The Gospel of Grace and the Law
Book of Romans Chapter 8
What is it to be condemned? It is to be sentenced to punishment.
To be guilty.
To be worthless.
To be wrong according to the truth of the Word of God.
We need to understand the power of the Holy Spirit! There is nothing and no one more powerful than the Holy Spirit(Ghost)!
If we need anything, we need the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives!
What does the Holy Spirit accomplish in our lives once we accept the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ?
The Holy Spirit gives us eternal life.
The Holy Spirit leads us to Spiritual things.
The Holy Spirit will live inside each believer forever.
The Holy Spirit is life.
The Holy Spirit gives us the power to overcome sin.
The Holy Spirit connects us to the Heavenly Father.
The Holy Spirit is our adoption agent into the family of God.
The Holy Spirit bears witness to our Heavenly Father of our Spiritual condition.
All these things will unfold as we go through this passage called Chapter Eight.
Chapter 8 of the Book of Romans is one of the greatest chapters for the believer and those who still have doubts in their Spiritual life.
So what is the truth of our deliverance from sin by the Lord Jesus Christ?
*****Rom 8:1 There is therefore now "no condemnation" to them which are "in Christ Jesus", who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
For me to be in Christ then, I must be in all the things Jesus Christ did for me!
The Lord Jesus Christ lived.
The Lord Jesus Christ died.
The Lord Jesus arose from that death.
So I must live, die, and arise to be in Christ!
This is also the meaning of the full immersion Baptism!
Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Php 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Php 3:11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
He was my Substitute for my death.
He is my Mediator while I yet live.
He is my Representative in Heaven until I get there through Him.
My goal is to identify with my Lord Jesus Christ and strive to be more like Him every day! This is the path of Sanctification!
Joh 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Joh 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Propitiation for my sin therefore I never have to die!
When I do all these things I will no longer be "condemned" to die for my sin, for He has already paid that debt I owed!
Isa 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
I have been made free from the law of sin and death!
*****Rom 8:2 For "the law of the Spirit of life" in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Have you noticed that there are somethings God knew we would not understand in the Bible, so God explained them for us?
What is the Law of the Spirit? It is life in Christ Jesus!
A life in Christ Jesus is eternal!
There is life in Jesus Christ that goes far beyond these few years we see in this life that is no more than a vapor compared to the life in Jesus Christ!
Jas_4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
This life is in Jesus Christ and in Him alone!
Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Once this temporary body, that can live only a few years has passed to death, then by that death we will pass to life!
Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
This is an amazing promise for each believer!
Joh 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Joh 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
This life after death comes only by Jesus Christ!
Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
This is that law of the Spirit of Life in Jesus Christ!
This life is the result of what our Heavenly Father sent His Son to do for us and why this act of God is called "Grace".
God's Riches At Christ's Expense!
*****Rom 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit gives life by doing what those old Jewish Laws could not do!
The Law could not make anyone righteous, because in our flesh we have no power to keep and obey all those laws, and but one failure brought death!
There are no laws that can be written that would provide the righteousness, required by God to be in His presence!
God credits this righteousness to us:
1) When we believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is our righteousness.
2) When we believe that the lord Jesus Christ is our One and Only Savior! (The One who died for us)
When we believe these things with all our heart, the Holy Spirit fulfills that righteousness within us and it is eternal!
Without these things we cannot be saved from ourselves, and we cannot be saved from this world that lives in hopelessness!
Yes, this world lives in hopelessness!
Everywhere today we hear "trust the science" but science cannot give us what God can give us!
It is the Holy Spirit who brings with Him eternal life in the home of our Savior!
We must forsake our flesh to receive the Holy Spirit!
What are we taught by the Lord Jesus Christ?
1) Jesus condemned sin as being evil!
All sin is contrary to God and the Word of God!
Sin is unworthy of God and humanity.
2) Jesus Christ made secure the righteousness of all humanity!
Jesus Christ came as that babe born in Bethlehem in the same flesh as we have.
The same flesh with all its desires, its passions, and its potential for evil, yet He had the power to overcome this flesh and never sinned even one time.
The Lord Jesus Christ became our pattern, our model, of what our Heavenly Father was looking for in humanity!
We now have the power of God to reach the perfection that was in the Lord Jesus Christ!
Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Heb 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
3) The Lord Jesus Christ became our Substitute on Calvary's Cross.
Our Heavenly Father had to accept the law of sin and death as fulfilled by His Son because God will never go against His Word!
Satan was removed from this picture.
1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
*****Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit who moves into our heart upon that "faith" in the work of Christ, will pull us to do Spiritual things.
What comes from the heart enters our mind and so when our hearts are pure, our mind will think upon pure things.
Pro 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
When our thoughts are focused upon the goodness of God, then we are able to do good things and things that are righteous according to the Word of God!
God helps us to have control of our minds!
The Holy Spirit will search out the secret intentions of the heart and He cannot be fooled!
When we can remain under the guidance of a corrupt nature, then we had better take another look at Jesus Christ and be truly saved!
When our minds remain carnal, then the Holy Spirit does not live within our heart!
*****Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
We should understand that a carnal mind does not just mean a mind on evil and immoral things.
A carnal mind is a mind that does not place the Lord Jesus Christ first in all our thoughts!
There is a lot to be said about "What Would Jesus Do" WWJD!
The Holy Spirit will always lead us to the thoughts of Jesus Christ!
