How do we overcome the old Adam according to Romans 8?
The answer is the Holy Spirit. Romans 8 presents the indwelling Spirit as the believer’s law, providing the way to overcome the old Adam after chapter 7’s dilemma of defeat. The Law could not accomplish this because it was weak through the flesh.
Les explains that in the first seven chapters of Romans, Paul lays the groundwork of how we ended up in sin and under condemnation, and how Christ died so we might be justified and forgiven. Chapter 7 raises the dilemma: how can I overcome that old Adam and keep it in defeat? The answer, Les says, is Romans chapter 8 and the Holy Spirit. The indwelling Spirit now becomes our Law, if you want to put it that way. In the context of verse 3, Les notes Paul is not merely speaking of a fact like the law of gravity or the law of sin and death; he is speaking of the Mosaic Law, the Ten Commandments, or the whole sphere of Judaism. The Law could not do what was needed because it was weak through the flesh.
More Questions
What struggle is Paul going through in Romans 7?
In Romans 7, Paul is going through the awful turmoil that all people experience at one time or another.
What is everything moving toward in Romans 8?
According to Paul, everything is moving toward the day when we will have the final redemption of the body.