Viewpoints on ROMANS 8

By Michael Griego on July 26, 2024 • ( 0 )

This Bible chapter is often a favorite for many – full of great and often quoted verses. So how come most Christians really don’t believe it? ◊

ROMANS Chapter 8 is a favorite chapter for many people for a few reasons. Many will highlight the assurance we have as Christians from holy condemnation. This gives us real freedom to live with certainty of our salvation and confidence in God’s never-failing love for us.

There’s also much said about the Holy Spirit, actually the Spirit of God, that now leads us, or is available to lead us if we will.

As you read through the breakdown of the full text (see The Spirit in ROMANS 8 from a couple weeks ago), you find it a very long chapter with lots of key and even famous passages interspersed throughout the chapter:

…there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… (v1)
…do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit… (v4)
…if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ… (v9b)
…those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God… (v14)
…We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time… (v22)
…the Spirit helps us in our weakness…the Spirit himself intercedes for us… (v27)
…we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (v28)
…For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son… (v29)
…If God is for us, who can be against us? (v31)
…Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? (v35)
…in all these things we are more than conquerors… (v37)
…neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (v38-39)

Certainly there are some very popular and favorite verses in this chapter!

As stated, this Bible chapter, ROMANS 8, is often a favorite for many, full of great and often quoted verses.

So how come many Christians really don’t believe it?

Too Good to Be True
I actually believe that most people do believe in the amazing words and promises laid out in ROMANS 8. Or they want to believe them. The problem is that it sounds almost too good to be true.

In their heart of hearts, I believe, many will tell themselves the following:

“Yes, I know that God died for me and loves me and all of that, but how can God really forgive me for the sin I just committed or the thoughts that run through my head? I’m trying to be good, but I’m a failure, a Christian hypocrite. I think God must be very disappointed in me.”

I believe it’s our human nature to have good intentions. But for a variety of reasons arising out of a broken world in which we were raised, we often stumble, fall short, and even fail miserably. It happened to our parents as well. We feel bad enough about it, but struggle thinking that God of the Bible, or whatever concept we’ve developed of God, can get over our failures and forgive us.

Again, the words in ROMANS Chapter 8 are almost too unbelievably great to logically believe.

And so, a Christian even, will live a life with head held down, discouraged and feeling unworthy of the loving words and assurances of God. Or, a Christian will plunge forward, knowing that they are forgiven by a loving God, yet operate underpowered, like having a governor or restraint put on their life, holding back full joy and energy that is actually available to all of us in Christ, as promised.

How do we get over this?

It’s All About the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit)
I believe there’s a broad misunderstanding about the Spirit of God, or the Holy Spirit. Perhaps this is due to much of Christian church sermons and teaching attention being given to God the Father or to Jesus as the Son of God. Certainly lots of content pages in the Bible focused there. By the time one gets to the Holy Spirit, it’s easy to come away with an esoteric perspective of this more ethereal part of the Trinity.

ROMANS 8 is not the definitive point of teaching on the Holy Spirit. One is better reading Jesus’ words in John 16, or Luke 24, or the teachings in 1 Corinthians 6, or Act 1 and 2 or elsewhere throughout the New Testament. We’ll not do a deep dive here in this post, but do know that the Scriptures are rich with evidence that God and His Kingdom, as promised, through the Holy Spirit in us, His Church, have now permeated this earth as was initially intended.

Christians just don’t fully walk in that Power or operate under the authority of that Power as available fully to us all who identify with Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God.

Let one rest here with the notion that all the wonderful truths and promises from God about the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) laid out in ROMANS 8 are real and available because God is Truth as are His promises.

Indeed, no matter what, we are no longer under condemnation in the eyes of God; we can live a life led by the Spirit of God in us, as the children of God. And that Spirit helps us as a direct intercessor to God the Father. Those who submit to this authority are known by God and are being conformed to the image of Christ. The love of God/Christ will never leave us and nothing can stand against us. We are already like victorious conquerors who are awaiting completion of our spiritual bodies when we finally leave this earthly realm. In the meantime, nothing spiritual or demonic, now or ever, in all of God’s universal creation, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So, therefore, walk tall and strong and boldly in this authority. Do not sin; but when you do sin, know that God will forgive you and loves you nevertheless as He is molding us daily to His image, to be completed someday in eternity.

In the meantime, have a great day!

Do you fully believe the written and spoken promises of God, particularly about the active presence of the Holy Spirit in your life?
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You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. – Romans 8:9