The Privileges and Responsibility of Life in the Spirit
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The Privileges and Responsibility of Life in the Spirit, Rom8.1-17
Main Idea:
Those in Christ are not condemned in sin, but instead they are free from sin to live in the Spirit as sons and fellow heirs with Christ.
Where have we been?
This is a loaded question!
The Lord has revealed a great deal to us by his Word in the first 7 chapters of Romans.
The Sinfulness of Mankind (Romans 1)
The Righteous Judgment of God (Romans 2)
The Universality of Sin (Romans 3)
The Righteousness of God Through Faith (Romans 3)
Justification and the Promise of Abraham (Romans 4)
The Trespass of Adam and the Free Gift in Christ (Romans 5)
Sanctification Through Union with Christ (Romans 6)
Slaves to Righteousness (Romans 6)
Freedom from the Law (Romans 7)
The Struggle of Human Depravity (Romans 7)
This is quite a list of major topic pertaining to the Christian faith! Guided by the Spirit, Paul has brought us to arguably the pinnacle of this epistle.
Together we have seen who we are, who God is, what is the problem, what we deserve, and what we have been given in Christ. Today we step deeper into the privileges and calling of the Christian life.
Where are we headed?
Outline:
In the Spirit, we have freedom and life (v.1-3)
In the Spirit, we have a new mindset (v.4-8)
In the Spirit, we are indebted to christ (9-13)
In the Spirit, we are sons and heirs with Christ (v.14-17)
Romans 8, The Greatest Chapter in the Scriptures?
This chapter in Paul’s letter to the churches in Rome is somewhat of a mountain top in the epistle. Paul has been building towards this moment for the last 7 chapters where Paul has been largely dealing with the doctrine of justification - The gracious act of God in which He declares a sinner righteous solely based on faith in Jesus Christ.
In Romans 6-7, we have seen Paul shift to discussing the sanctification (continued growth in Christlikeness) in the life of the believer.
Romans 8 is a “storehouse of gospel blessings” that are “not reserved for only a select few Christians, but they are for all who are united with Christ and indwelled by the Spirit” (CCE, p120)
This chapter shines as a bright light of encouragement and exhortation following some heavy opening chapters in Romans.
Romans 8 reminds us Christian what we have been given in our justification, exhorts us to walk by the Spirit in our sanctification, and fixes our eyes on what awaits us in our glorification.
Prayer
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
1. In the Spirit, we have freedom and life (v.1-3)
1. In the Spirit, we have freedom and life (v.1-3)
Romans 8:1–3 “1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,”
Have you ever heard a greater sentence than verse 1??? No condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. How???
In Romans 7, we see a Paul that we can identify with. He says that sometimes he does not understand his own actions (v.15). He desires to do good in the Christian life, but he finds himself doing the very thing that he hates: sin (v.16).
He has the desire to do what is right according to the Lord, but within himself, he does not have the power to do this (v.17). Can anyone relate?
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
Even though Paul battles against his sinful flesh daily, Thanks be to God through Christ Jesus that there is no condemnation for sinners saved by grace.
CONDEMNATION
This term in the Greek is only used 3 times across the NT writings, and is exclusively used in judicial settings. It refers to a guilty verdict being declared and the penalty to be exercised.
Condemnation is the opposite of Justification.
Even though Paul struggles in the Christian life with the pull of his flesh back to formers sins, those who are in Christ do not fear judgment! Our Savior, Jesus of Nazareth, being fully God and fully man, bore the weigh of sin and judgment for us so that we might have freedom and life in Christ.
No condemnation, but justification and eternal blessing in Christ.
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
“There is therefore now…”
This points us to moment in time when something has occured. Because of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, there is no condemnation and peace with God are available to us now!
The mystery of the Gospel was revealed, and what was the aftermath of Adam’s sin — death and separation from God — has been made right in Christ.
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
(v.3) Paul Exalts the Work of God in Us
Romans 8:3 “3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,”
When the scriptures speak unto salvation, never fail to observe who is actually doing the work.
