Bible Reading Plan

Author: Jon Green

  • Romans 12

    Romans 12

    Read Romans 12

    A Living Sacrifice
    1  Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

    Humble Service in the Body of Christ
    3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

    Love in Action
    9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

    14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

    17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

    “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
    In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

    21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

    Go Deeper

    This chapter marks the turning point in Romans from a focus on doctrine (chapters 1-11) to a focus on applying our faith to our day-to-day lives (chapters 12-16). We have asked ourselves, “What does this mean?” countless times over the last eleven chapters, and now we can ask ourselves, “Am I doing what the text says?”

    In fact, Romans 12 is full of practical ways we can live out our faith as Christians. We are given tools and guidelines for how to live. We need to be humble, think with sober judgment, love genuinely, hold fast to what is good, show honor to one another, and much more. Are we really living out these instructions that Paul gave us? Ask yourself:

    • Am I using the gifts God has given me to build up the body?
    • Am I sincerely loving the people around me and putting others first?
    • Am I constantly praying and patiently going through tribulation?
    • Am I blessing those who persecute me?
    • Am I associating with the lowly and living in harmony with others?

    Rather than just focusing on the outward actions of a Christian life, Romans 12 also equips us with how to handle mental battles we face. Sometimes we get frustrated that thoughts of shame plague our thought patterns. Our past addictions lie to us, saying temporary pleasure is “greater” than what God has in store for us. Our minds are not meant to stay in these areas. These battles come, and we can’t negotiate our way to inner peace. But, we can be encouraged by verse 2 that there is hope. It is God who changes us for the better, and through His power (not ours), we can be restored. Spending time with Him and filling our minds with His Word are ways we can fight back against the enemy (Ephesians 6:14-18) and overcome.

    Questions

    1. How can you take steps to living out your faith today?
    2. What is an area of your life that needs God’s restoration?
    3. What does it mean for you to not conform to the present age? 

    Keep Digging

    One way to study the Bible deeper is to compare our modern-day translation to the original Greek text. The richness of the original word choice can help us understand Paul’s writing in a new way. Let’s explore the original meaning for the words “conformed, world, transformed, and renewal” in the first half of verse 2. In Greek, these words convey the following meanings:  

    • Conformed – To conform one’s mind and character to another’s pattern
    • World – The present age; men controlled by the thoughts and pursuits of this present time
    • Transformed – Transformed after being with; transfigured; the change of moral character for the better
    • Renewal – Change of heart and life achieved by God’s power.

    Now, let’s put these meanings in context of Romans 12:2. We read the following:

    Do not conform your mind and character to the patterns and pursuits of the present time; but be changed for the better (after being with God) and through His power, your heart, life, and mind will be changed, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

     Check out this video to learn how to do a Greek study on your own using BibleHub.com.

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  • Romans 11

    Romans 11

    Editor’s Note

    We had a technical error that resulted in Romans 10 being emailed out later than the normal publishing time. If you missed yesterday’s reading, click here to catch up before reading Romans 11. 

    Read Romans 11

    The Remnant of Israel
    1 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

    7 What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, 8 as it is written:

    “God gave them a spirit of stupor,
    eyes that could not see
    and ears that could not hear,
    to this very day.”

    9 And David says:

    “May their table become a snare and a trap,
    a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
    10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
    and their backs be bent forever.”

    Ingrafted Branches
    11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!

    13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

    17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

    22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

    All Israel Will Be Saved
    25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written:

    “The deliverer will come from Zion;
    he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
    27 And this is my covenant with them
    when I take away their sins.”

    28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

    Doxology
    33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
    How unsearchable his judgments,
    and his paths beyond tracing out!
    34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
    Or who has been his counselor?”
    35 “Who has ever given to God,
    that God should repay them?”
    36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
    To him be the glory forever! Amen.

    Go Deeper

    In today’s chapter, we see a common lie some people believed that God rejected His people (v. 1). There’s a sense of doubt as to whether the gospel story of redemption applies to everyone. Even as Christ followers, we’ve all felt the same doubt at some point. We can relate to the sentiment of the people in Romans 11 or, more personally, in Mark: “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). That can be easy to do when others’ hearts are hardened (v. 7) or given to a “spirit of stupor” (i.e., lacking sensibility; v. 8). Rather than believing “the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God” (v. 33), we “trade God’s truth for a lie” (Romans 1:25) and doubt God’s plan.

