• Main Idea: When we surrender to the Spirit, he empowers us to please God with our actions, thoughts, and motivations.
• Head Change: To know that, in the Spirit, we have been freed from the law of sin and death because we’ve been adopted by the Father through Christ.
• Heart Change: To feel confident that God will keep us and empower us to live faithfully to the end of our lives.
• Life Change: To surrender fully to the Spirit and believe that we are children of God and heirs with Christ.

What is the greatest book you’ve ever read, besides the Bible? What makes it great?

Good books have a way of making their mark on us, even transforming us, as the book of Romans most certainly does. In The Book of Romans: Part 2, we’ll be making our way through the second half of Paul’s letter to the Romans, which many consider the greatest book in the Bible. Our study being in the eighth chapter, which is lauded as one of the most powerful chapters in Romans. But what is it about this book and this chapter in particular that makes such a profound impact on its readers?

In session this session, J.D. Greear will introduce us to the “revolutionary, life-defining, and relationship-transforming truth of Romans”—there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

Read Romans 8:1–17.

Show Session 1: Romans 8:1–17 (12 minutes).

In The Book of Romans, Part 1, we discussed Paul’s use of the words “for” and “therefore” and how they contribute to the flow of his argument. In Romans 8, Paul opens with one of those words—“therefore”—building on the points he made in the first half of the book about our ongoing struggle with sin and Christ’s power to overcome our sin.

Romans 8:1 is one of the most stunning statements in all the Bible—a passage that J.D. described as “revolutionary” and “life-defining.” Paul tells us “there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” In other words, because Christ died in our place, the punishment that we deserve for our sin has been wholly placed upon him—there is no punishment left for those whose faith is in Christ. In what ways do you struggle with the thought that God has condemned you? How could you use this verse to combat that thought?

In verse 2, Paul goes on to tell us why there is no condemnation for Christians. “Because,” he says, “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.” We who are in Christ have been liberated from our enslavement to sin and death. Do you feel liberated from the power of sin? Why, or why not?

What does it look like to remind yourself that the power of sin has been replaced with the power of the Spirit in you? How can that reminder be “revolutionary” in your relationship with Jesus?

God the Father sent his Son to live a life of perfect obedience and to die in our place for our sin. He fulfilled God’s law on our behalf and, by our faith, has applied his obedience to our account, which frees us from what J.D. called the “performance trap.” Why is it good news that Jesus fulfilled God’s law? In what ways does it remove your need to “perform” for God in order to obtain righteousness?

Verses 5–6 clearly contrast two ways of living: “according to the flesh,” or in a worldly, sinful way, and “according to the Spirit,” or in a way that is godly. To live in a worldly way leads to death and to live in a godly way leads to life and peace. Before becoming a Christian, what did your life look like? What was the result of your worldly living? In what ways does your life differ now that you live in a godly way?

In verses 5–7, Paul fixates on our mindset. What we set our mind on steers our lives. How would you describe your typical mindset? How does it compare to the two mindsets (mind set on the flesh, mind set on the Spirit) Paul describes in these verses?

What can we do to keep our minds set on godly things and not on worldly things? What would change about our lives if we kept a godly mindset more often?

In verse 8, Paul says “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Stated differently, those with their minds set on worldly, sinful things cannot live as God instructs them—they cannot please him. But Paul doesn’t end there. He goes on to encourage his readers in verse 9. While it may be impossible for those who are in the flesh to please God, Paul contends that Christians—those who have his Spirit—can please God. In fact, God is already pleased with us. In what ways does knowing that God is pleased with you change the way you think about yourself? What difference does it make to your day-to-day life?

Paul makes a startling claim in verse 11, saying that the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now lives in us who are Christians, releasing us from the power of sin. If the Spirit of Christ lives in you, what does that mean about your ability to obey his commands? Your ability to overcome your sin?

If God’s Spirit lives in you, how certain can you be that you, too, will be raised from the dead? Why?

It’s common to think that we can’t help but sin. But in verse 12, Paul states that “we are not obligated to live according to the flesh.” By God’s Spirit, we now have the ability to choose obedience instead of sin. In what ways do you still find it difficult to keep yourself from sin? How would you describe what it’s like to choose between obedience and disobedience? How does the Spirit help you in your fight against sin?

To “live according to the flesh,” leads to death. However, as Paul says in verse 13, if we “put to death the deeds of the body” we will live. The Holy Spirit helps us to overcome sin and leads us to life. When you consider your day-to-day life, how aware are you of the Spirit’s role in guiding you to faithfulness? How can you be more aware of and dependent on the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life? 

The idea of “putting to death the deeds of the body” is harsh and violent language, suggesting that we should take fighting sin seriously. How serious are you about fighting sin in your life? In what ways could you take the battle against sin even more seriously?

J.D. shared four ways to fight sin: confession, surrender, submersion in the gospel, and memorizing Scripture. Which of these four components do you find most challenging? Why? What steps can you take to grow in each of these areas?

Who in your life could you recruit to help you grow in your ability to fight in the Spirit?

The Spirit we have received does not lead us to fear. Instead, he leads us to the Father: by the Spirit we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’” (v. 15). What would you say are the differences between having a spirit that leads to fear and the Spirit who leads us to the Father? How might the differences you listed play out in a person’s behavior? In what ways do you continue to live under the influence of the spirit that leads to fear?

Paul ends this portion of his letter with an encouragement to his readers. In verses 16–17, he writes that God’s Spirit “testifies”—or confirms—with our spirit “that we are God’s children.” And since we’re God’s children, we are heirs of his kingdom right alongside Christ. When you think of what it means to be an heir, what thoughts and images come to mind? What’s unique about being an heir of God?

The Spirit of God and the gospel of God always work together. We believe the gospel and receive the Spirit, who over time takes us deeper into the gospel. He makes us children and heirs of God and, as we surrender to him, he comforts and strengthens us even though we face difficulty and sufferings as Christ did. In what ways have you suffered due to your faith in God? How has the Spirit used your suffering to remind you that you belong to God? How has God used your suffering to make you more like Christ?

In what areas of your life do you need to surrender to the Spirit? What could it look like to surrender to God through difficulty?

Christians have been welcomed into the family of God. As God’s children, now free from the law of sin and death, we have been filled with and empowered by his Spirit to live according to his ways. Whereas we were once “obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh,” we can now enjoy “life and peace” by his Spirit.

Let’s commit ourselves to surrender to and pursue fellowship with the Spirit this week.