Romans 8:12-17
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› Good evening! Tonight we’re going to be looking at the next 6 verses in Romans 8. If you don’t have a Bible…
Like we’ve seen each week, the Apostle Paul is building an argument for the glorious hope and assurance we have through the work of Jesus. Each time he uses a “therefore”, “for”, or “so then”, it’s like a snowball that reaches new snow while it’s rolling downhill, packing in around the core until we’re left with this massive promise at the end of the chapter that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ.
Tonight’s text is no different, starting with the words, “So then.” Let’s read verses 12-16.
Romans 8:12–16 ESV
12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
Like I mentioned, that “So then” at the start of verse 12 points us backward to Paul’s previous point. Verses 9-11 focus on what it means to be spiritually alive in Christ through his Holy Spirit dwelling in you. Verse 12 now continues expounding on what it means to live as a Christian (we can see that as well by the way he refers to his audience as “brothers”).
What does he say? He says that all Christians are “debtors.” The sense behind that word is someone who is “under an obligation.” But, where are we indebted? It’s not to our flesh (And remember, Paul has been using the term “flesh” over and over again to refer to our sin and our natural inclination to want to rule over our own lives rather than submitting to God’s rule and character.).
But those of us here who are Christians are not indebted to the flesh—we don’t owe our flesh anything. So, we don’t have to indulge it. We don’t have to be enslaved by it any longer. Our flesh did put us in debt, but that debt has been paid:
Romans 8:3–4 ESV
3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
So, because Jesus has condemned sin in the flesh, and remember the “So then” at the start of verse 12, pointing us backward—because Christ is in you, even though “the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness” like verse 10 says—because of what Jesus has done through his sacrificial death and resurrection, we no longer have any obligation to satisfy our flesh. What does that mean? We don’t have to sin anymore!
Remember back to verses 7-8 from last week and it’s devastating claim about us when we are in the flesh and not in Christ:
Romans 8:7–8 ESV
7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But, because we have been raised with Christ (verse 11), we are still debtors, but not to the flesh, we are not obligated to live according to the flesh. We don’t have to give in to sin anymore. Before, even our good and moral deeds in the flesh were not pleasing to God because they were detached from our ultimate purpose of glorifying God. But now we can! In Christ, we can live a life that pleases God!
ILLUSTRATION: Jordan Poole has been traded to the Pelicans. Before, when he was on the Warriors or the Wizards, I would look at his career and had nothing good to say. He seemed like a ball hog that didn’t know his limits. But now, he’s on our team. He’s not a ball hog; he’s confident! I didn’t appreciate the good things he did in past seasons because he did them against us as our opponent, but not I see those how several of those things he did to us could be used for us.
Once we have turned away from resting in our sin and ruling ourselves to resting in the work of Jesus on our behalf and submitting to his rule in our lives, then all of the sudden the good gift he created you with are able to glorify our Creator as we walk in them in thankfulness and worship to him.
But we need to handle another part of verse 12, which will bring us into verse 13. Paul doesn’t say “we aren’t debtors.” He actually says “we are debtors”; we just are not debtors to our flesh. It seems pretty obvious who he is implying that we are debtors to: we’re under obligation to Christ for how he has condemned our sin in the flesh by dying for us on the cross and then defeated death through his resurrection. That’s a pretty big debt, and it’s what’s going to lead Paul a few chapters later in Romans 12:1 to say,
Romans 12:1 ESV
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
But why just imply it here? Why not say, “we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh, but to the Spirit, to live according to the Spirit?” I think it’s because Paul is keeping his main focus in sight here. Remember, since chapter 7, Paul’s primary goal in this part of the later is not just reminding Christians what it means to be free in Christ and without condemnation (even though that’s hugely important and something we need to be regularly reminded of).
But Paul also wants to functionally use that reminder as our foundation for putting sin to death in our lives. He wants the Christians in Rome to grow in their faith, to be more like Jesus.
So, here in verse 12 he gives the affirmation that we as Christians are set free from the flesh by the Spirit and owe the flesh nothing, but he uses that encouragement as a reminder of what we do owe. We owe our Savior everything. He’s warning Christians not to be making peace with their sin; we don’t have to.
