Deep Dive

Romans 8:10

A plain-spoken deep dive on this verse. Read the chapter →

But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.

Commentaries

Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brownv. 10

And if Christ be in you--by His indwelling Spirit in virtue of which we have one life with him. the body--"the body indeed." is dead because of--"by reason of" sin; but the spirit is life because--or, "by reason" of righteousness--The word "indeed," which the original requires, is of the nature of a concession--"I grant you that the body is dead . . . and so far redemption is incomplete, but," &c.; that is, "If Christ be in you by His indwelling Spirit, though your 'bodies' have to pass through the stage of 'death' in consequence of the first Adam's 'sin,' your spirit is instinct with new and undying 'life,' brought in by the 'righteousness' of the second Adam" [THOLUCK, MEYER, and ALFORD in part, but only HODGE entirely].

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Matthew Henry Bible Commentaryv. 10

In these verses the apostle represents two more excellent benefits, which belong to true believers. I. Life. The happiness is not barely a negative happiness, not to be condemned; but it is positive, it is an advancement to a life that will be the unspeakable happiness of the man (Rom 8:10, Rom 8:11): If Christ be in you. Observe, If the Spirit be in us, Christ is in us. He dwells in the heart by faith, Eph 3:17. Now we are here told what becomes of the bodies and souls of those in whom Christ is. 1. We cannot say but that the body is dead; it is a frail, mortal, dying body, and it will be dead shortly; it is a house of clay, whose foundation is in the dust. The life purchased and promised does not immortalize the body in its present state. It is dead, that is, it is appointed to die, it is under a sentence of death: as we say one that is condemned is a dead man. In the midst of life we are in death: be our bodies ever so strong, and healthful, and handsome, they are as good as dead (Heb 11:12), and this because of sin. It is sin that kills the body. This effect the first threatening has (Gen 3:19): Dust thou art. Methinks, were there no other argument, love to our bodies should make us hate sin, because it is such an enemy to our bodies. The death even of the bodies of the saints is a remaining token of God's displeasure against sin. 2. But the spirit, the precious soul, that is life; it is now spiritually alive, nay, it is life. Grace in the soul is its new nature; the life of the saint lies in the soul, while the life of the sinner goes no further than the body. When the body dies, and returns to the dust, the spirit if life; not only living and immortal, but swallowed up of life. Death to the saints is but the freeing of the heaven-born spirit from the clog and load…

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Tyndale Open Study Notesv. 10

8:10 the Spirit gives you life: The Spirit opposes sin (which leads to physical death) and brings resurrection from the dead.

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Cross-references

Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.

Galatians 2:20rank 19

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Ephesians 3:17rank 18

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love,

II Corinthians 5:21rank 11

God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

Romans 8:11rank 10

And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.

John 17:23rank 10

I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me.

Colossians 1:27rank 9

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Philippians 1:23rank 9

I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed.

Philippians 3:9rank 6

and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.

I Corinthians 15:45rank 5

So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being;” the last Adam a life-giving spirit.

John 14:23rank 5

Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

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