Pauls Letter to the Romans: Chapter 8:15-17

Last week as we read through Romans 8:9-14 we seen that, even though our salvation is not subject to us being perfect in holiness, we are non-the-less obligated and commanded to live according to the Spirit. Even though we still live in this flesh we are not to live according to the flesh.

Of course, God, by His kind grace, knowing that this is impossible for us, does not leave us t our own efforts, but He Himself leads us in this. By the leading the Spirit, who dwells within those who have been born again by His power, we live a life of sanctification and a growing in holiness. What we once were we are no longer. "By the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the body" (Rom 8:13)

We are no longer a slave to sin. If the Spirit is within you, have you noticed how the sins you once loved disgust you now? If they don't disgust you, they should at least be less appealing, and gradually they will become more and more vile to you.

This is the work of the Spirit within you. It is extremely important to remember though, that this is not you working to earn or maintain your salvation. Everyday you should remind yourself of what the gospel is. It is not salvation by means of working for it, but Christ has bought it for you.

Our sanctification is a means of God's grace to us whilest we still abide in the world, so that we might be the salt and the light to the world so that they might know the truth and be saved.

"For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!'" (Rom 8:14-15)

These are some of my favourite verses in all of Scripture. The Law of Moses was given by God. The Law is right and holy. It was always understood that it is by the Law that we obtain righteousness and salvation. This is wrong. The law is our tutor that leads us to Christ that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor (or the Law). (Gal 3:24-25)

We do not have to work for our salvation, Christ did that for us (Rom 8:3-4). Do not be burdened by guilt if you should commit a sin. Do not think that you are no longer a Christian if you sin. Certainly we do not live in it, but we do not all of a sudden need to be re-saved. We do not live under the fear of the Law.

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!'"

This is the total freedom of which is found in Jesus Christ. Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. (Rom 8:1-2)

You are a child of God. Do you realize the implications of that? No child of the Almighty Yahweh will ever wear a yoke of slavery and fear. We should not fear that we would be condemned.

These Scriptures continue in reassurance and of God's amazing kindness. "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him." (Rom 8:16-17)

OK, read that again.

So let me get this straight; When God gave us life, we spat in His face, and turned against Him. Instead of just thumping us all, as we deserved, He would come, live in the same miserable existence we do, in order that He might be tortured and crucified by us, so that we can then be adopted as if we were His children, and share in the inheritance which is rightfully and deservedly His true Son's!!!

WOW!!! Halleluyah!!!

Is God not so incredibly kind to us? We deserved His wrath, and instead He is going to give us a share in Jesus' inheritance. Absolutely amazing.

Next time, we will continue with looking at verse 17 and what it means to suffer with Him.

Thanks for joining me in this study.

So my brothers and sisters in Christ, instead of living in guilt, which is the tool of the Devil, live with these thoughts in mind. The more you do, the less you will desire to sin, and the more obedient you will want to be. Not because you have to, but because you want to. Because of how incredibly kind God is.

Paul's Letter to the Romans; Ch 8:9-14

Romans 8:9-14

In my last post I began to go through Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome. (Talk about divine providence. Paul's wrote to the Christians in Rome and his letter to them is called Romans. Wow, coincidence? I think not.)

In those first 13 chapters we saw how Paul made a distinction between those who are in Christ and those who are not. Those not in Christ are at odds with God, even in a hostile manner, and they are under a curse of death. Yet those in Christ receive from God, life and peace with Him. Not, however because of anything those in Him have done, but solely and completely because of what Jesus Christ has done and accredited to those who receive Him and in whom dwells His Holy Spirit.

Paul makes an interesting statement in vs 9; "However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit," meaning in contrast to those who are in the flesh, who "cannot please God" (Rom 8:8), you who are in the Spirit are pleasing to God. Again though, I can't stress this enough, Rom 8:3-4, only because Jesus has fulfilled the Law in the flesh, so it is accredited to us.

Here is that interesting part of what Paul says, and one I don't believe is spoken as often as it should be. Rom 8:9, "...if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you."

