Life under the guidance of the Spirit – Rom. 8:1-11

Paul begins the eighth chapter with a summary of everything he said above: because of Christ's atoning work, condemnation no longer has power over a Christian.

Paul seems to be really insisting on this: Christ alone saves us. Already in the early church there were problems in this matter, that is why Paul does not get tired of repeating it. The letter to the Galatians tells us that Paul had opponents regarding the matter: the so called Judaizers, who taught that Christ's work alone is not enough, but human works are needed. Above all, they demanded circumcision as a condition of salvation. But Paul was not ready for any compromises on this question (cf. Gal. 5:1-6): salvation is either from Christ alone, or Christ's work has no place in salvation, but man is saved by his own works. Nothing can be taken away from Christ's atoning work, but nothing can be added to it either.

According to Paul, a non-Christian is a slave to sin, because it is impossible for him to live a life led by the Spirit (verses 8-9). So there is only one option in his life: life according to the flesh. In a Christian's life, on the other hand, there are two options. He can either follow the leading of the Spirit or fall into the works of the flesh. This causes a constant conflict in the Christian. The old and the new are relentlessly fighting each other. Satan tries to get the Christian off the path shown by the Spirit.

The Christian also has a new direction for his life. The road leading to damnation has changed to the road leading to heaven. But it is also possible to deviate from the guidance of the Spirit. It is possible to return to the old way of sin.

So the non-Christian is bound – although just the opposite is often claimed – he is bound to sin. Instead, the Christian can live free from the power of sin. This freedom is only possible with the help of the Spirit.

Some English Bible translations omit the word "now" in verse 1. However, inclusion of the word is justified, because with that word Paul reminds his readers that only those who are (=now) in Christ do not face condemnation. It still faces others.

Who has the Holy Spirit?

In verses 9-11, Paul deals with the question of the relationship between a Christian and the Holy Spirit. Paul's view of the matter is completely clear: every Christian has the Holy Spirit. It is completely unbiblical to divide Christians in this regard into two groups: those who have and those who do not have the Holy Spirit.

The connection between the Holy Spirit and being a Christian is clear from Paul's understanding of salvation: God, specifically through the work of the Holy Spirit, calls a person and saves him. Salvation is thus the work of the Holy Spirit in us. The same point is also made clear by Paul's doctrine of sanctification: sanctification, life as a Christian, is only possible with the help of the Holy Spirit. That too is something that the Spirit works in us (cf. also verses 26-27).

What about being filled with the Spirit, which is discussed especially in the charismatic movement? It is clearly one of the spiritual gifts which Paul deals with more extensively in 1 Cor. 12-14. Paul's position on the spiritual gifts is also very clear: each Christian has his own spiritual gift, but not everyone has the same gift (1 Cor 12:4-11). So we cannot demand that all Christians have the same spiritual gift, whether it be being filled with the Spirit or speaking in tongues. The Spirit apportions to each one as he wills. We cannot order him about in this matter either.

According to Paul, "the Holy Spirit dwells in every Christian" is the same as Christ himself dwelling in us (verse 10). Christ wants to be in us as a ruler, not just as a guest. If you give him a small part of your life, a "guest room," and say, "Just be there, you may influence my life on Sundays and other Christian occasions!", this can mean that Christ will leave from your life. He does not want to be only a guest in our lives, but the master who rules everything. If you do not give him control over your whole life, there is reason to fear that he may leave the part you reserved for him, i.e. the part of being only a guest.

Destiny connection with Christ – Rom. 8:12-17

Christians no longer sweat under the demands of the law; all of them have already been fulfilled on the cross of Calvary, where Jesus atoned for our past and future transgressions. That is why we are not in debt to the law, but to Christ.

Christ was by nature, by his attributes, the Son of God, but we Christians are also God's children, albeit through adoption. By nature we are God's enemies (Rom. 5:10). But when God has adopted us as his children, we have the right to draw near to him as confidently as Jesus, ('abba' is Aramaic, the mother tongue of Jesus, and means "daddy"). Jesus specifically taught his followers the Lord's Prayer, when the disciples asked him to teach about prayer.

As God is our Father, we are also God's heirs. But just as Christ had to suffer, Christians must also be prepared to suffer for being Christians. Nowhere is a carefree or trouble-free life promised to Christ's followers.

