The Christian's Victory Song: Paul's encouragement in Romans 8
Great is our victory in Jesus Christ!
Bible Study Ideas and Commentary for Romans 8
This incredible chapter (which sometimes gets muddied by unhelpful debates) is Paul's conclusion to the letter to this point. Because the Spirit has set us free from the power of sin, we are no longer under condemnation. But the blessings go further -- we are now children of God, we have hope for our suffering, and we have the promise of glory.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (8:37)
When We Covered This Passage in 2020
There, some topics and ideas include:
Different vs. out-of-place
Rags-to-riches
The image of God
The opposite of fear
Heaven and earth
If I don't cover something below to your satisfaction, you might find it in this earlier post.
Getting Started: Things to Think About
I'm giving all of the credit to my Serendipity Bible for sparking these first ideas. The later ones are mine.
Warning: I'm recommending that you cover more of Romans 8 than the lesson, which means that you would have less time for any opening discussion. If you really like multiple of these, save some for a future lesson.
Who Influences You?
The Serendipity Bible specifically asks about who influences your clothes, your music, and your values. My twist on this would be to ask how those influences have changed over the years. In particular, I'm wondering how those influences have changed as you have matured as a Christian.
How Do You Handle Unhealthy Thoughts?
Seriously -- I'm going to recommend that we start our lesson at verse 12, not verse 14. There, Paul tells us not to live according to our sinful nature. That brings up a really fundamental question: how do you do that? The Serendipity Bible focuses on "unhealthy thoughts", and I think that's pretty representative. If you start talking in terms of "practicality" from the outset, some of the grander things Paul says in this week's passage might be easier for your group to apply in concrete terms.
What Signs of Aging Are You Experiencing?
My without-exception experience has been that everyone older than me says, "Just you wait," and I say to everyone younger than me, "Just you wait."
So, without making comment about how old or young the other people are in your Bible study group, how do you "feel" aging? Paul is going to talk about how creation itself "groans" under sin's curse, and that includes our bodies. What kind of "groaning" (literal or figurative) does your body experience?
And then here are a few ideas I came up with:
What's the Hardest Thing You've Learned to Do?
I love watching masters of their craft, be that a piano player, a magician, an artist, or a technician. They make things look easy (when I know they're anything but). What's the hardest thing you've learned to do? And along with that -- how did you learn it?
In this week's passage, Paul is going to talk about the #1 most difficult thing in life: living according to the Spirit, not the flesh/world. Some people make it look easy (see next idea), but we all know it's not. Perhaps the tools and tricks you used to get good at a difficult task can be used in the Christian life?
-or- The Easiest Thing?
Another approach might be to ask about something you thought was going to be hard but turned out to be relatively easy for you. (You took to it like a duck to water, as they say.) Do you know why that thing was easy for you?
Paul is going to do everything he can to convince us that we have the tools to do this most-difficult-thing.
This Week's Big Idea: The Work of the Holy Spirit
The Lifeway material has a couple of pages about this, and they're completely fine. If you're looking for a little more, I have some additional resources linked below.
In this week's passage, Paul talks a lot about what the Holy Spirit does. In fact, a really valuable exercise you can do as a group is write down a list of the Holy Spirit's "work" in this passage. Then for homework, compare that list to what other passages in the New Testament say.
For example, here's an important passage we studied in John's Gospel:
And in Acts:
And in 2 Corinthians:
Here's a short article from where I first went to seminary:
The Holy Spirit Transforms our Lives
The Holy Spirit Convicts Us of Sin
The Holy Spirit Guides Us to the Truth
The Holy Spirit Empowers Us to Proclaim Christ
The Holy Spirit Gives Us Spiritual Gifts
The Holy Spirit Empowers Us to Worship
The Holy Spirit Leads Us
Another short reference:
And then if you want to dive deeper:
Who Is the Holy Spirit? | Key Information and Helpful Resources | Bible Project
Because I'm covering extra passages this week, I'm going to leave you to those other resources. My post is going to be too long as it is.
Long story short: the Holy Spirit enables us to do the things and be the people to which God has called us.
