Romans - September 14, 2008

SECTION --- Four: Sanctification (6:1-8:39) .
(continued from previous Class Follow Up)

X. {Rom 7:21-25} Cannot serve God without Christ’s help
A. Introduction
1. Review — Paul is showing and has shown any law of merit (good works providing a person with the false assurance they are approved by God), including the Law of Moses, is not required to live a sanctified life when one has been reconciled with God through the death of Jesus (Rom 3:21-26; 5:6-11). Those who have died to all laws of merit “bear fruit for God” (live sanctified lives) not because they have to but because they can and want to thanks to the death of God’s Son. (Rom 7:4)
2. Preview — Presents only solution to what prevents this God fearing man from serving his good God’s good Laws the way God expects His law to be served.
B. Question For Discussion?
1. What enables one to live a sanctified life — serve God the way God expects to be served?
C. Questions For Encouraging Discussion...
1. (7:21) What prevents this person from serving God?
a. Sin has control of his choices, i.e., once he violated God’s Law Mr. Sin became his master (Rom 3:23; 5:12)
OBSERVATION (7:21) The principle or law mentioned in 7:18-19 is presented or explained as a visual based on the real struggle of striving to serve God by obeying the good Law of Moses or any good law of merit — but falling way short and knowing it.
2. (7:22) Is this a situation of being totally depraved, if not is there any thing is this verse suggesting otherwise?
a. He wants to do good and knows he is not doing good. Totally depraved person does not know difference between good and evil, much less when he is not doing good. (TULIP)
OBSERVATION (7:22) The non-physical part of mankind (Rom 2:29); the part created in the image of God (Gen 2:7; 1:27), the part influenced by the Holy Spirit (Eph 3:16); knows the Law is good and wants to obey.
3. (7:23) What is the different law preventing this man from serving the law of God?
a. The law of sin?
4. (7:23) Where does each law operate?
a. The law of sin operates in the outward man, the law of God operates in the mind.
OBSERVATION: There are only two laws. There is not a law of the mind, a law of sin, and a law of God. The law of God works in the mind (inward man) for the law of God is spiritual and the mind of man is spiritual (7:14) and the law of sin works in the flesh.
5. (7:23) PONDER: Based on the area of operations what are your thoughts on Rom 5:20; 7:8,14 and the design of the Law of Moses?
a. The LOM was not designed to make mankind righteous for it operated in the area that was controlled by desires of flesh (Gen 3:2f). The LOM was designed to let man know the part of mankind made in the image of God needed help to be able to serve a pure (sinless) God with the physical (fleshly) part of man.
OBSERVATION (7:23) The outward man, the desires of the flesh (Rom 6:19), war against and take as a prisoner the inward man and its desire to do good, thus, the good Law is violated. There are two laws: 1) Law of sin and 2) Law of God, and the law of sin is winning in this man’s struggle.
6. (7:24) What is it that has made this man “wretched” (miserable through the exhaustion of hard labor)?
a. His struggle to serve the Law and knowing he is not able to serve law for the law is spiritual and he is physical (Rom 7:14)
7. (7:24) From what is the man requesting he be delivered?
a. Not from his struggle with sin but from bondage to sin into moral freedom where his body shall not longer serve as the seat of death.
OBSERVATION (7:24) The inward does not want to do evil but is knowingly doing evil, knowingly serving his master Mr. Sin through his flesh (desires) with the result being death (cf. 1Co 15:54-57). The inward man is not depraved but is powerless, is without a choice, against Mr. Sin’s use of the outward man (Rom 7:5,8) with spiritual death being the end result.
8. (7:25) Why is Christ able to give this man what he wants — freedom from his body of death?
a. (Rom 3:21-26) Christ did what this man could not do — be righteous.
9. (7:25) PONDER: What is required of this man to receive what he wants?
a. (Rom 3:26) Faith in Jesus [Rom 6:3-4].

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A LOOK AHEAD

10. (7:25) Does this teach when we sin it is only the outward man sinning and not the inward man sinning, thus, I cannot sin enough to not go to heaven?
a.
D. Evidence Applied [Discussion Question Answered] — What enables one to live a sanctified life — serve God the way God expects to be served?
1.
E. Conclusion —

XI. {Rom 8:1-4}
A. Introduction
1. Review — Thanks to Christ this man that wanted to obey God’s good commandments but knew such was not possible without God’s help recognizes the help was through Jesus the Christ.
2. Preview — Chapter eight is the explanation of the help those in Christ receive from the three members of the Trinity in the Christian’s Sanctification and eventual Glorification (final victory). This passage give the how the inward man serves God while the outward (flesh) serves sin.
B. Question For Discussion?
1. According to this passage how is the man of Rom 7:24 set free from the body of death
C. Questions For Encouraging Discussion...
1. (8:1)To who or what does “now” make reference?
a.
2. (8:1)Who is now without condemnation?
a.
3. (8:1) This verse does not inform how one gets into Christ, why not?
a.
4. (8:1) Is Paul saying, in this verse, once is in Christ Jesus a person will never again be in condemnation?
a.
5. PONDER: How long does one need to be “in Christ” before they can be a happy toiling Christian confident in their salvation.
a.
6. (8:2) What two laws (rules) are under discussion in this verse?
a.
7. (8:2) Why are the two laws (rules) defined as they are?
a.
8. (8:3) What prevented Law from controlling the desires of mankind, i.e., being obeyed?
a.
9. (8:3)What did God do to overcome this weakness in the Law’s ability to control mankind.
a. .
10. (8:3) What was, according to this verse, the results of God’s action?
a. “condemned” = to give judgment against, to judge worthy of punishment; to condemn; by one’s good example to render another’s wickedness the more evident and censurable.
b.
11. PONDER: What would be implied if God’s judicial wrath for breaking His good commandments only required saying we are sorry and repenting.
a.
12. (8:4) According to this passage why did God send His Son (the Word) in the flesh.
a.
13. (8:4) What is the requirements (righteousness, ordinance) of the Law?
a.
14. (8:4) What is meant by “do not walk after the flesh”?
a.
15. How does this verse answer the question of Rom 6:1-2?
a.
D. Evidence Applied [Discussion Question Answered] — According to this passage how is the man of Rom 7:24 set free from the body of death.
1.
E. Conclusion —

XII. {Rom 8:5-14}