Romans 8 Commentary – Life in the Spirit, God's Eternal Purpose & Study
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3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 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, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
📖 Please Note: Romans 8:12–17 is not covered here. For a full exposition, see our study: "Sonship Through the Spirit."
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
What the Law Could Not Do: Romans 8:3-11 Commentary
What the Law Could Not Do - God Accomplished Through His Son (Romans 8:3)
The law could pronounce judgment on sin, but the law could not do anything about sin itself. It had no power to put sin to death in a person's life. God accomplished what the law could not by sending His own Son. Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh. Jesus, as God took on our human nature, a nature that was susceptible to temptation. Although He was tempted, He never gave in. He never sinned.
The Purpose of Christ's Coming: That the Law Might Be Fulfilled
The purpose of the coming of Christ was that the law might be fulfilled. the believer gains the righteous standard of the law - love (see 13:8-10) - not by means of the law but by being in Christ and "walking according to the Spirit."
Setting Your Mind on the Spirit: Romans 8:5-6 Explained
The Greek word rendered set their minds includes a person's will, thoughts, and emotions. It also includes assumptions, values, desires, and purposes.
Carnally Minded vs. Spiritually Minded: Two Orientations, Two Outcomes
Setting the mind on the things of the flesh or on the things of the Spirit means being oriented or governed by those things by which we focus.
Spiritual Peace Defined, Romans 8:6 - Resolution of the Warfare in Romans 7
Peace is the resolution of the intense warfare described in chapter 7, as well as the inward harmony and tranquility that results from yielding to God.
The Carnal Mind is Hostile to God: Romans 8:7-8 Explained
8:7-11 A believer can live according to the flesh with the result of death (James 1:13-15), or else by the renewed spirit, so as to experience life. In verses 7-11, Paul elaborates on these two possibilities, showing the possibility and the benefit of living according to the Spirit.
Why the Flesh Cannot Submit to the Law of God (Romans 8:7)
The reason that being carnally minded results in death (verse 6) is that the carnal mind is an enemy of God. the mind of the flesh is hostile to God and can never submit itself to the law of God.
The Difference Between " Being in the Flesh" and "Walking According to the Flesh" (Romans 8:8)
8:8 "Being in the flesh" is different from "walking according to the flesh." Being in the flesh means being unregenerate or sinful. People in that state cannot please God.
The Spirit of God Lives in You: Romans 8:9-11 Explained
The Holy Spirit Empowers Believers to Live Pleasing to God
8:9 Christians no longer live according to the flesh, under control of their sinful human nature. Instead, with the Spirit living in them and empowering them, they can live in a way pleasing to God.
Romans 8:18 Explained: Present Suffering vs. Future Glory
8:18 The sufferings of the present are slight when compared with the glory later.
Why Paul Calls Our Trials "Light Affliction" (2 Corinthians 4:17)
Paul calls the sufferings "light affliction" compared to the "eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:17).
The Eternal Weight of Glory: God's Divine Compensation Package (Matthew 19:29)
The divine compensation package is "a hundredfold" (Matthew 19:29).
Creation Groans and Waits: Romans 8:19-22 Explained
8:19 Earnest expectation literally means "to watch with outstretched neck."
Creation is impatient to see the revelation of the sons of God.
The Curse on Creation: Futility, Vanity, and the Fall (Genesis 3:17-19)
8:20 Futility which means "vanity, emptiness," refers to the curse on creation (see Genesis 3:17-19).
Creation Will Be Delivered: The Coming Glorious Liberty of God's Children
8:21 Creation awaits the coming glory because it also will be delivered. The bondage of corruption further describes the futility of verse 20. Nature is a slave to decay and death because of sin.
The Firstfruits of the Spirit: Romans 8:23-25 Explained
What Are the Firstfruits of the Spirit? A Foretaste of Greater Blessings
8:23 The firstfruits of the Spirit may refer to the workings of the Holy Spirit (8:9-11), which is a pledge of more work to come, like the redemption of our body. Otherwise, the expression firstfruits is the Spirit. The firstfruits of a harvest was a foretaste of the harvest to come.
