The Spirit of life

Paul’s teaching about the Spirit in Romans encourages the Roman believers faith and hope in the resurrected Jesus Christ. The Spirit is the Spirit of life (8:2). In Romans 1-8 death, entering the world through sin , reigns over Jew and Gentile, and subsequently over the entire creation. The Law, though intended to bring life, weakened by sin and the flesh, actually brought death.(7:10, cf Deut 30:11-20). Paul’s fresh reading of Deuteronomy 30 in 10:6-10 intimates a renewal of this promise of life, based on the Lordship of Jesus, and of faith in God’s action in raising him from the dead. This faith is the same faith as that of Abraham, who believed in the God who gives life to the dead(4:17), and is the faith for which righteousness will be credited.(4:23-25) The Roman believers however, seem to be going through some time of suffering . If Paul’s message of new covenant fulfilment and membership for Jew and Gentile is true, where then are the covenant blessings? It is at this point of the argument, in both chapter 5 and 8, that Paul introduces Spirit material. The presence of the Spirit in 5:5 confirms the hope of believers. This hope is based on the union with Christ by the Spirit in 8:9-10. This union initially brings life to the spirit of believers (9:10), but the end result repeats the outcome of union with Christ in 6:5.


I, II, III, IV