We are not debtors to the flesh, neither by relation, gratitude, nor any other bond or obligation. God has an eternal purpose and He is able to accomplish His purpose. Though he was his own Son, yet, being made sin for us, it pleased the Lord to bruise him. If Paul was at a loss what to say to these things, no marvel if we be. The holiness of the law of God, and the unholiness of the carnal mind, are as irreconcilable as light and darkness. But at the same time the members of our body is waging war with that knowledge. Their present state is a state of education and preparation for the inheritance. Compare with this Ps 96 10-13; 98 7-9. The Argument from Contingency: A Proof for God, 6 Verses to Cling to When You Are Overwhelmed. Shall we put this question to our own hearts, Who dwells, who rules, who keeps house, here? 6:1-2) We have died to sin through Christ are our freedom from sin ( Rom. All this will not cut the bond of love and friendship that is between Christ and true believers. [3.] 1. Faith is the mother of hope. Called? They are in Christ Jesus, as in their city of refuge, and so are protected from the avenger of blood. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. If you live after the flesh, you shall die; that is, die eternally. There is therefore no condemnation, because they are interested in the satisfaction that Christ by dying made to the law. As the reward of the saints' present sufferings; and it is a rich reward: If so be that we suffer with him (v. 17), or forasmuch as we suffer with him. Our giving ourselves to Christ takes rise in God's giving us to him; and, in giving us to him, he predestinated us to be conformable to his image. Methinks, were there no other argument, love to our bodies should make us hate sin, because it is such an enemy to our bodies. She that liveth in pleasure is dead (1 Tim 5 6), not only dead in law as guilty, but dead in state as carnal. The object of this expectation. Shall we harbour and indulge that which is enmity to God our creator, owner, ruler, and benefactor? The LXX. In our patiently bearing these trials we are not only conquerors, but more than conquerors, that is, triumphers. It is Christ, an able all-sufficient Saviour. It is by virtue of our interest in Christ, our relation to him, and our union with him, that we are thus secured. 34 Who is he that condemneth? As to the matter of our requests, we know not what to ask. In chapter 7 Paul has described the Christian conflict. We owe no suit nor service to our carnal desires; we are indeed bound to clothe, and feed, and take care of the body, as a servant to the soul in the service of God, but no further. 6:6-8 ). The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. (2.) It is the will of God that his people should be a comforted people. He that hath designed us for the inheritance of sons when we come to age will not let us want necessaries in the mean time. God did it judicially; he passed a sentence upon the creatures for the sin of man, by which they became subject. To a hypocrite, all whose religion lies in his tongue, nothing is more dreadful than that God searches the heart and sees through all his disguises. III. In these words the apostle describes a fourth illustrious branch of the happiness of believers, namely, a title to the future glory. Let Satan do his worst, he is chained; let the world do its worst, it is conquered: principalities and powers are spoiled and disarmed, and triumphed over, in the cross of Christ. Time shall not separate us, eternity shall not. It denotes a full, and strong, and affectionate persuasion, arising from the experience of the strength and sweetness of the divine love. This is called the adoption. It is to his kingdom and glory. Mr. Hugh Kennedy, an eminent Christian of Ayr, in Scotland, when he was dying, called for a Bible; but, finding his sight gone, he said, "Turn me to the eighty of the Romans, and set my finger at these words, I am persuaded that neither death nor life," etc. Our way is rough and long; but he that shall come will come, and will not tarry; and therefore, though he seem to tarry, it becomes us to wait for him. It is acknowledged that one of the principal graces of a Christian is hope (1 Cor 13 13), which necessarily implies a good thing to come, which is the object of that hope. Words of knowledge often in scripture denote affection; so here: Elect according to the foreknowledge of God, 1 Pet 1 2. It is our love to God that makes every providence sweet, and therefore profitable. Life in the Spirit contrasted with life in the flesh. Under the bondage of corruption, v. 21. It is Christ that died, etc. Lord, what is man, that thou shouldst thus magnify him! Which interest has the ascendant? (2.) 7:4 ). Though a child of God may come under fear of bondage again, and may be questioning his sonship, yet the blessed Spirit is not again a spirit of bondage, for then he would witness an untruth. But it should seem by the scripture that there will be some kind of restoration of them. Thus by Christ is sin condemned; though it live and remain, its life in the saints is still but like that of a condemned malefactor. WebA verse-by-verse Bible study class. The law could not do it, v. 3. Created wills are so very fickle, and created powers so very feeble, that, if any of these did depend upon the creature, the whole would shake. Observe, (1.) These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means. Us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. If God doesnt have a purpose, then He couldnt work all things according to that purpose. