The work of the Spirit of God affects man in his:

1. Walk (8:1-4)

2. Mind (8:5-8)

3. Body (8:9-13)

4. Spirit (8:14-17)

Chp 8 is all about the work of the Spirit of God in me:

1. “fulfilled in us” (8:4)

2. “dwell in you” (8:9)

3. “Christ be in you” (8:10)

4. “dwell in you” (8:11)

5. “glory revealed in us” (8:18)

Gods work in us is greater than Gods work through us

Gods work through us: 1 Co12,14 – Spiritual Gifts

Gods work in us: 1 Co 13:1ff.

As Gods Spirit is active in man we will discern:

1. Law of the Spirit (8:2)

2. Longing of the Spirit (8:5-8)

3. Life of the Spirit (8:11,13)

4. Leading of the Spirit (8:14)

5. Language of the Spirit (8:15)

1. Walk (8:1-4)

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus...”

An apt summary of the whole of the Bible!

1. Condemnation: the theme of the law and the prophets

2. Salvation in Christ Jesus: the theme of Christ and the apostles

The Bible begins with the complete condemnation of humanity.

Every part of man:

1. Mans thoughts (Gen6:5)

2. Mans actions (Ex 20)

3. Mans worship (Ex 20)

4. Mans heart (Jer 17:9; Ps 51:10)

Every kind of man:

1. King on the throne (Ps 51)

2. Prophets (Jer14:14; 23:14; 23:25,26; Ezek 22:28; Isa 6:5)

3. Priests: Hophni and Phinehas, Eli (Hos4:6; 4:9)

The Bible – not the kind of book a man would write, and not the kind of book a man could write!

This is not one elite group within Jewish society condemning the rest!

This is not the prophets / the priests drumming up business for themselves!

This is an all embracive, supernatural condemnation of the whole of humanity as measured beside a transcendent standard of absolute holiness to which no one measured up.

This is a warts and all picture of the very heroes of the people who preserved these scriptures:

1. The royal line comes through Rahab the harlot and an incestuous relationship between Judah and Tamar.

2. Israels first High Priest built a golden calf and committed idolatry

3. Israels wisest king: Solomon compromised right the way down the line with pagan gods.

4. The forefathers of this nation are described in the most terrible of language and guilty of the grossest sins in the writings of Jeremiah, Isaiah and Ezekiel, sins such as child sacrifice, witchcraft and idol worship.

Why such complete condemnation of the whole of humanity?

Because it is an accurate picture of where we are before God!

That we might see our need of the person and work of Christ.

To tone down the total condemnation of humanity in the bible least we offend or upset is doing noon any kindness if we deceive men into believing that their plight is any less serious than it is.

“...who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Rom 8:1)

Is it not sufficient to say that:

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus...”

Why add “...who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” ?

In case we see salvation as a method, a past event, something we have done and got!

Salvation is a living relationship with a Living God who indwells His creature!

What is the effect of the Spirit upon my walk?

I say that this is a Spirit conquered walk, marked by:

righteousness (v4)

Righteousness fulfilled by:

1. Compulsion from within (8:2): “the law of the Spirit of life” (7:21,23)

and not by:

2. Conformity without (8:3)

The Spirit conquered and controlled walk is not a walk brought into conformity to a set of rules, regulations, traditions, formalities or patterns of behaviour, it is rather the working out of the all consuming passion for Divine life brought about by the possession of my person by God Himself.

It is not so much that I try to live a righteous life, although the will is clearly involved, but rather I have to, I am compelled to live a righteous life, or I have a thoroughly miserable existence!

Conformity to a set of rules can paradoxically result in less rather than more spirituality!

Rules can:

1. Replace the Spirit – well I've got my rules, follow them and I will be ok!

2. Resist the Spirit – human nature likes rules, you can work around the rules! Illust: Margos flat mate, didn't read Sunday papers but kept them till the Monday!

3. Restrict the Spirit – rules are always inadequate and will never allow us to break new ground for God! New people, new places, new problems – the old rules sometimes can't cope! Gods Spirit can! Columbus didn't discover America by following the map! There wasn't one!

Christopher Columbus: "...It was the Lord who put into my mind — I could feel His hand upon me — the fact that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies-All who heard of my project rejected it with laughter, ridiculing me... There is no question that the inspiration was from the Holy Spirit, because he comforted me with rays of marvellous illumination from the Holy Scriptures... For the execution of the journey to the Indies I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics, or maps. It is simply the fulfilment of what Isaiah had prophesied... No one should fear to undertake any task in the name of our Saviour, if it is just and if the intention is purely for His Holy service... the fact that the Gospel must still be preached to so many lands in such a short time — this is what convinces me".

“the law of the Spirit of life”

What was it that:

1. Compelled creation to completion? Gen1:2 – The Spirit of God; Gen 2:7 – the breath of God blowing into the nostrils of Adam.