    What do we believe instead at times? That we have been rejected. We tell ourselves: “God needs me to try harder because of all the times I’ve sinned.” “God is good, but I know how this story ends. I’ll be back to the bottle, pantry, videos, and memories that haunt me.” Our sins can feel irreversible and irredeemable.

    We think that about others, too. “It would take a miracle for that person to come to Christ. That city is too far gone. Our country is too far gone. That kid’s mistake will haunt him the rest of his life.” Others’ sins can seem irreversible and irredeemable.

    When we see sin, especially repeatedly, our focus can shift from God’s perspective to our own. And what perspective can serve ourselves best? What can feed our sinful nature most in those doubtful moments? Punishing ourselves to gain a sense that we’ve paid the price. Shaming ourselves in an attempt to motivate ourselves to pull it together. Punishing and shaming others to make ourselves feel better or more virtuous.

    Instead of taking that path, Paul teaches us in today’s chapter to embrace the gospel. We are to remember God’s answer to Elijah (v. 4), God’s grace (v. 6), kindness (v. 22), mercy (v. 30, 32) and his glory (v. 36). We need to read Romans 11 and know God’s plan is at work around us. Even when it is hard to see, God is at work.

    Questions

    1. What do you believe about yourself? Do you believe in the saving grace of the Gospel?
    2. What do you believe about others? Do you believe God has a plan for others, even when they are sinful?
    3. How can you remind yourself to see the world through God’s eyes?

    Prayer

    God, help me trust in your plan for myself and others. Help me know and believe you are in control. Thank you for redeeming me and your people. Amen. 

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  • Romans 10

    Romans 10

    Read Romans 10

    1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

    5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.” 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

    14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

    16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:

    “Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.”

    19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says,

    “I will make you envious by those who are not a nation;
    I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.”

    20 And Isaiah boldly says,

    “I was found by those who did not seek me;
    I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”

    21 But concerning Israel he says,

    “All day long I have held out my hands
    to a disobedient and obstinate people.”

    Go Deeper

    Paul begins Romans 10 by proclaiming his heart’s desire: That Israel might be saved. Paul doesn’t just care about his fellow Jews, he is pleading to God on their behalf that they might come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The Jewish people “have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” (v. 2) Paul goes on to say in the next verse that they are seeking to establish their own righteousness being ignorant of the righteousness of God.

    Paul can adequately speak to this because it is a perfect description of his own life prior to his conversion on the road to Damascus. He goes on to lay out the message of salvation for all people (both Jews and Gentiles alike) as he continues to draw the distinction between God’s righteousness (based on faith) and our own attempts at righteousness.

    Righteousness is a big word that can be defined as the quality or state of being free from guilt or sin. The Jewish people were falling back to their old ways of striving to gain this righteousness through keeping the law and commandments. But Paul is imploring them to understand that belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior ends the need for these futile quests for righteousness. 

    Paul clearly states in verse 9 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” In Greek, confession translates “to say the same thing” or “agree with someone.” So Paul is telling us that when we confess that Jesus is Lord, we are agreeing with the Father’s declaration: that Jesus is God, that He is Messiah, and that His work on the cross is the only way for salvation. Believing that in our hearts is the only requirement for salvation and receiving God’s righteousness.

    After hundreds and hundreds of years of following rules and regulations to be declared righteous, it’s hard to ignore how simple this is: “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” What is required of us is to recognize Christ as our Savior and call upon Him. What we receive in response is God’s grace as we depend on our Creator and Redeemer. 

    It was a hard concept for the Jews to learn and it’s a hard concept for us to remember. But we can be confident as the Message version of verse 10 reminds us “That’s it. You’re not ‘doing’ anything; you’re simply calling out to God trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation.”

    Questions

    1. Are there any rules or regulations that you feel like you have to follow in order to receive the gift of salvation from the Lord?
    2. “Calling on the name of the Lord” indicates having personal interaction and a relationship with the Lord. Do you feel like you have this type of relationship?
    3. Spend some time journaling and recording about the time in your life when you confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord. 

