Bible Studies

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INTRODUCTION. Romans 8:1-14 is one of the most important passages in the Bible, along with Romans chapter 6, which shows that Christians are called, enabled, and required to walk with the victory over all sin. This is good news, very good news! My goal for this present article is to discuss these verses in a rather thorough verse-by-verse manner, but to minimize the details and make this a rather short article. I discussed these verses in some detail in Article #s 6-8 in my "Twenty-Eight Articles on Holiness and Victory Over Sin" on my internet site (karlkempteachingministries.com); these articles are available individually on this Christian article site (click on my name for a listing of my articles). These verses are also discussed on pages 116-123 of my book, "Holiness and Victory Over Sin: Full Salvation Through the Atoning Death of the Lord Jesus Christ."

I am using the New American Standard Bible, 1995 edition. Sometimes I make comments in the middle of quotations using brackets [ ] or double brackets [[ ]] to make them more obvious. I am using double parentheses (( )) instead of footnotes in this paper, since the format here doesn't permit footnotes. I suggest you skip the double parentheses the first time through. They all deal with cross-references to my other writings for further study on those passages.

ROMANS 8:1. "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Christians have been forgiven through the all-important atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ, including being forgiven for any sins they have committed after becoming born-again Christians, when they repented. But, as verses 2-14 demonstrate (along with much that the apostle Paul has said in Romans chapters 1-7), all the emphasis here is on the super-important fact that born-again Christians have been set free from their former state of being spiritually dead and in bondage to sin, and they have been called and enabled to fulfill the requirements of God's moral law in their daily lives. Or, to put it in different words, they are called and enabled to walk in the righteousness of God - to be enslaved to God and His righteousness (see Romans 6:12-22, for example). In the ideal case we would never sin again after we become born-again children of God, but see under verse 2. Note that the word "For" at the beginning of verses 2, 3, 5, and 6, which is there in the Greek, strongly ties these verses together.

ROMANS 8:2. "For the law [or, governing principle] of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law [or, governing principle] of sin and death."

Those who are united with Christ Jesus by faith have the Spirit of life (and of righteousness and holiness) dwelling in them (see Romans 8:9, for example). The Spirit of life (and of righteousness and holiness) sets us free from our former state of being in bondage to sin in the realm/kingdom of spiritual death. The victory over sin is far from being automatic though. The world, the flesh (the old man who wants to continue in sin), and the devil and his hosts are against us, but God's powerful saving grace of God in Christ is far greater than those against us. We must understand the gospel and be committed, by grace through faith, to walk by the Righteous, Holy Spirit on a continuous basis, in accordance with the gospel of new-covenant salvation spelled out in the New Testament.

Like the apostle Paul said in Galatians 5:16, "walk by the Spirit and you [most certainly] will not carry out the [sinful] desire of the flesh [of the old man]." In other words, we will walk in the truth, righteousness, and holiness of God, by grace through faith. ((Galatians 5:16-25 are discussed on pages 195-200 of my book "Holiness and Victory Over Sin" and in Article #s 1-3 in my paper "Twenty-Eight Articles on Holiness and Victory Over Sin" on my internet site; these articles are available individually on this Christian article site.))

ROMANS 8:3. "For what the Law [the Mosaic Law, which was the foundation for the old covenant] could not do [The old covenant did not have the authority or power to dethrone spiritual death and bondage to sin.], weak as it was through the flesh [[Man in "the flesh," without the all-powerful indwelling Spirit of life (and of righteousness and holiness) is spiritually dead and in bondage to sin. Even though the Mosaic Law was from God and was good, it was not designed to solve the spiritual death bondage to sin problem. The combination of the Mosaic Law and man in the flesh was too "weak" to dethrone spiritual death and bondage to sin. God always planned to dethrone spiritual death and sin through the Lord Jesus and His atoning death and resurrection [see Genesis 3:15; Isaiah chapter 53; Romans chapter 6; 1 Peter 1:18-20; and 2:24, for example].]], God did, sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh [He condemned and dethroned sin, which had been reigning over mankind since the rebellion of Adam and Eve.]."

When Jesus bore our sins with the guilt and the penalties, He stripped sin (and spiritual death and Satan) of the authority they have had over mankind since the fall, for all who submit (in faith) to God's new-covenant salvation. Sin, spiritual death, and Satan gained that authority over man through the rebellion of man (see Genesis 2:17; 3:22-24; and Romans 5:12-21, for example). ((Genesis chapters 1-3 are discussed in a paper on my internet site; Romans chapter 5 is discussed on pages 89-96 of my book "Holiness and Victory Over Sin" and in Article #11 in "Twenty-Eight Articles on Holiness and Victory Over Sin

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