 Romans 5 - 8 Questions and Answers |
| Q. What are trials for? | A. Romans 5:3 = Teaching us to endure by experience. |
| Q. What benefit does endurance give me? | A. Romans 5:4 = Strength of character built up in me. |
| Q. What does strength of character give me? | A. Romans 5:4 = Confident expectation of salvation. |
| Q. So this kind of expectation is good? | A. Romans 5:5 = Yes. |
| Q. Why? | A. Romans 5:5 = It is the only expectation that doesn't disappoint. |
| Q. Why? | A. Romans 5:5 = It is based on God's love for us. |
| Q. How do I recognize God in my life? | A. Romans 5:5 = The Holy Spirit fills my heart with His love every day. |
| Q. What was the condition of mankind when Jesus showed up on earth? | A. Romans 5:6-8 = Utterly helpless and definitely ignoring God and His Word. |
| Q. And God loved mankind in spite of this? | A. Romans 5:8 = Yes. It was the perfect time to prove one's love is to love when people are at their worst. |
| Q. Will believers fall under God's judgment one day? | A. Romans 5:9 = No. Jesus' blood saves us from judgment. |
| Q. What is the believer to God? | A. Romans 5:10 = God's friend. |
| Q. How influential are actions? | A. Romans 5:12 = One unrepented of sin affects every generation, though God lets us begin again after the 3rd or 4th generation. |
| Q. Does sin's influence affect everyone or just families that are blood-related? |
A. Romans 5:12 = Everyone is affected. Note: This is why we pray fervently on behalf of others and our world. |
| Q. Did people sin before the Law of Moses was given? | A. Romans 5:13 = Yes. |
| Q. What did Adam's sin result in for everyone? |
A. Romans 5: 1) Condemnation 2) Death began to rule over us. |
| Q. What did Jesus' plan do? | A. Romans 5:17-18 = Jesus' plan enabled us to live in triumph over sin and death. We are able to really live as a result. |
| Q. How so? | A. Romans 5:18 = Righteousness gives life. |
| Q. So the first one who sinned affected the whole history of mankind? | A. Romans 5:18 = Yes. |
| Q. And the first one who obeyed God affected the whole lot of mankind? | A. Romans 5:18 = Yes. |
| Q. Why did God give man the Law of Moses? | A. Romans 5:20 = To show all people how sinful they really are. |
| Q. How did God's kindness grow? | A. Romans 5:21 = People sinned more and more, so God's kindness grew all the more. |
| Q. My religion teaches me that I can purposely sin if I go to confession afterward. What does the Bible say about this? |
A. Romans 6:1 = Don't purposely sin at all! Don't manipulate God and His kindness by doing something He has said throughout the Word that is so evil that it separates us from Him. Note: If you don't absolutely hate sin, ask God to help you to see how awful it is to Him. He will show you! |
| Q. So what stops one from sinning is understanding the evil of it? |
A. Romans 6:2-4 = Yes. Sin is so evil that Jesus died to rid us of the effects of it, which is death. Note: Sin is worse than terminal illness. It kills and sends to Hell forever. |
| Q. And I need to believe God about this? | A. Romans 6:2-4 = Yes. By faith, know that He tells only the truth. The Bible is not a book of options; it is stark reality concerning us. All men are destined for Hell because of sin. But in Jesus, all men are saved from it by believing God about sin's remedy in Jesus' life, death and eternal life. |
| Q. What does baptism signify? |
A. Romans 6:3-4 = 1) Dying with Jesus 2) Burial with Jesus |
| Q. What des resurrection signify? |
A. Romans 6:4 = 1) God raised us from the dead by His glorious power 2) God's power enables us to live new lives here on earth. |
| Q. What happened when I died with Jesus when I believed? | A. Romans 6:5 = I was united with Him in death. |
| Q. Why can I now live a new life? | A. Romans 6:5 = Because as God raised Jesus from the dead, I am raised from the dead too. Both here on earth to new life, and when I physically die here on earth. |
| Q. But I'm still alive! Why do I know I have changed? | A. Romans 6:6 = Sin has no power over my life. I don't sin so easily anymore. |
| Q. What was true before I believed? | A. Romans 6:6 = I was a slave to sin and had no power to stop it. |
| Q. What happened on that cross? | A. Romans 6:7 = Jesus broke the power of sin in paying the penalty for it once and for all. |
| Q. Who is saved from sin's power? | A. Romans 6:7 = Absolutely everyone who accepts sin's penalty as paid by Jesus' sacrifice. |
| Q. How final is salvation? | A. Romans 6:8 = Permanent. If we die with Christ Jesus, accept His payment for sins, we automatically share in His new life. |
| Q. His new life? | A. Romans 6:8 = Yes. |
| Q. Will Jesus ever die again? | A. Romans 6:9 = No. |
| Q. Why? | A. Romans 6:9 = Death no longer has power over Him. |
| Q. Why did Jesus die? | A. Romans 6:10 = To defeat sin. |
| Q. What does Jesus live for? | A. Romans 6:10 = The glory of God. |
