ROMANS 8:18-25 “PRESENT SUFFERINGS AND FUTURE GLORY”

 

Romans 8 is a very special chapter, mainly because it offers us so much comfort. We see that the Holy Spirit makes a real difference in the life of the believer. He is mentioned 20 times in this chapter.  

A true believer, empowered and indwelt by the Holy Spirit is no longer a slave to their former nature (the flesh 8:2,4,5).  A true believer experiences life and peace (8:6,10). A true believer has the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead working in them – both now and in their resurrection from the dead (8:11). True believers are led by the Spirit of God; they are sons of God (8:14).  They have received the Spirit of adoption (8:15).  They have assurance that they are the children of God (8:16). They are heirs of God (8:17).

Those are wonderfully strong statements and assurances.  They say something of the reality of the Life of God in our souls. They confirm the ability of a believer to say no to the powerful impulses of the flesh.  If you call yourself a Christian consider this and test yourself this coming week, when inevitable challenges come to pull you down. Remember the promise given in Peter 1:3-11 and remind yourself that you are empowered by the Spirit of life. 

This brings us to a very real   issue and the apostle Paul is not slow to capitalize on this. Take note how Paul ends in 8:17. After showing us the wonderful benefits of being a Christian (i.e. sons of God/ children of God, adopted into God’s family, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ) he says this: “… provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”  Here is a real issue for a Christian believer to consider- the doctrine of suffering.  The Christian person is not free from suffering but helped in suffering.  

TWO IMPORTANT WORDS: SUFFERING AND GLORY

These two words/concepts will stay with us and occupy our thinking until the end of the chapter. These two words seem antithetical, but in biblical thinking they belong together. In this life they run side by side.  You hear of a death (suffering) and you hear of a birth (glory). In fact, every birth has and experience of suffering followed by glory! Every life has stories of suffering and glory.  

The subject of suffering and glory permeates the Bible.

·       In the law:   Sin enters the world and with sin enters suffering and death; but God provides atonement for sin and restoration (glory).

·       The book of Job: Job is handed over to Satan to be tested (suffering). One of Job’s statements is this: “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me (suffering) I shall come forth as gold (glory).” (Job 23:10) The end of Job’s story is just that (cf. Job 42:10 “And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job.”(glory)

·       The Psalms e.g.  Ps 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (suffering), I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff, they comfort me (glory)”

·        The gospels. The cross of Christ (suffering); the resurrection of Christ (glory). 

·       Acts of the Apostles. The church suffers and the church advances (glory).

·       Paul’s writings e.g. 2 Cor 4:8-10: “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed, always carrying in the body the death of Jesus (suffering) so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies (glory).”

Notice then that in terms of Christian experience, suffering and glory are often found in close proximity to one another, and so also 8:17 which serves as our introduction  to this subject

The subject of suffering in particular has perplexed Christians in every age. If God is good, why do we have to suffer? Suffering can test our faith severely, particularly if we do not have a firm biblical perspective on the subject, and the KEY ISSUE that we learn here is that suffering and glory for Christians stand in close  connection and 8:18 will make it explicit that our present sufferings cannot be compared to the glory that is to be revealed to us. Paul knows that Christians will experience suffering in this fallen world, but that is not the end of our story.  and that is what he is addressing here.  

Chapter 8 is so rich and so deep that we will have to take more than one sermon to think through this matter.

PROPOSED OUTLINE

(i)                  8: 18-25   Our present sufferings cannot be compared with our future glory

(ii)                8: 26-30   The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness

(iii)              8:31-39   All things work together for the good of the believer  

In this sermon we will  cover verses 18-25 

 1.  8:18-25  PRESENT SUFFERINGS CANNOT BE COMPARED TO FUTURE GLORY

Paul has just asserted in 8:17 that suffering with Christ and for the sake of Christ is an inevitable accompaniment of being a Christian. In fact, it is a mark of being a Christian, and it is a very challenging one. 

