Freedom

Introduction

We have now completed the first 7 chapters of the book of Romans. At this point the Apostle Paul has spent most of his effort relaying the basics of the gospel. Now beginning in chapter 8 he is going to begin giving the implications of the gospel and how the gospel transforms your outlook.

Paul is basically asking, “If the gospel is true, how does that change how you see life?”

As we go through this chapter and the rest of the book of Romans I want you to keep that in mind as we explore different promises of the gospel. If that promise of the gospel is true, how does that change how you see yourself? Your problems? How you see the world? Where we live believing the gospel is the easy part. The issue we run into is connecting to the gospel on a practical level. In chapters 9 and 10 Paul will begin to press into the implications of the gospel for mission. Not just going overseas although I would encourage each of you to do just that. But this relates to how you address your classmates, friends, and even your family members. If the gospel is true how can we not be telling our loved ones about it? How can you claim to love and care for someone you have never told this good news to? Then on the level of going to the ends of the earth. How can we not devote ourselves to seeing the spread of the gospel to every country on earth? I hear people ask about people in deepest darkest Africa who never hear the gospel, and we discussed that earlier in the book of Romans

JD Greear said that if you were to make a soundtrack for the book of Romans when you rounded the corner after chapter 7 and entered into chapter 8 you would start playing the theme to Rocky. Many regard this as the greatest chapter in all the bible.

John Piper said, “The greatest book in the world is the Bible; the greatest letter in that book is Romans; and the greatest chapter in that letter is chapter 8.”