Beauty in the Book: Romans 8
Themes
This portion of Romans defines the differences between a life lived according to the Spirit versus a life lived according to the flesh. We gain insight into the Spirits workings in our hearts, our identity as God’s children, the redemption of our bodies, and how we can trust we will experience God’s love and Christ’s victory in life.
Questions
This chapter addresses the following questions:
What does it mean to live by the Spirit? Or be led by the Spirit?
How does the Spirit bring life?
Can I trust that God will redeem my body?
Will God still work in my life if I don’t know what to pray for, or how to pray?
Can anything stop God’s love for me?
Moving Forward
This writing will break down the chapter section-by-section, offering commentary for your reflection. Don’t miss the ending titled Beauty in the Book where it all gets wrapped up in a bow—highlighting how every chapter is woven with uplifting realities of God’s goodness and grace.
Romans 8:1-2
The previous chapter proclaimed that in Christ, we are now free from what once bound us. We are no longer held by the code of the law, but in the love of the Spirit.
After Paul made it clear in chapter seven that sin was inescapable, he breaks into this bold and beautiful statement of all that’s new: there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus!
No condemnation. Let that sink in. Grace has won the day. And God has won our hearts. For after Jesus triumphed in victory on calvary’s hill—and the veil that separated us from God was torn in two—our lives became eternally secure with God. Uncondemned, not damned, but restored, redeemed, and won by a loving savior.
Romans 8:3-4
The law was a band-aid but it was never meant to be the heart surgery humanity needed to rescue us from our treacherous sin problem. The law was as powerless for our devastating condition as a sticky little bandage on a bruised and bleeding heart.
It’s the most interesting dynamic: we were once condemned by our sin. But Jesus came, fulfilled the law by his perfect sacrifice on our behalf, and actually ended up condemning sin intself.
Sin itself stood condemned! (Romans 8:3)
It’s as if God pointed his finger at sin and said, “your time is up, buddy!”
Because of Jesus’ perfect obedience and sacrifice, what the law required of us—total perfection—was accomplished once-and-for-all. It was been fulfilled for those of us who have set aside the strivings of our flesh and stepped into the life of the Spirit.
By God’s Spirit, we live in the proclamation that we are God’s children. We follow his lead as he guides us into all truth. (Romans 8:15, John 14:16-17)
We were “purchased” by God, by the blood of Christ. He won us back into his care. And the Spirit dwells within us as evidence that we will be fully restored by God, and united with him for all of eternity. (Ephesians 1:3-14)
Romans 8:5-8
There is a really interesting word at play here: accordance. That what my NIV Bible uses. This section discusses what it means to live in “accordance” with the Spirit versus the flesh.
Here’s a few versions of verse 5:
NIV: 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.
NLT: Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.
AMP: For those who are living according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh [which gratify the body], but those who are living according to the Spirit, [set their minds on] the things of the Spirit [His will and purpose].
In the greek, this word “κατά”/kata, offers the idea of something flowing down from or being sourced from. There is a motion/diffusion at play.
So then, now that the geeky wordplay is out of the way, let’s think about this: a person who is living with the Spirit flowing through them, motivating them and guiding them into all truth. It is only by the Spirit’s activity that a person could possibly please God.
Conversely, if a person is animated by their flesh, they live in hostile rebellion to God. This is why attempting to submit to the law according to the flesh’s power did nothing but leave people clearly condemned and explicitly desperate for salvation.
The righteous requirement of the law (as mentioned previously in verse 4) could only be met by one who was infused by the power of the Holy Spirit. The penalty of the law was taken by Christ—that’s one thing—but living in accordance with God’s ways is another.
To yield to his law of love is only possible by the inner-working and sanctifying grace of the Spirit.
Romans 8:9-11
When we placed our faith in Jesus and his atoning death on our behalf, we were given the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
It’s a mystery we won’t even come near to fully fathoming on this side of eternity, and yet, we know this Spirit dwells within us. And anyone who has the privilege of observing someone place their faith in Jesus for the first time, and sticks around to see what happens next, witnesses the extraordinary process of a life being transformed from the inside-out.
This is because, even though we operate in these sin-soaked bodies, the Spirit enters in and gently begins a process of restoration at the pace and rhythm of grace. Having been already set free from death’s penalty, the Spirit guides us into God’s way of true love that begins in our inner places, often through his bringing healing and restoration to the places that we didn’t understand his perfect love interacting with our lives all along.
The Spirit breathes life into our dry bones and brings about a healing, restoration, and righteousness that would never be possible aside from the unfailing love and power of God.
Romans 8:12-13
Paul soberly addresses readers next, speaking of the responsibility we have as those who have been filled with God’s blessed Spirit; we are to yield to it.
Jesus came to give us life. Abundant, full life. (John 10:10)
As people with the honor of having the transformative life-force of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, we are to soberly submit to his interactive work in our lives.
We are to kill off what has killed us for so long. It’s our duty as kingdom warriors to use this newly infused power beaming inside of us to fight for all Jesus died to give us.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV
May we persevere in our God-given duty to breathe fresh life in the Spirit. And may we remember that it’s the author of life himself who calls us the battle.