| Q. So on earth I can live in Jesus' new life for the glory of God too? | A. Romans 6:11 = Yes. |
| Q. And how is this possible? | A. Romans 6:11 = I believe in what Jesis did. I believe that I am dead to sin. Because I am dead to sin, I am able to live for the glory of God. |
| Q. These are all facts needing my signature of approval? My acceptance of these facts is required of me? | A. Romans 6:11 = Yes. God arranged for our salvation and so it has come to pass. |
| Q. Why does sin still happen then? I believe! |
A. Romans 6:12 = Because I let sin control the way I live. Note: Salvation doesn't take away our choices at all. We still need to believe God about right and wrong, as he has explained it in His Word. If I believe God when He says it's my choice to sin or not (and this sin now has absolutely no power over me), and that I lhave the power to live in Jesus a good life as God shows me how to in His Word, my life will be good. Life in Jesus produces in me glory to God. |
| Q. What is true about sin? | A. Romans 6:12 = It has a life if its own. |
| Q. How so? |
A. Romans 6:12 = Its character is lustful desire. Note: It feels good. It's alive! I'm naturally a slave to sin (cf. v.18) |
| Q. So we need to be on guard and protect ourselves from sin? | A. Romans 6:13 = Yes. "Do not let any part of your body become a tool of wickedness, to be used for sinning." |
| Q. What can I do to guard myself from lustful desires? |
A. Romans 6:13 = 1) Give yourself completely to God in your new life 2) Make the choice to use your whole body as a tool to do what is right. |
| Q. What results? |
A. Romans 6:13 = 1) God gets the glory! 2) Sin is no longer my master. |
| Q. What does new life in Christ Jesus give me? |
A. Romans 6:14 = 1) Freedom from the law, which enslaves me to sin. Note: I am no longer under the curse of Adam's sin. I am now under the workof the cross of Christ, the Law of love. |
| Q. What is true about making choices? |
A. Romans 6:15 = 1) If I choose to let God's Word guide me, I'm letting God be my Master. That's a good thing! 2) If I choose to let this evil world with all its lustful desires (sins) guide me, I'm letting sin be my master. Sin will lead me only to death. |
| Q. How should I see God's Word as the Holy Spirit teaches me? | A. Romans 6:17 = As Words to be obeyed with all my heart. They are Words of the Law of love. |
| Q. One way or another, I am a slave, either to God or sin? | A. Romans 6:18 = Yes. Either of sin or of righteousness. |
| Q. Righteousness is a master? |
A. Romans 6:18 = Yes! Note 1: 1) Passion to live God's Word out from the heart, all the time, reveals righteousness as your master 2) Passion to live sin's lustful desires from the heart, all the time, reveals sin as your master. Note 2: What do you read? What do you watch on television and in movie theaters? What are your favorite shows? Do they reveal your master? Don't answer that! Just repent and begin a new day now. 1) The more you read God's Word, 2) the more you let God teach you how to live, 3) and don't interrupt God with your own interpretations, 4) and the more you sit at Jesus' feet, quietly letting Him show you how to live His Word, 5) passion for God will birth in your soul. |
| Q. How do I tell the difference between righteous living and hypocrisy? |
A. Romans 6:20 = Hypocrisy is not concerned with doing what is right. It concerns itself with pleasing me. It is subtle and horrible and hurts many. Note: Now there's a book in that fact! David first made the distinction betweenthe hypocrite and the righteous man. See if you can find yourself in the chart below: |
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| 1) Needs an audience (Ps. 26:4) | 1) Is blameless like Noah (Gen.) |
| 2) Speaks wickedness with lies; even young people, widows and orphans do this. (Is.) | 2) Consistently follows God's will like Noah (Gen.) |
| 3) Enjoys a close relationship with God like Abraham (Gen) | |
| 4) Pretends wanting a righteous man's advice. (Ezek. 14:10) | 4) The world has known only one righeous person in Jesus |
| 5) Are doomed to be banished from God (Matt. 24:50) | 5) Faith makes for righteousness like Abraham (Gen.) |
| 6) They honor God with their lips while their hearts are far aay (Is.) | 6) Obeys God (Deut.) |
| 7) Worship is a farce because he teach's man's wisdom instead of God's wisdom in church and temple. (Is.) | 7) Does righteous acts (Deut.) |
| 8) He was never God's own (Matt.) | 8) Remember's God's awesome deeds on our behalf (Judges) |
| 9) He takes offense at the truth about himself (Matt.) | 9) He fears God (2 Samuel) |
| 10) Is blind (says Jesus) | 10) Moves forward in Jesus' name. |
| 11) He uses trick questions on the righteous. | 11) Gets stronger and stronger in the Lord. |
| 12) He leads people astray | 12) He knows he's not righteous apart from God (Job) |
| 13) He tithes while ignoring justice, mercy and faith. | 13) Is just and honest (Job) |
