Romans 8:1 - There is THEREFORE NOW, the Now pointing back to the reality of our justification and our sanctification. Based on justification and sanctification, Paul often uses that word “therefore” which means he is ready to draw a conclusion. Paul took us through justification through faith, telling us how God has dealt with that problem of sin. And, then he took us through sanctification, the issue with sanctification is not about sin, but about perfection; God perfected us, made us as equally righteous as God himself.
Now, Paul draws it all together, based upon the fact that you are already sanctified, already IN the Savior, there is now no condemnation for you. If God sees you IN the Savior and he sees you as being complete in your identity with the Savior, totally identified with Jesus in every aspect of Jesus’ life and relationship with the Father, to condemn you who are IN the Savior, would be the same thing as to condemn Jesus. Colossians 2:10
There are those who say the final portion of Romans 8:1 where it says, “who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit” should not be there at all. However, the thought of not walking after the flesh, but after the spirit does indeed appear down in Verse 4 and is in the manuscript of the Majority text, so that idea is a valid idea. So, rather than ignoring them altogether, why not just explain them.
Walking after the flesh is not talking about committing sins, but with placing one’s confidence in the capacity of their flesh to provide righteousness through performance. Rather than having Jesus’ righteousness freely imputed to their account, the person who is walking after the flesh is the person laboring under the false notion that they can earn their righteousness through their performance. They are laboring under the false notion that there is capacity in their flesh to be right before God, that is precisely what Israel was doing. The more that we believe in the reality of our identity and focus on that identity, the more God is free to affect our practice, and he will by producing his fruit in our lives. The flesh is incapable of producing fruit acceptable to God. Believers who try to produce that fruit themselves through whatever religious system, through whatever legal practice of do’s and don’ts will only find themselves fruitless in their efforts.
Believer’s who strive to perfect their practice in an attempt to achieve or maintain a particular status with God is what Paul tells us he tried to do back in Romans chapter 7, how did that work for our apostle? The more Paul tried to make his flesh perform, the less his flesh was willing to conform.
The flesh cannot be perfected, it cannot be changed, and it cannot be Christianized, so render it dead. The more we focus on perfecting the flesh, the more we will end up minding the things of the flesh, and Paul wants us to put the flesh behind us.
Thank God, that in his perspective we are not in the flesh, but we are safe and secure in the Savior. Whose righteousness? Jesus’ righteousness freely attributed to the account of the one who takes God at his Word concerning what Jesus accomplished for our sins.
Now, Paul draws it all together, based upon the fact that you are already sanctified, already IN the Savior, there is now no condemnation for you. If God sees you IN the Savior and he sees you as being complete in your identity with the Savior, totally identified with Jesus in every aspect of Jesus’ life and relationship with the Father, to condemn you who are IN the Savior, would be the same thing as to condemn Jesus. Colossians 2:10
There are those who say the final portion of Romans 8:1 where it says, “who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit” should not be there at all. However, the thought of not walking after the flesh, but after the spirit does indeed appear down in Verse 4 and is in the manuscript of the Majority text, so that idea is a valid idea. So, rather than ignoring them altogether, why not just explain them.
Walking after the flesh is not talking about committing sins, but with placing one’s confidence in the capacity of their flesh to provide righteousness through performance. Rather than having Jesus’ righteousness freely imputed to their account, the person who is walking after the flesh is the person laboring under the false notion that they can earn their righteousness through their performance. They are laboring under the false notion that there is capacity in their flesh to be right before God, that is precisely what Israel was doing. The more that we believe in the reality of our identity and focus on that identity, the more God is free to affect our practice, and he will by producing his fruit in our lives. The flesh is incapable of producing fruit acceptable to God. Believers who try to produce that fruit themselves through whatever religious system, through whatever legal practice of do’s and don’ts will only find themselves fruitless in their efforts.
Believer’s who strive to perfect their practice in an attempt to achieve or maintain a particular status with God is what Paul tells us he tried to do back in Romans chapter 7, how did that work for our apostle? The more Paul tried to make his flesh perform, the less his flesh was willing to conform.
The flesh cannot be perfected, it cannot be changed, and it cannot be Christianized, so render it dead. The more we focus on perfecting the flesh, the more we will end up minding the things of the flesh, and Paul wants us to put the flesh behind us.
Thank God, that in his perspective we are not in the flesh, but we are safe and secure in the Savior. Whose righteousness? Jesus’ righteousness freely attributed to the account of the one who takes God at his Word concerning what Jesus accomplished for our sins.