NOTES for Rom 8:1-11
The apostle continues his reflections on life according to the Spirit and life according to the flesh, which he had already begun in the previous chapter. If earlier he only identified the problem of this monstrous rupture between what the divine nature in a person wants and what his bodily nature does, here he is already speaking about how it can be overcome.
Paul believes that the flesh is sinful in its very essence; such is the law of the created order. Therefore only a true miracle can break the opposition within a person between his sinful nature and his divine nature. And the life of God in those who open their hearts to Him becomes such a miracle. If this happens, everything changes. "But if Christ is in us, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is alive because of righteousness."