Are you presently suffering for the sake of Christ? Don’t think now of your brothers and sisters in countries where they are being literally persecuted, forced into the underground, and if found, killed.  

Think of your own situation. 

• Are you pained by the things that Jesus would be pained with in this world? 
• Are you feeling the sense of ridicule imposed upon when you refuse to agree with current views on marriage, family, and sexuality which are at odds with biblical norms?
• Have you been accused of being intolerant because you believe the Bible more than modern social norms? 
• Do you feel the growing divide between biblical teachings and societal norms?  
• Do you feel pressure to keep your faith hidden to avoid ridicule, career setbacks, or social exclusion? 
• How do you as a Christian woman honour Christ, when living with a non-believing husband? Not without some sense of suffering.  
• Do you find it hard to make decisions like, saying to your visiting non-church going family – “I have an appointment with my God and Saviour this Sunday morning between 10.30 and11.30 – I will see you afterwards!”? I remind you that choosing to honour God above family is no small thing, and it does induce discomfort and it forces us to deal with texts like,  “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Lk 9:23). "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me" (Matt.10:37,38). 
• Taking your stand with Christ is guaranteed to bring peculiar sufferings, and each Christian has their own story to tell, and sometimes our suffering is due to our own foolishness.  1 Peter 4:16,17 makes a helpful differentiation here. But that is not what our context addresses here.   Paul addresses the matter of Christian suffering for the sake of Christ. It is to them that he now has these following words of comfort and perspective in 8:18: “For I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us”.

 Paul affirms that Christians will suffer. We have covered this point sufficiently.  But He  also affirms that Christian suffering will be eclipsed by the revelation of God’s glory, which from his (and our) present perspective is still in the future. 

This must now be investigated.

8:19  confirms the anticipation/ waiting  for  this future glory:  For the creation[1] waits[2] with eager longing[3]  (literally with outstretched neck) for the revealing of the sons of God (those that are adopted- see 8:15).How long? The keyword for suffering Christians is “wait”[4].  The implication is this: a. the answer is coming  b. God knows and is in control. He remains the sovereign God in all His people’s temporary suffering. C. their deliverance is coming

8:20-21  A perhaps not so surprising fact:  God Himself has subjected His  creation to this suffering. The biblical foundation of this argument is found in Genesis 3: 16ff.  God is the one who imposed this state as a judicial act following the fall, not because of a choice by creation, but because He decreed it (Gen 2:17).  Adam and Eve were told that they will die if they disobeyed! Every form of suffering flows from that and dying is the ultimate experience associated with suffering. And remember this! Our Lord Jesus Christ at His first coming entered this world and what did He experience? Suffering!  And God did not let the cup of suffering pass from Him. He drank that cup right down to its very dregs.  And by this He took upon Himself my sin and your sin, and if you have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ then you are justified. You are adopted. You are an heir of God and a fellow heir with Christ.

In the meantime we must wait UNTIL Christ comes to restore all things at His second coming! He is the hope of 8:20,24,25.  He is the glorified Christ, and we are waiting to be glorified with him, but that can only happen when He returns.  Until then we will have to wait. Until then there will be a sense of frustration, vanity, and there will be suffering under the sun. It is so important that we understand this.  And when you suffer this does not always indicate that you have disobeyed God in the present. No! Much of our present suffering is the result of the original fall, as a result of which God has subjected this world to futility – to its own way of godless thinking and godless doing. But wait patiently with outstretched neck. Christ is coming.  All the spiritual and moral  and physical  deficiencies  will be something of the past.

8:22 In the meantime remember that not only you, but the whole universe groans and  longs for redemption.   The whole universe suffers as a result of the fall. The whole universe   longs for expresses the hope of future glory. When man, who is created in the image of God,  fell it was indeed a great fall. This fall  sends echoes back into this vast universe!

