The book of Romans is one of the helpful and practical letters in the New Testament. Just look at some of the gems from Romans 8.
Romans 8:1 assures believers of their standing before God. There is ‘no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.’
Paul goes on to tell us that those who believe in Jesus have been ‘set free, from the law of sin and death,’ verse 2. The reason we are set free is not because of anything we have done or because of keeping rules but because of what Jesus has done for us through His death on the cross, verses 3-4.
When we believe in Jesus we are no longer like those who are ‘according to the flesh.’ Now we have a new goal, a new purpose in life, a new direction. It is a life of wanting to please God. We can do this because when we accept Jesus we receive at that time the Holy Spirit, verse 9-11. It is impossible to be a Christian, to believe in Jesus and not to have the Holy Spirit. It’s a package deal. If we have Jesus we also have the Holy Spirit living in us to help us and guide us through life.
Of course the crux of the matter is how much we choose to listen to and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We then have a responsibility and obligation to live God’s way and that includes dealing with sin and not allowing it to fester in our lives. That includes making choices that reflect that we are living God’s way and not according to he pressure and standards of the world.
So we will eliminate from our lives and ask God to help us deal with those sins that the Holy Spirit reveals to us. This shows or proves if you like that we are being led by the Spirit of God. God’s Word tells us ‘all who are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God,’ verse 14.
Join me next week as I look at a bit more wisdom and practical help for Christian living from Romans.
Bible verses from the New American Standard Version
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