Bible Study

Paul’s letter to the Romans has three major parts: a presentation of the gospel (chapters 1-8), the place of Israel in God’s plan (chapters 9-11) and exhortations for Christian living (chapters 12-15). The chapter of our study this month comes at the end of Paul’s explanation of the gospel. It is the climax, and the truths that Paul discusses are truly astonishing.

The chapter begins with an astonishing statement: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death” (vs. 1-2, TNIV throughout).

Because of what Christ has done, believers are not counted guilty and will not be punished. We sin, but there is no condemnation. If we didn’t sin, the question of condemnation wouldn’t even come up. Paul knows that we sin, so he is saying, there is no punishment for Christians even though they sin.

Hard to believe? Yes, for we know that sin deserves to be punished. Paul agrees, but the gospel announces that Christ has taken our punishment on himself. Because he paid the penalty in full, we do not need to pay it again. Christ has already received all the condemnation that we deserve, so there is no further condemnation waiting for us. If we have faith in him, if our lives are in him, we do not need to be afraid.

NO CONDEMNATION— Because of what Christ has done, believers are not counted guilty and will not be punished. We sin, but there is no condemnation. If we didn’t sin, the question of condemnation wouldn’t even come up.

Why? Because Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death, set us free from the only law that could possibly condemn us. The law that says, “Those who sin shall die,” no longer applies to us, because it has been taken care of—completely. We died with Christ, and it is no longer we who sin, but the sinful nature inside of us that does it (7:17). It will die, and we who are in Christ will live eternally.

God does not want us to sin, but even if we sin, we will not be condemned if we believe in his Son (John 3:18). The law could not give us eternal life, but God could, and he did it through the death of Christ. “For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful humanity to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in human flesh” (Rom. 8:3).

Jesus did not come to condemn sinners—he came to condemn sin. He came to punish sin, to take away its power to control us and kill us. He came to give us life, and to do it in such a way that “the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us” (v. 4). In his life and in his death, Jesus satisfied all the demands of the law. It cannot demand anything more.

Paul then tells us that Christians “do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit” (v. 4). We do not set our minds on what the sinful nature wants, “but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (v. 5). We are not perfect, but as we are led by the Spirit, we think and do the things of God.

Before we came to believe, our minds were headed for death. The unconverted mind “is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.” It is rebellious and disobedient. Paul concludes, “Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God” (vv. 6-8). But now, we “are not controlled by the sinful nature but are in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ” (v. 9). The Holy Spirit lives in and guides everyone who belongs to Christ, and “the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace” (v. 6). If we don’t even want to live right, we do not belong to Christ.

ETERNAL VALUE—Whatever we do according to the sinful flesh will die, but whatever we do in obedience to God will be of eternal value. The more we kill sin and the more we obey God, the more we are really alive. “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God” (Romans 8:14).

Our old bodies are dead because of sin, and they received their wages on the cross (6:2-6). In Christ, though, we have new life—“But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness” (8:10). Because Christ is righteous, and we are in him, the Spirit gives us life.

“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit, who lives in you” (v. 11). God, who raised Jesus from the dead, will also raise us, if his Spirit is living in us. Our bodies will be raised like his—immortal, incorruptible and full of glory.

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation,” Paul says (v. 12). It is not to live according to the sinful nature, for if we do that, we will die (v. 13). Paul does not directly say what our obligation is, but his contrast implies that we are obliged to live according to the Spirit of God. There is no penalty for failure, Paul says in verse 1, but the obligation still remains: “if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live” (v. 13). We are called to serve the Spirit, not the flesh. We are commanded to serve God, not self. We are commanded to resist sin.

The old person is condemned; the new person is not. Therefore, we want to spend as much of life as we can in the new. Whatever we do according to the sinful flesh will die, but whatever we do in obedience to God will be of eternal value. The more we kill sin and the more we obey God, the more we are really alive. “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God” (v. 14). If we are in Christ, we are guided by the Spirit into a life that pleases God.

The Spirit does not enslave us or frighten us with threats of condemnation, but gives us a secure membership in God’s family: “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (vv. 15-16).

Since the Spirit lives in us, we can confidently call God our Father—and this has important implications. “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ…” (v. 17). This means an assurance of salvation and an assurance of glory—but it also means that we suffer in this age, as Jesus did. “… if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

When our lives are placed in Christ, then we share in his life, both the good and the bad. We share in his sufferings, in his death, in his righteousness and in his resurrection. As God’s children, we are co-heirs with Christ, sharing in who he is and what he has done. We are united with him—forever in glory!