Exegetical Analysis – Romans 8:1-8
NGRK 505: Greek Language Tools
June 17, 2025
Contents
Introduction............................................................................................................................1
Historical Context....................................................................................................................1
Literary Context......................................................................................................................2
No Condemnation in Christ Jesus (Romans 8: 1-2)...................................................................3
Doing What the Law Can’t (Romans 8: 3-4).............................................................................4
Living by the Spirit (Romans 8: 5-8).........................................................................................5
Conclusion..............................................................................................................................6
Bibliography............................................................................................................................8
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Introduction
The Apostle Paul wrote several letters to various churches throughout his journey. One of
these letters was the epistle to the Romans which is the sixth book within the New Testament.
While there have been many different translations of each of the Apostle Paul’s letters, the
purpose of this paper is to conduct an exegetical analysis of Romans 8:1-8, to gain a true
understanding of the passage. This letter was written when Christianity was still in its early
stages and because of this, many believers did not have a solid foundation on how to live
effectively as a Christian. In this passage, Paul is telling the believers in the Roman Church that
they have been set free from spiritual bondage because of the death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ on the cross. Within this passage, Paul is also admonishing the church to continue living
in the Spirit and not according to the flesh and its sinful desires.
Historical Context
The author of this text is the Apostle Paul according to most scholars. It is widely accepted by
scholars that the letter to the Romans was written in the winter of AD 56-57 while Paul was
spending the winter in Corinth.1 The letter was meant to serve as a welcome as Paul intended
later to travel to Rome sometime after the Roman Church had received the letter.2 Perhaps this
explains why Romans is the longest of the written epistles that scholars are aware of. Paul’s
audience within this letter are believers of Christ Jesus. They are comprised of both Jews and
non-Jews.3 Paul’s audience in Rome also knew of him somewhat. They knew that his teachings
and preaching of the gospel was most accepted by Jews but was generally rejected by Jews.4 It is
1 Aaron Sherwood, Romans: A Structural, Thematic, and Exegetical Commentary (Faithlife Corporation,
2020), 19.
2 Ibid.
3 Sherwood, Romans, 19.
4 Ibid., 15.
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important to make a distinction between the audience and the target of the letter. The audience
is the believers in the newly formed Roman Church, while the target of the letter specifically are
the unbelieving Jews in Rome.5
Literary Context
Because of his educational background in Tarsus, the Apostle Paul was very fluent in Greek
and was most likely fluent in Israel’s scriptures in both Greek and Hebrew.6 For example, the
Greek term “χάρις” translates to “grace.” This generally refers to the gift of salvation from God
which is not earned and comes with no conditions attached.7 However, χάρις, appears to
suggest both the Jewish background connotation or the royal metaphor that is used for
describing God in scripture as well as the Greco-Roman concept of the conditional gift that is
essential to the vital social institution of patron-client relationships.8 Some scholars submit that
Paul’s argument in Romans 8 is not to persuade his audience of their sin and their need for
repentance, but instead to remind the reader that they can experience the full grace and mercy
of God by choosing to live through the spirit and not by the flesh.9 During the Koine period (300
BC – 330 AD), Greek was often spoken as a second language. Trade and travel made this
language even more common.10 This resulted in a “common” or ordinary dialect of Greek. This is
referred to as κοινὴ διάλεκτος or “common dialect.”11 The expression of Koine Greek within the
5 Jacobus Kok, Let God Be True: Perspectives on Romans 3 (Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, LLC), 5.
6 Sherwood, Romans., 24.
7 Ibid., 68.
8 Ibid.
9 Kok, Perspectives on Romans 3, 169.
10 Andreas J. Köstenberger, et al. Going Deeper with New Testament Greek: An Intermediate Study of the
Grammar and Syntax of the New Testament, (B&H Publishing Group, 2016), 28.
