Romans - Verse by Verse Study - Chapter 8

Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

There is so much weight in this statement it would do every believer well to re-read this over and over again until it is implanted in our very souls. Should we walk in the Spirit, that is, conduct ourselves in everything to bear fruit to righteousness (Gal 5:22-24), there is absolutely no judgment against us. There is no condemnation when using your body as a weapon to righteousness (Rom 6:13-14). Ever. This is your identity in Christ when you are born again. It is your privilege to walk in the Spirit. If you are truly in Christ, do yourself and those around you a favor and fight the good fight of faith, putting to death the lusts of the flesh every day (Gal 5:24). Remember, you were dead in trespasses and sins as made very clear throughout Romans 6, but now you are dead to that law of the sin and the death and may freely be married to another, that is, to Christ (Rom 7:1-6). You are in Christ, baptized in the Spirit to His body (1 Cor 12:13). No longer are we to live to those things that perish, but to Him who gives us life everlasting (Rom 6:20-23). We will wage war every day while on this earth (Rom 7:21-25), but we have the blessed hope of freedom to look forward to when we are finally at home with Jesus Christ Himself (1 Cor 15:50-58, Phil 3:20-21, 1 Thess 4:13-18, Titus 2:13).

Let me reiterate that how we conduct ourselves has nothing to do with salvation from sin and death today. Salvation from the sin and the death hinges entirely on where our heart is and what we truly believe. The only way to obtain everlasting life and security of salvation from the sin and the death is to put your faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. If you truly believe that His death, burial, and resurrection atones for your sins, then yes, you are saved (Rom 3:28, 1 Cor 15:1-4, Eph 2:8-9). If that is where your faith is, you are absolutely, guaranteed saved, regardless how you conduct yourselves (2 Cor 1:21-22, 5:1-10, Eph 1:13-14). However, once you understand your identity in Christ, how could you desire anything short than complete devotion to the works of righteousness? There is NO condemnation for them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Praise God for His matchless grace who gives us this victory in Christ Jesus!

The Greek is quite powerful in this verse, and is another place where I feel that the English just doesn't do the original language justice. The verse starts with oudeis, a compound word of ou (no, not) and heis (one), emphasizing that there is absolutely not one condemnation for those in Christ who walk after the Spirit. The next word is where the English starts translated as "therefore." It is "ara" with this definition:

ára (probably akin to arō, "to join, be fitting," see J. Thayer, Curtius) – an inferential particle meaning "it follows that . . . " [1]

We need to go back to chapter 7 in its entirety, but really the conclusion in verses 21-25 to understand what Romans 8:1 is fitting to follow up from. At the end of chapter 7, it is established that there is a war of the flesh versus the spirit in every believer. Here in Romans 8:1 is powerful encouragement to let the mind and spirit win, because there is no condemnation for those who do. Take a moment and think about the sense of this. If we walk in the spirit, we wouldn't be working out sin. Therefore, there would be no judgement or ill consequence from that.

The word "now" here is "nyn" which has the idea of "at the present time." It is not as emphatic as the Greek "de," but it has this interesting defintion in the context of Romans 8:1

nýn (an adverb) – now, as the logical result of what precedes; now, in light of what has gone before. [1]

We just looked at the logical result of what precedes and this word with its definition is entirely fitting. Putting these things together, here is a more literal translation:

Not one, therefore, now condemnation to those in Christ Jesus, not according to flesh who walk, but rather according to spirit.

If we rearrange the word order it makes more sense in the English:

Therefore, now not one condemnation to those in Christ Jesus who walk not according to flesh, but rather according to spirit.

Romans 8:2
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

God has said this before in this epistle, hasn't He? Look back at chapter 6, but especially verses 4, 11, 13-14, 18, and 22. Also take a look at all of chapter 7, but especially verses 6, 24-25. I think God really wants us to understand where we stand on the battlefield of good versus evil. Being made alive in Christ Jesus, we are now on God's side and need to know there is no reason to ever defect back to sin and follow Satan. I'm reminded of the command in Gal 5:1 which says

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

This verse is close to being word for word with the Greek, but there are three things worth noting. First, the word "me" should really be "you" since it is the 2nd person singular form of the pronoun. Second, there are definite articles denoting the sin and the death. Thirdly, we should note that the verb to "be made/set free" is in the Aorist tense, We should understand that this took place at the time of salvation, and that the timing of it isn't nearly as important as the implication of it.

Romans 8:3
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

God is going to tell us in more detail how we are free from the law of the sin and the death. It is an awesome thing to behold the liberty we have in Christ, but how did it work? How did He do it? God dispatched Jesus Christ in the similitude of sinful flesh, though He was without sin (2 Cor 5:21). Through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross of Calvary, sin was condemned (katakrino) in the flesh. The word for condemned here is the verb form. We saw the noun form in verse 1 where it is translated condemnation.

The text here more literally starts with "For the inability of the law, in that it was weak through the flesh." We see the word adunatos, the prefix a showing the opposite of the word dunatos which means power or ability. There are only two other things to note from the Greek. One is all the missing definite articles. There is the God sending forth the Son of Him, who condemned the sin in the flesh. Also, the phrase "and for sin" is more literally "and concerning sin" as the preposition peri is used.

Romans 8:4
That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

What is the result of God condemning the sin in Jesus Christ who was in the likeness of flesh? That all who will believe may be righteous in Him. Again we can look at 2 Cor 5:21 to see the exchange that takes place in the moment of reconciliation, in that moment of faith in Christ. He takes our sin and gives us His righteousness because He so desires eternal relationship with us (1 Tim 2:4, 2 Pet 3:9). He filled up full (pleroo) the law in order to make this exchange and offers the free gift of life to all who believe. Putting your faith in Him and the finished work of Christ on the cross is the first step in the walking after the Spirit.

The text in the Greek is more literally like this:

"In order that the judicially-approved act (diakaioma [1]) should be filled up full in us, to those not according to flesh walking, but rather according to spirit."

Remember that war we're in of good versus evil, which is really spirit versus flesh (Rom 7:21-25? Every person starts off on the flesh side of the war, but the very moment a person chooses to defect by trusting in what Christ Jesus did for them, they walk on over to the spirit side. I see this verse as further development of the picture of the believer's identity in Christ.

Romans 8:5
For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

Our loving God wants there to be no questions whatsoever, doesn't he? This should be a very straightforward concept, yet God states it here to make sure we are fully understanding what He's been getting at in this epistle so far. It's another statement of identity. Those of the flesh are thinking things of the flesh. Those of the spirit, in contrast, are thinking things of the spirit.