Paul says God has done what the Law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. What does Paul mean here? Was the Law lacking in some way? No! the Law is perfect, but it was not given as Plan A for mankind’s liberation from sin and death.
The Law required perfect obedience because it came from a perfect, holy God. The Law condemned when its demands were not met. With the sinful nature of mankind, the Law was given to reveal sin, not to save.
The Law was given by a loving gracious God to Israel in order to open their eyes to sin and draw them back to Him in repentance and faith.
1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.
The Law and the prophets pointed to Christ, and God has accomplished what only He could accomplish: the justification of sinners and judgment of sin.
(v.3) “in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin”
Paul says the second person of the Triune God, the Son, came to us. The Creator of all things loved His people so dearly that He came to us when in our sin, we could not come to Him.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Christ, the Son, certainly came for us, but he also came for sin. Our Lord was on a mission, for he had come to do the will of the Father: to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). We read in Hebrews that the Son of God was sent for sin to be the perfect sin offering, once and for all. The blood of bulls and goats was never sufficient (Hebrews 10).
Why has He done this?
Romans 8:2 “2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
He came to set us free and give us life!
The Law of the Spirit of Life” is synonymous with the Gospel Good News, this has set you (those in Christ) free from sin and death. Sin no longer has dominion over those who have been brought to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ!
The Spirit of God has regenerated your heart and redeemed you from sin and death forever.
Paul and Barnabas at Antioch
38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
ILLUSTRATION
“Debt Free Screams” on Dave Ramsay
People who have followed his program in bettering their financial positions are given the opportunity on his show when calling in to scream “I/We are debt free!”
I’m sure it is a joyous time! To finally be relieved of this burden you have been carrying for so long. You have been putting things aside for years maybe, working towards this moment when crippling debt is finally gone.
We may scream in joyous triumph for financial freedom, but why do we often have reserved triumph for eternal freedom? What is more crippling: Financial Debt with the bank or the weight of our sin before a holy God.
Church Family, remind yourselves of this verdict daily: You are not condemned in your sin if you are in Christ! You are liberated from the weight of sin and death, and “liberated people are a singing people” (CCE, p.122).
“People in oppressive religions do not sing because works-based righteousness does not fuel praise. But grace fuels praise.” (CCE, p.122)
APPLICATION
You may be thinking: Haven’t we covered this already? And you would be right.
Romans 6:14 “14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”
Romans 6:18 “18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”
Romans 7:4 “4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.”
Why does Paul belabor this point of freedom when teaching about our sanctification?
Because the great lies of Satan have not changed, and his question remains the same: “Did God really say…?”
The adversary works hard to remind believers and non-believers of their past. He deceives with the lies of “My sin is too great” to the non-believer and “Is my salvation secure?” to the believer.
Christian, cast these lies out of your mind and fill it with the reality of v.1-3: There is no condemnation from those who are in Christ because God given us freedom from sin and death and new life in the Spirit.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2. In the Spirit, we have a new mindset (v.4-8)
2. In the Spirit, we have a new mindset (v.4-8)
Romans 8:4–8 “4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
This reality of new ife in the Spirit begs the question: In this new life and freedom, what is the Lord’s will for me?
Let’s answer this together.
Romans 8:3 “3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,”
So God the Father sent His own Son to us as fully man and fully God to condemn sin in the flesh. We settled this earlier in Romans: God must judge sin justly according to His character.
25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
So at the perfect time, God the Father condemned sin in the flesh by pouring out His righteous judgment on His Son at the cross, establishing Himself as both the just judge of sin AND the justifier of sinners. We know this to be true!
According to Romans 8.4, why did God do this?
Romans 8:4 “4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
The requirements of the Law are fulfilled in the people of God ONLY because we are in Christ! The Spirit of God has regenerated our hearts from stone to flesh and has granted us repentance and faith in the gospel.
Furthermore, He was written the Law of the Spirit of life on our new hearts, and now we have a desire to obey our new Master as slaves of righteousness.
