Tuesday 28th June
At the end of Romans 8, Paul teaches the church that we are more than conquerors through Christ (v37). We have the overwhelming victory; we haven’t just conquered sin and death through what Jesus has done for us on the cross but we are invited into a transformed life. We have the victory because of Jesus, we have the victory every day through the Holy Spirit, and this victory leads to the Father.
Paul shares a powerful statement about our identity in verses 29-30. Break these down and discuss what each statement means for our identity as Christians.
What does Paul mean by ‘those God foreknew’?
What does it mean to be ‘predestined to the image of [God’s] son?
What does it mean to be ‘called’?
What does it mean to be ‘justified’?
What does it mean to be ‘glorified’?
How does this new identity change the way we live, pray, worship and work day to day?
Paul is writing to the Roman Church during a time of disunity. The Jewish people have just returned to the city after 5 years of exile from Rome and they have found that church culture has changed - it has been influenced by Roman culture rather than Jewish culture. This causes arguments, tension and fractures among the believers. Further to this, Christians are living in a time of violent persecution because of their faith.
Where are their weaknesses and why do you think they need the spirit interceding for them? (v26)
Where are our weaknesses today and where do we need the spirit to intercede for us?
Our victory through Jesus leads to a relationship with God the Father who works everything for the good of those who love him (v28).
This verse can often be taken out of context to teach that if you give your life to Jesus everything will be easy. But ‘good’ does not mean ‘prosperity’ here. What does it mean?
How should this affect the way we live, pray, worship, work and interact with others?