    Keep Digging

    Read this entry from GotQuestions.org to understand what it means to call upon the name of the Lord.

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  • Romans 9

    Romans 9

    Read Romans 9

    Paul’s Anguish Over Israel
    1 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised!Amen.

    God’s Sovereign Choice
    6 It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. 9 For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”

    10 Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

    14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses,

    “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
    and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

    16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17 For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

    19 One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” 20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?

    22 What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? 23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— 24 even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25 As he says in Hosea:

    “I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;
    and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”

    26 and,

    “In the very place where it was said to them,
    ‘You are not my people,’
    there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”

    27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:

    “Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,
    only the remnant will be saved.
    28 For the Lord will carry out
    his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”

    29 It is just as Isaiah said previously:

    “Unless the Lord Almighty
    had left us descendants,
    we would have become like Sodom,
    we would have been like Gomorrah.”

    Israel’s Unbelief
    30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:

    “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall,
    and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

    Go Deeper

    How can I be saved? It’s one of the most important questions you can ever ask in this life. Once you understand that you’re a sinner in need of saving, you need to find out how you can actually receive salvation. For many people today, the thought is that you must be good enough for God. In order to make it into Heaven, you have to do enough good works, or give a certain amount of money, or have a specific title to be considered worthy. This idea was also a belief that was prevalent during the time that Paul wrote Romans. 

    For years and years, people thought they were “in” simply based off of the family they were born into. He uses this chapter to specifically address whether these Jewish people would be saved. These were the ultimate insiders! But Paul writes that just because these people had the right title and the right actions, it didn’t mean they were “in”. Salvation comes through faith alone, not by merit or family of origin or correct behavior. 

    This can be somewhat unsettling for those of us who like to live with a sense of control. We want to be the ones in charge of how “good” or “bad” we are. We want to be able to prove that we have what it takes to be saved. But salvation is not about our independence, but rather our dependence. Paul writes in verse 16, “It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” While it may not be comfortable to give up control, it’s the exact thing we must do to find a relationship with God. Because if nothing else, Romans 9 is one of the best examples of salvation being God’s job, not our own. We can’t work our way in. Instead God allows us to rest in His finished work in order to be saved. 

    So today we can grow in our relationship with God by submitting to Him in everything we do. We can submit our salvation to Him, our schedules to Him, our kids to Him. And the good news is that we can trust Him! Scripture says that He desires to work all things together for our good as we trust in Him (Romans 8:28). As you give your life over to God, you can have confidence that it’s in loving hands. 

    Questions

    1. What did you notice about how Paul speaks about who is “out” versus who is “in”?
    2. Paul presents a few “what if’s” in 22-23. How do you feel about things you might not understand about God?
    3. What are some areas of your life that you are still controlling and not yet fully dependent on God?

    By The Way

    Paul uses this chapter to explain that Jesus is a continuation of the God of the Old Testament. This isn’t a totally different God, but the same one who has been at work all along. Paul does this by referencing multiple Old Testament books like Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, and Hosea. Salvation has always been through faith in God.

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  • Romans 8

    Romans 8

    Read Romans 8

    Life Through the Spirit
    1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

    5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

    9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

    12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

    14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

    Present Suffering and Future Glory
    18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

    22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

    26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

    28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

    More Than Conquerors
    31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

    “For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

    37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

    Go Deeper

    As we step into Romans 8, we have to look back at what Paul has been trying to get across in Romans 1-7. Romans 1-3 says that every person has embraced sin. Every person is guilty of sin before God. In Romans 5, he goes on to say that we were born into sin. Every descendant of Adam is guilty of Adam’s sin. So, we are guilty on two fronts⏤the sin we have chosen and the sin we were born into. Finally, Romans 6-7 highlights how we have been saved by grace though we still struggle with sin and feel the war inside of us. We long to be with Christ, but we see the work of sin inside of our bodies.

    Here we are, sitting in our own total depravity. Not only are we guilty for embracing sin, but we were born into it. We have been saved, but we still battle it.

