Romans 8
Romans 8 is the eighth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It was authored by Paul the Apostle, while he was in Corinth in the mid-50s AD, with the help of an amanuensis (secretary), Tertius, who added his own greeting in . Chapter 8 concerns "the Christian's spiritual life." The reformer Martin Luther stated that this chapter is where Paul "comforts fighters" involved in an inner struggle between spirit and flesh: The Holy Spirit assures us that we are God's children no matter how furiously sin may rage  within us, so long as we follow the Spirit and struggle against sin in order to kill it. Text. The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 39 verses. Textual witnesses. Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: The Spirit of life (8:1–13). This part deals with the Christian's deliverance from "condemnation", which is the penalty of death because of the sin people are living under, by virtue of believers' union with Christ (). Verse 1. The discourse in the previous chapter continues in Romans 8:1 with the illative word ("ara"), generally  translated as "so" or "therefore", or "consequently" in Thayer's Greek Lexicon. The vocabulary and the content of verse 1 point back to the end of chapter 5 as the basis of the conclusion which Paul starts with "therefore". Paul argues that Christians are set free from the condemnation ("katakrima", cf. verses 16 and 18) caused by Adam because they have been joined to Jesus Christ. This he iterates after his digression in chapters 6–7. Methodist founder John Wesley concurs that Paul "resumes the thread of his discourse" from , following a digression (in ) regarding sin and the Mosaic Law: whereas  theologians Heinrich Meyer and Harold Buls are content to link the inference with the immediately preceding text: Buls explains that Paul's "real self" serving God is his mind and not his flesh. Meyer goes on to distinguish between two alternative readings of "There is ... now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus": or He prefers the former reading "as a matter of fact that has become historical" rather than the latter reading, attributed to Lutheran theologian Johann Hofmann. The Spirit of adoption (8:14–17). Continuing the theme of 'life' in verses 1–13, the following paragraph (verses 14–17) deals  with 'sonship', describing 'the wonderful and comforting truth that Christians have been adopted into God's own family, so God's Spirit can confer life on us (13–14) and we can be "heirs" with a glorious prospect for the future (17–18). Thus, this short passage provides a transition between the previous and the next part. The Spirit of glory (8:18–30). In this part Paul further develops his whole theme of Christian assurance, which he started in chapter 5, elaborating on the Christian's hope of glory, based on the knowledge that 'God has determined to bring us though to our  inheritance (18–22, 29–30), providentially working on behalf of his children (verse 28) and having given his Spirit as the guarantee for their final redemption (verse 30). Verse 28. This verse can be seen in the context of verses 29–30 (and in larger context: verses 18–39) that 'those who love God' are not promised to only experience good things, but would also suffer the woes and persecution of the present age, yet God can use all these to his divine purpose, and He has everything under control. God's everlasting love (8:31–39). Anglican Bishop Charles Ellicott describes the final section of  this chapter () as "a sublime and triumphant conclusion" and Erasmus of Rotterdam remarks that "Cicero never said anything grander". Verse 31. "If God be for us, who can be against us?" ("Si deus nobiscum, quis contra nos?") became widespread as a motto. It is an aria for Soprano in Handel's "Messiah" (1741). Verse 32. Hill regards this verse 32 'especially poignant' as it borrows the language from the account of the binding of Isaac in Genesis 22 (: "you have not withheld your son, your only son"), but God made the sacrifice, that even Abraham was "spared". Verse 35. The  first part of this verse, either in its full form (Latin: "Quis ergo nos separabit a caritate Christi?") or shortened as "Quis separabit?", is often used as a motto. The list of "hardship (KJV: "tribulation")... or sword" recalls the real afflictions that the people of Israel experienced in history, as summarized in the quote in verse 36. Verse 36. The citation from in Greek is exactly as in the Septuagint (numbered as Psalm 43:22). A hymn to God's love. Verses 38–39. The New Jerusalem Bible suggests that the "principalities", "like 'angels' and 'princes' are among the mysterious cosmic or  elemental forces which to the mind of antiquity were in general hostile to humanity. The 'heights' and 'depths' represent Heaven and Hell, also conceived as powers." Uses. Music. The King James Version of verse 34 from this chapter is cited as texts in the English-language oratorio "Messiah" by George Frideric Handel (HWV 56). Verse 1–2 and 9–11 are cited as words in some movements of "Jesu, meine Freude" ("Jesus, my joy"), a motet by Johann Sebastian Bach.