Romans 8:22

Romans 8:22 says, For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.  When man sinned, everything in creation was affected by that sin. Genesis says the ground was cursed and man now had to earn his living by the sweat of his brow. Mankind was assigned the task of having dominion over the world, but in sin began to corrupt everything in nature.  People today still exploit creation for their own desires.  Verse twenty-three adds, And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.  Paul says that even as followers of Christ, the first fruits of the Spirit, we groan within ourselves.  As we live in this sinful world that only seems to get worse, we cannot help to groan at all that goes own.  We await the redemption of the body as well as the spirit, that day when we are fully restored with nothing between us and the Heavenly Father.  Verse twenty-four continues, For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? We are saved by hope.  We cannot see the outcome of that hope at this present time, and if we could, we would be living by sight and not by faith.  There is nothing tangible that we can show people to convince them of the reality of Christ. Only through faith can anyone come to Christ, and only through faith can we live victoriously in this world. As followers of Christ, we do not live in a bubble where the pain and suffering of this world cannot touch us, but we are still subjected to everything the rest of the world is subjected to, but with the knowledge that this one day will pass.  Verse twenty-five states, But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.  In faith, we wait for that which we cannot see.  We do not have the ability to physically see the everlasting outcome of following Christ, but only the faith to be able to await patiently for that day when we will.  This does not release us from our responsibility to be working for Christ until that day.  We must patiently await until then. Verse twenty-six adds, Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  We may feel that we need beautiful, eloquent prayers to get God's attention, but Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us, with groanings that cannot be uttered, since we don't even know what to pray for.  Public prayers often seem to be addressed more to the audience than to God and private prayers are often more what we want or need than what God wants for us.  The Holy Spirit always knows what God wants and what we need though.  Verse twenty-seven continues, And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.  The Holy Spirit knows the will of God and makes intercession for the saints, the followers of Christ, according to that will.  This does not mean that we shouldn't pray, but that we don't have to worry about getting the words exactly right.  We simply need to pray in the Spirit of Christ.

Romans 8:16

Romans 8:16 states, The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:  We can know that we are the children of God because the Spirit of God bears witness with our Spirit.  This is not something we may just long for or hope for, but it is something we can know beyond a doubt.  We just have to live by the faith that God gives us secure in the knowledge that we are His. The Holy Spirit will always give us this assurance.  Verse seventeen adds,  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.   When we become the adopted children of Christ, we become joint heirs with Christ.  Matthew Henry points out that under man's law, the first born often inherited the most, if not all of the estate. This is still true of kingly succession in England for example. The first-born son, until recently, inherits the title and everything that goes with it.  With God, through Christ, we are all joint heirs with Christ.  We will never be pushed down to a lower position when someone else accepts Christ and becomes a part of the family of God, nor will they be under us because we became a part of God's family before them.  We are all joint heirs with Christ.  Paul did say that as joint heirs we may suffer with Christ.  Being a follower of Christ does not promise earthly riches, but instead warns us that the world will hate us.  Now, as followers of Christ, not all suffering that we experience is because of our relationship with Him.  I believe the suffering Paul is speaking of is the suffering that comes when we stand with God.  We are promised not that this will not occur, but only that the Holy Spirit will be with us to comfort and strengthen us.  Verse eighteen continues, For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Paul does not say that there would be no sufferings, but that these sufferings are unworthy of being compared to the glory that will be revealed to us.  Following Christ does not remove the pains and problems of this world from us, but simply enables us to overcome them with the joy of knowing this will all one day pass away.  Verse nineteen states, For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.  I believe that Paul is reminding us that we are but creatures, but we earnestly await the day that we will live as children of God with all the problems of the world removed.  Verse twenty adds, For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Paul reminds us that as we live in this world, we are still tempted to follow our own way instead of following God. Verse twenty-one continues, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.  There is coming a day when we will be totally freed from the corruption of this world and will be totally freed into the glorious liberty of being a child of God.  Unlike what some religions teach, we will not be gods, but simply the people that God intended mankind to be from creation.

