Romans 10 BIble Study

The Love of God through Preaching – Romans 10

Gospel in a Sentence: Jesus the Christ was sent to the earth to die, paying the penalty of sin in our place and taking our judgment upon himself; and he rose from the dead, bringing us back to life and giving us new and perfected righteous lives in Himself, who is now the Lord of our lives.

Big Picture: Israel has missed the saving righteousness of God because they’ve rejected Christ.

Goal: That we celebrate the proclamation of the message of the Gospel.

Key Ideas
1) Being passionate doesn’t justify someone; the righteousness of Christ received by faith does.
2) The point of the Law is justification by Christ’s work through the Gospel.
3) Preaching is a gift of God so that we can hear the Gospel and be saved.
4) Israel, by in large, has rejected Christ.

Key Terms
Heart – The seat of the whole self, including mind, emotions, and will. It should not be understood as the seat of the emotions or in any way a reference to emotions. A word that could be substituted for it in your thinking could be ‘soul.’ Also, band made famous by the amazing and infectious song, ‘Barracuda.’
To Save – To rescue from danger, in this case, from death and hell. It’s worth remembering here that the whole discussion in Romans is based on the belief in a future judgment day, which is part of the Gospel message (Romans 2:8-9, 16).
Word – Message. The word ‘word’ usually does not mean an individual word, but a whole message comprised of many words. Also, a colloquialism used in response to indicate agreement or affirmation.
Moses – The person God chose as a mediator for the whole nation of Israel, by whom he gave the Law. Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy 18:15-19, God had Moses tell the people that in the future, God would raise up another prophet like Moses, who would directly mediate between God and Israel. That’s Jesus.
Isaiah – Old Testament prophet who made God’s word known when the Kingdom of Israel was about to end. Israel, a nation set apart by God for his glory, had been entrenched in idolatry, and Isaiah prophesied about the fall of the Kingdom of Israel to worldly powers and Israel’s being exiled – scattered in captivity among Gentile nations. However, he also prophesied about Israel’s return from exile and the coming restoration of the whole world.

Key Observations
10:1-2 Paul tells his fellow-Christians that he wants and prays that Israel would be saved. He yearns for their salvation, in part, because they do have a passion for God. However, this passion is an ignorant passion. They don’t know the truth.
3 Here, Paul explains how Israel’s ignorance was demonstrated; hence, the ‘for.’ Israel was ‘ignorant’ of the righteousness from God; that is, they were ignorant of justification by a righteousness which was outside of them credited to them through faith. They did not submit to the message about God’s righteousness.
4 This verse explains Israel’s failure to submit to God’s righteousness. (Again, hence, the ‘for.’) Why did Israel miss God’s righteousness? Because they missed Christ. The whole point of the Law (the end, or goal, of the law) is Jesus himself. With Jesus, one gets righteousness, and thus, justification. This is given to every believer in him – not just Jews.
5 ‘For’ indicates that Paul is giving an explanation for the Jews’ missing of Jesus, and therefore their missing of the righteousness of God. That is, they attempted to attain a righteous status by doing what the commandments require, which we know is impossible. Verse 5 cites Leviticus 18:5.
6-8 These verses are continuing explanation of the Jews’ missing of Jesus. They start off by saying what the message of righteousness through faith does not say, then, they instruct us as to what the message of righteousness through faith does say.

First, we are taught that we need not perform impossible tasks to bring Christ near to us. He has already been incarnated and has risen from the dead.

Second, we are taught that the saving message of the Gospel is something that has drawn near to us. It has been made available to be trusted – and thus, the righteousness of God has been offered to humanity.

Thus, Israel missed Jesus not because they weren’t offered his righteousness – but because of a failure to trust in him.

How Paul Quotes the Old Testament in Romans 10

Some of the more astute students in your study may see the footnotes in their Bibles and decide to look up the passages in the Old Testament that these quotations are from.

While this is certainly a good thing, there is a good possibility that they might end up extremely confused, and might even think that Paul is misusing the Old Testament.

The key to understanding the way that Paul is quoting the Old Testament is to understand verse 4 – ‘Christ is the goal of the law for righteousness.’ The point of the Law is Jesus, not doing enough good to get to heaven. When the New Testament authors cite the Old Testament, they do it in light of the fact that Christ has come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.

The first quotation in this section is from Deuteronomy 9:4. Here, Israel is warned that they are not being given the Promised Land because of their righteousness. God reminds them of their unrighteousness. Now, the ‘Promised Land’ was a sign of what was to be granted in the future – a New Creation (Romans 4:13, Hebrews 11:9, 10, 13-16). By citing Deuteronomy 9:4, Paul is drawing our attention to the fact that we do not inherit the New Creation by our righteousness – but by Christ’s.

The second quotation in this section is from Deuteronomy 30:11-14. Here’s the problem: in the context of the passage, these truths aren’t about Jesus – they’re about the Law. The basic message is that the message of the Law has been given to Israel and is understandable. They can’t say they didn’t know what the Law required.

So is Paul just misusing the Old Testament to try to make a point about Jesus? No. Remember, he’s just said that Christ is the goal of the Law. He’s the point of the Law and the fulfillment of the Law. The Law is a signpost that points forward to Christ.

So, just as the Law was given in a way that resulted in its accessibility, by the grace of God, so now the fulfillment of the Law, the Gospel, has been given in a way, by the grace of God, that makes it accessible.

Another way of thinking about it is that the message of God began to be given in such a way that made it understandable, and the completion of its being given has been in the same way.

But not only is the fulfillment of God’s message, the Gospel, understandable – it also results in change of the actual heart and mouth. That word becomes part of a person through faith – part of their heart and speech. And it saves them. (See vv. 9, 10.)

This makes total sense in the context of Deuteronomy 30. In this chapter, God promised a future in which he would circumcise the hearts of his people and cause them to turn to himself. And this is exactly what he has done in the Gospel – he has changed hearts and turned people towards himself, and has given them a righteousness that is not theirs, but is Christ’s own righteousness. Therefore, we will be saved.

So, this message of righteousness through faith does not tell us to do impossible tasks – but rather, it instructs us to receive the Gospel of Christ which transforms and saves us.

9-10 Why can we say that the Gospel is near to us – in our mouths and hearts? Because when that word becomes a part of us, we get the promise of salvation. Verse 10 is further explanation (‘for’) of the content of the message of righteousness based on faith. We trust Christ and are given righteousness, confessing him and getting salvation. We should not understand ‘confession’ here as any sort of added condition for salvation, but rather, the natural evidence of a message becoming a part of a person. You take it in and trust it, and you also speak it. The Gospel becomes part of our speech. It is, after all, a message.
11 This verse is a defense of the fact that salvation is received by faith alone. It cites Isaiah 28:16. The shocking thing in this verse is that every believer gets eternal life. In other words, it is not just for ethnic Israelites.
12 This verse is a defense of the idea that everyone who believes in Jesus, regardless of Jewish background, will be saved. That’s why it begins with ‘for.’ The Lord is God, and treats all according to the same Gospel.
13 ‘For’ indicates that this is further defense of the idea that salvation is without reference to ethnicity. It quotes Joel 2:32.
14-15 Paul has just finished arguing that the message of the Gospel has been brought near to be believed – and that Israel’s problem was a rejection of that Gospel. Here, he asks a string of rhetorical questions about the nature of salvation, given that the Gospel must be believed for it. Ultimately, for belief and salvation to happen, a preacher must be sent. The citation of Isaiah 52:7 tells us two things – 1, it tells us that preachers are necessary for the spread of good news. 2, it tells us that preachers have come with the Good News.
16 Even though preachers have been sent out, not everyone has obeyed what the Gospel demands – belief. Isaiah 53:1 is enlisted to support Paul’s point – the Gospel has been rejected. In context, here, ultimately the nation of Israel is responsible for its condemnation. They have rejected the Gospel.
17 ‘Therefore’ or ‘so’ at the beginning of this verse indicates that Paul is giving us a conclusion – and also a transition back onto the topic in general. Faith comes by hearing the Gospel.
18 One might ask then if people, particularly the Jews, have heard the Gospel. People have. Not all are saved because not all believed.

