Romans 8:1-11 NKJV
8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” We treasure the message of God’s grace and salvation found in Romans 8. In this passage, the Apostle Paul presents the contrast between life in the Spirit and life in the flesh. In these verses we discover the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
The passage begins with the powerful assurance that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Through faith in Christ, we are justified and set free from the law of sin and death. God’s grace is greater than our sins, and we are forgiven and accepted as His beloved children. The Holy Spirit plays a pivotal role in our lives as believers. It is through the Spirit that the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in Christ and applied to us. The Spirit empowers us to live in faith, receiving the peace Christ won for us.
Paul contrasts the mindset of those who live according to the flesh with those who live according to the Spirit. A carnal mind leads to spiritual death and enmity against God, while a spiritually minded person experiences life and peace through the righteousness of Christ.
We believe that through baptism and faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within us. The Spirit’s presence through the Word not only assures us of our salvation but also enables to walk according to the new man that pleases God.
In Christ, we find freedom from condemnation and the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. As we live according to the Spirit, we fix our minds on the things of God, experiencing life and peace in our walk with Him. So, we rejoice in the assurance that we are no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit, and through His indwelling presence, we have the hope of eternal life in Christ Jesus.
Let us pray: Almighty and eternal God, pour down on us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.