The Blessing Of Life Series

(25) The Blessing of Life

Romans 8:1–11

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,

4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

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, the things of the Spirit.

6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Introduction

The Blessing of Life is the subject of verses 1–11. When God saved you, He gave you a new life, not a new law. As you yield to that life, you obey His law. Keep your mind centered on the things of the Lord and seek to please God in all things.

1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.

2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Colossians 3:1-4—

In Christ, you have died to the old life and been raised to a new life (Rom. 6:1–14; Eph. 2:1–10), so make the new life the focus of your attention. Set your mind on it; seek to experience all that you have in Christ. Let the Spirit live His life in you.

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Authorities on the Greek language tell us that this verse reads as follows in the original, “Therefore, now there is not even one bit of condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” There is no condemnation from the Law, because Jesus fulfilled the Law. There is no condemnation from our sin, which we inherited through Adam’s sin, because Jesus (the last Adam) brought back everything Adam Lost. He did what the first Adam failed to do. There is no condemnation from any source because we are in Christ Jesus, born of His Spirit, washed in His blood, and hid with Christ with God.

Paul contrasted walking according to the flesh with walking according to the Spirit.

Walking refers to lifestyle, and walking according to the flesh is living according to the sinful, selfish dictates of one’s desires—“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:19–21).

Walking according to the Spirit describes a life yielded to the control of God’s Spirit—“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Gal. 5:22, 23).

The word condemnation means more than just the opposite of justification; it indicates that we are not going to suffer the penalty for our sin, but that the guilt and the penalty have been removed at the cross. Therefore, for those who are in Christ Jesus (in the body of Christ), we do not live under the constant threat of punishment (punishment that we rightfully deserve) by God. No sin a believer can commit—past, present or future—can be held against him, since Christ paid the penalty, and righteousness was imputed to the believer. In addition, no sin will ever reverse God’s decision.