Where We Are in Romans
One last reminder of the outline I've shared:
Part 1
What is the gospel? Salvation through justification by faith (chap 1-4)
1. Humans have a sin problem--Jews and Gentiles alike (1:18-3:20)
2. God has a grace solution: faith, not works (3:21-4:25)
Part 2
What does the gospel bring? Peace and freedom and life (chap 5-8)
1. Peace with God and the hope of glory (5:1-21)
2. Freedom from sin and law, bondage now to righteousness (6:1-7:25)
3. Life eternal in the Spirit, so much more than our present suffering (8:1-39)
Part 3
An aside on a very important question: where does Israel fit? (chap 9-11)
Part 4
How should the gospel affect us? Transformed lives in the power of the Spirit (chap 12-15)
1. Sacrificial service (12:1-21)
2. Humble submission (13:1-7)
3. Urgent love (13:8-14)
4. Not being judgmental (14:1-23)
5. Loving acceptance (15:1-13)
We're going to spend the next two weeks in Paul's section about Israel. But this week, we cover Paul's conclusion to his study of "what is the gospel?". And what a conclusion it is! I've seen Romans chapter 8 described as one of the "great chapters" in the Bible (and certainly one of everyone's favorites). The commentators say that it begins with "no condemnation", ends with "no separation", and is filled with "no defeat". That's the kind of life I want to live. How about you?
A really cool feature of chapter 8: no commands. There are no imperatives of any kind. Paul doesn't need to issue any commands; he just wants to tell us the truth about this wonderful life all Christians now have in the Spirit.
Part 0: The First Part of Romans 8
In my group's discussion last Sunday, we noted how awkward it is that Paul goes back to the well one more time at the end of verse 7:25
7:25b So then, with my mind I myself am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin.
It seemed a bit defeatist, or at least anticlimactic. But we have to remember that Paul didn't write chapter and verse numbers. Paul just went straight into 8:1
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, 2 because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Paul's "thanks be to God" at the beginning of 7:25 connects with 8:1. Yes, we might be stuck in this conflict between the good we want to do and the sin we find ourself doing, but we now have forgiveness of that sin. We are no longer condemned, so we are set free from the burden of guilt.
Here are three mind-blowing things Paul says in the verses we skip:
6 Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so.
Note the "is". If you have questions about how this works, you might want to use that discussion idea of how you handle "unhealthy thoughts". But this truth is profound: when you're not a Christian, you're at war with your "conscience" (which is the term we use for the Holy Spirit's work in all people -- the "image of God" as you might say), and there is no peace.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.
Again, note the "are". This is truth, not up for debate. If you are a Christian, you are no longer living "in the flesh"; you can only choose to act "fleshly" if you really want to.
11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.
And this is the most profound truth of all -- if you doubt that God has the power to make this change in you, how "hard" do you think it was to bring Jesus back from the dead?
That's the God who graciously works in us.
Part 1: Not a Slave But a Son (Romans 8:12*-17)
12 So then ("Therefore"), brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, 13 because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” 16 The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, 17 and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
I don't know why Lifeway didn't just start in verse 12. We're going to. Verses 12 and 13 conclude everything Paul has said in chapter 8 which set up Lifeway's passage that starts in verse 14.
All of Paul's "therefores" bring an argument to its conclusion. And this one is as simple as it could be:
God has graciously made salvation available in Jesus
Everyone who comes to Jesus for salvation is born again
The Holy Spirit comes into a Christian, cutting off the slavemaster sin
The Holy Spirit makes a Christian right with God, bringing peace
Therefore,
We should live like a child of God, not a slave of sin.
That's pretty simple, right?
The Holy Spirit has set us free from the power of sin. The Holy Spirit has given us the power not to remain slaves to sin in our flesh. And if we choose to live according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, we will (truly) live.
Here's where verse 14 picks up: how do we know that? It sounds too good to be true!
Once again, this is very simple logic for Paul. He doesn't launch into a theology lesson about the Trinity -- you don't have to understand the inner workings of the Triune Godhead to understand that the Spirit of God is intimately connected to God the Father Almighty.
A modern illustration: let's say you take over a business that's on the brink of collapse. You pour lots of money into this business, you hire the best people to help it get back on track, and you even put family members to work there. Shouldn't that be proof enough of your intentions toward the other employees and customers of this business?
That's what's Paul is saying about Christians. God has given His own Holy Spirit to us, and that Holy Spirit has already delivered us from slavemaster sin. What else do we need to know about God's intentions toward us? He's adopted us! We are now children of God!
