1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
5Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Main Points and Discussion Questions
1. Christians have escaped God’s just condemnation, because the Holy Spirit has enabled them to believe that God condemned Christ on the cross in their place. (vv. 1-3a)
-The Spirit gives us new life (Tit 3:5b)
-The Spirit gives us understanding (1 Co 2:12)
-Christ received God’s wrath for us (Rom 3:21-26; Gal 3:13)
Discussion Question #1a: Who alone has the right to condemn us?
1b: What is his pronouncement toward those who know Christ?
1c: Read Rev 12:9-10 and Jas 4:7. Who has the tendency to accuse and condemn us? How should we respond to him?
2. God’s purpose for His children is not simply to free them from condemnation, but to enable them to fulfill the Law in the power of the Holy Spirit (vv. 3b-4).
- "The Law was given that grace might be sought. Grace was given so that the Law might be fulfilled.” (Augustine)
- What does it mean to “fulfill the Law”?
a) It is summed up as loving one’s neighbour as yourself (Rom 13:8-10, Gal 6:2)
b) However, a “summary” is not a “reduction” – we need God’s instructions in Scripture to help us know what love is (1 Jn 5:2).
3. As a result of the new life given to Christians by the Holy Spirit, they now have a spiritual mind.
- What does this mind focus on?
a) desiring to please God (vv. 5, 8; Eph 5:8-10)
b) desiring life and peace (v. 6; Rom 6:13; 12:18; 14:19)
4. The Holy Spirit’s indwelling in believers assures them that they will be raised to life in transformed bodies, just as Christ’s was (vv. 10-11).
Php 3:21 – Christ will transform our bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.
2 Co 5:4,5 – God has made us for the very purpose of living in a new body, and the Spirit is given as a “deposit” that this will happen.
Discussion Question #2: How does the certainty of having a resurrection body in heaven increase your anticipation of the future?