To better understand this verse, we should look at the verb "mind." It is phroneo, which has this thorough definition:

phronéō (from 5424 /phrḗn, "the midriff or diaphragm; the parts around the heart," J. Thayer) – properly, regulate (moderate) from within, as inner-perspective (insight) shows itself in corresponding, outward behavior. 5426 (phronéō) essentially equates to personal opinion fleshing itself out in action (see J. Thayer). This idea is difficult to translate into English because it combines the visceral and cognitive aspects of thinking. [1][2]

Maybe an easy definition is that whatever thoughts are going on inside a person become manifest in action. So those who are dwelling on things of the flesh act on those things and produce fruit according to the flesh. God gives us a clear picture of what that looks like in Galatians 5:19-21a

"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like."

The works of the spirit are listed in Gal 5:22-23a:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance."

Note well that again, God states Romans 8:1 just a bit differently in Gal 5:23b where there is no law against the fruit of the spirit. If there is no law, then no sin can be declared (Rom 5:13). Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who walk in the spirit (Rom 8:1).

Romans 8:6
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Knowing what we just read in verse 5, we get the equation that flesh = death and spirit = life and peace. It is pretty simple to make that connection from what we've learned so far. In Rom 5:12 we learned that the sin and the death entered into the world through Adam's transgression. Those in Adam are dead, but those in Christ are made alive (Rom 5:15-21). We see death and sin together contrasted with life in Christ in Rom 6:11, 13, 16, 20-23. We see the two natures battling each other, the one of sin in the flesh unto death and the one of spirit in the mind unto life in Rom 7:21-25. We continually see that the flesh and sin and death all go together, while the spirit and life likewise go together.

The word "minded" here is the same as verse 5, derived from phroneo, but instead of being a verb, it is a noun here (phronema). This verse is word for word with the Greek.

Romans 8:7
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

We just saw the dichotomy in verses 5 and 6 of the flesh and spirit. God will expand on the flesh in the next couple of verses and what that entails. Here we see that the mind (phronema) of the flesh is at enmity toward (eis) God. It is interesting to note that the word enmity here is derived from the same root word translated enemies in Romans 5:10. In Rom 5:10 it's an adjective, but here it is a noun. Sin, death, and fleshly desires are enemies of God. Those facts should be quite clear by now.

I need to rabbit trail here for a moment. Since we understand that sin and death are enemies of God, it should also be understood that there could have been no sin and death in the creation account of Genesis. This is especially true since God called it very good (Gen 1:31). In no way would God call an enemy good or very good. It should follow then, that the concept of molecules evolving to man over millions of years is completely unbiblical. The earth is about 6000 years old when trusting God's word on the genealogies in the Old Testament. Now back to the verse at hand.

The second part of the verse gives the idea why carnal mind is at enmity toward God. To be fleshly thinking disregards the law of God, which we saw was the opposing law working in the body of the believer. It will not be obedient to God, nor is it possible. Why? Because the carnal mind was born the moment that Adam disobeyed God in the first place and brought the sin and the death into the world. The carnal mind is the mind that believes the lie that the flesh is its own god Gen 3:5.

There are a few things to point out in the Greek. First is the extra weight on the word "because" at the beginning of the verse. It is the word "dioti," a compound word of dia (through, on account of) and hoti (because). Knowing this, the connection should be clear to verse 6. There is a definite article to denote the God, as in "for it is not subject to the law of the God. Finally, the words "can be" is the Greek "dunamai" which has the meaning of powerful, empower, or able. The conclusion is that the carnal mind has no ability to be subject to God, which is what the next verse states.

Romans 8:8
So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Pretty straight forward after reading verse 7, right? To be consumed with the thoughts of the flesh is to be consumed with thoughts that are at enmity toward God. If the flesh is only at enmity toward God, it logically follows that the flesh cannot please God.

Take a look back at verse 1 of this chapter and note how we've come full circle. Those that walk after the spirit have no condemnation, because those in the spirit obey the law of God (Rom 7:22). All who obey God would have nothing against them according to the law of God. But remember there are two laws at work inside every believer. The other law is the law of the sin which leads to death and is present in the flesh. Those in the flesh obey the law of the sin, which is at enmity against God and therefore cannot please Him.

The only thing in the Greek I wanted to note is the word "please." It is aresko, which more has the idea to satisfy, meeting someone's expectation, or winning someone's favor [1]. So the English "please" does fit, but I feel the expanded knowledge of the meaning of the word makes this verse much clearer.

Romans 8:9
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Now that we have the definitions of what is means to be in the flesh or in the spirit, God reminds us of our identity when we believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. We are not in the flesh anymore, but rather in the spirit. This is conditional though, and depends on whether or not our faith is in the blood of Jesus to cleanse us from sin. Everyone is justified by faith apart from works in today's gospel (Rom 3:21-22). Justification from sin happens by faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ (Rom 3:25).  In that moment of faith, the believer is severed from the law of the sin and the death and is free to "marry" another (Rom 7:1-4). Note well that part of identification of a believer is having the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer. This also happens in the moment of faith in the shed blood of Christ on the cross (2 Cor 1:21-22, 2 Cor 5:5, Eph 1:13-14, 4:30). Knowing that, it should follow that those who have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in them are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. If someone does not have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in them, they are still in the flesh and may only bring forth fruit to unrighteousness. They do not belong to God and are dead in trespasses in sins...a fate I would wish upon no one.

This verse is very accurate to the Greek, even in word order.

Romans 8:10
And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

I feel like Romans 8 is really establishing identity based off of every bit of doctrine laid out in chapters 1 through 7. If someone is justified from sin in faith of Christ's blood (Rom 3:25), then that person is baptized to the death of Christ (Rom 6:3). Because of that, we are dead to sin and now may live to God in Christ (Rom 6:8, 11). Doesn't that look a lot like what we read here? The only other piece comes from the flesh being at enmity toward God, and that the flesh served the law of sin (Rom 6:17-23, 8:5-8).

There are a few things to point out in the Greek. The words "and" and "but" are both "de" so they could be rendered "now." The word "if" is "ei" which has the meaning "since." There is a missing word in the Greek not translated, which is "men." This word can mean "indeed" or "truly." The first part of the verse can be translated like this:

Now since Christ is in you, the body is indeed dead on account of sin.

Romans 8:11
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

As part of our identity in Christ, we have the hope, or expectation, that the Holy Spirit will revitalize our mortal bodies much like what happened to Jesus Christ our Lord (Phil 3:20-21, 1 Cor 15:50-54. God tells us here that we can trust in this because the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead and dwells in us. Since the Holy Spirit dwells in us, this body that will see death and decay will also be made new by the Holy Spirit.