Psalm 19:4 in Romans 10:18

One would like for people to read this verse and simply just think, “Yes, preachers have gone out and people who have rejected Christ are responsible for their condemnation,” since that’s the point of the verse.

However, if someone from your Bible study looks up the quote from Scripture, there will probably be mass confusion. Here’s why. Psalm 19:4 is about nature, not about the Gospel. It says that nature declares God’s glory.

Some have concluded, then, that one can know the Gospel through nature and be saved without the preaching of missionaries. This is contextually problematic, given vv. 14-15. It’s also contextually problematic given 1:18-21, in which all nature can do by demonstrating God’s glory is to condemn us.

So how does this quotation work? If we look back at Psalm 19 we see that it compares the glory of God in nature with the glory of God in the Law. The basic premise is that God’s glory is widespread in creation and yet made special and more glorious through the Law.

We must remember then, that Christ is the fulfillment of the Law. The Law reveals God’s glory even more than creation itself does. So, just as God has caused himself to be glorified in creation, so now, he causes himself to be even more glorified through his word spread to the world through preaching. In other words, Christ is the fulfillment of God’s self-revelation to mankind which began through nature. This self-revelation is being proclaimed to all the world just as it began to be with nature’s splendor.

A simpler explanation is this: Paul is not appealing to this verse to prove that the word of Christ has gone out to the ends of the world. Don’t get caught up on the word ‘world,’ here! Paul is appealing to Psalm 19:4 to demonstrate that it is in God’s character to disclose himself to the world for the sake of his glory. Therefore, God has ordained that preachers be sent out with the word of Christ.

What’s the point of the citation of Psalm 19:4? Everyone is held accountable to believing the Gospel if they’ve heard it. Everyone who has rejected it is guilty for doing so. Paul is particularly applying this truth to the Israelites.

19-20 Paul here narrows his focus on just Israel. Did they merely hear without comprehension of the message? No. Paul appeals to Moses (Deut 32:21) and Isaiah (Isaiah 65:1) to demonstrate his point. In both of these texts, God is honored as gracious in initiating relationship with Israel. Yet, Israel rejects God, and so God lets them go into sin while drawing those who did not seek him, (in this case, Gentiles) to himself.
21 Paul’s final response to the question about whether or not Israel could comprehend the Gospel is from Isaiah 65:2. Indeed, God has opened wide the offer of salvation to Israel; yet, they have continued to reject him.

Sample Discussion Guide:
-Last time we looked at the fact that God’s word doesn’t fail – he does exactly what he desires to do for his glory. That includes electing people to salvation based on his desires, and hardening whom he desires.
-Then we looked at the outcome of God’s election – those he elected believed and got God’s righteousness. Those whom God did not choose did not come to Christ and so stand condemned. Today we’re going to look more at human responsibility in responding to the Gospel message.
-What do you think are different reasons that people reject the Gospel?
-Why do you think so often that Christians, even, do not respond positively to the Gospel being preached to them?
-Would you say that your church does a good job of making sure that the Gospel is the point of every sermon? Why/Why not?
-Our goal tonight is to delight in the widespread glory of God through the Gospel’s being preached (Pray)
-Have someone read vv. 1-4.
-Part of the reason Paul yearned and prayed so much for his fellow-Jews is because they had a zeal for God, but apart from knowledge. What do you think that might look like in the world today? Do you think it’s possible to be a “Christian” in name and have a zeal for God without knowledge? Why or why not?
-Paul says that the Jews sought to establish their own righteousness. What are some ways that modern Americans seek to establish their own righteousness? (Why do we think we’re good?) What behaviors do you take pride in?
-God tells us that seeking to establish one’s own righteousness is dangerous, even damning, because it prevents people from receiving God’s righteousness. He explains how Israel missed out on God’s righteousness in verse 4. Take a minute and write down your paraphrase of v. 4. After a minute or two, have people share their paraphrases.
-Vv. 5-13 develop the idea that the righteousness of faith comes through the preached message of the Gospel. This is in contrast with trying to become righteous by trying to keep the Law, as ancient Israel did. Have someone read vv. 5-13.
-Paul mentions here that the idea of going to heaven or to the grave to somehow attain salvation is ridiculous. What are some of the things that people do today to try to give themselves assurance of a good afterlife?
-What are some things other religions require for salvation? How does that make you feel about the fact that Christ has accomplished salvation, and that it’s simply received by faith?
-Have someone read vv. 14-17.
-We saw in the previous section that faith in the message is necessary for salvation. This section brings out the need for a preacher and hearing.
-Who first clearly explained the Gospel to you? How did he/she do it?
-Are there people in your life that you don’t think have heard the Gospel clearly? Who? What are some practical ways we can respond to that reality?
-Out of about 16,000 ethnic groups in the world, over 6,000 have no church in their own languages. What does this passage say about people that have not heard the Gospel?
-What are some different things we can do about that?
-Have you considered spending time overseas to take the Gospel to people who have no access to it – for a month, a year, or even a lifetime? What are some obstacles to you doing so? (Some people are inevitably going to respond to this question in the language of ‘feeling called’ or ‘feeling led.’ This will be a great opportunity to ask what they mean by those phrases, since they’re unbiblical phrases that often express very unbiblical concepts.)
-Have someone read vv. 18-21.
-Here Paul shows us that God has been gracious in giving the Gospel to Israel, even though Israel has, by in large, rejected it.
-What are some words or phrases that stand out with respect to God’s treatment of Israel?
-Where are we talked about in this section?
-How does this reveal God’s grace?
-Given what this passage says about the Gospel, ignorance, preaching, and human responsibility, how do you think we should pray for ourselves? Our friends? Butler University? The world?
-Spend time in prayer for those spheres.

Romans 9 Bible Study

The Word of God Does Not Fail – Romans 9

Gospel in a Sentence: “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”(Romans 10:9).

Big Picture: God is faithful to his word in having mercy on whomever he wills.

Goal: That we honor God for being true to his word in having mercy on whom he wills.

Key Ideas
1) Paul desired fellow-Jews to be saved, since God had set them apart with his word.
2) People are recipients of God’s promise by election, not ethnicity.
3) God is righteous in electing people from every nation for his glory.
4) The result of God’s electing grace is justification through faith for people in every nation.

Key Terms
Nothing new this week.

Key Observations
This section will prove emotionally and intellectually challenging for many people. It challenges the very core of what people normally believe about their rights before God, and it even challenges how highly we think of the nature of mankind – and of God.

It’s worth remembering why this passage is here. Paul has just finished, in Romans 8:18-39, telling us that we should trust that God is working out everything for our good, and will bring us into his kingdom without fail. Inevitably, one will doubt God’s promises; and one may be brought to doubt his promises if he looks at the history of Israel – and the fact that many Jews are not saved.

This section is written to support our faith in God, teaching us that salvation is not by ethnicity, but by the electing grace of God. God has always been true to his word, and his word does not fail, but does exactly what he desires it to do. Therefore, we can trust it, and we should glorify him for glorifying himself in having mercy on whom he wills.

I must admit at the outset here, that I am taking a ‘Calvinistic’ or ‘monergistic’ reading of this text. It’s impossible to go through this text and get at the heart of it without ‘taking sides.’ If you would like a more in depth look at the monergistic interpretation of these verses, check Doug Moo’s commentary on Romans (creatively titled “Romans”). If you would like to read a scholarly reading of the text from an Arminian/synergistic point of view, check out Grant Osborne’s “Romans.” I would encourage you at the outset to avoid exploring the interpretations of these texts through internet sources, most of which are unscholarly, unreliable, and full of straw men and emotionalism.

