Romans 7:25-8:1 – Now No Condemnation

Romans 7 also shows the difference between the inward man (the mind, the part that wants to obey God) and the outward man (the members, the flesh). In verse 25 (Romans 7:25), he says that with his mind he serves the law of God, but with his flesh the law of sin. Flesh versus mind, or flesh versus spirit. Every believer experiences this struggle because sin still dwells in the old man, even though we’re now in Christ.

This leads Paul to cry out in Romans 7:24,

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

This’s not the cry of someone resting in grace or walking after the Spirit. It’s the cry of someone looking at his flesh, seeing failure, and condemning himself. He wants to do right but cannot perform it, so he feels wretched.

Christians feel this same despair when they try to live the Christian life in their own strength. They know Christ paid for their sins, but they don’t understand the power God gives for living. Romans 6, 7, and 8 are about how we live after salvation. If believers don’t understand Romans 8, they remain stuck in Romans 7—wanting to do right but unable to and, as a result, feeling condemned and confused.

Many Christians never fully cross the bridge from Romans 7 into Romans 8. They get stuck either in Romans 6 or Romans 7 and stay in the struggle instead of learning how to walk after the Spirit. In the coming episodes, Romans 8 will show the truths and power that deliver us from the “wretched man” experience and teach us how to live in the Spirit rather than in the flesh.

We need to learn to walk after the Spirit and understand exactly what that looks like.

Romans 7 shows that the flesh of a saved person is still present and unchanged. When we were saved, our soul was saved, and our spirit was quickened, or made alive, but our flesh—the old man—remains and sin remains in it. It no longer has power to condemn us or drag us into eternal death, but it has not improved and never will. Age itself proves the flesh does not get better. Salvation does not guarantee easier circumstances or better outward behaviour.

Some may ask, “Why be a Christian then?” We must remember why we were saved: hatred of sin, fear of God’s judgment, and the promise of eternal life. Eternity is far more glorious than this short, vain life.

God’s glory, His power, His values, and His grace in Christ’s death for our sins are the reason for salvation. Even if nothing changed in this life, eternal salvation would still be an indescribable gift. But Romans 8 shows that God has done even more—the gospel’s power affects our walk now, on this earth, in this world (Romans 1:16).

Though the flesh doesn’t improve, the spirit can be strengthened. When we’re saved, our spirit is made alive, but like a newborn, it must grow. A baby Christian must learn to walk and talk in spiritual things. As the spirit strengthens, it affects how we think and live. The Holy Spirit helps, but our flesh remains unchanged. So we must learn to discern between flesh and spirit. If we can’t tell the difference, everything becomes a muddy mixture, and we feel like a mess. We must know what is flesh, what is spirit, and how to walk after the Spirit. Only God’s Word teaches this; spiritual things require spiritual understanding.

This is why Romans 8 is essential for Christian living. Even the controversy around Romans 8:1 comes from misunderstanding Romans 7. If we think Romans 7 describes an unsaved man, or that Paul had no struggle with sin, we’ll misunderstand the “therefore” of Romans 8:1. So we must understand Romans 7 before we understand the “no condemnation” of Romans 8.

Romans 7:24 says,

O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

This cry shows ignorance of the solution, though Paul himself is not ignorant. He already taught in Romans 6 that we walk in newness of spirit, and in Romans 5:1 that we’re justified by faith. He cries out to show the logic: if he can’t do good and sin wars in his members, who delivers him? Then he answers in Romans 7:25:

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Christ has already delivered him from the condemnation of present sins. The flesh remains, but Christ’s work gives liberty.

So Paul moves from “wretched man” in verse 24 to “I thank God” in verse 25. We can’t thank God for our flesh—it has no good thing. We thank God through Jesus Christ, because only Christ gives deliverance from condemnation and teaches us how to walk after the Spirit.

1 Thessalonians says to give thanks in everything, not for everything. We don’t thank God for our flesh. We thank God in our flesh because, through Christ, we have the hope of glory.

Paul knows he’s wretched, yet he’s not in despair. Romans 7:25 shows this when he says, “I thank God.”

That’s not the voice of someone crushed. Grace teaches us in Romans 5:2–3 to glory in tribulations and to be content in any state. This comes from the strengthening of the inner man.