Again, "if" here is "ei" like we saw in verse 10. There are also a couple of missing articles here, namely the Jesus from the dead, and the Spirit that dwelleth in you. Thirdly, when we see Christ in this verse, the Greek actually has Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:12
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

By now, it should be abundantly clear that any believer should not be living like the world. We should be living after God, that is, obeying Him and seeking Him in all thing. In this verse we're given that we do not owe the flesh anything, so don't even go there. We were severed from it by the picture of death severing a marriage in Romans 7:1-6. Severed, done away with, made of no effect, whatever definition you'd like, we should have nothing to do with the flesh and the death it produces.

The Greek here reads stronger in the beginning of the verse. The word ara (to join or be fitting) comes before oun (therefore). This verse is translated well, but I'll but a more literal definition here. Even though word order doesn't matter in the Greek, I feel like words written first have more emphasis to set the stage for what else is said.

It is fitting, therefore, brethren, debtors we are not to the flesh, of that, according to flesh to live.

Romans 8:13
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

There are just two major choices that God gives in the bible when it comes to eternity. You're either for Him or against Him (Mark 9:40, Luke 9:50). You either live to the flesh, or live to the Spirit. Every individual has the choice of going to Heaven or Hell, and that is determined on what is done with the gift of God's grace through Jesus Christ. Do you believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the scriptures (1 Cor 15:3-4)? Or do you believe in another gospel (Gal 1:6-7)? God lays out the choice of eternity very clearly in this chapter which is laden with statements of identification.

It is important to note the word "if" here is again "ei" both times we see it. The word "after" is "kata," meaning according to. A very interesting word is translated "shall" as in the phrase "ye shall die." This isn't the future form of the verb, but rather the Greek word "mello." It has this definition:

méllō  - at the very point of acting; ready, "about to happen." [1]
méllō is used "in general of what is sure to happen" [2]

So the verse says that if it is fact that you live according to the flesh, which is tainted with sin (Rom 5:12), you are about to die. That's more like a warning than the English in the KJV, but a stark reminder that no one is guaranteed a tomorrow (Luke 12:20, James 4:13-16). God's will is that none should perish, but all be saved and come to know the truth (1 Tim 2:4, 2 Pet 3:9). God is warning here that if it is fact that you live according to the flesh, an eternity in the lake of fire is your fate (Matt 13:36-42, Mark 9:42-48, Luke 13:22-28, Rev 20:11-15, 21:6-8).

Please, I beseech all who read this, do not choose the lake of fire. Accept the free gift of grace that God offers through Jesus Christ today and do not put off that decision. Look at the second part of this verse. It more literally says, "Now if in fact to the Spirit you put to death the deeds/practices of the body, you will live." Remember all of that talk in chapters 6 and 7 of being baptized to the death of Christ and being dead to sin and alive to Christ? Please make that choice today. Living forever with God in Heaven is where the real party will be at.

Romans 8:14
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

God has told us that we should no longer have anything to do with the flesh after the moment of faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross of Calvary (verse 12). The flesh has been crucified with Christ on the cross, so we no longer have to do those dishonorable actions that bring forth death (Rom 1:21-32, 6:20-21). Much rather, now that we are alive in the Spirit of God, sealed with the Spirit unto the day of redemption (Eph 1:13-14), we ought to be living toward God and allowing Him to lead us in all things. As the next part of identification, God tells us that after the moment of faith in the gospel of His grace, we are called his children.

I see man's free will at play here too. The phrase "As many that are led by the Spirit" indicates a choice to follow. To be called a son of God, one must choose to trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross. That is the only way to eternal life today. The Spirit is calling us through this gospel (1 Cor 1:21, Rom 1:16, 8:28, 1 Thess 1:5-6, 2:9-12, etc). God has reconciled the world to Himself through the shed blood of Christ on the cross (2 Cor 5:19-21). Now it's up to every individual to respond and either accept the gift of eternal life or reject it.

The word for sons here is huios in the Greek. This is the term for a son, whether by birth or adoption, and also has a couple of other interesting meanings. One is that a huios is anyone sharing the same nature as their father. Another is a huios enjoys the legal right to the father's inheritance. [1] Is this term not perfectly fitting? We share the same nature as our Father in Heaven the moment we trust in His gospel through the apostle Paul today. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit and can now do spiritual deeds that produce spiritual fruit (Rom 6:18, 22, Gal 5:16, 22-25). We also have an inheritance coming, and it is heavenly. Take a look at Eph 1:3, 11, 13-14, 18 for an overview. Look at 1 Cor 15:50-53 and Phil 3:20-21 for details on our new body. God tells of the majesty of the next life after the 1000 year reign in Revelation 21.

Interesting to look there in Rev 21:7 as it also talks of being a son (huios) of God. Before anyone thinks that this is solely for Israel, prayerfully consider Romans 11:11. The reason we have this awesome gospel of grace today is to provoke Israel to jealousy, have them come back to the faith, and finish out the written word of God with the promises given to them (Matt 5:18). During that time, the Tribulation period and Millennial reign, the Body of Christ will be in Heaven with Jesus Christ as He promised us, but why keep us separated forever? God is no respecter of persons (Rom 2:9-11, 26-29, 3:9, 22-23, etc.) and it's been that way since the beginning. God concluded the nations, or Gentiles, in unbelief and raised up a chosen nation, Israel, to be a light unto the Gentiles. Through Israel would come the word of God, the Messiah, and salvation (Rom 1:20-32, Gen 12:1-3, 15:1-7, 17:1-8, 22:15-18, Isa 49:5-6, Matt 5:14-16). Yet, even Israel was concluded in unbelief, but the purpose was so that God could have mercy upon all, because He wants all people saved (Rom 11:25, 32, 1 Tim 2:4, 2 Pet 3:9). We will know for certain when we get there, but I think that if God keeps the people of Israel, also called the Bride of Christ (Isa 54:4-6, Rev 19:7), and the Body of Christ separated for eternity, then He is a respecter of persons, because then certain people will only be allowed to fellowship with certain others, though we all believed in God at His word during our time on this earth under our respective dispensations. Where would Enoch fit? He was taken to be with God before the Law or Body of Christ was even known. The same could be said for Noah. Neither of them belonged to the nation of Israel or the Body of Christ, yet they are with God. Just because the Body of Christ has a heavenly expectation and the people of Israel an earthly expectation, does not mean God won't reunite all the faithful when He makes all things new (Rev 21:1-5).

Very interesting to note that in Rev 21:9-10 and Isa 62:4 God's word indicates that the land or the new Jerusalem will be married to the Lamb. I for one am excited to see what God has for us in the next life. There is so much to look forward to after our time here on this earth as God's ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20, cf 119:19).

