The sinner who has been justified before God has also been indwelt by the Holy Spirit and Paul uses Romans 8 to instruct his readers about the work of the Spirit in their daily lives. First of all, Paul wanted the Roman Christians to know that the Holy Spirit has completely freed them from sin (8:2-3). The law only produced sin and death because it was a constant reminder of man’s sinfulness (8:2), but now the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ had set them free from the bondage of sin (8:3). Secondly, the Holy Spirit actually gives the power to obey the law of God (8:4). The moral law (summed up in the Ten Commandments) is still a guide for every believer to live by and the Spirit of God empowers believers to accomplish it as we submit to His will. Many of the characteristics that the Holy Spirit produces in our lives are found in Galatians 5:22-25, “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” There is a distinct difference between the individual living in the flesh and the individual living in the Spirit.
To help his readers better understand their new life in Christ, Paul contrasts those who live according to the flesh (unbelievers) and those who live according to the Spirit (believers). The major difference between the two is that the person living according to the flesh seeks to satisfy his sinful, fleshly desires while the other seeks to do the things of God (8:5-8). Paul reminds the Roman believers that they “are not in the flesh but in the Spirit” (8:9) so they should not obey the desires of their sinful flesh (8:10-11). Those who have been declared righteous through Jesus Christ are no longer bound by the power of sin (8:12) and when a person lives according to God’s ways, he is putting “to death the deeds of the body” (8:13). Instead of being led by the desires of his sinful flesh, a believer is “led by the Spirit of God” (8:14) and no longer needs to fear the bondage bought about by sin (8:15a). Furthermore, a sinner who has been made righteous has “received the Spirit of adoption” (8:15b) and has the privilege of calling God his “Abba,” which is a term of endearment meaning Daddy. Those who have become children of God no longer have to fear God, but have become “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ…” (8:17). Through God’s grace we have inherited God Himself as our Father and all the spiritual blessings He has promised such as eternal life and future glory. When Paul says that believers become joint heirs with Christ, he means that they will receive all things given to Christ, yet they will also share in His sufferings. As Jesus suffered in order to bring forgiveness of sin to the world, Christians will also suffer persecution of some kind for their commitment to Christ. However, we need not fear what man can do to us because we will eventually share in Christ’s glory (2 Timothy 2:12; 1 Peter 4:12-19; 5:10).
Dear God, allow the Holy Spirit to take control of all my attitudes and actions that You may be glorified through my life. Help me not to live according to the flesh, but only according to the Spirit of God. Although I may suffer for doing good, may You remind me often of the future inheritance I have in You.