| 14) He is concerned with his reputation, but not with his evil heart. | 14) Will be rewarded (Job) |
| 15) He ruins many lives | 15) He gets attacked by evil people (Ps. 94:21) |
| 16) He never repents of his evil deeds | 16) He gets condemned to death (Ps. 94:21) |
| 17) He publicizes his generosity (Matt. 6:2) | 17) He faces many troubles (Ps. 34:19) |
| 18) He prays publicly to be seen. | 18) God rescues him from trouble (Ps. 34:19) |
| 19) He fasts publicly | 19) He is hated (Ps. 34:21) |
| 20) He judges | 20) God punishes his enemies (Ps. 34:21) |
| 21) Won't do personal growth stuff | 21) Loves without fail (Ps. 85:10) |
| 22) Has a dead conscious (Timothy) | 22) God smiles from Heaven on him. |
| 23) Doesn't draw close to God (James) | 23) Is thankful (Ps. 118:19) |
| 24) Loves religious festivals, but they are false (Amos) | 24) Loves righteousness (Ps. 119:7) |
| 25) Tries to look upright to people (Matt.) | 25) Knows God is for him. |
| 26) Is full of lawlessness (Matt.) | 26) Even trials cannot hide his light in this world (Ps. 112:4) |
| 27) The believer need to be on alert for any around him.(Matt) | 27) He is generous (Ps. 112:4) |
| 28) He demans ritual traditions of believers, intimidating them (says Paul) | 28) Is compassionate (Ps. 112:4) |
| 29) Is malicious in behavior (says Peter) | 29) Is not overcome by evil pretenders (Ps. 112:6) |
| 30) Is deceitful (says Peter) | 30) Is long-remembered (Ps. 112:6) |
| 31) Pretends to be good (says Peter) | 31) God loves him (Ps. 146:8) |
| 32) Knows God cares for His own (Ps. 146:8) |
| 33) Knows that only God's own can speak of His righteousness (Ps. 88:12) |
| 34) Exults in God's righteousness (Ps. 89:6) |
| 35) Sees the truth (Ps. 96:13) |
| 36) Tells the world of God's love for him (Ps. 71:15) |
| 37) Cares for people and animals too (Ps. 36:6) |
| 38) Sets an example for others to follow (Prov. 2:20) |
| 39) His path is clear all day long (Prov. 4:18) |
| 40) Is guided by God (Prov. 8:16) |
| 41) Walks in righteousness (Prov. 8:20) |
| 42) Is always learning more about his God (Prov. 9:9) |
| 43) Is rewarded on earth (Prov. 11:31) |
| 44) Blessings chase him (Prov 13:21) |
| 45) God hears his prayers (Prov. 15:29) |
| 46) He speaks honestly (Prov. 16:13) |
| 47) Is never trapped by sin, but escapes it, shouting for joy (Prov. 29:6) |
| 48) Knows righteousness is a plumb line from Heaven (Is. 28:17) |
| 49) Is rewarded with peace (Is. 48:18) |
| 50) Knows righeousness is a gift of God only (Is. 61:10) |
| 51) Produces beautiful things (Is. 61:11) |
| 52) The world recognizes righeousness in a nation (Is. 62:2) |
| 53) He displays the holiness of God in his life (Is. 5:16) |
| 54) He knws he is called by God to demonstrate God's righteousness (Is. 42:6) |
| 55) He desires to guide all people to God (Is. 42:6) |
| 56) He does this with guidance through God's Word (Is. 42:21) |
| 57) He endures anguish (Is. 53:11) |
| 58) God may take him home to Heaven early to protect him from future evil (Is. 57:1) |
| 59) He knows good deeds don't save him (Is. 57:12) |
| 60) He is destined for Heaven (Is. 26:2) |
| 61) His path is not steep or rough because God smooths out the road ahead of him (Is. 26:7) |
| 62) He brings peace, quietness and confidence to his land (Is. 32:17) |
| 63) The courts oppose him (Is. 59:14) |
| 64) His body armor of righteousness and helmet of salvation make him strong (Is. 59:17) |
| 65) Repentance redeems him (Is. 1:27) |
| 66) He never oppresses anyone (Is. 5:7) |
| 67) He can boast that he truly knows God (Jer. 9:24) |
| 68) He understands that only God is just and righteous (Jer. 9:24) |
| 69) He knows God's love is unfailing and that He delights in being this way toward us (Jer. 9:24) |
| 70) He knows God examines the deepest parts of his heart and mind (Jer. 28:12) |
| 71) He commits his causes to God (Jer. 28:12) |
| 72) The Lord is his righteousness (Jer. 23:6) |
| 73) He is rememebered for his good deeds (Ezek. 18:26) |
| 74) He knows that when a nation goes bad, God destroys its people, the righteous along with the evil (Ezek. 21:3-4) |
| 75) He knows that righteousness guards the land (Ezek. 22:30) |
| 76) He stands in the gap and God spares the land (Ezek. 22:30) |
| 77) He will judge sinners (Ezek. 23:45) |
| 78) He turns many to righteousness (Dan. 12:3) |
| 79) He shines brightly like the sky (Dan. 12:3) |
| 80) His righteousness produces love (Hos. 10:12) |
| 81) He knows that plowing the hard ground of his heart allows him to seek the Lord, who then comes to him and showers righteousness on him (Hos. 10:12) |
| 82) He wisely understands that he lives righteously by walking only on the paths of the Lord (Hos. 14:9) |
| 83) He knows that the river of righteous living never runs dry (Amos 5:24) |
| 84) He is outnumbered by the wicked in court (Hab. 1:4) |
| 85) The wicked try to destroy him and may even succeed (Hab. 1:13) |