2. How did Enoch's walk with God end? It didn't A walk with God is a life giving, a life preserving, a life perpetuating experience. Walk with God and you live (Gen 5:24). “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not se death...” (Heb11:5)

3. How was it that God dealt with Noah and his family in the days when He had decided that His Spirit would not always “strive with man” (Gen6:3)? God covenanted “to keep them alive with thee” (Gen6:19).

4. What about Gods dealings with Abraham and Isaac in Gen 22? “Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.”(Heb 11:19).

5. How did God move in the days of Joseph and his brothers? “To save much people alive” (Gen50:20)

6. How did God work with His people in the days of Moses in Egypt?

7. How did God work in the days of Jonah? (Jonah 4:11)

8. What about Daniel in the lions den? “O King live forever” (Dan6:21)

9. The crowning Glory to Gods Spirit of Life: the resurrection of Christ!

To be linked with God and His Spirit is a life giving event, a life preserving experience!

Gods Spirit is the Spirit of Life!

In many of these occasions when the “law of the Spirit of life” moves we can also discern His operation against the background failure of the “law of sin and death”:

1. Noah – breaks free, lifted above a world condemned in sin

2. Egypt – God judges and destroys Egypt and its false gods

3. Jonah – 3 days and nights in the belly of the whale because of his sin and disobedience.

To be motivated by the “law of the Spirit of life” is to be motivated and moved by an all consuming passion for the Glory of God in my life beyond any other legitimate interest!

What was it that motivated:

1. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo to choose the furnace rather than compromise?

2. Daniel to chose being at the prayer meeting even if it meant facing the lions in the den?

3. Elijah to risk his life and face the false priests of Baal on Mt Carmel?

4. Elisha to leave his farm, his field and his family behind and follow Gods call?

This law of the Spirit of Life motivates men beyond personal safety, personal convenience, fatigue, tiredness, embarrassment and business!

This is an all consuming passion for the life of God above and beyond all things!

Why bother fulfilling righteousness in me?

Never be content with ½ answers from preachers!

Because righteousness overcomes a barrier:

“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” (Rom 8:6-7)

The flesh pursuing sin brings separation and enmity with God

The Spirit producing righteousness brings relationship with God

How does Christ condemning “sin in the flesh” (8:3) result in the fulfilment of Gods righteousness in me (8:4)? Because we have His Spirit in us (8:4,9-11).

An exceptional movement of the Spirit of God is invariably marked by an exceptional righteousness:

1. Isaiah 6:5

2. Ex 20: Moses on the Mount

3. Job 42:6 – God speaks: “I repent in dust and ashes”

4. Zech 3: Joshua the High Priest

5. Matt 5: The Sermon on the Mount

6. Acts 5: Ananias and Saphira

In Rom 7:14-25 we found it impossible to write off this section as 'pre-conversion' and as not applying today in our struggle against the flesh.

There are certainly some parts of the section that fit best with the pre-conversion life:

1. Condition: “sold under sin” (7:14)

2. Character: “carnal” (7:14)

3. Captivity (7:23)

4. Connection with 7:8-13

There are parts of 7:14-25 which refuse to fit into the pre-conversion experience, no matter how hard we try and knock them into the square holes they are round pegs:

1. The Despair / Frustration with sin , which is not found with the sinners of chp1 – Depraved Conscience (1:32); chp 2 – Distracted Conscience (2:1-4) and chp 3 – Deceived Conscience (2:17)

2. Delight in the law of God (7:22) cf. Psalm 1

3. Deliverance (7:25) – this is not a deliverance out of the struggle but a deliverance in the struggle and over the struggle.

That all sounds like cold comfort!

You are really just committing us to a life of constant defeat!

I think I'll go and join the charismatics or buy that new book from America!

7:14-25 doesn't commit us to a life of constant defeat but rather to a life of constant dependence on Christ!

Who can help me? On whom am I dependant?

Person of Christ:

1. “in Christ Jesus” (8:1)

2. “in Christ Jesus” (8:2)

3. “Spirit of Christ” (8:9)

4. “Christ be in you” (8:10)

5. “Jesus...” (8:11)

The Spirit of God:

1. “after the Spirit” (8:1)

2. “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (8:2)

3. “after the Spirit” (8:4)

4. “the Spirit” (8:5)

5. “in the Spirit” (8:9)

6. “Spirit of God” (8:9)

7. “the Spirit of Christ” (8:9)

8. “the Spirit of life” (8:10)

9. “the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead” (8:11)

10. “by His Spirit” (8:11)

11. “if ye through the Spirit...” (8:13)

12. “Spirit of God...” (8:14)

13. “Spirit of adoption...” (8:15)

14. “the Spirit...” (8:16)

Consider also: God the Father in v11 and v15.

This is a thoroughly trinitarian section of the Word of God.