In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul explains why he can thank God even in suffering. The gospel is powerful because it saves sinners from darkness. It doesn’t make us better in the flesh; it puts us in Christ, who is better.

God shines light in our hearts to give “the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

This is not power to stop sinning or perform miracles. It’s spiritual knowledge and hope.

Paul says we have this treasure “in earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Our flesh is fallen, weak, and sinful, yet God places His treasure in us so that the power is clearly His, not ours. The same God who said “Let there be light” now gives new life in Christ. The treasure is not in the flesh but in the inner man—our spirit and soul.

So Paul can say:

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed.”

Trouble remains, but distress—an inner condition—is relieved.

“We are perplexed, but not in despair.”

We may not understand everything, but we’re not hopeless because salvation is Christ’s work, not ours.

“Persecuted, but not forsaken.” People may oppose us, but God has not abandoned us because of Jesus Christ.

“Cast down, but not destroyed.” The flesh may be weak, but the spirit is strengthened by eternal truth and hope.

This is why Paul can cry out, “O wretched man that I am,” and then immediately say, “I thank God through Jesus Christ.” His hope is in Christ, not in himself.

Romans 7 describes a saved man who understands the wretchedness of his flesh but also knows he can be thankful in everything through the Lord.

Paul’s already hinting at Romans 8—walking after the Spirit, glorying in tribulations, and having the hope of glory. But before he can fully explain that, he must show that believers are no longer in Adam, no longer under the law, and no longer identified with the old man.

Romans 7:25 concludes:

With the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Paul’s learned to distinguish his inner man from his flesh. Now when we read Romans 7, we can see the “I” statements as either flesh or mind. The confusion is gone. He identifies the daily battle: the inner man versus the outward man.

Through Christ, we can now serve something other than our flesh. Before salvation, we could only serve ourselves. But Christ quickens, makes alive, our inner man, gives spiritual understanding, and gives the Holy Spirit so we can walk after the Spirit.

Paul says, I myself serve the law of God, That’s with his mind—his true identity in Christ. But with the flesh, he serves the law of sin. Romans 7 is not about initial salvation; that was settled in Romans 3–5. Romans 7 shows that the law is spiritual, holy, and good, but cannot empower us. Only Christ can.

Romans teaches that the problem is not the law but the flesh and the sin that dwells in us. The law is spiritual and good, dealing with the inner man—commandments like “thou shalt not covet” and “love God with all your heart” address inward attitudes. But the law gives no power to perform. It only tells us what to do. Paul discovered he couldn’t perform, so he needed spiritual help without the law.

This is exactly what the gospel of the grace of God provides. Romans 3:21–22 says the righteousness of God “without the law” is revealed by faith of Jesus Christ. We trust Christ’s finished work to be justified, and then we ask, “How do I live?” The answer is the same as Paul’s: we need spiritual help without the law. We cannot save ourselves, and we cannot serve God in our own strength. Under grace, Christ performs; the Spirit performs, not our flesh.

When we believed the gospel, God sealed us with the Holy Spirit and quickened our spirit. We were baptised into Christ. So now we must learn what Christ did and how the Spirit works.

Romans 8 will explain how to walk after the Spirit. Many Christians don’t know what that means, so they mistakenly think Romans 8 is just repeating salvation. But Paul’s teaching how to serve, how to walk, how to live with sin still present in the flesh.

Romans 7:25 ends with victory:

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul is delivered from the condemnation of present sins. He can serve the law of God in his inward man, in his mind. Romans 8 will describe that mind as the spiritual mind, in contrast to the carnal mind.

The spiritual mind thinks according to the Spirit; the carnal mind thinks according to the flesh. Romans 8 will teach how to discern the difference.

Romans 8:1 begins,

THERE is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus…

The “therefore” reaches back through everything Paul’s already taught. Romans 1:16–19 introduced the gospel’s power, the righteousness of God by faith, and the wrath of God revealed against sin. Romans 1 showed all humanity is without excuse. Romans 2 and 3 showed even those with the law are guilty. Romans 3 and 4 proved righteousness by faith from Scripture. Romans 5–7 showed the power of the gospel to take us out of Adam, crucify the old man, give us new life, and deliver us from the law’s condemnation.

Now Romans 8 reaches what could be called the “mountain peak” of the book: the power of the gospel after we’re saved. Is the gospel only powerful at salvation, leaving the rest of life in misery? Or does the gospel empower our walk in the inner man? Romans 8 answers that.