8:22,23 Again we are reminded that alongside this groaning creation, there is a groaning church - those who have the first- fruits of the Spirit.  The groaning church is waiting for her adoption as sons. But wait a minute! Haven’t we been adopted already (8:15)? Yes, but remember that our salvation is an ongoing process.  We are adopted, but this is a process. The process will be complete when Christ returns, and kills all sin and death itself in the lake of fire.

8:24,25  In this hope we were saved !  We are heirs, but we have not yet received the fullness of the inheritance. We have within us the first fruits of the Spirit, but we have not yet received the redemption of our bodies. We live in that hope- and hope that is seen is no hope. We wait for it with patience. And so, every believer needs to live in anticipation of the best which is yet to be –  the  return of our Lord Jesus! Don’t waste your energies on present sufferings. Focus  on the future glory!

Our celebration of the Lord’s supper now  shows this aspect of anticipation. We proclaim the death of Christ … until when?  "Until He comes!"   

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[1] Ktiseos (κτίσεως)  "creation," root ktisis:". It is used in the New Testament to describe the act of creation, the created world/universe (Rom. 8:20-22), or a new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). 

Definition: Originates from ktizō (κτίζω - to create), referring to the formation, act of creating, or the thing created.

[2] Ἀπεκδέχεται (Apekdechetai - "Waits eagerly"): A compound verb (apo-ek-dechomai) intensifying the act of waiting, indicating a confident, patient, and expectant, long-term waiting.

[3]Apokaradokia (ἀποκαραδοκία) is a Greek noun meaning intense, earnest, or "eager expectation". Derived from words meaning "head" (kara) and "watching" (dokeo), it literally describes stretching the head forward in anticipation. It appears twice in the New Testament (Rom. 8:19, Phil. 1:20)

[4] See also  Revelation 6:9-11. Those slain for the Word of God cry out “How long?”. They are told to wait a little longer.

ROMANS 8:12-17 ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN? THEN YOU HAVE BEEN ADOPTED!

 

In my previous congregation we had a good number of people who had adopted unwanted babies. One stands out. She was found on the rubbish dump in a plastic bag, barely alive. A woman in our church, a retired nurse, nursed her with the idea of making her available for adoption.  This little girl crept into her heart, she had pity on her, and now she, an older woman, chose to become this little girl’s mother. It reminds me much of the graphic picture found in Ezekiel 16:1-7.  This is how God finds us, when He finds us on the rubbish heap of sin. He has pity on us. He adopts us as His own.

Are you a Christian?  Then I remind you that you too  have been  adopted.  

Once you were not a child of God. Then came a time when you were adopted into the family of God.1 Peter 2:9-10 reminds us,  

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. “

1 John 3:1 reads, 

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God, and so we are.”  

Here Paul tells us in Romans 8:15 

“…you have received the Spirit of adoption [Gr. huiothesia – lit. placing as a son] as sons, by whom we cry ‘Abba! Father!’” 

This term is only used by Paul cf.  Rom. 8:15,23; 9:4 ; Gal. 4:5 ; Eph. 1:5.

Romans 8 is the great chapter on Christian assurance. Here we learn how the Holy Spirit makes the difference in a believer’s life.  Our attention has already been drawn to 8:16, 

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God”. 

 In 8:15 we find a new aspect of God’s work of salvation in us[1] : our adoption into the family of God.  This is the first time this doctrine of spiritual adoption appears in the letter to the Romans.  

Romans 8:1 -11   shows us what we have become by God’s grace.  A true believer can say, 

“I have been justified by faith. I have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). 

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Rom 8:1)”. Paul continues, “The law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (8:2). 

The Christian person walks, no longer according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. The Holy Spirit produces fruit.  The mind set on the Spirit has life and peace (8:6).   

