The crucial question for every believer is this: “What has God done for me? The Christian faith is, at its very essence, is a faith centered around what God has done, rather than what we must do. This principle makes the Christian faith the polar opposite of all the religions of men.

Romans 8 is, without doubt, one of the best loved passages in all of Scripture. It reads like a Charter of Independence for a believer. It begins with “no condemnation” and ends with “no separation” – and all because of Christ.

If you asked people for their favorite chapter in the book of Romans, very few would
point to Romans 7. It reminds of us struggles and failures we would like to forget. It reminds us of things we are ashamed of, weaknesses we wish weren’t true of ourselves. It is precisely the sad and dark reality of Romans 7 that explains the glory and
light of Romans 8.

Nothing causes more more grief or more tears in the life of a Christian than their own ongoing battle with sin. The reason for this is due to the fact that we live in this temporary tension in which the Holy Spirit of God has regenerated our heart so that we desire obedience, and yet our flesh is still active and still fallen – and it desires sin. 

When we hear the word “Christian” we tend to define the term according to the things that we do: going to church, reading the Bible, praying, trying to live a Christian life. But that’s not how Paul comes at it. Rather than talking about our believing and our doing – he points us to the massive, majestic, towering gospel truths of what God has done and is doing for us in Jesus.

As Christians striving to live the Christian life, we usually start with “how”. How do I break this habit? How do I have a better marriage? How do I get my kids to behave? How do I live a God-honoring life. Those aren’t bad questions. It’s just not the place to start. Notice, as Paul begins his discussion of sanctification, here in chapter 6, he doesn’t begin with how. He starts with “why”. Why not sin that grace may abound?

 We are going to be discussing one of the most important and painful aspects of the Christian life- the battle with sin. This battle is one of the most misunderstood aspects of the Christian life. Perhaps the most common false assumption is that real Christians don’t struggle much with sin. A second, and equally common mistake, is the idea that sanctification is primarily up to us.  Another common error is the idea that we really can’t grow that much in sanctification.

Listen to hear how God can use different gifts in the church to reach our community in West Michigan. 

Congratulations to Sandra for 2 decades of helping with VBS ministry!

Paul begins to talk about sanctification and he doesn’t begin by talking about processes or outcomes. He begins by talking about identity. He spends the first 10 verses pounding home the basic truths concerning our glorious new identity in Jesus Christ. He’s pointing out who we are – what is true about us by faith in Jesus and union with Christ-- we are dead to sin and alive to God. 

One of the most precious truths of the gospel is that, if you have come to Christ in faith, there is an “old you” and a “new you” all centered around a death event. You died, in the death of Christ, not figuratively, not metaphorically, but really and truly. Your true-death experience is more profound and objectively life-changing than any near-death
experience.