This is also a section which assumes and teaches the Deity of Christ:

1. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Christ (8:9)

2. Again “The Spirit is life because of righteousness” (8:10) and The Spirit of God is the Spirit who “quickens” (8:11) – is this a separate Spirit form the Spirit of Christ? The “law of the Spirit of Life” (8:2) is “in Christ Jesus” (8:2).

So then the Christ who saves (8:1) is the Christ who sanctifies (8:1ff)

The Christ who delivers from sin is the Christ whom I depend upon daily.

In what ways do I depend upon Him?

In getting messages for preaching? In overcoming particularly bad sins? Seeing souls saved? At times of particular stress or crises?

I think we have a practical break down in this chapter of the kind of dependance God has in mind:

1. 8:1-4 – The Dependent Walk – The Spirit Led Walk

2. 8:5-8 – The Dependent Mind – The Spirit Filled Mind

3. 8:9-13 – The Dependent Body – The Spirit filled Body

4. 8:14-17 – The Dependent Relationship – The Spirit Liberated Spirit

Total dependence!

1. 8:1-4 – The Dependent Walk – The Spirit Led Walk

Marked by righteousness (8:4)

2. 8:5-8 – The Dependent Mind – The Spirit Filled Mind

Marked by peace (8:6)

3. 8:9-13 – The Dependent Body – The Spirit filled Body

Marked by the life of Christ

4. 8:14-17 – The Dependent Relationship – The Spirit Liberated Spirit

Marked by prayer to God

Marked by communication / testimony from God

What is the point / purpose of all of this?

Draws me to Christ, to a deeper relationship with God.

8:1-4 – The Dependent Walk – The Spirit Led Walk

“there is therefore now no condemnation...” (8:1)

But is this the issue?

I thought the issue was power over the flesh?

Victory in the struggle?

Is it not the case that I need to move forward from a flesh dominated life?

So what is with the : “no condemnation” (8:1)?

To be able to move forward I need freedom from the past.

For Peter to move forward in John 21 he needed freedom from the past

For Paul to move forward in Acts 9 he needed freedom from the past.

Unless there is “no condemnation” there is little point in trying to move forward because we have already blown it!

Like the man with lung cancer who now decides to stop smoking!

If God worked like that: once we have the cancer of sin we've blown it!

If God worked like that there would be no point in striving over the flesh!

So long as we have life under His Grace we need not ever have blown it!

Does this encourage us to go on in the fight?

Does this remove any secret excuse: 'O well I've gone too far this time.'

There was a future for:

1. Abraham: after that incident with Sarah and Pharaoh, and after the mess with Hagar: he was yet to reach the pinnacle of Mt. Moriah

2. Moses: after he struck the rock twice, he was yet to reach the pinnacle of Mt. Nebo

3. Elijah: after his despair and despondency and unbelief, he was yet to reach the pinnacle of Horeb.

4. David: after the incident with Bathsheba and after numbering the people he would again worship and that on the altar of the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite and claim territory for Gods temple!

Praise God that “there is therefore now no condemnation...”

For it is the only way we can leave the past behind us and press on to new heights for God!

Rom8:1 allows us to move forward, but to move forward we need freedom from the past.

1. Romans 8:1 gives me freedom from the sins of the past

2. Romans 8:1 gives liberty to live in the present (eg 8:15)

“there is therefore now no condemnation...” has a reason:

1. The work of Christ for me at Calvary: Roms 3 + 4 – propitiation: man Justified, God satisfied by Christ crucified

2. The work of Christ in me (8:1-4; 9-10)! The picture painted in Romans 8 is not the salvation of the sinner, followed by the constant and repeated forgiveness of continual sin but rather of salvation followed by a transformed and Spirit filled life!

Both of these aspects of the work of Christ are brought together in verse 3:

1. “for sin” - to deal with sin by dieing for sin, ie propitiation (Rom 3)

2. “condemned sin in the flesh” - to deal with sin by living without sin! Christ broke the link between sinning and being 'only human.' Christ was truly human but He did no sin! What difference does that make to me? I am indwelt by His Spirit (8:10)!

There is “therefore now no condemnation...” because:

1. Christ is able to forgive sins (Rom 3; 8:3).

2. Christ is able to change lives (8:1-2,4).

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (8:2)

This “law” operates in us!

Driving us forward in righteousness (7:21,22).

Consider the “law of the Spirit of life” in the scriptures :

1. Genesis 1 : Gods Spirit moves in the creation of life

2. Genesis 6: God moves in preserving Noah and his family

3. Genesis 19: The angel of God moves in preserving Lot

4. Exodus 12: God moves in removing His people from the judgement upon Egypt

5. 1 Kings 17: God preserves the life of Elijah and the widow and her son

6. The resurrections of scripture

7. The resurrection of Christ from the grave!