The situation in the church in Rome was a stalemate, involving Jewish and

Gentile Christians pointing fingers at each other over theological

differences. Paul responds pastorally to their underlying question: who’s

right and who needs to change? By Romans 8, Paul establishes that Jesus is

right. He then makes the case that both groups (us included) need to

change. Change comes by the Spirit. We are energized to live as the

righteous people we already are. Righteousness is about how we relate to

God and one another, it’s about how we share the table. The change that God

wants to bring is an internal one that produces outward results most

notable in our capacity to love and share. This kind of change is not just

up to the Spirit; we are not passive in it, nor is obedience automatic – we

participate. As we live by the Spirit, we’re reminded of our adoption into

God’s family where we’re made new, all history, all curses, all regrets are

done away with and we hear again God’s love for us. And nothing can

separate us from his love.

By Raul Sandoval