The Focus of the Entire Book of Romans - "Christ... in You"

 

The Focus of the Entire Book of Romans - "Christ... in You"

Romans 8:10 "And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness."

Romans 8:13 "For if you live according to the flesh, you must die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body, you will live."

Romans 8:4-5 "That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit. For those who are according to the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but those who are according to the spirit, the things of the Spirit."

Romans 8:11 "And if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you."

Romans 3:24-25 "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation through faith in His blood, for the demonstrating of His righteousness." 

Aspect	Christ... in You	Relevant Scripture
Meaning	1. Christ as the Spirit dwells in the believer's spirit, becoming the believer's inner life 2. The ultimate purpose of redemption is for Christ to dwell in believers 3. Christ Himself is the Spirit, and the Spirit of Christ is Christ in us 4. As Redeemer, He is called "Christ"; as Indweller, He is called "the Spirit"	Romans 8:9 "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Yet if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Him." Romans 4:24-25 "But also for us, to whom it will be imputed, as those who believe on Him who has raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses and was raised for our justification." Romans 6:3-5 "Or are you ignorant that as many as have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? We have been buried therefore with Him through baptism into His death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so also we might walk in newness of life. For if we have grown together with Him in the likeness of His death, indeed we will also be in the likeness of His resurrection." Romans 8:2 "For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death." Romans 8:6 "For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace." Romans 8:1 "There is now then no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:14 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." Romans 12:1-2 "I exhort you therefore, brothers, through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect." Romans 8:37-39 "But in all these things we more than conquer through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Process	1. Christ shed His blood on the cross to redeem us (Romans 3) 2. Christ is in resurrection (Romans 4) 3. We are in Christ (Romans 6) 4. Christ as the Spirit is in us (Romans 8)
Function	1. Christ enters into us to be life 2. Exposes the deadness of our body 3. In our spirit, Christ as the Spirit becomes righteousness, resulting in life 4. Brings life to our spirit
Result	1. The outer body is dead because of sin, but the inner spirit is life because of righteousness 2. Not only is God's Spirit life, but our regenerated spirit also becomes life 3. Believers can no longer be troubled by the dead body 4. The indwelling Christ brings life to our spirit through righteousness
Application	1. Walk according to the spirit, not according to the flesh 2. Put to death the practices of the body 3. Let the Spirit of Christ lead us to become sons of God 4. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, live out the reality of Christ dwelling within 5. Not be subject to the sin and death of the flesh, but live in Christ's life and peace

 

Conclusion:

The focus of the entire Book of Romans is "Christ in you." This revelation progresses from Christ's redemptive work on the cross (Romans 3), to His resurrection (Romans 4), to our being in Christ (Romans 6), and finally to Christ as the Spirit dwelling in us (Romans 8). This indwelling Christ becomes life to our spirit through righteousness, though our body remains dead because of sin. The indwelling Christ exposes the deadness of our body while bringing life to our spirit. In our spirit, Christ as the Spirit operates as righteousness, resulting in life; in our flesh, Satan operates as sin, resulting in death. The ultimate goal of salvation is not merely justification before God, but the indwelling Christ becoming our subjective life experience, transforming us from within.

 

*Please refer to the 2025 International Chinese Conference Romans 5-8 - The Core of the Bible Chapter 5: The Indwelling Christ

God's Spirit vs. Christ's Spirit

 

God's Spirit vs. Christ's Spirit

Rom 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

Rom 8:10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but your Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. 

