This Week’s Chapters: Romans 4 - 8
Pastor Claire Morton
The message in Romans is really quite simple – it is not I that live, but Christ that lives in me.
Our problem is that we make this so complicated because we don’t want “I” to die but if we understand what Christ has done for us and live in this knowledge, then we live in freedom.
So let’s take a look through these chapters.
Christ died for us and when we believe this, this is credited to us as righteousness (see 4 v 23-24). Our relationship with God is restored and in 5 v 1 we read that “… we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”.
Chapter 5 goes on to talk about how death entered the world and how Christ then restored life back into the world.
This leads me to 6 v 8 “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him”. Do you realise that when Christ died, you died? Not you physically but your flesh-life, your desire to sin, your need to sin. Christ paid the price so that you can live in freedom; not bound by doubt, fear and insecurity.
The problem is that sometimes even though we are “alive” we are still dragging a dead body behind us. Paul talks of this struggle in chapter 7 v 14-20 – “for what I want to do, I do not do; but what I hate, I do”.
But look at 8 v 1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. God is not a harsh judge standing with a whip in his hand ready to condemn you for every sin you commit. He is a just judge who forgives every time you come in repentance to Him. When we sin, He is waiting for us to come to Him so He can restore us again.
If you have drifted away from the Lord, know that when you come back to Him, He forgives you and restores you right back where you left off in your relationship with Him. He doesn’t send you back to the beginning again. He says “Great, let’s get on with our journey together”.
Rom 8 v 31 continues “If God is for us, who can be against us?” – who indeed? Often our worst enemy is ourselves because we do not believe the awesomeness and love of our amazing God. However, we read in v 34 that Christ is at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf. Wow! Christ is interceding for you! He is saying “Look Father, here is your child, covered by my blood, hear their cry.”
Let Christ shine from you and let “I” be truly dead!
Breathing Daily with God is an opportunity for the Pastors to share their thoughts on the chapters we have been reading in our daily bible reading plan.Email this to a friend | Add A Comment | Bookmark | Subscribe
1 Comments So Far
- Pastor Matt
Excellent word Pastor Claire… My flesh and my Soul have NO vote… I live in a perpetual state of being new in Christ, He lives in me, and I serve at the pleasure of my Master. In Christ and living fully for him - I have found that God has enabled me to live out my dreams!
posted June 28, 2008 at 06:07 PM
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