Paul uses “therefore” repeatedly to build his case:

Romans 2:1 – “Therefore thou art inexcusable.”

Romans 3:20 – “Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified.” 

Romans 3:28 – “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith.”

Romans 8 continues this chain: therefore, because of everything God has already done in Christ, there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans teaches that the problem is not the law but the flesh and the sin that dwells in us.

This is exactly what the gospel of grace provides.

Romans 3:21–22 says the righteousness of God “without the law” is revealed by faith of Jesus Christ.

When we believed the gospel, God sealed us with the Holy Spirit and quickened our spirit. We were baptised into Christ. Now we must learn what Christ did and how the Spirit works and how to walk after the Spirit, even with sin still present in the flesh and Romans 8 explains that. It describes that inward man as the spiritual mind, in contrast to the carnal mind.

The spiritual mind thinks according to the Spirit; the carnal mind thinks according to the flesh.

So, when Romans 8:1 begins with, There is therefore now no condemnation. We see that the “therefore” reaches back through everything Paul has taught.

Romans 6 and 7 clearly address saved people. Romans 6 asks,

Shall we continue in sin?

That’s a question only someone who understands grace would ask. Romans 7:4 says believers are “dead to the law by the body of Christ” so they may “bring forth fruit unto God.” They once were “in the flesh,” but now are in Christ. They are delivered from the law so they may “serve in newness of spirit.”

Romans 8 continues this argument.

Paul is not re‑explaining initial salvation; he’s explaining our service, our walk, after salvation.

Condemnation means being declared guilty and worthy of punishment. Justification means being declared righteous and worthy of life. Romans 5–6 already taught that believers are justified and free from sin’s penalty, but Romans 7 shows that even saved people still do wrong because sin dwells in the flesh. The flesh is wretched and condemnable. Even when we intend to do right, wrong may still come out. However, we now know that any guilt or punishment we feel for sins committed after salvation cannot change our standing in Christ.

Romans 5:1 says we stand in grace by faith. Our position in Christ is secure. But our condition—our daily walk—can be good or bad. Some days we serve well, other days badly. That cycle feels similar to life before salvation, except now we have the hope of eternal life. The question becomes: how do we deal with ourselves now?

Romans 8:1 gives a critical qualification: “to them which are in Christ Jesus.”

There is no condemnation only for those in Christ. This verse does not apply to anyone outside Christ. All who are not in Christ remain condemned as Romans 5:18 describes.

Romans 8:1 is a strong argument against universalism. Universalism is the belief that all people will ultimately be saved, and that no one will face eternal condemnation. Romans 8:1 is clear that only those in Christ have no condemnation.

Other passages speak of “no condemnation,” but they must be understood in context. John 3:18 says, “He that believeth on him is not condemned.”

That refers to believing Jesus is the Son of God. It does not teach being placed in Christ. John 3 does not preach the cross; the disciples themselves did not yet understand Christ’s death. We must not insert later revelation into earlier passages.

John 3 speaks of believing Jesus is the only begotten Son sent from God. Verse 19 defines condemnation as loving darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. John speaks often of deeds because his gospel is written under the law. If someone believed Jesus and did what He said, they would not be condemned. But John does not address the struggle Paul describes in Romans 7, where Paul wants to do right but cannot.

John 5:24 again says that those who hear Jesus’ words and believe have everlasting life and “shall not come into condemnation.” This refers to final judgment. But John 5 does not teach being baptised into Christ’s death and resurrection.

In John 5:29, Jesus speaks of resurrection “unto life” for those who have done good, and “unto damnation” for those who have done evil. That’s different from Romans 6, where believers are raised in newness of life because Christ was raised, not because of their deeds.

John 15 speaks of the vine and branches, but again, it does not teach the mystery truth of being in the body of Christ. Romans 8 is not repeating John’s teaching. Romans 8 is explaining how a saved person, already justified by faith, deals with the ongoing presence of sin in the flesh.

Condemnation means being declared guilty and worthy of punishment. Justification means being declared righteous and worthy of life.

Romans 5–6 taught that believers are justified and free from sin’s penalty. But Romans 7 shows that even saved people still do wrong because sin dwells in the flesh; sin is still present. The flesh is wretched and condemnable, as we’ve said, and even when we intend to do right, wrong still comes.

