Episode #12: How God Sees Us – Part 2 1. Justified by Faith – Our Standing with God

• Romans 5:1 – We are justified by faith.
  • Justification comes through our confidence in Jesus—not our works.
  • Because of Jesus' blood, we now have peace with God.
• Romans 5:2 – Because of our confidence, we are justified.
  • Justification gives us access to God's grace.
  • Grace = Divine influence upon the heart and its results.
  • God's grace transforms us from the inside out.

2. Seeing the Bible Through the Eyes of the Garden

• Genesis 1-2 – The Garden of Eden represents God's original plan.
  • Adam and Eve were created for God and with God.
  • Before the fall, there was no separation between God and man.
• After the fall, Satan became the ruler of the earth.
  • Adam forfeited his dominion, and sin entered the world (Luke 4:6).
• We were made in the image of God.
  • Just as a son reflects his father, we were made to reflect God's character.
  • God desires to walk through life with us, just as He did with Adam (Genesis 3:8).

3. God's Love is Not Conditional

• Romans 9:13 – Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
  • "Hated" means "to love less"—not literal hatred.
  • God's love is for all His creation, but some choose not to follow Him.
• Romans 5:6 – While we were on Satan's plantation, God made a way for us to leave and join Him.
  • Even before we knew Him, God was working to redeem us.
  • Why would God send His wrath on those He has already saved?

4. Who We Serve Determines Our Master

• Romans 6:16 – You are the servant of whom you obey—Obey God.
  • Choosing sin = serving sin.
  • Choosing obedience to God = serving righteousness.
• Romans 8:1 – There is now no condemnation for those in Christ who walk after the Spirit.
  • If you are led by the Spirit, there is no condemnation.
  • Walking in the Spirit means living in the freedom of Christ.
• Romans 8:2 – The law of the Spirit of Jesus is life and has set us free from the law of sin and death.
  • Before Jesus, there was only sin and death.
  • The law could not bring life because it relied on weak human flesh.
  • Jesus fulfilled the law so we could walk in righteousness.

5. Flesh vs. Spirit – The Battle for Our Minds

• Romans 8:5 – Those who walk after the flesh think about fleshly things.
  • The natural mind is focused on temporary and worldly desires.
  • The Spirit-led mind is focused on eternal things.
• Romans 8:6 – To dwell on the flesh leads to death; to dwell on the Spirit leads to peace.
  • A fleshly mindset leads to spiritual decay.
  • A Spirit-led mindset leads to life and peace.
• Romans 8:7 – The carnal mind is at war with God.
  • The natural man resists submission to God.
  • The flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:8).
• Romans 8:10 – If Jesus is in you, the body is dead, but your spirit is alive.
  • Though our bodies will perish, our spirits have eternal life in Christ.

6. Our Authority as God's Children

• Romans 8:19 – All creation is waiting for us to take our rightful place in authority.
  • The earth itself is longing for God's people to walk in their identity.
• Romans 8:21 – When we take our place in authority, the whole earth shall be set free.
  • The victory of believers affects creation itself.

7. The Holy Spirit Helps Us Pray

• Romans 8:26 – The Holy Spirit helps us when we do not know what to pray.
  • The Spirit intercedes for us in alignment with God's will.
• Romans 8:27 – The Holy Spirit searches our hearts and knows the mind of God.
  • When we don't know what to say, He prays through us.

8. Nothing Can Separate Us from God's Love

• Romans 8:33-39 – Who shall bring an accusation against God's people?
  • God is the one who justifies.
  • Jesus died, rose, and intercedes for us.
  • Nothing can separate us from God's love—not tribulation, persecution, famine, distress, or danger.
  • In all these things, we are more than conquerors!

9. Judgment and the Danger of Condemning Others

• Luke 6:37 – Judge not, so you won't be judged.
  • Many people assume that someone's hardships are due to sin.
  • Judging others opens the door to the enemy in our own lives.
• When you bring an accusation against someone, you are working with the enemy.
  • Satan is the accuser (Revelation 12:10).
  • When we condemn others, we align ourselves with his agenda instead of God's grace.

Final Thoughts

• We are justified by faith, not by works.
• We were created for relationship with God, and He desires to walk through life with us.
• Fleshly thinking leads to destruction, but Spirit-led thinking leads to life and peace.
• The Holy Spirit intercedes for us and helps us pray.
• Nothing can separate us from God's love.
• Judging others aligns us with the enemy—grace and love align us with God.