Because Jesus went to war and was victorious for us, we can go to war against our flesh, and resist the temptations we have in life to lead ourselves away from the character and rule of God. And that’s the exact warning he offers in verse 13.
Romans 8:13 ESV
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
For (or because) we have been set free from any obligations to our sinful, flesh Paul warns us that we don’t have to give in to it. More than that: we are obligated as followers of Christ who have been set free from our flesh because of his death and resurrection to now put to death the deeds of the body.
Why is this important to Paul? Remember back to our first week when we briefly touched on the end of Romans 7.
Romans 7:15 ESV
15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
Romans 7:22–24 ESV
22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
Jesus has delivered Paul from this “body of death”, and if you have repented of your sin and placed your faith in Jesus, then he has delivered you as well. And yet, Paul found himself still struggling with sin in his life. So, what does he tell both the church in Roman and himself in chapter 8?
• If you are in Christ, then there is no more condemnation for your sin.
• If you are in Christ, then the Spirit of God dwells in you.
• If you are in Christ, then you are able to please God with your life.
• If you are in Christ, then one of the ways you please God is by putting to death the deeds of the body.
Paul needed this encouragement as much as the Christians in Rome and as much as we do today. Just because our salvation comes from the work of Jesus doesn’t mean our faith is passive. Paul describes it as a war between his flesh and the Spirit. And in that ware you are under obligation as a follower of Jesus to be putting sin to death in your life.
Now, that sounds well and good, but how do you do that? The Puritan, John Owen, famously said “Be killing sin or it will be killing you” in his book based on this topic and this verse called The Mortification of Sin, but how do you actually go about putting sin to death in your life?
The metaphor of waging war against sin brings to mind what’s popularly known as the “Armor of God” in another one of Paul’s letters in the New Testament: Ephesians. In Ephesians 6:16-17, Paul elaborates on the role of the Spirit in our battle, which is the main character we see Paul spotlight here in our passage in Romans 8.
Ephesians 6:16–17 ESV
16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
So, what does the Spirit use to attack our flesh in this “war”? The Word of God. The Bible. And the next verse in our passage tonight, Romans 8:14 likens putting to death the deeds of the body with being “led by the Spirit.” That means that the process for putting sin to death in your life involves approaches Scripture, led by the Spirit, and applying it to your life.
But, if we jump ahead, I think Paul gives us even more. We’ll come back to the rest of this verse in a minute, but for our purposes now look with me at the end of verse 15. When we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, the result is that we “cry, ‘Abba! Father’”. That is not us merely engaging with God intellectually and believe in him as a concept.
We don’t just say he’s our God. We cry it. Every time that word is used in the New Testament, it’s conveying emotion. That represents faith. That represents relationship. That represents joy and desire for intimacy with our heavenly Father.
So, let’s put this all together—back to our current question, how do we as Christians put sin to death (because, remember, if you are not a follower of Jesus, then there is no battle. Your desires for morality and goodness in the world comes from a good God that made you in his image and desire his character, but those things are misaligned as they’re serving other purposes untethered from glorifying God. But for the Christian, how can you actively and regularly be putting sin to death in your life?
• You read the Bible to learn the character and will of God
• You pray asking God to lead you by his Spirit to be more like him
• You pray asking God to allow you to see through the Bible and your life how much more beautiful and desirable, and permanent, and trustworthy he is than anything your flesh is tempting you to pursue in his place.
We’ll see the pull of sin in our life starved and die as we consistently do those things (read Scripture, pray, and grow in your desire for God), because all of those things help us increasingly see that Jesus is better. And he is faithful.
ILLUSTRATION: struggle with pride; see how beneficial it is to allow God to be the greatest (instead of you) and for you to need him when you can trust he’ll be steadfast and faithful.
Last quick note on verse 13. The fact that we are battling against our sin is meant to be an affirmation that we are trusting in Jesus, not a requirement to be redeemed by Jesus. Verse 14 serves as a parallel to the back half of verse 13, helping provide the reasoning for it (once again, we know that because verse 14 starts off with the word “For”).