Item	God's Spirit	Christ's Spirit	Relationship
Meaning	Refers to the spiritual essence of the Triune God, who has existed from eternity past, created the universe, and is the origin of all things	Is the embodiment and reality of Christ who became flesh, including the Spirit of all the work and experiences Christ accomplished	Both are actually different terms for the same Spirit, emphasizing different aspects
Function	• Enables believers to live in the spirit rather than in the flesh • Expands from the believer's spirit to the soul (mind), giving life to the mortal body • Acts as the indwelling Spirit of life	• Makes believers belong to Christ • Dispenses Christ Himself into believers • Enables believers to experience and enjoy Christ	The same Spirit operates from different perspectives, dispensing the Triune God into believers
Distinction	Emphasizes the divine source and divine nature	Emphasizes Christ's experiences of incarnation, humanity, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension	Not two Spirits, but different designations of the same Spirit
Application	• Through this Spirit believers are freed from the flesh • Gives life to the body • Enables believers to live in the spirit rather than in the flesh	• Enables believers to belong to Christ • Enables believers to be united with Christ as one • Enables believers to live in Christ's resurrection	Through this, believers can experience the complete Triune God
Related Scriptures	• Romans 8:9-11 "If the Spirit of God dwells in you, you are not in the flesh but in the spirit" • Romans 8:11 "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you"	• Romans 8:9 "However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him" • 2 Corinthians 3:17 "The Lord is the Spirit" • 2 Timothy 4:22 "The Lord be with your spirit" • 1 Corinthians 6:17 "But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit"	• Romans 8:9-11 mentions both "the Spirit of God" and "the Spirit of Christ" • Romans 8:2 "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free"

 

Conclusion Points:

1.      The Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ are not two Spirits, but different designations of the same Spirit.

2.      "The Spirit of God" emphasizes that this Spirit belongs to the eternal God, the source of creation.

3.      "The Spirit of Christ" emphasizes that this Spirit is the embodiment of Christ who went through the processes of incarnation, human living, death, resurrection, and ascension.

4.      Operating in believers is the Triune Spirit of the Triune God, dispensing Christ as life to believers.

5.      The interchangeable use of these two names indicates that the indwelling Spirit of life is the all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit of the entire Triune God.

 

*Please refer to the 2025 International Chinese Conference Romans 5-8 - The Core of the Bible Chapter 5: The Indwelling Christ

Why Did Paul Place Funeral and Wedding Together in Romans 7:4?

 

Why Did Paul Place Funeral and Wedding Together in Romans 7:4?

Rom 7:4 So then, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.

Rom 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were at work through the law were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.

Rom 7:6 But now we have been released from the law, having died to that by which we were held captive, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter. 

Aspect	Why Did Paul Place Funeral and Wedding Together in Romans 7:4?
Reason	Paul uses the juxtaposition of funeral and wedding to illustrate the believer's identity transformation:  we have died as the old person and are united with Christ as the new person. This dual metaphor perfectly demonstrates the believer's new relationship with the law and with Christ.
Interrelationship	1. Funeral: We have died to the law, freed from the "old husband" (our old self) 2. Wedding: We are joined to the new husband (Christ), becoming the bride 3. Death releases one from old obligations (the law), while marriage establishes a new life relationship
Examples	1. Old husband (old self) → Death → Freedom from the bondage of the law 2. New person (wife) → Union with the resurrected Christ → Bearing fruit to God 3. The old relationship produces death, the new relationship produces God's life
Application	1. Believers no longer live by the law but by the indwelling Spirit, bearing fruit 2. Our actions are no longer dead works but bearing fruit to God 3. We serve not according to the old way of the law but according to the new way of the Spirit 4. In Christ we "die to live" and "die to marry," receiving a new source of life
Related Scripture	1. Romans 7:4-6 - The juxtaposition of funeral and wedding 2. Galatians 2:19-20 - The concept of "dying to live" 3. Romans 6:4-5 - Dying and resurrecting with Christ 4. 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Becoming a new creation in Christ 5. Galatians 5:22-23 - The fruit of the Spirit 6. Ephesians 5:31-32 - The mysterious marriage relationship between Christ and the church

 

This juxtaposition reveals the core transformation of Christian life:

our old self has died, freeing us from the bondage of the law; simultaneously, we are brought into a living relationship with Christ, bearing fruit in His resurrection life. This is not merely a positional change but a transformation in practical living: from bearing fruit to death to bearing fruit to God.