Romans 8:15
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Here we have further clarity on our identification building from verse 14. God again emphasizes that we are not slaves to fear (bondage = douleia). I'm curious as to how many times God says in the bible to not be afraid, because here is another. Also take a look at 2 Tim 1:7. It is by this spirit, the Holy Spirit, where we are adopted as God's children. We are assured we belong to Him and in that Spirit, we can talk to our Father in Heaven. It's amazing the peace of God we feel knowing we're in His family and under His protection, guaranteed an inheritance through Him by His Holy Spirit.

This verse is nearly word for word with the Greek, but it ends a bit differently. The word "whereby" is the Greek "en" and there's a missing article for the Father. Abba is the Aramaic term of endearment for a father, so it could be rendered "daddy" or "papa." Also, to give an idea of that word "cry," it's the Greek krazo and here is a definition:

krazo - an onomatopoetic term for a raven's piercing cry ("caw"); (figuratively) cry out loudly with an urgent scream or shriek, using inarticulate shouts that express deep emotion [1]

Putting that together, the second half of the verse more literally reads, "but rather you all have received the Spirit of adoption, in whom we cry 'Daddy the Father!'"

Isn't that just true to life? How many times a day do you cry out to God to help you, no matter how big or small the matter? Isn't that just like a young child to their parents, knowing and having faith that their parents will care for them in the most loving way possible? An interesting word study is how many times the words "poor and needy" appear in the Old Testament, especially the Psalms, and how that person always calls out to God for help, fully assured they will be taken care of.

Romans 8:16
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Believers are part of God's family. The Holy Spirit, who was given as a seal of the inheritance unto the day of redemption (Eph 1:13-14), witnesses with our own spirit, assuring us that we belong to God. The word here for children is teknon, which has the following meaning:

teknon - properly, a child. A child living in willing dependence [1]

Remember, the moment anyone places their trust in Jesus shed blood as atonement for their sins, God calls them a saint, which means a set apart one or holy one (Rom 1:7, 1 Cor 1:2, 2 Cor 1:1, Eph 1;1, etc.). That is because the believer is changed from being dead in trespasses and sins to alive in Christ. The believer is changed from a child of sin made in the likeness of Adam (Gen 5:3), woefully at the whim of the flesh and actions that lead to death, to a child of God who can now bear fruit unto righteousness. You are set apart from all of that nonsense that leads to death, so the question should continue to arise when temptation presents itself, "What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed?"

Romans 8:17
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Now that we understand we are children of God, God wants us to know what that means. This is something to get excited about! Since we are children of God as believers in the gospel of His grace, then we are heirs. We could have understood that in verse 14 where God refers to us as huios, but there can be no doubt after this verse. We get an inheritance from God Himself. We are heirs together with Christ because we will have a body like unto His (Phil 3:20-21). We have all the spiritual blessings in the heavenlies the moment that we're in Christ by believing the gospel (Eph 1:3).

After such an exciting beginning, the verse takes a turn, doesn't it? What's this mentioning of suffering? Well, let's think a moment, is life really grand here on this earth? Do we not fight against death every day, whether it's sickness or things just breaking? I would count that as suffering. And we read that Jesus did it with joy, knowing He would reunite the faithful with Him in the new Heaven and Earth one day (Heb 12:2). He would truly be the first among many brethren of glorification when all things are made new (Rom 8:29).

The Greek here is pretty emphatic, so I'd like to point out a few things. I hinted at it above, the the word "if" here is "ei" and is more properly "since." The phrase "if so be" is the Greek eiper, a compound word of ei (since) and per (however much, very much, altogether, indeed [2]). The word "and" is the Greek "de" both times, so there is some added emphasis there as well. Finally there is a missing "men" which means "indeed" which I'll put in italics with the rest of that in a more literal translation:

"Now since children, also heirs, heirs indeed of God, joint-heirs now of Christ, since altogether we suffer with Him in order that we might be glorified together."

I hope that helps to show how much God cares about our knowing we're His children and much better days are coming, especially after what He says about our sufferings in the next verse.

Romans 8:18
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

The glory that awaits the faithful in God and of His gospel is so far exceedingly awesome that not any one rotten thing in this life compares to it. Not even death. Think about that. Your worst nightmare will easily be forgotten in Heaven with your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whatever that may be. Broken bones, cancer, auto-immune disorders, bloody wars, abortions, the list goes on, but none, and I mean absolutely none of that stuff compares to how awesome life will be with God and Jesus Christ in Heaven and in our inheritance.

I have a couple problems comparing the translation here with the Greek, and they both have to do with the little words. The word "with" is "pros" which means "towards to interface with" and indicates a goal [1]. The word "in" is the Greek "eis" which means to the point of, having the idea of penetration [1]. I'll point them out in the verse, which is otherwise translated word for word:

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared towards the goal of (pros) the glory which shall be revealed to and in (eis) us.

Romans 8:19
For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

This short verse has a ton of truth packed into it.  The English here gets the idea across, but the Greek is far more intense and much more clearly paints the picture. We are told that believers are the sons of God back in verse 14. Then God tells us what that means in verses 15-18. Now that we know what is coming, the natural questions that come to mind are, "Why all the suffering?" and "When will it be over and we come to that glory?"

There are several words we need to look at in the Greek to understand what is being said here. First, the word for "earnest expectation" is apokaradokia . There are three words compounded here, apo (away from), kara (the head), and dokeo (thinking). Here is a formal definition:

apokaradokía ("from 575 /apó, "away from"; kara, "the head"; and 1380 /dokéō, "thinking") – properly, thinking forward (literally with head out-stretched), referring to eager, intense expectation. [1]

Did you see that last bit? Eager, intense expectation. I think of my kids around meal time or dessert time since food is a big deal to them yet. When I know I'm getting them something they really enjoy, I'll tell them about it and usually I get the "is it ready yet?" question many times before they may eat it, accompanied with leaping for joy and running in circles that they're so excited and full of energy. For us adults, how about waiting to see your favorite movie or live play in the theatre? Don't you get excited when your watch says it's time to start and the lights begin to dim? How about Super Bowl time? Many people get intensely excited right before kickoff. It's that sort of eager, intense expectation I see here. The English "earnest expectation" sort of gets the idea across, but not as much as "away from your head thinking" to the point where you're on the verge of going insane until this new thing begins. What is that new thing? The revealing of the sons of God, or those that are His saints.

This word for creature is really covering everything God made. We could probably more accurately understand it as "creation" rather than "creature," but it's the same word used in Romans 1:20 (creation of the world KJV). The word is ktisis and means creation from nothing. Understanding this now, we get the picture that everything God has made from nothing, which is the whole universe, is eagerly expecting the end of suffering to take place when God reveals His children.

