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Romans 08 General Notes
Structure and formatting
The first verse of this chapter is a transitional sentence. Paul concludes his teaching of Chapter 7 and leads into the words of Chapter 8.
Some translations set poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to show that it is poetry. The ULB does this with verse 36. Paul quotes these words from the Old Testament.
Special concepts in this chapter
Indwelling of the Spirit
The Holy Spirit is said to live inside a person or inside their heart. If the Spirit is present, this signifies that a person is saved. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/save)
"These are sons of God"
Jesus is the Son of God in a unique way. God also adopts Christians to be his children. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sonofgod and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/adoption)
Predestination
Twice in verses 29-30 Paul uses the word "predestined." Some take this to indicate that God has, from before the foundation of the world, chosen his own people to be eternally saved. Christians have different views on what the Bible teaches on this subject. So translators need to take extra care when translating this chapter, especially with regards to elements of causation. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/predestine and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/save)
Important figures of speech in this chapter
Metaphor
Paul poetically presents his teaching in verses 38 and 39 in the form of an extended metaphor. He explains that nothing can separate a person from the love of God in Jesus. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
No condemnation
This phrase must be translated carefully to avoid doctrinal confusion. People are still guilty of their sin. God disapproves of sinful acts, even those that believers in Jesus commit. God still punishes the sins of believers, but Jesus has paid the punishment for their sin. This is what Paul expresses here. The word "condemn" has several possible meanings. Here Paul emphasizes that people who believe in Jesus are no longer punished eternally for their sin by being "condemned to hell." (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/guilt and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/faith and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/condemn)
Flesh
This is a complex issue. "Flesh" is possibly a metaphor for our sinful nature. Paul is not teaching that our physical bodies are sinful. Paul appears to be teaching that as long as Christians are alive ("in the flesh"), we will continue to sin. But our new nature will be fighting against our old nature. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/flesh)