9:1-3 Paul seems to break his flow of thought here to say something personal. He goes to great lengths in v. 1 to let us know that he’s telling the truth. In v. 2 he tells us about the massive pain he’s experiencing. In v. 3, he tells us why his pain is so great – those closest to him, the Jewish people, are by in large under the curse of God, and Paul wishes he could substitute himself for them. We’re not supposed to ask, as a result of this statement, if we would go to hell in the place of others. Paul wants us to know here how much he loves the Jewish people, because of what he’s about to say about God’s plan for them, which includes the hardening and perishing of a great number of them.
4-5 Paul here explains further reasons for his pain over the exclusion of so many Jews from the grace of God; namely, that they were recipients of the Old Testament Scriptures, Old Testament worship, and the Messiah himself in person, and were set apart by God to receive his promises if they would keep his covenant.
6 In contrast with the blessings Israel received, however, Paul asserts that God’s word has not failed. The reason? Not all Israel is Israel. In other words, not all of the ethnic Jews belong to the Israel who was to receive God’s covenant blessings. We’ve already seen this concept in 4:9-17.
7 Not all ethnic Jews are Abraham’s children, that is, receiving the blessings of God’s covenant with Abraham. To support this point, Paul refers back to Genesis 21:12. Though Abraham had other physical offspring, God would only establish his covenant with Isaac. In like manner, inheriting Abraham’s blessings is not by physical descent. For the full story, see Genesis 16-17.
8-9 Verse 8 interprets verse 7. Children of the ‘flesh’ – or children in the way of thinking in the old world (by physical descent) are not necessarily considered true offspring. It is the children of promise that are. In other words, God chooses people to receive his promises just as he did with Isaac before he was born in Genesis 18:10, 14.
10 ‘And’ indicates that Paul’s going to give another piece of evidence for what he’s teaching. He begins the argument by saying that Rebekah conceived children by one man, which is significant, because that one man was a child of promise. One would naturally think that all his children would be as well. For the background of Isaac and Rebecca, see Genesis 24. For the narrative about their children, see Genesis 25:19-26.
11-12 However, because God desired to uphold his purpose of election, not based on any goodness or badness of the children but based on God’s ability to call whom he desires, he told Rebekah that the younger child, Jacob, would receive God’s covenant blessings. (Genesis 25:23).
13 Paul cites Malachi 1:2-3 to support his point. The reference here is to the fact that God chose Israel (Jacob’s descendants) before they’d done anything good or bad and rejected Edom (Esau’s descendants) in the same fashion. Now, both Israel and Edom were in rebellion against God. However, God gives promises to rebellious Israel for their repentance and salvation; yet, grants no such opportunity to the Edomites. This ‘state of affairs’ was determined by God before Jacob and Esau were born.

God Hates?

It can be really easy to get hung up on the idea that God hated Esau. We must avoid three errors in thinking about the hatred of God:

Error 1: that God’s hatred is like human hatred. It is not. When God hates a person, it is based not on passionate response, but on his righteous judgment for his glory. Though Esau had not yet done anything good or bad, he was himself already considered guilty (Rom. 5:12-14) and incapable of pleasing God (Rom. 8:7-8).

Error 2: that God’s hatred is so unlike human hatred that it’s not hatred. It is hatred. God uses this word here for a reason. Our emotional responses were created by God to ‘image’ (Gen. 1:26-28) his own affections. God does not merely hate sin, he hates sinners, that is, everyone who has not trusted in Christ (e.g. Psa. 5:5). For each person who has trusted Christ, Christ himself has absorbed all of the hatred of the Father towards everyone who would trust Christ in his crucifixion.

Error 3: that God’s hatred excludes God’s love. This is not something a human mind could conceive: but God both hates and loves the wicked. Remember Romans 2:4 – God, in patience and kindness, gives the wicked time to repent. God’s love is holy love and his hatred is holy hatred. He is unlike us. It would be wise of us to see these truths and cry out, with Paul, “Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Rom. 11:33)

People are probably going to get hung up on this in your study. Here are some things you can do to get the discussion back on track:

1) Verse 13 is given to support a claim that Paul’s already made. What is that claim, made in vv. 10-12?
2) It may be a good idea to have your group refer to Malachi 1 to see what it says for themselves. It must be noted, though, that this choice of God was made without reference to any ‘goodness’ or badness that Jacob or Esau might produce.
2) You could just explain those three errors and move on.

14 What will a person’s natural response to the teaching of election be? This is unjust! Is it? Paul curses the idea.
15 This verse is very difficult. As a matter of fact, John Piper’s The Justification of God is a thesis just based on the word ‘for’ at the beginning of this verse.

‘For’ indicates that Paul is about to give us the reason that it’s not unjust for God to elect some to salvation and exclude some from salvation without reference to their ‘goodness’ or badness. To show that God is indeed acting righteously/justly, he cites Exodus 33:19. What does this have to do with God being just, though? In brief, in Exodus 33:18, Moses asks God to show him his glory. God says his ‘name,’ which is synonymous with his character or glory (Exodus 33:19). So God revealed his glory to Moses in his ‘name’, which is, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

In other words, Paul is arguing that righteousness is determined by what gives glory to God. Because it glorifies God to elect some to salvation and leave the rest in their sin, it is righteous for him to do so. This excludes the idea that God is unjust in electing some to salvation and passing over the rest. Therefore, God is just in choosing some to salvation and some for death.

Or to put it yet another way:
1) It glorifies God to elect some to salvation and to leave others in their sins.
2) Righteousness/justice is determined by what glorifies God.
Conclusion: the activity of God in election is righteous.

This may seem unfair. Paul will address the objection that election is unfair beginning in verse 19.
16 ‘So then’ indicates that Paul gives a preliminary conclusion to his argument here. That conclusion – election is not based on human desire or work, but on the God of mercy alone.
17 ‘For’ indicates that Paul is giving further ground for his argument for God’s justice. God’s word, recorded in Exodus 9:16, said to Pharaoh that God raised him up for a reason – to display his power and glory in him to the whole earth. We see this theme again – God acts righteously because righteousness is defined by what glorifies him. For the whole narrative of Israel’s redemption out of Egypt, see Exodus 3- 12:42

Several things are interesting here. First, Pharaoh was a Gentile. Paul is widening his argument here from merely talking about Jews. Second, if God had a purpose in raising Pharaoh up, there was not a real possibility of anything else happening except what God had purposed to happen. He would certainly be glorified by Pharaoh’s rebellious actions.
18 Paul draws the same conclusion again (‘so then’) from this passage that he drew from the last. Mercy is based on God’s choice, not a person’s. It may be that people get hung up on the language of ‘hardening’ here. God had purposed to harden Pharaoh’s heart before any of what happened in Exodus 4 and following. However, we must remember that God hardened an already hard heart. Remember that without the regenerating activity of the Holy Spirit, no one is able to please God. One is either of the flesh or of the Spirit (Romans 8:1-17). And so, since Pharaoh was already of the flesh, God hardened Pharaoh further then he had been before, much like his general wrath against humanity in Romans 1:18-32.
19 Normally, people will respond to this teaching by stating that God can’t then judge us for being sinners if he’s determined everything beforehand. This, indeed, is the argument of Paul’s imaginary debate opponent in verse 19.
20-21 Paul’s first line of argument against this idea is to strip us of our perceived rights. We, like Job (Job 38:1-3), have no right to challenge God, our Creator, who owns us. He is the only one with ‘rights’ in this whole scenario. See Isaiah 29:16 and 45:9 for the Old Testament citation in these verses.
22 Though Paul states what is to follow as a question, he means for it to be taken as the reality. He wouldn’t respond to an objector’s objection with a mere possibility of the way things are! Furthermore, he supports the truths of vv. 22-24 with Scripture, in vv. 25-29.

Briefly, God has glorified himself by demonstrating his wrath and power in enduring people that he created for the purpose of receiving wrath.

Many sloppy internet sources will try to claim that this verse says that the people in question prepared themselves for destruction. However, this claim is both grammatically and contextually invalid. God prepared them for destruction for his glory.
23 God prepared objects of wrath for destruction with a purpose (‘in order to’): to make known the riches of his glory for the objects he created to receive mercy and glory.
24 Paul firms up the idea here that he is not just talking about Jews anymore – but all who are called, and therefore justified, just as their spiritual father Abraham was. Israel is not Israel by ethnicity, but by election.
25-29 ‘As’ at the beginning of this section indicates that Paul is arguing for election/calling being applied to Jews and Gentiles alike. To do so, he cites Hosea 2:23, Hosea 1:10, and Isaiah 1:9; and he alludes to Isaiah 10:22-23. In sum, these verses teach us that God had purposed a remnant of Israel to be saved, not the whole of Israel. He also promised that he would bring those outside of his covenant with Israel into covenant relationship with him. They would become part of a new, spiritual-not-ethnic, Israel.