| 86) He lives by faith (Hab. 2:4) |
| 87) He is humble, as was Jesus (Zech. 9:9) |
| 88) He passes on all the truth of God (Mal. 2:6) |
| 89) He doesn't lie or cheat (Mal. 2:6) |
| 90) He walks with God (Mal. 2:6) |
| 91) He lives a good and righteous life (Mal. 2:6) |
| 92) People turn to God because of his life (Mal. 2:6) |
| 93) He serves God (Mal. 3:18) |
| 94) God heals him (Mal. 4:2) |
| 95) He is filled with the Hoy Spirit (Luke 2:25) |
| 96) He knows God's righteousness became available after Jesus' ascension into Heaven. |
| 97) He hears God speak (Acts 22:14) |
| 98) He knows God's body armor he wears is His righteousness (Eph. 6:14) |
| 99) He looks forward to wearing God's crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8) |
| 100) He is God's friend (James 2:21) |
| 101) His prayers have great power and wonderful results (James 5:16) |
| 102) He knows he is barely saved (1 Pet. 4:18) |
| 103) He is distressed by the wickedness he sees and hears day after day (2 Pet. 2:8) |
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104) He knows God's righteous deeds have been revealed (Rev. 15:4) Note: God showed us how to live in the Old Testament through His righteous Old Testament believers, from Abraham, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Amos, Habbakkuk, Zechariah and Malachi. Through them we find direct references of righteous behavior. From Luke, Paul and James, we find direct references of righteous behavior from New Testament believers. What a stark contrast! There is nothing worse than a fake believer. Nothing hurts the work of the Kingdom of God more than hypocrites. Without the passion for God buried deep in my heart, there is no evangelism possible. People believe what they see. God knows that. Does your life paint an accurate portrait of who God is for this world? If it doesn't, start over right now and recommit your life to God. Be humble, let God lead you, ask the Holy Spirit to help you. God in the Word and see God for who He is. Peace, love and joy will burst from your heart and the world will know God lives. They will know they have hope after all. |
| Q. What is the response of a new believer to his old fake believing life? | A. Romans 6:21 = Shame. |
| Q. Why shame? |
A. Romans 6:21 = That he used to live only for things that end in eternal doom makes him feel shame. Note: Nobody wants his life to mean nothing at all. But if what you do is all a response to lustful desires (sins), then all you have for a legacy is that. You pass away and are forgotten, but you pass on your lustful desires to your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Do you really want to continue living for such a sad end? |
| Q. How do I get out of living out of my lustful desires? |
A. Romans 6:22 = Believe what God has said about your old life: 1) You are free of the power of sin 2) You have become a slave to God 3) Do things that lead to hoiness 4) Know that all things you do that are holy result in eternal life. They last! 5) Eternal life awaits through what Jesus has done for every man. |
| Q. What is true of the Law of Moses? | A. Romans 7:1 = It applies only to those physically alive. |
| Q. Example? | A. Romans 7:2 = Marriage is a covenant only valid when husband and wife are alive. It is finished automatically upon the death of one partner. The live partner is free to remarry because the covenant is over. Then the live partner is free to remarry. |
| Q. If all men are born bound to sin, slaves to sin, slaves to the Law of Moses, how does he get free? | A. Romans 7:4 = By dying symbolically with Jesus on the cross (I believe Jesus took my place on that cross and I believe and accept His finished work completely to be for me). |
| Q. Why couldn't I die on that cross for my own sins? | A. Only a perfect, unflawed person can atone for sin. Only Jesus was perfect and unflawed. No other could do what was required for me to be able to draw near to God. |
| Q. What does my symbolically dying with Jesus do? | A. Romans 7:4 = I am able to produce good fruit in my life. |
| Q. What is good fruit? | A. Romans 7:4 = Good deeds for God. |
| Q. So I need to believe God that I am freed from the old sinful me and am able to do good and then actually do good? |
A. Yes. Note: You are able now to mend fences, do things that only humility can accomplish. Humiity is key to letting God transform you. It is the opposite of pride, which made you cause the messes you make! Who cares who is right or wrong in a dispute? God is right. Fix the dispute because God asks you to be at peace with all men. I no longer desire to be right (right or wrong), I want God to be right. I don't care about what I think; I care about what God thinks. Your friend will see God in this behavior and want to know Him too. Evangelism is the natural result of a life of humility. A life where the heart is deeply passionate for God. Father in Heaven, I hold my heart open to You. Examine it completely and and remove every vice I use to hurt my brother so that only Your love remains in me. In Jesus' name, Amen. |
