Studies in Romans 7:24-8:11

Through his logical questions, Paul has led us to throw our arms up wondering who can save us from this body of death. No matter how much he tried - and regardless of where he tried to lay the blame (the Law), he is trapped in his physical body of death and will always be prone to sin. The same goes for us also. Which leads us to the next question and the solution.

7:24- Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?

** Paul expresses his frustration. If we are trapped inside these fleshly, sinful containers, how do we escape?

7:25 - Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ! So then, on the one hand, I myself with my mind am serving the Law of God, but on the other, with the flesh the law of sin.

** The mind wants to do good. The flesh wants to do evil.

** The thanksgiving from Paul can be on a couple of points. a) Because we have died with Christ, we have been set free from the requirements and penalties of the law. b) Because we will be risen with Christ, we will have new bodies that are not corrupted in the future - and will be totally free from sin.

** Christ is THE answer to question in v. 24.

8:1- There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

** Greek word for condemnation refers to a penalty. It is only used here, Rom. 5:16 and Rom. 5:18.

** So this verse is stating that there is no penalty for those in Christ Jesus. The penalty is described in Rom. 5:18 - through one transgression, all men were penalized.

** Example: A baby who has a mother on drugs, also will have the addiction to drugs because the two shared the same blood. That baby is penalized because of the action of the mother. When Adam sinned, all mankind was penalized with the infection of sin.

8:2- For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

** I believe these laws are similar in kind to the law of gravity - it's not a law of rules, but more of a principle.

** This verses echoes Rom. 6:7 and Rom. 7:6 about being set free from sin and the Law.

8:3- For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did; sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,

** "...what the Law could not do..." - Acts 13:39; Heb. 10:1

** Also see Heb. 7:11-19 for more about what the Law could not do.

** The Law could not defeat sin because the Law requires obedience from the flesh, but the flesh is corrupted.

** Notice that Jesus was sent in the likeness of sinful flesh - although He looked liked everyone else, He was without sin.

** Jesus was sent as a sin offering.

8:4- in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

** The law is fulfilled in us because Christ is in us.

** This is one reason why God sent Jesus to the earth.

** It is required the one walk according to the Spirit. This is so important that Paul spends the next several verses clarifying who is according to the flesh and who is according to the Spirit.

** See Gal. 5:16-25 about walking in the Spirit.

8:5- For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

** Rom. 6 said we are either slaves of sin or slaves of righteousness.

** Rom. 7 said we are either married to sin and the Law or we are married to Christ.

** There is no other option. We are following God, or we are not.

** The mind set on the flesh will not be bothered
when sin occurs. The mind set on the Spirit will be bothered when sin occurs.

8:6- For the mind set of the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,

** I don't quite understand the concept of death in this. Maybe it's the fact that when we are slaves of sin - we are separated from God who is the source of life.

8:7- because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the Law of God, for it is not even able to do so;

** This is self-explanatory - see James 4:4

8:8- and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

** Rom. 7:5 says that those in the flesh bear fruit for death.

8:9- However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

** You must posses the Holy Spirit to be in Christ. See 1 John 5:11-12.

** Paul clarifies who is in the Spirit.

8:10- And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the Spirit is alive because of righteousness.

** This goes back to my comments in Rom. 7:14. The body is dead and corrupt. The Spirit is clean and righteous by the presence of the Spirit. The mind is the battleground.

8:11- But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.

** "The Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead" is the Spirit of the Father - since the Father is the One who raised Jesus from the dead.

** The giving of life to our mortal body occurs after this life. It is guaranteed for the believer. See John 5:21.

Prior studies are below:

Studies in Romans 6:1-7
Studies in Romans 6:8-14
Studies in Romans 6:15-23
Studies in Romans 7:1-6
Studies in Romans 7:7-12
Studies in Romans 7:13-24a