Though Hosea 1 and 2, cited in Romans 9:25-29, were about Israelites, they were covenant-breaking Israelites, and therefore no different than Gentiles under God’s wrath. What Paul does here is to expand on God’s promise – not only will law-breaking Israelites be saved; but so also will law-breaking Gentiles, who are really no different from law- breaking Israelites. A new Israel of both Jews and Gentiles would be formed. King David, who ruled the ancient nation of Israel and brought in peace and prosperity, was promised that there would eternally be an heir to his throne (See 2 Samuel 7). Those Jews before Christ who were faithful to God put their trust in this promise. The common theme within this new Israel – composed of both Jews and Gentiles – was that they would have a common King in David’s line, namely, Christ. Gentiles would be included in the covenant promise of God by association with the King.

It may seem here like Paul is stretching these verses in Hosea to mean more than they meant. This is not so. Clearly in Hosea 1, there is a distinction between the Israel of promise (1:10) and the Israel of the curse (1:2-9). Gentiles had always been included in God’s covenant with Israel, and ethnic Jews had always been excluded from God’s covenant ever since the beginning of Israel (Genesis 17:12-14, and remember Romans 4). We’ll see this in further detail in Romans 11; but this whole theme (of Gentiles being included into Israel) began in Romans 1:3-4 – though Christ was born in the flesh world as an heir to David’s throne, he has inaugurated a Kingdom of the Spirit in which he is King over all for the obedience of all the nations for the sake of his glory. Israel has expanded his borders.

Inclusion in the external Old Covenant people of God was by circumcision and the Ceremonial Law (though its blessings were still only granted through faith!) Inclusion in the New Covenant Israel of God is through faith in Christ, who is himself Israel (see Galatians 3:15- 29).

In sum, the way that Paul quotes these verses from Hosea shows that Gentiles are being included as recipients of promises given to Israel by means of election. This is because God has chosen that we be united to Christ, who is the only truly obedient Jew.
30-31 ‘What shall we say, then?’ indicates that Paul is about to draw a conclusion from the reality of God’s electing grace. That conclusion is this: Gentiles, outside of God’s covenant, not pursuing God, who never pursued a righteous status before God, have now received it because God, in grace, chose and called them. This righteous status has been received by faith!

It is vital that you understand this. People are not justified without faith. The result of election is righteousness through faith. The Gospel must be preached for the elect to have faith, and thus, the righteousness of Christ.

However, Israel did not get a righteous status. They did not attain the goal of the Law.

32-33 These verses answer why the nation of Israel did not, as a whole, receive a righteous status before God. They thought the goal of the Law was to attain a righteous status based on righteous works. They failed to see that the goal of the Law was Christ himself and his righteousness counted to everyone who would believe in him.

Sample Discussion Guide:
-Last time, we looked at truths that we need to remember in order to suffer like Christ suffered. What are some of those truths? (You can look back at ch. 8 if you need to!)
-In the midst of pain, though, it can be hard to remember and believe these truths. What are some of the doubts that might pop into someone’s head when they’re suffering?
-To Paul, and to anyone in the first century, it may have looked like God wasn’t being faithful to the nation of Israel. So why would he be faithful to Christians? In Romans 9, Paul answers that God is faithful to his word in having mercy on whomever he wills.
-Let’s pray and take a look at the text. Pray.
-Have someone read vv. 1-5.
-What’s the feel that you get from this passage? Do you have any questions about it?
-Why do you think Paul’s in such agony over the fact that many Israelites are under God’s wrath?
-We should feel a similar agony over people that are outside of Christ. Why do you think we don’t? What can we do to practice compassion on people who don’t have Christ?
-Have someone read vv. 6-13. How do you feel after reading this? Any questions?
-Can someone explain for us the story of Abraham and Sarah? How about the story of Isaac and Rebekah and the birth of their children?
-The main point here is that God’s word doesn’t fail. How do what happened with Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Rebekah prove that?
-What are some situations in which someone might be tempted to disbelieve or distrust God’s promises?
-What do you think we can do to get our minds and hearts back on track?
-What do these verses teach us about God? How does this affect your view of him or feelings towards him?
-Have someone read vv. 14-18.
-The idea that God chooses people without reference to any good or bad they might do sounds like God is being unjust. In these verses, Paul argues against that.
-Any questions you have about these verses? The reality here is that you may not have all the answers to peoples’ questions. That’s okay. Be honest, teach the text, and say from the text what you know to be true.
-What sort of picture of God is painted by these verses?
-What does it look like God ultimately cares about?
-Given that God is not required to give mercy to anyone, how does this make you feel about his mercy if you have received it?
-Have someone read vv. 19-29.
-Paul just argued that election is based on God’s will for God’s glory. Our natural response to that will be to say that God’s unfair in judging people for their sin. Look at v. 19. That’s exactly what Paul’s debate opponent says.
-What kind of picture of God do these verses paint?
-How does this portrayal of God make you feel about the fact that God has had mercy on you if you have believed in Christ?
-How does Paul answer the objection that God is unjust here?
-What does Paul teach about God here? About you?
-Have someone read vv. 30-33.
-Look at v. 30. ‘What shall we say, then’ is Paul’s way of concluding this section. What is the result of God’s choosing in these verses?
-What is the relationship between election and justification, according to these verses? See also Romans 8:30. One becomes a recipient of God’s promises by being chosen by him. God calls and gives the gift of faith (Philippians 1:29) to each person he has chosen. To each of these, he then credits Christ’s righteousness. In sum, God’s choosing/election leads to God’s call, God’s call leads to faith, faith receives the righteousness of Christ as a gift, and on the basis of that righteousness God justifies the elect.
-How would you summarize what you’ve learned about God and about people in this chapter?
-Given those things, how does having received the righteousness of Christ through faith make you feel?
-How does it change how you worship? How does it change how you pray?
-Let’s worship God in prayer. Pray as a group.

Romans 8 Bible Study II

Present Suffering and Future Glory – Romans 8:18-39

Gospel in a Sentence: Jesus Christ gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father to whom be the glory forever.  Amen.  (In reference to Galatians 1:4-5)

Big Picture: The Gospel empowers us to suffer like Jesus. 

Goal: That we trust the promises of God while suffering. 

Key Ideas

1)            The creation and the Spirit groan with us as we wait for the moment of             complete freedom from the presence and effects of sin.  

2)            The Spirit prays for the good will of God to happen for us.  

3)            We can be sure that God has worked all things, including our suffering,             for our good, since his works in saving us span from loving us in eternity             past to loving us in eternity future in Christ. 

Key Terms

Present time – This age, corrupted by sin and suffering, prior to the return of Jesus to the world.     

Glory – The worth of a thing.  Its value.  God is the possessor of all glory (Revelation 4:11).  When Christ returns, he will return in all his glory.  When we as Christians see his glory, we will reflect it perfectly.  We will be conformed to his image in character, our bodies will be freed from the effects of sin, and we will show him off to all creation forever (1 John 3:2).   

Futility – Uselessness.   

Hope – Joyful expectation, or the object that is happily expected.

Firstfruits – It’s an agricultural term.  If you plant a crop throughout a whole field in the same way, and some of it begins to grow, you can be pretty sure the rest of it will grow.  The first plants to grow were called ‘the firstfruits.’  The firstfruits guarantee that the rest of the harvest will come in.  As such, it’s a promise of what is to come in fullness. 

Redemption - This term has two historical roots.  One is in Israel’s rescue out of slavery in Egypt.  The Old Testament says that God redeemed his people from Egypt.  The other root is in the slave trade in the Roman empire.  An exchange, or payment, could be made as a redemption for the slave, thus freeing him.  The commonality in these two situations is that an exchange is made for the freedom of a slave.  Christ is the redemption for every believer by virtue of his life being exchanged for ours.  We get the rewards that he earned by obeying God; he got the wrath we deserve because of our sin.  Though the redemption price has been paid, we are still waiting for the reality of the freedom from this world that it purchased. 

To Intercede – To make requests on someone else’s behalf for their benefit. 

Called – In some sense, every person who has heard the Gospel has been ‘called.’  However, that’s not usually how the Bible uses the term.  Typically, ‘calling’ is seen as that act of God through which he miraculously draws someone to himself in faith.  We see this in this passage since all those called will be glorified. 