Now we must look at the word for waiteth. This is the Greek apekdexomai, a compound word of three words apo (away from), ek (out of), and dexomai (welcome). It may be a bit hard to put together a definition from the three words there, so here is a thorough definition.

apekdéxomai (from 575 /apó, "away from," 1209 /déxomai, "welcome" and 1557 /ekdíkēsis, "out of") – a triple compound (properly) meaning "welcome from and out of"; waiting that decisively "puts away" all that should remain behind. The prefix (apo) intensifies the root (dexomai) to emphasize the idea of separation. [1]

To check that definition, the word is only used 8 times in the New Testament: Rom 8:19, 23, 25, 1 Cor 1:7, Gal 5:5, Phil 3:20 (look in KJV), Heb 9:28 (look in KJV), and 1 Pet 3:20. Yes, I would say that "waiting" by itself is not enough, but "waiting that decisively puts away all that should remain behind" fits quite well. All of God's creation, which was marred by Adam's transgression in the Garden of Eden, intensely expects the revealing of those who are God's children with such eager anticipation, because that will mean that all things will be made new and without the taint of sin and death anymore. God will expand on this in the next several verses.

Romans 8:20
For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

Here we see a bit of the answer to why the whole of creation eagerly awaits the manifestation of the sons of God. All of creation did not desire to be subjected to vanity, but it happened. It happened through the one having subjected it upon hope, or expectation. We can think about who this "one" is since it is not specific in this verse but rather just an article, but I believe it can only be God. Why? Because all of creation belongs to Him. Yes, Adam sinned and brought sin and death into the world, but God is still sovereign over it. Here we see that all of creation was subjected to the same vanity in Genesis 3:17-19, suffering along with death and feeling the repercussions of it. Because of that, all of creation looks eagerly upon the expectation, the surety, that the sons of God will be revealed and that all things will be made new.

This verse is very accurate to the Greek, only the word order is different so that we can understand it better in the English and the word "in" is "epi" which is more appropriately "upon.". A more literal translation is, "To the indeed futility/vanity the creation was subjected, not willingly, but rather on account of (dia) the one having subjected [it] upon (epi) hope." I put that there because I think that the stress of the verse is upon the vanity being expressed, though word order doesn't technically matter in the Greek. Interesting to me that the verse starts with vanity and ends with hope. Bad news to good news.

Romans 8:21
Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

When I read a verse like this, it makes we want to sing praises to my Lord and Savior. I can hardly express how excited I am for when He will make all things new! It makes me think of 1 Cor 15:52-57 as well as Rev 21.

There are a few things to look at in the Greek here. The word for "shall be delivered" and "liberty" are both of the same root word in the Greek. Eleutheroo is the verb and eleutheria is the noun and both have the idea of being set free. The word "bondage" here is from douleia, meaning bond-servant or slave. The word for "corruption" is "phthora", which means corruption, destruction, perishing, that which is subject to corruption, what is perishable [2]. There are two definite articles missing to denote the corruption and the God. With all of that in mind, here is a more literal translation:

Because also itself, the creation, will be freed from (apo) the slavery of the perishing to the point (eis) of the freedom of the glory of the children (teknon) of the God.

Everything will be made new in that beautiful day where the tabernacle of God is among men (Rev 21:3). All of creation eagerly awaits that.

Romans 8:22
For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

That all of creation is awaiting freedom should be evident to the believer. Sin and death were not what God wanted His creation to endure. It was the will of man that brought upon this bondage to perishing back in Genesis 3. Everything was affected by that in order to point everything to the glory of the freedom from it in the day where the sons of God are revealed and God makes all things new.

The phrase "we know" is the Greek eida, which is intuitive knowledge. The words "groaneth" and "travaileth" are both compound words in the Greek which include "syn." Syn means with or together with. The word "groan" is "steno", which means moan, sigh, or groan. The word "travail" is "odino", which means to travail in childbirth or endure birth pangs. One more intersting point is that there is a definite article at the end of the verse to denote the now. Now is the Greek nyn, which is the general now or present time.

Isn't that an amazing picture and so true to life? Even unbelievers cringe and are remorseful when death claims someone or an animal, the rain forests are torn down, or violent weather destroys everything in its path. All of creation is so eagerly awaiting the regeneration promised by God that we see it is like a woman in labor. Being a man, I can only sympathize, but I've been right by my wife's side during each of our three childbirths for the whole duration. I won't feel the same pain she does, but I can't imagine there's anything else on her mind besides getting the baby out. At the same time, she is looking forward to the absolute joy that the new life will bring and holding her baby in her arms. In that same way, all of creation is desiring for that day the sons of God are revealed and everything will be made new.

Romans 8:23
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

I'm not sure why the KJV has the word "they" here since it isn't in the original. The verse is implying not only the land, animals, and universe is groaning and travailing in pain, but we are too. Those of us that have put our faith in the gospel of God's grace yearn to be clothed upon with the glorious body that God has promised us (Phil 3:20-21).

Here we get the added statement that believers in this dispensation have the firstfruit (singular, not plural) of the Spirit. We know, or ought to know, that it is a fact that we will be made new, for there is no "maybe" with salvation. Either one believes that Jesus died for his or her sins, was buried, and rose again the third day, or one does not. Those that believe are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise and have this heavenly hope to look forward to. Those that do not believe are destined for an eternity separated from God in the lake of the fire (Rev 20:14-15).

We see that word apekdexomai again, translated as waiting. I don't think any believer will argue that we are welcoming our new body from and out of this body of death (Rom 7:24-25). The same word for groan as used here is also in verse 22. There is no "to wit" in the original language. It more literally reads "we also ourselves in ourselves groan, adoption eagerly awaiting, the redemption of the body of us. It equates the redemption of our bodies with the divine adoption (huios). What a glorious day that will be when Jesus catches us away to be with Him forever in the clouds (1 Thess 4:16-17)!

Romans 8:24
For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

At the moment of belief in the gospel of God's grace, we were given the earnest expectation mentioned in verse 23 and confirmed and sealed by the Holy Spirit that it will be done (Eph 1:13-14). We don't have it now, or else it wouldn't make sense to expect it to happen at the proper time, which God has defined as the catching away of the body of Christ in 1 Thess 4:13-18. Until that day we will certainly groan in pain and travail, because of how far and above superior that life is compared to this one. but we are encouraged to stay strong in God's grace and continue to wield the one weapon we have, the sword of the Spirit, which is the spoken word of God (Eph 6:10, 17). Though spoken more to pastors and elders, we all can take heed of the advice in 2 Tim 4:2-5 as well.

The first part of this verse can be misunderstood. The original language more literally says, "For we have been saved to hope" as the verb "to save" is in the Aorist tense, the Dative case is used for "hope," and there is no preposition. Again, it's because that this hope becomes ours in the moment of salvation, regardless of when that took place. The emphasis is that salvation from the sin and the death means we have a different hope compared to what we had before salvation. Our eternal destination changed from Hell to Heaven in that moment.

