For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
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.
So then they that are in the flesh cannot ° please God.
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.
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.
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
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.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
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.
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.
For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
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?
But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
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.
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.
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.
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
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.
As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
 

8:1 condemnation. The word “condemnation” is the same in the Greek as “judgment.” The Christian is not to be judged as to salvation, since Christ has already been judged for our sins on the cross. As Christians, however, we will be judged for rewards or loss of rewards at the judgment seat of Christ (II Corinthians 5:10).

8:1 after the Spirit. This clause beginning with “who walk” is not found in a few of the ancient manuscripts; however, it is not redundant, as some claim, since it is synonymous and descriptive of “them which are in Christ Jesus.”

8:2 law of the Spirit. The “law of the Spirit of life” has invaded and opposed “the law of sin which is in my members” (Romans 7:23), thus freeing us from its bondage (Romans 6:14-18). We cannot obey God’s law in the strength of the flesh, but as we reckon (that is, deliberately acknowledge) ourselves to be dead to sin and “alive unto God” (Romans 6:11), this doctrinal truth increasingly becomes practical truth in our lives.

8:3 likeness of sinful flesh. Jesus Christ truly came “in the flesh” (John 1:14; I John 4:2), but only in the “likeness” of “sinful” flesh. Outwardly the flesh of His human body was exactly like that of other human bodies, but it had been preserved free from inherent sin by His miraculous conception and virgin birth, then kept free from actual sin by His sinless life. Thus His flesh was sinless flesh.

8:9 Spirit of Christ. Note that, in this one verse, the Holy Spirit is called both the “Spirit of God” and the “Spirit of Christ.” The terms are synonymous; thus, Christ is God, and so is the Holy Spirit.


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