Lesson 16: God’s Spirit and Our Unredeemed Flesh
Questions 1 and 2
Greetings friend, welcome back. I hope you are finding your studies helpful and encouraging.
Review
We studied in the last lesson about the struggles that we believers endure. We noticed that believers still have flesh. This is why sometimes even though it is in our heart to do what is right, we find that we do what we don’t want to do. In spite of this, we do not find our identity in our sin struggles but in Jesus Christ who delivers us.
We’ve noted before that if we walk by the Spirit, we will not gratify the lusts of our flesh. Today, we will see from Romans 8 two functions of the Holy Spirit and also see how He helps us in the weakness of our flesh as we walk with Him.
Set Free by the Holy Spirit
We left off studying in the previous lesson about the war within us. Paul said he was “sold as a slave to sin”, meaning his flesh demanded to be gratified, and, at times, he succumbed to it. And it is in this context of failure and the disappointments of sin slavery that Paul pen’s the next words:
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2 (NIV)
Question 1. In Romans 8:1, Paul tells us there is no condemnation for us who are in Christ. In Romans 8:2, what is it that the Spirit of God does for us?
Log in / create an account to enroll or continue where you left off.
Freedom from Condemnation
Friend, we need to always associate “no condemnation” with being set free. Jesus has delivered you from the “body of death”. He took all of your guilt and punishment on the cross, thereby setting you free from the penalty of sin; and now, the Spirit of God works to set you free from the power of sin. This is one of the main roles of the Holy Spirit; He applies the work of Christ on the cross to our hearts and “sets us free from the law of sin and death.”
Romans 8:1 (“no condemnation”) is followed by Romans 8:2 (being “set free”), as these two always go together. In a court of law, if the judge does not condemn you, but instead declares you to be innocent of all charges, then you are free to go. If you are not condemned, you are set free.
There is an illustration of this very thing in John 8:1-11: the Pharisees brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus and asked them what should be done to her. Under the Law of Moses, the woman was guilty of a sin deserving of death, but Jesus said these beautiful words to her, “neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more” (John 8:11). See how “no condemnation” precedes being set free? Jesus did not say “go and sin no more, then I will not condemn you” but rather, “I do not condemn you. Go and live in this freedom that I give you and not in sin.”
The Spirit of God sets us free from the law of sin and death, and He does it by using the message of the gospel: that Jesus was condemned in our place and therefore there is no condemnation for us.
And this freedom from condemnation is for all who believe in Jesus no matter how we’ve lived up to this point, or what sins we’ve committed, or how long we’ve done them. The message for you right now, friend, is there is no condemnation for you if you are a believer in Jesus. God does not condemn two people for the same crime, and Jesus has already taken your place and your punishment; you are now set free. The Holy Spirit wants to take that message of freedom and apply it to your heart today. He wants you to believe it, receive it, to thank God for it and to leave your life of sin because of it.
Question 2. Would you like to thank God right now that there is no condemnation for you since you have put faith in Jesus Christ? Please write out your thoughts here.
Log in / create an account to enroll or continue where you left off.