Romans 8:1 answers this dilemma.

In John 15, Jesus says,

“I am the vine,” and He speaks of branches “in me.” But we must ask how they were in Him. In John 15, He’d not yet died, risen, or had sent the Holy Spirit. No one at that time could be “in Christ” the way believers are today.

John 15:2 says every branch “in me” that does not bear fruit is taken away. But in Romans 7, Paul is in Christ and still struggles to bear fruit.

Is he taken out of Christ? No. John 15 is about Israel’s covenant relationship, not the body of Christ.

Being “in Christ” according to the mystery is different from being “in Christ” under Israel’s covenants. We must not assume similar phrases mean the same doctrine.

People also talk about being “born again” in John 3, but the Spirit had not yet been given. Jesus taught the truth, but to a different audience, to a special nation, Israel, and about a different time than the age we live in today.

1 John 3 shows this difference. John says, “We know we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren.”

John writes to Israel’s remnant under covenant. Paul writes to the body of Christ under grace. 1 John does not teach Romans 6–8 truth about walking after the Spirit. Today we know we’ve passed from death unto life through faith, through believing God’s word, the gospel of grace.

James 3:1 warns that masters “shall receive the greater condemnation.”

Under the law, even in the new covenant, there was still condemnation. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 12:36–37 that men will be justified or condemned by their words. That fits Israel’s covenant program, where confession and obedience were required. But Paul never teaches justification by spoken words. He teaches justification by faith in Christ’s finished work.

He says in 2 Corinthians 3:6 that the law was a “ministry of condemnation.” That’s strong language, yet Paul also said the law is holy and good.

The point is that the law condemns; it cannot empower. Romans 8 is not simply about forgiveness or initial salvation. It addresses the Romans 7 condemnation a saved person feels when they want to serve God but still see sin in their flesh.

Romans 8:1 has two qualifications. First, you must be in Christ—and Paul’s meaning of “in Christ” is according to the mystery, not Israel’s covenants. Second, you must “walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

These ten words are the centre of a lot of debate. Some people even claim they were added later, calling them false or bogus. They argue a scribe accidentally copied them from Romans 8:4, where the same phrase appears.

They imagine a scribe writing Romans 8:1, looking away, then mistakenly continuing from verse 4. This is the reasoning behind the claim that the phrase “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” does not belong in Romans 8:1.

But Paul’s argument in Romans shows that both qualifications matter: being in Christ, and walking after the Spirit. Romans 8:1 is about the saved person’s walk, not their initial salvation. It explains how someone already justified by faith deals with the ongoing presence of sin in the flesh without falling into condemnation.

There are many other arguments relating to how these last ten words of Romans 8:1 (“who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”) do not belong in the verse.

In addition to the copying mistake theory, there are other claims that it was an intentional doctrinal change. Modern translations like the ESV, NIV, NLT, CSB, and NET remove the phrase altogether. Many well-known commentators also say the words should not be there.

The first argument is manuscript evidence. Some manuscripts do not contain the phrase. But there are thousands of manuscripts, far more than any other ancient text. When someone says “a manuscript says,” that means very little without context. And when scholars say “the oldest and best manuscripts,” we must ask: best according to what standard and age alone doesn’t guarantee accuracy, and “best” is a very subjective term.

The second and more common argument is doctrinal.

Many remove the phrase because they think it doesn’t make sense. They believe Romans 8:1 is only about salvation, and adding a condition (“who walk not after the flesh”) seems to threaten grace. Daniel Wallace, in the NET Bible, says scribes added the phrase to “protect Paul’s gospel from charges of too much grace.”

He claims scribes wanted to soften Paul’s teaching by adding a qualification.

But this raises serious problems. If scribes added words for doctrinal reasons, then Bible translations do affect doctrine—contrary to what many claim. And if the phrase was added to reduce grace, that contradicts Paul’s entire argument in Romans 5–6, where he already answered accusations of “too much grace.”

The real issue is interpretation. Many reject the phrase because they misunderstand this bridge between Romans 7 and 8 that we spoke of earlier. They think Paul is talking about initial salvation. But, again, Romans 8:1 is not about getting saved; it’s about walking as someone already in Christ.

