The Grace Message with Dr. Andrew Farley

Does Jesus offer us guaranteed health or wealth? What if a Christian blasphemes the Holy Spirit? Should visitors or children be allowed to take communion? Why does first Corinthians 11 say to “examine” yourself before taking it?

How can a believer’s sins not cause a rift between them and God? Should we celebrate the Sabbath on Saturday or Sunday? Or is the Sabbath even important for believers? Can you explain the Trinity? Are believers who have been divorced and remarried truly forgiven?

There’s zero condemnation for you!

Romans 8 begins with the amazing reality that you’ll never get what you deserve. Sin deserves death, but you sin every day and never die. You always have eternal life in Jesus, no matter what.

Romans 8 contains another stunning truth: “the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” This means you have a real righteousness that involves being alive in Christ. It’s not about imputed righteousness as “heavenly bookkeeping.” You’ve been imparted real righteousness at the core of your being. You’re the righteousness of God!

In this message on Romans 8, I celebrate these exciting truths and so much more. In fact, you’ll gain a new perspective on the whole passage – no longer seeing it as merely being about two ways for the Christian to “walk” but instead as being about two kinds of people (unbelievers and believers). And during our exploration of the passage, you’ll discover that you have a new, powerful tendency within you.

Enjoy!

Discussion Questions for Romans 8:1-17:

1. What does “no condemnation” mean to you personally?
2. What is the law of sin and death? How were you set free from it?
3. How is Romans 8 describing two kinds of people? How is this different from the idea of it describing two kinds of choices?
4. Read verses 8 and 9. Who are “in the flesh”? Can Christians be “in the flesh”?
5. React to this statement in verse 10: “the spirit is alive because of righteousness.”
6. What do you think “you must die” means in verse 13?
7. Read verse 14 and react to this statement: All believers are being led by the Spirit of God.
8. What does it mean to you to be a “fellow heir with Christ”?

What kind of authority does Satan have? What does the Greek Orthodox Church believe? Why does the New Testament say everything will come to light, including the motives of men’s hearts? Should Christians worry about that?

What is the context of John 20:23? Should human priests be forgiving sins? What is binding and loosing? Who gets a new name in Heaven? How should we view the "woke" or cancel culture? How do we know what is okay to say and do and what's not?

Where is the Ark of the Covenant today? Could you explain more about the total, once-for-all forgiveness that we have in Christ? It's difficult to find a church that teaches the love and grace and forgiveness of God. Could you touch on 1 John 1:9 and why it's not a "bar of soap" for daily cleansing?

Is the Rapture before or after the Tribulation? I live next to the mall where the Allen, TX shooting took place, and I'm struggling with fear. Can you help me? How should we interpret the word "might" in Romans 7? Is it a maybe? I've heard mixed messages about sexuality, sin, and Heaven. Can you help me understand the truth?

Which commands is Jesus talking about in Matthew 5:19? Are we least in Heaven if we don't obey the Law? What happens when we die? Is there an end to the punishment in Hell? Why didn't God allow Moses to go into the Promised Land?

Are people in Heaven aware that we are "with" them spiritually? Would Jesus call some Christian teachers today a "brood of vipers"? How open do I need to be with my confession of Jesus to be saved? If we accidentally give a wrong statement, is that a willful sin? What time period is Matthew 24 referring to? Why is the virgin birth important? Where does political activism fit in? What is your opinion of generational trauma and reparations? Does Matthew 24 say we can lose our salvation?

Here’s the second half of my take on Romans 7. It helps dispel the lie that there’s no real victory on this side of Heaven. It also explains how we are truly free from the clutches of sin. This is such an important message, as it introduces a revolutionary perspective on a central passage in the New Testament.

Be encouraged!

Questions for Romans 7:14-25

1. Read verse 14. Why is “sold into bondage to sin” such an important expression in this passage?
2. Read verses 15-16. What is his focus or goal? How does this speak into whether he’s referring to pre- or post-salvation?
3. Read verses 17 and 20. What is the core issue? How is this also revealing to us as believers?
4. Read verse 18. How should we interpret both “nothing good dwells in me” and “the willing is present in me”?
5. Read verse 19. What is the “good” that he wants to do? Why is this important to factor into our view of the passage?
6. Read verse 21. Imagine asking a devout Jewish person three questions: Do you want to do good? Do you always end up doing good? If not, why not? Now, how do you think they would answer those questions? And how does this help us interpret the passage?
7. Read verses 22-23. What is the specific goal of this person? What do they want to accomplish? Do they accomplish it? If not, why not? What does this say about the body (housing sin) vs. willpower for the unbeliever?
8. Read verse 24. What experience does this refer to? How does understanding this help?
9. How does verse 25 return to summarize the problem (before salvation) and the true origin of the conflict?