 

*Please refer to the 2025 International Chinese Conference Romans 5-8 - The Core of the Bible Chapter 4: The New Husband

The Three Functions of God's Law

 

The Three Functions of God's Law

Psalm 19:7-8 "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes."

Leviticus 19:2 "Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: 'You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.'"

Exodus 20:1-17 "And God spoke all these words, saying..." (The Ten Commandments)

Romans 7:24-25 "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."

Philippians 2:12-13 "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." 

Function	Description	Purpose	Example	Application	Related Scripture
To Portray and Clarify God	The law as God's testimony is actually a portrait of God, revealing God's attributes and nature	To let people know what kind of God He is: holy, perfect, righteous, loving	Leviticus 19:2: "You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy" Matthew 5:48: "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect"	Through the law to know God's attributes and understand God's expectations for people	Deuteronomy 6:4-5 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." Romans 3:20 "Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin." Galatians 3:24 "Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith."
To Expose Human Nature	The law serves as a mirror, reflecting the true condition and sinful nature of humanity	To make people aware of their sinful nature and see that they cannot meet God's standard	Paul's experience in Romans 7: "When the commandment came, sin revived and I died" "Sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me"	To make people recognize their weakness and inability, cultivate a humble heart, and seek God's help
To Conquer People and Lead Them to God	After being exposed by the law, people need to be conquered, admitting that they cannot fulfill the requirements of the law	To humble people, make them give up their own efforts, turn to God, and accept God's work in them	The rich young man in Matthew 19 who left sorrowfully because he could not give up his wealth (an example of one who was not conquered) The believers in Philippians 2 are exhorted to work out their salvation with fear and trembling	To acknowledge that one cannot reach God's standard, to receive God into us to become our life and power, enabling us to fulfill God's requirements	Romans 8:3-4 "For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

 

The ultimate purpose of the law is to lead us to recognize our need for God's life, to receive God into us, to become one with God, letting God live in us, and for us to live out God's life. This is the basic principle of divine revelation in the Bible.

 

*Please refer to the 2025 International Chinese Conference Romans 5-8 - The Core of the Bible Chapter 4: The New Husband

How to Bear Fruit to God as Christ's Wife?

 

How to Bear Fruit to God as Christ's Wife?

Romans 7:4 "Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God."

Colossians 3:17-18 "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord." 

Aspect	Bear Fruit to God as Christ's Wife	Related Scripture
Reason	• Believers have died to the law through the body of Christ to belong to Christ • Transition from old husband (old self) to new husband (Christ) • Living in resurrection and unto God • As regenerated persons (bride/wife) having intimate relationship with God	Romans 7:4 "Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God."
Method	• Living in resurrection and unto God • Everything we are and do is related to God • Bringing forth God as our expression • Having the living God as our fruit	Romans 6:11 "Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:13 "And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God."
Examples	• The widow of Zarephath receiving Elijah (serving God's servant) • Ruth's loyalty and service to Naomi • Mary's humble submission to God's call • Priscilla serving the Lord together with her husband Aquila	1 Kings 17:8-16 Ruth 1:16-17 Luke 1:38 "Then Mary said, 'Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.'" Acts 18:24-26
Application	• Connecting everything we are and do with God • Expressing God's attributes in daily life • Turning from old thought patterns to the mind of Christ • Living a life of submission, godliness, and love • Practicing intimate communion with God in the Spirit	Colossians 3:17-18 "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord." 1 Peter 3:1-6 Titus 2:3-5
Manifestation of Fruit-bearing	• Manifesting the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, etc.) • Living out Christ's life in the family • Becoming a testimony through submissive attitude • Glorifying God through godly conduct • Leading others to know God through testimony	Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." Titus 2:4-5 "That they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed."

 

This table presents a complete picture of how to bear fruit to God as Christ's wife, from the spiritual significance of transformation to practical application and specific scriptures. The key is transitioning from the old person to the new, living unto God in resurrection, so that all we are and do can express God Himself, becoming the overflow of God.

 

*Please refer to the 2025 International Chinese Conference Romans 5-8 - The Core of the Bible Chapter 4: The New Husband