| Q. As an unbeliever, I acted sinfully in ways that later, I couldn't believe I behaved. Why did I do that? | A. Romans 7:5 = Non-believers are controlled by sinful desires which never rest! Sinful desires must produce sinful deeds. Live bad seeds produce weeds only. |
| Q. Yes, that was obvious in my life! But what catalyst makes sin rise up and do the big ugly? | A. Romans 7:5 = The Law of Moses. |
| Q. The Law of Moses is a catalyst, the igniter, that lights my sin off? | A. Romans 7:5 = Yes! It is powerful, working in the very nature of an unbeliever. He can struggle to keep the Law of Moses, but will fail. God knows this. It is the natural state of every man from conception to death. |
| Q. How does one rid himself of this sorry state of being? | A. Romans 7:6 = One needs to die symbolically with Christ Jesus, and be released from the Law of Moses and its power over you. |
| Q. How did the Israelites serve God before Jesus came? | A. Romans 7:6 = By obeying the Law of Moses as best they could. |
| Q. How do Israelites and Gentiles serve God now? | A. Romans 7:6 = In a new way: By the Holy Spirit's intervention in our lives made possible through Jesus death and resurrection. |
| Q. Was the Law of Moses made to be broken? | A. Romans 7:7 = Yes. |
| Q. Does breaking the Law of Moses bear good fruit? | A. Romans 7:7 = Yes! When I break it, it shows me my sin. It clearly spells out what sin is, like coveting or stealing. |
| Q. So nobody knows coveting or stealing is sin until God reveals it to him in the Law of Moses? | A. Romans 7:7 = Yes. |
| Q. So once I know God disapproves, I'll simply stop, right? I don't want to displease God! | A. Romans 7:9 = No. My sinful nature powerfully uses the Law of Moses to arouse all kinds of forbidden desires within me. He I am, trying to keep the Law and I cannot. The harder I try, the more sin is aroused in me. |
| Q. What is true of the Law of Moses? | A. Romans 7:8 = 1) Without it, sin has no power. |
| Q. So the Law of Moses is a catalyst for sin? |
A. Romans 7:8 = Yes. Like nitro and glycerin together. Note: Jesus died to take away the sin part! For the believer, the Law of Moses is a joy to keep because sin doesn't interfere and the Holy Spirit intervenes to help him keep it. |
| Q. So sin lives dormant until one is introduced to the Law of Moses? | A. Romans 7:9 = Yes. Without the knowledge of the Law of Moses, I sin in ignorance and feel fine about how I live, what I say and what I think. |
| Q. How does sin awaken in me then? | A. Romans 7:9 = I hear the Good Word of the Law, learn that when I coveted or stole (or whatever) was an offense to God and wrong in His eyes, and that because of it, I am doomed to die. The penalty for sin is death, according to the Law of Moses. |
| Q. So the Law of Moses brought two things? |
A. Romans 7:9-10 = Yes. 1) The knowledge that I am a sinner before I had a chance to sin 2) The knowledge that those sins come with a penalty which is death (Rom. 6:23) |
| Q. So something had to be done about sin itself? | A. Romans 7:11-12 = Yes. Without the presence of sin, the Law of Moses is holy and right and good. |
| Q. Did the Law of Moses cause my doom? | A. Romans 7:13 = No. Sin used what was good (the Law of Moses) to bring about my condemnation. |
| Q. Is in really that seriously bad to God? | A. Romans 7:13 = Yes. It infects, manipulates and kills everything it touches. It had to be fumigated. |
| Q. Is sin alive? |
A. Romans 7:13 = Yes! It uses God's good Law of Moses for its own evil purposes. Note: It is so important to let the Holy Spirit guide your day, to walk in faith in God's promises. He will guide, He loves you personally, He accepts you, He has only good thoughts about you. Have a God point of view every day. Bask in the truth and loving your brother won't have to feel like a chore; feeding the poor won't come with anything but humility and a servan't heart. |
| Q. Did the work Jesus finished at the cross rid sin from the planet? | A. Romans 7:14 = Not yet. But it did accomplish what Jesus came to do. |
| Q. What was that? | A. Romans 6:23 = He paid the penalty for sin for all time. |
| Q. So sin still annoys mankind? | A. Romans 7:14 = Yes. I'm redeemed from sin's penalty of death, but I'm not free of its presence in me. |
| Q. How does sin work in believers? | A. Romans 7:14 = When I choose to sin, I volunteer to sell myself into its slavery that automatically comes with sin, and without realizing it becomes my master. |
| Q. What is the believer's heart's desire? | A. Romans 7:15 = To do what is right; and he is perplexed oftentimes that he doesn't do right all the time. |
