Romans 8

Karen opened the class with homework assignment and salt to make us thirsty for more (STUDY): The Role of the Holy Spirit

In the New Testament alone there are 261 passages referring to the Holy Spirit. Even though Jesus returned to the Father, His promise to us assures us that we are not left alone. We have the Holy Spirit as part of the Trinity to comfort us, counsel us, convict us, intercede for us, teach us and reveal truth to us. As believers we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit at the time of conversion and He is indwelling within us. Here are a few of the passages that speak to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. Spend some time this week studying the Holy Spirit and think about His role in your life.

The Holy Spirit: Comforts, Counsels, Convicts, Intercedes, Guides, Teaches, Witnesses, Reveals Truth

John 14: 16,17, 26
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

John 15:26 But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of me.

John 16:8, 13, 14, 15 And when He has come He will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify me, for He will take of what is mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are mine. Therefore I said that He will take of mine and declare it to you.

Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses, for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning that cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God

I Corinthians 2:10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, yes the deep things of God.

Mrs. C. continued the study with a look again at the Law and our present as SAINTS: “in Christ Jesus.” In Adam, we were condemned. IN Christ, there is no condemnation! 8:1-4

I. Freedom from Judgment. The Law condemns; but the believer has a new relationship to the Law…therefore he cannot be condemned.
*The Law cannot claim you v.2 *The Law cannot condemn you v.3 because Christ suffered that condemnation for you on the cross. Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh as a man…He bore our sins in His body. The law of ‘double jeopardy’ states that a man cannot be tried twice for the same crime. Since Christ paid the penalty for your sins, and since you are IN Christ, God will not condemn you. *The Law cannot control you v.4 We live a righteous life…not because of the Law but in the power of the Holy Spirit…Christ lives out His life through you as you yield to His Spirit. The legalist tries to obey God in his own strength and fails to measure up to the righteousness that God demands. The Spirit-led Christian experiences the work of the Spirit in and through himself. Phil. 2:13 “For it is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure”.

II. Freedom from Defeat—No Obligation v.5-17 The believer can live in victory…choose to live on the highest level.
A. You have not the Spirit
Paul contrasts the saved and the Unsaved: *In the flesh—in the Spirit v.5 The unsaved lives IN the flesh and FOR the flesh. He belongs to the father of lies! One lives for the flesh, and the other lives for the Spirit. *Death—Life v.6 Unsaved alive physically, but dead spiritually. The inner man is dead toward God and does not respond to the things of the Spirit…may be moral, may be religious, but he lacks spiritual life. *War with God—Peace with God v. 6-7 Old nature rebels against God and will not submit to God’s Law. Saved enjoy the Peace with God while the unsaved lives to please himself.
B. “You have the Spirit v. 9 – 11 the Holy Spirit is the evidence of conversion. Your body became the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are sealed…Eph. 1:13-14. Life IN Christ is abundant life.
C. “The Spirit has you v. 12-17 It is not enough for us to have the Spirit; the Spirit must have us! The Spirit can enable us to “put to death” the sinful deeds of the body. As we yield the member of our body to the Spirit 6:12-17 He puts to death the things of the flesh, and He reproduces the things of the Spirit. The word ‘adoption’ means “being placed as an adult son.” We come into His family by birth, but the instant we are born into the family, God adopts us and gives us the position of an adult son. A baby cannot walk, speak, make decisions, or draw upon the family wealth. But the born again can do all of these the instant he is born again. He can walk and be “led of the Spirit v. 14. “willingly led” – we yield to the Spirit and He moves out through us! We are given the privilege to cry out “Abba, Father” (Gal. 4:6) … Abba means papa – a term of endearment. A baby cannot sign checks, but the child of God by faith can draw upon his spiritual wealth because he is an heir of God and a joint-heir with Chirst. V. 17. There is no need for a believer to be defeated. He can yield …the Spirit will enable to overcome the flesh.

III. Freedom from Discouragement – No frustration v.18-30
Paul discusses THREE “groans v.18-22 *The word is a groaning creation. There is suffering and death…there is pain. One day creation will be delivered, and the groaning creation will become a glorious creation! The believer does not focus on today’s sufferings; he looks forward to tomorrow’s glory. *Believers’ groan v. 23-25 We have tasted of the blessings of heaven through the ministry of the Spirit. This makes us want to see the Lord, receive our new body and live and serve Him forever. . . we shall enter into our full inheritance. The best is yet to come! We embrace the knowledge that the suffering is temporary and will one day give way to eternal glory. *The Holy Spirit groans v. 25-30 Jesus groaned when He saw what sin was doing to mankind Mark 7:34, John 11:33,38. Today the Holy Spirit groans with us and feels the burdens of our weaknesses and sufferings. But He does more than groan…He prays for us in His groaning so that we might be led into the will of God. We do not know how to pray but the Spirit intercedes so that we might live in the will of God in spite of suffering. He “shares the burdens”. How can we be discouraged and frustrated when we already share the glory of God? Our suffering today only guarantees that much more glory when Jesus returns!
IV. Freedom from Fear – No Separation v. 31-39 because we experience the love of God…v.35…what shall separate us? Our SECURITY! We do not need to fear the past, present or future because we are secure in the love of Christ. Paul assures us that there is no separation: *God is with us v.31 We should enter every day acknowledging that God is with us! *Christ died for us v. 32. If He cares for the birds, the sheep and the lilies, surely He will care for you! He is dealing with us on the basis of Calvary GRACE not on the basis of Law. God freely gives all things to His own. *He justified us v.33 He declared us righteous in Christ. Satan accuses us but we stand righteous in Him. His declaration never changes. Our daily experiences may change, but justification never changes. *Christ intercedes for us v. 34 the Spirit and the Son intercede. Intercession means that Christ represents us before the Throne and we do not have to represent ourselves. Heb. 7:25. Luke 22:31-32 *Christ loves us. V.35-39 God does not shelter us from the difficulties of life because we need them for our spiritual dependence upon Him. He assures us that the difficulties of life are working FOR us and not against us. He uses trials for our good and His glory. We become closer!
Furthermore, the Lord gives us the power to conquer v.37 We are “more than conquerors…through Jesus Christ! This is not a promise with conditions attached: “If you do this, God will do that.” This is security in Christ – an established fact.

In summary of Chp. 8: Shows us that the Christ is completely victorious. We are free from judgment because Christ died for us and we have His righteousness. We are free from defeat because Christ lives in us and we share His life. We are free from discouragement because Christ is coming for us and we shall share His glory. We are free from fear because Christ intercedes for us and we cannot be separated from His love. No condemnation! No obligation! No frustration! No separation!
If God be for us, who can be against us?