In Romans 8: 12-17 Paul now focuses on the practical implications of this life in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit produces visible fruit in the believer.  Follow the logic as it unfolds verse by verse…

8:12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 

The implication is that you cannot habitually live according to the flesh and claim to be saved. You are a debtor now!  How so?  You are indebted to God, because He has freed you  (bought you/redeemed you) by the blood of His Son. You have been   freed from the consequences of sin. Out of gratitude   and love you serve God.  You are now, like Paul, a slave of God (Rom 1:1). In my childhood we had a family friend who saved a woman from certain drowning in the sea. She was so grateful – she married him!

Mary, whom the Lord Jesus had delivered from a sinful life, was filled with gratitude to the Lord. He had received her- unworthy  as she was. She literally kissed His feet.  She wiped her thankful tears off His feet with her hair.  She poured out all her material riches on Him! (Lk. 7:36-38).  This is a profound picture of the forgiven sinner. She loved much, because she was forgiven much (Lk 7:47). She felt indebted to Jesus.  

8:13  For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  Here we find  a warning and an encouragement:

(i)                  a warning :  “For if you live according to the flesh you will die”.  

Continue to live like a non- Christian, and you will die like a non- Christian!  You will not inherit the kingdom of God (see Galatians  5:19-21).  You will not be an heir.

(ii)                an encouragement:  “if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live”. 

“By the Spirit!” You are not alone in this war against sin.  You fight sin, and the Holy Spirit helps you as you fight.  Killing sin "by the Spirit" means enablement to deal effectively with whatever sin is before you.  You are not helpless. You are not a victim of your addictions and your attitudes. As you fight, you are effectively helped. No true Christian can ever say, “The devil made me do it; I am a victim; I am helpless   in this fight against sin;  I am enslaved to my addictions or attitudes; I can’t forgive, I can’t help doing pornography, I can’t control my anger … etc. “. With the help of God’s indwelling Spirit, you are always able to put to death the deeds of the body, and in so doing you prove that you have spiritual life in you.   As a child of God, enabled by the Holy Spirit,  you must act in line with the values of the family that you belong to.   It is a sign of God’s grace in you. It is a sign of salvation. This is seen in the next verse…

8: 14  For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  

Being sons of God means that we act in line with our family values. Being led by the Spirit of God means that you are under His direction and enablement. Being led, means that He leads. He enables. How does He do that?  He does it by the God-given means. Being the Spirit of Truth (Jn 14:17), and the Inspirer of God’s Word (2 Peter 1:20,21; 2 Tim 3:16,17) we must learn to listen to His still small voice as it comes to us through the Word of God.  For this you need a regular quiet time.  “How can you expect God to speak in that gentle and inward voice which melts the soul, when you are making so much noise with your rapid reflections? Be silent and God will speak again.”[2] 

Do you read your Bible with a quiet heart and with listening ears?  This is the Word of Truth which the Holy Spirit inspired.  By this book He warns you of the dangers of sin- the very thing that will get between you and your God. 

He convicts you of sin.  

As your Sanctifier He will lead you through whatever you have to learn under the sun – even your God given trials and sufferings (8:17,18). In this He gives perspective and comfort. He provides, protects through it all.  All this is true because you are a child of God. 

This leads us into the doctrine of adoption.

8:15  For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 

Here is the doctrine of adoption in full flower. Formerly you were of your father the devil, kept in the spirit of slavery, kept in the bondage of sin, and unable to escape from its clutches. But now, 

“you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor 6:11)…  

The Holy Spirit has freed you from Satan’s prison of fear. He is the Spirit of adoption, who imprints upon your heart the fact that you belong to your Heavenly Father and His heavenly family – the ekklesia- the church of God – all the adopted children of God . And your response is that of childlike joy – you run into His arms and you cry “Abba – Hebr. ‘daddy’ – Father!” (see also Gal.4:4-7). There is your safe place! Your Father’s house!

8:16   The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.  

This is so thrilling! Paul says that there is an internal witness, an inner assurance in you, produced by the Holy Spirit. He bears witness with your spirit that you are a child of God.

This is not simply a feeling although that is undoubtedly included.  But it cannot be subjective, because our feelings come and go. They are unreliable witnesses.  Your Father loves you, even when you do not feel His presence or nearness.  

