Romans 8:1-17 as a Summary of Paul's Thoughts

Righteousness is another word that may be misunderstood. It involves our dealings and relations with others. When we behave in a righteous way, it is because we are consistent in every given circumstance in regards to others. God is our example of righteousness. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Even the devil cannot call into question that God is righteous in all his dealings.

II. Main Point 2. God tells us in 1 John 1: 9“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” And again in 2 Corinthians 5:17“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come.”

In chapter 1, Paul writes about his sufferings and how they are helping the progress of the gospel. Chapter 2 is about the benefits of Christian faith, “mind of Christ”, and how Jesus gave up his glory so he could rescue mankind, and save us of our sins. Chapter 3 Paul again explains the benefits of Christianity and prompts the church to keep up with the Gospel. In the last chapter Paul promotes Christians to rejoice in the lord by praying and giving thanks to God. “My God shall supply all your needs.”

Putting pen to paper, Paul pleas with the Corinthians to better themselves through Christ Jesus. While in discourse with the Corinthians, the polemic language of Paul becomes, at times, difficult to digest. While pursuing a better relationship with the believers in Corinth, the apostle often used terms such as ‘we,’ ‘our,’ and ‘us.’ These pronouns can be understood in multiple ways; however, the manner in which they are comprehended sheds light on Paul’s agenda. In the analysis of 2 Corinthians 4: 8-18, the pronouns are best understood as being inclusive in terms of Paul, his followers, and the believers in Corinth.

Paul knew that some would argue that if all Christian had to do was believe that Christ must be a proponent of sin because he didn't threaten any penalty comparable to that of the old testament. Paul inserted that Christ was certainly not a master of sin.

Though Jesus was sinless and undeserving of death, he offered himself as a sacrifice in atonement for all sin (Invitation to World Religions, pg.418). Paul was always emphatic in maintaining that salvation cannot be earned by “works”, whether humans’ effort to obey the commandments in the Torah or excellent work in general. Instead, he taught that the salvation made possible by Christ’s sacrifice is a gift, the ultimate expression of God’s love and grace. Salvation is given to those who respond to God’s grace in faith, the conviction that God has acted through Jesus Christ to amend for human sin. Although Paul was very clear in teaching that salvation depends on God’s grace and the individual’s turning to God in faith, he did not dismiss the importance of works (Invitation to World Religions, pg.419). For Paul, faith does more than bringing salvation; it unites the believers with Christ in a “newness of life”. He believed that the spirit lives in believers and brings them into union with God. As a divine presence within, the spirit encourages the growth of spiritual virtues, the greatest which is love and makes all Christians one in the church often called “the body of Christ”.

Not only is our human existence and spiritual life dependent upon God but also our own decisions. God has blessed us with beautiful land, relationships, and His never-ending love for us. In romans it gives us a great diversity of how we should view the Christian life, including, the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and culture. This book goes into such great depth in the first eight chapters that I had to read it and completely break it down a hundred times. In just the first eight chapters is goes from Gods faithfulness in justifying, blessing, and adoring us by our faith through his grace.

Paul’s letter to the Romans can be broken down into four major sections. Within each of these sections there is a single compelling issue. Within the context of these respective issues, several interpretive questions can be answered through the interpretative process. These answers help us to understand how to apply the spiritual principals to our lives, as well as, help us compel other individuals to apply these spiritual principles within their lives.

Romans 8:2 Tells us more in detail who saved us from our sins. It is by the Spirit through Christ Jesus that we are saved. Furthermore, it tells us that we are saved from, because of Jesus Christ, sin and death.The verse talks about how the Spirit saves us from sin and death through Christ. This talk about God’s operative power. Sin, as a law, is the operative power of sin in which it creates death. This is seen and referenced in Romans 7:23 and Romans 7:8-13. Lastly, this verse, Romans 8:2, is a foreshadowing of the next verse, Romans 8:3. This verse will tell us how we were freed from sin and death. It will also reveal that God could do more than what the law could not do. This will be

1. Discuss the occasion and purpose for the writing of Romans. Paul’s letter to the Romans is held in high regard by Kostenberger and colleagues, as made evident by this statement, “the book of Romans may be the most important letter ever penned in human history.” It is commonly accepted that Paul wrote, or dictated, the letters to the churches in Rome around winter of 54-55 AD. This was a time when the Roman church was facing difficulty finding unity because of Jewish and Gentile conjectures.

In this paper, I will walk us through Paul’s perspective of the inheritance through faith of Jesus Christ. In order to achieve this, I will be discussing in the book of Romans. Chapter four, verses sixteen to twenty five, to be exact. Romans 4:16-25 states, Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. Against all hope,

They conclude that they no longer have condemnation even though they sin because Jesus saved them. However, this is not true. Some people also think that all fleshly things are evil because of verses 4-8. Thus, they try to live in a legalistic way or do ministry activism. However, the true interpretation of this passage comes from knowing that Paul’s audience are to the people who “know the law”, the Jews (Rom 7:1). Paul is telling the Jews, who lived under condemnation and bondage of the Mosaic Law, that there is no longer condemnation because Jesus brought freedom from the law and sent his Spirit to walk after the

     The meaning of the passage to Paul is to strengthen his brothers in the faith. Paul wrote this to show them that things will not always be perfect and that some times they will face trials but with Jesus all things are possible. Paul also encourages himself through the encouragement of the church of Colosse. I think that when Paul writes to the church’s and tell them what he thinks, encourages them , prays for them, or even just telling them what he face for the gospel, that it gives him a sense of accomplishment or even a sense of why he is doing what he is doing.

Apostle Paul was not always a preacher of Christianity, Paul’s parents were Jewish as well as Roman citizens. Paul was to be a Rabbi though his future plans changed, on Paul’s journey of scorning Jesus, he had a vision in which Jesus asked why Paul scorns him, then commissions Paul to preach his message to the Gentiles who received mercy through Jewish unbelief. Around A.D. 56-58; Apostle Paul wrote the Romans, verses 8:26-30 states, “26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

A major situation confronting Paul during ancient times was trying to make sense of the barriers between Jews and Gentiles. Ultimately, the solution to breaking the barrier comes through Christ alone. Christ died for all humankind not just one kind. This view of Christ as the true solution is also the answer to the oppositions in the book of Romans. Two major oppositions are seen in Romans 8:1-11, between good and evil and spirit and flesh. Paul, who confronts many issues in Rome, cannot resolve these oppositions. Rather, "he proclaims liberation from the existential rupture in human nature, formulated by means of the figures that express opposition between flesh and the spirit, through participation in Christ." Romans 8:1-11 proves that living in the Spirit results in ultimate freedom and everlasting life. This freedom in the Spirit then means that the bondage of the law of sin and death is released.