Albert Barnes Commentary Romans 8

ROMANS CHAPTER 8

INTRODUCTION

This chapter is one of the most interesting and precious portions of the sacred Scriptures. Some parts of it are attended with great difficulties; but its main scope and design is apparent to all. It is a continuation of the subject discussed in the previous chapter, and is intended mainly to show that the gospel could effect what the law was incapable of doing.

In that chapter the apostle had shown that the law was incapable of producing sanctification or peace of mind. He had traced its influence on the mind in different conditions, and shown that, equally before regeneration and afterwards, it was incapable of producing peace and holiness. Such was man, such were his propensities, that the application of law only tended to excite, to irritate, to produce conflict.

The conscience, indeed, testified to the law that it was good; but still it had shown that it was not adapted to produce holiness of heart and peace, but agitation, conflict, and a state of excited sin. In opposition to this, he proceeds to show in this chapter the power of the gospel to produce that which the law could not. In doing this, he illustrates the subject by several considerations.

1. The gospel does what the law could not do in giving life, and delivering from condemnation (Romans 8:1–13).
2. It produces a spirit of adoption, and all the blessings which result from the filial confidence with which we can address God as our Father, in opposition to the law which produced only terror and alarm (Romans 8:14–17).
3. It sustains the soul amidst its captivity to sin, and its trials, with the hope of a future deliverance—a complete and final redemption of the body from all the evils of this life (Romans 8:18–25).
4. It furnishes the aid of the Holy Spirit to sustain us in our trials and infirmities (Romans 8:26–27).
5. It gives the assurance that all things shall work together for good, since all things are connected with the purpose of God; and all that can occur to a Christian comes in as a part of the plan of him who has resolved to save him (Romans 8:28–30).
6. It ministers consolation from the fact that everything that can affect the happiness of man is on the side of the Christian, and will co-operate in his favor; for example:
   1. God, in giving his Son, and in justifying the believer (Romans 8:31–33).
   2. Christ, in dying, and rising, and interceding for Christians (Romans 8:34).
   3. The love of a Christian to the Savior is in itself so strong that nothing can separate him from it (Romans 8:35–39).

By all these considerations the superiority of the gospel to the law is shown, and assurance is given to the believer of his final salvation. By this interesting and conclusive train of reasoning, the apostle is prepared for the triumphant language of exultation with which he closes this most precious portion of the word of God.

There is, therefore, now. This is connected with the closing verses of chapter 7. The apostle had there shown that the law could not effect deliverance from sin, but that such deliverance was to be traced to the gospel alone (Romans 7:23–25). It is implied here that there was condemnation under the law, and would be still, but for the intervention of the gospel.

No condemnation. This does not mean that sin in believers is not to be condemned as much as anywhere, for the contrary is everywhere taught in the Scriptures; but it means:

1. That the gospel does not pronounce condemnation like the law. Its office is to pardon; the office of the law, to condemn. The one never affords deliverance, but always condemns; the object of the other is to free from condemnation, and to set the soul at liberty.
2. There is no final condemnation under the gospel. The office, design, and tendency of the gospel is to free from the condemning sentence of law. This is its first and its glorious announcement, that it frees lost and ruined men from a most fearful and terrible condemnation.

Which are in Christ Jesus. Who are united to Christ. To be in him is an expression often used in the New Testament, denoting close and intimate union (Philippians 1:1; Philippians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 16:7–11).

The union between Christ and his people is compared to that between the vine and its branches (John 15:1–6), and hence believers are said to be in him in a similar sense, as deriving their support from him, and as united in feeling, in purpose, and destiny.

Who walk. Who conduct, or live. (See notes on Romans 4:12).

Not after the flesh. Who do not live to gratify the corrupt desires and passions of the flesh. (See notes on Romans 7:18).

This is a characteristic of a Christian. What it is to walk after the flesh may be seen in Galatians 5:19-21. It follows, that a man whose purpose of life is to gratify his corrupt desires cannot be a Christian. Unless he lives not to gratify his flesh, he can have no evidence of piety. This is a test which is easily applied; and if every professor of religion were honest, there could be no danger of mistake, and there need be no doubts about his true character.

But after the Spirit. As the Holy Spirit would lead or prompt. What the Spirit produces may be seen in Galatians 5:22-23. If a man has these fruits of the Spirit, he is a Christian; if not, he is a stranger to religion, whatever else he may possess. And this test also is easily applied.

