One In Jesus

Rom 8:15

(Rom 8:15 ESV) For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Paul had used slavery as a metaphor back in chapter 6. He reminds his readers that we shouldn’t go back to the slavery we escaped — the law of sin and death — or the fear of damnation that he described in chapter 7. Rather, we should stick with the Spirit.

He refers to the “Spirit of adoption” and emphasizes our relationship with God as “Father” and “Abba.” It’s by the Spirit within us that we can cry, “Abba! Father.” What does that mean? Continue reading →

Rom 8:10

(Rom 8:10 ESV) 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Some have argued that “Christ is in you” means we are indwelt by the Spirit in the same sense we are indwelt by Christ — through obedience to the “law of Christ” or “law of the Spirit.” That reading, of course, is entirely out of context. Christ is in us because his Spirit is in us. The same thought appears at —

(John 14:20 ESV)  20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

— which is another passage dealing with the indwelling Spirit. But the most explicit statement is found in — Continue reading →

Rom 8:5

(Rom 8:5 ESV) 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

“Set their minds on” is a single verb in the Greek, and it’s present, active, indicative. As Zodhiates explains the Greek, present, active, indicative expresses action that is occurring while the speaker is making the statement. Hence, “have their minds on,” as in the NIV, is more precise. In other words, this isn’t a command; it isn’t a condition; it’s an observation on the difference between our natures without and with the Spirit. If we have the Spirit, our minds are set on the things of the Spirit. This is about a change in our natures, not a change from one law to another. Continue reading →

It’s been a while since I put up the last post in this series, on Romans 1 – 7. So let me remind you of a few things.

Deuteronomy

First, up to this point, Paul’s discussion of the Spirit in Romans has been built heavily on the Old Testament prophecies related to the Spirit, especially Deuteronomy 30:6 —

(Deu 30:6 ESV)  And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

This passage refers back to the beginning of the second giving of the Law in chapter 10 of Deuteronomy — just before the Israelites were to cross the Jordan River and begin the campaign to conquer the Promised Land — Continue reading →