¶ Understanding Human Anthropology in Scripture
He has the law .
Yes , he has the law , he has conviction , he has knowledge of sin and he has this inability to live that thing out because he needs something that he's missing .
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Today we're looking at Romans , chapter 8 , verses 1 through 11 .
Yeah , and we already anticipate that we're going to do two parts to this , so we'll do part one . And before we do part one , a question for you .
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And welcome back . 10 minutes are going to be on the clock in 3 , 2 , 1 .
Let's go , so I want to start by saying that the next 11 verses need to be framed a particular way .
Why is that ?
Because we need to understand the human anthropology of scripture in order to correctly sort of digest what Paul's going to say .
Now when you say human anthropology .
Yeah , what a human is made up of . What are the composite parts of a human ? In scripture ? All right , and we know it because we talk about it all the time in popular culture and the Bible alludes to it , but we are three things . We are mind , body and spirit . Another way , the way the Bible actually refers to it , is body , soul , spirit .
And that idea of soul is psyche , right , the psychological life , the mind will , emotions , personality , that it's expressed in character to some degree , right , so you have the mind , I mean you have this psyche , slash , soul , which is the life of the mind , and then you have your body . We're here embodied physically , but then there's also spirit , right .
And if you go to Ephesians , chapter 2 , verse 1 , right there you get a breakdown of humanity without spirit .
And Ephesians , chapter 2 , verse 1 , we usually don't jump around this way , but it's worthwhile , for the sake of what we're actually getting to , that we go to Ephesians , and Ephesians , chapter 2 , verse 1 , says and you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked , right , and that's really much in keeping with what Paul has been arguing .
Being dead to sin , being dead to the law , yeah , but this is you're dead in the trespasses , not dead to the trespasses .
OK .
This is a category of what we are while we're walking in our trespasses and in sin . So we're dead people walking .
Yeah Right , this is the person who , as we're talking in the last chapter , is identifying with that sin and not repenting of it .
Yeah , so you're following the course of this world , following the Prince of the Power of the Air . And look at this language , the spirit that is now at work in the children of disobedience , so that there's a spirit at work within the children of disobedience prior to receiving the Holy Spirit .
And that spirit has a characterization of say the heart yeah , and that heart is not a heart of flesh , that heart is a heart of Stone Stone . Yeah , reflecting back to the take yeah , it's the heart of stone when you're walking into disobedience . It's not a mind that is actually a righteous mind .
It's , and Jeremiah 17.9 talks about this in relationship to the heart , but it refers to the life of the mind . That the mind and the heart . In this sense , it's wicked and deceitful . Above all things , who can know it ? Yeah , right , and what about the body ? It's sold under the power of carnality , which is lust of the flesh .
Pride of life .
Lust of the eyes , the pride of life .
Right , yeah , so that is , that you are propelled forward by this desire that rises up within you , which is , as we've seen previously , sin , and it manifests itself in a spirit of disobedience and a seared conscience , a guilty conscience , because you're constantly falling short of the expectations that God has for you , whether you see it in a codified law , or just
in your heart .
So Paul is talking about this experience , this kind of a person , but then he's going to make this distinction , this contrast between that person and you . Yes , and this is a really good distinction , because whether you are in sin or free from sin , there is still a sense of this lingering experience in your life .
But Paul is saying , though , even though that you might be having this experience , that's not who you are anymore .
That's right .
That's why he begins at the very beginning . There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ .
Jesus and the reason why he's so excited about the no condemnation is because prior to in 724 , he has concluded , given the situation he summarizes in seven . We've already done that in chapter seven . You verse 24 , wretched man that I am , who will deliver me from this body of death ? And you see , that matches up with Ephesians , chapter two .
So this is a person who's walking in the trespasses and sins of their disobedience because they don't have the mind , the right heart .
AKA the experience that Paul is saying in Romans , chapter seven , again highlighting to our last two episodes or so that this person is not a reborn Christian , this is not a spirit filled individual , this is person who's still under the condemnation of the law . And this person is crying out . How can I stop this ? How can I be delivered ?
From this experience and the answer is thanks be to God , through Christ Jesus , our Lord .
