Second Street PCA

The believer in Christ has been freed from damnation. He has been giving the Spirit to enable the fulfilling of the righteous requirements of the law, not unto salvation, but because of God's work of sanctification by His Spirit in those who have already been justified by His free grace in Christ alone.

Paul takes us on a deep-dive into looking internally at the work of the law in his inner life. His conclusion is to see himself as wretched and in need of rescue which leads him (and us) to Chapter 8!

Given everything that Paul has said thus far, when might come to the conclusion that the law is bad. Paul says that nothing could be further from the truth.

Paul shows us Justification and Sanctification from still another perspective. Here, Paul uses the law of matrimony to demonstrate that we have died to the law in Christ so that we might "belong to another". That other is Jesus Christ, no longer being under the law but under grace. All of this is in order that we would bear fruit for God. The Christian will bear the fruit of righteousness.

Paul, having spent five chapters explaining who we are in Christ and that we are declared righteous (justified) by faith in Christ alone and that we have been reconciled to God, now takes a look at at sanctification (how a believer is to think of sin in his/her life). We must get justification AND sanctification right.

The believer is "dead to sin" in Christ Jesus. How does the knowledge of this help us to fight the remains of sin in our personal lives?

A person is either "in Adam" or "in Christ". Those in Adam are under the dominion of sin and death. Those in Jesus Christ, through faith, reign in life through the grace and righteousness of Jesus Christ our Lord. Grace ALWAYS trumps condemnation.

The proof of God's love for us is seen in the death of His Son in which we are saved from the wrath of God. And not only this, we, in Christ, are reconciled to God.

As a result of our justification by faith we have peace with God and have access into this faith in which we stand. We also have our hope of future glory strengthened in this present darkness. Therefore, we are to be rejoicing even in our sufferings.

1. Wrath 2. Rest 3. Life 4. Growth 5. Glory 6. Assurance

1. The law brings wrath

2. The promise rests on grace

3. God brings life

4. Faith grows

5. God is glorified as our faith grows

6. The assurance of our salvation is based upon faith in the promises of God not on works of the law.