11 Ibid.
12 Ibid.
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New Testament is very fluid and moves toward some explicit expressions while keeping
syntactical constructions simpler in nature.12 Paul does this because he does not want his
audience to be confused with what he is trying to say regarding the Gospel of Christ Jesus and
the gift of salvation that comes as a result of His sacrifice on the cross.
No Condemnation in Christ Jesus (Romans 8: 1-2)
The opening verse of this passage is a very significant declaration: ο#δ#ν #ρα ν#ν κατ#κριμα
το#ς #ν Χριστ# #ησο# which means “So then, [there is] now no condemnation for those who
are in Christ Jesus.” This statement does not have a finite verb, so it then is understood as a
theological pronouncement: “No condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”12 The
postpositive particle ρα (so then, you see) help to emphasize the significance of this statement.13
In this section, Paul wants to fully express how important it is for believers to be active
participants within the identity of Christ as Savior and the Holy Spirit. Paul uses a series of short
phrases which begin with the Greek preposition en which can be translated as “in” and can
mean “among.”14 Verse one & two is a good example of this as the English translation states:
“those who are in Christ Jesus” & “the law of the Spirit in Christ Jesus.”15 These groups of
phrases help in articulating Paul’s theology of participation in salvation. To Paul, it is not
something you are passive in. He is calling the Romans to be active participants in salvation. The
declaration of “no condemnation” is important as it highlights how Jesus Christ has set
humanity free after the fall of man in Genesis. Within this new reality of life under the
12 Richard N. Longenecker, The Epistle to the Romans. (Bielefeld: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 2016), 155.
13 Ibid.
14 Gorman. Romans 201.
15 Gorman. Romans 201.
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resurrection, the Spirit replaces Sin while life also replaces death.16 This is not simply for the
Jews, but now for everyone, Gentiles included. The gift of salvation is extended to everyone
outside of Israel, to all who choose to except Christ.17 The law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus
that Paul mentions in verse two contrasts with the law of Moses. While the law of Moses was
good for a time, it could not rectify fully the issue of sin and death and that is what Paul wants
to convey to the Romans.19
Doing What the Law Can’t (Romans 8: 3-4)
Paul notes in this verse that the law of Moses was not sufficient for salvation, and because of
that, God needed a replacement. The phrase καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας (“and concerning [or ‘with
respect to’] sin”), which appears after σαρκὸς ἁμαρτίας (sinful flesh/humanity), is extremely
well attested in the textual tradition.18 Paul chooses to emphasize this “sinful flesh” as it is in
direct contradiction to the Spirit which would appear to be one of Paul’s main messages within
this section. Based on this passage, Paul wants to articulate to the Roman church that the law of
Moses was indeed good for a time but ultimately could not lead to eternal salvation with God.
In verse four of the text, Paul attempts to articulate that life is not a spiritual “free-for-all” as
some people might believe. To live in and with Christ and the Spirit is to live according to, or in
sync with (Gk. kata), the Spirit rather than the flesh as Paul describes in verse four.19 As Gorman
describes it, “the Spirit enables the children of God to resemble their Father by resembling his
16 Ibid., 203.
17 Ibid.
19 Ibid.
18 Richard N. Longenecker, The Epistle to the Romans (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2016),
902.
19 Gorman. Romans, 202.
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Son, who is their elder brother. Living in Christ means living according to Christ.”20 Paul is not
attempting to say that the law of Moses is invalid or no longer of importance as some might
believe. Instead, Paul is trying to convey that the old law is not what will save a person, but that
salvation comes through believing in Christ Jesus who died on the cross while also receiving the
power of the Holy Spirit because of the resurrection.
