Video Notes:

• Yesterday, we looked at the first verse. What a wonderful assurance. We touched on why there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, but verses 2-8 lays it out for us.
• Substitutionary atonement.
  • Substitution – Something, or in this case someone, takes the place of someone else. Jesus took our place. He came as a man, someone of the same blood, yet He didn’t sin. He lived a righteous life according to the Spirit instead of a sinful life according to the flesh, like we have.
  • Atonement – This is restoring our relationship with God. Sin separated us from God, but atonement brings us back together, it reconciles us. Atonement happens by the shedding of blood and giving up of life like in the Day of Atonement.
  • Jesus offered Himself as the atoning sacrifice for us. He paid the penalty for our sins by shedding His blood and giving up His life. He removed our sins from us and reconciled us to God.
  • Vs 4 says that Christ didn’t just take our punishment, but He also fulfilled the requirements of the Law for us and works that in us.
  • The Law, weakened by the flesh, couldn’t do it. It could only happen by the substitutionary atonement by Jesus who was without sin. Where the Law, weakened by the flesh was powerless to save, the Gospel is the power of God for salvation for all who believe.
• Setting your mind on the things of the Spirit. Don’t turn this into the Law!! This is Gospel. Stay focused on the Gospel. In the Gospel, we also set our minds on God’s ways as a gift to us. This is the mind in chapter seven that wants to do what is right.
• The mind set on the flesh is death, whether it’s the fleshly desires toward sin or the fleshly desire to make yourself righteous on your own. Both are of the flesh and both lead to death. The flesh cannot submit to God.
• Read Romans 8:12-17 in preparation for Sunday.