Romans 8
(1) Jesus Denounced Corruption & Fulfills the Law in Us
If we’re in Jesus (the Chosen One), there’s no penalty for us. The spirit of life in Jesus has a law that set us free from the law of corruption and death. When the law tried to partner with the flesh, it wasn’t strong enough, so God did what the law couldn’t do: he sent his own son in the resemblance of corrupted flesh and denounced its corruption as an offering. Jesus did that so that the law’s requirements might be fulfilled in those of us who operate according to the Spirit rather than the flesh.
(5) Flesh Opposes God
People under the flesh think about the flesh’s concerns, while people under the Spirit think about the Spirit’s concerns. Having a fleshly mindset is death, but having the Spirit’s mindset is life and peace. The flesh’s mindset opposes God, because it doesn’t submit to God’s law—in fact, it isn’t even CAPABLE of subjecting itself to God’s law. Anyone operating in the flesh is incapable of pleasing God.
(9) God’s Life Overpowers the Flesh’s Death
But if God’s Spirit really does live inside of you, then you’re in the Spirit—not the flesh. But if you don’t have the Chosen One’s Spirit, then you don’t belong to Him. Even though your body is dead because of corruption, if the Chosen One exists within you, then your body is alive because of righteousness. If the Spirit of the One-Who-Woke-Jesus-From-The-Dead lives within you, then He’ll give life to your mortal body through His Spirit which lives within you.
(12) Kill the Flesh to Live
My fellow believers, we aren’t obligated to the flesh, so we don’t have to live under it. If you live under the flesh, then you’ll need to die, but if the Spirit causes you to kill the flesh’s practices, then you’ll live.
(14) We’re God’s Offspring
Everyone who is propelled by God’s Spirit is an offspring of God. The spirit you received wasn’t one of bondage to make you afraid—it was a spirit of adoption into God’s family that says, “Yay, it’s our Dad!” The Spirit Himself attests with our own spirits that we’re God’s offspring. And if we are God’s offspring, then we’re co-inheritors of God with the Chosen One as long as we suffer with the Chosen One which will allow us to also be glorified with Him.
(18) We Look Forward to Being Released from Bondage
I calculate that the afflictions we face today aren’t even worth comparing to the splendor that will be revealed to us later. All of creation watches in anticipation as it eagerly waits for God’s offspring to be reveiled. God had subjected creation to emptiness (against its own will) in hopes that creation would one day be released from its slavery to corruption and freed into the splendor of God’s offspring. Even to this day, we can see how all of creation groans and struggles like a mom giving birth. And not only that, but we ourselves groan internally even though we’re ripe with the Spirit’s first fruits. We eagerly wait for God to adopt us, and that’s when our bodies will be released from their ransom.
(24) We Hope for Full Salvation
We’ve been saved in hope—but it doesn’t count as hope if we can already see the outcome we’re hoping for… (because who hopes for something he already sees?) But if we hope for something we can’t see yet, then we wait for it eagerly and patiently.
(26) God’s Spirit helps us pray in our corrupted state
In the same way, the Spirit also helps us in our sickness: we don’t know how to pray like we need to, but the Spirit Himself intervenes for us with groanings that can’t be put into words. The One-Who-Examines-Hearts knows the Spirit’s thoughts as the Spirit intervenes for God’s holy people in a way that aligns with God’s desires.
(28) God molds us to resemble Jesus
We know that God works everything together for the good of those who love Him and are called to serve His mission. God knew certain people beforehand, and already determined that they would be molded to resemble His son so that Jesus would be the first of many siblings. After predetermining those people, God then called them, cleared their charges, and clothed them with splendor.
(31) Nothing can stop God from loving us
So what should we make of all this? If God is on our side, then who could ever oppose us? God gave up His own son for us when He could have spared Him instead, so don’t you think God would generously give us anything, since He already gave us Jesus? Who could ever press charges against God’s chosen ones? God is the one who clears people’s charges, so who could ever accuse them? Jesus (the Chosen One) makes requests on our behalf—and He’s the one who woke up after dying and now sits at God’s right hand. So what could ever separate us from the Chosen One’s love? Could pain, hardship, or discrimination separate us from His love? Or how about hunger or nakedness? Or what about danger or weapons? Just like it’s been said:
We [God’s people] are being put to death all day long for Your sake as if we are sheep to be slaughtered.
—Psalm 44:22
But even in the midst of opposition, we are overwhelmingly triumphant through the One who loved us. I’m confident that NOTHING in existence can separate us from God’s love in the Chosen One, Jesus who is our commander. We can’t be separated from His love by anything—not even:
life or death
angels or rulers
external threats or internal desires
supernatural powers
high barriers or deep poverty.