To Foreknow – To know, in the Biblical sense, means to establish a relationship with someone, not merely to know things about them.  For instance, Adam knew Eve (Genesis 4:1); God knew, or revealed himself, to Moses (Deuteronomy 34:10); God knew Jeremiah, meaning that he chose him for the sake of prophetic service (Jeremiah 1:5); God knew, or established covenant, with Israel (Hosea 13:5); Jesus never knew, or entered into relationship with, those who disobey him (Matthew 7:23); Jesus knew no sin, meaning he never had any connection to it (2 Corinthians 5:21).  For God to foreknow people means for him to establish a relationship with them before they exist; or in other words, to choose them.  (See also Romans 11:2; 1 Peter 1:20; and Acts 26:5.) 

To Predestine – To determine the destiny of something beforehand. 

Firstborn – The literal meaning is in reference to one who is born first.  In the ancient world, though, that was not the emphasis of the term.  It really was in reference to the one who had authority, and who would be the primary heir.  Jesus is the firstborn over all creation – not in the sense that he was ever created, but in the sense that he is the immediate heir of God the Father and has authority over all things. 

To Glorify – To ascribe glory to a thing, or to cause something to be glorious.  See ‘glory.’ 

The Elect – Those who are chosen by somebody else.  Here, those whom God has chosen for salvation. 

Key Observations

8:18            ‘For’ indicates that Paul is linking the ideas of suffering and glory in v.             17 with suffering and glory in v. 18.  The question is ‘how’?  Paul has             just stated in v. 17 that those who are indwelt by the Spirit will deal with             suffering as Christ did, looking forward to glory.  To give force to this             statement, he tells us that the greatness of future glory completely             overshadows the reality of current suffering.  What we look forward to             will make our current pain seem insignificantly small.  Paul is saying             that he’s giving us reason to suffer well, starting with the reality of the             greatness of future glory when Christ is revealed. 

19            To give evidence for this coming future glory, we’re told that the             creation is waiting for us to be revealed in glory, perfectly reflecting the             glory of God.  (Hence, ‘sons’ again, not children.) 

20-21            ‘For’ here indicates that we’re about to be told why the creation is             waiting for our glory to be revealed: it’s been subjected to uselessness             and decay by God.  God did this because he knew (that is, hoped with             certainty) that he’d free creation from its bondage when he revealed his             children in glory.  This subjection to uselessness and promise of hope is             probably in reference to Genesis 3 – mankind fell into sin, and God             cursed the earth; yet, he promised that one would come who would             destroy the devil and his works. 

22            ‘For’ indicates that this verse is evidence for the preceding statement.              That is, we know that creation is groaning, in excruciating labor pains,             moving towards a goal.  That is evidence of the looking forward of             creation to its coming freedom in our glory. 

23            ‘And’ in this verse tells us that there is another reason to believe in this             coming goal of all of history; that is, our future glory and the freedom of             creation.    And that is that we are also groaning and longing for a             particular goal.  What’s that goal?  Paul describes it in two ways,             namely, our adoption as sons and the redemption of our bodies.  Both             of these mean the same thing – our future glorification with Christ and             the removal of all that’s wrong with us and the world from us.  Aren’t we             already adopted and redeemed, though?  Sure; but the results of those             things are still future.  We do not yet look like ‘sons’ and we are not yet             truly free of this world.  But we certainly will be. 

            Another thing here worth noting is that we have the ‘firstfruits of the             Spirit.’  But wait, don’t we have all the Spirit?  Actually, the Spirit is             God, not a substance.  You don’t really possess any measure of God.              He’s a Spirit; he’s not located in any one location.  What does this             mean, then?  It’s talking about what the Spirit is doing now.  The Spirit             has begun to apply the works of Christ to us.  He’s birthed us again,             he’s given us faith, he’s joined us to Christ in whom we have             redemption and righteousness, he’s working in us to make us more like             Christ, and he absolutely guarantees that he will finish what he started.              The firstfruits – what we have now – absolutely guarantees the rest of             what he will do – resurrection from the dead in glory. 

24-25            ‘For’ indicates that Paul is here giving us a reason why we should             remember our future glory in the midst of our sufferings; that is, that             our future glory is part of the Gospel in which we were saved by             faith.  And if we hope for this – that is, if we expect it with certainty,             we can wait patiently even while suffering for this coming glory.   

26-27            ‘Likewise’ connects the actions in the preceding verses – we who have             the firstfruits of the Spirit groaning for the fulfillment of the rest of his             promises – with the             Spirit himself praying for us when we don’t know             how to pray.  Part of our weakness is our ignorance of what we should             pray for.  But the Spirit is God himself.  He prays the very secret will of             God the Father, and the Father and the Spirit are in complete             agreement.  And he prays for us! 

28            So far we’ve been told to suffer well we must remember our future             glory’s magnitude.  Creation’s groaning points to this great reality.  Our             groaning points to this reality.  The Spirit who has set us apart also             prays for God’s will on our behalf, and so we can suffer knowing that             God reigns over all things.  V. 28 continues this thought.  Note first,             though, that this is only true about those who are called, who are also             those who love God.  For such people, all things that happen happen by             God’s sovereign direction for their good, on the path towards future             glory.  We should recall the argument of Romans 5:1-5 as we recall the             ‘good’ – our growth in hope until we get the glory we have hoped in. 

29            To give support for this promise (‘for’), Paul appeals to all that God has             done to save us.  He foreknew certain people (see the discussion in             ‘key terms.’)  Each of those people, he predestined to be made like             Jesus in character.  He did this for a reason: so that his image, his             glory, would be multiplied over a whole family of people from every             nation – over which Jesus would reign as the firstborn. 

Predstination, Election, the Sovereignty of God, Human Responsibility, Free Will, and How to Handle Those Things in Your Bible Study

People love to talk about predestination.  Perhaps that phrase would be better stated this way: people love to argue about predestination.  It is a philosophically and emotionally charged issue, and thus, discussing it or even thinking about it often results in struggling for many people, perhaps including yourself. 

This topic is a controversial issue and has been for centuries.  For the last few centuries, two labels have been associated with it – Arminianism and Calvinism.  It’s more helpful to think about it, though, with these two corresponding labels – synergism and monergism.  

Synergism is the idea that there is more than one cause in our regeneration – both God’s will and man’s will in cooperation with each other to produce regeneration.  Monergism is the belief that God’s will is the effecting cause of our regeneration, and in grace, changes our sinful wills so that we do repent. 

What I want to do for you here is give you guidelines through which to think about the issue as it relates to this study (and the next), and give some suggested guidelines of how to steer the conversation back on track if it derails. 

First, here are some guidelines through which to think about the issue. 

1)            The Bible talks about predestination and election. 

2)            One’s belief about predestination does not affect their eternal destiny. 

3)            Predstination, however, is still in the Bible, and God holds us responsible             for knowing and believing what’s in the Bible. 

4)            One’s belief about predestination will affect how they pray, worship, and             evangelize unbelievers.  It is important. 

5)            The fallen human will, in Scripture, is never spoken of in a neutral, let             alone a positive, light.  And it is certainly never spoken of as being ‘free.’              ‘Free will’ is a philosophical concept that has multiple possible             definitions, not a Biblical term. 

6)            Often, these discussions revolve around philosophical inference, rather             than what the Bible actually says.  Thinking about this issue must involve             an open Bible and a submissive attitude. 

7)            We must ask the question of a verse, ‘what does this verse teach?’              Sometimes we ask questions of verses that the verses were not written             to answer.  For instance, often in these discussions, people will refer to             verses like John 3:16.  John 3:16, while containing wonderful truths,             does not say anything about predestination, and so, isn’t relevant to the             question.  

8)            We must avoid straw men!  Comments like ‘Arminians don’t believe in             original sin’ and ‘Calvinists don’t do evangelism’ are false, silly, and             unhelpful. 

9)            You really are a synergist or a monergist.  There is no middle ground             (with the exception of just not knowing).  Either there is some moral good             left in our wills with which sinners participate in causing their             regeneration, or there is not and regeneration is all the result of God’s             free grace, and results in repentance. 

10)            Romans 8 is not about election. 

11)            However, this passage does talk about election as a supporting             argument for God’s working all things together for our good, in light of the             Holy Spirit’s prayers for us.

