Only Christ
Read: Romans 8:31-35 Who is to condemn? (v. 34) One of the great challenges of the Christian faith is to affirm the reality of a judgment while keeping ourselves from the temptation of trying to judge. Paul reminds us early in the book of Romans, “He will judge everyone according to what they have done” (Rom. […]
Condemnation
Read: Romans 8:1-8 By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh. (v. 3) The word “condemnation” appears three times in Romans 8. First, as the assurance of our faith: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (v. 1). Last, […]
No Condemnation
Read: Romans 8:1-8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (v. 1) Romans 8 is wallpapered in gospel promises. They begin where the assurance of our faith begins: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Condemnation has to do with the penalty that follows […]
In Christ
Read: Romans 8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. . . . [Nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (vv. 1, 39) As it begins and as it ends Romans 8 leaves us in the same location: “in Christ.” “In Christ” is […]
A Living Community
Read: Ephesians 2:11-22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (v. 22) Carol was grocery shopping for Thanksgiving, looking forward to having kids and grandkids in town. Her usually quiet home would become a crowded, busy, wonderful place for a few days. Then her mind wandered […]
A Forgiven Community
Read: Colossians 3:8-17 As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (v. 13) A primarily white church in Tennessee hired a new lead pastor who was young and black. After his first sermon on Ephesians 3, exhorting the congregation to love one another and forgive past wrongs, an older black man requested a […]
A Diverse Community
Read: 1 Corinthians 12:14-27 Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. (1 Cor. 12:12) The numbness and tingling in my feet made walking difficult. In the past, I loved hiking. Now, I held tightly to […]
A Called Community
Read: Genesis 12:1-3; Revelation 21:1-7 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. (Gen. 12:2) We gathered in a circle at my small church and answered the question, “What brought you to this church, and why do you […]
A Blessed Community
Read: Ephesians 1:3-14 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. (v. 3) Each month, our church has what we call Fourth Sunday Feast. We bring food and eat together after the morning service. I love that I prepare […]