A carnal mind can focus on moral, upright, and a cultured life, and still reject and neglect the truth of God and the truth of Jesus Christ!
This is called self-righteousness which goes against the truth of God!
We must live in the "righteousness" of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Eph 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Eph 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
We must give our minds over to the control of the Holy Spirit!
It is only the Holy Spirit who can work within us to cause our mind to think upon Spiritual things!
It is only the Holy Spirit who will provide the will to do God's pleasure! A day by day walk with God! This is called Sanctification.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
This is the only way we can focus upon the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ!
If we are not in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, then we cannot please God!
Remember we live and die by obedience to our Holy God!
Being saved is His first priority!
Doing the work of Christ is a close second.
We will live with a lifetime of choices and the Holy Spirit will always choose Christ!
*****Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Upon accepting the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit immediately moves into each believer.
Some will feel Him just that quick, but most do not, but this does not mean He did not move into each one that now have that faith.
It is by faith that we know this important truth of God!
It is a surety that the Holy Spirit moves in at this point and begins the process of "regeneration", making all things new!
2Co 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
We must have faith that this is true, and we must know that He, the Holy Spirit will never leave us from this point forward throughout eternity!
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Some people ask, what is the differences between the angels and humanity.
The differences begin with one simple fact, an angel has no spirit so the Holy Spirit cannot live within an angel!
1Pe 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
1Pe 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; "which things the angels desire to look into".
The angels can never be the children of God!
So, if Christ comes into the heart and the Holy Spirit comes to live within each believer, our bodies should be dead to sin!
But alive to Christ because of the Holy Spirit!
*****Rom 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
What is the first benefit we receive by the Holy Spirit? Eternal life!
This old body that ages everyday will continue to age, but the spirit that remains, shall live because of righteousness.
Our spirit will begin that life that is eternal, if we have accepted the work of Jesus Christ for our salvation!
The Spirit of Christ is a life-giving force that cannot be stopped.
We say all the time that time is just going by so fast.
What we are really saying is, that our body is in a rapid movement toward its death and there is little we can do about it!
We can try with the right diet and proper exercise, but we will not gain very much, at best we may add one or two years!
This does not mean that we should not do healthy things, we should so we can remain in the work of God as long as possible.
We all seem to forget that it is God who decides our death!
1Ti_4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
We already know we had no righteousness ourselves so, this righteousness must be the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ.
If we had remained dependent upon laws, then we could have kept our righteousness only if we had not broken even one law!
Righteousness is living according to the Word of God as best we can, and God gives us many tools to help us in righteousness and the gift of the Spirit of Jesus is our greatest tool!
When our spirit unites with the Holy Spirit, then our spirit has gained eternal life and not eternal death!
What many do not understand is that the Holy Spirit will also quicken our mortal body!
Though our bodies may die and be buried till it disintegrates, burnt, or destroyed in any form or fashion, God will make those old bodies new on that great day of redemption we call the "Rapture".
Too good to be true? Not at all!
The mortal body will be made alive!
We will be who we were, but in a glorified body.
My name is Bobby and in Heaven I will be Bobby so those that knew me can still know me!
Moses was still Moses and Elijah was still Elijah, and it will be no different for me or any other child of God!
My new glorified body will be given the power and energy of eternal elements!
Eternal molecules, eternal atoms, and eternal whatever else it takes for God to glorify my old body.
1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
1Co 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
*****Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
It is the "resurrection" of the Lord Jesus Christ that gives us these guarantees and they are guarantees!
Rom 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
When the Lord Jesus Christ came out of that tomb, He proved He is God!
There has never been a power on this earth that can raise someone from being dead. It is a God thing!
It is the resurrection of Jesus Christ that proved that He is the Savior of the world!
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
It is the resurrection from the dead that proves that Jesus Christ is the Lord of life!
1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pe 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
There are too many benefits for a life in Christ than just to say I do not believe those things!
It pays for everyone on the face of this "created world" to listen to what God has to say!
Just believing with a pure heart gets these things started by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit!
*****Rom 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
Rom 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
It is the Holy Spirit who has the power to put evil deeds to death!
It was the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of life who decided on this new ministry of the Holy Spirit!
Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Joh 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
So as Christians we owe no debt to our flesh, we are in debt to the Holy Spirit. Debt meaning obligation.
Our flesh is contaminated with sin!
Our flesh is carnal!
Our flesh causes our death!
Our flesh has a mind that is in enmity with our Holy God!
Our flesh cannot please God!
We owe our flesh nothing! We owe all we are to our Holy God!
We are fools to focus all our lives on the satisfying of our flesh!
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
It is the Holy Spirit to whom I owe my new life!
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
It is by the Holy Spirit that we have the power within ourselves to put our flesh to death even while we yet live!
We can deny our flesh!
We can mortify our evil deeds!
The Holy Spirit will never destroy the deeds of sin unless we exercise our will to destroy it ourselves.
Eph 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Eph 3:15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
Eph 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
Eph 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Eph 3:18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
Eph 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
When we put the evil deeds of our flesh to death, then and only then can we see life and what true life all is about!
We must understand that this is a constant daily battle for the rest of our earthly days!
We die because of evil, but we live because of the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ!
1Pe 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
1Pe 2:12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
We can be at peace with this world within ourselves, if we follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and be obedient to the Word of God, the Words of Life!
Amen