Romans 8:14-17
While Paul soberly reminds us to take seriously the privilege of the indwelling Holy Spirit and to cooperate with his living and active work within us, he also clarifies in this next section that the obligation we have in the Spirit is entirely different than the obligation we had in the flesh.
You see, in our flesh—and under the law—we lived in fear.
That’s not the dynamic at play in this New Covenant juncture.
We are obligated not as slaves, but as children. Just as children are to dutifully cooperate with the parents who love them so deeply and are committed to them, so we are to live as sons of the Most High God, embracing our newfound identity.
We live as God’s children, led along by his Spirit. This Spirit within us is the confirmation that we belong to a new family now—the family of God.
We have a new identity. We are citizens of a new kingdom. We cry “Abba, Father” to God himself.
And yielding to the Spirit, killing off our sin, cooperating with his work within us—in all we do that confirms we are children of God—may we not forget that this same sonship (and daughtership) is the very same thing that confirms we are his heirs for all of eternity.
We join him in the battle against sin, just as we will share in his ultimate glory.
Romans 8:18-21
As if acknowledging that he is calling readers to battle, Paul addresses an obvious fact: yes, there will be some suffering involved.
It’s not easy to have an indwelling kingdom at work inside of you—even as you are living as a foreigner in the physical world you presently indwell.
I want to mention Matthew 5:14-16. This idea that we have a light inside of us as we move along in this world. We carry the true light inside of us!
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deedsand glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16 NIV
It’s a beautiful dynamic. And yet it’s one that often results in pain and suffering, especially for those who don’t recognize the light for what it is.
Sometimes what sets Christians apart is described as a light. Other times, a fragrance.
See 2 Corinthians 2:15-17:
For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life… 2 Corinthians 2:15-17 NIV
We know that as we move through this world, we will experience suffering in our battle against sin, along with persecution. But in all of these, things, we look forward to the hope that we are being ushered into the “freedom and glory of the children of God”. (Romans 8:20)
Romans 8:22-25
What we see described here is the discrepancy between our redeemed identities and our redeemed bodies—as children of God.
We saw previously in Romans 8:16 that God’s Spirit within us testifies to our spirit that we, in Christ, are in fact God’s children. This is our identity. We see this also in John 1:12-13:
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. John 1:12-13
The reality is firmly in place, even as we dwell in unredeemed bodies. We have the Spirit to ensure the rest is still to come. In fact, this is beautifully described by Paul as he defines the Spirit as our “firstfruits”.
In the Old Testament, the firstfruits were the very first portion of a larger harvest to come. (GotQuestions.org) As human beings who have placed our faith in Jesus, the Spirit is given to us as an indication and a promise that the full redemption of our bodies is underway.
The Spirit fills us with hope regarding this beautiful truth.
Even as we groan in the waiting, may our hope sustain us with divine patience as we trust in God’s promises for all that’s yet to come.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13 NIV
We know we have the Spirit—and we know the pain we feel as we hold the loveliness of God’s goodness in the tattered earthly tents of our bodies.
For that’s exactly what they feel like! Tents. Temporary housing which holds us but doesn’t fully protect us from the elements. God has made us for our eternal dwelling, and we know it deep within us because he has scripted eternity into the heart of mankind. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
2 Corinthians 5:1-5 describes the dynamic at play:
For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 NIV
He won’t leave us in our tents. He confirms that with his Spirit.
In John 14, as Jesus begins to part with his disciples here on earth, he once again confirms that he is preparing a heavenly dwelling for us.
In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. John 14:2-3 ESV
Jesus goes on to affirm that he will not leave us as orphans. (For we are not orphans, we are children!) And he will come for us and bring us home.
Romans 8:26-27
Just as we groan for redemption, so the Spirit groans within us. Like a true friend along for a bumpy ride, the Spirit dwells within us, groaning alongside of us, interceding for us along the way.
The Spirit knows the depths of our weakness. Which is a really beautiful fact to consider. It reminds me of God’s character and the immaculate humility displayed in the person of Christ.
If Isaiah 57:15 doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, I don’t know what will:
For this is what the high and exalted One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. Isaiah 57:15 NIV
God is the most majestic, perfect, and powerful being in the Universe—and yet, he dwells with the lowly and contrite in heart. Not just to be with them, but to revive them.
Is this not what Jesus did in his time on earth?
And is this not what the Spirit does now, inside our very bodies?
He dwells with us, groans with us, and helps us. He intercedes for us and refreshes us with the true hope of the gospel.
The word “intercession” (entygchanō,ἐντυγχάνω) can be defined as meeting with someone purposefully—especially for conversation, consultation, or supplication. I picture the Holy Spirit groaning in prayer for us, discussing with God our exact situations and what we need supplied by our gracious Heavenly Father.
He makes prayers of supplication for us in accordance with the will of God. He helps us in our weakness when we don’t know what to pray for ourselves.
Webster’s definiton for intercession is simple (and brings a smile to my face): “the action of intervening on behalf of another”.
