Last night we continued our study of Paul’s letter to the Romans last night, looking at the explanation of why sin will not condemn ultimately us, and how we can actually battle and defeat it. Here are the notes:
6:1-10 & 6:14-25
We need to know the things you need to know. Find out what God says about the situation–specifically, what He says about you: You’re united to Christ (6:1-10); You’re free from sin (6:15-20). And what He says about sin: Sin is shame and death. (6:21-23)
6:11
We need to believe the things God says. Let God’s word determine your thoughts
6:12-13
Then we present ourselves to God. This is actual (you need to really do it–pray about it, think about it, and do it throughout the day)…and relational (you do it with and to God).
Chapter 7: Why does Paul write about the Law? (1:16-18, 3:19-22, 4:15, 5:20, 6:14-15)
7:1-6
The Law can’t condemn you You’re dead to it. Because Jesus is dead to it (see 6:10-11). Because you don’t serve sin (see 6:12-14), serving sin = serving the law (7:6)
7:7-13
What’s the deal with the Law? Did God give us something evil? No, God’s law is good, but Sin uses it to cause evil. It’s good because it points out sin where we would have missed it (7:7) (as in Mt 5:21-28), and It shows sin for what it really is—so horrible it can use a good thing for evil (7:11, 13).
7:14-25
…so the law can’t help you fight sin (by trying to keep the law (in your own strength)). Sin is too powerful (7:23). We are too weak (7:18) (sin uses our weakness to defeat the law)
Everyone who does not have the life of God in them is in this state.
Christians can experience these things when they either do not know or momentarily ignore God’s power. (What is your experience with battling Sin?)
8:1-13 Christians defeat sin by relying on the new life of the Holy Spirit living within us.
We cannot be condemned by sin (v.1) …because God already did what we couldn’t in and through Jesus (v.3) …so that we would fulfill the goal the Law was working towards anyway (people who don’t need law to please God?!) (v.4) (by Christ (perfect obedience – 8:3) and finally in us in eternity (8:29))
The Spirit dwells in us, He is the Spirit of Life (v.9). You need life to beat sin. The Holy Spirit in us is a whole new principle of life (v.2). The Spirit in us leads us to think in whole new ways (v.5-8).
Even our bodies won’t be thrown away (v.11)
We depend on the Spirit to defeat sin. (v.13) How?
– we depend on the Spirit’s words (2 Tim 3:16) to teach us what is true about us and sin (ch 6)
– we depend on the Spirit’s power by deciding to live out the truth we find in God’s word (Phl 2:12-13) This is done consciously, in prayer and obedience
The Spirit is God; God’s way of being with us and in us. God is the life of everything.