So, if you are led by the Spirit, you will put to death the deeds of the body. And, continuing the parallel, if you are a son of God, you will live. And sons of God are those led by the Spirit. This is meant to offer us assurance. If you are a follower of Jesus, if the Spirit dwells in you, he is going to help you increasingly put sin to death over the course of your life as he sanctifies you and make you look more like Christ.
Now, back to verse 15, so we can treat it a little more fully. As expected at this point, Paul starts another verse off with “For”, answering why those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God. And Paul’s reason is not just because we’re led by the Spirit; we’re given the Spirit (“you have received the Spirit”). Like verses 9-11 highlighted, the Spirit of God dwells in you.
And Paul seems to anticipate a follow up question here: “If the Spirit dwells in us and is leading us to do his will, is that a good thing or a bad thing for us?” How does Paul answer?
Romans 8:15 ESV
15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
God didn’t pay our debt to sin to make us his slaves; he paid the debt to make us his sons. It’s not slavery; it’s adoption. There is no need to fear being led by the Spirit. Paul is going to double down on this later on in verse 28, saying that
Romans 8:28 ESV
28 we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
God is a good God, and it is a good thing to be led by him. By why does his Spirit need to dwell in us. Like, that’s meant as a literal statement. Why can’t he just help us from a distance? Why does he need to live within us?
Paul gives us three reasons, and this will take us through the end of our passage for this evening. First, look at the phrase before “cry” in verse 15: “by whom we cry.” We don’t just cry in faith to God as our Father on our own: it’s by the Holy Spirit, coming to us and doing a work in us that we see God for who he truly is.
Jesus described the work of the Holy Spirit in John 16:13-14 in this way:
John 16:13–14 ESV
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
It’s the role of the Holy Spirit to testify to the truth of Jesus as the Son of God who died for your sin and rose from the grave. If you can cry, “Abba! Father!” to the God of the Bible, it’s because the Spirit has worked on your heart to see and believe. That’s the first reason we need the Holy Spirit to dwell in us. The second reason is in verse 16.
Romans 8:16 ESV
16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
So, the Holy Spirit doesn’t just bring us to faith initially, he confirms our faith throughout our life. And how does he do that? By leading us to walk according to the Spirit, by leading us to put to death the deeds of the body. His work isn’t done at our conversion. He doesn’t just bring us to Christ; he keeps us in Christ.
And then, finally, we find the third reason why we need the Holy Spirit to dwell within us in verse 17.
Romans 8:17 ESV
17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
The Holy Spirit brings us to faith in Christ, leads us to be more like Christ, and lastly comforts us as we suffer with Christ. This verse isn’t giving us a prerequisite for our glorification that we have to suffer a certain amount. The only prequisite we need to be glorified with Jesus (meaning, made new, perfect, ruling as co-heirs of all things with Christ for eternity as we worship him)—the only prerequisite we need for our glorification is found toward the end of this chapter in Romans 8:29-30.
Romans 8:29–30 ESV
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
There’s no fallout out here. Every person that’s justified by Christ will be glorified with Christ. So, we know in verse 17 that Paul isn’t saying we have to reach some kind of hardship quota to be saved.
So, what’s the suffering he’s talking about? I think it refers to our entire life lived “in the flesh” as we await to be united with Christ. It’s enduring the hardships of a world that’s been broken because of sin (which Paul will elaborate on in our text next week).
It’s the battle of the Christian life that Paul introduced through his own story back in Romans 7. A war waging within us as we have been declared righteous because of the work of Jesus but still struggle with sin and have to be led by the Spirit to be actively putting it to death. We know the Spirit leads us to believe in Jesus and leads us to put our sin to death and become more like Jesus, but as we suffer in this life, Paul also tells us the Spirit is there to comfort us and remind us of our future hope that we have in Jesus.
One final passage of Scripture, just a few down from our text tonight, in Romans 8:26-27.
Romans 8:26–27 ESV
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
› Let’s pray to God that we wold be reminded of the beauty of Jesus, led to be more like him, and comforted as we hope in him, through the power of the Holy Spirit tonight.
