•          Contrasts – Chapter seven captures the struggle between human nature and the desire to do God’s will.  Such is an unending and incessant battle that inevitably ends in the defeat and despair of Romans seven (7:24).  In contrast, chapter eight describes the life of victory and hope for those who discover a new Advocate sent to help them in their struggle.

•          Quality Control – There has been no mention of the Holy Spirit so far, but the pneuma pervades this chapter.  Any endeavor to live the God-blessed life by human strength alone will invariably back us into the despair of chapter seven.  The Spirit infuses a new quality—the law of life—which breaks the power of cancelled sin and sets the prisoner free. [1]

•          Eschatological Connotation – The Spirit is not only the sanctifier in the 24-7 life of Christians, but Paul here suggests a future immortality which the Spirit will effect:  “If the Spirit  . . . dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal (“death-doomed”) bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you” (verse 11).

•          Quote – The life of the Spirit is our resurrected life, the life that comes from the defeat of death.  God raised Christ from the dead,.  This very Spirit . . . dwells in us so we too, because the Spirit dwells in us, are alive.  This is the ultimate gift of the Spirit—life, and life abundant. [2]

When you were young, who caused you to change your behavior by their powerful influence?

• Who or what influences you the most in: clothes you wear?  The music you listen to?  Your values?

• What roles does God—Father, Son, and Holy play in setting Christians free?

• How has the Spirit helped us to fight our battles?  Any personal example/s? [3]

• Freedom in Christ (verses 1-4)

• A New Paradigm (verses 5-8)

• What Happens when we live in the Freedom of the Spirit  (verses 9-11)

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[1] F.F. Bruce, Tyndale NT Commentaries (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publ.,1963), page 156.
[2] Diane Jacobson in New Proclamation 2002 (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2001), page 131.
[3] Questions are adapted from Serendipity Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998), page 1575