Chapter Eight
Rom. 8:1. No condemnation now hangs over those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
He said "I serve" instead of "I served"; for he is recalling what was before. Intending to say that "there is now no condemnation" and so on, and to show the ineffable grace of Christ, he recalls what we were before and that with the mind we recognized the good, but "with the flesh," that is, through the weakness of the flesh, we were subject to the law of sin. But now there is "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," that is, those who have been deemed worthy of baptism. And since many sin even after baptism, he added: "walk not according to the flesh," giving us to understand by this that all evil comes from our own negligence. For now it is possible and easy "not to walk according to the flesh," whereas before Christ this was exceedingly difficult. But we must not only not walk according to the flesh, but also walk "according to the Spirit," for the crown is obtained not by abstaining from vice, but by participating in virtue and spiritual works.
Rom. 8:2. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.
He calls the Holy Spirit the law of the Spirit, just as he called sin the law of sin. And he called it the law of life in contrast to the law of sin, which brought us death as well. For the grace of God put to death both sin and death, and by making the struggle easy for us, thus led us forth to the contest. Wicked tongues have dared to understand here by the law of sin the law of Moses; but the apostle nowhere called it such, but called it holy and spiritual. But if, they object, the law of Moses is also spiritual, then what is the difference between it and the law of the Spirit? A very great one. The law of Moses was only given by the Spirit, whereas the law of the Spirit both imparted and bestowed the Spirit.
Rom. 8:3. Since the law, weakened by the flesh, was powerless, God sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sacrifice for sin and condemned sin in the flesh.
Having mentioned the Spirit, he now mentions the Father and the Son, teaching about the Trinity. He speaks, it would seem, against the law; but in reality, no. For he did not say that the law did evil, but: "weakened by the flesh, it was powerless." How then was it weakened? By the flesh, that is, by the carnal mind. After this is revealed what the apostle said. He, as we also said above, says that although the law did teach, it could not overcome the excessively carnal mind. Therefore the Father sent His Son "in the likeness of sinful flesh," that is, having flesh essentially similar to our sinful flesh, but sinless. Since he mentioned sin, he also added "in the likeness." For Christ did not assume a different flesh, but the very same that we have, and He sanctified and crowned it, condemning sin in the assumed flesh and showing that flesh is not sinful by nature. Imagine that a king's son, seeing in the marketplace that a woman is being beaten, calls himself her son and thus frees her from the hands of those beating her. Christ did the same thing. The expression "as an offering for sin" can also be understood more simply, thus: the Father sent His Son "as an offering for sin," that is, having overcome sin. Explaining this, the great John Chrysostom said: Christ exposed sin, which had grievously sinned. For as long as sin was putting sinners to death, it was inflicting death upon them with full right, but when it slew the sinless One, it was subjected to condemnation as one who had committed injustice. Thus, God sent His Son both to show the injustice and sinfulness of sin, and to lawfully condemn it, so that the devil could not say: Christ defeated me by force.
Rom. 8:4. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Lest anyone should say: is there any benefit to me from the fact that Christ gained victory in the flesh which He assumed? He says: it is precisely for you. "The righteousness," he says, that is, the aim of "the law" (for the law aimed to justify man) is fulfilled in us. What the law sought and could not accomplish, Christ accomplished for us. It was His task to wage the battle, and we reaped the victory. Therefore we will not sin if we do not walk according to the flesh, that is, mind fleshly things; which alone, however, that is, not to mind fleshly things, is not sufficient, but we must also have, as was said above, a spiritual mind. Therefore he added: "but according to the Spirit." For David says: not only "depart from evil," but also "do good" (Ps. 34:14). For having heard that Christ granted us the victory, we must by no means fall, but must preserve the grace of "the washing of water" (Eph. 5:26); because now the struggle is easier for us than it was before.
Rom. 8:5. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit – on the things of the Spirit.
Those who have given themselves over, he says, to the immoderate slavery of the flesh always think about fleshly things and never contemplate the divine, but those who have wholly submitted themselves to the Spirit both think and do everything spiritual.
Rom. 8:6. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
The mindset of the flesh he calls the coarsest way of thinking, its name being borrowed from the baser part of man. For the flesh in itself does not have its own thinking, but the mindset of the flesh is a coarse and material way of thinking, which one might call a mind that thinks about fleshly things. Likewise, the spiritual mindset is a mind that thinks about spiritual things. The latter gives birth to life, in contrast to the death that the mindset of the flesh gives birth to, and also peace, in contrast to what is spoken of further on.
Rom. 8:7. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be (δύναται).
The spiritual mind produces peace, while the carnal mind produces enmity against God. Does this mean, then, that the carnal mind takes up arms against God? No, he says; but it is said to be enmity against God because it is not subject to His law. Do not be troubled, however, upon hearing "neither indeed can be," but understand these words as you ought. The carnal mind cannot be subject to God as long as it remains such. This is the same as saying: a harlot cannot be chaste. For he did not say "will not be able" (οὐ δυνήσεται) in the future tense, but in the present (οὐ — in Theophylact — δύναται; in the Greek original — γὰρ δύναται), that is, now, while remaining carnal. Otherwise, how could the wicked have become good: Paul himself, the thief, and a countless multitude of other depraved people, if change were impossible? So too in the Gospel the Lord said, "a bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit" (Matt. 7:18), that is, as long as it remains bad.
So let us not think about the carnal, but let us think about the spiritual, so that we may have peace with God, who gives us the Spirit, through Whom everything that was difficult to fulfill in the times of the law is easy for us.
Rom. 8:8. Those who live according to the flesh cannot please God.
Rom. 8:9. But you do not live according to the flesh, but according to the spirit,
Those who have a carnal mindset cannot please God, so long as they remain such; for by "flesh" he did not mean the essence of the flesh, but a coarse, carnal life that makes the whole person fleshly. So also in the Old Testament it was said: "My Spirit shall not be disregarded by men forever, for they are flesh" (Gen. 6:3). Furthermore, "you are not living according to the flesh," that is, you do not serve the fleshly life, but the spiritual.
Why then did he not say: you do not live in sins? So that you would know that Christ not only extinguished the tyranny of sin, but also made the flesh lighter and more spiritual. Just as iron, from prolonged contact with fire, itself becomes fire, so too the flesh of those who have received the Spirit through baptism entirely becomes spiritual.
Rom. 8:9. If indeed (εἴπερ) the Spirit of God dwells in you.
"If so be" is used here not to denote doubt, but with full certainty, in place of: since (έπειδήπερ) the Spirit of God is in you, you are in the Spirit.
Rom. 8:9. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
He did not say: "if you do not have the Spirit of Christ," for such an expression is very unpleasant, but speaks indefinitely: "if anyone does not have the Spirit," he is not Christ's. And rightly so. For the Spirit is a seal. Therefore whoever does not have the seal does not belong to the Lord who is marked by this seal.
Rom. 8:10. And if Christ is in you, then the body is dead to sin, but the spirit is alive for righteousness.