Study Guide for Romans 8

We covered Romans 5-8 in our Lives Made New “VBS for Adults” midweek class in June, which meant one 50-minute session on each of the four chapters - even Romans 8. Romans 8 in one class? An impossible assignment! One could easily spend the entire four-week course on Romans 8 alone or preach and teach it over many weeks in a longer and more deservedly detailed study. At the end of the day, I did find a way to offer a 30,000 ft fly-over view of this magnificent section of Paul’s great epistle, and I’m happy to post the notes for that brief tour today. What is below is framed by everything preceding it in our weekly class, but I hope this might prove useful to you. A previous post offers some important introductory material on Romans, which you might also find useful.

Life in the Spirit - Romans 8:1-39
“The greatest chapter in the Bible.” - James Boice

Note: A sudden and overwhelming emphasis on the Holy Spirit: 4x through 7; 21x in this chapter alone.

Part One: Celebrating - Romans 8:1-17

Part Two: Groaning - Romans 8:18-29

Part Three: Confessing - Romans 8:30-39

I.Celebrating - Romans 8:1-17

• The Spirit of Life - Romans 8:1-4

  • The Spirit does what the Law could not do: give life

  • The ministry of the Law is death. The Law of God kills us, and the Spirit of God makes us alive through the Gospel. Note Heb 4:12; 2 Cor 3:6

• Made Alive in the Spirit - Romans 8:5-13

  • Note Bodily Resurrection and connection to Jesus’ resurrection in 1:4

  • Holy Life in the Spirit - Romans 8:12-13

New Status: 8:1-4

New Mind: 8:5-11

New Practice: 8:12-13

• The Spirit of Adoption  - Romans 8:14-17

  • Transition Section bridging the Past of Redemption with the Present Struggle and Moving towards Future Glorification

  • Adoption in Roman and Hebrew Thought - Sonship and Freedom

  • The Caesars and their adopted sons

• Abba (John 1:12)

  • slaves made sons of a royal household

• Suffering as a mark of Sonship

  • this “already” new status does not free us from the sorrows of this age that will last until the “not yet” of the age to come has dawned.

II. Groaning - Romans 8:18-29 (Suffering)

• The ‘cry’ of ‘Abba’ arises from within us because of the Spirit’s work

• This cry from within us is matched by the Spirit’s witness to us: “Our Father…”

Groaning: From glory (v.17) to glory (v.30): what lies between is the Groaning, the birth pains of the new creation. Between the Promise and the Promised Land is the Problem of the Wilderness. All creation groans, we groan, and the Spirit groans. 
A. The Hope of Glory - 8:18-21

B. The Longing of Creation - 8:19-22

C. The Steadfastness of Faith - 8:23-25

D. The Intercession of the Spirit - 8:26-27

When the Christian groans in prayer (How long, O Lord?), the Spirit joins in the prayer; the Spirit perfects and energizes the prayer, making it conform to God's will. At the precise point of our great weakness and uncertainty, we are met by the Spirit’s power.

E. The Confidence of the Saint - 8:28-30

• Ordo Salutis - our assurance amid groaning is rooted in the reality of God reigning. 

• Our Pre-destiny: to be conformed to the image of Christ

• Grace, from first to last

III.     Confessing - Romans 8:30-39

“What then shall we say to these things, to the wonders of redemption and to the groaning of creation, our hearts, and the Spirit’s intercession?”

A. God’s Redeeming Labor - 8:31-34

• God is the One who justifies!

• The Perfect Life, Labor, and Death of Christ have brought about perfect righteousness, freely and permanently. 

• ‘Satan’ is first a legal title, like ‘prosecutor’/ ‘accuser,’ though it can also be simply ‘opponent’ or ‘slanderer’ or ‘adversary’ - 1 Kings 11:14, 23, 25-26

B. The Big Questions

1. If God is for us….

2. How will he not also…

3. Who will bring a charge?

4. Who is he that condemns?

5. Who will separate us from the love…?

    C. God’s Redeeming Love

1. The FAITHFULNESS of Christ’s Intercession

2. The FEROCITY of God’s Love

• Stronger than…

• The PHYSICS of God’s Love

• Transcends…

The love set upon us from all eternity, displayed at the cross in history, and poured out in our hearts by the Spirit experientially will carry us through life and into glory.

Audio copies of the four talks are available from Spanish River Church.

Photo credit to my good friend Eric Blythe