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Romans 8:12-25                                           

 

A New Relationship - The transformation of self through the Spirit and our new way of relating to the world nullifies any obligation that we may have had in a world dominated by “flesh” or any rebellion we may have had against God. Our allegiance is now to the new world into which the Spirit has placed us. [1]

A Second Transformation? - Not only do we relate differently to the world through the Spirit, but Paul suggests that a second transformation alters the way we relate to God. If under the old paradigm we cowered and fled God’s presence, the new order invites us to think very differently about ourselves. “You should behave instead like God’s very own children, adopted into his family” (v. 15, NLT)  [2]

J.I. Packer on Mortification - The Spirit now indwells the believer (Ro. 8:9-11), to convey life each moment from Christ to him (Col. 2:19) and thus to make the ‘seed’ in his heart grow and bear the Spirit’s fruit (Gal. 5:22) . . . Sin can be mortified only ‘through the Spirit’, for The Spirit alone makes us willing and able for the task . . . where the indwelling Spirit exerts his sovereign power, failure is impossible. [3]

 

List some of the different programs, methods, or ways have you observed that promise personal transformation.

Name the factors that keep relationships from flourishing-lack of conflict management, unresolved emotional baggage from a previous relationship, fear, etc. What does it mean personally to know that God calls you “child” and not “slave” and calls you through love and not fear?

List all of the activities attributed to the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian community and the world without any research; what is at the top of your list?

 

Insatiable Longings-Augustine’s “you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You,” and Pascal’s “god-shaped vacuum” describe the yearning that drives our search for meaning. Listen to such yearning for meaning in this passage: how do people express that yearning? For some it is deeply interior, insulated and never raised to conscious awareness; to others the yearning is expressed in a deeply pious and devotional life; still others become activist, marching for justice, feeding the hungry, standing with the marginalized.

God has our zip code. A careful reading of this lesson will raise the work of the Spirit before the listening community. This longing of the Spirit, nourished in the soul and expressed through the community and to the world. We live in that hope and in opposition to sinful nature that drags us away from walking in the yearning for God and love of neighbor. The Spirit brings life and sustains that life through Jesus Christ

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[1] Paul Achtemeier, Interpretation Series: Romans (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1985), page 138.
[2] Diane Jacobson, New Proclamation 2002 (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2001), page 124.
[3] Walter J.I. Packer, God’s Words (Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing)