So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4 NLT
If you are in Christ Jesus you will not experience condemnation because Jesus became the sacrifice for your sins! There is no greater news than that! Romans 8 is a very encouraging chapter. It ensures us that we can successfully break free from the power of sin in our lives because of the help we receive from Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) Romans 8:5-9 NLT
The moment you acknowledged your need for a Savior, surrendered your life to God and entered into a personal relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit took up residency in you. Without the Spirit’s help we, in our human nature, do not have the capacity to obey God. Consciously surrendering control of your mind to the Holy Spirit really needs to be a daily, sometimes even moment by moment activity.
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Romans 8:12-14 NLT
It is critical to remember that you no longer have an obligation to act upon the sinful urges you naturally encounter from time to time. God warned Cain, “Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” Genesis 4:7 (NLT) We have an advantage that Cain did not have, we have the Spirit with us to help resist temptation and to make good decisions. As Paul teaches us in Romans 8, it is only by the power of the Spirit that we can successfully kill our sinful nature.
For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. Romans 8:16-18 NLT
I love the partnership that we have with the Spirit and with Jesus. “His Spirit joins with our spirit,” I really like the sound of that! “Together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.” It just gets better and better! And although we must also share in His suffering, I am encouraged to know that any suffering we experience in this life will pale in comparison to the glory we will experience when we get to heaven.
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. Romans 26-27 NLT
Did you realize that the Holy Spirit prays for you? Not just casual prayer but intense prayer, so intense that His prayers can’t even be expressed with words, but rather in groans that only the Father can understand. He actually “pleads” for us! And every request He makes is in perfect harmony with God’s will. Now that’s the kind of prayers I want to know are being made on my behalf!
What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Romans 8:31-34 NLT
Wow! Not only does the Spirit bring our needs before the Father, but Jesus also, while sitting at the Father’s right hand, pleads for us! This is our God. This is our Savior. He is for us. He has chosen us for His own and God Himself has given us right standing with Himself. If we align ourselves with Him, we simply cannot lose!
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Romans 8:37 NLT
Wow! Not only does the Spirit bring our needs before the Father, but Jesus also, while sitting at the Father’s right hand, pleads for us! This is our God. This is our Savior. He is for us. He has chosen us for His own and God Himself has given us right standing with Himself. If we align ourselves with Him, we simply cannot lose!
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Romans 8:37 NLT