Jesus loves us. Though we learned this about God, we are often tempted to doubt God's love. "Why is He keeping good things from me?" "Why am I suffering so much?" "How could God love me after what I've done?" Life situations tempt us to doubt His love. Paul addresses these questions to restore our confidence in God's love. We are reminded that nothing - not even our doubts - can hinder God's love.
"Why am I facing this trial? The Bible says God is good, but what I'm going through is not good! I'm not sure how to talk to God about the things I'm feeling." What if we lose hope or reach the end of ourselves? Romans has some of the most assuring verses reminding us that our good, sovereign Father guarantees our eternal security. He is doing good in our lives no matter what evils we face.
Fall 2024 Equip Class: Nehemiah
*Sigh* "It's always something." Life is full of sighs and groans. Some of them are light and short, but some of them are heavy and long. In a world full of hurricanes and heartache, disaster and disease, sin and suffering, how do we endure? How do we keep hope? Romans 8:18-25 teaches us to let the groans turn our attention to glory. Through the groans of suffering, hope in the glory to come.
Who are you? Some say roles don't define us as much as what we do. But that leaves us hopeless, stuck with terms like "failure" and "sinner" as our identity! Thankfully, Romans 8 teaches that through salvation, God gives a new identity. He redefines us. We are no longer slaves of sin, but children of God. We no longer walk in the flesh but in the Spirit. We have God's Spirit - it's who we are.
"Sin shall not have dominion over you..." Yes, but how? Romans 6:14 is triumphant but leaves us wondering why we still feel ruled by sin and how we can overcome it. Paul clarifies in Romans 7 that we cannot conquer sin by keeping the law in our strength. To live for God, we sever our former ties to the law. In Romans 8, Paul explains what God has done to empower us to live in victory over sin.
Fall 2024 Equip Class: The Gospel-Centered Parent
Fall 2024 Equip Class: Nehemiah
Lesson Four: God Shows His Strength Through Israel’s Weaknesses
In the struggle with sin, we can feel exhausted or defeated. You may be told to "try harder” only to fail again. We relate with Paul in Romans 7, "The good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice." It’s a believer’s relationship with the law. Living by the law in our strength, we will fail. Only Jesus can save and sanctify us, empowering us to live for Him.
No one likes being told what to do or forced to follow rules. We love our liberty and fight for freedom. When the Bible says, "You are not under law, but under grace," we get excited! We can conclude, "I'm free to live how I want!" However, Paul points out that the only way to live free of sin is to live for God. True freedom is not found in living how I want, but in freely choosing to obey God.