Romans 8:10

Romans 8:10 says, And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  Paul had a lot to say about being dead in Christ.  It is more than just the symbolism of baptism.  We are literally to die to the ways of the flesh and sin and to live by the way of the Spirit of God.  If we make baptism simply some kind of rite of passage into God's kingdom without accepting the truth that we are truly changed by our acceptance of Christ, it does us no good.  Though but a symbol of our acceptance of Christ, we must acknowledge what that symbolic gesture means.  We literally accept the burial of the old earthly nature, or the flesh corrupted by sin, and the resurrection to a newness of life by the Spirit of God.  Verse eleven adds, But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.  Notice that Paul did not say that if the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, lives in us that after this life is over we will be quickened, or made alive.  Paul stated than when we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit our mortal bodies are made alive.  As Paul would state of himself and we can apply to all believers, it is no longer we who live, but Christ Who lives in us.  We may hear people say that Christianity is a pie in the sky by and by, but it is not a by and by faith. Being a follower of Christ requires a change in our very nature from the moment we accept Him.   We no longer live by the dictates of the flesh, but by the leadership of the Spirit.  Verse twelve continues, Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.  We owe nothing to the flesh as followers of Christ. We no longer are imprisoned by sin, but are set free from its power. Verse thirteen states, For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.  I believe that Paul was saying there has to be a change in our nature if we accept salvation through Christ. We now live guided by the Holy Spirit and not carnal desires.  If we do again give in to those desires, we die to the will of God.  We are still redeemed, but we are not useful at such times.  Verse fourteen adds, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.  When I say Paul states, we should realize that this is really the Holy Spirit speaking through Paul.  Those who do not believe in Christ see the Bible as just a collection of teachings written by many people over many centuries and of no real importance, but as followers of Christ, we must recognize it as God's Word to the world.  As such, this verse tells us that when we are led by the Spirit, which can really only happen after we accept Christ as Savior and Lord and are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, we are the children of God.  Though it is possible for earthly parents to legally disown a child, that does not mean that child is not theirs. We can rejoice that God will not disown us once we are His, but instead seals us to Him.  Verse fifteen continues, For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.  We are not in bondage to God to fear that He will suddenly reject us, but we are His children by adoption.  In adoption, in it truest form, a child is not a part of that family until they do something wrong, but they are as much a part of the family as a natural born child.  Through Christ, we are God's children forever more, and do not need to live in fear of being disowned.

Romans 8:6

Romans 8:6 says, For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  There is no way to follow the desires of the flesh, which lead to rebellion against God, without that rebellion or sin being dealt with before we can be fully restored to a right relationship with God.  If we choose these desires over the sacrifice of Christ, spiritual death awaits us.  If we choose to follow Christ, to be spiritually minded, then we find life and peace through Christ.  Verse seven adds, Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Choosing our will, the will of the carnal mind, puts us at enmity with God.  Even as followers of Christ, if we allow sin, the desires of the flesh, to invade our thoughts, we are at that point once again at war with God.  We are not once again lost, as we are sealed to God by His power, but we are indeed rebelling against God's will for our lives. Paul says that the carnal mind cannot be subjected to the law of God. As long as we believe that we can follow our earthly desires, we cannot follow Christ as we should.  This definitely applies to those who refuse to even acknowledge Christ as Savior and Lord, but it also applies to those who accept Him as Savior and Lord but forget to allow Him to be Lord.  We cannot condemn those who are lost while at the same time refusing to live under complete control of the Holy Spirit.  As followers of Christ, we should find peace in our lives, and this is not based on the circumstances of life.  When we are truly following the direction of the Holy Spirit, our soul is at peace with God.  Verse eight continues, So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.  This applies not only to those who have never accepted Christ, but to those who have as well.  When we become followers of Christ, we still have our free will, which at times will lead us to thoughts or actions that are based on the desires of the flesh.  While we are following the desires of the flesh, we cannot please God.  It doesn't matter how much good we may do in the world, as long as we allow sin to rule even one aspect of our lives, we cannot please God. We can never have the attitude that since we are saved by the sacrifice of Christ, if we do sin the penalty is already paid, so it is not important.  When we allow sin back into our lives, we cannot please God.  Verse nine concludes, But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.  Paul says that through Christ we no longer live by the dictates of the flesh but by the dictates of the Holy Spirit.  He says this is true because the Holy Spirit indwells those who belong to God, and if the Holy Spirit does not live in us, we do not belong to God.  Having the Holy Spirit indwell us is not a second blessing for a few, but an accomplished fact for all true believers.  When we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord of our life, the Holy Spirit immediately resides in us to guide and strengthen us.  The sin of the flesh is defeated, as long as we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:1