Already now and yet only in the future – Rom. 8:18-25

However, our suffering is nothing compared to what awaits us in heaven. Our portion in heaven is therefore not a compensation for the difficulties of our temporal life, but much (a hundredfold Mark 10:30) more; it includes a surprise too.

The whole creation is waiting for "new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:13). Although Christians are God's children already here, in the "time of trouble", they know that the best is yet to come. We could talk about the longing for heaven, the desire to pass from this life to the next (cf. 2 Cor. 5:1-6). Here, too, there is a danger of turning the promise into a law and saying, "If you do not long to leave this present time, you are not a true Christian!”. We must understand that many things tie us to this present time: family, friends, etc. We must also admit that we are afraid of the unknown future. But when our time comes, God will prepare us for it!

So, the Christian lives in suspense: he has the Holy Spirit as a witness and as a firstfruits (a reference to the firstfruits of the harvest, which was given as a sacrifice) from his portion in heaven, but that part is nevertheless a matter of hope in this present time until the end. We get the perfect part as God's children only in heaven. Here in the present time, we are under the burden of our sinful flesh and many other things until the end.

God's plans are fulfilled through the Holy Spirit – Rom. 8:26-30

Our weakness also shows in the fact that we do not always have the strength to pray or even know what we should pray for. The Holy Spirit has taken the Christians into such total care that he helps us even in that situation.

God knows everything that happens to us. Therefore, everything also serves our journey to heaven, even temptations (1 Cor. 10:13). When we are facing a temptation, it is just not always easy to see or accept it. For this reason, it is worth learning to ask, "What does God want to teach me / say to me through this matter?" Joining the difficulties and God's good will makes it easier to face difficulties.

Verses 29 and 30 are the foundation of Paul's doctrine of predestination (the so called doctrine of single predestination). Luther considered "The Bondage of the Will" among his main works. That work, as well as those Bible verses, can be experienced as either extremely liberating or extremely oppressive.

It is liberating to see – as Paul testifies in verses 33-39 – that salvation is sure because it is in the hand of God. This is exactly what Paul is aiming for: God has already decided, before the beginning of time, to save all of humanity. Jesus died for all the sins of all people. The call to righteousness is offered to everyone, but it is not accepted by all. Everyone can become a child of God, but not everyone wants to!

The doctrine of predestination becomes oppressive when, contrary to the Bible, it is developed into the so called doctrine of double predestination, like e.g. Luther's contemporary Jean Calvin did. According to this doctrine, God has chosen some people for salvation and some for perdition. Two things are confused here: on the one hand, the doctrine of predestination, and on the other hand, God's omniscience. Just because God knows that some people will perish does not mean that he also forced them to damnation. After all, we cannot say that it was us who solved the Second World War either, even though we know how it ended!

Paul discusses the issue of God's choice more, when dealing with the question of the Jews in chapters 9-11

What can separate us from God? – Rom. 8:31-39

Who can be against Christians if God is on their side? Of course, there is much that is against Christians, but nothing and no one can overcome them, take away their salvation. With the help of Christ, Christians get victory over all that is against them. We may lose some battles, but the total victory is already ours.

The passage could be summed up in the idea, "The world was created by God and redeemed by Christ." Because the world is created by God, everything in it is under him, nothing is above him. Nor can anything that is of the world defeat God, make his plans void.

God's greatest act of love towards man is Jesus' death on the cross (verse 32, cf. Abraham and Isaac, Gen. 22:1-19, especially verse 16). So God has no reason not to help man in his trouble; the most precious sacrifice has already been given, all subsequent sacrifices are less than that. No matter what happens to a Christian, he can count on God's help.

Nothing related to this world can nullify the atoning work of Jesus; it has already happened. Both past and future sins were atoned for all at once. The cross looked like a defeat to everyone, but it was victory! And that victory cannot be undone. Christ atoned for the sins of the whole world already. That's why you can no longer present any sin that Jesus has not already atoned for. The devil will try to claim that you are not forgiven for some of your sins, and thus discourage you, but if you look to Jesus and not to yourself, you will see that Satan cannot win, because Christ won already.

God desires and is also able to take us all the way to the glory of heaven. Our own desire to deviate from God can become the only obstacle.