Another point is the words "seen" and "seeth" are both of the Greek root blepo, which means to physically see or perceive with the eyes. Like I already said, we can't expect something to happen if we see that it already did. We will not have this new and awesome body until that day we are called to Heaven. God gives His reason why in the next verse.

Romans 8:25
But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

If we expect something that we do not perceive already with our eyes, we will be able to wait for it. Maybe it's easier to understand the converse so let's go over two scenarios. Think of a young man and woman who are courting. The man knows when he's going to propose marriage, but the woman does not. She knows it's coming but not when. All of a sudden, that day arrives, he proposes and it's a beautiful ceremony and surprise. That's along the lines of a normal courting process. Now let's think of this same scenario, but every single date these two go on, the man shows the woman what he's going to do when he asks her for marriage, leaving no detail out. After several weeks of this, he gives her his official proposal. Which scenario do you think the woman will be more excited when the proposal comes? Obviously the first where she doesn't see it, but knows it's coming. In the second scenario it's just another date.

Once again we encounter the Greek word apekdexomai translated as wait here. The Greek reads a bit different at the beginning, so I'll just show a literal translation:

"Since (ei) now (de) what not we see, we hope for, through patience we wait."

Romans 8:26
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Isn't God so wonderfully kind to help us out like He does? I don't understand how anyone can argue that God is love when we know that He makes intercession on our behalf when we don't even have words for what we're feeling. Also since we don't know absolutely everything as God does, we honestly don't know what we should or should not pray for. God comes to our rescue by making intercession for us there as well, to ensure the best outcome for good. So that's why He can say that just as we wait patiently for the expectation of that which we don't yet see, we don't know what we should ask for since we can't see the future, so the Spirit helps us in that weakness. We can rely on Him to work out the best of any circumstances, even if what we ask for doesn't quite line up since we don't know the whole future effect. As our inner man yearns for God's presence and to realize the redemption of our body, but finds trouble expressing it, the Holy Spirit puts words to that in the form of prayer to God the Father for us.

There are a few things in the Greek to point out. First, there is a "de" that is untranslated at the beginning of the verse. It literally starts "Likewise now also..." Next, that word "helpeth" is a very long and strong word in the Greek: sunantilambanomai. This is a word consisting of syn (together with), anti (opposite, corresponding to, off-setting) and lambano (to lay hold by aggressively accepting what is available). So in this one word we see the intensity of the intercession that that Spirit is giving to us. Sunantilambanomai may be defined as to strife to obtain with others [2]. The word for "know" here is "eido," indicating that we don't intuitively understand that which it behooves (Greek dei) us to. Finally the phrase "which cannot be uttered" is one word in the Greek: alaletos. Laleo means to speak and the alpha prefix means the opposite of that. So we understand that at those times when we can't find the words to express what's on our hearts, God's Holy Spirit is speaking for us and praying for us on our behalf.

Romans 8:27
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Here we have the assurance of what was in verse 26. Who is "he that searcheth the hearts?" None other than God Himself. We read that only the spirit of a man knows the things of that man, and so it is with God and His Spirit in 1 Cor 2:10-16. God knows our hearts and knows the best ultimate plan for each little detail in our lives. Isn't it wonderful that His Spirit makes intercession according to the will of God for us? This is all culminating to the well-known verse coming up in verse 28, but reading the first part of the chapter and understanding our identity that God is telling us really helps to put that verse in context.

The word "and" is "de" in the Greek at the beginning of the verse. The word "knoweth" is again "eido." Note who He is interceding for - the saints. The saints are those that have placed their faith and trust in Jesus' shed blood to atone for their sins. I'm not saying that God is against everyone else and is out to get them, but He takes special care of those that trust Him. We know that God wants all saved, so we can just imagine how He points His saints in the right direction to speak and act through them which will then lead to pointing unbelievers to the truth of His Word. So making intercession for the saints according to the will of God can be seen as making intercession according to the desire to see all mankind saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:1-4).

Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

In light of verses 26 and 27, this just makes sense and is a reiteration. The Holy Spirit makes intercession for us, lifting up prayers when we can't find the words (verse 26). We have the comfort that the Holy Spirit knows our hearts and also the will of God. Knowing both of those, The Holy Spirit makes intercession for us according to the will of God (verse 27). By understanding that, we ought to understand that all things would then work for the good in each saint, because God is working all things according to His will in us. For those that truly love God and are zealous for good works (Titus 2:14), we will see that any difficulty or chastisement that comes our way works for our benefit. No one likes chastisement when it's happening, but every time we look back on it, we see the growth that came from it and can say thanks to God. Hebrews 12:7-11 comes to mind, though that epistle was written to the kingdom saints which will go through the Tribulation. Personally, I know I thank God for my parents when they corrected me when I was out of line as a child. In much the same way, God will do what it takes in us so that we may bear the most spiritual fruit.

There are some very interesting things to note in the Greek here. I'll put a literal translation first and then comment on that:

We know, now, that to those loving the God, the God works together all things to the point of good, to those being called according to a purpose.

See that the Greek is emphatic on how this all revolves around God. Those who truly have faith in God, His saints, God will do the special working out of circumstances for good, because God as the Holy Spirit searches the heart of the saint and makes intercession for the saint according to the will of God. The word "know" is "eido," which is consistent with the last few verses. The word "loving" is from the Greek root "agapao," which is thoroughly defined in 1 Cor 13. The words "work together" is "sunergeo" and is where we get our word synergy from.

Now we need to talk about this phrase "to them who are the called according to his purpose." Some may look at this verse and think that there are only a certain few who will be saved. These "called" are the "elect" of God and are the lucky ones who will escape sin and death. Please don't fall for this heresy. If that were true, then why would God say His desire is that all mankind is saved (1 Tim 2:4, 2 Pet 3:9)? It doesn't fit the character of God to be a respecter of persons, which is what this concept of "the called" and "the elect" would imply. Rather, the literal translation is far clearer, "to those being called according to a purpose." Who are those being called according to a purpose? To help us understand, let's take a look at the word "purpose" first.

This word is prothesis in the Greek. It is a compound word of pro (before) and tithemi (to set). Literally speaking, it is to set before. In Romans 8:28 though, it is a singular noun and not a verb, meaning it is referring to something that is set forth. It should be noted that this word is used in reference to the showbread of the tabernacle and Jerusalem temple in Ex 35:13 and 1 Ki 7:48 in the Septuagint. The Greek there is not the inspired word of God since the original language is Hebrew, but it helps us to understand the meaning of the word. Here, we are looking at a certain group of people who are called to do something that is set forth. There is a distinct purpose for them.

