Romans 8 is of particular importance when it comes to understanding the Holy Spirit. Here Paul explains the role of the Holy Spirit in his own life, as well as in the lives of all other Christians (notice the words “us,” “anyone,” “we,” and the plural “you” used throughout the chapter).
In Romans 8, Paul identifies Christians as those “who walk… according to the Spirit” (v. 4). Later, Paul says that the sons of God are those who are “led by the Spirit” (v. 14; cf. Gal. 5:25). To understand Paul’s teachings about the Spirit in Romans 8, it is important to read these phrases in context, noticing the particular role they play in the actual argument of his letter – an argument that began back in chapter 7.
Romans 8 in Context
In the latter part of Romans 7, Paul has argued that the law promised life, but in reality brought death (Rom. 7:10-12). However, the life, which was promised by the law, was ultimately achieved through God’s Spirit, who gives resurrection life to all those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:11).
The beginning of Romans 8 serves as both the conclusion to chapter 7, and the introduction to what Paul argues later in the chapter. What Paul says is indeed very dense and tight packed, but not incomprehensible so long as we read carefully and with the big picture argument in mind.
Paul begins in by stating his main idea that he is going to make throughout all of chapter 8.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1
Paul then begins to explain why that is so.
For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:2
What Paul says in verse 2 is dense, and it would be difficult (though not impossible) to grasp what Paul means simply by dissecting the verse in isolation. But there is no need to worry. Paul explains it himself, beginning in verses 3-4.
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, 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.
Romans 8:3-4
Paul then unpacks this idea even further in verses 5-8.
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. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 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. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Romans 8:5-8
Finally, in verses 9-11, Paul’s argument is fully revealed. (I have replaced the plural “you” with “y’all” to help my kinsmen think about this passage in their native tongue).
Y’all, however are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in y’all. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in y’all, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in y’all, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to y’all’s mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in y’all.
Romans 8:9-11
When reading the Bible, and especially when reading the writings of Paul, it is important to not stop at a single verse or phrase. Unfortunately, this seems to happen quite often, especially in Romans 8, and especially when it comes to the Holy Spirit. It is not uncommon to hear people speak of “walking in the Spirit” or “being led by the Spirit” and to assign to those phrases all kinds of imaginative meanings that, quite frankly, do not fit with Paul’s overall argument.
Paul’s Main Argument
Again, back to verse 1, Paul’s main argument is that, unlike those who continually try, and fail, to find life through the law of Moses (Rom. 7:7-20), there is no such condemnation for those who are in Christ.
Why is that? Because “the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (v. 2). Because “God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do” (v. 3). Because “Those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit” (v. 5). And ultimately because “to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (v. 6).
That’s why there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus – Because it is by the Spirit, and only by the Spirit, that there is hope in resurrection life (vs. 9-11).
The result is, that the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled, and with it, the life that was promised by the law. This promised life is fulfilled, not in those who walk according to the flesh, but in those who walk according to the Spirit (v. 4).
Walking According to the Spirit
In the context of this particular argument, what does it mean to “walk according to the Spirit”? And how is it different from “walking according to the flesh”?
It is not, as many will apply the phrase, referring to someone who spends their life being led by some inner voice or emotional tug on their heart. Rather Paul tells us exactly what he means by this phrase.
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. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 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. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Romans 8:5-8
According to Paul, the difference between those who walk according to the flesh and those who walk according to the Spirit is their mindset. What is their mind focused on? What are they thinking about all the time? Those who are focused on the flesh, that is, on pride, jealousy, or slander (see Rom. 2:29-32 for a detailed description) are those who walk according to the flesh. They are opposed to God. They cannot submit to God’s law, and they cannot please God. But those who focus on the Spirit have a mindset that is ready submit to God’s law. They can please God. They can enjoy life and peace.
We can see how all of this leads to the end of his argument: Those who have the Spirit dwelling in them will be raised from the dead (vs. 9-11). It is the Spirit who circumcises the hearts of believers (see Part 14), and it is the Spirit who can breath new life into those who were formerly dead, in parallel to how the Spirit gave life to Jesus (see Part 8). That is why there is no condemnation for those who are baptized into Christ.
In short, the Spirit is the Christian’s hope for life, because the Spirit is the one who transforms death into life. The Spirit is He who gives life after, and out of, death. But this hope is reserved for those who are in Christ, who live with their minds focused on the Spirit of God. Christians live, that is, they have their life in, the Spirit.
The Christian Exile 