31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Following the privileges of freedom and new life in the Spirit, the new creation in Christ is called to action! Walk according to the Spirit!
1 Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.
ILLUSTRATION
“God loves me just the way I am.” - The Bachelorette (paraphrase)
Luke the Christian
Well… it depends on what you mean by that. He certainly did make you in His image and extends His common grace to you each day that your life is sustained on this earth. There is no one like you. You are perfectly unique to Him.
BUT… the problem is the Bible and the truths contained within do not support that viewpoint. Such a view if often used as a a strategy of persisting in unrepentant sin and ignoring the call to holiness.
If God loves us just the way we are, then why was His incarnation, sinless humanity, crucification, and resurrection needed? To save you and I from who we are!
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Bill Graham Quote
“Jesus invited us, not to a picnic, but to a pilgrimage; not to a frolic, but to a fight. He offered us, not an excursion, but an execution. Our Savior said that we would have to be ready to die to self, sin, and the world. Salvation is free, but discipleship costs everything we have.”
The Lord’s will is our sanctification, and all disciples of Christ bear the responsibility of the Spirit’s teaching through Paul in v.5-8.
“set their minds” (v.5-7)
Paul uses this phrase multiple times across the next few verses, but Paul argues that all people fall in one of two camps: those who set their mind on the flesh and those who set their mind the Spirit.
Paul says to set your mind on the flesh only leads to death, but the Spirit leads to life.
Sanctification (or growth in spiritual maturity and obedience to the commands of Christ) is only a reality for those who are in Christ, alive to God.
10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Are you in the flesh or in the Spirit?
GOSPEL
1 John 1:9 “9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
In the Spirit, we have a new heart and a new mindset on our life and purpose. We walk not in accordance with the flesh but with the Spirit, and He produces in us, the fruits of His mighty work so that others may see our transformation and that His name will be glorified when we cry out: Look what my God has done!
3. In the Spirit, we are indebted to Christ (9-13)
3. In the Spirit, we are indebted to Christ (9-13)
Romans 8:9–13 “9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. 12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
Paul opens here in v.9 with a fact that we so often take lightly in the church: The Spirit of God dwells with His people!
If we have repented and believed unto Christ alone for our salvation, then we have received the Spirit of God, hence we are in the Spirit. Paul says that anyone who does not have the Spirit of God does not belong to God.
How do we know if we have the Spirit?
Throughout the history of the church, poor teaching surrounding this question has lead to much confusion and division in the church. Yes, the giving of the Spirit of God to the apostles in Acts 2 and others in the Book of Acts was delayed.
Just because this happened in the narrative of scriptures, does that mean it is normative for all believers? Certainly not.
Paul’s teaching here is clear: Those who have been justified by the grace of God have receieved the Spirit of God which dwells in them.
Sealed by the Spirit
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Guard the Good Deposit by the Spirit
12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. 13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
The presence of the Spirit of God in us is a present reality from the moment we were justified by the grace of God. “Receiving the Spirit” is not a separate experience we seek because of what we read in the narrative of scripture, but instead we walk faithfully by the Spirit who reveals truth and convicts concerning sin.
Paul goes on to shows us that the Spirit’s presence means we have been given life! Though we remain in our bodies, we have been given new life by the Spirit of God because of the righteousness that we recieved in Christ.
We have been given new life, a fresh start, a new beginning in Spirit of Christ that dwells in us!
In this new life, we are debtors (v.12)
Just like we do not like thinking of ourselves as slaves (Romans 6), I doubt it is much more comfortable considering ourselves indebted to another.
In our humanity, it is not very common for someone to think “I love being fully dependent on another person”. In contrast, we are often taught to work hard and provide for ourself when we are growing up.
Sadly, we all have the tendency to sometimes boast in the salvation we have received. We thank God for saving us from the punishment due our sin, but then we do with our lives as we please, rarely considering: Am I walking in the Spirit and will of God in this decision?
Consider a few verses with me.