Living by the Spirit (Romans 8: 5-8)
Paul presents two diametrically opposed mind-sets and modes of human existence within
these four verses and their respective results.21 Paul attempts to hammer the point home in this
section about how (1) living by the flesh (or controlled by sinful nature) leads to spiritual death
while (2) living by the spirit (or controlled by the Spirit) leads to eternal life. All four of the
sentences in 58 are introduced by one of the conjunctions γάρ (for), διοτι (because), or δέ (but,
and).22 Longenecker points out: “these conjunctions are simply used to express ideas of
connection or continuation in spelling out what is involved with respect to these two different
mind-sets and modes of existence, and therefore do not need to be translated.”23 It is apparent
that Paul is trying to articulate that thoughts and actions have consequences for Christians and
non-believers alike. Verse five says “people who live according to the sinful nature” (οἱ κατὰ
σάρκα ὄντες) or expressed in a different manner “people who are controlled by the sinful
nature” (οἱ ἐν σαρκὶ ὄντες) as expressed in verse eight, have θάνατο (death) as their reward (v.
6).24 This manner or method of thinking and living are ἔχθρα εἰς θεόν (hostile to God), as
20 Ibid.
21 Longenecker, Epistle to Romans, 908.
22 Ibid., 923.
23 Ibid., 923.
24 Longenecker, Epistle to Romans, 923.
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expressed in verse seven, and t hose who think and act like this are θεῷ ἀρέσαι οὐ δύνανται
(unable to please God) in verse eight.25 Several scholars have debated through the years
regarding the interpretation of 8:5-8. Was Paul describing the differences between Christians
and non-Christians or is Paul perhaps referring to Christians who after a while, turn back to their
ways of living in the sinful nature before they became Christians?26 Jesus said in Luke: “No one,
having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62).
From this, it is apparent that Paul is most likely talking about the latter and not the former. As
Longenecker explains: “For thinking and living “according to the fleshly nature” is not only the
situation of the unregenerate, but also a real possibility, as well as a sad reality, for many who
claim to be Christ’s own.”27
Conclusion
While it is not explicitly clear why Paul wrote the letter to the Romans in the first place28, it is
still one of the most important books within the New Testament. Paul wrote this letter during
the very early years of the Christian Church. Many believers still held on to the law of Moses
from the days of the Old Testament. While the law was important during that time, the death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ changed everything. It offered salvation to those who believed
in Jesus Christ and gave way for the Holy Spirit to rest in the hearts of those who believed in
Christ. Paul’s letter to the Roman Church was a reminder that living by the sinful nature or flesh
was in contradiction to living by the Spirit of God. While there have been several theological
25 Ibid.
26 Ibid., 924.
27 Ibid.
28 Moo, Douglas J. Encountering the Book of Romans (Encountering Biblical Studies): A Theological Survey.
(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014), 17.
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themes found in Romans that have emerged as points of contention in recent years29, one thing
is certain and that is: either a person can live through the spirit or live through the flesh. You
cannot do both, and Paul highlights this well throughout 8:1-8 as well as Romans as a whole.
Bibliography
Edwards, Jonathan. The Power of God: A Jonathan Edwards Commentary on the Book of
Romans. Edited by David S. Lovi and Benjamin Westerhoff. Cambridge: The Lutterworth
Press, 2013.
Gorman, Michael J. Romans: A Theological and Pastoral Commentary. Grand Rapids,
29 Johnathan Edwards, The Power of God: A Jonathan Edwards Commentary on the Book of Romans.
(Cambridge: The Lutterworth Press, 2013), 4.
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Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2022.
Kok, Jacobus (Kobus), Jermo Van Nes, and Jeremy Otten, eds. Let God Be True: Perspectives on
Romans 3. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press LLC, 2023.
Köstenberger, Andreas J, Benjamin L Merkle, and Robert L Plummer. Going Deeper with New
Testament Greek: An Intermediate Study of the Grammar and Syntax of the New
Testament. Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Academic, 2016.
Longenecker, Richard N. The Epistle to the Romans: A Commentary on the Greek Text. Grand
Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2016.
Moo, Douglas J. Encountering the Book of Romans: A Theological Survey. Second edition.
Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2014.
Sherwood, Aaron. Romans: A Structural, Thematic, and Exegetical Commentary. Bellingham,
WA: Lexham Press, 2020.
