Romans 8:21

Romans 8:21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

The giant Sequoia tree is the largest living thing in the world. It can live up to 2000 years and grow to well over 300 feet high. Yet, it is under the same bondage of death and decay as are all plants and animals in the world. This bondage came about because of the fall of man and was ordained by God as He is in total control of the universe. Nothing happens that does not suit His purpose and desire (Isa. 46:10). What an insult to the majesty, power, and sovereignty of God when even Christians claim that God has no control over natural disasters. Verse 20 reveals the truth that God is very much involved and in control of the universe.

In this verse, Paul is stating that all of creation will be set free from this bondage and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. God’s creation will be renewed and restored when the eternal kingdom begins. Peace and harmony will reign as glorified believers and animals will live together without strife. There will be no erupting volcanoes, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, or any other natural disasters, as God will maintain His creation with precision. He is in control now and will be in control when He brings His creation back from its present state of bondage.

Praise God for the glory that is to come for His creation.

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Romans 8:20

Romans 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope

When the fall of man occurred in the Garden of Eden, the entire creation was subjected to decay, death, calamities and futility. The animal kingdom did not willingly participate in the fall, but it suffered as a result of the sin of Adam. The beautiful fawn, in the photo above, is just a few months old and there is plenty of food and a pond for drinking water to sustain it and its mother. However, they live within the city limits of a large city and have only about 25 acres to roam before encountering some serious problems. While the photo above appears to be serene and peaceful, it was taken about 150 feet from a major four-lane highway. Vehicles have hit at least three deer within 1/8 of a mile of this photo location in the past year. Deer that are located out in the country have more freedom, but they become vulnerable to being hunted for sport. The plight of this creature is just one example of the futility that animals face in our fallen world.

While many secular humanists believe that man can make everything right in this world for humans and animals, the Bible reveals that this is wishful thinking. Praise God that the creation will be renewed one day by God and the animals and deer will be a thing of beauty to behold.

Romans 8:19

Romans 8:19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

The creation refers to the entire universe or the cosmos as the late Dr. Carl Sagan would call it. Since the fall of Adam, the created world has not been peaceful as it was in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve enjoyed fellowship and peace with God. When Adam sinned, the entire creation was affected. It has resulted in God allowing all kinds of natural disasters, including volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, etc. to adversely affect all of creation, including animals. When the world, as we know it, ends and the sons of God are revealed, such natural disasters will come to an end because God will no longer allow such things to occur. There will be no more pain and tears for the sons of God, and all creation will exist in perfect harmony as ordered by the creator of the universe. God has the power, and he will use it at the proper time. This is what Paul means when he speaks of looking forward with eager longing to that glorious day.

Look at the magnificent beauty that is already in this fallen world and imagine what glory waits when God removes the thorns and thistles from his creation.

Romans 8:18

Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

The photo above shows a replica of the inside of an early one room American cabin. The suffering that the early Christian settlers experienced from disease and death was extensive and hard beyond our imagination. They came to America to escape religious persecution only to find a suffering of another kind. The early Christians during the Apostle Paul’s time also suffered greatly and many, like Paul, gave their lives for being believers in Jesus Christ. In this verse, Paul tells us that these sufferings, as great as they were, are not worth comparing to the glory to be revealed to Christians. Paul is affirming that even the greatest downside to being Christian in this world is nothing compared to the upside that will be seen in the eternal kingdom of God.

Praise God for this glorious fact and pray that we may remain faithful to Jesus Christ, no matter what persecution and suffering comes our way. Pray, also, for our brothers and sisters in Christ where such suffering and persecution is an ongoing reality.

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Romans 8:17

Romans 8:17 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.

In this verse, the Apostle Paul continues the wonderful news of redemption through the Holy Spirit. Those who are in Christ Jesus are, first of all, justified in the sight of God. They are then adopted as children of God and walk according to the Spirit. In this verse, Paul tells us that adopted children of God become heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. Here in chapter 8 Paul reveals what each step along the way looks like in terms of having the Holy Spirit dwell in believers. This journey of being in Christ results in a believer walking according to the Spirit, and here in verse 17 Paul mentions that suffering with Christ may be part of this walk. Jesus told of the persecution and suffering that would be part of being his disciple. Paul and the early church experienced severe persecution that included death, and persecution is ongoing in the world today. Christians have always been persecuted and suffered for following Christ.

Many N.T. passages, along with this one, teach that suffering and persecution are sometimes a part of following Christ, and this shows that the health and wealth gospel, so pervasive in America today, is nothing short of a sham. This verse shows, once again, that the carnal Christian concept of being a believer but not walking according to the Spirit is also a heresy.