This is more than a feeling. 

It is not grounded in our subjective experience, which may be here today and not there tomorrow. 

It is rooted in the fact that God has done something in me that nothing external can unsettle (see the conclusion of Rom. 8:37-39). 

His presence is with His child even though they walk through the shadows and sorrows of life.  Job knew God would redeem Him, even if he did feel the love and presence of God in his trials. He knew even in the midst of his darkest hours that God had not forsaken Him (see Job 19:25-27 - I know that my Redeemer lives…).

8:17  “…and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”  

The fact that   Christians are God’s adopted children has profound implications: Our status as God’s legally adopted children means that we become heirs.  Ours are the riches of 

• his glorious inheritance in the saints (Eph. 1:18).  
• We will inherit the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:3) – I don’t think that we can know the extent of what that means. Eye has not seen and ear has not heard what God has prepared for them that love Him (1 Cor 2:9). 

BUT please note this - "provided we suffer with him...". The Christian life means taking up your cross (Matt 16:24-26)-

 I have decided to follow Jesus; no turning back, no turning back.

The world behind me, the cross before me, no turning back, no turning back.   

The fact that we are children of God does not mean that we’re not going to suffer. 

In fact, our suffering for the sake of Christ, and for the sake of righteousness, is yet another level of assurance, bearing witness to the fact that we are the children of God. We follow in the footsteps of Jesus. 

The glorious truth is that this is only half of the story. We suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him!  It is essential that we always keep looking forward to the glory - finish line, when we shall receive our promised inheritance - our glorification.   That is the final link in the golden chain of salvation.

Dear Christian, “look to Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame….” (Hebr. 12:2). Look to Him. He stands at the finish line and cheers you on. 

The Holy Spirit Himself, who is in you and with you, will give you endurance. Lean on Him.  Keep in step with the Spirit (Gal. 5:25)  

Let the doctrine of adoption comfort you. 

Let  love and gratitude for God,  for bringing you into His family, motivate you. 

Let the Spirit of adoption  help  you  to  rest (find assurance)  in  your Father's  promises in Christ  Jesus our Saviour.   

 

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[1] THE ORDO SALUTIS ( ORDER OF SALVATION)

1.        Election (begins in eternity) 

2.        Calling   (comes in time)

3.        Regeneration  ( Being born again)

4.        Conversion ( Faith and repentance)

5.        Justification  ( Right legal standing  - not guilty)

6.        Adoption ( membership into God’s family)

7.        Sanctification  ( right conduct of life)

8.        Perseverance ( remaining a Christian)

9.        Death  ( going to be  with the Lord)

10.      Glorification  ( receiving a  resurrection body)

  [2] Francois Fenelon (1651-1715)

ROMANS 8:5-11 - “THE HOLY SPIRIT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE!”

 

Romans 7 is the picture of a person that has truly begun to understand themselves.  From Paul’s own experience in 7:13-25 we learn that all believers still struggle with sin. We take it for granted that godless people sin thoughtlessly.

Thinking of the latest high-profile case of Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew Mountbatten, and so many others – do you think that they have ever understood themselves? Do you think that they  have understood the far reaching consequences of their sin?  Did they ever think about what they have done? Epstein is dead now, and Andrew has consistently denied doing anything wrong, but the  facts are out and they are incriminating!

What helps Christians to understand themselves? It is the knowledge of God, and His holy law that ultimately helps them to understand themselves.  

You and I may not have gained notoriety as high profile sinners, and perhaps we may be morally relatively better in relation to another person, but when my life and your life is measured against the standard of God’s holiness, you and I fail the test miserably! “There is no one righteous, no nor one!” (3:10).

It is against that background that the apostle Paul cries out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (7:25).   

Paul, like Isaiah in Isaiah 6:1-7 has seen the Lord, and he knows that he is undone! Knowing that you are undone begs us to ask the question, Who will deliver me from this body of death?”  