Excuse me? Did he just say IF? Yes, yes he did. That means that there are those who believe themselves to be Christians and followers of Jesus Christ, but as Jesus said, "not everyone who says to Me Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven..."(Matt 7:21-23)

This is a very scary prospect. There are those who think they are saved but are not, and they will stand before Jesus in that day of judgement, and even tell Him about all the great things they did in His name, and He will say "I never knew you, depart from me you who practice lawlessness." (Matt 7:23)

I would encourage anyone who professes Jesus as their Lord, to do as Paul instructed. Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test? (2 Cor13:5)

How can we test ourselves in this? Believe it or not Romans gives us the answer to this.

One answer is not known until we die. That is eternal life and the resurrection of our bodies. Our earthly bodies are dead because of our sin. Rom8:11; Our spirit is given life because of Christ, we are born again, and eventually God will resurrect our earthly bodies in power and glory.

The next test the Christian should examine himself with is that of sanctification. "...but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, you will live." Rom 8:12-14

Are you growing in holiness? Of course this does not mean perfection. No one can obtain perfection in the flesh, and anyone who says they are and have no sin, is deceived and the truth does not abide ion them. (1 Jn 1:8).

The saying is, "it's not about perfection, it's about direction." One of the promises of the Holy Spirit is the sanctification of those who He leads. It is clear that one receives salvation by repentance from our sinfulness. This is not a onetime act though. Repentance is a lifelong turning from sin and a lifelong leading of the Holy Spirit into righteousness. We can, sorry I shouldn't say that WE can, but the Spirit will grow us in holiness.

Are you growing in holiness? Are you sinning less? There is no single gauge which might apply to all believers, this is really between you and God. There is also no single holiness-booster shot, it is a life long journey of repentance as the Spirit reveals areas of sin in your life and dying to yourself and growing in the Spirit.

This is best accomplished by reading and meditating upon God's word and PRAYER.

Spend time praying!! Lots of time!! Also, I know in our worlds attempt to be super spirituals, this may sound selfish (but it’s not), you don’t always need to pray for others, but pray for yourself. Pray especially for the Spirit's guidance into all truth and understanding of God's will and to grow you in the likeness of Jesus Christ.

The more we are made in the likeness of Jesus Christ, the more others and ourselves come to know Him and what He is like. Think about it. The more we become like Him, the more we will know what He is like. And this will in turn move others, and ourselves, to love Him more and more.

May the Spirit of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ fill you with peace and grace for the glory of God.

Paul's Letter to the Romans; Ch8:1-13

I love this Chapter. (Read the entire Chapter on the post below) It is one of my most favourite passages of Scripture. I want to share it with you all, and give an exegesis of it's great truth.

To do so, I want to first explain the two contrasting positions of mankind before the one true and only living God. This is the contrast, you are either an enemy of God (yes, created by Him, but because of our sinfulness, made His enemy), or you have been redeemed from your position of an enemy and now made a child of God, destined to receive great blessings from Him and spend all eternity in His glorious presence.

Are you a partaker of God's great kindness? Does the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwell within you and bear witness with your own spirit of your adoption into the first and foremost family of all creation?

I would plead with everyone who hasn't; turn to the Lord our God and repent of your sinfulness and turn to Him who died for you, and thereby Him we now receive the right to be called Children of God.

Unless this happens we are enemies with God. Why? Because God requires perfection and holiness from His creation. His standard of perfection can be summed up in the 10 commandments. Have you kept them all perfectly? Of course not, no one has.

There is no way we can be righteous before God, for it is within our very nature to sin. This is what is spoken of as "the flesh" in this chapter. The flesh (our very selves) is in opposition to the righteousness of God. Therefore we are condemned. God doesn't magically and unjustly separate us from our deeds. We sin because we are sinners, it is our corrupt and evil nature.

"For those who are according to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh...For the mind set on the flesh is death...because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh can NOT please God (Rom8:5-8)(emphasis mine).

All is not hopeless though, is it? Because of God's great kindness and mercy and love for us, God has given us great hope!!

"For what the Law could not do', (make us righteous by giving us understanding of what sin is so that we would not transgress), 'because of our weak and corrupt flesh, God did."

"sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, (This is my favourite part) in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." (Rom8:3-4)

Meaning - Jesus lived and obeyed the Law perfectly. Our sins are forgiven, the penalty for sin which is death was fully paid for by Jesus' blood, and because of His perfect life, we are accredited with having lived perfectly before God.

