Paul on the Spirit in Romans 8 (1)
Romans 8 is typically not the first place we go to gain a better understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit. John 14-16, Acts 1 and 2, Galatians 5, and 1 Corinthians 12 are the landing zones we seek for a better understanding of the Spirit of life.
But Paul has a good bit to say in Romans 8 about the Spirit's work as it relates to the life we have in Jesus Christ. Paul mentions the Spirit fourteen times just in the first eighteen verses and five more times after that!
Seems like a pretty important place to camp out for a bit.
Over the next several days I'm going to unpack the teaching of the Spirit from Romans 8 and, drawing on insights from other passages, seek a more complete understanding of what the Spirit does and what we should expect of and seek from Him.
We'll be looking at each of Paul's mentions of the Spirit, fitting them together into a larger picture, and seeing what kind of foci or priority Paul has in mind for us concerning the Spirit's work in our lives.
Paul refers to Him as the Spirit of life. As we shall see, the Holy Spirit brings life, defines life, and works to sustain and enrich life. Just what we might expect of the Spirit of life.
Our survey of Paul's teaching in Romans 8 will give us a clearer and more expansive understanding of what it means to have eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Hope you'll come along. Any comments, suggestions, questions, or additional insights can be addressed directly to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..