Life Through the Spirit
8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you [The Greek is singular; some manuscripts me] free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, [In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verses, 4-13.] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.[Or flesh, for sin] And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires, but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life[Or you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive] because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of[Some manuscripts bodies through] his Spirit who lives in you.
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. [The Greek word for adoption to sonship is a term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in Roman culture; also in verse 23.] And by him, we cry, “Abba,[Aramaic for father] Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Present Suffering and Future Glory
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that [Or subjected it in hope. 21 For] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who [Or that all things work together for good to those who love God, who; or that in all things God works together with those who love him to bring about what is good—with those who ] have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
More Than Conquerors
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[Psalm 44:22 ]
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[Or nor heavenly rulers] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
NOTES:
8:1–13 After his warning in Rom 7 against the wrong route to
fulfillment of the objective of holiness expressed in Rom 6:22, Paul points his
addressees to the correct way. Through the redemptive work of Christ,
Christians have been liberated from the terrible forces of sin and death.
Holiness
was impossible so long as the flesh (or our “old self”), that is,
self-interested hostility toward God (Rom 8:7), frustrated the divine
objectives expressed in the law. What is worse, sin used the law to break forth
into all manner of lawlessness (Rom 8:8). All this is now changed. At the cross
God broke the power of sin and pronounced a sentence on it (Rom 8:3). Christians
still retain the flesh, but it is alien to their new being, which is life in
the spirit, namely the new self, governed by the Holy Spirit.
Under the direction of the Holy Spirit Christians are able to fulfill the divine will
that formerly found expression in the law (Rom 8:4). The same Spirit who
enlivens Christians for holiness will also resurrect their bodies at the last
day (Rom 8:11). The Christian life is, therefore, the experience of a constant
challenge to put to death the evil deeds of the body through life of the spirit
(Rom 8:13).
8:14–17 Christians, by reason of the Spirit’s presence
within them, enjoy not only new life but also a new relationship to God, that
of adopted children and heirs through Christ, whose sufferings and glory they
share.
8:15 Abba: see note on Mk 14:36.
8:18–27 The glory that believers are destined to share with
Christ far exceeds the sufferings of the present life. Paul considers the
destiny of the created world to be linked with the future that belongs to the
believers. As it shares in the penalty of corruption brought about by sin, so
also will it share in the benefits of redemption and future glory that comprise
the ultimate liberation of God’s people (Rom 8:19–22). After patient endurance
in steadfast expectation, the full harvest of the Spirit’s presence will be
realized. On earth, believers enjoy the firstfruits, i.e., the Spirit, as a
guarantee of the total liberation of their bodies from the influence of the
rebellious old self (Rom 8:23).
8:28–30 These verses outline the Christian vocation as it
was designed by God: to be conformed to the image of his Son, who is to be the
firstborn among many brothers (Rom 8:29). God’s redemptive action on behalf of
the believers has been in process before the beginning of the world.
Those who
God chooses are those he foreknew (Rom 8:29) or elected. Those who are called
(Rom 8:30) are predestined or predetermined. These expressions do not mean that
God is arbitrary. Rather, Paul uses them to emphasize the thought and care that
God has taken for the Christian’s salvation.
8:28 We know that all things work for good for those who
love God: a few ancient authorities have God as the subject of the verb, and
some translators render: “We know that God makes everything work for good for
those who love God….”
8:29 Image: while man and woman were originally created in
God’s image (Gn 1:26–27), it is through baptism into Christ, the image of God
(2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15), that we are renewed according to the image of the
Creator (Col 3:10).
8:31–39 The all-conquering power of God’s love has overcome
every obstacle to Christians’ salvation and every threat to separate them from
God. That power manifested itself fully when God’s own Son was delivered up to
death for their salvation. Through him Christians can overcome all their
afflictions and trials.
8:38 Present things and future things may refer to
astrological data. Paul appears to be saying that the gospel liberates
believers from dependence on astrologers.
8:39 Height, depth may refer to positions in the zodiac,
positions of heavenly bodies relative to the horizon. In astrological documents, the term for “height” means “exaltation” or the position of greatest influence
exerted by a planet. Since hostile spirits were associated with the planets and
stars, Paul includes powers (Rom 8:38) in his list of malevolent forces.
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