Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Devotional Notes Romans 8

B1 What does this mean?
C1 We Need to Live By Our Holy Spiritual Nature Not Our Fleshly Nature
D1 “...in Christ Jesus.” Some have difficulty with the idea of “in” Christ Jesus.
E1 Picture a set, say, a circle.
E2 Label it Christ Jesus.
E3 Put a dot somewhere inside the circle.
E4 The dot is in Christ Jesus.
E5 This illustrates agreeing and believing with His ways, lifestyle, leadership, and decisions. It includes living according to His rules and teaching the Gospel and the principles of the Kingdom of God to all people. This means we have to study. We are in His kingdom, ascribing to His laws, worldview, lifestyle, etc. See also: What does it mean to be in Christ?
D2 Note that those who are in Christ Jesus do not live by the desires of our flesh, even though some are OK in moderation such as eating, sleeping, etc. It is those who live by the Spirit, which is the desires of God as taught in the New Testament. Things God desires:
E1 Psalm 51:6 NRSV You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
E2 God would rather show mercy and for us to show mercy: Hosea 6:6 NIV For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
D3 The law of sin and death is Mosaic law, works, failure, sin, and death.
D4 The law of the Spirit of Life is the rules of Jesus in the New Testament. A couple of those laws. There are over 1,000.
E1 Colossians 3:5 NIV Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
E2 Colossians 3:8-9, 12 NIV But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ... 12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
D5 Verse 3, no son of Adam could obey the Mosaic Law, so God sent His Son, who did obey perfectly in thoughts, desires, words, and deeds.
D6 Verse 4, since Jesus obeyed perfectly, those who believe have righteousness also. We deserved death, a substitute (our Passover Lamb—Jesus) was punished in our place. Jesus died, was buried, was resurrected, was ascended, and is returning for us.
D7 We are in Christ. We are justified (all punishment for sin has been fully paid).
D8 Verse 6-7, if Christians live by the desires of the flesh (carnal), it is offensive to God and results in death. It cannot obey God’s laws. (Some fleshly desires: see Mark 4:19, Mark 9:35, Mark 10:43, John 8:44, Galatians 5:24, 2 Timothy 4:3, and James 4:1).
D9 If Christians live by the desires and wishes of God, it results in peace and life. (Some spirit desires: see Luke 9:23 and Revelation 22:17).
D10 Verse 9, those who have the Holy Spirit are Christians. We have a helper, one who reminds us, one who gives us grace and desire to live by the Spirit. So, we must do so.
E1 John 14:16 NASB I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.
E2 Ephesians 3:16 NIV I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.
D11 The body, in a sense, is dying—dead. It’s desires, motives, and deeds are doomed for death.
E1 Verses
F1 From breaking God’s laws (sin): Romans 6:23 NLT For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
F2 God’s angry judgment is eternal, conscious torment: John 3:36 NLT And anyone who believes in God's Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn't obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God's angry judgment.
D12 Verse 11-12 is the promise of resurrection. The proof is Christ raised and we are in Christ. So, there is no reason to live surrendering to our fleshly desires.
D13 verse 13, God’s ways lead to life, but any other way leads to death. There are only 2 kingdoms—God’s or the devil’s.
D14, Verse 14, lead refers not to some mystical experience but to the rules and principles of the New Testament. The Holy Spirit might bring a verse to memory, etc.
E1 Psalm 143:10 Amp Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; let Your good Spirit lead me into a level country and into the land of uprightness.
E2 The Holy Spirit that lives in us has given us the gift to read and study the Bible: 1 John 2:26-27 BSB I have written these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 And as for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But just as His true and genuine anointing teaches you about all things, so remain in Him as you have been taught.
D15 Anything but God’s way is a way of slavery (think of addiction) to sin.
D16 Witness of the Spirit with our spirit:
E1 Olshausen beautifully says "in His comforting us, His stirring us up to prayer, His reproof of our sins, His drawing us to works of love, to bear testimony before the world, etc. On this direct testimony of the Holy Ghost rests, ultimately, all the regenerate man’s conviction respecting Christ and His work. (Source).
E2 Over a period of a few months, I visited two dying people—a man of 82 and a woman of 52. Neither wanted to die. Both were greatly loved by their families. Each had many reasons for wanting to keep on living. Along with many others, I prayed earnestly for their healing, but God had other plans.

As soon as these two people realized that God wasn’t going to heal them, I saw an amazing transformation in them. They both displayed a calm acceptance of death. Their faces took on a new glow, and from their lips came words of testimony and praise. They knew they were God’s children and had the assurance that they would soon be with Jesus in heaven. The peace and joy they radiated brought comfort to their loved ones and friends.

What was the source of such absolute certainty in the face of dying? It wasn’t what any of those who ministered to them said or did. It was supernatural grace imparted by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Paul put it like this: “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16).

Praise God! All who trust Christ and who walk in fellowship with Him need not dread the hour of death. —HVL

By: Herbert Vander Lugt (Source).
C2 The Holy Spirit Helps Us In Our Suffering
D1 In support of the preceding comment, we read about suffering. We have confidence and comfort because of grace from the Holy Spirit.
D2 Everything non-human waits until Jesus comes to restore all things.
D3 Verse 24, faith is believing God (for example, a promise); hope is the wish of it happening today.
D4 Verse 26, weakness helped by the Holy Spirit. Whether sorrow, suffering, sickness, etc. God gives grace to survive.
D5 Verse 27, God’s will is always done, because we are in God’s school and being taught God’s ways by God Himself.
D6 Verse 28, regardless of what happens to us. God does not abandon us (Hebrews 13:5). We may feel He has, but He has promised. Somehow, He uses all these things to teach us and mold us into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).
D7 Image of Christ: Jack Wellman identifies this as: It is God’s Spirit that is shaping us, molding us, and forming us into the same image or likeness of Jesus Christ. Of course, we’ll not have the same glory that He has, but we should be living so much like Christ that if a person who had never met Christ saw you, they’d think it was Christ by the way you acted and the way you lived.
D8 Predestination= decide beforehand. God has a plan. His plans are always in wisdom, love, and holiness.
E1 Verses
F1 The Greek word for predestination is προορίζω proorízō. It means to decide beforehand.
F2 It is used 6 times in Scripture:
G1 Acts 4:28 NLT But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will.
G2 Romans 8:29-30 NLT For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
G3 1 Corinthians 2:7 NIV No, we declare God's wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.
G4 Ephesians 1:5, 11 NLT God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. ... 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
F3 God has plans and some of those are conditional but, as we read, some are unconditional
E2 Articles:
C3 God Loves Us and Helps Us To Be Conquerors
D1 God the Father loves the Son. Fathers love their children in a greater way than other children. If God so loved His Son to send Him to die the death we deserved, God shows His great love for us.
D2 Regardless of what we go through, He still loves us.
D3 God is the justifier. Who can accuse?
D4 Verses 38-39 are both a promise and a hope.
C4 Questions
D1 What is the difference between the fleshly nature and spiritual nature?
D2 What does it mean to be in Christ?
D3 How do we know what the Christian life is and how to live it?
D4 What does it mean that we are addicted to sin?
D5 In what ways does the Holy Spirit help us live a Christian life?

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