No. 26. >> I think my question builds upon David's last question about the effect of Christ's resurrection. In Romans 8 Paul introduces the work of the Holy Spirit. How does the Spirit's role in our lives help us understand our present relationship to sin and the law? And how does the Spirit help us cope with temptation in sin? >>PROFESSOR DAVID I. M. LEWIS: Well, Josh, thank you for this further question upon this very important part of Romans here in Chapter 7. And yes, Josh, the Holy Spirit is introduced by Paul in a very key way in Romans Chapter 8. But just recall for a minute that he's actually mentioned the role of the Spirit earlier in Chapter 7. Paul's argument in Romans 7:1 through 6 concludes in Verse 6 with: But now we are released from the law having died to that which held us captive. So that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit. And so the new life that we have is a new life of the Holy Spirit. And Paul has introduced this in this section where he's talking about you know using the example of the woman who was married when her husband dies. She is free to marry another. Our marriage with the law, we have actually died and that has freed us so that we are no longer under the written code. But now we have a life in the Spirit. And then Paul has that discussion about his personal struggle with sin. But in this section of Romans 8 Paul introduces the Spirit in a big way and describes more specifically what this life in the Spirit is like. And now, Josh, you made mention of the resurrection of Jesus. Remember that Jesus died and was raised. And now Paul claims that in baptism we die with Christ and we have been raised. And again, notice that this new life is a life that is lived in the flesh right now. That is what Paul says in Galatians 2 is that: The life I live in the flesh I live in the Son of God who gave himself for me. Okay? So this new life is now lived in this earthly life. And yet we also have the hope of eternal life. So it's not just a great empty void between baptism and the resurrection. But it's a Spirit filled life that we live right now. And that is tied to the resurrection. One of the fruits of the resurrection of Jesus is the new life that we have in the Spirit today, even before our own physical bodily resurrection on the last day. So Paul points to this new life in the Spirit in 7 Verse 6 but now he picks up the theme again here in Romans 8. One thing Fransman says about Romans 8 is that Paul makes very clear that the author of our new life is the Holy Spirit. In other words, this new life is not us doing it. Again, the author is God. In other words, new life is Gospel. This is why Lutherans often try to say that sanctification first and foremost is a part of the Gospel. Because it is driven by God's actions in us. Here it's God the Holy Spirit leading us. Well, there's a few things that Paul says about this Spirit led life. No. 1, this goes with the -- Chapter 8 Verse 1 there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. In other words, these baptized people who participated in Christ's death and resurrection, there is no condemnation. They will not be judged guilty of the law. And so the answer to that whole personal struggle with sin, it goes back to again forensic justification. God has declared you righteous. There is no condemnation for you. And so this means that your conscience is free from the burden of guilt and free from the belief that you have to somehow earn or merit God's love and forgiveness. You cannot. But he's given them to you as a gift. So you have been set free from that guilt. Furthermore, you have been set free from sin. Set free from the law. Set free from death. The requirements have been met Paul says very clearly again in the death that Jesus died in the flesh. Sin -- our sinful natures were condemned in Jesus' death. And how do we know this? Well, Paul makes clear here in Romans 8 we know this because we have received the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit now guides us to lead this new life. And so Point No. 1, there is no condemnation. Point No. 2, now instead of being in the law and under the law, we walk according to the Spirit. And it is the Spirit then who sets our minds on things of the Spirit. And now the Spirit becomes a very important gift. And this goes to your question about our relationship to sin and to temptation. Because Paul contrasts the things of the Spirit and the things that the sinful nature are interested in. And that these two things are in conflict with one another. And so this shows why the Spirit is a gift. Because if we remain both sinner and saint at the same time, we need someone stronger than our self to help us battle that sinner, that old man. We need someone stronger to our self that every day when we get up to kill the old man so that the new man can rise. And God has given us someone stronger than ourselves. He has given us his own Holy Spirit who now lives within us. And so when Paul exhorts the Romans to set your minds upon things of the Spirit, this is a Gospel exhortation. Because in fact we have the Spirit in us. And the Spirit is fighting our sinful nature. This is actually how Paul describes it in Galatians 5 Verses 16 and 17. So let me turn to Galatians again. You might call Galatians Romans' sister epistle. Though what Paul says here, he exhorts the Galatians to walk by the Spirit. And he says: But I say walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit. And the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh. For these are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things you want to do. That may seem like a harsh statement from -- to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Paul there is referring to keep you from doing the sins that you want to commit. In other words, even in Galatians Paul is aware of the ***simultus epcotor. That these Galatian Christians who have the Spirit are still sinners. And that sometimes we as sinners want to sin. And nevertheless, the gift of the Spirit is that he opposes that old man. What the old man wants to do, the Spirit is there fighting him so that the old man doesn't always get his way. Now, we would all have to admit that we stumble in our lives. And sometimes the old man does get his way. Nevertheless, he never has control. The Spirit has control. And God has actually given us a gift to suppress the old man and to fight the old man. So that it's -- again it's not us doing the fight, it's God, the Holy Spirit in us, who is doing this fight. And so Paul also in Romans 8 contrasts the things of the Spirit and the things of the sinful nature. And we've got the Holy Spirit in us to fight that old man each and every day. So how do we live our baptism rising every day? It's because of the Holy Spirit that God has given us. So when Paul calls us to walk according to the Spirit, he also reminds us that it is the Spirit of God -- it is the Spirit of God who raised Christ who is in you. And this is a Spirit that gives live to your mortal body. As Paul says it here in Romans 8. And notice that this does tie in with Jesus' resurrection. Jesus' resurrection tells us two things about our own personal fate and eschatology. And yes, one of them is the promise that we will rise on the last day. But that's part of the answer. But there's also that new life that is so vividly described here in Chapter 8 that we live now. Now, recall that Paul mentioned that Jesus was proven to be the Son of God by the power of the Spirit in his resurrection back in his opening in Romans 1. Now he references again that it's the Spirit who raised God's Son from the dead. It's that same Spirit who raised Jesus who also gives us new life right now. And there's Gospel here. If he was able to raise Jesus' dead body, then he can certainly do his work also with us, killing the old man and making the new man alive. So that you might say that we live a resurrected life even as we live in our mortal bodies on this side of the resurrection of the body in the last day. And again, I think we should understand this as Gospel. In other words, this could easily become very legalistic. You come to the Christian and say: Well, if you had the Spirit, you would be doing X, Y and Z. And you're not doing X, Y and Z so I wonder if you've got the Spirit or you need to get some more Spirit. We could preach this in such a way to make it sound very legalistic and put people under condemnation. Though we need to preach it the way that Paul presents it. That what is actually going on is God has acted upon you in your baptism. And God continues to act in you through his Holy Spirit who raised Jesus, has raised you, who gives you a new life. And who then enables you to live this life. And as long as we're clear that it is God who is working, then this is presented to our people as Gospel. So how does the Spirit cope with temptation and sin? Well, often the Spirit does that by actually fighting our old man. The Spirit does that by turning our minds, setting our minds, upon the things that he is interested in. And it's good to know that he's there fighting me. And that he's there leading me. And that all of this is part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Part of the Gospel that Paul preached, which is the power of God for salvation. And here we find out it's also the power of God for us to live for God in this earthly life. Thank you for that question. It gets us into Romans 8 and the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.