Yes , verse 25 . And then he does this summary of what has happened . So then I myself serve the law of God with my mind , but with my flesh I serve the law of sin . And again , this is the experience of Romans , chapter seven . This is a man who has actually come into the knowledge of what the law is truly for .
So in his mind , as a Jew , as an Israelite , he wants and serves the law of God , but he also recognizes that with his flesh he serves the law of the spirit . Right , he's a summary .
In other words , he is , if there's a possible way to characterize this he's going from this sinful states to this transitional period of being now spirit born .
Yes , that's what that last verse is . That's what that last verse is highlighting ? Yeah , it's highlighting . It's , if you want to academic theological ease , it's the liminal stage of liminality , there you go . We all know what I'm talking about , but that's what that is . So verse eight he comes to this thing and watch this .
Okay , so you have a human who has three things Body , soul , spirit . Now , what happens when you come into Christ ? You're baptized into His death and you're resurrected into His life . You only have life via the spirit . That's why Jesus Christ , when he comes into that room with the disciples , he breathes on them .
This is imagery of Him breathing life back into Adam , which is humanity .
This is their rebirth experience . This is the rebirth experience .
This is Him talking to Nicodemus in John 3 . You must be born again through water and spirit . This is Him talking to the woman at the well in John 4 . You will worship in spirit and in truth , so the spirit is the life-giving power . In Romans 7 , you have a man who doesn't have the spirit although he has the law .
Yes , he has the law , he has conviction , he has knowledge of sin and he has this inability to live that thing out .
Because he needs something that he's missing .
So this is why it says there is therefore now no condemnation . He's drawing this contrast between this Romans 7 dude and this other possible way of living life , and that's living life in the spirit there .
So what happens is that when you receive the spirit , you then say I am going to live my life according to the truth of what the spirit is revealing within me . And the spirit is revealing all the words that Jesus Christ taught . You read John 13 through 17, .
And it's this beautiful exposition , beginning with the Last Supper in John 13 to John 17 , which is this prayer for his disciples .
It commonly knows the high priestly prayer where he the actual Lord's prayer in that moment . Yeah , it's the actual Lord actually praying when he's actually drawing on .
He's telling the disciples if I go , it's going to be a great benefit to you because the spirit is going to come .
Yeah , and that's kind of crazy because there's Jesus in the flesh and when we think about it it's like what would we rather have ? And I think most of us , at least initially , think man , yeah , having Jesus right here walking and talking and hanging out with him , that's good . Jesus says there's a better thing .
Why ? Because the spirit is actually going to be within you , he's going to be in your mind . This is why , then , language like this , that our San Corinthians Is it two , the first Corinthians . Two , that we have this mind the mind of Christ . Well , let this mind be in you . That's Philippians 2-11 . But that no eye has seen , nor ear has heard .
But at the end of that passage is we have , because we have ? I think it's the mind of Christ man . I might be mistaking that , but Philippians 2 actually tells us let this mind be in you , not that it might be yours in Christ Jesus , or let this mind be in you , that could be yours in Christ Jesus , but let this mind abide in you .
That is actually yours in Christ Jesus , so it's ours . That thing is settled and the spirit within us cries out Abba , father . So , now we have a spirit of obedience by faith . We have a mind that is being renewed and a body who is not leading the way , but a spirit that is animating towards life .
¶ The Condemnation of Sin in Christ
We still have a minute , so I want to read this . Let me read this so you see this .
Therefore , there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus , for the law of the spirit of life has set you free , in Christ Jesus , from the law of sin and death , for God has done what the law , weakened by the flesh that's Romans 7 , could not do by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin , he condemns sin in the flesh .
What's going on ? Paul is determining that sin has been condemned in the very body of Jesus , and the condemnation of sin and bringing it to death is not something that the law itself could do .
All that the law could do was condemn you for breaking it but it could actually put it to death , but God has put it to death so that we might live through a whole other way .
There you go . That's 10 minutes . We'll see you guys in the next .
Yeah , stay tuned to part B of this part 2 , because this was necessary of a two-parter . So stick with us and we'll get right into it .