Holding the Hand of God Romans 8:1-17 The Spirit Enables Us Holding the Hand of God Romans 8:1-17 By David Turner www.Biblestudies-online.com

Extreme Change Is Expected In the Christian Life The libertine seeks to minimize the change which is required, wanting to avoid any rules or commands. They want to speak only of grace and not of righteousness or God’s Law. They want to continue to live in sin just as they did as unbelievers. This view is described and rejected in Romans 6. To

Extreme Change Is Expected In the Christian Life The legalist wants to burden the convert to Christ with rules and regulations. He speaks of righteousness and holiness, but of the kind men define which is accomplished by human effort and not divine enablement. Paul discusses this point of view in Romans 7, showing legalism to be both sinful and impossible.

When The Mind wants to do what is right the Flesh wants to satisfy itself. The two clash. What do we do?

Romans 7:21–25 (ESV) 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

There is a Better Way! The battle between the mind (desire for righteousness) and the flesh (sinful desires) can only be won through the dependence on, and enablement by the same Spirit that saved us.

Romans 8 The word “Spirit” is used 22 times in Romans 8, the theme in the chapter is “Assurance”. The chapter starts with “assurance”: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” The chapter ends with “assurance”: 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You Can win the Battle because Christ has already won the war

Romans 8:1–17 (ESV) Victory in our battles begin with assurance of what Christ has done and why He did it. 8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Freedom and Power to live for God

We have assurance of victory if we set our mind on what pleases the Spirit rather than on what pleases the Flesh. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Victory lies, not in us, but in the One that we know lives in us. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Be assured, we owe the Flesh nothing. We owe God everything Be assured, we owe the Flesh nothing. We owe God everything. Serve the One you owe. 12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Free to Live as sons of god

We Have Assurance because we are adopted Children We Have Assurance because we are adopted Children. Live as Children looking forward to an inheritance. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Victory over the flesh is not so much about doing, as it is in grasping hold of the one that to saved you and Lean on Him to enable you to win your battles for you.