For the law. The word law here means that rule, command, or influence which "the Spirit of life" produces. That exerts a control which is here called a law, for a law often means anything by which we are ruled or governed (see the notes on Romans 7:21 and Romans 7:23).

Of the Spirit. I see no reason to doubt here that this refers to the Holy Spirit. Evidently, at the close of Romans 8:1, the word has this reference. The phrase "the Spirit of life" then means the Holy Spirit producing or giving life; i.e., giving peace, joy, activity, salvation; in opposition to the law, spoken of in chapter 7, that produced death and condemnation.

In Christ Jesus. Under the Christian religion: or sent by Christ to apply his work to men (John 16:7–14). The Spirit is sent by Christ; his influence is a part of the Christian scheme; and his power accomplishes that which the law could not do.

Has made me free. That is, has delivered me from the predominating influence and control of sin. He cannot mean that he was perfect, for the whole tenor of his reasoning is opposed to that.

But the design, the tendency, and the spirit of the gospel was to produce this freedom from what the law could not deliver; and he was now brought under the general power of this scheme. In the former state he was under a most bitter and galling bondage (Romans 7:7–11). Now he was brought under the influence of a scheme which contemplated freedom, and which produced it.

The law of sin and death. The controlling influence of sin, leading to death and condemnation (Romans 7:5–11).

For what the law could not do. This refers to the law of God, the moral law.

It could not free from sin and condemnation. The apostle had fully shown this in chapter 7.

In that. This means "because."

It was weak. This means it was feeble and ineffective; it could not accomplish this.

Through the flesh. This means because of the strength of sin, and of the evil and corrupt desires of the unrenewed heart.

The fault was not in the law, which was good (Romans 7:12), but it was due to the strength of the natural passions and the sinfulness of the unrenewed heart. See Romans 7:7-11, where this influence is fully explained.

God, sending his own Son. This means that God accomplished by sending His Son what the law could not do.

The words did or accomplished must be understood here to complete the sense.

In the likeness of sinful flesh. This means He resembled sinful flesh in that He partook of flesh, or the nature of man, but without any of its sinful propensities or desires.

It was not human nature—not, as the Docetae taught, human nature in appearance only—but it was human nature without any of its corruptions.

And for sin. The margin says, "By a sacrifice for sin."

The expression evidently means by an offering for sin, or that He was given as a sacrifice on account of sin. His being given was in relation to sin.

Condemned sin in the flesh. The flesh is regarded as the source of sin (see notes on Romans 7:18).

The flesh being the seat and origin of transgression, the atoning Sacrifice was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, so that He might meet sin, as it were, on its own ground, and destroy it. He may be said to have condemned sin in this manner for the following reasons:

1. Because the fact that He was given for sin, and died on its account, was a condemnation of it. If sin had been approved by God, He would not have made an atonement to secure its destruction. The depth and intensity of the woes of Christ on its account show the degree of abhorrence with which sin is regarded by God.

2. The word condemn may be used in the sense of destroying, overcoming, or subduing. For example, 2 Peter 2:6 says, And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow. In this sense, the sacrifice of Christ has not only condemned sin as being evil, but has also weakened its power, destroyed its influence, and will finally annihilate its existence in all who are saved by that death.

That the righteousness of the law. That we might be conformed to the law, or be obedient to its requirements, and no longer under the influence of the flesh and its corrupt desires.

Might be fulfilled. That we might be obedient, or comply with its demands.

Who walk. See the notes on Romans 8:1.

For they that are after the flesh. Those who are under the influence of the corrupt and sinful desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:19–21). Those who are unrenewed.

Do mind the things of the flesh. They are supremely devoted to the gratification of their corrupt desires.

But they that are after the Spirit. Those who are under its influence; who are led by the Spirit.

The things of the Spirit. Those things which the Spirit produces, or which he effects in the mind (Galatians 5:22–23).

This verse serves as an illustration and is designed to show that the tendency of religion is to produce a devotion to God's service as complete as people previously rendered to sin; that is, they would be fully engaged in that to which they had devoted themselves. Therefore, since the Christian had devoted himself to the service of the Spirit, and had been brought under his influence, it was to be expected that he would make it his great and only object to cherish and cultivate the graces which that Spirit would produce.