12)            It’s okay not to know what’s true about this issue.  God is growing each             and every one of us in different areas of obedience, including the             obedience of our minds to his word.  We’re all ‘in process.’ 

13)            It is not okay to ignore the Bible, however.  We must go to God’s word in             prayer with a submissive and repentant heart, so that we may see Christ             and worship him as he truly is. 

Predestination probably will, and to some extent should, be discussed in your Bible study.  It should not, however, control the whole discussion.  Here are some tips for keeping the study on track. 

1)            Ask “What does the Bible say?” or “Where does the Bible say that?”  In a             kind manner, don’t let people run off with their own thoughts and             speculations.  Keep returning to the Scriptures. 

2)            Ask “Why does God talk about predestination in this section?  How is it             related to the whole section?” 

3)            If it seems necessary and appropriate, introduce the fact that there are             two views of predestination within Christianity and to define them.  After             doing so, it would probably be helpful to ask the previous question. 

4)            Feel free to say that the issue can be discussed later, but that the group             should return to the point of the passage.

5)            Make sure you return to looking at the ‘Key Terms’ section, especially in             reference to the word ‘foreknow.’  Make sure you can define these terms. 

If you’d like to understand the two views better (Calvinism and Arminianism, better called Monergism and Synergism), I’m at your disposal for questions or discussion. 

30            This is continuing support about everything working for our good.              Everyone who was predestined by God for the glory of Christ was also             called, justified, and glorified.   It’s a little odd that ‘glorified’ is past             tense.  There are two ways of understanding this.  It could be that Paul             is seeing it as so certain that he speaks of it as past, or, and as I think             more likely, Paul sees our regeneration (having a new nature) as the             beginning of our future glory. 

31            ‘What then’ indicates that Paul is about to draw conclusions from all the             promises of God in the previous section.  God himself is for us, and no             one can successfully be against us.  They’ll fail. 

32            God gave up his own Son to death for us; therefore, he will give us all             things pertaining to salvation.  All things in and after life are to our good.              How do we know?  Christ was murdered for us by his Father’s merciful             design. 

33            God declares us righteous.  No one will bring a charge of guilt against             us.  

34            No one will condemn; God has declared us righteous by condemning             Christ.  That condemnation being completed, he has risen from the             dead, he who died in our places, and now prays for us to the Father             from a position of rule over all things. 

35-36            Can anything, even the persecutions spoken of in the Old Testament,             separate the Christian from Christ’s love?  The implied answer is ‘no             one!’  He has justified us by his blood spilled in love, and his blood was             not spilled in vain – he will bring us home. 

37            As we suffer trusting in Christ’s promises, in prayer, by Christ’s power             granted through the Holy Spirit, we conquer the world and all with which             it can assault us. 

38-39            Why are we more than conquerors despite the world’s attacks?              Because nothing – not death, not demons, not the very fabric of the             universe – is able to remove us from God’s love.  It is God’s love.  No             created thing can change it.  It is granted in Christ Jesus, whose death             saved us perfectly.  God’s purposes will not be thwarted, but rather, all             that hell can do in throwing all its terror against us is fulfill the will of God             for our good, purchased for us by Christ Jesus himself. 

Sample Discussion Guide:

-What do you think are some of the worst ways that people have suffered? 

-Why do you think suffering exists? 

-How do you cope with it when you experience hard things in life? 

-Tonight we’ll be looking at the continuation of something we saw last time – that part of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives is to cause us to endure suffering in life in a way that reflects how Christ suffered, looking forward to a future of glory with him.  Have the group begin with prayer.

-Have the group read vv. 18-25.

-How are we encouraged in this section to suffer well? 

-What are some ways we see creation in bondage?  How does creation’s futility relate to our suffering? 

-What are we waiting for?  What’s particularly exciting about that to you?  How do these things relate to suffering? 

-Have the group read vv. 26-30. 

-What are some things that this passage says that God has done or is doing currently? 

-What’s the relationship between our salvation and our suffering? 

-Sometimes it’s hard to believe v. 28 when we’re going through pain.  What are some of the truths in this paragraph that we need to fight to remember that support the fact that all things are for our good by God’s design? 

-Have them read vv. 31-39. 

-‘What then shall we say to these things?’ in v. 31 indicates that Paul is wrapping up this section about suffering well with Christ.  Which of Paul’s statements in this section connects with you the most? 

-What are some of the things that may cause us harm in this section?

-What does this section say about our salvation? 

-Suffering will happen, should happen, and does happen by God’s design (v. 17, 28).  How do you think this passage would instruct us to deal with it? 

-Have the group pray – perhaps splitting into pairs to share pain/prayer requests.  

Romans 8 Bible Study I

The Cross and the Spirit – Romans 8:1-17

Gospel in a Sentence: God made a way for wicked sinners to be reconciled to Himself through the blood of Jesus Christ so that we might be made alive eternally and that our sins would be paid in full; we are given the righteousness of Jesus Himself and He takes on our sin, resulting in a right standing with God the Father. 

Big Picture: The Holy Spirit leads all Christians to obey God’s righteous requirements on the basis of Christ’s death and resurrection. 

Goal: That we rely on the promises that God has given us, concerning obedience in life and future resurrection, secured by Christ’s death and resurrection.    

Key Ideas

1)            Everyone in Christ through faith has already been freed from             condemnation, since they’ve been transferred from the realm of sin to             the realm of the Spirit.  

2)            There are only two ways to live: according to the flesh and according to             the Spirit.  

3)            Everyone who has the Holy Spirit will fight sin in their lives, increase in             obedience to God, and eventually rise from the dead physically with a             body uncorrupted by sin. 

Key Terms

Law of – Law can be in reference to the Old Covenant Law (Romans 2:12-13) or Natural Law (Romans 2:14) reflected in our consciences.  However, when the phrase ‘law of’ is used, it typically is referring to principles in a certain realm.  For example, every nation is ruled by a government, and those governments exercise laws.  Those laws could be called the ‘law of the nation,’ meaning that it is the body of rules that governs the government of that nation.  The term ‘law of’ in Romans has the same idea.  There’s a realm that’s governed by certain principles.   

Flesh – The Old Era of the world before Jesus came; the age governed by sin before Jesus began to reign by saving people from every nation.  Some versions of the Bible translate the word flesh as ‘sinful nature.’  While this helps us understand that the ‘flesh’ has something to do with sin, it makes it appear as something in each person, as opposed to the world in which every person lives and of which every person is part. 

Spirit – Namely, the Holy Spirit.  In contrast with the ‘flesh,’ the Holy Spirit governs the New Era, the New Creation, in which Jesus has begun to reign as Christ, or Saving King.  The age, or world, or Kingdom, of the Spirit has crashed into the old world of the flesh.  Both now coexist because Christ has entered the world.  When he is revealed in judgment, the age of the flesh will end. 

Abba – The Jews in 1^st Century Palestine spoke a language, related to Hebrew, called Aramaic.  Abba is the form of the word ‘father,’ used to address one’s father.  It does not mean ‘daddy’ or reflect any sort of childish address of a father.  Therefore, if any of you men start praying to God as ‘Daddy,’ I will smack you. 

Glorified – To be given honor, or to have worth ascribed to or recognized in someone.  God is glorified when his worth is recognized and responded to appropriately with delight and praise.  Our destiny is to be glorified with Christ.  That does not mean we have any sort of worth of our own, but that we will, when we see Jesus, be fully conformed to his image.  We will be made like him in character, and all of the stains and effects of the flesh will be removed from us. 

Key Observations

8:1            ‘Therefore’ indicates that Paul is concluding an argument.  He is             probably referring back to 7:6 – the Law aroused our sin and we died;             but, because Christ suffered the penalties the Law required in our             places, we are free from being judged by it forever.  This word ‘now’             connects 8:1 and 7:6, and refers to the reality that with the Christ event,             the whole course of history was changed forever.  Already now and             right now there is no condemnation from God for those united to Christ             Jesus through faith.  

2            ‘For’ indicates that this is the basis for the removal of condemnation             from us; namely, that we have been transferred from realm to realm.  In             this case, the Holy Spirit has removed us from the world of sin and             death             and placed us into his own world.  We are now governed as             members of the Kingdom of God, not the Kingdom of this world.  This is             all ‘in Christ,’ or by virtue of union with him, since his death and             resurrection have secured that realm transfer for all his people (those             united to him).   