7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
These are likely not new verses of scripture for us this morning. But I pray this morning you hear them with a renewed emphasis. I am afraid we often think: “Lord, I know that you have called me to holiness and making disciples, but that is really difficult in my life right now. I have structured my life in a way this is very comfortable for me, so I pray you will give me the strength to be obedient to the level I am comfortable.”
APPLICATION
As debtors of Christ, let’s actually live like we belong to Him.
As debtors to Christ, let’s be strategic in killing the desires of the flesh in us. Not just setting goals of “this is where I want to be” in my walk with Christ, but prayerfully considering “What do I put in place or remove from my life to make greater obedience to Christ a reality?”
Do you mortify? Do you make it your daily work? Be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you.
John Owen (Puritan Divine and Statesman)
As debtors to the One who has given us life, LET’s LIVE FOR HIM! This is where true joy and fulfillment is found.
Sometimes, the pursuit of holy living gets tossed in with the idea of legalism. May this not be the case as we seek to heed the commandments of our Lord while we remain under the Sun.
4. In the Spirit, we are sons and heirs with Christ (v.14-17)
4. In the Spirit, we are sons and heirs with Christ (v.14-17)
Romans 8:14–17 “14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
If everything else we have seen in this section was not enough, the privileges of being in the Spirit continue. All who are being led by, walking in the Spirit of God are sons of God, which brings us back to Paul’s earlier argument that we are either in the flesh or in The Spirit.
In focusing on the family here, Paul says you are either in the Family of God or you are not. There is no in between.
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
We have been adopted into the family as sons! Consider the ESV translation and its explanation of this use of “sons” here.
English Standard Version Translation Principles and Style
In addition, the English word “sons” (translating the Greek word huioi) is retained in specific instances because the underlying Greek term usually includes a male meaning component and it was used as a legal term in the adoption and inheritance laws of first-century Rome. As used by the apostle Paul, this term refers to the status of all Christians, both men and women, who, having been adopted into God’s family, now enjoy all the privileges, obligations, and inheritance rights of God’s children.
So this courtroom/judicial scene continues here in Romans. Back in Romans 3, we discussed the doctrine of justification and Paul’s use of judicial/legal terms in God pronouncing sinners righteousness before Him purely based on Christ.
Here in Romans 8, we are pronounced as sons and daughters, adopted into the family of God and furthermore...... as adopted children we are granted the full inheritance as if we were a child by blood.
The Spirit that dwells with us bears witness or confirms this glorious reality, that our position as son or daughter is guaranteed.
21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
Heirs
If that was not enough, we are counted as heirs with Christ! Paul turns our eyes to the best that is yet to come. Presently, we are in Christ and in the Spirit. We walk in accordance with the truth by the Spirit’s guidance, and we are molded to look more like our Lord.
In the new covenant in christ, we share in the promise made to Abraham so long ago.
Genesis 15:5 “5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.””
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
In Christ, we have an inheritance in heaven waiting for us! The Spirit we have received is the firstfruits of what is to come. All of these privileges we have received now in Christ give us a mere taste of what is to come.
Provided We suffer with Him
You may be thinking: “What a downer to finish on, Paul. You really killed the mood.”
The reality of the cost of the Christian life is this: Those who stand with Christ and walk in the Spirit stand in opposition to the world.
Even so, we keep our eyes fixed on Christ knowing that a day is coming soon when we will be delivered from this present suffering and with our Father and other brothers and sisters forever.
Jesus Speaks on the End of The Age
3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Christ the Conquerer
33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
In these gospel privileges of freedom, life, new hearts and minds, adoption as sons, and heirs with Christ..... this life is going to be difficult if we are truly sold out to walking in the Spirit for his name sake. BUT you have a church family who is united in the same suffering with you, and you have a King that Has promised to be with you always.
So take heart, Christian! These days may seem long, but we are almost home.
“Our adoption is true and real but not yet complete. We are not yet home. We are awaiting glory. In the meantime, we have the Spirit of God to empower us and to enable us to cry out to Abba. There will be a lot of suffering in the meantime, but press on child of God, glory is coming.” (CCE, p130)
