read part 1 here and part 2 here
Romans 8:1-2
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.
In light that I am no longer condemned and that I will never be condemned any longer, how does this truth affect our faith and our response towards sin?
Some people have used the grace card to commit more sin which is sad because Paul never meant to use the gospel as an excuse to sin more. In fact, the opposite is true.
The great preacher Matryn Lloyd Jones said,
“The difference between an unbeliever sinning and a Christian sinning is the difference between a man transgressing the laws of the State, and a husband who has done something he should not do in his relationship with his wife. He is not breaking the law, he is wounding the heart of his wife. That is the difference. It is no longer a legal matter, it is a matter of personal relationship and…love.” (Jones, Romans Chapter 7:1-8:4; pages 271-272)
And today we will be going through another word called SANCTIFICATION. I do hope by this time you have watched the preaching on sanctification here.
Sanctification is God’s process of changing us. This happens by having a truth encounter of who we are in light of God’s holiness. An understanding of sin comes from an understanding of how holy God is. As we have a truth encounter, the proper biblical response is to repentance.
To repent is to turn away from the sin that the Spirit of God exposes in us. When we turn away from sin through repentance, we move to a new level of faith and maturity.
In this life, we will always be in the process of sanctification. The key to sanctification is to move in the spirit and not in the flesh. Every day we are given a choice to walk in our own flesh or in the spirit of God. We have to be reminded of who we are in Christ. We are born of the Spirit of God.
Romans 8:9-11
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[d] from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.