The answer is not slow in coming for Paul : “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

This is  Paul's great encouragement. This is our great encouragement.

This is the great answer to the question, “How will I stand one day before that great Judge of the Universe?” - Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Our acceptance by God can never be on the grounds of our personal merit. 

We have none!  

The only way to stand before God will be by Christ’s merit imputed to us: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace…”(Eph. 1:7). There is the answer! There is the solution!   All you need to do is to believe in the Lord Jesus with your whole heart. 

And from this follows that great statement in Rom.8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  

Now someone will say, “That is all very good, but how do I know that this is true for me? With all that remaining sin that still plagues me, how can I have assurance that I am a Christian, and that I will not stand condemned on the great day of Judgement? 

Again, the answer to this question follows in our text! The answer in a nutshell is this: The Holy Spirit makes the difference! 

The work of the Holy Spirit is introduced in 8:2: “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” From this verse follows an ‘avalanche’ of verses that testify to the vital work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. I have counted 20 references to the Holy Spirit from 8:2-27. We now have a wonderful opportunity to consider the work of the Holy Spirit, following our understanding of the work of Christ.

The primary work of the Holy Spirit is to provide us with an inner witness, an assurance that we are the children of God.  8:16 is our key text in this regard: “The Spirit Himself bears witness (testifies) with our spirit that we are children of God”.  

The question now follows: How do I know that the Holy Spirit is working in me?  It is actually the same question as - how do I know that I am in Christ? It is the same question as:   How do I know that I am born again?  Romans 8:5-11 greatly helps us.   

In this text we consider 

     1.      The marks of one who lives according to the flesh

2.      The marks of a Christian who lives according to the Spirit

3.      A bonus point  in 8:10,11

We begin with  the fact that there  is  a contrast made between the person who has the Spirit, and a person who does not have the Spirit.

The terms that Paul uses are, “those that live according to the flesh” and “those that live according to the Spirit”. 

We discover that there is a real difference between these two in terms of character, desires, attitudes, and conduct.

There are fundamental observable differences between the two, and the difference does not lie in the fact that Christians do not sin, while non-Christians do! The Holy Spirit  makes the difference!

1.       The Marks of one who lives according to the flesh.

“According to the flesh…”. Paul uses this term to describe fallen human nature, corrupted through the fall, directed and controlled by sin.   All our sinful  actions start in our mind, our   thought life, commonly referred to as the heart.   

•      A mind-set  rooted in the realm of the flesh is characterized by a focus on material things (8:5a). ”Those, who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh.  This worldview completely ignores the spiritual nature of things.  There is no God in that worldview - and since the human heart craves to worship, it worships created things, rather than the Creator (1:25), thereby exchanging the truth of God for a lie. This is what Paul means by living according to the flesh and having set the mind on the things of the flesh.
•       In 8:7 Paul goes one step further. "For the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. “Not only is a mind set on the flesh worshipping the material world (nature etc.), but such a person is actually hostile to God.  Such a person is deeply resentful of God.  Such a person rejects God and His rule. This hostility is not necessarily seen in strong emotional fits of anger against God.  Atheists like Richard Dawkins write angry worded books against God. However, most people express their hostility simply in terms of ignoring God and doing life ‘their way’, excluding God from their  thought processes.   This is what Paul observes in 8:7b, "The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not submit itself to the law of God." 
•       And then at the end of 8:7 Paul says, “… indeed it cannot (submit to God).”  Why is that? Here the serious consequences of the fall need to be considered: “They are dead in their sins and trespasses!”  (Eph 2:1). The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). This refers firstly to being spiritually dead to God, but secondly it means also that   our physical bodies die.   Dead men cannot respond.  The man of the flesh  is physically alive (for a while)  BUT he is spiritually dead.   
•      And so, we see in 8:8 that such a person cannot please God. These are indications of a person who is in the flesh, a person who is apart from the influences of the Holy Spirit.

