Romans, Session 13: Romans 8.1-13

Get the context

Look back at 7.24. How does 8.1 answer Paul’s question there?
- What does the truth that as a believer there is ‘no condemnation’ for you, mean to you?
- Do you ever feel under condemnation? Why do you feel this way? How does v1 answer this?

These verses are what follows v1. How does being ‘in Christ Jesus’ free us from condemnation?
- What does it mean that ‘the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us’ (v4)?
- What might be the negative consequences in a Christian’s life if they still think they either are, or could be in the future, under God’s condemnation?

How does this verse explain what it means to walk according to the Spirit (v4)?
- How does what you set your mind on – what preoccupies you, or where your thoughts turn when they can – shape your character and lifestyle?
- What does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? (What are the things the Spirit wants us to concentrate on?)
  - How can you practically do this? How can you develop a habit of thinking deeply about God and the gospel?
  - How does thinking deeply about the gospel change the way you see and live life?

What are the consequences of doing the opposite – of setting your mind on the flesh?

Paul says some extraordinary things about the life of the Christian – what are they?

Given all the above, what must we actively do?
- What does putting to death – or mortification – of sin in our lives mean in practice?

How does knowing we are debtors, but not to the flesh, influence our fight against sin? To what or whom are we debtors?
- Have you ever found yourself defending your sinful choices because of self-pity – that your life is hard and you’re owed this moment of pleasure, or that you deserve this, or that God or others owe you? How does knowing you are a debtor to grace challenge that thinking?

Based on these verses, how can you preach the gospel to yourself in moments of temptation?

Look back at 7.24. How does 8.1 answer Paul’s question there?
- What does the truth that as a believer there is ‘no condemnation’ for you, mean to you?
  In Christ, all condemnation – past, present and future – no longer exists. The Christian will never again be condemned by God. That should fill our hearts with joy, peace and gratitude.

How does this verse explain what it means to walk according to the Spirit (v4)?
- What does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? (What are the things the Spirit wants us to concentrate on?)
  How we are God’s beloved children; how Christ has won full and perfect forgiveness; how we can now live lives of worship and gratitude for His glory; how Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf is something unspeakably beautiful and heroic and the model for how we should, and can, treat others.

Is the mind neutral? What are the implications of this?
On our own we cannot please God. We need His help. But also, when we think things, or see the world according to the flesh it pushes out thoughts of the Spirit. However, the reverse is also true: as we fix our minds on the things of the Spirit our mind has less opportunity to think about the things of the flesh and so we grow in holiness.

Paul says some extraordinary things about the life of the Christian – what are they?
We are no longer in the flesh, but the Spirit. Every believer belongs to Christ and so every believer, without exception, has the Spirit. When Paul writes ‘if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you’ he is not trying to sow seeds of doubt as to whether or not his readers have the Spirit. Rather, he is stating the fact that every true believer no-longer dwells in the domain of the flesh, but of the Spirit, because the Spirit dwells in them. And the reason the Spirit dwells in them is that they belong to Christ.

Given all the above, what must we actively do?
- What does putting to death – or mortification – of sin in our lives mean in practice?
  We must actively and aggressively resist sinful desires and acts; when we know something to be wrong in our lives, we must reject it; we deliberately choose not to play with fire, indulge or give ground to sinful desires. We take preventative action – we don’t put ourselves in situations that might prove too tempting.

How does knowing we are debtors, but not to the flesh, influence our fight against sin? To what or whom are we debtors?
We are in debt to Christ. Realising the debt of love and gratitude and service we owe Him can give us the strength to choose the things of the Spirit instead of the flesh. It is understanding God’s immeasurable grace to us in Christ, the depth of His love for us, our indebtedness to Him, that will change how we see sin and obedience.