lessons

09-Aug-2025: Life Through the Spirit (Romans 8:1-17)

Opening Prayer

Introduction:

Nazia, would you please read Romans 8:1-17?

Romans 8:1-17

8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of 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. 10 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. 11 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.

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation — but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 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.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Reason for Great Joy

Paul start out in verse 1 with the MOST incredible and hopeful statement…

Romans 8:1

8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…

It says there is NO condemnation if you are in Christ Jesus…
Condemnation is scary and no one wants to be condemned
It means in the original language to be “judged against” meaning the outcome of judgement is a negative verdict or a sentence of guilt
But the AMAZING news of the Gospel is that there is now NO CONDEMNATION
When you even have a glimpse of how sinful you are and therefore what you’ve been saved from you can’t help but feel great joy and gratitude to God!!

In verse 2 Paul goes on to give us the reason why there is NO condemnation:

Romans 8:2 “…because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”)

Paul says there are two laws: a “law of the Spirit” and a “law of sin and death”
He also says that one of these laws gives life while the other gives death
We have been set free by Jesus but that doesn’t mean we have yet to fully live under the “new law” or understand how to do that.
Or we can start out living under the “new law” and then fall back into the “law of sin and death”

So what is “the flesh” and “Life In the Flesh”?

Let’s look at the first and what Paul is really trying to teach us:

What it isn’t

It is NOT not a teaching against the “the body”

We tend to think of the term “flesh” as just the physical body. That would be wrong.
The Bible does NOT teach that the physical body itself is evil.
When redeemed, the body itself is intended for the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:13–20) and will be resurrected (1 Corinthians 15).

What it is

The “flesh” in Paul’s negative sense is more about the inner orientation of “self” apart from God.
Paul often uses the Greek term translated “flesh” to describe the human nature corrupted by sin
This is our core tendency towards selfishness, rebellion, and independence from God.
In this sense, “the flesh” is not just the body, but it is our entire self when it is under the rule of sin and when it is opposed to the Spirit.
Finally, in the book of Galatians Paul gives an example of the “fruits of the flesh” so to speak:

Nazia, please read if you would:

Galatians 5:19–21

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Going back to our main passage today…Paul states in verse 12 of Romain 8 that we “have an obligation”.

Romans 8:12 “Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation — but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”
But obligated to what?
- We are NOT obligated to live according to the flesh.
- Instead we must, by the power of the Holy Spirit, put to death the misdeeds of the body.
- These sins are obvious. Paul in Romans calls them the “misdeeds” of the body and in his other letter to the Galatians describes them as “acts of the sinful nature” (or flesh)

Nazia, please read if you would:

Romans 6:1-4

6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Therefore it is very important that we deeply understand the “two laws” described in Romans 8.

So what is “Life In the Spirit”?

From Romans 8:5–8 we see that it is a mindset shift:

Those “according to the flesh” set their minds on selfish desires.
Those “according to the Spirit” set their minds on what the Spirit desires.
Mind of the flesh: hostility toward God, inability to please Him.
Mind of the Spirit: life (Greek ζωή, zoē — spiritual vitality) and peace (Greek εἰρήνη, eirēnē — wholeness, harmony with God).

From Romans 8:9–11 we see it involves the Spirit’s indwelling presence:

Every believer has the Spirit; this is not a special, elite state but the normal Christian life.
The same Spirit who raised Jesus will give life to our mortal bodies — both spiritually now and physically at the resurrection.
Life in the Spirit is resurrection life already at work in us.

A RELIGIOUS FORM OF “THE FLESH”:

Finally, I want to talk abuot another form of the flesh that is subtle and very dangerous.
One can be baptized and start out under the “law of the Spirit” and after some time drift back into living a “life in the flesh”
A Christian after Baptism can start out so joyful, so happy, so at peace in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Then at some point things begins to change or drift.
This is the type of thing that we know happened to the family or body of believers in Galatia…

Nazia would you please read Galatians 5:7-8?

Galatians 5:7-8

7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.”

I would describe this as a kind of “religious” manifestation of “the flesh”.
What do I mean by that?
- This is where those “acts” or “misdeeds” of “the flesh” are cleaned up in the life of a Christian and therefore “the outside” might look OK.
- Here a Christian is striving to live a life they think is pleasing to God BUT for some reason they do not feel joy but instead that it is a burden.
- Here there may start to appear in the life of a Christian self-rightousness or criticalness towards other Christians or towards non-believers
What has happened?
- We’ve begun to strive in our own self-will or self-power to make changes.
- Here a Christian may start to feel powerless and that the are not changes in their life.
- Here a self-reliance has entered in and the focus has become more about us than about God.
What are we to do if this is the case for us?
- Acknowledge and confess to God that we recognize and see this in our lives.
- Put our eyes and our focus back onto Christ Jesus our Lord.
- Return to the realization that only Christ Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit can change us.
- Recognize that our flesh has no power to change us.

Communion:

As we prepare to take communion reflect on the following:

Am I genuinely working to put to death the “misdeeds of the flesh” by leaning on Christ for help?
At this moment in my life am I living more a life “in the flesh” or a life “in the Spirit”?

Whatever your answers take them to the Father during communion and remember his love as shown through Christ. His incredible love for you. Each day he waits for you to return to Him for the help that ONLY HE can provide.

Nazia to pray for communion.