| Q. That's confusing! Is he confused? | A. Romans 7:15 = Yes! It is not natural for a man to want to serve the living God. It is natural for him to sin. |
| Q. It is natural to do the very thing I hate? | A. Romans 7:15 = Yes. It is clear to me that what I'm doing is wrong and against the Law of Moses, yet I do it anyway. |
| Q. What alerts a person that it is wrong to do a particular thing? | A. Romans 7:16 = In my heart, I know the Law of Moses is good. |
| Q. Why don't I just stop sinning? | A. Romans 7:17 = I can't help myself. |
| Q. Why? | A. Rojans 7:17 = Sin inside me makes me do those evil things. |
| Q. What does that make me? | A. Romans 7:18 = Rotten through and through, because of my sin nature. |
| Q. Is there any way I can solve my problem? | A. Romans 7:18-19 = No. |
| Q. What is the human dilemma? | A. Romans 7:20 = To have a heart for doing right for God, and at the same time, be infected with sin that never stops doing wrong. This is the state of every person from conception to the end of life. |
| Q. So I am not condemned to Hell for my sins, but I am infected with it nonetheless in this life? | A. Romans 7:21 = Yes. Even with the best intentions of doing right. |
| Q. Even while loving God's Law with all my heart? | A. Romans 7:22 = Yes. |
| Q. What is every man's state of mind? | A. Romans 7:22-23 = He has a war waging in his mind. |
| Q. Who are the contenders? | A. Romans 7:22-23 = The Law of Sin versus the Good Law of Moses. |
| Q. Good versus evil? | A. Romans 7:22-23 = Yes. |
| Q. How is the believer at an advantage in this war of the mind? |
| Mankind | before God is... | In life... | and after death... |
| Believer | close to God | struggles with sin | his sin penalty is paid |
| Unbeliever | separated from God | struggles with sin | his penalty is not paid. His eternal life is in Hell. |
| Note: In the basic scheme of God things, the only advantage a believer has over an unbeliever on this earth is that the penalty for his sin is paid simply because he accepts Jesus as his replacement in death for sin. |
| Q. So what is the believer's life like? | A. Romans 7:24 - 8:1 = Wretched, dominated by sin, but delievered by Jesus from sin's power. |
| Q. How is he delievered? | A. Romans 8:2 = The Holy Spirit frees him through the work Jesus accomplished. |
| Q. What else does the Holy Spirit do? | A. Romans 8:2 = He gives new life to the believer every day. |
| Q. Was the Law of Moses supposed to save us? | A. Romans 8:3 = No. It could not because it required perfect obedience and we have a sinful nature. Its purpose was fulfilled in showing us our sinful natures and our need for salvation. |
| Q. So what saves us? | A. Romans 8:3 = A different plan that God would put into effect at a given time. |
| Q. What is that plan? |
A. Romans 8:3 = 1) God sent His son, Jesus, to earth, to live in a human body like ours, except that Jesus' body was not infected by a sinful nature. 2) God gave Jesus to us to be the sacrifice for our sins. |
| Q. What resulted in Jesus' death? | A. Romans 8:3 = God destroyed sin's control over us. |
| Q. So the requirement of the Law of Moses that sin's penalty be paid was fulfilled completely by Jesus at one time in history? | A. Romans 8:4 = Yes. |
| Q. What difference does this salvation make for me today? | A. Romans 8:4 = I no longer follow my sinful nature, but instead, follow the Holy Spirit's lead. |
| Q. I still am contaminated with sin, right? | A. Romans 8:5 = Yes. But I also have a second path to follow. It is my choice to walk down that second path instead of sin's path. |
| Q. What is that second path? | A. Romans 8:4 = The one the Holy Spirit leads me down. |
| Q. How do I check my path to make sure I'm not straying from the Holy Spirit's path? | A. Romans 8:5 = Check your thoughts. Are you thinking about God things or sinful things? |
| Q. What are sinful thoughts? |
A. Romans 8:6 = All things that speak of death. Note: Things that make you feel bad, the list of sins listed in the New Testament; things that are listed in the Ten Commandments that your mind indulges and loves to do. |
| Q. What are godly thoughts? |
A. Romans 8:5-6 = Things that please the Holy Spirit. Note: You are filled with life and peace. |
| Q. What are symptoms that I am backsliding? | A. Romans 8:7 = I get hostile toward God's Word; my sin nature hates God's Word. |
| Q. Will sin ever be made to obey God's Word? | A. Romans 8:7 = No. |
| Q. Why do unbelievers run from God? | A. Romans 8:8 = Their sin natures are hostile to God. |
| Q. Can a man please God by himself, apart from accepting God's way of salvation? |
