are guilty)? Jesus makes intercession for us. Jesus interprets for us. Jesus talks to God for us. Jesus who died for us and was raised from the dead—stands before God talking to God for us.
Jesus is on our side. Like a lawyer who stands by a person and talks to the judge for that person.
Who could separate (pull us away) from God’s love? Nothing can pull us away from God’s love—not tribulation (terrible trouble), distress (upsetting sad things), persecution (being beaten, made fun of, people doing bad things to you to make you suffer), famine (no food), nakedness (no clothing), peril (danger), sword (wars, fighting, killing).
None of these things can pull us away from God’s love.
In Psalms 44:22, It says that we are killed all day long, we are like sheep going to be killed.
Verse 37 In all these things we are more than conquerors (winners)
through Jesus who loved us.
Paul suffered many things while he was going to different countries telling about Jesus. Paul still felt he was a winner, because God’s love for him was so good to him, he could forget all the suffering.
Verse 38 For I am very sure, that nothing can separate us (pull us away) from the love of God—-not death, not life, not angels, not principalities (governments), not powers (earthly or evil spirits), not things that are now, not things that are in the future, not things high, not things low, not any creature (created thing), shall separate (pull us away) from the love of God, which we have in Christ Jesus our Lord.