The context in Rom 8:28 indicates that "those being called" are the ones who "love God." A further look at the context is that "those being called" are referred to as saints back in verse 27. Anyone who trusts in the gospel of God's grace is called a saint (1 Cor 15:1-4). As a saint, or holy one, we have a distinct purpose, which is to share the message of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18-20). That is our calling today, if we are to walk worthy of who we are in Christ (Eph 4:1-3).

Romans 8:29
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

This is another verse that can be grossly misinterpreted because of the first 9 words. I've noticed that some people tend to place a period after the word predestinate. It's really not there, so again I ask the reader not to fall for that heresy. God is expanding on verses 27 and 28, so we're still talking about the saints here. That is the "whom" that God foreknew. We should understand that the God of the bible is omniscient. Since He knows all things, He would know which of mankind would choose to trust in Him and which would not. Don't let the word "foreknow" toss anyone around with strange theology. Keep in mind the characteristic of God, which is to have everyone saved from sin and death (1 Tim 2:4). It is man's choice whether to trust in God and receive the gift of His grace through Jesus Christ, or to reject it and suffer eternity in the lake of the fire.

Then there's the word "predestinate" which also confuses people. Please just read the whole verse, keep it in the context, and it will be crystal clear what God is saying. God knew who would choose to trust Him from the foundation of the world because God is not bound by time and knows all things. It was His great pleasure to give the gift of a glorified body to His saints of this dispensation. That's what the middle of this verse is saying. God predestinated that those He knew would be saints He would conform to the image of His Son. What is that image? Look at 1 Cor 15:35-54 and Phil 3:20-21. We've got a very shiny body that can never taste sin or death to look forward to once we meet our Savior in the air (1 Thess 4:16-17).

Now in the last part of the verse we see the desire of God to have relationship with mankind. He gave this amazing hope where we will be glorified and made pure by Him so that He can have many in His family. That is such a beautiful picture of His love. Many people dream of seeing their loved ones in Heaven. Here we see that God desires to see every single person like this in Heaven, but God uses an important little word here: many. He doesn't say all like we would like. That's another heresy, that all people are saved no matter what they do. Everyone has their choice, and for whatever reason, some will choose to go to the lake of fire for eternity. Please don't let that be you.

I can point out some things in the Greek on this verse. The very first word "for" is the Greek hoti, which is a conjunction meaning "since" or "because". God just talked about His Spirit making intercession for His saints and having all things work together for good for them. He does this because He predestined His saints to have a glorified body like unto Jesus' body and wants to share eternity with those who love Him like He loves them. Isn't that just beautiful of our Heavenly Father?

The word "foreknow" is literally that. It is the compound Greek word proginosko (pro = before, ginosko = knowledge by experience). This term and the Greek word for "predestinate" are both in the Aorist tense, because it is not as important as when it took place as the fact that it did. We know by studying God's word that this was done before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4-5). The word for predestinate is the Greek proorizo, a compound word of pro (before) and orizo (establish boundary or limit). Lastly, I want to point out that the phrase "that he might be the firstborn" is worded a bit different in the Greek. It more literally says, "to the point of (eis) Him to be the firstborn." There is not "might" here, as in maybe. The old English does mean a future state with the word might, but we should know that this is a stated fact. Jesus Christ will be the firstborn, that is a glorified body in Heaven, among many brothers, this is, all His saints.

Romans 8:30
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Based on what we just read in verses 27-29, this verse should come as no surprise. God is giving identity to His saints here. Remember how I said before that this chapter seems to be dedicated to identifying what a believer is in Christ? Here's more proof of that. Just ask yourself, "Who are 'those whom he did predestinate'?" The context clearly defines them as the saints, or those who trust in the gospel of God's grace (1 Cor 15:1-4, Eph 3:1-9). Those saints were predestinated to be conformed to the likeness or image of Jesus Christ (verse 29). Next we see the saints are called. What are the called to? The ministry of reconciliation (Rom 8:28, 2 Cor 5:18-20, Eph 4:1-3). Next we see that the saints are justified. We looked at that already in this epistle, and the bible student may want to revisit chapters 1-5. Finally, we come full circle and see that the saints are glorified.

Let it be known that every verb in this sentence is in the Aorist tense 3rd person singular. God does all of these things in the very moment that one puts their faith and trust in Jesus' atoning sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. We have all of this to look forward to realizing in Heaven one day (Eph 1:3). Doesn't that make you want to be a peculiar person zealous for good works, eagerly awaiting seeing Jesus Christ call us home (Titus 2:13-14)?

We've already seen all these words in the Greek before. The only other thing worth noting is that there are two uses of the word de. It is translated "moreover" at the beginning of the verse, and "and" in "and whom he justified." Both of those places, it could be translated as "now" to show the emphasis. "Now those He predestinated, them He also called. And those He called, them He also justified. Now those He justified them He also glorified."

Romans 8:31
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Don't you just love this logical progression? Take a look back at this chapter and see the amazing grace of God in identifying who the saint is. Look at how much God is for us, desiring for us to be with Him for all eternity with a glorified body, rejoicing with Him in His family of saints. So what could we possibly say to all of this? It is so wonderful that it is hard to put to words. Thank God that He does it anyway. Since God is for us, who could possibly be against us?

The first question in the English is word for word with the Greek. There are some things to point out in the second question, though. The word "if" is "ei" and could be translated as "since." There is a definite article to denote the God. That word "for" is "huper" and means above, beyond, or on behalf of. Here is another definition:

hypér ("beyond") is usually best translated "for the betterment (advantage) of," i.e. focusing on benefit [1]

The word translated "against" is "kata," which has this definition:

katá (a preposition, governing two grammatical cases) – properly, "down from, i.e. from a higher to a lower plane, with special reference to the terminus (end-point)" (J. Thayer) [1] [2].

Really, this is further identification of the saint. We know that God is omnipotent, and this chapter clearly shows how much He cares for us and how much He does for us. Since that is true, how could anything come down against us?

Romans 8:32
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

How awesome is this? God stopped at nothing to have a family of believers in Heaven with Him. He gave over His own Son that we may be with Him. If He's willing, and even joyful, to do that, why would He hold anything else back? We just read about how much God is for us, so now we're just following that thought out here.

As amazing as this verse already is, there is even more power in the Greek. There is a little word "ge" not translated. Ge is defined as an enclitic, emphasizing particle: at least, indeed, really, but generally too subtle to be represented in English [3]. Adding this emphasis, the verse starts like this, "He indeed had not spared His own Son." For the rest, I'll just have a literal translation with the Greek and then just the English in a better word order for convenient reading.

He indeed had not spared His own Son, but rather (alla) for (huper) us all delivered (paradidomi) Him. In what means (pos) not also with (sun) Him the all things (ta panta) will He grace us (charizomai)?

He indeed had not spared His own Son, but rather delivered Him for us all. In what means also with Him will He not grace us the all things?