3            ‘For’ here indicates that Paul is going to tell us how God, by the Spirit,             transferred us from realm to realm.  First, he notes that the Law (here             the Old Testament Commandments) couldn’t give us entry into the             Kingdom of God because we were governed by the flesh, and thus             rebelled against the Law.  However, God sent his own Son into the             world.  He was human like us, but was not ruled over by the old sinful             world of ‘flesh,’ even though he entered the world of ‘flesh.’    God             carried out the verdict our sin required on him – he condemned it and             punished it.

4            The phrase ‘in order that (noun) might (verb)’ indicates purpose.  Verse             4 tells us, thus, a reason that God condemned Christ for us, namely,             that the righteous requirement of the law would be fulfilled in us.  This             could mean that Christ’s death met all of the Law’s demands, or it could             mean that Christ’s death has given us the ability to live in growing             conformity to the Law.  Contextually, the latter seems to make more             sense, though the former is certainly true.  Paul clarifies who he’s             talking about at the             end of the verse – it’s people who live lifestyles             characterized by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, and thus do             not live lifestyles in agreement with the old world controlled by sin.              These are the people whose sin has been condemned in the             condemnation of Christ by God the Father. 

5            The word ‘for,’ beginning this verse, indicates that Paul is about to tell             us an explanation of the two types of people he’s just mentioned in             verse 4, those belonging to the flesh and those belonging to the Spirit.              This explanation will last through verse 8.  In verse 5, we see that one’s             thought life is reflective of the realm in which they live.  What they             purposefully think about reflects who their master is – sin or the Holy             Spirit.  This does not teach perfection; but it does teach that each             person for whom Christ died will normally be purposefully thinking in             agreement with the word of God.  In other words, a converted person             has a new ‘normal.’  They no longer have minds controlled by sin; but             rather, normally and purposefully think about God’s word and treasure             what God treasures.  It’s not a perfect mind, but it’s a mind that has a             completely different ‘normal.’ 

6            This is further explanation of the two kinds of lives.  One whose             mind is controlled by the old sinful world will die forever.  One             whose mind is set on the Spirit, from the Spirit gets eternal life and             peace in the presence of God forever. 

7-8            This is further explanation of the one who is in the flesh.  Because his             mind is controlled by the old, sinful world, he is hostile to God.  His mind             is incapable of submission to God’s Law; therefore, he can never             please God.  

9            Here Paul wants to give Christians assurance that they’re not of the             flesh; but he also wants to drive a sharp wedge between the one who is             of the flesh and the one who is in the Spirit.  We learn that all who             belong to Christ, that is, all Christians, have the Holy Spirit, and             therefore are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit.  

10            ‘But’ indicates a contrast.  Here, it is the contrast between the fact that             our bodies are dead, but the Spirit is life.  In other words, because we             still are in this sinful world, with bodies tainted by sin, we carry in us the             stain of death and will die physically.  Even so, the Spirit has granted us             new life, and will give us resurrection life later.  This is all because of             the righteousness of Christ counts in our places.    This verse starts with             the phrase ‘if Christ is in you.’  This does not mean that Jesus is             identical to the Spirit, but reflects that fact that both persons of God are             fully God, and the Holy Spirit communicates the fullness of the person             of Christ to everyone in whom he dwells. 

11            This is the continuation of the thought that the Spirit is life in verse 10.              Because the Holy Spirit is in us, God the Father will raise us physically             from the dead just like he raised Christ physically from the dead, and             our bodies will never be stained by sin again.   

12            ‘So then’ indicates that Paul is going to draw out a conclusion of the             sharp distinction between those in the flesh and those in the Spirit (non-            Christians and Christians).  This conclusion is that we aren’t debtors to             the old world.  We do not belong to it and owe nothing to it.  We are not             under its control.  

13            We have been freed from sin’s control for a reason.  Everyone whose             life is characterized by the flesh will face death and hell.  However,             everyone who lives in agreement with the Holy Spirit will get eternal life.              This does not mean that people are justified by obedience!  Rather, it             means that everyone whose sin was condemned in Christ faces no             condemnation and has been given the Holy Spirit who will absolutely             produce obedience in growing degree.  The life in the Spirit here is             characterized by trust in the Spirit’s power granted through the death of             Christ, and also decisive action on our part to fight against the sinful             tendencies that we still have in our bodies before the Spirit gives us             resurrection bodies. 

The Spirit-Filled Life

When modern, American Christians think of the Spirit-filled life, many think of emotional experiences or even miraculous Spirit-granted gifts.  Though the Holy Spirit’s work should certainly influence our emotions, and he does give gifs to the Church, these emphases are not what the Bible emphasizes when speaking of the work of the Spirit. 

Romans 8 gives us a wonderful summary of the Spirit’s work in every believer’s life.  It might be a good idea to, before reading forward, think about how you would summarize the teaching of Romans 8:1-13. 

Basically, the Holy Spirit applies the work of Christ to every believer’s life.  He has united us to Christ so that Christ’s death counts for our sins and his righteousness is the basis for our righteous standing.  He will raise us from the dead when Jesus returns to earth.  And now, he gives us the ‘newness of life’ that Jesus has purchased for us, so that our minds are set on him and we walk in normal obedience to God’s laws. 

Though the Bible promises us that the Holy Spirit will do these things in every Christian’s life, it’s not automatic.  We have a role to play!  We see that we walk, or live, in agreement with the Spirit (v. 4), we set our minds on the things of the Spirit (v. 5), and we put to death the deeds of the body (v. 13). 

How do we do these things?  How do we live in agreement with the Spirit?  Romans 8 gives us a very simple answer, involving two parts: dependence and choice. 

1)             Dependence.  Romans 8:13 tells us that our killing of the body’s deeds is             done ‘by the Spirit.’  This makes sense, doesn’t it?  The Spirit is the one             who applies the death of Christ to us for our forgiveness.  He is the one             who set us free from our old selves.  He is the one who gave us a new             mind and heart and life.  So we should trust him!  We must remember             what Christ has done for us, and that there is already now no             condemnation for us, despite our sins.  We must thank God for his             promises of heaven, and we must pray, just like the Lord himself taught             us, ‘hallowed by your name,’ or in other words, ‘glorify your name!’ 

2)            Choice.  Romans 8:13 says that we are putting to death the deeds of the             body if we are in Christ.  This means that we take decisive action in             fleeing temptation, resisting the devil, and pursuing righteousness.  We             take practical steps in ending the indulgence of sinful lusts in our lives.              We practice godliness and discipline ourselves for holiness.  There is             hard work, but we must remember that it is hard work trusting in the Holy             Spirit! 

It may help to break this down into a few simple steps, involving an open Bible and time in prayer. 

i.            Think, specifically, about what God has commanded in his word, and             about how your life matches up to his Law. 

ii.            Confess your specific sins to God, being grieved for grieving him. 

iii.            Think about the righteousness of Christ and your right standing before             God. (This is one of those times in which Scripture memory is very             helpful!)

iv.            Thank God for your justification and your promised future with him. 

v.            Ask God, in specific ways, to change you so you glorify him more. 

vi.            Take decisive action to rid yourself of sin.  Instill disciplines, get             accountability, rid yourself of temptation.  Be extreme and decisive. 

vii.            Thank God that he will one day glorify you with Christ. 

That is the life the Holy Spirit has for us now.  There are no magic bullets for ridding oneself of particular sin – just remembering the Gospel, trusting and praying in light of the Gospel, and taking decisive action because of the Gospel.  As we do those things, the Holy Spirit will do his work in our lives, conforming us to the image of Christ himself. 

14            Verse 13 is true because of verse 14 – all who are led by the Spirit of             God are sons of God.  That is to say, if anyone is a son of God, he is             led by the Spirit of God.  What are the sons of God led by the Spirit to             do?  They put to death the body’s deeds.  They do righteousness, not             lawlessness.  They respond positively to God’s word, not in rebellion.              By the way, it is sons of God, not children of God.  Sons in the ancient             world were known for doing what their father did.  We are sons of God             through faith in Christ and are being transformed to be like him.  The             Bible also refers to us as children of God (even in v. 16 here).  There,             the emphasis is on our relationship and inheritance rather than our             behavior. 

