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Text: Romans 8
Paul has explained the old covenant and the law therein. Having come to the end of that law, which ended in the death of the husband which was Jesus Christ, Paul now explains the new covenant. A new agreement, also in Christ, but this time in Christ who has conquered death!
And THIS victorious Lord Jesus Christ is the mediator of this new covenant between God and man. This new covenant is first offered to Israel, but is not limited to Israel. The resurrected Jesus Christ is the assurance and guiding principle for this new covenant.
Now Paul explains this new spiritual law of life in Jesus Christ. It is the law of love toward God and toward others based on two things: the principle of self-sacrifice and the power of the resurrection.
The new spiritual law (vss 1-4)
- The new spiritual law in Christ is liberation and life.
- The old law of sin and death was weak because of the flesh.
- It was a carnal law. As Hebrews 9 says it had a worldly sanctuary (9:1), where priests offered sacrifices first for themselves (9:7), with sacrifices that could never clear the participants before God (9:9), but they cleaned the flesh with washings and dead works (9:14) that ultimately ended when the person died. When the priest died, whether he was good or bad, he died, and his office and work in the old covenant perished.
- But in the new law of the Spirit in Christ there is life. Death is not the end. Life is.
- The new spiritual law is about a walk in Christ
- (Galatians 5:16-18) Walk in the Spirit, and you won’t fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and they’re contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would. But if you’re led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Why? Because you’re living according to a higher set of principles like love.
- Galatians 5:22-24 outlines spiritual decisions that are the fruit of the Spirit of God.
- Love will be a decision you have to make and it won’t be made at the altar in a church. It will be made while you’re being hated. It will be made while you’re angry at someone. That’s what trusting Jesus Christ will look like there.
- Longsuffering is many decisions you’ll have to make and they won’t be made at the altar in a church. They’ll be made in phone calls and texts. They’ll be made in face-to-face conversations. They’ll be made while staying out of someone’s business. That’s what trusting Jesus Christ looks like there.
- Gentleness and temperance are decisions people have to make that aren’t made at an altar in a church. That’s what trusting Jesus Christ looks like there. This is walking in the Spirit where life is. Against such there is no law.
- (James 1:25) But whoso looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Your way of thinking stinks (vss 5-8)
- Under the old covenant, you had a carnal law, and now he’ll talk about a carnal mind.
- It’s the enemy of God. Like James says, Friendship with the world is enmity against God.
- The carnal mind is not subject to love, longsuffering, gentleness, or temperance. It’s not subject to any of the fruit of the Spirit.
- Walking in the flesh you cannot please God. Without faith, it’s impossible to please God. Walking in the Spirit, faith, these are the same things.
Renewed mind in the Spirit (vss 9-11)
- A renewed spiritual mind
- Ephesians 4:20-32 explains that the renewed mind is honest, generous, emotionally controlled, ministers of grace with their mouths, kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving.
Live after the Spirit (vss 12-17)
- Don’t owe the flesh anything.
- If you live after the flesh it brings death. Crucify the flesh.
- Jesus Christ says this about dying and living.
- Paul says mortify the deeds of the flesh in Colossians if your life is truly in Christ above.
- Those led by the Spirit are the sons of God. Not those born to Abraham.
- Jesus said My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.
Future glory is the expectation of creation (vss 18-23)
- Incomparable glory in Jesus Christ beyond our own graves.
- All creation is waiting for the redemption of the sons of God and their physical change.
The new hope is conformity to Jesus Christ’s image (vss 24-30)
- Temples house gods. Solomon builds temples to gods for his wives. But a Christian is a temple of God. He is to bear the image of the Son of God!
- The good that God is working all things for is the image of Jesus Christ!
This love of God is in Christ Jesus (vss 31-39)
- An unimaginable price was paid to purchase and unspeakable glory!
- Where are the accusers who can prosecute sin in Christ and to those in Christ?
- But these situation make me not feel loved by God? You’ve already been loved by God. And his love has been proven whether you feel it or not.
- The love of God has been demonstrated in the most powerful way possible and there is nothing that will change that!
