IBS Romans 8:1-2 (6-3-14)

Inductive Bible Study for Romans 8:1-2 (6-3-14)

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."

Everyone is a sinner and is thereby condemned to die in their sins. God does not send anyone to hell - He gives us the choice to ask His forgiveness and be cleansed by the blood Jesus shed for us on the cross. So after someone repents and asks Jesus to be their Savior, this verse says the condemnation is gone. All the sins they've ever done and ever will do are paid for by Jesus. What does it mean to be IN Christ Jesus? Walking in the Spirit is contrasted with walking in the flesh. When we die to ourself, take up our cross and follow Christ, we are putting the "old man" to death. We say that it is no longer we who live, but it is now Christ who lives in us.

By asking God to be The Lord of your life, you are calling Him your Master. Galatians talks about the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Love is the first fruit and all the rest are a result of loving. For example, if you love someone, you're going to be kind, joyful and gentle. Walking in the flesh does not give us any fruit of the Spirit - we are not loving, joyful or full of peace because we are thinking only of ourselves and how we can benefit from life. There is not condemnation for even those who walk according to the flesh - however, you can't be in fellowship with the Holy Spirit when you're shoving Him out of your life.

What do you do when you feel condemned for sins after you're saved from them? If you're living in habitual sin, then you SHOULD be feeling convicted! After you've repented and been forgiven by God and those you've sinned against, it's over and done with. Our sin is as far as the east is from the west. Jesus already went through all the punishment we deserve and we are justified by His blood - just as if we'd never sinned. Should we then sin just because we know we'll be forgiven of it? Paul asks this question, and of course the answer is no! We should never sin just because grace will abound much more. God hates sin. He hates what separates us from Him. He wants us to follow Him and live a life pleasing to Him. When we fall, we need to repent, get back up and follow hard after Jesus again.

What is the difference between the law of the Spirit and the law of sin and death? The law of the Spirit is being saved by grace because of justification, whereas the law of the flesh is working to be good and never meeting those standards. The purpose of the law is to show human beings how much they fall short of the perfection of God. We would see no beauty in the cross if we didn't know our need for Christ's forgiveness. To those who feel they are righteous, they see no need for forgiveness from God. The cross is offensive because they don't believe they've done anything wrong. To those who feel they are too wicked to be forgiven, they are belittling the power of God's sacrifice to save them.

God knew before He laid the foundations of the earth that we all would be sinners and separated from Him. It is never a surprise to Him when we sin. He sent His Son so that we could have a relationship with Him. He knows that we are weak - He knows we can't do things on our own. His desire is that all should come to be saved, that He would have a personal relationship with all the people He created. I have surrendered my life to Jesus and am in the process of being sanctified - little by little He is revealing myself to me and I am allowing Him to conform me more to Him. I desire to please Him and learn from Him more each day. I read in the Bible every day, but I am going to write a few words summing up what I learned on my wrist so I can meditate on it throughout the day.