May 8, 2017
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Reading along with us in Romans? Here’s today’s reading:
Romans 8 (ESV)
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God… Continue Reading
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I got distracted from Romans 6 the other day, set it aside, and spent the next two days listening to sermons on Romans 1:1-15. I’m much more focused today, praise God. I listened to a dramatized reading of Romans 1-5 again, then read Romans 6 and was so blown away, I filled 4 and a half pages in a small journal with Romans 6 Scriptures to meditate on! (So much here!!)
I wrote about this chapter on the Romans 6 page. This is my favorite chapter of Romans so far!! One I would love to memorize!
“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:5-9
If you’ve wondered whether or not you’ve truly been born again, this is a good place to start. Powerful.
Spirit intercedes for us
After dealing with the struggle with sin in chapter 7, Paul returns to the victory we have over sin, but further identifies the influence and power that allows us to have victory as the Holy Spirit Himself. If we don’t have the Spirit, then we don’t belong to Christ (v 9). It’s a good litmus test…do we sense His conviction, do we desire and see evidence of His fruit, does our spirit resonate with Him?
But if we do have the Spirit, we can believe and expect His power and guidance to be there for us to be more than conquerors.
Romans 8:28 and 37-39 are awesome….great material for a conversation. I am game if you are….
Romans 8:28 is my “life verse,” the promise that finally set me free from anxiety! And Romans 8:37-39 reminds me that I am God’s child, and therefore, I cannot be separated from Him, period, end of argument — and that puts to death any doctrine that says I can “lose” my salvation. I used to really struggle with that, because over my lifetime, I saw many who professed faith in Christ at one time (typically in high school or younger), and who would say were Christian (and even go to church regularly), but who lived in obvious devotion to their own flesh and even to the works of the kingdom of darkness.
Both of these promises are only for those who are truly His, in Christ. That’s where things get iffy. When Christ returns, there will be a number of people who believe they’re His who discover they never were. They even did/do works in His Name! But they did them in another’s power. I’d love to talk more about this, and how to make sure people (young people, especially!) aren’t misled.