As Paul moves into Romans eight, he puts one beautiful verse right behind another verse which, when considered together, tells us something important: So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the Law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (7:25-8:1) Do you see what Paul did? He said his flesh isn't really him, and in his true self (his inner man) he is righteous. Therefore there is no condemnation. Why the "therefore"? Because God does not look at the outward appearance (the flesh) but at the heart (1 Sam.16:7). For Him, "neither circumcision nor uncircumcision (i.e., outward behavior) mean anything, what counts is a new creation"(Gal.6:15). Does this mean that God has a perception problem? On the contrary, whatever God sees is reality. He has effected a fundamental change in us: While formerly the Law stood over us demanding conduct pleasing to God, now He has written His Law on our hearts (Jer.31:33), causing us by His indwelling Spirit to walk in His statutes spontaneously (Ezek.36:27). Keep in mind as you read Romans eight that this chapter gives no instructions. The entire chapter is descriptive, not prescriptive. In this chapter, Paul tells you things that are true of you now because you are in Christ. You are not to do anything he describes. Not knowing if everyone who would read this letter was a believer, Paul qualified his statements with conditional "if . . . then" phrases. What follows is true of everyone who is a believer. He divides all people into two camps: "in the flesh" and "in the Spirit." He says that those of us who are in Christ "are not in the flesh but in the Spirit"(8:9). He does not say "be careful not to get in the flesh," he just describes what one who is in the flesh is like, and then tells you that you are not. So do not apply that part to yourself, but instead pay attention to what he says is true of you.

First of all, "the righteous requirement [just one?] of the Law" is fulfilled in you (8:4). What did the Law require? At bottom, the one requirement of the Law was that you believe. You may read the Law to make an itemized list of do's and don'ts, but Paul looks back and just sees the Law teaching faith in Christ (Rom.3:21,31; 4:3). Faith is the root of righteousness, and all other "lawful" deeds are merely outgrowths of this one thing—believing God's word. He has written His Law on your heart, and you agree with the Law in your inner man (7:22). You now "walk according to the Spirit"(8:4). That is not an activity you need to learn. You do it all the time, which we will see more clearly as the chapter unfolds. Inside of you dwells the mind of the Spirit, which overflows with life and peace (v.6). There is no inner war for you to fight. You have Christ within now. He is your life, and He lacks nothing.

What does Paul mean when he says that "the body is dead because of sin" (8:10)? If you could see the way God sees, even future events would be present realities to you. According to the writer of Hebrews, somehow all of God's works were "finished from the foundation of the world"(Heb.4:3). To put it another way, you died when Christ died, so that even your body was dealt with then and there (Rom.6:6). But Christ was crucified before the creation of the world (Rev 13:8, NIV, NKJV). That means your body has been dead since the beginning of time! No wonder Paul spoke of grace that was "given us in Christ Jesus before time began"(2 Tim.1:9). God does not recognize temporal distinctions; neither should we. You should see your body as already dead, while the Spirit within you is life itself (Rom.8:10).

Whether you realize it or not, by His Spirit within you, you are constantly putting to death the practices of the body (8:12-13). How can this be when you weren't even aware of it? Because your awareness, or lack thereof, does not nullify spiritual reality. While you grope around for guidance under the delusion that you're still an independent self, the Spirit leads you everywhere you go (8:14). Do you feel Him leading you? No, because He is so one with you now (1 Cor.6:17) that His ideas become your ideas, His desires become your desires, and His decisions become your decisions. That is what "oneness" means.

We have developed such a religious idea of what "following Jesus" and "being led by the Spirit" means that we do not see how much we already do these things. We like to turn scriptural indicatives (like "you are holy") into imperatives (like "you'd better be holy") in order to have more things to do to make us feel better about ourselves. But Paul doesn't say "be careful to be led by the Spirit." He says "You are led by the Spirit all the time, whether you realize it or not." You make hundreds of decisions, big and small, every day; what you haven't learned to see is that God's Spirit secretly guides your every step (Prov.16:9). Now, how does that make you feel about God's provision for your daily life?

You have no idea just how much of what you have prayed in the last few years was really the Spirit praying within you, when you otherwise would not have even known what to pray (see vv. 26-27). God cares for you like this because you are a son (8:14-17). Would a loving father let his son go where he shouldn't go, or commit himself to something he shouldn't? Your life matters more to Him than you can imagine, and He will choreograph every smallest detail to ensure that everything works out for your good (8:28). "Behold, what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the children of God!"(1 John 3:1). You may call Him "Daddy," and He will not be offended. In fact, even that response in you comes from His Spirit within (Rom.8:15-16). The Spirit of His Son has come into you and become one with you, so that you now partake of the relationship between the Father and the Son.