    Romans 8 starts with a “therefore.” The “therefore” indicates that Paul is stating an important summary and conclusion related to all that he previously stated in chapters 1-7. Paul writes, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.”

    Here we find hope. Not in the flesh, but in Christ Jesus, who gives us His Spirit. There is no condemnation. There is no judgement or disapproval before God. Why? We are in Christ Jesus. No matter how many sermons you have heard on this topic or how many times you have read this chapter, we can’t ever grow numb to the truths in this chapter.

    We are set free from the law of sin and death. How? Through Christ Jesus. What the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering. 

    This is not the world saying, “You are capable.” This is God’s Word reminding us, “Only He is able.” Romans 1-7 reminds us how far we are from salvation in our own flesh. Romans 8 begins by pointing us to the only place that salvation is found and ends by reminding us that it can never be lost.

    Questions

    1. Is there any part of you that feels condemnation before God? If so, confess this to God and spend time thanking Him that you are free from this in Christ Jesus.
    2. Are there any places that you are still working in your weakened flesh rather than through Christ Jesus? What are these places?
    3. Spend some time reflecting on the final two verses of Romans 8 and thanking God for this truth.

    Did You Know?

    By living a sinless life, Jesus accounted for the sin we have chosen and committed. What about the sin we were born into? Jesus is unique in His birth. Jesus had no human father. The sin nature was not passed down to Him. However, since He had a human mother, He was fully human without the original sin.

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  • Romans 7

    Romans 7

    Read Romans 7

    Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? 2 For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. 3 So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

    4 So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5 For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. 6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

    The Law and Sin
    7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.

    13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

    14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

    21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

    So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

    Go Deeper

    In this chapter we see Paul wrestling with the all-too-familiar struggle: “What I want to do, I do not do. What I don’t want to do, I do.” It’s like adopting a New Year’s resolution to give up sweets. By day three, all we can think about is our favorite dessert. Our brains are wired that way, and so is sin. Sin intrinsically creates a desire to go against what we know is right and true. For the recipients of Paul’s letter, the struggle was likely even more difficult – because the boundaries of what they knew sin to be (the law) had suddenly changed. They and their families had lived according to the law for generations, so naturally Paul’s teaching in verse 6 that they were “released from the law” was confusing and disheartening for them.

     Paul takes the opportunity in this chapter to encourage them that the law was not a bad thing and they had not wasted their time. For only by it could they have known what sin was (v. 7). But the problem was, it was like the New Year’s resolution. The resolution makes the dessert the forbidden fruit, just as sin took the law and twisted it into a source of seduction. The law itself was good and true – but sin “did what sin is so famous for doing: using the good as a cover” to tempt and destroy. “By hiding within God’s good commandment, sin did far more mischief that it could ever have accomplished on its own.” (v. 13, The Message). We do what we don’t want to do because sin is enticing. 

     And that is why we need Jesus. The power of sin keeps us from our own best intentions, and we need help. No matter how much willpower or desire we have to do good and be good enough, and even if we delight in God’s commands, we need Jesus and His deliverance from the slavery of sin. 

     The great news for us is that when we believe in Jesus’s death and resurrection, we are delivered. And not only that, we are given the Holy Spirit, the living Word of God, to guide and direct us away from those things that tempt us. The forbidden dessert, if you will. The Holy Spirit within us has “no tendency to sin, but all its appetites are heavenward and Christ-ward.” We are given a new life which despises sin and will not let us live in peace should we somehow end up knee-deep in the middle of it.

    Questions

    1. What is something that you struggle with doing, even though you know you should do it?
    2. If you are not living in peace, consider whether there is some appetite within you that the Holy Spirit is trying to turn towards Jesus.
    3. Spend time thanking God for the gift of the Holy Spirit that despises sin and keeps our souls from ever being at rest in it.

    Watch This

    For more on the meaning of Romans 7, check out this video from The Bible Project. 

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  • Rest Day

    Rest Day

    Rest Day

    Today is a Rest Day. There is no new Bible reading to do. Today, the goal is simple: rest in the presence of God. Maybe you need to use today to get caught up on the reading plan if you’re behind, maybe you want to journal what you’re learning so you don’t forget what God is teaching you, or maybe you want to spend time in concentrated prayer–do that. Above all, just spend time in God’s presence. Each Rest Day, we will also introduce a memory verse for the week. Meditate on this week’s verse and begin to memorize it.

