In Romans 8, Paul has established that the death and resurrection of Christ has freed the baptized, Christ-centered community to “walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (8:4).” What does this look like? When the Spirit is truly in the driver’s seat, what does daily life look like? First and foremost, Paul defines life in the Spirit by what it is not. It is not life lived in the way of “flesh.” Flesh is the New…

Romans 8 begins with the mind-blowing good news that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” But Paul follows that up with one heavy dose of good news after another. The Spirit has set us free from sin and death (Romans 8:2), because God did what no one else ever figured out how to do – destroying sin on the cross (8:3). And now, living in tune with God’s will is truly possible because sin is…

“There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” -Romans 8:1 I find Jesus and the gospel to be good and true, but also exciting, interesting, captivating, haunting, life-giving, and endlessly enjoyable. That’s why we gather, why we open our Bibles and fold our hands in prayer – not because we’re obligated to do so, but because Jesus stirs up something in us, something powerful, beautiful, and eternal. The Gospel is not good advice, a good plan, a…

Halfway through Romans 7, Paul has been exploring the bizarre relationship between sin and religious law. As good as the law (Torah, as the Jewish Romans would have called it) is, pointing us toward patterns of living that are good, just, and holy, law is also a catalyst for sin. We can love law too much, making observable righteousness an ultimate good that it was never supposed to be. Plus, giving a prohibition can inflame the desire to violate that…