Romans 8:12

(Audio: Spanish)

SUMMARY: In this sermon, the pastor discusses Romans Chapter 8, a well-known letter from the Apostle Paul to the Christians in Rome. The chapter discusses the contrast between living according to the flesh and living according to the spirit. The pastor explains that living according to the spirit means prioritizing eternal and spiritual things, while living according to the flesh leads to death and destruction. The greatest benefit of being a child of God is eternal life, which provides comfort and consolation in the face of death. The pastor encourages listeners to focus on living in the spirit and not owing anything to the flesh.

In Romans 8, Paul explains that those who are led by the Spirit of God are considered children of God, and this status is only achieved by those who have recognized Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The concept of adoption is used to illustrate this, as those who were once slaves to sin and the devil are now adopted into the family of God and given all the rights and privileges of a child. The Holy Spirit serves as a witness to our adoption, and we are joint-heirs with Christ, able to inherit the blessings and promises of God. Christians must reject the spirit of fear and slavery to the flesh, and instead live in the freedom and victory of Christ.

The witness in the adoption process of becoming a child of God is the Holy Spirit within you. Don't let the devil tell you that you were not truly regenerated, as the Spirit of God testifies that you are a child of God. The Spirit of adoption allows us to cry out to God as "daddy", which is a closeness with God that was not present in Hebrew conceptions of God. The Christian life has both glory and suffering, and we must accept both as we are heirs and joint-heirs with Christ. We must pay the price of being a child of God and accept everything with joy, resignation, and obedience. If we suffer with Christ, we will be raised with him, reign with him, and be glorified. We are debtors to the Spirit, not the flesh. If you are not sure if you have given your life to Jesus Christ, you can rectify that situation by receiving Jesus as your savior and publicly declaring him as your Lord.

Chapter 8, Romans Chapter 8, the Epistle, recall the letter to the Romans. I think it was to the brothers of the 12 that I was saying, for the benefit of those who are beginning in faith, beginning in the ways of the Lord, who sometimes do not know all the biblical language. When we talk about the letter to the Romans, we are talking about a treatise, a theological work that one of the Apostles did to enlighten and instruct a congregation or a group of Christians in a specific city.

In this case the Apostle Paul wrote a treatise, a writing to Rome, to the Christians in Rome, a great, great city evidently almost a nation, the capital of the Roman Empire. There were Christians there already by then and Paul writes them a letter to instruct them in the things of faith and matters of Christian belief.