Have you ever met someone who's really tough to talk to when you first start conversing with them? You can't connect about any subjects or get them to open up. You bring up one topic after another, but they don't get excited about anything. Then suddenly, you mention the right subject (maybe Star Wars or a favorite recipe) and they come alive with energy and passion!
This is exactly what Paul is talking about in Romans chapters 7 and 8. All of us have two natures within us: A flesh nature that's focused on earthly things, and a spirit nature that comes alive to the things of God.
One of my favorite people to talk to on the phone is my dad. When we start discussing the Lord, the conversation just flows endlessly. He's so full of God's Word that his spirit is alive to the things of God. He simply can't help himself but to talk about the Lord.
In the same way, there's an aspect of who we are that pulls us toward flesh things. Some people shut down completely when you try to talk about God with them. That part of their mind, that part of their life, is simply not engageable. But mention something else they're passionate about, and they light up immediately.
The Journey Through Romans
As we dig into Romans 7 and 8, let's remember what we've covered so far:
- Romans 1-3: All people, both Jews and Gentiles, are guilty before God. Nobody is righteous. We are all in need of a Savior.
- Romans 4: Abraham proved that righteousness comes by faith. We cannot earn our way to God.
- Romans 5: Adam brought sin into the world, but through Christ, grace and justification abound.
- Romans 6: Believers are dead to sin and alive in Christ, called to live in righteousness,not under law but under grace.
The Frustrating Reality of Our Struggle
In Romans 7, Paul begins by explaining how we are bound by law, using marriage as an analogy. Before we knew Christ, we were married to sin or to the law, which constantly reminded us that we could never get it right. But once that part died and we were "married" to Christ, we were no longer under the burden of the law.
The law is so frustrating because it's like having freshly baked cookies in your house with someone saying, "They're done, but they're for later." The very fact that we're told we can't do something makes us want to do it all the more!
This is exactly what happened with Adam and Eve. They had the entire world at their disposal, could do anything they wanted, and yet they were drawn to the one thing God told them not to do. The law entices us in this way. It's God's way of reminding us that He is different from us: "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9).
The law represents God's holiness, and while it should be the standard we live by, our stumbling against it reminds us how much we need Him.
The Honest Struggle Within
In Romans 7:14-25, Paul gets brutally honest about his internal struggle. In just 12 verses, he mentions "I," "me," or "myself" 38 times! He's expressing what every human feels: "Why can't I just do the thing that I want to do?"
"We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." (Romans 7:14-15)
Paul realizes that the law is spiritual,not just a list of rules to follow. Many people approach Christianity like the rich young ruler who told Jesus he had kept all the commandments (Matthew 19:16-22). He had figured out a system, a way to please God by not cursing, not cheating on his wife, not cheating on his taxes. But Jesus revealed his heart issue by asking him to give away his money, showing that his spiritual problem went deeper than rule-following.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus did the same thing. To people who thought they had mastered the law, He said, "You've heard it said, 'Don't commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:27-28) Jesus was revealing that the law is spiritual, addressing our hearts and minds, not just our external actions.
Paul continues his honest confession: "For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing." (Romans 7:18-19)
For anyone struggling today, do not give up on God. He has not given up on you! This is the struggle of the Christian faith. Evil is always knocking at the door, and the devil is always trying to discourage you and make you give up on your faith.
Paul reaches a point of total desperation: "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?" (Romans 7:24) Chapter 7 descends into this place of wretchedness and hopelessness, but it ends with a spark of hope: "Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:25)
The Life-Changing Power of No Condemnation
Then comes the revolutionary beginning of Romans 8: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)
There is NOW no condemnation! I don't have to live with a condemned heart over what I can't do. I don't have to live feeling bad about myself, trapped in shame and guilt and pain from outside voices or inside voices. There is no condemnation for those who are IN Christ Jesus—not those who just have Jesus on their Facebook page or who wear a "Jesus First, Jesus Always" sweatshirt (although I do suggest you buy it!), but those who are truly IN Christ.
"Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:2) You are set free! That law of sin and death that keeps trying to creep back into your life—you have to remind that old thinking that you have a new way of thinking.
Living as a Spirit Being
The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:6). Who would choose death over life and peace?
"The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God." (Romans 8:7-8)
This is crucial to understand: No matter how many noble things people do, how many causes they support, or how many good deeds they perform, unless they are doing it for Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, God is not pleased with it. What pleases God? Faith. Simple faith. People who come to God with nothing but their trust in Him.