Note that "adoption" was not a thing in Judaism. This is a Roman (or rather Greek) concept that Paul is using, and that's why he seems to be explaining it more than necessary. Jews would likely understand the term "Abba", which was a familiar term for a father. It's not a "pet name" -- there's nothing disrespectful in here. (I get bothered by Christians who try to claim this phrase to mean that God is their daddy, and they act like preschoolers around Him.) No, we are "children of age". But in the presence of God, we don't have to always say "Sir" -- in our time of need, we can say "Dad". God is not our new slavemaster; He is our adoptive Father.
[Note: this is always a great time to bring up an adoption story, if anyone in your group has one. I never ceased to be uplifted by stories of parents bringing a child into their home by adoption.]
"...The Spirit testifies with our spirit..." is a debated translation. The word for "with" could also mean "to". In other words, this verse could mean that the Spirit is testifying to us that we are God's children, giving us assurance of our salvation. Or it could mean that the Spirit together with our spirit is testifying to God that we indeed belong to Him (this would be the courtroom idea that we need a second witness to validate our claim that we are a Christian).
Both of those things are true. Our hearts are deceptive, so we certainly need the Holy Spirit to see into the truth of our hearts and declare that we are indeed children of God. And our hearts are weak, so we certainly need the Holy Spirit to remind us that we belong to God.
And if it's not enough for you to be a child of God, Paul spells out what that means (again, this is as much for the Jews who wouldn't understand the legal implications of adoption): if you're an adopted child, you're an heir.
The Great Wealth Transfer
According to Forbes and others, approximately $124 trillion is projected to change hands through 2048, with about $105 trillion going directly to heirs and $18 trillion to charity. If you keep up with business news, you know that this has already created all kinds of legal headaches. Once the money reaches a certain amount, even healthy relationships between co-heirs can turn ugly. This might be your PSA: have a legal will. Make the rules for your inheritance extremely clear. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
How do those inheritance fights apply to what Paul is talking about?
They don't! God's riches are limitless! This is what Paul wants us to be astounded by. The "richest guy in the world" just adopted us, and we'll never be able to spend our inheritance in our lifetime. (I know that sounds crass, but do you see my illustration?)
And then to top it all off, Paul explains another logical consequence: Jesus is our fellow-heir. We are the adopted brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
That's unbelievable to Paul, and he wants all of us to soak on that truth for a while.
Paul is not going to say that there's a "catch", but there's certainly a consequence to all of this.
Let me go back to my "buy a business and have my kids work there" illustration from above. This might hit too close to home for some of your people, so be cautious. We all know of or have lived through the situation where all the siblings have been asked to do something, but some do more than others. One brother keeps the family business going and the other just wastes money and causes problems. That doesn't hardly seem fair, now does it? Well, God sees that. This is how Jesus put it in Matthew 21:
28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go work in the vineyard today.’ 29 “He answered, ‘I don’t want to,’ but later he changed his mind and went. 30 Then the man went to the other and said the same thing. ‘I will, sir,’ he answered, but he didn’t go. 31 Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.
We want to be very careful here. Salvation cannot be earned. But evidence of our salvation can be found in our lifestyle and experience. Anyone who thinks that we should have an easier and better life than Jesus -- our adopted Brother -- is sorely mistaken.
[Aside: I really don't understand where the Prosperity Gospel thinks they have a biblical leg to stand on. You saw that Jim Bakker recently died, and everybody on the outside is just piling on how selfish and manipulative that prosperity message is. And I really don't want to get into Life Surge and SurgeU that I just found out about in these last two weeks. Paul says that the expectation for the Christian life will be to experience times of suffering, financial and otherwise.]
Christians should expect to suffer. What does that look like? What do you think Paul means by "Christian suffering"?
Part 2: Even a Suffering Son (Romans 8:18-25)
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope 21 that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. 23 Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? 25 Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.
"The glory that is going to be revealed" ("to us" or possibly "in us") is related to the word "glorified" in verse 30 (see below); the over-simplified meaning is "we get to go to heaven".
In the background of everything that Paul has said to this point in Romans is that we live in a broken body in a broken world surrounded by sin. Sin and suffering cannot be avoided. But this is not a failure on God's part; this is a necessary consequence of Adam's fall. And God will "make good" on all of the suffering that goes on around us.
