Day 27: Enlivened Human Beings
It is quite obvious that the theme of this passage is the Holy Spirit. Paul makes a survey of how the Spirit can make a difference in a person’s life. First, Paul sets to rest the nagging problem of sin he has just raised so forcefully: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” he recounts (v. 1). Through his life and death, Jesus has taken care of the sin problem for all time.
Secondly, Paul reminds us of the best news of all: Jesus Christ did not stay dead. Paul marvels that the very same power that raised Christ from the dead can also enliven us. As a life giver, the Spirit can break any deathlike, gloomy pattern going on in someone’s life.
Read Romans 8:18-28
To be sure, the Spirit doesn’t remove all problems. The very titles the bible applies to the Spirit—comforter, helper—imply that there will be problems. But “the God within” can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
Paul never minimizes suffering; after all, his own life has included beatings, imprisonment, shipwrecks, assassination attempts and chronic illness. But he insists with absolute conviction that future rewards will outweigh all present sufferings.
The way Paul tells it, what happens in believers is the central drama of history; “The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed” (v. 19). Somehow spiritual victories within us will help bring about the liberation and healing of a fallen creation. The apostle can hardly contain himself as he ponders these truths.
Question to Consider:
According to this passage, how can the Holy Spirit make a difference in your daily life?
By Andrew Robertson