    Memory Verse

    16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

    Romans 1:16

    Memorization Tip

    Use technology to your advantage. There are many Scripture Memory Apps available on the app store, such as The Bible Memory App, Bible Memory, Fighter Verses, Remember Me, Verses, Scripture Typer, and more! Some use games, memorization tools and methods, employ different translations, and help you track your progress. Simply download the app, load the verses you want to memorize, and get to work!

    Worship with us

    Join us in person or online at 9a, 11a, or 7p at harriscreek.org/live. We’d love to worship with you! We also desire to connect everyone with a local church body where they can thrive in community and use their gifts to serve. If you’re following our Bible Reading Plan from outside of Waco and are eager to get connected with a great local church, email us at [email protected].

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  • Romans 6

    Romans 6

    Read Romans 6

    What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

    5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

    8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

    11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

    Slaves to Righteousness
    15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

    19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

    Go Deeper

    “Grace Abounds!”

    We hear it all the time in our culture. And, while that is a true statement, to live as one pleases will always result in death: the death of a dream, an expectation, an identity, a hope. We are all made to worship and serve something or someone. We are all made to give our affection away. We only have two options: We can be a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness. This is what Paul is saying in Romans 6. 

    Paul anticipated a misunderstanding of the Gospel message: If our works don’t earn us righteousness and our morality doesn’t make us good, why be good at all? Paul’s answer is three fold: know your identity, consider the payment, and yield to a new master. 

    The word “know” is repeated all throughout chapter 6. Paul is teaching us about our identity—who we are IN CHRIST. We have been bought with Christ’s blood. We are in union with Him. We have been freed from the rule and reign and power of sin. We were saved so that we might be free and fully alive. That is our new identity for those of us who are Christians. 

    However, something can be true and known but not believed. In verse 11, Paul says, “consider.” This word in the Greek means “to take into account, to calculate, to put to one’s account.” It simply means to believe that what God says about us is true. It’s a matter of faith that takes action: to know and to believe because we act out what we believe. 

    The rest of this chapter is Paul reminding us that because the Gospel gives us a new incentive for living because of a new ruler, who is good and kind and desires our freedom, our lives should be surrendered to the New Master. There is a new ruling power in our lives now. Paul is urging us to yield to the One who offers freedom and forgiveness and serve Him alone. We are no longer slaves to sin. Sin has no power over us. We are dead to sin, but sin is not dead. Sin still has influence and power on our lives, but we no longer have to yield to it. It can no longer dictate to us. We do not have to obey it as we once did before we were united with Christ. In other words, Paul is saying that sin is still able to lead us, but we no longer have to follow it. Follow Jesus. He is where satisfaction and freedom are found. 

    Questions

    1. What’s your primary takeaway from Romans 6? 
    2. In what area is sin fighting to lead you and influence you? 
    3. So many people think Christianity is constricting and takes away freedom, based on Romans 6, how would you respond to them?

    Quote

    “Anyone who wonders if a Christian can sin is ignorant about sin’s enslaving nature. Put another way: a Christian does not have to obey the Ten Commandments in order to be saved, but a Christian does have to obey the Ten Commandments in order to be a free human. If you don’t obey the law of God, you become a slave to selfishness and sin.” – Tim Keller, Romans 1-7 For You

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  • Romans 5

    Romans 5

    Read Romans 5

    Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

    6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

    9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

    Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ
    12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—

    13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

    15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

    18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

    20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

    Go Deeper

    Romans 5 gives us one of the most difficult passages to digest. Paul starts the chapter by saying “we glory in our sufferings.” Other translations read “we rejoice in our sufferings.” We can’t easily grasp that or quickly skim it over. Does God really expect us to rejoice in cancer diagnosis or the death of close friends, to glory in failed relationships or wayward children? Surely not…right? This is one of the most baffling parts of Christianity. It doesn’t make sense to our finite understanding of how the world should work.

