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Romans 8

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Life in the Spirit 1–4

1
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. ​
2
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. ​
3
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: ​
4
That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. ​

Life Lived by the Spirit 5–11

5
For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. ​
6
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ​
7
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8
So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. ​
10
And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. ​

Heirs with Christ 12–17

12
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. ​
13
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. ​
16
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. ​

Future Glory and Creation's Hope 18–27

18
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ​
19
For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. ​
20
For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, ​
21
Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22
For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. ​
24
For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25
But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
26
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. ​
27
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

God's Unbreakable Purpose 28–30

28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. ​
29
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. ​
30
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. ​

More Than Conquerors 31–39

31
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? ​
32
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? ​
33
Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
34
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. ​
35
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36
As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. ​
38
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ​
39
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Romans 8

Verse 1

no condemnation — Katakrima, the sentence passed on the guilty, occurs only three times in the New Testament: twice in 5:16–18, where Adam's offence brought 'judgment… to condemnation', and here, where it is lifted from 'them which are in Christ Jesus'. The verse answers the cry of 7:24, 'who shall deliver me?'

Verse 2

the law of the Spirit of life — 'Law' here is a ruling principle, set against 'the law of sin' that brought Paul 'into captivity' in 7:23. The Spirit gives the life the letter could not: 'the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life' (2 Cor 3:6).

Verse 3

in the likeness of sinful flesh — 'Likeness' (homoioma) is the word of Phil 2:7, 'made in the likeness of men': true flesh, yet 'without sin' (Heb 4:15). 'For sin' is the phrase of the sin offering (cf. Heb 10:8, 'offering for sin'); God condemned sin in the flesh of his Son, who was 'made… to be sin for us' (2 Cor 5:21).

Verse 4

the righteousness of the law — Dikaioma, the law's just requirement (the word rendered 'judgment' in 1:32). It is 'fulfilled in us', passive: produced by the Spirit in those who walk after him, as in Gal 5:16, 'Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.'

Verse 5

do mind the things of the flesh — Phroneo, to set the mind on; its noun phronema is the 'mind' of vv.6, 7 and 27. 'Flesh' (sarx) is human nature under sin, not the body as such; its works are listed in Gal 5:19–21.

Verse 6

life and peace — The peace (eirene) is first peace with God, 'being justified by faith, we have peace with God' (5:1), then the settled mind it produces. Its opposite follows in v.7: 'the carnal mind is enmity against God'.

Verse 9

the Spirit of Christ — In one verse the same Spirit is 'the Spirit of God' and 'the Spirit of Christ', and in v.10 Christ himself is 'in you'. God 'hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts' (Gal 4:6); to be without him is to be 'none of his'.

Verse 11

shall also quicken your mortal bodies — 'Quicken' is to make alive. The promise is bodily resurrection on the pattern of Christ's own: 'he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus' (2 Cor 4:14). The indwelling Spirit is its pledge, 'the earnest of the Spirit' (2 Cor 5:5).

Verse 12

we are debtors — Paul draws the duty from the gift: the flesh is owed nothing. The same turn is made in 6:15, 'shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.'

Verse 15

Abba, Father — Abba is Aramaic for 'father', the word Christ prayed in Gethsemane (Mark 14:36); it occurs only three times in the New Testament, each time joined to the Greek word for father (also Gal 4:6). 'Adoption' (huiothesia, 'placing as a son') is a word only Paul uses (8:23; 9:4; Gal 4:5; Eph 1:5).

Verse 17

joint-heirs with Christ — 'If a son, then an heir of God through Christ' (Gal 4:7). Three words compounded with 'with' share Christ's lot: 'joint-heirs', 'suffer with', 'glorified together'. The sharing of his sufferings is the way to the sharing of his glory (1 Pet 4:13).

Verse 18

not worthy to be compared — Paul weighs the two elsewhere: 'our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory' (2 Cor 4:17). The glory is not only shown to believers but 'revealed in' them (cf. 1 John 3:2).

Verse 19

the creature — Ktisis, creation: the same word is 'creature' in vv.20, 21 and 39 and 'creation' in v.22, the created order below man. 'Earnest expectation' (apokaradokia) pictures watching with head stretched forward; Paul uses it only here and in Phil 1:20.

Verse 20

subject to vanity — Mataiotes, futility, the word the Greek Old Testament uses for 'Vanity of vanities' (Eccl 1:2). Creation did not fall by its own will; it was subjected when the ground was cursed for Adam's sake (Gen 3:17), yet 'in hope'.

Verse 23

the firstfruits of the Spirit — Aparche, the first sheaf brought to the priest as the pledge of the whole harvest (Lev 23:10); Christ risen is 'the firstfruits of them that slept' (1 Cor 15:20). The Spirit given now is the first part of what is coming: 'the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body'.

Verse 26

maketh intercession for us — Hyperentynchano, 'to intercede on behalf of', occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. Its simple form is used of the Spirit in v.27 and of the risen Christ in v.34 (cf. Heb 7:25): one intercessor within, one at God's right hand.

Verse 28

work together for good — Synergeo, to work together. The promise is bounded, 'to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose', and its pattern is Joseph's word to his brothers: 'ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good' (Gen 50:20).

Verse 29

the firstborn among many brethren — Prototokos, the title of Col 1:18, 'the firstborn from the dead'. 'Foreknow' (proginosko) is used again in 11:2 of 'his people which he foreknew'. The purpose is likeness to the Son: 'conformed to the image of his Son'.

Verse 30

them he also glorified — Five links, each a past-tense verb: foreknew, predestinated, called, justified, glorified. Glory, still future for the believer (v.18), is spoken of as already done because it rests on the same purpose as the rest.

Verse 31

If God be for us, who can be against us? — The question echoes Ps 118:6, 'The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?' and opens the closing questions: who can be against, who shall lay any charge, who condemns, who shall separate.

Verse 32

He that spared not his own Son — 'Spared' (pheidomai) is the verb the Greek Old Testament uses at Gen 22:12, 16 of Abraham, who had 'not withheld thy son, thine only son'. What Abraham was stopped from doing, the Father did; from that greater gift Paul argues to the lesser, 'all things'.

Verse 34

who also maketh intercession for us — The answer to 'Who is he that condemneth?' is four facts about Christ: he died, he is risen, he is at God's right hand, he intercedes (cf. Heb 7:25). Verses 33–34 echo Isa 50:8, 'He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me?'

Verse 37

more than conquerors — Hypernikao, 'to over-conquer', found only here. The victory is 'through him that loved us', the love named in v.35 and v.39; the trials it answers include the slaughter of Ps 44:22, quoted in v.36.

Verse 38

principalities… powers — The spiritual rulers of Eph 6:12 stand in the list beside death, life and time. It ends in v.39 with 'any other creature' (ktisis, the word of vv.19–22): nothing created can separate believers from 'the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord'.