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Mar 03, 2024
Included | Romans 8:1-17
Children of God
One of the struggles with Christianity is knowing how it really works. We can feel shame because we do something wrong or we're not doing enough. We re-dedicate ourselves hoping the next time is a charm. Or we think the point of life is to ‘go to heaven and take as many people with us as possible.' Is that what Jesus intended? How can we know what Jesus intends? Romans 8 is a power-packed, super-condensed explanation of how Christianity works.
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- Tell the story of a time you struggled to learn something new. Have you ever had those same feelings when it comes to believing in Jesus?’
- What is the power of there being "NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”? Does condemnation still call your name?
- Describe ‘life in the flesh’ vs ‘life in the Spirit’ using words your co-workers would understand.
- v.10-11 describes two new realities for Christians: The Spirit gives us life (now), and we are promised life “to our mortal bodies.” What does each of those mean?
- Do you feel like a slave or an heir (one with inheritance)? Give evidence to back up your answer. Are you able to call God Abba (Daddy)?
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Paul never recovered from God including the Gentiles in the salvation invitation.
Like some of us, perhaps, he felt like some people should be excluded by virtue of where they were born or how badly they have behaved.
More than included, Paul instructs that former ‘outsiders’ should be treated as precious insiders, treated even better than we would treat ourselves. What would it look like if love came to town?
Human beings need reminders about how to get along, and Christians are no exception. We especially need reminders about how to love each other while we disagree. Paul draws the believers' hearts and minds back to what Jesus has done, and that paves the way for loving each other well through conflict.
How do we live with Jesus in a society that opposes him? Paul tells us to wake up to our resurrection hope. When we do that, loving others and rejecting sin in our own lives makes sense.
Romans 12 is the description of what happens when God’s mercy overflows in a church’s life. Lifelong attitudes change, love becomes genuine, mocking enemies are not met with equal and opposite force but, quite the opposite, with peace and gentleness. Be praying even now for how God will speak uniquely to your small group.
All along, we’ve been saying that God’s heart is to see us INCLUDED. That’s why Jesus came, and that’s the subject of Paul’s letter to the Romans. At times, Christians forget God’s radical inclusion of them and go back to the old patterns of competing and comparing. Sadly, that was happening in the Roman Church. Paul has one powerful dose for that sickness.
The resurrection changed everything! The story includes an invitation, a blessing, and a commission for the first witnesses … and for us today.
