Romans - Chapter 8 (part 2)

Romans 8:18-30

The New Creation

Craig Thomson continued our study of Romans 8.  The last line of my last post was "Christians will suffer", Craig through the Bible will show us why we suffer.  It is because of our sin.  Once sin entered this world through Adam, we have been suffering ever since.  In Romans, Paul even talks about the creation suffering and groaning in pain.  Genesis 3:17-19 To Adam he said, Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, You must not eat from it.

Listed Below are all the notes from Wednesday mornings Bible Study.

Romans 8: THE NEW CREATION

Romans 8

Verses

1-13                       Our deliverance from the flesh

14-17                     Realization of our Son-ship.  Not a son until “adopted”; only then able to inherit; once adopted you can never be disowned.

18-30                     Why do Christians suffer?  “Boot Camp” for Heaven?

Romans 8:16-17  ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.   -This is a conditional reward.  Many may arrive in heaven sorely disappointed!

1 Corinthians 2:9  ⁹ However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,
   what no ear has heard,
   and what no human mind has conceived”^[a]—
   the things God has prepared for those who love him—

We can’t even imagine what God has in store for us!

Present Suffering and Future Glory

 ¹⁸ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

There is a price for being identified with Jesus.

2 Corinthians 4:17  ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 

I wager to say the majority of the American church today is dismayed or disappointed with God that they should have ANY troubles!  You’ve heard it before; problems and human limitations have several benefits: (1) they remind us of Christ’s suffering for us; (2) They keep us from pride; (3) they cause us to look beyond this brief life; (4) they prove our faith to others; and (5) they give God the opportunity to demonstrate his power.  So do you see your troubles as opportunities?!

If you ever wonder; “why me?”, think of Job – “he was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.”

¹⁹ For the creation (this is ALL of ‘creation’ for all of creation is involved in the curse) waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to frustration (KJV: ‘vanity = failure, decay or perishable) not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it,

God judged the totality of His Creation along with people for their sin.

Genesis 3:17-19   ¹⁷ To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’  “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. ¹⁸ It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. ¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

in hope ²¹ that^[h] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay (and corruption) and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning (with intense longing) as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, (we have the ‘firstfruits’; 1^st installment or downpayment of the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our resurrection life) groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.

2 Chorinthians 5:2, 4  ² Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,    ⁴ For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. (The moment we believed in Jesus Christ as our Savior!)  But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵ But if we hope (the word in the Greek, elpizo, is stronger than “know”: “to trust in.”  It is a confidence, sureness, of future things.) for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

 ²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans (or “groaning’s which cannot be uttered). Have you ever just been where you were so impacted about something or so distraught or confused about a situation that all you could do is say; “Father..”?  I sometimes find that when I read about some tragedy of a family loosing a child by some horrendous accident or illness.  The Holy spirit is interceding at that time.

²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Even though the Spirit’s words are not expressed, the Father knows what the Spirit is thinking.  The Lord Jesus also continually intercedes for the believers in God’s presence 
Romans 8:34 ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.                                  Hebrews 7:25  ²⁵ Therefore he is able to save completely^[a] those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

 ²⁸ And we know that in all things (ALL, not just isolated incidents) God works for the good of those who love him, who^[i] have been called according to his purpose.  (The three most important words: “And we know.”)

Note that God is not working to make us happy, but to fulfill his purpose.  Note also the promise is not for everybody.  It can only be claimed by those who love God and are called according to His purpose.  Those who are “called” are those the Holy Spirit spirit convinces and enables to receive Christ.

 ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed (not yet there) to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

Spurgeon quipped: “God chose me before I was born.  I’m glad He did; otherwise He might have changed His mind!”

³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Ephesians 1:5, 11  ⁵ he^[a] predestined us for adoption to sonship^[b] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—  ,    ¹¹ In him we were also chosen,^[a] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

God’s purpose for people was not an afterthought; it was settled before the foundation of the world.  People are to serve and honor God.  For us who believe in Christ, we can rejoice in the fact that God has always known us.  His love is eternal.  His wisdom and power are supreme.  He will guide and protect us until we one day stand in His presence.

TABLE DISCUSSION

Oswald Chambers; “My Utmost for His Highest”

April 1- ‘Heartiness vs. Heartlessness Towards Others’ (taken from Romans 8:34, 27)

            Do we need any more argument than this to become intercessors – that Christ “ever liveth to make intercession;” that the Holy Spirit “make intercession for the saints”?  Are we living in such a vital relationship to our fellow men that we do the work of intercession as the Spirit-taught children of God?  Begin with the circumstances we are in- our homes, our business, our country, the present crisis as it touches us and others- are these things crushing us?  Are they badgering us out of the presence of God and leaving us no time for worship?  Then let us call a halt, and get into such living relationship with God that our relationship to other may be maintained on the line of intercession whereby God works His marvels.

            Beware of outstripping God by your very longing to do His will.  We run ahead of Him in a thousand and one activities, consequently we get so burdened with persons and with difficulties that we do not worship God, we do not intercede.  If once the burden and the pressure come upon us and we are not in the worshipping attitude, it will produce not only hardness toward God but to people for whom we have no affinity, and unless we are worshipping God, the most natural thing to do is to treat them heartlessly, to give them a text like jab of a spear, or leave them with a rapped-out counsel of God and go.  A heartless Christian must be a terrible grief to Our Lord.

