Romans 8:5–17, 26–27

Bible Studies for Life
Assistant Professor of Religion, Department of Religion, Samford University

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ESSENTIAL TO A HOLY LIFE
Romans 8:5–17, 26–27
Paul begins Romans 8 with the wonderful declaration, “Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” (Rom. 8:1–2). Paul has just said in Romans 7 that sin works through the law to produce sin. Now Paul declares that Christ’s Spirit frees believers from sin’s tyranny. This is precisely what the law could not do; the law could not empower the believer to overcome sin. Now God has sent His Son “in order that the law’s requirement would be accomplished in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:4).

God’s Spirit Changes Our Mind-set (5–9)
The Spirit-led life described by Paul here is not something reserved for a special group of Christians. There is not one class of Christians who have a higher “dose” of the Holy Spirit than do others. When Paul refers to “those whose lives are according to the flesh,” who have “the mind-set of the flesh,” he is not talking about believers but unbelievers (5–6). He says such people cannot submit to God’s law or please God (7–8). For believers, Paul declares, “You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him” (9).

God’s Spirit Empowers Us and Confirms Our Adoption (10–17)
We can have faith in the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives because it is the same Spirit Who raised Christ from the dead. The power that raised Christ’s body from physical death is also able to raise our spiritually dead bodies to a new life (10–11). Because we are empowered by the Spirit, we have no need to return to the previous way of life (12–13). In fact, as Spirit-led believers, we are adopted as God’s children (14). In Christ and through the Spirit, we have been brought into an intimate relationship with God. As Paul puts it, “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (15).

We have this close relationship to God by faith, and our faith is confirmed by the Spirit’s testimony in our lives (16).
As God’s children, we are united to God’s Son, Christ. We are even co-heirs with Christ. By the Spirit, we share in His life and His suffering and will share in His glorification. We share in that Son’s life — its humility in the present world as well as its exaltation in the world to come (Rom. 8:17–18). Thus, in the present time, we walk in holiness as the Spirit empowers our sinful bodies. During this time, we also yearn for our complete redemption, when even our bodies will experience transformation. Just as creation groans to be delivered, we, too, crave our final salvation (Rom. 8:19–24). In Paul’s words, “We eagerly wait for it with patience” (Rom. 8:25).

God’s Spirit Helps Our Prayers (26–27)
We are completely dependent on the Holy Spirit’s power in every area of life. This is true even in our prayers (26).
The Spirit intercedes according to the will of God (27). Therefore, just as the Spirit empowers us to live a righteous life, the Spirit also enables our prayers to be consistent with God’s will. This gives us confidence “that all things work together for the good of those who love God” (Rom. 8:28). If God saved us when we were lost in sin, then how much more will God do for us and provide for us now that we are His children (Rom. 5:10–11)?

“What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He did not even spare His own Son, but offered Him up for us all; how will He not also with Him grant us everything? Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the One who justifies. Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the One who died, but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us” (Rom. 8:31–34).