Romans - Part 4: SPIRITSample

Life in the Spirit

We are about to read one of the greatest chapters ever penned by a mortal. Romans 8 is the peak of the pass, the cream of the crop, the penthouse of panoramas. It doesn’t get any better than this! Climbing out of the depths of sin, Paul gives us a fresh breath as he discusses life in the Spirit.

With all the talk about the Law and sin, the key ingredient to the Christian life is now revealed: the person of the Holy Spirit. ”Holy Spirit” or “spirit” is mentioned a total of 21 times in this chapter, the most times in any Pauline chapter. The great battle between the flesh and the Spirit is carried out in every believer. Doesn’t it seem strange that the freedom of the Spirit and the repressive power of sin could be operating in the same person?

This is “the rub,” as they say. As long as we live in this world, sin has a home-field advantage. So, to live the abundant life, Jesus came to bring us a “helper.” We must have a power source outside of this world. Enter the Spirit. An individual who attempts to live like Christ, without the Spirit’s influence, faces certain doom. In fact, we read, “if we do not have the Spirit, we do not belong to Christ.” Fact.

Paul is focused like a laser on the truth that Christian living is not accomplished because of effort or by working harder, but by yielding to the Spirit. The real power comes from the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. We all, as God’s children, have access to this power. He is, literally, inside us! How do we know when we are yielding? When we see the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5) evident in our lives! So, dump the guilt and open up to the freedom the Spirit gives.

-Brian Mott