Romans 8:1 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

There is therefore now— Αρα νυν. The word Αρα here, is not illative, but strongly affirmative;—nempe utique, certainly, verily; (see Matthew 12:28. Luke 11:48; Luke 18:8 in the original). Now, is "under the Gospel." This carries our thoughts back to Romans 8:6 of the foregoing chapter; which verse the Apostle comments upon in the eleven first verses of this chapter; and these verses shew the Christian Jew how he is obliged under the Gospel to sanctity of life, and correspond to the first eleven verses of the sixth chapter, where he shews the same thing to the Gentile Christian. Πνευμα, Spirit, certainly is not used in the same sense throughout this chapter. In Romans 8:10; Romans 8:16 it signifies the spirit of our mind (as Acts 7:59; Acts 17:16; Acts 18:5; Acts 18:25.Romans 1:9; Romans 12:11.Galatians 5:17.); the supreme part of our constitution, or the principle of reason, by which we discern, approve, and choose the truth; and thus it answers to νους, mind, in the foregoing chapter, Romans 8:25. But in Romans 8:9; Romans 8:11; Romans 8:16; Romans 8:26-27 it signifies that heavenly Person, whom we call the Holy Ghost, given to the Apostles and others in his miraculous power, and sent to enlighten and sanctify all those who submit to the righteousness of God which is by faith, and desire to live soberly, righteously, and godly. The verse before us may be paraphrased thus: "Under the weak and lifeless dispensation of the law, the sinner remains, as we have shewn above, in a deplorable state, without help or hope, enslaved to sin, and sentenced to death. Butnow, under the Gospel, the most encouraging hopes smile upon us, and we have the highest assurance that all genuine believers, notwithstanding former transgressions, are quite discharged from the penalty of the law, and disengaged from the servitude of sin; and will so continue, if so be they make that faith a principle of obedience, and do not choose to live in wickedness, according to the instigation of fleshlyappetite; but in truth and holiness, according to the dictates of the inward man," &c. See Locke, and Bengelius.