Environmental Disasters
This would be an appropriate time to call attention to all of the climate- and environmental-related disasters happening around the world right now. I'll admit that I had some PTSD during hurricane Isaias. And the children's home we went to help them set up for their big fall festival had to cancel that festival because of the incoming storm. I do not think it is necessary to get into a debate about "climate change" or "environmental activism". All of these disasters are human-caused -- either directly through activity like deforestation (or building a house on a beach) or indirectly through sin.
What Paul says is pretty profound, and it also makes logical sense. When Adam sinned, sin and death entered the world. The whole world (really, the whole universe) was then subject to decay and destruction.
Write this on a whiteboard and take answers:
Things that are here on earth that won't be in the "new earth" (heaven)
We don't know the details about heaven, but we do know that there won't be pain or suffering or crying or death. So, this suggests to me things like -- no biting insects in heaven; no tornadoes in heaven; no flooding in heaven. Right? Those things can cause destruction and pain. And they are not a part of God's eternal plan for His creation.
Paul levels another devastating logical conclusion: God willingly subjected His creation to this suffering as a consequence of Adam's sin. (God is the "him" in verse 20.) It "wasn't the earth's fault" that Adam sinned, but God's physical creation has "suffered" as a consequence.
Have a brief discussion about this -- How can the earth "suffer"? How can the earth "groan"? Does the earth have feelings and experience pain?
[Aside: forgive me, but do you remember "Deep Thoughts with Jack Handy" from the 90s? One comes to mind -- "If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time for no good reason."]
It's difficult to have this discussion without immediately thinking about the extreme "tree hugger" and then ridiculing all of it, but I want you to try. What is Paul getting at?
This is bigger than we can really comprehend, but Paul is saying that just as sin had cosmic implications, so does redemption have cosmic reach. As Adam's sin brought death into God's creation, so Jesus' sacrifice brings life into God's creation. Nothing is untouched by this struggle between good and evil, sin and forgiveness.
Paul finds incredible hope in that truth.
And the best way he knows to express that is to personify creation itself. Creation "longs" to be set free from the curse of sin. Perhaps we can think of it like this: the mountain "remembers" a time before sin and "hopes" that God will bring that state back sooner rather than later.
I'm sure you can see the danger in pushing this too far! It's not a far cry from welcoming pets to a worship service and putting doggie biscuits in the Lord's Supper tray. Paganism and other "natural religions" are based on the idea that trees and streams have "spirits" (dryads and nymphs and fae and the like). Paul isn't suggesting anything like that! Paul is telling us the cosmic extent of the blessings of being a child of God.
[Note: it's worth clarifying what I'm saying. Trees don't have souls and can't be "saved". Same for mountains. Same for animals. Your pet dog isn't going to heaven because your dog doesn't have an eternal soul. And Jesus didn't die for your dog anyway. This is nothing to get upset about. This is a reminder of how special humans are to God, how unique we are in all of God's creation.]
But Paul knows that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the proof that one day God is going to remove the curse of sin on all of creation. In the new heaven and earth (after the old one is purified by fire), there will be no dangerous storms, no destruction of the environment, no vicious animals, no wildfires, no landslides. None of that. Creation will be "perfect" in the sense that it will be our eternal home in the presence of God.
That sounds great, right?
But it's not here yet. Why do you think Paul would interject this definition of hope here? And why do you think it's so important for Christians to understand in the context of present suffering?
Aside: "Already, But Not Yet."
This is a great phrase that is often used to explain the tension in Paul's letters. What do you think it means? How does it help us understand what Paul is saying?
Part 3: Especially a Suffering Son (Romans 8:26-27)
26 In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Paul gives us even more hope. All the great things Paul says about being a child of God -- particularly all the hope he says we do have -- doesn't always "feel" true for Christians. Even when you're so discouraged or mournful or angry that you don't see this hope, the Holy Spirit of God is "praying for you".
Or another situation -- I'm sure you've been in a place where "I don't even know what to pray for right now". Yep, the Holy Spirit is there for you.
What confidence does this give you? And how could you use this passage to help a Christian friend who is really in the muck and mire of life?
Important: weakness is not a sin (any more than suffering is a sin). Both weakness and suffering are consequences of being broken people in a broken world. The Holy Spirit will help us cope, endure, persevere, emerge, grow, whatever needs to happen to help us get through that season.
Cool observation: Jesus intercedes for us in heaven (see Heb 7); the Spirit intercedes for us from within us.