    Yet, it’s true and repeated numerous times in Scripture (Acts 5, Mathew 5, Colossians 1:24, James 1, and 1 Peter 4:12-13 to name a few). So, since it’s clearly a theme in Scripture, we’d be wise to pay attention. 

    Paul attempts to convince his readers (both then and now) that this is the way God’s world works. When trials come our way, we are to rejoice in them because we know what they produce in us: perseverance, character, and a hope that does not put us to shame. As Christians, our hope comes from the fact that because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, this world is not our final home. Whatever happens here is not the end for us. And because of that hope and the promise of a better place, we can endure whatever this world throws at us. 

    And along the way, as we endure the difficult things on this side of heaven, our character is formed as perseverance is developed in us. And, best of all, we begin to look like Christ. Paul writes in Philippians that in order to attain resurrection life like Jesus, we must also share in His sufferings, becoming like Him in death (Phillippians 3:10-11). Every time we deny ourselves, suffer in small and big ways, experience trials, or feel hurt and pain, we share in His sufferings. We become more like Christ.

    But that’s not easy or natural or fun for us to do. So, oftentimes when trials come our way, we do all we can to ignore, minimize, or avoid them at all cost. However, our reading today reminds us that Jesus calls us to more. He wants to use the difficult seasons in our life to produce something good in us. And as we lean into the difficult parts of life and learn to suffer well, we begin to look more like Christ, which is well worth the cost.

    Questions

     

    1. In what ways do you try to avoid or minimize sufferings?
    2. How has God used difficult things in your life to make you more like Him?
    3. What suffering (big or small) are you enduring right now? How can you lean into it more? What can you learn from this season you’re in?

     

    Watch This

    Be inspired by the story of Jay and Katherine Wolf, a couple who has faced insurmountable suffering and yet continues to hope.

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  • Romans 4

    Romans 4

    Read Romans 4

    What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

    4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

    7 “Blessed are those
        whose transgressions are forgiven,
        whose sins are covered.
    8 Blessed is the one
        whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

    9 Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11 And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

    13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

    16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

    18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” 23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

    Go Deeper

    Romans 4 focuses on justification and how followers of Christ are made right with God. Paul gives two human examples in the first eight verses who would prove to be excellent illustrations of how an individual is made right with the Lord. He writes about Abraham, the father and founder of our faith, and then quotes David, the greatest king (not named Jesus) to lead God’s people.

    In discussing both Abraham and David, and throughout the rest of the chapter, Paul uses an accounting term to help the reader understand righteousness. Whenever a word is used multiple times in the same chapter, we ought to pay attention. In Romans 4, Paul uses the Greek word logizdomai 11 times (v. 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 22, 23, 24). In every one of the verses except Romans 4:8, the word is translated as “credited.” In 4:8, the word is translated as “count.” When something is credited, it’s an accounting term that means “to count as” or to give something a status that was not there before.

    Two specific instances of the word logizdomai help us understand the beauty of salvation. In Romans 4:5, Paul writes that one’s faith is credited to them as righteousness. Our faith in God and trust in Jesus’ work on the cross allow us to be counted/credited as righteous before God. On the other hand, for those who do believe, in Romans 4:8, we see that our sins are not “counted” against us because of Jesus. 

    In other words, it’s our faith that credits us as righteous or justified before God. And, this same faith means that our sins are not counted against us. In Genesis 15:6, Abraham’s faith credited him as righteous and the same faith in the Lord credits us as righteous. We can never behave good enough to gain favor with God, and because of Jesus we can never out-sin the love of God since the Lord will not count (logizdomai) our sins against us.

    Questions

     

    1. If someone asked you, “Why should God let you into heaven?”, what would you say?
    2. Why do you think God uses the examples of Abraham and David to help us understand righteousness?
    3. Take a few moments right now to thank God that through Jesus He has declared you righteous. He credited Jesus’ work in your favor and doesn’t count your sins against you! 

    Pray This

    God, thank you, that you sent your Son Jesus. Thank you that He lived a perfect life and died for our sins, and that His righteousness is credited to us. Thank you that even though you know everything we have done, are doing, and will do that you still love us. Thank you that you do not “credit” our sins against us, but rather credit your righteousness to us. Help us to never boast about our works, but rather to constantly boast about your work. Amen.

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