Romans Outline - May 2016 

Romans 8
 
Chaps 8-16 – How does faith in the gospel of Christ actually lead to change in real life?
 
Chapters 1-7 – faith versus law
Chapters 8-18 – spirit versus law
Verse 5: ‘Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.’
 
What is our mind set on? – what do you do with your solitude?
 
Verse 1- no condemnation – how does this release us from legalism and license?
Verse 2 – no bondage
Verse 3 – how He did it
Verse 4 – why he did it cf 28-30
 
Verse 5 – what are the things of the Spirit on which our minds should be set?
v14 – we are adopted
v15-16 – we are loved and accepted
v26-27 – we are welcomed to approach God in prayer
The things of the Spirit are an antidote to worry, guilt and overly negative emotions
 
Verses 7-13 – neutrality is impossible
The importance of the physical realm – v11 and 13
Mortification! v13 1) ruthless, don’t play with sin 2) tackle the motivation v12

 
What makes us sons of God? Is everyone a child of God? v14
What does it mean to be led by the spirit? (it is a continuation of v13) Guidance in difficult decisions?
 
Privileges of sonship
Security
Authority
Intimacy
Assurance
Inheritance
Discipline
Family likeness
 
all these we have already – what do we not have yet? v23
 
Prayer v15-27
 
  1. Primal – Abba – ‘dada’ – no ulterior motive – hypocrisy in Jesus’ books
  2. Real – ‘cry’ – v18-26 – growth through weakness, suffering and dependence
  3. Positional – Father – co-heirs – He treats us as though we were Jesus
  4. Experiential – by the Spirit – v15 and 16 – repetitious? Thomas Goodwin – do we actually experience feeling that we are God’s children?
  5. Communal we cry
 
Is it worth it? v18-23
Who subjected creation to frustration? v20-21 cf Gen 2 20-4, 15
Frustration to fulfilment
Decay -to newness and strength
Pain to joy (childbirth)
 
Facing life with confidence v26-39
Being helped with what we don’t know v26-27 – experience of feeling unable to pray?
Knowing that we are being helped v28-30 – things do not work for good by themselves (eg suffering not good in itself but results may be)
Prov 16v33
Gen 50v20
1 Corinthians 15v54
 
Who do these promises apply to?
verse 28
Good things do not necessarily benefit those who do not love God or believe Ro 1v24
2 Cor 12 v7
Shakespeare: The fault, dear Brutus is not in our stars but in ourselves
Does this mean that more good things will happen to Christians than non Christians? v29-20
The endgame: v29 – inside out v5 – not superficial conformity
 
The unbreakable chain v30
Foreknew, Predestined, Called, Justified, Glorified – why unbreakable?
What shall we say then? v31-39
Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ?
Why?
Afraid? not thinking v31
Worried? not thinking v32
Guilty? not thinking v33
Jonathan Edwards aged 18:
‘The good things in life cannot ever be taken away from us, even the bad things work together for our good, and the best things are yet to come’