Romans 8:33
Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

God established His Law and how to justify mankind. Since He's the one that makes the rules, how could any other bring any charge before God to any one of His saints? Clearly, there is nothing! God declared His saints justified in verse 30 and really also back in 3:21-30, 4:5, 23-25, 5:1, 9, 16, 18. Since God says that, how could any charge be brought against one of His saints?

The phrase "shall lay any thing to the charge" is just one word in the Greek: enkaleo. It is a compound word of en (in) and kaleo (call or summon). So literally it means to call in, like a debt, or bring to account. Then we see the word kata, which has already been defined. We could translate this as, "Who will bring to account against the elect of God?" The second part of the verse more literally says, "The God justifies."

Romans 8:34
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

A simple reminder of who is in control and will have the final judgment. It is Christ Jesus. This same Christ Jesus also intercedes for us on our behalf as He sits at the right hand of God the Father. This same Christ Jesus is the very Son of God, whom God the Father did not spare to bring us back to right relationship with Him. God acts on our behalf in all things, working them out for good (verses 26-28). Since God is most definitely for His saints, declaring them justified, and holds all judgment in Christ, who could possibly bring a charge against us?

There are a few things missing in the English here. First is that the full title of Christ Jesus is there, but only Christ was translated. The phrase "yea rather" is "de mallon", or "now rather" but the English there is pretty clear. There is a Greek phrase "ek nekron" which means "out of the dead" that wasn't translated after the phrase, "that is risen again." Interesting to note that the preposition translated "at" is the Greek "en," so it could say "who is in the right hand of God." There is a missing article for the God. The word "for" is "huper" to show that Jesus Christ makes intercession on our behalf. Putting all of that together, here is a more literal translation:

Who is the one condemning? Christ Jesus, the one having died, now rather having been raised up out of the dead, who also is in the right hand of the God, who also is interceding on behalf of us.

Romans 8:35
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

With God being for us, it's hard to imagine anything being against us. But is there something that can take away our relationship with Him? A legitimate question for sure. We would all like the security of being with Him no matter what, so God addresses that in these last few verses in this chapter. Some examples of things are given here and we realize we face them daily as in the next verse. We just need to read down to verse 37 for God's answer.

This verse is word for word with the Greek, except there is a missing article to denote the Christ.

Romans 8:36
As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

To help us understand the state we're in, God quotes Himself from Psalm 44:22. We do face death all around us every day, whether it be through sickness, the house needs fixing, the car is falling apart, our food decays in the fridge or pantry, or plants outside are withering. Everywhere we look we see the effects of Adam's transgression back in Eden. We know death looms over us, we just don't know when our day is up, which motivated Moses to ask God to teach us to number our days (Ps 90:12). So can any of this separate us from the love of the Christ?

This is nearly word for word with the Greek. There is a conjunction not translated so we can understand the quote better. It really starts of as "As it has been written (perfect tense) that for your sake we are killed all the day long." The word for "we are accounted" is logizomai, which we looked at extensively in chapter 4. This is the word we get the English logic from.

Romans 8:37
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

We get part of our answer here from God to the question in verse 35. No, nothing can separate us from the love of the Christ. On the contrary, God says we are super-conquering through Christ. And in case we don't yet understand, God gives us a further and emphatic definition in the last two verses that nothing can separate us from the love of the Christ.

The Greek doesn't exactly have the word no here. It starts with alla, meaning but rather. It's building off of verse 36 where God says that we are reckoned as sheep for the slaughter. That is true because of the sin and the death Adam brought to the world (Rom 5:12), but rather than that, we are super-conquering through Christ. It's an amazing difference for the saint, for the believer in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus atoning for their sins. God's power and love far surpasses the problem presented in verse 36.

The word for "more than conquerors" is the verb hupernikao. Huper we've already looked at in verse 31, and nikao is a verb meaning to conquer. This compound word means to above and beyond conquer. The verb "to love" is in the Aorist tense here, so here is a more literal translation of this verse:

But rather in all these things we more than conquer through the one having loved us.

Romans 8:38
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

This is the first of the list to be concluded in the next verse. I'm honestly not sure why these last two verses are split up where they are. It should just be one long verse to embrace how awesome it is to be part of God's family, accepted in Christ, the beloved one (Eph 1:6). Let's just take a look at the Greek to understand what is being said here.

The words "I am persuaded" is the same word translated "faith" in many other places. It is Perfect case of peitho. That means that it has been established that the apostle Paul has faith in what follows. That should get us all excited because, the apostle Paul received direct revelations from Jesus Christ Himself (2 Cor 12:1, Gal 1:11-12). We too can be completely convinced of the facts that follow in this statement.

Death, life, and angels are word for word translated. But then we get out of order with the Greek with what comes next. The word "principalities" is the Greek "arche," a verb meaning beginning. it also can mean the most preeminent, and is translated rulers a handful of times. However, the vast majority is translated as beginning, to the tune of 38 out of 56 times the word occurs. But note how it is in order of the Greek here. It says arche, then enistemi (literally in-stand, meaning at hand or present), and then mello (about to be or intend). To me, this shows past, present, and future, and the time aspect is the focus. After those three things is mentioned powers, which is from the word dunamis and can mean power o or ability. It is true that word order doesn't necessarily matter in the Greek, but there is still some weight to what comes first. Usually, that's where the emphasis is. Interesting to note that "things present" and "things to come" are both verbs whereas the others are nouns. Here is a more literal translation:

I am persuaded indeed, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor beginnings, nor things being present, nor things about to be, nor powers

Romans 8:39
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is the conclusion of the list that puts the emphatic period that absolutely nothing can take us away from God when we are in Christ. What a wonderful security we have in Christ, who gave us the seal of the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption (Eph 1:13-14, etc.). Christ Jesus is the one who will judge and condemn, but we are accepted in Him (Eph 1:6). So we can say with assurance and full understanding that all in Adam are dead and separated from God, dead in trespasses and sins and destined for eternal life in the lake of the fire (Rom 5:12, Eph 2:1-3, Rev 20:11-15). But all in Christ are alive and shall be with God for eternity in Heaven, with absolute certainty that nothing can possibly ever separate the saints from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Eph 1:3-14, 2:4-7. etc.)

Everything here is word for word with the Greek. I can point out the creature is the Greek ktisis, which refers to everything that God created out of nothing. The only other thing is that there is a definite article to denote the God. What an amazing, glorious, and wonderful God we have! Praise the Lord for fixing the problem of the sin and the death brought into the world through the transgression of Adam! May all understand the grace and security we have in Christ, and be compelled to share the blessed ministry of reconciliation at any opportunity!

References HELPS Word-studies [1]
Thayer's Greek Lexicon [2]
Strong's Concordance [3]