            Are we in direct line of the intercession of Our Lord and of the Holy Spirit?

Romans - Chapter 8 (part 1)

Romans 8:1-17

Craig was quick to point out that this Chapter is about the Holy Spirit.  The role of the Holy Spirit in our sanctification and how Paul describes that role.

The Work of the Trinity
God the Father - in creation
God the Son - in salvation
God the Holy Spirit - in sanctification

Right away in verse 1 & 2, Paul talks about our lifes through the power of the Holy Spirit. "Therefore, there is now no condemnaton for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."

Sin will always be a battle for us - on this journey we will always be dealing with our sin nature, but because we have the Holy Spirit sin does not reign in us any longer.  Paul mentioned this concept of sin no longer reigning in us back in Chapter 6 and now he is showing us how the Holy Spirit is now in control.  "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ" - vs. 9.

It is encouraging for me to know that the Holy Spirit that was with Christ on earth, is now with us.  Unfortunately I still struggle with giving him control allowing him to live through instead of me.

The last point I want to leave you with is this concept of adoption.  Paul mentions in Chapter 8 that we are now heirs of God.  We have been adopted by God through Christ (some versions say sonship).  Verse 15 says "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, Abba Father."  Craig explained to us that in Roman law they would actually have an adoption cermony for their own children.   And until that point a child would not inherit any of the Fathers wealth.  Once the adoption ceremony took place and they became adopted sons, the son now could not loose his inheritance because he was adopted.  We have been adopted by Jesus Christ, for us Americans that does not seem like a big deal, but after hearing what that meant to a Roman - it speaks volumes of what Paul was trying to communicate.   We are now heirs to God thrown.  We have an inheritance.  But as Paul says "indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

As Christians we will suffer.

Romans - Chapter 7

Romans 7

Craig picked up where Ed left off this week on Chapter 7 - which Craig entitled Law School.  Paul in the first 6 chapters of Romans has discussed our sin, sin entering the world through one man, righteousness through one man, the Grace that gives us Hope and now he comes back to the Law. 

Verse 1-2, "Do you know, brothers - for I am speakig to men who know the law - that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives? For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage." 

He goes on to say that because she is released, she is free to marry another.  In this same way, we are now dead to sin and our free to be married to God or be in union with Christ.  Verse 6, "But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code."

But Craig asks the question: Why was the Law Given

1. The Law was given to expose our sin nature (Rom 7:7)
2. To incite the sin nature to sin more (Rom 7:8-23); sin nature cannot be reformed.
3. To drive us to despair of self-effort (Rom 7:24,25)
4. To drive us to dependence upon the Holy Spirit alone (Rom 8:1-4)

But the law is not bad, as Paul states in verse 7. "What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said , 'Do not covet'." 

Recently a new believer asked me, what does this dead to sin mean.  I had to step back, because reading Paul's words made sense, but trying to explain it was not easy.  I knew that Paul was right, but his argument is so back and forth and so putting his words into meaning was difficult for me.  But what God through the Holy Spirit brought to my attention while I was speaking was the concept that Paul talks about later.  Being dead to sin means it no longer has control - it now becomes a battle.  We now can battle with sin before we could not.

Verse 23-25 - "but I see another law at work in the members of my body waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death. Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord.  So then I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."

Table Talk Questions

1. How do you think, as a new believer in Rome, would you understand this letter from Paul?
2. How would you take home what you heard and discussed and explained it to your household?
3. How do you think you can explain it to nonbelievers today?

Romans - Chapter 6

Romans 6

Paul continued discussing God greastest gift - Grace in chapter 5 with Hope being at the top of spiritual maturity.  Does that mean we should keep sinning?   

Paul writes in vs. 1 - What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  This is where Ed McCaffrey picked it back up and we went studied further what Paul is communicating through his letter to the Romans.

We are dead to sin and alive in Christ.  Vs. 3-4 "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

We have a new life.  A life that we can live for God and is free from sin.  I had to think very hard and long about what free from sin means.  Sin does not have control over us, Satan does not have control over us.  We can live a life that is pleasing to God.  Will we sin still? Yes, but do we have to keep sinning? No, we can now choose through the power of the Holy Spirit the right things to do to glorify God.

Ed brought up a great verse to cross reference this concept.  Galations 2:20 - I actually learned this verse by singing a song that was taught to me and many others at a Christian camp.  Here is that song/scripture verse - I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me. The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God who loves me and delievered himself up for me.

One of the hardest things to do as an American Christian is give God full control of our lives.  In America we are taught to be in control, live for the American Dream and wealth equals success.  But God wants control of our lives, He wants Christ to live in us and through us.  Because Christ paid the price and only Christ is perfect, so when we live we want God to see Christ so that we may be made righteous.

Paul finishes Chapter 6 by saying "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness and the result is eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I want to live like a slave to God, doing everything and anything he asks of me, including not doing things out of obedience to him.

The 3 questions that were left for table talk:

1. Understanding the freedom from death and the gift of new life, should make it easy to appreciate.  Do you appreciate your free gift?  Is there anything worse than someone at Christmas who does not apprectiate your gift to them?

2. God's gift to us is founded on His love for us, what we do with that gift is our way of thanking Him for His gift of love.

3. Our faith in Christ is something to be shared with others, our gratefulness to God can be seen by how we live our lives.  By how you live today will God be able to see how grateful you and I really are?  Are you willing to share with others?