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.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
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?
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?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)