Romans - Chapter 8, Part 2

8:14-27 Living in the Spirit.

We learned from Luke 4 that Jesus Himself was led of the Spirit into the wilderness after His baptism in order that he might be tempted by Satan. It was the Holy Spirit (who had just descended upon Jesus after He came out of the water) who was doing the leading toward what the will of the Father had arranged. Here we see very similar language used by Paul to introduce the first four verses which explain how we are to live in the good of the family of the Lord. Here Paul clearly says that those who are led by the Spirit are indeed in the family and are sons of God.

This language has been described by early Christian writers as meaning (in the original Greek) “holy violence” that is used by God when “... the Spirit drags the man where the flesh would not by itself choose to go...”. We remember that Paul himself was strongly denied by the Holy Spirit when he wanted to take Silas and travel to Asia (Acts 16:6-7).

Paul hurries to add in verse 16 that while obedience is necessary, this leading by the Spirit does not mean that we are in bondage nor are we to fear. This explanation seems to be given so that the believer would again understand we enjoy a great sense of liberty as a son of God. That liberty is from sin's domination and from any fear that the thought of death may bring.

We see emerging from these verses a picture of life in the Spirit. Not only are we sons of God, but we are also heirs of an inheritance of God, and even are co-heirs with Christ. The Spirit gives us witness of this new found life and teaches us that while we may suffer at times, we will truly be glorified as well.

8:18-27 Suffering creation.

Paul introduces another element of human suffering which comes to us as a complete surprise. He tells us that the creation is suffering too and we are suffering with it. The sin of man brought the destruction of the flood. But the creation will also be freed from the bondage of the corruption of man and will also regain its original glory. Like mankind, it will be restored in the ultimate work of the Lord.

The Christian and creation share two things. They groan together and they anticipate together. Believers are painfully aware of our limitations, both spiritual and physical, and look forward to the time when we will be freed from all that hinders life.

Paul says that this is all part of the salvation process and is a legitimate expectation for one who is saved because “... we were saved in this hope...” (verse 24).

Living in the Spirit therefore introduces us to a relationship of living intimacy with the Father through the Spirit. This life urges us to look forward to the time when all things, mankind (those saved) and creation are fully redeemed and restored while depending on the Holy Spirit to guide and keep us until that day.

8:28-39 What is the result?

Verses 28-31 bring us to a place in our hearts and mind and soul where we are more than convinced of the wisdom and working of God's great plan. The pieces examined one by one are God's foreknowledge, predestination, call, justification, and glorification, and they all fit together in what many Christian writers and preachers have come to view as “the plan of salvation”. More recent theologians refer to these few verses as the “golden chain” of the Lord.

Man was created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26).  Man fell and that image became a poverty stricken likeness of the original creation of man. That poor image continued until Christ came. Hebrews 1:3 clearly teaches us that Jesus is “the express image” of the person of God. The plan of the Lord in that passage helps us to understand that the original divine image was then revealed and this is exactly why Jesus came not in our flesh, but in the likeness of it. These factors should bring us to a deep sense of conviction as we consider how God works out His restoration of all things under the power of the Son. We should further know that nothing will ever detract from or diminish this plan. Jesus clearly taught us that all power was His in both heaven and earth. 

God determines the fate of each man and woman. He both knows it and guides it. While we have a freedom of will given by God, no man can by use of his free will choose heaven. All may freely choose hell on their own but heaven is reached only through Jesus. John 14:6, “... no man cometh to the Father but by me...” is our teaching. The Lord has perfect foreknowledge and knows our hearts both now and every day in our future. God reveals His truth to each heart in His own time and place, intervening in each life, and through the Holy Spirit “calls” each heart to Himself which will be conformed to the perfect image of His Son. This salvation moment is said to be justification, whereby we stand as just before the Lord, not in our own righteousness, but in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who has both removed and accepted our sin as His own, even though He had no sin. He was “made sin” for us.

The final step in the golden chain will be the time when all previous steps are completed and we are glorified by the Lord to be with Him eternally.

8:31-39 More than conquerors.

Because of all that was just revealed, Paul explains that now we are God's elect and therefore there can be none to bring a charge against us. (We remember verse 1 where we learned there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ). These elect are those who have been foreknown, chosen, predestined, called and justified so that they might arrive at the final status which is glorified like the one who was Firstborn. 

Mathew 27:52 shows us that those born from the dead arose AFTER Jesus was resurrected. 

So now knowing all these things, we see how God's plan makes us more than conquerors and through this new understanding we are surely more than confident in Him, His gospel, and His plan. Paul challenged sin, the sword, and society and showed the gospel to be greater than all these things. Now he brings our attention to the many spiritual forces with which he is personally familiar.

His message is the same as before. There is nothing that can possibly affect the eternal purposes of God or the eternal and undying love of Christ. Even death cannot rob the believer. Because to “be absent from the body” is to “be present with the Lord”.

Now our grand climax of Paul's great teaching concerning the gospel is shown. It concludes with the words “our Lord”, showing how personal is the relationship that has been established between the redeemed man and God. He is OURS.