Asian Beacon

MAKING SENSE OF SCRIPTURES
DO WE HAVE A
CHOICE?
By Project Barnabas
French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre said,
“Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you.”
In Romans 8, Paul proclaims Christian liberty in a world of sin.
Christians are not obliged to live a life of the flesh (v12) but are
free to live a life of the Spirit (v9). Yet, all of creation groans
with the imperfection of nature (v22) until its anticipated
renewal. Then, Paul further compares nature with no choice
(v20) to Christians with the freedom to choose to live beyond the
conditioning of our circumstances. What exactly did Paul mean
by that and how can we apply this to our lives today?
The church in Rome was a mix
of Jews and Gentile Christians
who sometimes disagreed about
what made a person acceptable
to God and how the followers of
Christ should live. With this in mind, Paul
wrote a letter which encompassed most
aspects of Christian living, ranging from
theology to practical application.
The apostle showed that the Law was
incapable of producing sanctification or
peace of mind but teaches that it was faith
which made a person acceptable to God.
This did not mean the Law was useless or
that the people who followed it were no
longer part of God’s people. Paul wanted
to stress that only faith in Christ and the
gift of the Spirit, rather than the Law, can
cope with human sinfulness.
To the cultural Jews, Paul was trying to
explain that the gospel of Christ effected
what the Law was incapable of doing
in giving life (Christ came to fulfill the
requirements of the Law!) and delivering
from condemnation (8:1-13). The Law
emphasised the soul’s captivity to sin.
Christ’s sacrifice changed that and they
now had a choice of living according to
the sinful nature or according to the Spirit
(8:4). Whatever they chose would have
consequences of either death or life (8:13).
We are slaves
Basically, we get to choose whom we want
to control us (8:6-8), whether to be a slave
to sin or slave to righteousness. And that’s
about as much freedom as we’re ever
going to get in this life. But according to
Paul, that’s not bad because it also means
we get to taste what it is to live
beyond the conditioning of
our circumstances that is
a life NOT under the
control of the law of
sin and death.
Nature (either
Jews who still live
by the Law, or
unbelievers who
have God’s law
written in their
hearts) does not
know the work of
Christ and does
not know there is
an option to choose
from. No matter how hard he tries, he will
still fail and feel condemned by the Law.
The condition of all creation is one of
bondage and servitude – associated with
imperfection, pain, sorrow, and death.
It is just the way things are and we
should not be surprised, therefore, if it is
the condition of us Christians as well (8:22-
23). But Christians have hope. Practical
reality shows us that the Christian is not
immediately delivered from this but it is a
working through which takes a lifetime of
willful doggedness and daily dying to self
through the renewal of our mind (12:2).
No excuse
Christians have no excuse to say “I can’t
help it” because they have the availability of
the Spirit who helps them in their weakness
by interceding for them according to God’s
will (8:26−27). Christian liberty comes
from the knowledge and acceptance of the
work of Christ on the cross, that is, Christ
fulfilling the requirements of the Law.
A Christian who lives by the Spirit
chooses not to fulfill the desires of the flesh
because he knows that it leads to life, versus
living by the flesh that leads to death. The
knowledge of this and the power to choose
is the liberty that Christians have.
According to Paul, the Spirit dwells in
us and His indwelling is designed to help
us live as sons and heirs of God and coheirs
with Christ (8:17). We can therefore
choose not to indulge in the desires of the
flesh’s corrupt propensities and passions.
Although the believer has present sufferings
(8:18), he can experience joy and peace
that transcends all understanding AND he
has hope of complete deliverance from sin
and death also known as the anticipated
renewal. The Law no longer has power
over a Christian who accepts the grace of
Christ.
Project Barnabas is a global online programme
to study every book of the Bible in the
context of its genres, intended messages and
applications for our lives today. It is divided
into two 20-week semesters a year and is
suitable for individual quiet time or cell group
studies. For more information, go to http://
www.actministry.org/project-barnabas/
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