Category: Studies in Romans

Friends, know this, what God starts, he finishes. He isn’t giving up on you, he who began a good work in you will see it through to completion on the day of Christ. And on that day, we will be changed for we will be like him. For he who promised is faithful, he will surely do it.

‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’   (Romans 8:28)

Can you rest in this wonderful promise? If you can say that you love Jesus, there is great peace to found, even right in the middle of our suffering.

Those who have been called by God, who’ve been put in a right relationship with him (‘justified’ by faith) are promised a glorious future he has prepared for us and it is as certain as if it had already taken place.

When, as Christians, we go through times of deep despair, depression, loneliness, pain or suffering, we instinctively just cry out ‘Father’. This cry is itself a sign that we are sons of the living God. In our times of great need, the Spirit ministers to us and enables us to cry out ‘Abba, Father’.

When we do, this is the hallmark of a believer. This is the cry of the child of God.

True freedom is not what we may think; it’s not found in doing what we want to do. True freedom is better than we think because the Spirit of God enables new life and eternal hope, he enables great change in our life and, though at times we fail, he walks with us.

People often think their main problem is unhappiness. God knows our deepest problem isn’t unhappiness but unrighteousness and powerlessness. So, in his kindness, he provides us with a Saviour and his Spirit. He provides us with exactly what we need. And this leads to our eternal happiness, and more importantly, the glory of God: ‘… the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us.’   (Romans 8:4)
How good our God is.

The law cannot justify the sinner nor sanctify the saint. Only Jesus can empower us to be more like him. So if as a Christian, the law convicts you of sin and you feel the internal struggle of the Christian fight, don’t stay there, but rather run into the arms of Jesus, confessing your sin and asking him to empower you to know victory over sin in your life.

Sin is a terrible master every single time not least because it always pays us fair wages. The thing is, the wages of sin is death (verse 23). And this is what we deserve by refusing to yield to Christ. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There is a wonderful alternative. Those who are slaves to Christ and to righteousness are not given wages. Instead, we are given a free gift, and that gift is eternal life.

As Christians we are ‘dead to sin’ so let’s weed out sin in our lives. Since now in Christ we are ‘alive to God’ the natural thing for us to do is to give the whole of ourselves to God in service. Don’t withhold anything from him. Serve him in your work and in your family and in your community. Yield your mind and your heart and your will to him.

Because Jesus is our covenant head, our representative, our salvation it totally assured. He has already defeated death and he cannot fail. And because he cannot fail, and what happens to him will happen to us, those who trust him are assured of eternal life. We are assured of eternal life. So, if you haven’t trusted him yet, then do so now.