Praise God that the Holy Spirit enables believers to walk according to the Spirit and endure suffering when it happens in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Romans 8:16

Romans 8:16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

The photo above bears witness to the stunning beauty of God’s creation on display at Trout Lake near Telluride, Colorado. The Holy Spirit also bears witness to believers that we are children of God. Deep feelings of peace, joy, and love penetrate deep into believers’ hearts. The fruits of the Spirit, as listed in Galatians 5:22-23, are imparted to the children of God. The peace that comes with the joy of salvation is not a worldly peace and joy, but rather a spiritual satisfaction that comes from the knowledge of the relationship that children of God have with their heavenly Father. The hymn, Turn your eyes upon Jesus, captures this spiritual peace very well when it speaks of the things of this world growing dim…………

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Praise God that he not only saves us through his grace, but he provides witness to the reality of being children of God.

Romans 8:15

Romans 8:15 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!"

Orphaned and abandoned children would perish without someone to save and keep them from the dangers of the world. The ideal situation for such children would be to be adopted into a family and have a mother and father to care for them. In a like manner, spiritual dead human beings are in great need of being adopted by God. Scripture including Romans 8 teaches that sinners will remain spiritually dead unless God the Holy Spirit intervenes and saves them by giving them spiritual life. This grace of spiritual life that God implants is called regeneration or being born again. This Spirit that is received does not cause a sinner to fall back into fear but leads to faith, justification, and adoption as sons of God. From this Spirit of adoption we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Praise God that spiritually dead sinners receive the Spirit of adoption.

Where's Al Gore when you need him

Jazzy has been suffering from cabin fever due to the unseasonably cold weather. She has asked me to request that Al Gore come to our town and release some of the enormous amount of hot air that he seems to have in abundance. He would even be allowed to show his propaganda film, "A convenient lie" if he could just blow some heat on our town!

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Romans 8:14

Romans 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

It is a glorious reality that believers, who are led by the Spirit, are adopted and become sons of God. Paul has now added adoption to the theme he has been developing throughout Chapter 8. Believers are in Christ, set their minds on the things of the Spirit, live according to the Spirit, walk according to the Spirit, and have the Spirit dwelling in them. If someone is being led, then it means he is following the person doing the leading. A person that is led by the Spirit follows Jesus Christ and becomes a Son of God. He is a Christian and a disciple. Paul contrasts this with unbelievers who live in the flesh and walk in the flesh.

Therefore, if a person is not led by the Spirit of God, then he is not a son of God. He has not been adopted because he has not been justified, and he has not been justified because he has not been saved. He is unsaved, still in the flesh, and has not been born again. This is yet another verse that refutes the belief that a person can be a Christian and yet not follow Christ. Adopted sons of God are followers of Christ because they are led by the Spirit and this verse does not offer any other possibility.

If anyone is clinging to the false hope of the false carnal Christian teaching, then I urge them to read Romans 8 very carefully.

Romans 8:13

Romans 8:13 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.

In verses 1-9 of this chapter, Paul makes it clear that those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the flesh, and to set the mind on the flesh is death. In addition, they are hostile to God, do not submit to God’s law, and indeed cannot please God. Here, in verse 13, this principle is repeated yet again. Paul has made it very clear that if you live according to the flesh you are not in Christ and you are under the condemnation of God. There is no wiggle room to claim Christ but live according to the flesh. It is the same message that is in James 2:14-26 where he asks the rhetorical question, “Can such a faith save him?” Paul is saying that you will die if you live according to the flesh. He has made it clear that one who lives according to the flesh does not have faith. They may profess and claim faith, but they do not have it. This death that Paul has carefully described in these verses is the eternal death that results from not being in Christ.

However, if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. A redeemed person is not a puppet that does nothing in putting to death the deeds of the body; but, he is enabled and encouraged by the Holy Spirit to respond to this divine grace and willingly participates in his own sanctification. Just as the window in the photo above is not perfect, and reflects some of the light rather than letting it through, a redeemed person does not perfectly live according to the Spirit; however, such a person is in Christ, and verse 1 affirms that there is now no condemnation of those that are in Christ. The victory is assured through the power of God the Holy Spirit.

Praise God for the enabling work of the Holy Spirit.