Paul has already settled justification by faith in Romans 3–5. Romans 6–7 deals with the believer’s struggle with sin and the law. Romans 8 explains how to walk after the Spirit.

The two qualifications in Romans 8:1 matter:

First, we must be in Christ Jesus.

This is not the same as being “in Christ” in John 15 or 1 John. Those passages speak of Israel’s covenant relationship, not the body of Christ. Under Israel’s covenants, branches “in Christ” could be taken away (John 15:2). Under grace, members of Christ’s body cannot be removed.

Secondly, we must walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

This is not a condition for salvation. It is a condition for experiencing no condemnation in our walk, as Paul explained in Romans 7. A saved person can still feel condemned when they walk in the flesh. Romans 8:1 teaches how to escape that condemnation by walking after the Spirit.

Textual critics often remove what they cannot explain. But Paul’s argument shows it belongs. Romans 8:4 repeats the exact same ten words, proving Paul intended them. The verse is not about losing salvation or earning grace; it’s about how a believer, already secure in Christ, avoids the condemnation that comes from walking in the flesh.

It comes as a shock to most of us when we learn that some mere human has removed a vital phrase from the Bible simply because they can’t explain it.

These humans, who obviously believe they know more than Paul or Christ Himself, who revealed grace to Paul, dare to claim that passages were added to the Bible either by accident or to intentionally change a meaning.

So, as a result, we get modern Bible translations that just scratch out what these self-proclaimed experts don’t understand.

The argument these men use, that the scribes added it to “protect Paul’s gospel from too much grace”, is both laughable and terrible and a display of an utter misunderstanding of the Bible context, a direct opposite action to what 2 Timothy 2:15 says about rightly dividing the Word of truth. This is exactly why 2 Timothy 2:15-18 was written.

The principle is simple: don’t change the Bible because you can’t explain a passage. Let the Bible change you.

Most teaching on Romans 8:1 celebrates salvation by grace and our position in Christ. But again, to press home the point, the problem is that Romans 8:1 is not talking about salvation. It’s talking about service, the way we walk through this life after salvation.

Many think that the phrase “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” adds a condition to salvation, so they remove it to “protect grace.” Salvation is by grace without works—but that’s not a reason to change the Bible!

The same teachers who remove these ten words to defend free grace also teach “faith without works is dead” from James 2. They defend works in James, yet reject Romans 8:1 because it “sounds like works.”

This shows how people place Scripture into compartments instead of seeing and understanding how doctrines connect to each other. This is another proof that context, rightly dividing the Word of Truth, and seeing each chapter and verse in it’s conections one to another is imperative.

If Romans 8:1 is about service, about our daily walk, not salvation itself, then the whole argument disappears.

We can keep the verse exactly as God preserved it because it makes perfect sense. We don’t need to be a textual critic. We simply need to read Romans 7 correctly. Paul’s not talking about getting saved again; he’s talking about serving God and walking daily in the salvation we have while sin still dwells in the flesh.

Ephesians 6:10-20 explains in detail how to walk in the knowledge of what we are after salvation and even though sin still abides in the flesh.

The analogy is drawn there in Ephesians 6 with a Roman soldier’s armour as he goes into battle, where each piece of that armour is a tool for our mind to enable us to win this hour-by-hour battle between the new creature that we are spiritually, in Christ, and the old man of sin whom we still live in through the flesh.

Romans 8:1 teaches that condemnation appears when a saved person tries to serve God in the flesh. Romans 7 shows that the flesh cannot perform:

– “In my flesh dwells no good thing” (7:18).

– “The good that I would, I do not” (7:19).

– “Evil is present with me” (7:21).

– “O wretched man that I am” (7:24).

Paul wants to serve God but can’t do it in the flesh. That produces condemnation—not loss of salvation, but the misery of failure.

When Romans 8:1 says there is no condemnation to those in Christ who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, it’s giving the solution to the Romans 7 struggle.

Walking after the Spirit is not doing the law or performing good works in the flesh. This is the mistake most Christians make when trying to understand this “walk” thing, this day by day, hour by hour walk in the Spirit. It’s easy to be fooled into thinking that this is a works thing. We must be perfect in the works we do.

Romans 8 will explain that’s not what it means at all. Yes, we do good works, but we’ll never be able to do enough good works to make us acceptable to God. That’s already been settled in Christ.