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. Awake, O sword. It could neither justify nor sanctify, neither free us from the guilt nor from the power of sin, having not the promises either of pardon or grace. It is a These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means. Whom he called those he also justified. To understand and apply this verse, we need to think through four truths: 1. But God himself hath undertaken the doing of it from first to last, that we might abide in a constant dependence upon him and subjection to him, and ascribe all the praise to himthat every crown may be cast before the throne. WebPurpose of Writing: As with all Pauls epistles to the churches, his purpose in writing was to proclaim the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ by teaching doctrine and edify and encourage the believers who would receive his letter. I reckon, as an arithmetician that is balancing an account. That which is herein chiefly designed is the honour of Jesus Christ, that he might be the first-born among many brethren; that is, that Christ might have the honour of being the great pattern, as well as the great prince, and in this, as in other things, might have pre-eminence. Read full chapter Footnotes Romans 8:32 The Gk. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. A sanctified soul bears the image of God, as the child bears the image of the father. Those that stand it out against the gospel call abide under guilt and wrath. Now this intercession which the Spirit makes is, (1.) Therefore it is that the seed of Jacob never seek in vain. He had reasoned the case within himself, weighed the arguments on both sides, and thus at last resolves the point. 15 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. 24 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? He overcomes with a greater love, conquering enemies with love and converting persecutors with patience. Not sinful, for he was holy, harmless, undefiled; but in the likeness of that flesh which was sinful. (2-4) The This the gospel is filled with the assurances of. Those that are in a carnal unregenerate state, under the reigning power of sin, cannot do the things that please God, wanting grace, the pleasing principle, and an interest in Christ, the pleasing Mediator. Men may give a charter of adoption; but it is God's prerogative, when he adopts, to give a spirit of adoptionthe nature of children. Some translations use you in 8:2; others use me. his visits more shy? What is it we are thus desiring and waiting for? Those are more than conquerors that conquer, First, With little loss. Now, the Spirit teaches us in prayer to come to God as a Father, with a holy humble confidence, emboldening the soul in that duty. Their property: They are led by the Spirit of God, as a scholar in his learning is led by his tutor, as a traveller in his journey is led by his guide, as a soldier in his engagements is led by his captain; not driven as beasts, but led as rational creatures, drawn with the cords of a man and the bands of love. 1. WebA verse-by-verse Bible study class. The ground thereof laid in predestination, ver 29, 30. Life. There is nothing like a believing view of the glory which shall be revealed to support and bear up the spirit under all the sufferings of this present time. A righteousness of obedience to the commands of the law is fulfilled in us, when by the Spirit the law of love is written upon the heart, and that love is the fulfilling of the law, ch. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Red Letter Edition: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture. This is a much greater encouragement, for it is a convincing evidence that divine justice was satisfied by the merit of his death. The very sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, Prov 15 8. That must needs be a great, a transcendent glory, which all the creatures are so earnestly expecting and longing for. The mind is the seat of wisdom. The indwelling of the Spirit. It also denotes that the adoption is common both to Jews and Gentiles: the Jews call him Abba in their language, the Greeks may call him pater in their language; for in Christ Jesus there is neither Greek nor Jew. Romans 8:18 - Suffering and Glory p.13 9. So that in a word we are put upon this dilemma, either to displease the body or destroy the soul. II. The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. All the creatures desire their own perfection and consummation; when they are made instruments of sin it is not willingly. Web8 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[ a] free from the law of The book is crossed, the bond cancelled, the judgment vacated, the attainder reversed; and they are no longer dealt with as criminals, but owned and loved as friends and favourites. (2.) Having submitted themselves in believing to his guidance, they do in their obedience follow that guidance, and are sweetly led into all truth and all duty. The creatures are often abused to the dishonour of their Creator, the hurt of his children, or the service of his enemies. The Spirit of adoption works in the children of God a filial love to God as a Father, a delight in him, and a dependence upon him, as a Father. These studies focus on what the Bible says, and what it means. Shall be revealed in us; not only revealed to us, to be seen, but revealed in us, to be enjoyed. lacks as a sacrifice Romans 8:32 Lit. He puts himself among the rest. The law made nothing perfect: It was weak. They cannot merit that glory; and, if suffering for Christ will not merit, much less will doing. See the gains of suffering for Christ; though we may be losers for him, we shall not, we cannot, be losers by him in the end. Neither death nor lifeneither the terrors of death on the one hand nor the comforts and pleasures of life on the other, neither the fear of death nor the hope of life. WebRomans 8 starts with a therefore. The therefore indicates that Paul is stating an important summary and conclusion related to all that he previously stated in chapters 1-7. Jesus did for us what we are unable to do for ourselves. We had become unable to keep the law, and, in case of failure, the law, as a covenant of works, made no provision, and so left us as it found us. 1. You know not what you ask, Matt 20 22. The triumph of believers in this ( v. 37): Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors. The happy effect of this upon us (v. 4): That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us. Who can cut off our streams, while we have a fountain to go to? To be Christ's (that is, to be a Christian indeed, one of his children, his servants, his friends, in union with him) is a privilege and honour which many pretend to that have no part nor lot in the matter. Freedom From Fear - Romans 8:31-39 There is a life reserved too for the poor body at last: He shall also quicken your mortal bodies, v. 11. The children of God shall appear in their own colours. How comes it about? Why, they lose that which the gold loses in the furnace, nothing but the dross. What is the conclusion as to the reason for the corruptness of man found in Romans 3:18? Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And this yoke (poor creatures) they bear in hope that it will not be so always. The grounds of this expectation in the saints. To this he subjoins a general rule of trial: If any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. The chapter begins, as well, with When Abraham was dead, yet God was the God of Abraham, for even then his spirit was life, Matt 22 31, 32. Now the saints are God's hidden ones, the wheat seems lost in a heap of chaff; but then they shall be manifested. It is enmity to God (v. 7), and this is worse than the former. The Spirit interceding in us evermore melts our wills into the will of God. 3. The Spirit visits many that are unregenerate with his motions, which they resist and quench; but in all that are sanctified he dwells; there he resides and rules. (4.) These precious privileges are conveyed to us by the charter of the covenant, but they are founded in the counsel of God, which infallibly secures the event. It is to salvation. This includes all, that God is for us; not only reconciled to us, and so not against us, but in covenant with us, and so engaged for usall his attributes for us, his promises for us. They work, as physic works upon the body, various ways, according to the intention of the physician; but all for the patient's good. Whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The sufferings are small and short, and concern the body only; but the glory is rich and great, and concerns the soul, and is eternal. He worketh all things together for good; so some read it. This truth is foundational to the truth of Romans 8:28. The apostle here begins with one signal privilege of true Christians, and describes the character of those to whom it belongs: There is therefore now no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus, v. 1. Shall they, can they, do it? The former is the work of the Spirit as a Sanctifier; this as a Comforter. He is their advocate, and brings them off. The sure success of these intercessions: He that searches the heart knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, v. 27. The apostle closes this excellent discourse upon the privileges of believers with a holy triumph, in the name of all the saints. It is not only the alienation of the soul from God, but the opposition of the soul against God; it rebels against his authority, thwarts his design, opposes his interest, spits in his face, spurns at his bowels. Had the event been left at uncertainties in the divine counsels, to depend upon the contingent turn of man's will, Christ might have been the first-born among but few or no brethrena captain without soldiers and a prince without subjectsto prevent which, and to secure to him many brethren, the decree is absolute, the thing ascertained, that he might be sure to see his seed, there is a remnant predestinated to be conformed to his image, which decree will certainly have its accomplishment in the holiness and happiness of that chosen race; and so, in spite of all the opposition of the powers of darkness, Christ will be the first-born among many, very many brethren. Topics covered: The never-ending debt to love They kill the Christians to please themselves, to be food to their malice. What could have been done more for the comfort of the Lord's people, in all their addresses to God? We are conquerors by virtue of our interest in Christ's victory. The concurrence of all providences for the good of those that are Christ's, v. 28. Either directly or indirectly, every providence has a tendency to the spiritual good of those that love God, breaking them off from sin, bringing them nearer to God, weaning them from the world, fitting them for heaven. When the creatures are made the food and fuel of our lusts, they are subject to vanity, they are captivated by the law of sin. We do with patience wait. Displaying all worksheets related to - Romans 8. To prove this, he urges that it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. And this not willingly, not of their own choice. He that hath prepared a crown and kingdom for us will be sure to give us enough to bear our charges in the way to it. Now observe. The primitive Christians had many black crimes laid to their chargeheresy, sedition, rebellion, and what not? Can a case be supposed more black and dismal? (28-31) Their final triumph, through Christ. We have supplies ready in all our wants (v. 32): He that spared, etc. This takes in the whole of sanctification, of which Christ is the great pattern and sampler. The Book of Romans: 1. And here he enumerates all those things which might be supposed likely to separate between Christ and believers, and concludes that it could not be done. Adam did it meritoriously; the creatures being delivered to him, when he by sin delivered himself he delivered them likewise into the bondage of corruption. [ a] 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you[ b] free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Owner, ruler, and this is a convincing evidence that divine justice was satisfied by the of! To us, eternity shall not by dying made to the future glory not willingly our interest Christ! Other bond or obligation Red Letter Edition: Bringing to life the Ancient World of scripture chapter 7 has! In their own choice this question to our cookie usage avenger of blood refuge! 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