Romans Road 1 - Romans 8:1-9

Romans Road Week 1
Father,
as we start down the Romans Road (from the middle), come and guide my heart, mind, and fingers. Help our hearts to be ready to receive your truth, now. Jesus, help us to grasp what it means to be in you so that we can resist sin, guilt, and shame because we can focus elsewhere, such as on Jesus’ face. Holy Spirit, we submit afresh to You today. Help us to live radically empty, so that you can fill us more fully.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

On Monday, we introduced our new series, which will run until well after Christmas, except for a brief excursus into Isaiah as we observe Advent and Christmas. The series is called Romans Road... Some of you may have just shuddered at that reference. I chose to start with chapter 8 because I love it. The passage we covered briefly stated that we cannot be condemned by anyone, if we are in Christ. Take that to the bank today. Do not allow the enemy to accuse you of anything, silence him by reminding him that it is all under the Blood of Jesus. You are free from guilt and sin, now. I should specify that that applies if and when you confess and repent, not just carte blanche for anyone any old time.
On Wednesday, we continued the thought from Monday’s passage in the next few verses. You are free from domination by sin. Monday, we learned that there is 0 condemnation for any who are in Christ. He is and was perfect, so no condemnation can stick to him. You could say he’s like Teflon Don that way, lol. If that is the case, and we are in Him, and He lives in and through us, then there is now no condemnation for us, either. This grants us access to the Holy Spirit, who guides us into all truth. Are you motivated to pursue spiritual realities? Are you still caught up only in what you think will benefit you here and now? If you want life and peace, seek the ways of the Holy Spirit, not the ways of the world and the flesh. Be careful to not make that distinction too sharply between flesh and spirit... We are mostly talking about moral and ethical living out of response to the love of God, vs living for yourself. Which type of life would you rather lead? A vapid, fun-for-now, pay-the-price-later kind of life, or a more prudent one shaped around the ways in which God designed us to live?
On Friday, I reflected more on what we talked about on Wednesday. Living in the Spirit, though, is more than simply adhering to some ethical code, though. There is so much life when we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us rather than insisting on our way all of the time. As I said the other day, the mind-set bent toward the Spirit is about living oriented towards love and others, along with growing closer to God. The other option is more or less, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” Do whatever feels good, man... That does not end well, most of the time. Let the Spirit guide and move you, you may not understand it in the moment, but looking back, it will make more sense. You will have better relationships by the end of it, and that matters more than most things do.
So, what did we learn as we started this trip down the Romans Road (even though we started in the middle of the letter)? Those who are in Christ need never be subject to the power of sin, guilt, or shame ever again. The life guided by the Holy Spirit will end better than the selfish option that the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh would have us lead. Do you want to keep fighting God? If the answer is no, then surrender. Let the Holy Spirit lead you into all Truth, whether in relation to morals and ethics (holiness), or any other arena of life.
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