A. Romans 8:8 = No. His sin nature totally controls him so that he only does things to hurt God. Note: Even when a non-believer thinks he is good, his reasons for doing good are so rooted in evil, he doesn't see it until the day he is saved. For instance, someone who is committed to helping the poor as an unbeliever is motivated by one or more wrong things: 1) outward appearance 2) fear of being reincarnated into something awful 3) fear of Hell 4) a holier than thou attitude 5) the praise of man A believer who is committed to helping the poor is motivated by one or more of these right things: 1) God sees and is overjoyed when we help the poor 2) Anticipation of Heaven's joy 3) A healthy fear of God 4) Humility 5) Helping others to know and praise God. |
| Q. Are believers controlled by their sinful natures? |
A. Romans 8:9 = No. 1) They are controlled by the Holy Spirit, who brings new life to them 2) The Holy Spirit of God lives in them 3) and the Spirit of Christ lives in them. He has much guidance, knowingly or not, from Heaven, because of his choice to accept God's salvation for him. |
| Q. Why do people have to die in this life? | A. Romans 8:10 = Because sin kills life off eventually. |
| Q. What happens to a believer upon salvation? | A. Romans 8:10 = His human spirit is given life because he has been made righteous with God. |
| Q. Is the human spirit where the Holy Spirit lives in him? | A. Romans 8:11 = Yes. The Holy Spirit in my now alive human spirit gives new life daily to my human body as long as I live on earth. |
| Q. If I continue to live a sinful life after salvation, what will result? |
A. Romans 8:12-13 = I'll die. Note: Sinful living makes for a shortened lifespan. Our lifespans are in our power to extend after salvation. Isn't that cool? |
| Q. Why do some people continue to sin after salvation? | A. Romans 8:12 = Their sinful natures urge them to. |
| Q. My sinful nature urges me on to an early death? | A. Romans 8:12 = Yes. |
| Q. How do I stop sinning? | A. Romans 8:13 = Through the power of the Holy Spirit, I can turn from sin, make a choice to walk away from sin and its evil deeds. |
| Q. And my motivation to walk away from sin is what? |
A. Romans 8:13 = I'll extend my life. Note: There are a myriad of ways, old and new, to shorten your lifespan. Extreme living, yo-yo dieting, self-pity, alcoholism, drug abuse, anorexia, bulemia, drunk driving, and the number one way to shorten your life is dishonor of parents. All those other extreme living examples are based in dishonor of life. Read it again: "Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. Honor your father and mother. This is the first of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise. And this is the promise: If you honor your father and mother, you will live a long life, full of blessing" (Eph. 6:1-3). "You must love the Lord your God with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments (Matt. 22:37-40). |
| Q. So what I need to do first in choosing to live for God is to reconcile myself to my parents? | A. Ephesians 6:1-3 = Yes. All other relationships wait on your willingness to make peace with your parents. |
| Q. Must all believers live this way? | A. Romans 8:14 = Yes. All believers must let the Holy Spirit guide them away from sin and to an honorable life. |
| Q. What is a believer like who walks closely with God? |
A. Romans 8:15-18 = 1) He behaves like he knows absolutely that he is God's very own child, adopted into His family 2) He addresses God as "Father, dear Father." 3) God's Holy Spirit speaks to Him deep in his herat and tells him that he is God's child. 4) As God's child, he kjnows he will share in God's treasures. 5) He knows that everything God, his Father gives to His Son, Jesus, is his too. 6) He knows that he shares in Jesus' glory only if he also shares in His suffering. 7) He knows that what he sufferes now is nothing compared to the glory God will give him later. |
| Q. Is creation aware of God? |
A. Romans 8:19 = Yes. The creation waits eagerly for that day when God will reveal who His children really are. Note: Believers are limited on earth in their capacity to live fully for God (cf. v.23). I can't wait to be made perfect and know God without a sinful nature interfering in my relationship with God! Amen and hallelujah! |
| Q. Is creation different now that Jesus came, lived and died for humanity than when it was made? | A. Romans 8:20 = Yes. Against its will, when Adam sinned, it was also subjected to Adam's curse. |
| Q. What is this curse? | A. Romans 8:21 = Inevitable death and decay for mankind and creation. |
| Q. What else does creation anticipate? | A. Romans 8:21 = Joining believers in glorious freedom from death and decay. |
| Q. What state is the creation in now? | A. Romans 8:22 = Groaning since Adam sinned and to this present day. |
| Q. Is it okay for believers to groan from pain and suffering? | A. Romans 8:23 = Yes. |
| Q. What does the Holy Spirit's presence give every believer? | A. Romans 8:23 = A foretaste of future glory. |
| Q. Will I get a new body in Heaven? | A. Romans 8:23 = Yes! |
| Q. What else awaits me in Heaven? | A. Romans 8:23 = God will give me my full rights as His child. A new body is part of that. |