The Spirit as a Guarantee of Our Inheritance (Ephesians 1:14)
So the Spirit, or His work, is God's assurance of the greater blessings to come. Elsewhere the Spirit is called a "guarantee of our inheritance" (Ephesians 1:14).
Biblical Hope Defined: Confident Expectation of an Unseen Reality
8:24 Hope is a constant expectation of an unseen reality. We are saved by faith, but our hope is in the return of Christ in all His glory and complete deliverance from our sinful natures.
Waiting With Perseverance: How Hope Empowers Us to Endure
8:25 If we are expecting something unseen, we wait with perseverance; that is we are willing to endure the present.
The Holy Spirit Intercedes for Us: Romans 8:26-27 Explained
8:26 Though more may be involved in the concept of weaknesses. The contrast offered by Paul in this verse is between our inability to know how to pray and the effective prayers of the Spirit Himself. the emphasis indicates that the Spirit Himself prays for us. He intercedes on our behalf before the throne of God (see John 2:1)
Groanings Which Cannot Be Uttered: The Spirit's Unspoken Intercession
But His intercession cannot be uttered, which means it is "unexpressed, unspoken." No language is in view here, only the inner groanings of the Spirit.
The Spirit Prays According to the Will of God (Romans 8:27)
8:27 As children of God, we do not always know what to pray for or how best to pray (verse 26),
👉 but we can know the purpose of God, which the Holy Spirit desires to accomplish.
Romans 8:28 Meaning: All Things Work Together For Good
What Does "All Things" Include? Suffering, Trials, and Circumstances
work together for good: The primary reference of all things is the "sufferings of this present time" (verse 18).
All circumstances will work together in cooperation for the believers good - that is, the believer will be conformed to Jesus Christ now and reign with Him later.
Who Are "Those Who Love God?" The Called According to His Purpose
Those who love God are in fact those who are the called by God.
Our Love for God Is a Response to the Holy Spirit's Work In Us
👉 We are called according to His purpose. God does everything, including redemption, in order to accomplish His overarching plan.
The Golden Chain of Salvation: Romans 8:29-30 Explained
Foreknown, Predestined, Called, Justified, Glorified - God's Unbreakable Plan
God foreknew, which means simply "to know beforehand". This has been interpreted by some as God's free and merciful choice of certain people who would receive His gift of salvation. Those who hold this view contend that His knowledge of certain events and people did not determine His choice (see Peter 1:2). Instead He chose those who would be saved out of His own free will. Others believe that in His wisdom, God knew beforehand those who would respond to Him in faith. According to both views, only God saves; people never earn salvation through any work.
Jesus as the Firstborn Among Many Brethren (Romans 8:29)
Jesus as the "firstborn among many brethren" signifies His role as the preeminent, resurrected Son of God and the pattern for believers (the "many brethren") who are conformed to His image. He is the spiritual leader of a new humanity, sharing God’s glory with a family of adopted, resurrected believers.
As firstborn, Jesus holds the highest dignity and authority in God's family, acting as the head of a new creation.
Believers are predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus, making Him the model for all Christians.First from the Dead: He is the first to go from mortal humanity to immortal, resurrected humanity, leading the way for others.
Through adoption, believers become "brethren" to Jesus and co-heirs with Him, sharing in the family of God.
Predestined to Be Conformed to the Image of His Son (Romans 8:29)
God not only foreknew and predestined (verse 29). He also called believers through the preaching of the gospel's message (2 Thessalonians 2:14). This, however is not the general call of the Gospel to all people. If it were we would be forced to universalism, the view that everyone will be saved. Instead, those who are called by God have been foreknown, predestined, and justified. This call refers to the internal work of the Spirit in the heart's of god's elect to bring them to belief in Christ (see Acts 16:4). Being justified means being "declared righteous".
Glorification: The Certain Future of Every Believer
Finally God, glorified. Though glorification is in the future, it is stated here in the past tense. Everyone then, who was foreknown by God in eternity past has such a certain future that the apostle speaks of their glorification as already accomplished.