Romans – Page 8 – Be Still…

Romans 6:1-14 – Set Free

There is so much to digest in today’s passage. I don’t even know where to begin. How many times have you heard people say, “well if God forgives me for my sins, then I guess I can keep sinning.” (And, if you haven’t audibly heard anyone say this, then you can certainly watch their behaviors and figure that’s what they must be thinking.)

It’s not a new thought, and Paul calls it out! “Of course not!” He says. Such an attitude is taking advantage of God and his gift to us. He’s not saying we won’t sin, because we will, but we shouldn’t sin on purpose. That would surely show we don’t understand the seriousness of sin in our lives and how precious God’s forgiveness is – Jesus had to die!

Romans 5:12-21 – Adam vs. Jesus

Read Romans 5:12-21

I would not want to be compared to Jesus, I would fall flat on my face. Even though I try every day to be more and more like him. As we all should. Then there’s Adam. He really messed up. Thanks to him, we all have the curse of sin on our heads.

Although, in Adam, we have a good example of what not to do. We know from watching Adam’s faux pas that we should listen to God. God has the best plan for us. We mess things up when we try to make our way without God. When we listen to the lies of the world (Satan) we are just setting ourselves up for failure and sin.

Romans 5:1-11 – Friends of God

Read Romans 5:1-11

I don’t know about you, but I sure feel privileged to be chosen by God and to have been made right with him because of my faith in Jesus. It’s so incredible, how can it be true? In life, when opportunities that seem too good to be true come along we tend to be wary and run the other way. Not so with the love of God.

I want to bask in that love and feel the peace of God course through my veins. There is enough struggle and stress in this world, but walking through it with the peace of God is so much better. Calling Jesus friend because of the relationship we are building is also quite a privilege.

Romans 4:1-22 – Faith Like Abraham

Read Romans 4:1-22

We read about Abraham’s faith in Genesis (chapters 15-22) several months ago. You can look back to those reflections for reference. Abraham was a true hero of faith. He set a great example for all of us to follow. We have so many stories of how he trusted God no matter what.

Abraham overcame so many obstacles because of his faith. Unwavering faith. He didn’t wait for the situation to match God’s promise to be faithful. He trusted in God’s promise from the moment it was uttered. Are we as trusting? Do we cling to God’s promises with as much intensity and devotion?

Romans 3:9-31 – Being Right With God

Read Romans 3:9-31

We are all sinners in need of a Savior. Paul makes it clear here. “No one is righteous, not even one.” He goes on to really expose us as downright hideous–thanks to sin. He goes on to say that we can’t rescue ourselves from this either. Not even if we follow the law perfectly. “For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.”

It’s true. When we read God’s message to us and the “laws” he expects us to follow, we know we fall short. We can knock ourselves out trying to be obedient, but we will still not measure up. What do we do with our sinful selves?