15            ‘For’ indicates that this verse is further evidence of the sonship of             everyone who is in Christ.  The Spirit himself is a Spirit of adoption, who             causes us to address God as ‘Abba,’ Father, just as Christ himself did             (Mark 14:36).  This is in contrast to being a slave of sin, knowing that             we deserve punishment, and thus living in fear. 

16            How do Christians cry out to God as Father?  By the Holy Spirit, who             makes us aware that God is our adoptive Father. 

How can I know I’m a Christian? 

At this point, you’ve probably seen quite clearly the answer to the question Paul poses for himself at the beginning of Romans 6, namely, will Christians go on sinning?  No!  One who is in Christ has a new nature granted by the Holy Spirit, and will bear fruit. 

Many Christians, especially those with sensitive consciences, as a result of this truth combined with the presence of sin in their lives, will struggle with feeling like they are truly saved.  They’ll wonder if God is truly at work in their lives, or if they are not truly Christians.  Often, they approach God with anxiety or fear. 

This is by no means a new problem in Christ’s Church.  For instance, John writes a purpose statement for 1 John at the end of the letter in which he says, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life”(1 John 5:13).  Peter, in 2 Peter 1:10, instructs us to ‘be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure.’ 

God desires that we know that we are truly his children, and more, he commands us to seek that certainty. 

This issue is complicated by the issue of the complexity of human nature.  Sometimes we can know something to be objective truth but feel as if something else were true.  As a result, there are two kinds of ‘assurance’ that one truly will enter the Kingdom of God.  These two types of assurance are called Objective Assurance and Subjective Assurance. 

1)          Objective Assurance is assurance of our salvation that comes from           outside of us.  It is the declaration that all who are united to Christ           through faith are forgiven and will enter heaven.  Objective assurance is           Christ himself.  Why would someone enter heaven?  Christ and Christ           alone.  Objective Assurance is merely the reality that all in Christ will           forever be united to him. 

2)          Subjective Assurance is the experience of assurance by the Christian.            Though Objective Assurance is unchanged by how we feel, Subjective           Assurance in large part depends on our experiences of three things.            First, it depends on our experiences of the declaration of Objective           Assurance.  Second, it depends on our ability to see the production of           obedience in our lives.  Third, it depends on our ability to believe the           witness of the Holy Spirit. 

          i.          Subjective Assurance depends on our experiences of the                               declaration of Objective Assurance.  As we saw from Romans 1,                               Christians grow by hearing the Gospel proclaimed to them.  We                               tend to forget the Gospel and require constant reminders.  If we                               go for a time without receiving the Gospel, our feelings of                               assurance will waiver.  The solution to this problem is to hear the                     Gospel.  God has instituted the elders/pastors of the local                               churches for this purpose – to preach the Gospel.  It is their job                               to proclaim and apply the truth of the cross of Christ and what it                               does for us every Lord’s Day.  Christians need this.  If a Christian                     is not in a local church in which this is happening normally and                               regularly, that Christian is spiritually starving rather than being                               nourished, and should immediately pursue membership in a local                     church in which the Gospel is regularly proclaimed and applied. 

          ii.          Subjective Assurance depends on our ability to see the                                         production of obedience in our lives.  This is the substance of 2                               Peter 1 and 1 John.  Now, some people do not see fruit because                               there isn’t any.  They should be afraid that they aren’t saved,                               because they’re not.  The solution to this issue is the Gospel –                               and a Holy Spirit-produced response of repentance and faith.                                However, some Christians don’t see fruit because they’re                               perfectionists and see the lack of perfect fruit or the lack of fruit                               in every area of life as a complete lack of fruit.  These people                               need to be reminded that God has purposed that their perfection                               wait until they see Jesus.  We must remember that the fruit the                               Holy Spirit produces is mixed in with our present sins.  The                               solution for people who can’t see fruit in their lives is to                                         remember this reality, and to return to the truth of their Objective                               Assurance before God – namely, the perfection of Christ’s death                               in saving his people. 

          iii.          Subjective Assurance depends on our ability to believe the                               witness of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16).  The Holy Spirit                               testifies that we are children of God to our spirits.  Now, our                               ability to receive that testimony may be hindered by a lack of                               fellowship with Christ, the presence of unrepentant sin in our                               lives, a forgetting of the Gospel, or trying to be perfected by the                               Law.  The solution to this issue is to again return to Objective                               Assurance.  The Gospel is written in Scripture by the Holy Spirit,                               and it is this Gospel that he uses to declare to us, to witness to                               us, that we stand forever justified before God the Father. 

To summarize, then, every Christian has Objective Assurance – namely, Christ who stands before the Father as the one who has secured their redemption perfectly and forever.  The Subjective Assurance, or experience of assurance, of a Christian can waiver based on their regularly hearing the Gospel, their ability to see fruit of the Spirit in their lives, and their believing the inner witness of the Holy Spirit without hindrance.  A lack of Subjective Assurance does not mean someone is not a Christian!  But we all should pursue it. 

17            Since God has adopted us into his family, we now are heirs, just as             Christ is.  We get what he is promised by being a son of God – and we             are children of God by being united to the one, obedient Son of God.  A             condition seemed to be attached to the end of this verse.  We are heirs             if we suffer with Christ now to be glorified with him later.  Is this a             condition added to the condition that we trust Christ?  No.  However,             having the Holy Spirit means living life according to that Spirit, living like             a son of God, living in agreement with God’s righteous requirements;             and that means that we will deal with the sufferings of this life in the way             that Christ dealt with them, looking forward to glory as a future goal and             promise.  The next study will delve further into this topic. 

Sample Discussion Guide:

-What are some words that you think describe a ‘Spirit-filled’ Christian? 

-On a scale of 1-10, rate your confidence that the Holy Spirit is changing you?  Why did you give the number you gave? 

-In tonight’s study, we’ll be looking at how the Holy Spirit changes everyone who believes in Jesus, and hopefully clear up some misconceptions about what he does.  Let’s pray.  Have someone pray. 

-Have someone read vv. 1-4. 

-Why should it be a surprise that there’s now no condemnation for those in Christ? 

-These verses describe how every believer in Christ will never be under God’s condemnation.  How did God do that? 

-The truth that God did what the Law couldn’t in removing condemnation from us through the death of Christ should never be boring.  If our emotions are not affected by these realities, there’s a problem.  What should we do if we’re bored by the Gospel? 

-Those who are now no longer condemned by God through Christ’s death no longer live according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.  Explain the flesh/Spirit contrast.  See the definitions section for help.  Paul goes on to contrast how deep that lifestyle control goes by telling us that what we think about reflects who our master is. 

-Have someone read vv. 5-8. 

-What do these verses say about a person’s mind who has not turned to Christ?  About someone who has? 

-If you have trusted Christ, his death has made significant changes to your mind.  Your old mind, controlled by sin, is dead, and replaced by a new one.  Practically, what do you think those differences look like in every day life?  How do you see evidence of the Spirit’s work in your mind? 

-In vv. 9-17, Paul addresses the people receiving this letter who have repented from their sins and are following Christ.  He tells them what the Holy Spirit is doing in their lives. 

-Have someone read vv. 9-11.  What does God promise us in these verses about the Holy Spirit’s activity? 

-Righteousness is a really important word in Romans.  How would you explain the idea that the Spirit is life because of righteousness?   Be ready to explain justification and its benefits here, because that’s the point of this verse. 

-What difference does v. 11 make to you personally? 

-Have someone read vv. 12-17. 

-Because of what the Holy Spirit has done and will do, we learn in v. 12 that we have no obligations to the flesh – to the old world controlled by sin.  We are free!  This freedom is reflected in our relationship with the Holy Spirit.  What do vv. 13-17 tell us about our relationship to the Spirit? 

-Do you have any questions about the things you just listed? 

-What do you think it looks like to put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit in v. 13? 

-These verses teach us that everyone in Christ is free from obedience to sin, has no need to fear condemnation from God, is adopted by God, and is guaranteed an inheritance of glory through Christ.  How are those truths pertinent to the daily task of putting the deeds of the body to death by the Spirit? 

-What role does the Spirit play in putting the deeds of the body to death?  What role must you play?