Aside: Americans Can Ruin Anything
In a sermon I just preached, I pointed out how Paul would be furious with people who pour a lot of energy into arguing about what he means and no energy into actually applying what he says to their behavior. These verses are a perfect example.
I'm sure you've heard Pentecostals talk about the practice of "praying in tongues". The word for "inexpressible" in this passage only occurs here in the Bible, and there's no universal agreement what it means. Further, is it the Spirit groaning or us? And are those groans intelligible or not? Pentecostals have jumped on this to call it definitive proof for their belief in unintelligible "spiritual outbursts". And now it's just an interminable debate.
And yes, this started in 1901 in the United States.
But let's keep going!
Part 4: God's Good Purposes (Romans 8:28-30)
28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.
Verse 28 is one of the most encouraging verses in the Bible. In short, Paul tells us that God had bring purpose out of anything, even something that seems senseless and worthless.
Sadly, instead of being encouraged by this passage, people debate it because it has the word "predestined" in it.
Let's have some perspective. Do we believe that God is all-powerful? Do we believe that God can do anything He wants? Do we believe that God sees and knows everything, past, present, and future? So if God chooses to predestine things, who are you to have a problem with that?
BUT.
Let's read this carefully. God "foreknew" who would love God. Do you have a problem with that? I hope not.
And what did God "predestine" for them? That they would be conformed to the image of Jesus. Do you have a problem with that? That salvation provided by God would have God's purpose and plan behind it? That sanctification will always follow salvation?
And then those people would be "called" (you can look up the theological term "effectual calling")? And then "justified"? And then "glorified" (in heaven)?
Should anybody have a problem with any of this? Paul intends this to be great encouragement, not something to debate.
To me, the most controversial / debatable word in here is Paul's use of "good". Sometimes terrible things happen. There's nothing "good" in them. How can Paul say that "good" can come out of them? Indeed, this has rubbed some people the wrong way.
Importantly, Paul is not saying that the thing that happened is itself necessarily "good". Paul is saying that the end of everything that happens is the "good of those who love God". And that is absolutely true in the case of heaven. (Paul is speaking of Christians here.)
But I think Paul is going further -- have you ever seen God bring good out of a terrible situation? It might be years before you're able to see it, but have you had that experience? It doesn't make the experience itself any less terrible, but it helps our perspective. And it helps us maintain our faith in God and God's good purposes.
Part 5: The Christian's Triumph Song (Romans 8:31-39)
31 What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? 33 Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. 34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. 35 Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I understand that we probably don't have time to talk about these verses on Sunday morning. But you can read them now and be encouraged by them!
This is Paul taking everything he has said in chapter 8 and turning it into a giant poster you can put on your wall. In fact, some people persuasively argue that this is Paul taking everything he has said in the entire letter to this point and turning into a giant poster.
"Who is against us?" does not mean "no one". It means "no one of consequence". Paul openly acknowledges the dangers and struggles he faces as a co-heir with Jesus. There is no "prosperity gospel" here! Jesus said the same in John 15:20:
Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
Paul wants us to be encouraged by struggle and obstacle, not discouraged by it. Why? Because the greater the struggle, the sweeter the victory. And our greatest victory of all has already been won by Jesus Christ on the cross.
Your study Bible will have more than effective enough notes about these words, although Paul is not being obscure. The toughest questions are "who are the rulers?" and "who are the powers?" "Rulers" is sometimes translated "demons" (to pair with "angels"), but there's nothing limiting the word to a spiritual being. It doesn't matter because neither of them can separate us from the love of God. "Power" is equally indistinct -- it could refer to any kind of exercise of power anywhere (in heaven or on earth). Again, it doesn't matter, because no exercise of power of any kind can separate us from the love of God.
Here's an exercise I like to do periodically (astronomy keeps getting better and better) -- get overwhelmed by the scale of the universe:
Please ignore the fact that the video creators are clearly not Christians. They point out just how impossibly large the universe is.
And that's Paul's point -- there is nowehre we could go in the entire universe that would be beyond the reach of God's love.
You're welcome.
And have a great week in Jesus!
Closing Thoughts: What Does the Spirit "Do"?
What's your final list of what the Spirit "does" in chapter 8? Here's mine:
gives life (a repeated idea)
sets free from the sin and death
brings life and peace
lives in us
leads us
brings about our adoption as children of God
helps us in our weakness
prays for us
What else did you find?
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