I can’t help but to visualize a friend (representing us) exhausted and hurting, and the another friend (representing the Spirit) standing up for them, advocating for their needs, and caring for them along the way.
Romans 8:28-30
It’s because of who God is that we can trust wholeheartedly this next piece in play: he works all things together for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Now, call me crazy, but sometimes it seems that when people read this verse, it can go one of two ways: either they are deeply comforted by God’s impending provision and seem to feel that good is underway regardless of what they do, or they are desparately worried that they don’t love God enough and their circumstances are headed for hell in a hand basket.
Might I propose a more balanced theory?
These verses in Romans 8:28-30 describe the process of destination, sanctification, justification, and glorification. Hold onto your hats! We are getting into some big words here.
It seems like every Scripture that comes to mind as I’m writing about this keeps bringing me back to John 14. Maybe you should just read it fully here. Because it breaks down in-depth what life is like for us with the Holy Spirit as we await Christ’s second coming .
In regards to Romans 8:28-30, I want to note what Jesus says about loving him, and being filled with the Holy Spirit:
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you. John 14:15-17 NIV
In order for God to work all things for good, we must be yielded to his good work inside of us. We must love him, and keep his commandments, in accordance with the Spirit.
We have been called forward according to God’s purposes (destination). His good purposes. His purpose is that we be confirmed into the image of Jesus (sanctification). He wants us to be fully and fairly made right before him, as he accomplished by the sacrifice of Christ himself (justification). And amazingly, he wants us glorified in eternity with our new and beautiful, perfect, sinless bodies (glorification).
There it is: destination. Sanctification. Justification. Glorification.
God works all things for good as we love him and yield to the work he is doing inside of us. His purposes for us are better than we could ever dare hope, ask, or imagine.
He is the God of “immeasurably more”. It’s because of all that he does in us that praise flows out of us. To the ultimate glory of Jesus’ name.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV
Romans 8:31-37
I love how Paul opens this next part. It’s as if he breaks down all that God has given us in the Holy Spirit, and all the good he is working out in our lives—even on this side of eternity. And then he simply has no choice but to exclaim:
“What can we even say now?!” (8:31) It’s so wonderful.
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31 NIV
The good in our lives is a work that begins and ends with God! We gain the most incredible glimpse into His character in verse 32, which proclaims that God spared nothing—not even his own Son—to rescue us. How could we write the One who did this off as anything less than gracious, good, and faithful.
This faithful God is the one who has taken it upon himself to bear the weight of our justification—our being made right before him—in this way, how can we expect that any accusation could stand against the power of God in its attempt to take us down?!
In no way! It’s not possible. Emphatically, Paul write that we are “more than conquerers” in Christ Jesus. It’s as if being called simply. a “conquerer” was insufficient.
It would be enough to be justified by the death of Christ. But Paul takes it a step further. Jesus didn’t just die for us, but he was raised to life and is now interceding for us.
So, if you remember our last little section of scripture, that means we now have The Holy Spirit, and Jesus, interceding to God on our behalf. The entire trinity is at play for our triumphant victory. This news in unfathomably good. We could never be worthy of the tremendous gifts God has given us in Christ; and it’s His Goodness that makes him tremendously worthy of all honor and glory, forever and ever, Amen?!
God loves us, and he is as committed to us as a Father is to his child. He spared nothing for his rescue mission to redeem our hearts, and we can trust the ferocity of his love as we encounter any hardship on this side of eternity.
We have the Holy Spirit working inside of us, and interceding on our behalf. Furthermore, we have justification through Jesus, and him interceding on our behalf.
Whether we face the physical hardships on this side of eternity such as famine, persecution, a lack of clothing, or harmful weapons—or whether we face spiritual battles such as demons other powers—the fact remains: God’s love is steadfast and unfailing.
His purposes will not be thwarted. And every last word of his will come to pass.
May we call on the God who loves us ever-so-much, and when we don’t have the words to say, may we rest in the generous care of the Holy Spirit, and Christ himself, offering word to the Almighty Father on our behalf.
Beauty in the Book
We have gained life—the true and abundant life Jesus came to give us—through the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s the miracle upon miracles: the power of God moving and breathing inside of us, offering us sanctification and the sweet reminders of his love on a day-in-and-day-out basis.
This Spiritual life we have been gifted is an inconquerable reality. And Paul wants us to know it. He tells us that while we might face hardship on this side of eternity—experiences that leave us groaning as we wait for the full redemption that’s underway—we have the power of God working on our behalf as he is manifesting his love in the most strategic of ways.
He has provided us with the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth, that the law’s true righteousness might be met in us who yield to the Spirit’s beautiful work inside of us. This work isn’t like the work enforced on a slave, but like the invitation held out to a child. The Lord, in his grace and by the power of the Spirit, invites us to be transformed for his good purposes.
In this manner, we can trust that God will work all things for good. We can trust his work in our life. After all, he has a track record of sparing nothing for us. If we could count on him for the cross, we can count on him in the constant pressures of life on this side of eternity.
His love is steadfast, enduring, and pure. May we embrace the fullness of his love, even as we wait patiently for his imminent return and the full redemption of our bodies.
