Romans 8:1-39

Romans 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.

«No condemnation»: that is the beginning of the chapter. No separation: that is the end of the chapter. And all between is full of grace and truth. What a banquet this chapter has often proved to the souls of God's hungry servants! May it be so now as we read it. No condemnation even now. Many doubts, but no condemnation. Many chastisements, but no condemnation. Even frowns from the Father's face apparently, but no condemnation. And this is not a bare statement, but an inference from powerful arguments. «There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.» This is where they are. «Who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.» This is how they behave themselves, not under the government of the old nature, but under the rule of the divine Spirit of God.

Romans 8:2. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 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: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.

None keep the law so well as those who do not hope to be saved by it, but who, renouncing all confidence in their own works, and accepting the righteousness which is of God by faith in Christ Jesus, are moved by gratitude to a height of consecration and a purity of obedience which mere legalism can never know. The child will obey better without desire of reward, than the slave will under the dread of the lash, or in hope of a wage. The most potent motive for holiness is free grace. A dying Saviour is the death of sin. As we have been singing, we strove against its power until we learnt that Christ was the way, and then we conquered it.

Romans 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.

Everything according to its nature. Water will rise as high as its source, but it will not naturally flow any higher. The great thing, then, is to be brought under the dominion of the Holy Spirit, and of that new nature which is the offspring of the Spirit. Then we try to rise up to our source, and we rise vastly higher than human nature ever can under any force that you can apply to it. The new nature can do what the old nature cannot do.

Romans 8:6. For to be carnally minded

To have the mind of the flesh.

Romans 8:6. Is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Flesh must die. Its tendency is to corruption; but the spirit never dies. Its tendency, its instinct, is growth, advance, immortality.

Romans 8:7. Because the careful mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

The old nature is hopelessly bad. There is no mending it. It is enmity, not merely at enmity; but it is absolutely enmity. It is not subject to God's law, and you cannot make it so.

Romans 8:8. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

So long as we are under the dominion of the old nature, the depraved and-fallen nature, there is no pleasing God.

Romans 8:9. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.

Oh! this is a very wonderful fact, that the Spirit of God should dwell in us. I have often said to you that I never know which of two mysteries most to admire God incarnate in Christ, or the Holy Spirit indwelling in man; they are two marvelous things, miracles of miracles.

Romans 8:9. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

The regeneration of the body, so to speak, is not performed in this life; Resurrection is tantamount to that. The body is still under the old law of death, and so we have pain and weakness, and we die; but the spirit, oh! how it triumphs, even in the midst of pain and weakness. «The Spirit is life, because of righteousness.» That will not die.

Romans 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.

So there is coming a time for your body to experience the adoption, to wit, the redemption of the body. He does not say that he will give you a new body. Do not believe this modern doctrine. But he shall quicken your mortal body; that is to say, the same body, which is now subject to death, and so is mortal, is to be quickened at the resurrection.

Romans 8:12. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh

What do we owe the old nature? Nothing, surely. Give it a decent burial. Let it be buried with Christ in baptism. Let the Spirit of God come and renew it. But we owe it nothing, and we are not debtors to it.

Romans 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. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Your «universal fatherhood» is rubbish. «As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God,» and none others. This is the essential to sonship that we should have the Spirit of God within us.

Romans 8:15. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear: but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

That is, when we have the Spirit, when we are renewed in the Spirit of our minds, when we come into the domain of Spirit, and quit the tyranny of the flesh. Then the Spirit beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.

Romans 8:17. And if children, then heirs;

It is not, of course, so in human families. All children are not heirs; but it is so in the family of God.

Romans 8:17. Heirs of God,

What a heritage! God himself becomes our heritage. We are heirs to all that God has, and all that God is.

Romans 8:17. And joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

The whole chapter is rather too long for our reading, so we will pass on to the 28 th verse.

Romans 8:28. And we know

This is not a matter of opinion. This is scarcely a matter of faith. «We know.» We are sure of it. We have proved it.

Romans 8:28. That all things work together for good to them that love God,

They all work. They work in harmony. They work for one purpose. That purpose is for good.

Romans 8:28. To them who are the called according to his purpose.

That is their private character, which God knows, and which he reveals to them in course of time.

Romans 8:29. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren.

This is their character, which they perceive, which others may in a measure perceive. We are to be like him then, conformed to his image; and if we be joint-heirs with him, what a joy it is that we are to be partakers of his nature, made like to him! Christ will be reflected, and in a measure repeated, in all his people; and this shall be the very glory of heaven, that, look which way you will, you shall see either Christ himself or his likeness in his people. If you have ever stood in a room that was full of mirrors everywhere, how wonderfully your own likeness has been repeated! And heaven shall be a mirror chamber, wherein Christ shall be seen in every one of his people. He did predestinate them to be conformed to the image of his Son.

Romans 8:30. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified?

That glorification we cannot see as yet. It is in the excessive brightness of the future, just as his divine election is in the brightness of the past. These are the two columns on either shore; but the swinging bridge in between is this calling and justification. These are joined in one, stud if thou hast either of these, thou mayest know thy predestination and thy future glorification

Romans 8:31. What shall we then say to these things?

Oh! have you not often said that? When you have studied the plan of grace, the covenant of God, have you not said to yourself, «What can I say to all this? It is passing wonder; It exceeds the power of comprehension, for the greatness of this glory. What shall we then say to these things?» Well, we will say something practical that shall cheer our hearts.

Romans 8:31. If God be for us who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

It may be read, «God that justifieth?» and properly may be read as a question.

Romans 8:34. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died,

He is the Judge. Will he who died condemn?

Romans 8:34. Yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

He alone is Judge. Has he done all this, and will he condemn us?

Romans 8:35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

These have been tried on the saints for ages.

Romans 8:36. As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long: we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

But has this divided them from Christ? Hear them all, as with united voice they answer.

Romans 8:37. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded,

Somebody asked, «Pray, what persuasion may you be?» Well, this is my persuasion.

Romans 8:38. That neither death, nor life, nor angels,

Good or bad.

Romans 8:38. Nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,

Hard and grinding as they may be.

Romans 8:38. Nor things to come.

Unknown mysteries dreaded.

Romans 8:39. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.