Romans – Chapter 8:1-17

The Amazing Bible. Book Club

Chapter 8 begins, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." Chapter 8 is a transition that focuses on the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, who enters our lives. This fulfills Old Testament prophets like Jeremiah 31:33-34 and Ezekiel 36:24-27, where God says He will put a new spirit in our lives which will change a heart of stone to a heart of flesh. In the whole chapter, the word Spirit is used 22 times, and only two times previously in 1:4 and then 5:5. F.F. Bruce said, "...this is the first place in the Epistle where the Spirit of God enters the argument." The argument is that we are saved by faith and not by works, and not by the law. Since in Adam's sin, all humanity has sinned, even though the law is good, we could never measure up to it, that was why God sent Jesus to be our sacrifice. As Christians we have an obligation to live according to the Spirit, because we have become children of God, which makes us "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." Jesus had an intimate relationship with His heavenly Father, and He called Him, "Abba, Father" (Mark 14:36). Paul also used the phrase one other time in his letter to the churches in Galatia 4:6. We too can become intimate with the Father, since Jesus paid the price for our sins with his sacrifice of dying on the cross for our sins. Today is the day to make sure we are right with God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Remember, in Jesus Christ, there is no condemnation here.