But Paul brings encouragement: "You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you." (Romans 8:9) I say this to you today: don't live in the realm of the flesh, but in the realm of the Spirit!
If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. Make sure you're not living a duplicitous life, operating one way out there and another way in here. Examine your responses, your thought patterns, the way you look at people. Ask yourself: "Why did I just say that? Why did I just feel that way? Why did I feel the need to talk about my accomplishments?"
You have to live an introspective life if you want to be the kind of Christian that pleases the Lord—one who has the Spirit of Christ within, learning how to hear His checks and balances. The Holy Spirit will tell you, "You did well there... you didn't do so well there."
Children and Heirs of God
One of my favorite verses comes in Romans 8:15: "The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'"
You didn't receive a spirit of bondage that puts you in fear. You received a spirit of adoption! God has literally given you His name. He took you out of an old mindset, an old life, out of death, and brought you not just into forgiveness but into belonging: "You belong to me. Now you carry my name wherever you go."
You are part of the royal family of heaven. You are a citizen of heaven. You are a co-heir with Christ!
In my house, we have principles that my family follows. One is that when you leave a room, you tell people "I love you." Even if you're just going to put away socks, you say "I love you." When one of my kids asked why we do this, I said, "Because you're a Smith. That's what Smiths do."
In the same way, God says there are certain principles in His household, and His children carry His name. There are values in His kingdom that don't make sense to the world. You have been adopted into a family with a set of values.
Glory Beyond Our Suffering
Even as God's children, we still face struggles and problems. But Paul says something amazing: "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18)
All of creation, including us, is caught in the middle. We're not living the old life of sin anymore, we know the kingdom is here, but we still struggle with having the right mindset. The Spirit beckons us forward, and we lean in, knowing there's something more ahead.
"We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies." (Romans 8:22-23)
We hope for what we don't yet have, and we wait for it patiently.
The Spirit Prays for Us
If you're struggling or feel like no one is looking out for you, remember this incredible truth: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans." (Romans 8:26)
Have you ever had so many problems that when you finally get alone to pray, you don't even know where to start? Don't worry about that! The Spirit helps us in our weakness. He prays for us with "wordless groans," feelings that can't be expressed in words, or deep emotions that transcend language.
Not only that, but Jesus is also interceding for us: "Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." (Romans 8:34)
Think about that! The Holy Spirit AND Jesus are praying for you right now. Whatever you're going through, you already have the most powerful prayer warriors in the universe advocating for you.
Nothing Can Separate Us
Romans 8 concludes with one of the most powerful declarations in all of Scripture. Paul asks: "What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)
You need to walk with confidence every single day because God is for you! No one can condemn you when God has justified you.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" (Romans 8:35)
His answer is triumphant: "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." (Romans 8:37)
You're not just a conqueror—you're MORE than a conqueror! What does that mean? I don't fully know, but it's better than being a conqueror! God has made us conquerors through the power of Jesus. Everything in creation is subject to His name, and when we have His name, He has put it all under us because we're co-heirs with Him.
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)
When I was 17 and signed my first record deal, I flew to Dallas to sign the contracts. As I reviewed them, I noticed unusual language that kept referring to "in the United States," "in North America," "other continents," and then added "and also in any other place in the universe." The lawyers were making provisions that if somehow music could be owned on other planets someday, the contract would cover those future possibilities.
Before those lawyers ever crafted that contract, Paul did the same thing in Romans 8:38-39. He lists everything imaginable that might separate us from God's love, and then adds "nor anything else in all creation" just to cover anything he might have missed!
What does it mean? It means NOTHING can separate you from the love of God!
Isn't it beautiful how Romans 7 ends with "What a wretched man I am," but Romans 8 ends with "Nothing can stop me, I'm more than a conqueror, if God is for me who can be against me?"
I'm loved by God. I'm a child of God. I'm part of God's family. I will never think the same, look the same, or talk the same. I'm not bound to that old life anymore. I'm not a flesh man—I'm a spirit man! I'm moving forward into my future with confidence. I have been called, invited, and made an icon of the kingdom of God. God trusts me. He's behind me. He's with me.
Stand in your confidence today. Walk out in faith believing that the best is in front of you. Yes, we're stuck for a little bit, we're leaning in, but we know there's glory ahead that far outweighs our present struggles!
