Romans 7:1-25
God’s purpose is not easily fulfilled in us. Our battle with sin is extremely intense. There is a great conflict going on within us. ‘The Spirit’ and ‘the flesh’ are at war with each other (Galatians 5:17). God has given us His Spirit - ‘we serve... in the new life of the Spirit’(6). We are still sinners - ‘I am carnal, a slave to sin’(14). These are two sides of the one coin. The Spirit is within us yet we remain sinners. Honestly confessing our sin, we say, ‘Wretched man that I am!’. Gladly rejoicing in our Saviour, we say, ‘Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!’(24-25). Despite our many defeats, we say, ‘Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’(8:39). Wait for ‘the final result’: ‘God gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’(1 Corinthians 15:57).
Romans 8:1-39
Each of us must choose. We can ‘live according to the flesh’ or we can ‘live according to the Spirit’. We can ‘set the mind on the flesh’ or we can ‘set the mind on the Spirit’(5-6). The new life in the Spirit is just the beginning. God is preparing us for the greater ‘glory that will be revealed in us’(18). We have ‘the first fruits of the Spirit’. The Holy Spirit is ‘the guarantee of our inheritance’. He is the starter which whets our appetite for the main course! With Him in our hearts, we long for more - ‘an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you’, ‘the redemption of our bodies’, ‘the glorious liberty of the children of God’(21-23; Ephesians 1:13-14; 1 Peter 1:3-5). Led by the Spirit, strong in the Spirit, we press on to glory (14,26,17).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
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