Sermon Notes
Introduction
Paul explained why the struggle with sin continues even though the law is good. He stated the obvious: the law is spiritual, but he is of the flesh, sold under sin (7:14). He did not understand his own actions; he did not do what he wanted but did the very thing he hated (7:15). Yet his hatred of sin showed that he agreed with the law, that it is good, and he identified the real culprit as sin dwelling within him (7:16-17). The apostle then admitted that nothing good dwells in his flesh. He had the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out (7:18). Paul did not do what he wanted; he kept doing what he did not want (7:19-20). The apostle described it as a war within. He delighted in the law of God in his inner being, but another law in his members waged war against the law of his mind and made him captive to the law of sin (7:21-23). Frustrated, he cried out: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (7:24). His answer came at once: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (7:25). That cry of thanksgiving points to deliverance, but it leaves a pressing question for every struggling believer. If sin still wages war within us, where do we stand before God? Paul answers with one of Scripture's most comforting declarations.
1. No Condemnation
Paul opens with a verdict: there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. The reason is not that believers stopped, but that God did what the law could not do. He sent His own Son to deal with sin, so that the righteousness of the law would be fulfilled in those who walk by the Spirit.
Romans 8:1-4: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
2. Two Mindsets
Paul contrasts two kinds of people: those who live according to the flesh and those who live according to the Spirit. Each has a mindset, and each mindset has an end. One leads to death; the other to life and peace.
Romans 8:5-8: 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 set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
3. The Spirit Dwells Within
Paul turns directly to the believers: “you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit.” The proof is the indwelling Spirit. And the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead guarantees the future resurrection of the believer’s body.
Romans 8:9-11: You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Application
- Rest in His grace: no condemnation. We do not seek to sin, but when we do, remember that there is no condemnation for those joined to Christ in faith. Let us confess our sins from conviction but believe that there is no condemnation.
- Examine our own minds. What we think about reveals the direction of our souls. Always set your mind on the things of the Spirit through the Word, prayer, worship, and fellowship with the church.
- Live by the power of the indwelling Spirit, not our own willpower. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. Let us face temptation, weakness, and even death with hope that God will raise us with Him.
Study Guide
- Why is there “no condemnation” for those in Christ Jesus? What did God do that the law could not do? (Ro 8:1-4).
- Contrast the mind set on the flesh with the mind set on the Spirit. What does each produce, and how does this connect to the struggle of Ro 7:14-25? (Ro 8:5-8).
- What does the indwelling Spirit mean for the believer now and in the future? Draw your answer from the passage. (Ro 8:9-11)