Romans 8 says there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus, and it goes even further: the power of sin over your life has been broken.
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.
Romans 8:1-2 (NLT)
Look at the progression of our salvation. We come to Christ, and everything we've done is washed away. Then He takes you even further and frees you from the power of sin, so you get to live free from sin the rest of your life.
If sin is weighing you down, you need a revelation that the power of sin is broken. That's what I say anytime I'm tempted: "The power of sin is broken." Then I just walk away, not even bothered that I was tempted.
The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
Romans 8:3-4 (NLT)
The price has been paid through the blood of Christ. I'm free from the power of sin. I don't follow my sinful nature; I follow the Spirit.
You live a life led by the Spirit by thinking about the things that please the Spirit.
Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.
Romans 8:5 (NLT)
How do I live a life led by the Spirit? Think. Those led by the sinful nature think on the wrong things, but those led by the Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.
How much of the success of our Christian walk depends on the way we think? All of it, because it all starts in the head. We can't even confess the Word until we think the Word and meditate on it day and night.
The thought test is simple: run every thought through Philippians 4:8, and if it isn't true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise, you don't get to think on it.
Many years ago, I was walking through the master bedroom of my house, rehearsing the things I had done wrong. I was thinking, "I can't believe I did that. How am I going to make this right?" The Lord interrupted me: "What did I tell you to think about? Philippians chapter 4."
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:8 (NLT)
Fix your thoughts. When your thoughts are broken, you've got to fix them.
Think about what is true. You might think what's true is what I did wrong, but no. What's true is that I am the righteousness of God in Christ, and I've got no business doing anything wrong.
This is a stringent test. A thought has to pass everything on this list, or you don't get to think on it. Is this thought lovely, or is it getting me mad? Is it worthy of praise, or would people be shocked if I said it out loud?
Write it down: Thought Test, Philippians 4:8. It turns out 90% of the stuff I was thinking about doesn't pass. So you fill that space with the Word of God, and it transforms everything in your life.
I had that verse memorized, but I wasn't backing it up with belief. That day it became rhema. The light came on: "I'm not supposed to think about anything else."
If you keep thinking about your sin, you are going to keep sinning, and the cycle breaks when you stop rehearsing what you did wrong.
If you think about your sin, you're going to sin. If you think about what you did wrong yesterday, you're going to do it again. I used to struggle with the same thing over and over, even though I wanted to please God.
It didn't change until I got the revelation that I wasn't permitted to think about what I did wrong yesterday. As soon as I stopped thinking about it, I stopped doing it. But the more time I spent feeling sorry about it, bringing it up to God day after day, the more it held on.
Here's what you do whenever you mess up. You repent. Say, "Lord, I receive Your forgiveness, because You already gave it to me in Christ, and I'm moving on."
Then live as if you never even did it. That sin is going to dominate you if you think about it.
I used to think, "If I don't think about what I'm doing wrong, how will I ever do right?" No. If I think about what I'm doing wrong, how will I ever do right?
Yes. You don't have to think on every thought that pops into your head, and you don't have to own it.
So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God's laws, and it never will. That's why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
Romans 8:6-8 (NLT)
Some people just need the revelation that you can choose what you think on. You don't have to think on every thought that pops into your head, and you don't have to own it. Some of you take your thoughts too personally.
Just reject it. Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Don't own the thought unless it's a good one.
As believers, we have a responsibility to help each other choose the right thoughts. Sometimes we think the wrong thing long enough that it comes out of our mouth, and it's word vomit. Aren't you glad you have somebody who'll help you when you've gone too far: "Did you hear what you just said?"
Grace freed you from the penalty of sin and from sin itself, and Romans 8 makes it clear you have a responsibility to live free from it by the power of the Spirit, not by willpower.
But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God.
Romans 8:9-10 (NLT)
I love how Paul edifies us. We read this and think, "I've got a correction to make," and he says, "You're not controlled by your sinful nature." You might have been two minutes ago, but you're not anymore, because it's a decision you make in a moment.
