The Glorious Faith and Hope
Comments for Study 7
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This study talks a lot about the work of the Spirit.
I. The Glorious Faith (1-17)
>1. Why is there no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus?
* Romans 8:1-2 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."
* "Therefore" -indicating Paul is moving from one point to the next. The new point is connected to the previous in logical thought. The previous point in this case is God united us in Jesus' death and resurrection.
* "there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" -not everyone.
* "condemnation" -being blamed; to prescribe punishment for; to pronounce unfit for use.
* "because through Christ Jesus" -Jesus accepted our sins and the curse of our sins on the cross. He justified the law that says all sinners should be condemned and die.
* "the law of the Spirit of life" -controlling power of the Spirit which gives life is at work in Christians. Like the physical law of gravity always works, so the law of the Spirit always works.
* "the law of sin and death" -controlling power that says sinners should die in work in unbelievers.
* Jesus has done so much for me. These verses mention some mighty great things.
1) I have no condition (1)
2) the law of the Spirit gives life to me (2)
3) the law of the Spirit set me free from the law of sin and death (2)
4) God sent his Son for me (3)
5) Jesus is a sin offering for me (3)
6) The Spirit gives life to me (11)
7) I am a child of God (14)
8) I am not a slave living in fear (15)
9) I am an adopted son (15)
10) I am an heir of God and co-heir with Christ (17)
11) I share in Christ's suffering and glory (17)
>What does this mean practically? (1-4)
* Romans 8:1-4 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit."
* "condemned sin" -This was because when sin was on the cross in Jesus' body. He himself was without sin, but our sin was on him and he was condemned in our place.
* "to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin" -sin in our selves was put to death. Therefore our sinful self was condemned and died with Jesus. So there is nothing in us to be condemned. Satan is called the accuser; he makes us believe that we are worthless and washed up as believers. But God doesn't condemn us who are in Christ.
* "in sinful man" -our sinful nature. See 7:25b.
* "powerless to do" -it could not give us the strength needed to live by it; we could not overcome the sinful nature. It could not save us when we failed it.
* "in sinful man" -not self righteousness. There is a difference between not being condemned and self righteousness.
* "the righteous requirements of the law" -the law was righteous. Yet, we could not keep its requirements.
* "might be fully met in us" -once and for all. This is in believers in Jesus only.
>2. What are the 2 kinds of people described in verses 5-11?
* Romans 8:5-11 "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you."
>What do physical people think about and talk about?
* "live according to" -its a way of life. They are driven by what their sinful nature dictates.
* "on what that nature desires" -Gal. 5:19-21 lists some of them.
* "hostile to God" -warlike towards God; acting against.
* "does not submit to God's law" -willful act.
* "nor can it do so" -inability to do so. Like an infant is unable to walk.
* "your body is dead" -already, present tense.
* "controlled" -Sinful people have no choice. Those who live by the Spirit of God are controlled by the Spirit of God.
>Why can such people not please God?
* This is not God's nature.
* They do not follow his leading.
* Heb. 11:6
>What is the outcome of this kind of life?
* Death.
* Their spirit is dead.
>3. What do spiritual people think about?
* What the Spirit desires.
* Phil. 4:8
>What is the result? (5,6)
* Romans 8:5-6 "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;"
* "your body is dead, but your spirit is alive" -We will get a new body when Christ comes again. If we die before he comes again, we will rise from the death in a new resurrected body anyway; when he comes again.
>Who controls the Christian?
* The Spirit.
* God controls the heart, the heart controls the mind, and the mind controls the body.
>How is it that believing the death and resurrection of Jesus makes us spiritual people? (11)
* Romans 8:11 "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you."
* "will also give life to your mortal bodies" -makes us spiritual people instead of flesh people.
* "give life" -born again. see John 3:3, 5-8.
>4. What does the Spirit do for us when he dwells in us? (11, 13, 14, 15, 16)
* Romans 8:11 "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you."
* Romans 8:13-16 "For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children."
* vs 12."obligation" -bounds us, owe
>How do we know that we are God's children?
* The spirit testifies with our spirit. (16)
* "testifies" -communion with, active, alive, communication, at one with.
>What glorious hope does this give us?
* He gives life to our mortal bodies through the Spirit.
* "heirs" -power, dignity, wealth, name, glory, love, honor
II. The Glorious Hope (18-27)
>5. Read verses 17 and 18.
* Romans 8:17-18 "Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."
>What is the living hope which we have?
* The glory that awaits us.
* "co-heirs with Christ"- In a human family the oldest receives a double portion of the inheritance. The rest of the siblings equally get a portion.
* "in his suffering"- Jesus suffered when in human form. Our suffering will be similar.
* "we may also share in his glory"- The resurrection from death will be different and similar to our bodies now. 1 Corinthians 15 speaks of this in detail.
* Are verses 18 and 28 in conflict with each other?
"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us," (18) Consider, "present sufferings".
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (28) Consider, "God works for the good".
Does "present sufferings" and "God works for the good" conflict? No. So then I can conclude that my present sufferings are a part of God's work for my good. "All things" includes sufferings.
How? The answer to that question is in verses 23 thru 25. "We who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."
There in lies God's plan for my good in suffering. My present sufferings produce hope. This hope saves me. Faith, hope, and love save (1 Cor. 13:13) I will be liberated from this body of decay all because I hope in suffering (21).
Does this mean my whole life in Christ will contain sufferings? Maybe. Yet, if my mindset is correct, even the sufferings don't have their ill affects as much as they could, not if I hold onto hope. More than that, the Spirit helps in my weakness as I pray (26, 27).
> Why must men and the world still suffer?
* It is subject to the curse.
* It is the tool to make us grow in faith.
* It is a process of glory.
* The world has not been made subject to the King of kings and the Lord or lords.
* Jesus has taught that in the Kingdom of God to come some will have more glory than others. The amount of glory is based on how much we suffer for the gospel and for Jesus' namesake in this life.
>6. Read verses 19-22.
* Romans 8:19-22 "The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time."
>Why and when and by whom was the creation subjected to frustration?
* Why, because "in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into glorious freedom of the children of God."
* When, at the fall of man.
* By whom, God.
>For what is all creation waiting?
* For the sons of God to be revealed.
>7. Read verse 23.
* Romans 8:23 "Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies."
>What does it mean that we have the first fruits of the Spirit?
* "firstfruits" -refers back to one of the Feasts of the Lord in Lev. 23. The priests were to wave the firstfruits of the harvest before the Lord once a year.
* We are not completely changed. We still live in a cursed and dying body. However, our spirit has been made anew. The Spirit of God has given us gifts of the spirit, so that we now live by the Spirit. This is the first fruit of a new and complete life to come.
* Gal. 5:21-24 lists the fruits of the Spirit.
>What does it mean to wait for adoption as sons?
* "redemption of our bodies" -God is not finished with his work in us. We will be given new bodies and reign with Jesus in the Millennium.
* We are adopted and are just waiting to be "picked=up" by our new Father.
>Why must we wait patiently in hope for God and his kingdom?
* We are not finished. We must have hope. We must life by faith.
* We can't long for what we have.
>8. According to verses 18-25, what is the glorious salvation plan of God?
* Romans 8:18-25 "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."
* "pains of child birth" -Jesus used this phrase when describing the grow of frequency and intensity of famines, earthquakes, other natural disasters, war, and rumor of wars.
* "we grown inwardly" -agony of soul, We to want it to happen. We can feel the need for the completion of what was started.
>How does the Spirit help us wait and pray? (26-27)
* Romans 8:26-27 "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."
* Not expressed in words.
>What is his prayer topics?
* In accordance with God's will.
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