The Law of the Spirit of Life
I. REMEMBER the LETTER so far… (Rom. 1-7)
A. OBEDIENCE that comes from FAITH. (Rom. 1)
B. A GOSPEL that we all NEED. (Rom 1-3)
C. The GIFT of God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Rom. 4-5)
D. The TRUTH despite our own EXPERIENCE. (Rom. 6-7)
We can’t forget what we’ve been learning over the last 4 weeks as we come into Romans 8. All that has gone before has laid a foundation for what Paul is stressing to the church at Rome in this chapter. It’s especially relevant that this follows the end of Paul’s own personal sharing in chapter 7.
1. Kid’s Question: How do you know when someone loves you? How can we know that God loves us?
2. How would you summarize in your own words what Paul has taught about the gospel in chapters 1-7?
II. No CONDEMNATION for those in CHRIST. (Rom. 8:1-17)
A. A DIFFERENT kind of LAW. (v.1-4; Jer. 31:33; Gal. 3:24-26)
B. A DIFFERENT kind of LIFE (by the SPIRIT). (v.5-11)
C. We are new PEOPLE in a new FAMILY. (v.12-17)
The first verse of Romans 8 is a text that should transform everything we have ever thought about life. If we believe this verse…it should ripple through every thing we do and say. If we are in Christ…which is a gift…there is no more condemnation.
3. If being in Christ does away with any condemnation, how does that impact our relationships with other believers? How does it impact how you view your own failures?
4. What does it mean to live by the Spirit? How does that look on a day to day basis?
5. Restate v.10-11 in your own words. How does that truth impact you personally rightnow?
III. GROWING up in the FAMILY of God. (v.1-17; Eph. 4:22-24)
A. Learning to “SET our MINDS”. (v.5-8; Ps. 16:8; Ps. 1:1-2)
B. TRAINING our BODY toward SURRENDER. (v.13; Rom. 12:1; I Tim. 4:7)
C. REMEMBERING what you have RECEIVED. (v.15; I Jn. 3:1)
D. ROOTING ourselves in this new REALITY. (v.16-17; Rom. 1:5; I Jn 4:16)
So how do we begin to live into this truth that Paul is sharing. How do we let the truth of God’s gift of love to us shape who we are becoming. We adopt a life that is focused on surrender to the Spirit’s leading, helping us to learn to be in actuality who God says we are by faith.
6. What do you set your mind on most consistently? How can you tell? How does “setting” that happen?
7. What might it actually look like to “train yourself to be godly” in regards to your body? How do we do that?
8. What are the implications for your life this week that flow from v.15-16. How can you practically “set your minds” on those things in the coming week?