This amazing gift is offered and open for all of mankind to receive, no matter how sinful we are.

Unfortunately, not all will.

Remember...For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh... Meaning, those of the flesh set their minds on all manner of sinfulness; i.e. murder, theft, lies, drunkenness, sexual immorality, and creating a god in our own image to suite ourselves so we might continue in our sin.

Because of their love for their sin they will not repent. Therefore, not all will receive the Spirit of Christ, and if you do not....you do not belong to Him (Rom 8:9). "...for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die"....(Rom8:13)

Please, consider what I've said here. Read the 8th chapter of Romans (It's posted below). See how kind God is, and the great reward He offers to you. Is your sin worth it?

"...but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." (Rom8:13)

Next week, we will continue through Romans 8 from verse 9 until ???

Paul's Letter to the Romans; Chapter 8

Rom 8:1-39 NASB
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. (3) For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, (4) so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (5) For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. (6) For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, (7) because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, (8) and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

(9) However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. (10) If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. (11) But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

(12) So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- (13) for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (14) For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (15) For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" (16) The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, (17) and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

(18) For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (19) For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. (20) For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope (21) that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (22) For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. (23) And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. (24) For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? (25) But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

(26) In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; (27) and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

(28) And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (29) For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; (30) and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

(31) What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? (32) He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (33) Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; (34) who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. (35) Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (36) Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED." (37) But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. (38) For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, (39) nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Katy's first Christmas Concert pt1

This was such a wonderful Christmas concert. All about what Christmas is; Jesus Christ born into this world to offer Himself as the propitiation for our sins against God.

(Sorry, I can't upload the rest, I can't seem to split it to fit. You will just have to trust me that it was great. Also, I'm sorry for the video being so small, I had to in order to be able to upload it)

Christmas is about Jesus Right?

Hey everyone,
My family and I are going to start a new tradition for Christmas this year.

You see, Christmas for me has become almost depressing. It's supposed to be about the birth of the infinite, eternal God in flesh for the salvation of man right? I think it's becoming obvious though to every Christian that there is something wrong with the way this holy day is celebrated.

I believe it's because our holiday is more about materialism, it's traditions are less about Jesus and more about an imaginary fat guy in a red pajamas, and we, the Church, celebrate this day with more non-believers and even celebrate it as they do, than we do with those whom Jesus has bought with His blood (unless of course, your family are believers).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I don't want to spend time with my relatives, of course I do. I simply think that we should spend more time gathered as the Church to celebrate our Saviour than just Sunday mornings, or perhaps a Christmas morning "service".

By this I mean, on Christmas day, the main gathering should be with the Church.

I bet that when the Church started celebrating the birth of Christ it was celebrated at the location of where they met regularly, and only believers would have had any desire to celebrate it. Why would those who reject Christ celebrate it?

Oh wait a minute, that's why the Church took originally pagan traditions and "Christianized" them. So now you un-believers can continue the same traditions, only now, since we have the Roman Emperor on our side we can tell you what it means and you have to celebrate it as we do. (Almost sounds like an early version of the "seeker sensitive" movement. You know, find out what the un-believing culture likes and then try to impose a sort of Christian theme on it).

How have the unbelieving peoples so taken over our holiday? Might it be because there are so many traditions that we hold to with this day that have nothing to do with Jesus at all, that it became so easy for them to participate without any consideration of Jesus. I'm talking about Santa, the tree, the idea of Christmas having to do with snow, or how about even the huge push for Christmas to be the big day of the year for family, and getting together, and peace on earth, and charity.

Again, don't get me wrong, these things are all really nice and, are what we Christians are supposed to be about, but Christmas isn't.

Just so you don't think that I'm some sort of cold heart, instead of spending all our money on gifts for our kids that they don't need more of, my wife and I are trying to teach them that it's not about them getting toys. So we have donated and bought 2 goats for a family from Gospel for Asia.


Christmas is about Jesus right?

So, the new tradition I and my family want to start this year is that on Dec 26, we are going to celebrate the birth of Jesus with our family in Christ. I want to set apart a day to celebrate with the Church.

We would like to have a meal at our home. We shall read together the Scriptures of our Lord, sing hymns of His birth, pray, and just spend time in fellowship together.

If you live in Winnipeg, and bow at the name of Jesus, we would like to invite you.