Paul has already proven that we cannot walk after Adam, the old man, or the flesh in Romans 5–7. Now he introduces this new subject: walking after the Spirit.

Romans 8 teaches sufficient grace for our daily walk. Salvation gives us eternal life; Romans 8 teaches how to live now.

The Galatian Christians experienced the problem Paul is offering the solution to. They were trying to be more acceptable to God by doing the law. Galatians 5:1 says, “Stand fast… in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.”

Liberty means freedom from the law, from sin, and from condemnation. Paul warns them not to be entangled again with bondage. If they trust circumcision—fleshly religious activity—Christ profits them nothing. If they seek justification by the law, they fall from grace. Grace and law cannot mix.

In Christ, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters—both are flesh. What matters is faith working by love, which lives in the inner man, the new creation.

Galatians 5:13 says they’re called to liberty, but must not use liberty as an occasion for the flesh. If they do, they will reap the consequences of fleshly living, which is that they will walk in constant condemnation instead of their liberty.

Instead, they must “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16).

Galatians 6 continues the point.

Each believer must prove his own work. Every man bears his own burden—his own life and service. God is not mocked: whatever a man sows, he reaps.

If a saved person sows to the flesh, he reaps corruption. If he sows to the Spirit, he reaps life. This is not about salvation; it is about the believer’s walk.

Romans teaches the same truth. Our standing in Christ is secure, as we saw in Romans 5:1–2. We stand in grace by faith. But our state—our daily walk—can fall into condemnation if we walk after the flesh. Romans 6 says the old man is crucified so we “should not serve sin.” A saved person can still let sin reign in the mortal body. Romans 6:21 says the fruit of sin is death. That is condemnation in our daily walk, not loss of salvation.

I know this seems like overly labouring on a point, but Paul unashamedly does this.

He comes at this question of who we are and our daily walk from every possible angle, which only shows how important it is for us as Christians to understand.

Paul himself knew how vital it was to understand how to “walk in newness of life” as we’re told to in Romans 6:4.

Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:6 that a novice lifted up with pride can fall into “the condemnation of the devil”.

Again, this is not eternal damnation; it is condemnable behaviour in service.

In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul talks about a saved man’s abominable actions which were condemnable. Condemnation in these passages refers to the consequences of walking in the flesh, not losing salvation.

Romans 8:1 addresses this exact issue. A believer in Christ can face condemnation in their walk if they serve in the flesh.

Walking after the Spirit is the only way a saved person escapes the condemnation of Romans 7. Most Christians remain stuck on the flesh side of the bridge, either ignoring their flesh or not knowing how to deal with it. Romans 8 teaches how to walk after the Spirit so that the believer’s service is free from condemnation.

Titus 2:8 tells young men to have “sound speech that cannot be condemned.”

If a believer speaks in a condemnable way, the world will rightly point it out. This condemnation has nothing to do with losing salvation; it concerns the person’s walk and their testimony.

Romans 8 deals with this same issue.

There is no condemnation to those in Christ who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

A believer walking in the flesh will experience the misery, shame, and failure described in Romans 7. But walking after the Spirit removes that condemnation.

Romans 8 will explain that walking after the Spirit begins in the mind. Our inner man must be strengthened before our behaviour can change. Paul’s dealing with believers, not unbelievers.

The question is: If I am in Christ, but sin and the flesh are still present, how do I serve? The answer is: walk after the Spirit, and we’re going to be taught what that really means and how to do it.

Romans 8:1 is the first time Paul instructs believers to walk after the Spirit. This is new, foundational doctrine for the church. The Galatians did ‘t know how to walk after the Spirit until Paul taught them. No one could learn it from Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, because those books operate under Israel’s covenant program. Without Paul’s epistles, believers will mix salvation and service, fall back under law, and never understand how to walk after the Spirit, not after the flesh. Paul has already proven that walking in Adam, the old man, or the flesh leads to condemnation. Now he introduces the new way: walking in the Spirit, the life of the new man in Christ.

Most Christians remain stuck in Romans 7 because they don’t know how to deal with their flesh. Romans 8 teaches the only path forward: strengthen the inner man, renew the mind, and walk after the Spirit. That’s where the believer finds no condemnation in their daily service and walk.

Until next time, friends, may God bless you in the knowledge of how to walk successfully through this present evil world.