God's Fellowship

Romans 8:1-18

If Romans 4:25-5:11 is a summary of God’s rescue story, then Romans 8 is a summary of what it means to live new life in Christ, also called discipleship. Paul’s bold statement in verse 1 is that there is no condemnation for those who are “in Christ” (or those who “belong to Christ”). The rest of the chapter explains what that means.

After his long and careful explanation, Paul circles back to his opening statement at the end of Romans 8 by asking a question, just to make sure his listeners and readers really understand. “Let’s see if you get it,” Paul seems to say. “If you belong to Christ, who will condemn you?” The answer is just what he said back in verse one. No one!

Jesus died for us, was raised to life for us, and now sits in a place of honor at God’s right hand pleading for us, all while his Spirit lives in us to guide us, transform us, and give us power to overcome sin.

Paul’s letters can be tricky — not because the ideas are too difficult to understand, but because he packs so much into each letter. In order to help all his readers understand, he often repeats his ideas in slightly different wording. And he often circles back to his original idea.

If you don’t read carefully, you can get confused, tangled, or lost in the words. But if you read thoughtfully, with other people, paying attention to what the verses actually say, and asking the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom as you read, you can start making sense of Paul’s letter to the Romans, little by little. This chapter is a great place to settle in and pay attention.