Romans 8:1 says, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  After lamenting the war between what he knew to do spiritually and what he was tempted to do through the flesh, the old human nature, Paul here states the reason to celebrate.  There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.  We do not lose our relationship with God when we tempted to walk after the flesh, but we are covered by the blood of Christ forever. Paul may have still had the temptation to follow his own will, but he knew that he should always follow the will of God.  It would indeed be much simpler if once we were saved, we lost all pull to sin, but as long as we have this old mortal body of flesh we will face temptation.  The more closely we walk with Christ in the spirit, the less power temptation will have over us.  We need to cling to the promise that through Christ we have no condemnation, and this should lead us to an ever-closer walk with Him.  Paul, one of the greatest Christians of all time recognized this war between the flesh and the spirit in his life, and we must also.  If we begin to think that as a follower of Christ we are immune to the temptation of sin, we are likely setting ourselves up for a fall.  Verse two adds, For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  Paul states that the Spirit of life in Christ made him free from the law of sin and death.  The same is true for us.  Through Christ, we are made truly free to be in a right standing with God.  The law could not do this because it depended on our ability to live up to the very spirit of the law.  Faith in Christ though depends not on our ability, but on His. We are simply required to come to Him by faith and live by faith through Him.  We are made free from attempting to find redemption through the law, which we could never do.  Verse three continues, For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:  Paul here states again the good news, that God sent Christ into the world as a man Who lived without sin that He would therefore be able to redeem all of mankind.  Christ condemned sin in the flesh. We can only blame our sins on our own free will.  Verse four states, That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. This is a continuation of the statement in verse three, that through Christ sin was defeated.  Through Christ, the righteousness of the law was fulfilled, and we can now choose to walk after the flesh by choosing our will or after the Spirit by choosing God's will for us.  Verse five adds, For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  We have the choice of being ruled by the things of the flesh, which lead to sin, or by the things of Christ, which lead to following the will of God.  Even as followers of Christ, it is a daily choice.  It should become easier to follow Christ the longer we serve Him, but it is still too easy to allow sin to creep in.

Romans 7:20

Romans 7:20 says, Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.  Paul had just stated that he didn't do what he should and did do what he shouldn't in verse nineteen.  Now, he gives us the reason.  It is his giving in to sin that dwelled in him.  We know that once a person becomes a follower of Christ that the Holy Spirit dwells in them, but even when indwelled with the Holy Spirit, God does not take away our free choice.  Paul recognized this in his own life, and we must also.  It would be so much easier if once we accepted Christ as Savior and Lord the Holy Spirit would then keep us from even thinking sinful thoughts, but that is not what happens.  There will come a day, when we do depart this corrupted world that sin will no longer be a temptation, but not as long as we live in this body of flesh.  Verse twenty-one adds, I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. Paul recognized the truth that the ability to give in to evil still existed in Him. We might want to think that as followers of Christ this is not true of us, but anytime we doubt God, evil wins.  This can be as simple as giving in to worry, when God has told us to put our trust in Him.  It could be coveting what someone else has or hating someone or some group because of what they have done to us.  It could also be feeling that we are morally superior to others.  I believe Paul recognized that he was still capable of these thoughts, and even actions, and warned us that the same is true for us. For the Bible to be meaningful, it must apply to the life of each individual.  Verse twenty-two continues, For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:  He delighted in the law of God with the inward, or spiritual, man.  We may delight in the Bible inwardly, or spiritually, but how does that affect our everyday life?  Verse twenty-three states, But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  I believe Paul was saying that even though he knew what he should do mentally that the lusts of the flesh fought against that knowledge.  We as followers of Christ know what we should do, but we are still at times tempted to give in to sin due to the lusts of the flesh.  We are in a spiritual war, and if we surrender from the leadership and empowering of the Holy Spirit, we will lose.  Verse twenty-four adds, O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  He saw himself as wretched and asked Who could deliver him from the body of this death.  When we are not following the will of God through the power of Holy Spirit, we are indeed wretched.  We cannot be faithful to God by our own power. Verse twenty-five continue I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.  After asking Who could deliver him, Paul gave the answer: Jesus Christ our Lord.  Christ was not only Paul's Lord, but the Lord of all who believe.  We must make Christ the Lord of all our thoughts, or by the lust of the flesh we will again fall into sin.

Romans 7:15

Romans 7:15 says, For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.   Paul said that he didn't do the things that he knew he should do and did the things he knew he shouldn't do.  When we try to live by our own strength and power, and not by the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we find ourselves submitting to the power of sin once again.  Through Christ, sin has lost its power over us as long as we are firmly rooted in the will of God for our lives.  Yet, even as followers of Christ, we can allow sin to rule our actions if we are not careful.  Verse sixteen adds, If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. When we do the things that we should not do, we agree to consent to the law of God, which is good but can only condemn us.  This does not mean that we are suddenly not saved, but that we once again place our actions under the law, as we temporarily reject God's will. We may know what we should or should not do as followers of Christ, but too often we give in to our old corrupt nature and lusts.  If Paul had this struggle, then we should not be surprised when we do also.  Verse seventeen continues, Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.   Paul said that the reason he did things that he knew he shouldn't do or failed to do the things he knew he should, was because of submitting to sin. He again was following the will of the world and not the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  We do not surrender our free will even in Christ, and in this world we will never become perfect.  Verse eighteen states, For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. We need to understand the importance of accepting the fact that even as followers of Christ we are still very much capable of sinning against Him. Anytime we fail to follow His will for our lives, no matter how small that failure may seem, we are again living by the flesh and not the spirit. Verse nineteen adds, For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.  Paul said he had intentions to do good, but didn't, and yet the evil that he thought he wouldn't do was what he did.  I don't believe we can say this was a continual state for Paul, but that he recognized that he at times acted in the flesh and not the spirit.  He was not perfect, and neither are we.