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
Romans 8:12-14 (NLT)
You have a responsibility not to be dominated by your sinful nature. Your whole life there's going to be a kind of war going on. You put it to death by the power of the Spirit, not by willpower.
That's why we don't tolerate sin. Some people see God's grace as a reason to keep living in it. He freed us from the penalty of sin, and He also freed us from sin itself, and the power to live free is already in you.
God's power covers many areas, and having a revelation of His power in one area does not mean you have a revelation of it in all of them.
He gave you power to get wealth. He gave you power to live free from sin. He gave you power to lay hands on the sick and see them recover.
But some of us have a revelation of God's power to heal and not His power to get wealth. And having a revelation of the power to get wealth doesn't mean you have a revelation of the power to live free from sin.
I made this mistake a while back. A really wealthy man came into our church, and I figured he had everything else figured out too. The Lord quickly taught me I needed to help him, because there were things he didn't have figured out.
That's why Paul prayed in Ephesians that we would understand God's power that works for us who believe. I'm not satisfied having only part of it. I want His power to heal, to get wealth, to live free from sin, and to cast out demons.
That's why He puts us in a body of believers. You have a revelation of something I'm still working on, so you fill in the gap for me. When you see a brother sinning, go rescue him and remind him that he's dead to sin and alive to God.
Calling God Abba means approaching Him as His adopted child, not as a sinner who is afraid He's going to strike you down.
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father." For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
Romans 8:15-17 (NLT)
What's His suffering? Not everybody is going to be thrilled that you're living your life for Christ. The further you go in, the more persecution you get to enjoy, and we count it all joy.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Nobody comes to God unless they first recognize, "I'm a sinner, and if I don't do something about this, it's over for me." But as we go from glory to glory, that fear leads us to a place where we say, "Abba."
We're not worried He's going to strike us down, because we've been adopted as His very own children. He's not a mean dad. He's a good, good Father who gives good gifts to His children.
Some people still approach Him as a sinner when they should approach Him as a child. We are not sinners anymore. We're saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, and we get to show up and say, "Abba, Father."
What we have right now is only a foretaste of what's to come, and all of creation is groaning and waiting with us for the day God reveals His children and gives us new bodies.
The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
Romans 8:11 (NLT)
Glorified body! I've wondered what my glorified body is going to look like and whether we'll recognize each other. I think about His return every day, but we're going to occupy until He comes.
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering.
Romans 8:18-23 (NLT)
We're joining in with creation when we look for the return of Christ. Even the trees are saying, "Come, Jesus, come." Even the best church day we've ever had together is only a taste of what's to come.
He's preparing mansions. The Lord has been hard at work making everything ready for His bride, and it's going to be the most beautiful place we've ever seen.
We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. ... If we already have something, we don't need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don't yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.
Romans 8:23-25 (NLT)
Yes. God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, so when something doesn't look good, you don't have to worry.
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Romans 8:26-28 (NLT)
So whenever you see something that doesn't look good, say, "I'm not worried, because that's going to turn into something good." We're going to watch a metamorphosis, because I love God and I am called according to His purpose.
You did not earn right standing with God. He gave it to you, and you should never try to earn it.
For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
Romans 8:29-30 (NLT)
You didn't earn right standing, He gave it to you. Don't you ever try to earn it. It's like abiding in the vine: just abide with Him, and the vine gives you what you need.
We're not used to that. When's the last time you wronged somebody and they just gave you right standing? Usually it's, "You're going to have to earn my trust."
I don't want you to have to earn my trust, because I want to be a representation of the Father. So when somebody wrongs me, I give them right standing: I'm not shunning them, pushing them away, or remembering what they did. If they walk in the door and I turn sour like I put a lemon in my mouth, that's an indicator I need to work on something.
"What if they do it again?" What if you get caught in unforgiveness? I'm not taking the risk, so you're forgiven in advance.
