Romans 8:1-17 | NEW LIFE BY THE SPIRIT

Synopsis So far in Romans we’ve explored how deeply sin affects all humanity and how God’s answer is to reconcile us to him through Christ. This week we examine the impact that God’s answer has on our day-to-day living. As a result, we naturally center in on the role of the Spirit in our lives. Paul focuses in on one of the key roles the Spirit plays in our lives: to impart to us the righteousness of Christ. We’ll look at the difference between two ways we can choose to live—according to the or to the Spirit—and how we actually go about choosing one or the other.

This week the focus passage is Romans 8:1-17. Not many verses, but so much gold! ​ ​

So here are the wins for this week: ​ ​ 1) Discuss the difference between living according to the Spirit as opposed to the Flesh 2) Help one another think about how to begin living in better accordance with the Spirit 3) Better understand the roles the plays in our lives 4) Gain a clearer picture of the life that the Spirit is calling us into (and the life he’s calling us away from)

New Life by the Spirit

Read Romans 8:1-17

Commentary Romans 8 is a continuation of Paul’s argument starting way back in chapters 5 and 6. He is talking about our new life as Christians. In , he talks about how we find true freedom in Christ. In , he talks about freedom from the law. Now in Romans 8, he shows how we are free to live by the Spirit, and we have full assurance that Christ will work in us and carry his glorious project to completion.

Righteousness Through the Spirit Flowing out of the good news of Romans 7:24-25, Paul writes Romans 8:1-2—one of the best summations of the gospel in all of Scripture. With our divided hearts and minds, we were powerless to live up to the law (for more on “the law,” see :17-3:20 commentary). In response to our inadequacy, God took on flesh as the one perfectly righteous and self-giving man. And he did so that we might share in his righteousness by ​ his Spirit who lives in us (8:10-11). The Spirit guides us in the way of as we live, and ​ he works powerfully on the other side of death to give us new bodily, everlasting life (8:11).

How, then, do we know if the Spirit lives in us? You receive the Spirit when you confess that it is only through Christ that you can be reconciled to God. Notice the way Paul uses “Christ” and “the Spirit” interchangeably. To know the first is to have the second. So if you recognize and confess Jesus as your only hope, you don’t need to worry, “Do I have the Spirit or not?!”

The better question is “Am I making room for the Spirit to work in me?” The Spirit comes ​ into your life when you call on the name of Jesus. But you can either make room for him or you can crowd him out. What do you think about most often? Where does your ​ mind wander when you’re not occupied with something? The answer to these questions is usually a good indicator of whether or not you’re making room in your mind for the Spirit. We make room for the Spirit—and therefore for Christ himself—or we crowd him out by the way we live our daily lives. And the dangerous reality is that, over time, we could actually inch the Spirit out of our life by making decision after decision to seek flesh rather than Spirit.

Two Ways of Living (8:5-8, 12-17) Paul sets up two opposing ways of living: living “according to the flesh” vs. living “in accordance with the Spirit.” But this doesn’t mean that the physical world is evil or something to be escaped. Flesh ≠ physical world. The physical world is created by God and ​ ​ ​ was good. It’s only the corruption and rebellion of the created world that is bad, it’s “out­of­sync­ness” with the way God designed it to be. Flesh = the misuse or improper love of ​ the world. For further clarification on spirit vs. flesh, read Galatians 5:16-26. ​

The presence of the Spirit and the new kind of life he brings is a key marker of being children of God (8:14). There isn’t anything we have to do to earn our sonship and receive the Spirit. Both are free gifts. However, when we do his Spirit receive and are transformed by him, this ​ ​ ​ ​ is (among other things) God’s way of helping us in fulfilling our call to be a light to the world, a signpost pointing to him.

So we do in some way have an obligation to living this new kind of life (8:12). A life that’s changed by the Spirit isn’t just an optional, added bonus for the super spiritual. Part of really ​ receiving Christ is opening ourselves to the surgical work of his Spirit. But an obligation to ​ this new life doesn’t mean it has to be a burden for us to carry or a bar for us to live up to. Because the Spirit works alongside and empowers us. C. S. Lewis puts it this way:

“The Christian principles are, admittedly, stricter than others; but then we think you will ​ get help towards obeying them which you will not get towards obeying the others.” ​

Struggling with a particular sin? Seeking transformation is not just about your willpower. It’s about allowing God to work in and through you to change your sinful desires, and work alongside you not to submit to them. This attitude is like King ’s after being caught in adultery and murder: “Search me, O God. Change me from the inside out. Help me replace my desires with righteous ones. Create in me a pure heart.”

Finally, while our lives will certainly be transformed for the better if we let them be defined by the guiding presence of the Spirit, that doesn’t mean everything will be rainbows and butterflies from here on out. Living life in accordance with the Spirit in no way guarantees us God’s blessing understood as favorable circumstances, a life or comfort, or freedom from struggles. In fact, we’re promised that really living this new life means sharing in Christ’s suffering. But, if we let it, that suffering will be channeled for a holy purpose, actually accelerating and helping along the renewing work that the Spirit begins in us (8:17).

Questions

According to this little passage, what are some roles the Holy Spirit plays in our lives?

Are all things that seem like they are physical pleasures bad? Enjoying good food? Sex? Even a beautiful sunset? If not, what’s the difference between something that’s physical and something that’s of the flesh?

What’s the relationship between Christ and the Spirit in this passage?

When Paul talks about flesh and Spirit, does he mean physical things vs. abstract things? Material world vs. spirit world (angels & demons)? What’s he mean?

How does the idea of our being children of God help us understand some of the key themes in this passage? (God calling us to a new life, warning us against certain ways of life, the promises he makes, etc.)

Application Questions

How can we tell if our mind is governed by the flesh or governed by the Spirit?

What are some of the ways we choose between flesh and spirit every day? Identify an area (or two) where you feel God challenging you to intentionally follow his Spirit over your own desires.

How does this passage teach us to approach sin in our life?

What’s it look like to have your mind set on what the Spirit desires (8:5)? What can we do in our lives to practically take steps in this direction?

Does living in accordance with the Spirit mean living a life of blessing? In what ways is this true? In what ways is this a bit misunderstood? (see 8:17)

If there is now no condemnation for those of us in Christ, does that mean that once we believe we’re free to live life however we want without fear of condemnation?

What role do spiritual rhythms—like praying, fasting, reading Scripture, etc.—play in having a mind governed by the Spirit? What spiritual disciplines could you implement in your life to help you seek Spirit over flesh?

How do you know if the Spirit of God lives in you?

What are some “misdeeds of the body” that have been plaguing your life? How can you begin to put those to death? (8:13)

Resource Toolbox

Greg Boyd ­ “How to Overcome the Flesh Mindset” ​ Carolyn Moore ­ “Marks of the Spirit­Filled Life” Francis Chan ­ Forgotten God ​