          2.      The Mark of the Christian

Paul only gives one explicit contrast between the man in the flesh and the man in the Spirit.  You see this in 8:5. The man in the flesh is set on the flesh; the Christian’s mind is set on the things of the Spirit. He walks according to the Spirit (8:4).

• His mind, set on the Spirit is governed by life and peace (8:6). 
• By way of inference, this person is not hostile to God’s law (8:7b).  This person desires to do what is right (7:18b). This person delights in the law of God (7:22).  This is a mark of the spiritual man and woman. 
• This person, unlike the person who lives according to the flesh is able to please God (8:8 - deduction).
• We find then that the Christian who walks by the Spirit has a framework which is entirely different from the person who lives according to the flesh. All this is due to the fact that God has intervened in the life of the person who now lives according to the Spirit.  

The Holy Spirit makes the difference!   And just to drive the point home -  it is REALLY  the Spirit that makes the difference. 

Therefore we must affirm that the Christian is not inherently better than a non- Christian. There are many non- Christian people in this world who have a superior sense of charity or even moral virtue, when compared to a struggling Christian. But they are not Christians. A Christian is a redeemed sinner, saved by the blood of Jesus, forgiven by the Father, and being progressively renewed/sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Very often they have been saved from a very sinful background.  Such people who would trust in Him, Jesus came to save. And so, we say it again: The presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer makes the difference.  NO boasting is possible on our part. This is the work of God.

And so, in 8:9 Paul expresses his confidence in the spiritual state of these Roman Christians in 8: 9: “You Roman Christians are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God  dwells in you.”   

And so, to emphasize this point again, he adds, “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ (NOTE - Spirit of Christ = Spirit of God) does not belong to him.  

To be a Christian means that you are in Christ AND you are Spirit filled. 

 A NOTE on the ‘inseparableness’ of Christ and the Holy Spirit.

·       A Christian by definition is in Christ.

·       A Christian is also indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

·      There have been those who have taught that one receives Christ first, and then at some later time you receive the Holy Spirit.  Paul strongly disagrees ! 

·       For Paul, to be in Christ is to be in the Spirit, and to be in the Spirit is to be in Christ.

·       If you are not in Christ, you are not in the Spirit.

·       If you are not in the Spirit, you are not in Christ.

·       Christ and the Holy Spirit are inseparable in the work of salvation.

·       You cannot be a Christian without the Holy Spirit.

[Incidentally – this is not discussed here, but worth noting: The observable marks of having the Holy Spirit are the new desires, and the new abilities to love God. Such desires and abilities are seen in fruit-bearing (see Galatians 5:22,23) ; In John 15:8 Jesus reminds us that we are appointed to bear much fruit. In that same chapter in John Jesus also speaks of the work of the Holy Spirit.

 3.      8:10,11 is a bonus point, a rich promise and a great encouragement:   The indwelling of the Spirit assures you of your resurrection.

“But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness”.  

At first glance this is a difficult verse. But it is not difficult.  What Paul is saying here is this:   If Christ is in you (even though your body is dead … or dying…  because of sin) - DON’T WORRY, because the Spirit of life is at work in you because you have been declared righteous by the shed blood of Jesus!

8:11 And this is what the Spirit of life will do (even though your body must die) … He who dwells in you NOW,  raised  Jesus from the dead, and therefore this Holy Spirit will also raise up/ resurrect (give life) to your mortal body.  

And I shall not only be raised from the dead, but now in this life He will continue to perfect in me that which God had first begun.  We shall pick up on that next time as we consider 8:12-17.

And so,  Paul reminds us again and again that the law in and of itself cannot supply the power to save us. It cannot supply the power to sanctify us. The law continues to be the standard of holiness, and as such we love the law and embrace it, but it has no power in itself to make us holy. It can only point out our many defects. 

The indwelling Holy Spirit alone that enables us to live the Christian life.  

The Holy Spirit makes the difference – and He does  this  on the basis of the shed blood of Jesus!