And I'm not going to think about it, because it doesn't please the Spirit. It's amazing how quickly it fades when you don't think about it. Life is so easy whenever you just do what the Bible says.
It means God already gave the greatest gift when He gave His Son, so He will also give us everything else.
What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else?
Romans 8:31-32 (NLT)
I had already said "If God is for us, who can be against us" before I knew I was preaching Romans 8. That's proof the Word is in us. He wrote it on our hearts, so it bubbles up out of you.
He already gave us the greatest gift. Maybe you think prosperity is too big to ask for, but He already gave you His Son. Won't He give you everything else?
Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all the things will be added to you. I'm like a magnet to the things, because I'm seeking His kingdom. It's the easiest job we've ever been given.
He already said He would do far beyond what we could ask or think. So I'm going to think as big as I can so God has to outdo that. We should all be asking, "Lord, help me to think bigger."
Ask the question Romans 8 asks: who dares to accuse someone God has chosen as His own? No one, because God Himself has given us right standing.
Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one. For God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one. For Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us.
Romans 8:33-34 (NLT)
When the accuser comes: who dares? "I'm a child of God. I've been adopted in. If you're accusing me, you're accusing Jesus, and I bet you don't want to do that."
How did you get right standing? God gave it to you, through Christ. When you recognize that, you put it on like a coat and walk in it.
The enemy loves to accuse you in your thoughts. As long as you give in to the accusing, you won't get it cleaned up, because accusing keeps your thoughts on the sin. When God corrects you, He gives you the answer, and you walk free.
He doesn't say, "You need to live a day depressed for what you've done." He says, "Come on up out of that. You repent of that? Well, let's count it all joy."
No. Nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, and overwhelming victory is ours through Him.
Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.") No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
Romans 8:35-37 (NLT)
Not just victory, overwhelming victory. The Amplified calls it a surpassing victory: we went so far past the victory line we don't even see the opponent anymore.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow. Not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below, indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)
Romans 8 straight up preaches the gospel. The power of sin has been broken, and He gave me right standing, even after all the things I did against Him. That ought to make you act a little different.
I would say anybody still living controlled by the sinful nature simply doesn't understand they've been given right standing. They're still trying to prove or earn something. As soon as you understand God gave you this, something in you measures up to what you've been given.
Take it captive again and again, because it eventually gives up, and count it all joy that you get to put in the reps.
Run every thought through the Philippians 4:8 test. You can even simplify it: Is this worthy of praise? If not, out.
People ask me, "This thought keeps coming back. What do I do?" Take it captive, again and again. It eventually gives up.
How do you develop endurance? You put in the reps. Instead of getting discouraged that you're dealing with that thought again, count it all joy that you get to do it again.
How do I live by the Spirit? I think on the things that please the Spirit.
Why do I keep committing the same sin even though I want to stop? If you think about your sin, you're going to sin, and if you think about what you did wrong yesterday, you're going to do it again. Repent, receive the forgiveness God already gave you in Christ, and live as if you never even did it.
What is the Philippians 4:8 thought test? It means running every thought through Philippians 4:8: is it true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise? If a thought doesn't pass all of it, you don't get to think on it, and you fill that space with the Word of God.
Do I have to accept every thought that comes into my head? No. You get to choose what you think on, and you don't have to own every thought that pops into your head. Reject it and take it captive to the obedience of Christ.
Does grace mean Christians don't have to worry about sin anymore? No. God freed you from the penalty of sin and from sin itself, and you have a responsibility to live free from it. You put to death the deeds of the sinful nature by the power of the Spirit, not by willpower.
Why do some Christians keep living controlled by their sinful nature? Anybody still living controlled by the sinful nature simply doesn't understand that they've been given right standing with God. They're still trying to prove or earn something, and when they get the revelation of what they've been given, something in them measures up to it.
How do I tell the difference between God correcting me and the enemy accusing me? Accusation keeps your thoughts on the sin, so you never get it cleaned up. When God corrects you, He gives you the answer, tells you to come up out of it, and says to count it all joy.
