Romans 8:1-15

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Romans 8:5-17

The Contrast Between Flesh And Spirit Is Considered, Leading Up To The Assurance Of Life Through The Triune God And A Declaration Of Our Sonship And Heirship (8:5-17). Reference to ‘walking not after the flesh but after the Spirit’ now leads on to a deeper examination of what it means to be responsive to the Spirit in contrast with the flesh. It is the battle of Galatians 5:16 ff. continued, with the Spirit and flesh being in constant opposition. This contrast is prominent verse by verse in... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Romans 8:6

‘For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace,’ The consequence of having ‘the mind of the flesh’ is death. If we set our minds on fleshly things we will reap our reward. God is not mocked. He who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption (Galatians 6:7). In contrast the one who sows to the Spirit, and sets his mind on the Spirit and is ‘after the Spirit’, will enjoy life and peace. He will enjoy peace with God (Romans 5:1). He will ‘reap eternal... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Romans 8:7-8

‘Because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can it be, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.’ And this is because having the mind of the flesh is to be at enmity with God. That which is fleshly is not subject to the Law of God, nor indeed can it be, for the Law is spiritual (Romans 7:14). This underlines the fact that the descriptions in Romans 7:22-23 were of regenerated men and women. That a battle was taking place was... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Romans 8:9

‘But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.’ In contrast those who have the Spirit of God dwelling in them are ‘in the Spirit’ and not ‘in the flesh’. They dwell and walk in the realm of the Spirit. They are upheld by the Spirit. They are illuminated by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-16). In this is the crucial test of whether someone is a Christian. Are they indwelt by the Spirit?... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Romans 8:10

‘And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.’ Quite easily Paul can slip from having the Holy Spirit in us, to having Christ in us, thus illustrating Their total equality. It is because Christ is in us that the body is dead because of sin, for it is due to our having been crucified with Christ. However, some see this as indicating ‘the body is subject to death because of sin’. Both are, of course, true. If we take the first the... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Romans 8:11

‘But if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit which dwells in you.’ The Triune God is now seen as in action. ‘Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead’ (the Father) is now introduced, and is also seen as indwelling us. Involved in our salvation are Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And we learn that having raised Jesus from the dead by His mighty power (Ephesians 1:19... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Romans 8:12

‘So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh,’ So, says Paul, we must recognise that we are debtors. We owe it to God to be what we should be and yield our lives to His Spirit. On the other hand we own no debt to the flesh, by pandering to it and in consequence living in accordance with its demands. Indeed it has no rights over us. To ‘live after the flesh’ is to own the right of the flesh to dictate our lives. It is those who happily follow their own desires... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Romans 8:13

‘For if you live after the flesh, you must die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.’ Indeed if we do live after the flesh we ‘must die’, both in this world and the next. It is a certainty. The contrast with ‘live’ indicates that this means more than just physical death. For those who live after the flesh there is no eternal life. On the other hand, if we live by the Spirit, following His leading and responding to Him, and if we by His power put to death... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Romans 8:14

‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.’ And one reason why we can be so sure that we ‘will live’ is because, by being led by the Spirit in this regard we are demonstrating that we are ‘sons of God’. The assumption is, of course, that in the same way we will follow all the Spirit’s leading. And the fact that we can sense His leading is confirmation of the fact of our sonship. The warning is, however, elsewhere given that we can be misled ( 1Co 12:3 ; 1 John 4:1 ff).... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Romans 8:15

‘For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, “Abba, Father”.’ This is a call for them to recognise that they have not been called as servants (who were often beaten) but as sons (something made clear by Jesus in the parable of the prodigal son - Luke 15:0). Left to their own ideas they might well have seen themselves as ‘slaves of God’, cowering before a despotic Master ( a regular feature of life in those days), but the... read more

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