Intro
Last week, we went over chapter 7, which talks a lot about the Law. Reading this chapters we should remember that, letter to the Romans were written in the days of the early church. Not so long after the church was established and gatherings largely consisted from Jewish believers. Among which were Pharisees, Saducees and Regulag Jews along with Gentiles. For many of them, fallowing the law of Moses was the way of life, it was the way to follow God, the only way. For generations and generations. They knew nothing else.
But after Jesus died for the sins of the world. And especially when Gospel of Jesus Christ reached Gentiles new queston arose among Christians.
What is the role of the Law of Moses, in the christian church?
Which role it plays in lives of the followers of Christ?
Paul explains that the puprose of the law actually is to point to sin, to help us to understand what is sin.
Termometr
Law is more like a thermometer. It tells you that your temperature rises. It indicates that you are sick. But it does not provide means for curing the disease. It only lets you know that something is wrong. That you are not OK.
Law is not evil
Bible tells us that the law is good. It is perfect and holy. Law is like a benchmark, golden standart. It is out there for us to compare against to know whether we on the right track. Law was given for the benefit of the people.
Problem
But also we read that sin utilizes the Law to work against us. Producing corrupted desires, forcing us to rebel against God. At the end of the chapter 7 we are presented with an issue. Since the law is only an indicator and not the remedy for sin, we find ourselves in a problem described in the verse 25.
Romans 7:25(second part)
²⁵…So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
Paul tells us that even those who genuinely, whole heartily desire to follow God law. Inevitable fail because of our corrupt nature. We talked about an issue of original sin few weeks ago. So, even when in our mind we admire God’s law, our flesh is still rebels against God.
Example of a king David
Think of kind David for example. Great man of God. Loved God with all his heart. He wrote more then half of all Psalms. Approximately 6 times more then any other known writer of the book of Psalms. All that to say that he was passionate about God. And during his reign as a king of Israel, we can see how much he respected God. David tried his best to follow God’s law. God himself calls David a “Man after His own heart”.
Acts 13:22
²² …he(God) raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’
Kind David was committed and dedicated to God. And never the less he had his own fails. David was a great king. Being a great person, he’s fails was great as well. Here are some highlights.
| Failure | Context |
|---|---|
| Adultery with Bathsheba | Had sexual relationships with someone else’s wife, while, her husband was at war fighting for David. Minwhile David himself had at least 6 wives of his own at that moment |
| Murder of Uriah | Orchestrates murder of the husband to cover up the act of adultery, because woman became pregnant |
| Failure as a father | His own son rebelled against him and started a civil war in Israel |
| Unauthorized census | Conducts census because of questionable reasons and as a result 70,000 die as a divine punishment |
We not gonna dive deep into this stories. Each of them have their own lessons for us. But it shows us that even the person who love God from the depth of his heart is not able to escape corruption of the original sin. You and I are not any better then David. Our nature is corrupt and law of God clearly shows that. Utilizing God’s law, sin brings condemnation and death to us.
Bible makes it clear that the Law does not provide solution to the problem. And therefore following the law does not save you. Law brings condemnation. Law requires justice and punishment.
Solution
But because God loves us so much he takes care of this indeed complex problem.
Romans 8:1-4
¹There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.²For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.³For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,⁴in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Justification comes through Jesus Christ.
By the grace of God there is a solution. And solution is in Jesus Christ. He came in the likeness of sinful flesh and fulfilled the will of the father, so that requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us.
Simply said - Jesus Christ did all the hard work. He fulfilled the righteous requirement of the law. And because of him those righteous requirements might be fulfilled in us. It’s like the greatest amnesty ever.
Who are us?
But who it is for? Is it for Jews? Is it for Gentiles? Who is considered eligible?
Verse 1 says that it is only for those who are IN CHRIST JESUS. It is for His people. Those who “got baptized into Christ Jesus”. Those who was “born again”. There are many way to say this. Our today’s scripture puts it like this:
Those who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Walk in the Spirit
Romans 8:2
²For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
We already know that we are no longer slaves to sin. Sin does not have dominion over us when we are in Christ Jesus. And we are no more called to live by the letter of the Law. But rather by the Spirit of the law. In His letter to the church in Corinth Paul writes about it this way:
2 Corinthians 3:6-11
⁶…For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
In era of the new covenant. Those who love God called to live by the law of the Spirit of life.
Walk by the Spirit
But what does it mean to live by or walk by the Spirit?
Romans 8:5
⁵For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
First of all we talk about transformation of our minds, of our worldview.
Mind of flesh
When we say flesh, we don’t mean tissue of our body that wraps the bones and the rest. In this case we talk about sinful human nature - rebellious, self-centered, the one that tend to resist God. Setting your mind on the things of the flesh is to live by desires and thoughts produces by this nature. In his letter to the church in Galatia Paul lists some of the outcomes of setting your mind of the things of the flesh
Galatians 5:19-21
¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,²⁰idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,²¹envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
It all starts in our head, in our mind. Often that’s where the main battle happens. And our actions is mere outcomes. Depending on who we listen to. Depending on who won that battle.
Illustration picture
It is not the most accurate representation, so take it with the grain of salt. True battlefield is in our mind. It’s ether sin reign in you, making you obey it’s passions or you let God changer your mind with a new way of thinking. Each option comes with it consiqences.
Romans 8:6-8
⁶For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.⁷For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.⁸Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
The mind that set on the flesh leads to spiritual death. I think it is also fair to say that those who’s mind is set on the flesh are dead spiritually. They cannot please God. They cannot submit to him. Simply unable. They are not IN JESUS CHRIST. They are still slaves to sin.
Romans 8:9-14
⁹You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.¹⁰But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.¹¹If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
You are in the Spirit if the Spirit of God dwells in you. If you do not have the Spirit of Christ you do not belong to him. It is vitally important to have the Spirit of God. Without it none of what we are talking about makes sense. Only God’s spirit can give us strength to put to death deeds of the flesh. Only though the Spirit our mortal bodies can have life.
Get spirit of God
How do you get the spirit of God? It is definitely not something you can order on Amazon. They do not sell it on Temu ether. You can’t buy at convenience store.
Here is 3 simple steps you can do if you in doubts:
- Put your faith in Jesus Christ.
- Repent and turn to God.
- Ask God for it.
Acts 2:38
³⁸…“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 11:13
¹³If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
By faith we can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. But it is only step number one. Then we should let the spirit to lead us. We should learn to live by the Spirit or in the language of today’s chapter we should “set the mind on the Spirit”. Which will bring us life and peace.
Romans 12-14
¹²So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.¹³For 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.¹⁴For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Conclusion.
We should have the Spirit of God to be able to put to death the deeds of the body. To be able to overcome our sinful nature. We should have Spirit of God in order to be able to please God. This last verses indicate that there is our part in all of this. We are not called to be couch potatos(show image). Waiting on the God’s grace to do all the work.
Not Potato
We should actively participate in the process. Not relying on our own strength. Because, without the spirit of God it all in vain. But as Paul writes to the church in Corinth
1 Corinthians 9:27(NASB95)
but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
- Put your faith in Jesus.
- Turn to God.
- Receive His Spirit.
- Don’t be a potato and set your mind on the Spirit