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Romans 8:12

Romans 8:12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

Unfortunately the thirst in America for gratification of the flesh through worldly goods has made millions of people debtors. The discipline of people living within their means has become a thing of the past in tens of millions of families. Items that were considered luxuries four or five decades ago are now considered necessities. Here in verse 12 Paul tells Christians that they are debtors but not to the flesh. Christians have no obligation to pursue worldly goods and pleasures of the flesh with reckless abandon because Christians have their minds on things above that are eternal. Those that believe you should go for the gusto because you only go around once are debtors to the flesh, but Christians are debtors to God for the great salvation they have through faith in Jesus Christ. They do not owe a debt to earn salvation as Jesus Christ paid for it on the cross. No, Christians owe a debt of gratitude, love, and praise for such an amazing grace.

Grace brings sinners to God and grace is with them for the entire journey.

Romans 8:11

Romans 8:11 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.

In verse ten Paul tells how spiritually dead people are quickened unto life by the power of the Holy Spirit. Here in verse 11 he tells how the same Spirit that resurrected Jesus Christ from the dead will do the same thing for redeemed sinners that are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The photo above illustrates the power that a seed, that has been buried under two inches of asphalt, has in germinating and pushing it’s way through asphalt to become a thriving plant. However, this power pales in comparison to the power of the resurrection of the bodies of Christians that will occur when Jesus returns. What a glorious day that will be for all that are in Christ when the Holy Spirit gives life to the bodies of all the saints that are in graves around the world.

Praise God that his grace comes with awesome power.

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Romans 8:10

Romans 8:10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Because of sin, we are all dead men walking. The men in the Confederate cemetery above are dead men in the grave. Physical death is a universal condition of humanity. Everyone, whether they are in Christ or not in Christ, has this destiny. However, those that are in Christ have his righteousness imputed to them and their spirit and soul is life. They are no longer spiritually dead, but are alive for all eternity. They have been redeemed and will only die the one physical death due to the corruption of sin. Those not in Christ are dead men walking physically and spiritually.

Righteousness is a requirement of spiritual life. However, human beings do not have this righteousness, and they have no way achieve it by their own effort. There is one way and only one way to be counted as righteous in the sight of God. While we do not actually become righteous, we can be reckoned as righteous through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus obtained for us what we could not do for ourselves. It is provided to us as gift for all who accept it through faith. Those that accept this gift are spiritually alive and those that reject it remain spiritually dead. This rejection does not cause spiritual death in sinners, but leaves them in the same state they were born in.

Choose spiritual life by placing your faith in Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:9

Romans 8:9 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.

This photo taken on the old Natchez Trace is a reminder of how the sinful nature of the flesh ruled the day in the 1800’s along this historic trail. Thieves and robbers thrived along this path that is sunken even to this day by the traffic of men and horses from over a century ago. Redemption from the flesh and sinful nature comes by regeneration to those who belong to Christ. They are redeemed by the blood of Christ and quickened to life by Holy Spirit. These and these only have the Spirit of God dwelling in them and they are Spiritually alive and no longer in the flesh. Saved sinners are in Christ and Christ is in them. Since believers are no longer in the flesh, they are no longer under the control of the flesh all day every day. Anyone who is under the control of the flesh does not have the Spirit and does not belong to Christ. In short they are not redeemed and are unsaved. This is yet another verse that leaves absolutely no possibility that a true Christian could reject following Christ in favor of worldly carnal living day in and day out. Christians sin and grieve the Holy Spirit, but they are convicted of sin by the Spirit, repent, pray, and are responsive to this grace which will win the day. In these first nine verses of Romans eight God through Paul has made it clear that a redeemed (saved) person has the Holy Spirit dwelling in them and they respond with a life, mind, and walk controlled by the Spirit.

Jesus is the light of the world and those that follow him are his. Those that don’t are not. This is sanctification and is a response to the justification that comes by faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Beware of false prophets that tell you that you can claim Christ but walk with the devil.

Romans 8:8

Romans 8:8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

While the male peacock puts on a quite a show to please a mate, it is pure folly to believe that anyone in the flesh can please God. The best works of sinners that are not in Christ are but filthy rags. For one to imagine that he is right with God because of his high ethical standards or works of charity is an abomination to God. Also, this verse rules out the possibility of someone in the flesh coming to faith in and of themselves apart from a work of God in regeneration. If a person could come to faith while in the flesh, then this would please God; but then Romans 8:8 would be false. Therefore, since Romans 8:8 is not false, those who are in the flesh cannot come to faith unless God does something. This something he does is regenerate and give them a new heart that enables them to respond in faith. It is called grace and praise God that Jesus saves sinners completely.

Place your faith in Jesus Christ alone for the gift of eternal life and leave the shows of the flesh to the peacocks.