| Q. Is it okay to look forward to freedom from death and decay? |
A. Romans 8:24 = Yes. It is our hope. Note: Believers are the only people on earth that have real hope. |
| Q. So when life gets crazy and suffering comes, I should think about this future of mine? | A. Romans 8:25 = Yes. Wait for it patiently and confidently. |
| Q. Do believers get distressed? | A. Romans 8:26 = Yes. |
| Q. How does a believer cope with distress? | A. Romans 8:26 = The Holy Spirit helps him in his distress. |
| Q. How? | A. Romans 8:26 = The Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. |
| Q. Does the Holy Spirit repeat our words in prayer? |
A. Romans 8:27 = The Holy Spirit pleads for believers in harmony with God's own will. God knows all hearts, He understands ourheart's desire, and answers us with what is perfect for us. Note: Sometimes we don't know what we need. We know we are in distress, but why so is unclear. Thank God! He knows me, always hears my distress and is able to come to my rescue and save me perfectly every time. |
| Q. What is distress? |
A. The dictionary defines distress as follows: Strain, anxiety, suffering, affliction, difficulty, need, trouble, disturbance, pain, disease, malfunction, conflict, rebellion, social unrest, agitation, discomfort, worry, inconvenience, bother, turbulence, confusion, ailment, uneasiness, problem, hassle, fuss, upset, to be put out, perturb, unhinge, disquiet, distract. In addition, God's Word uses the word "distress" in the following contexts: 1) Gen. 35:3 = When Jacob feared attack 2) Deut. 28:57 = When an enemy attacked 3) Judges 2:15 = When Israel sinned and God abandoned them in battle 4) 2 Sam. 22:7 = David cried when under attack 5) 1 Chron. 21:6 = When Joab was asked to take a wrongful census, he was distressed 6) 1 Chron. 21:16 = When judgment nearly fell on Israel, David and the leaders fell to the ground on their faces to show God their distress 7) 2 Chron. 15:4 = Azariah reminded Asa that God always answers Israel's cries of distress 8) 2 Chron. 33:12-13 = Manasseh was deeply distressed in experiencing the consequnces of his evil and God rescued him. 9) Esther 4:4 = Esther was distressed to see Mordecai in sackcloth. 10) Job 15:24 = Eliphaz talked of the unfaitful who live in distress 11) Job 3:23 = Job pondered why righteous men are distressed by circumstances beyond their control. 12) Ps. 107:41 = God rescues the poor from their distress. 13) Ps. 55:17 = Pray in distress 24/7, until God answers. 14) Ps. 57:6 = Betrayers or potential betrayers cause distress and God rescues us from them. 15) Ps. 59:16 = God is a place of refuge in distress. 16) Ps. 68:6 = Famine and distres are for rebels. 17) Ps. 77:4 = Sometimes distress blocks the ability to pray. 18) Ps. 77:4 = Distress causes insomnia. 19) Ps. 25:16 = Loneliness in terrible circumstances causes distress. 20) Ps. 31:9 = Distress causes tears, and body and soul to wither away. 21) Ps. 4:1 = Being judged wrongly causes distress. 22) Prov. 1:27 = Distress overwhelms us. 23) Is. 25:4 = Rain and heat cause distress 24) Is. 25:16 = Being under God's discipline causes distress. 25) Jer. 11:14 = People in distress who who refuse to repent are ignored by God. 26) Lam. 3:5 = God surrounds believers with anguish and distress because of others' sins. 27) Matt. 26:22 = The realization that I could betray God causes distress. 28) Matt. 26:37 = Anticipation of the inevitable causes distress. 29) Luke 21:23 = Mothers are most distressed because of concern for their children. 30) Romans 8:26 = The Holy Spirit helps the distressed. 31) Romans 14:15 = Weaker Christians are distressed by insensitive Christians, and can be ruined for life. 32) Philippians 2:26 = Knowing someone is concerned because of my problems or illness causes me distress. 33) 2 Pet. 2:8 = Abraham's nephew, Lot, was distressed because of the evil that surrounded him. Note: There is no reason to wait to pray for a miracle. The lack of prayer in one's life is worse than any disease. WE are made to depend on God to rescue us. We are made to ask God to help us. There are no fatherless children in Heaven. All can run to God in their distress. God rescues us! |
| Q. So God answers us perfectly, though our plans may be unclear even to us, because the Holy Spirit is very clear about what we need and prays for that? | A. Romans 8:27 = Yes. |
| Q. What is true about life's circumstances? | A. Romans 8:28 = God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him. He answers prayers according to His purposes for us. (which is always the best!) |
| Q. What is true about mankind? | A. Romans 8:29 = We are chosen as brothers and sisters of Jesus. |
| Q. When did God choose us? | A. Romans 8:29 = In advance, from the beginning of time. |
| Q. What is the state of everyone predestined to be God's child? |
A. Romans 8:29-30 = 1) Chosen to be like Jesus 2) Chosen to be Jesus' little brothers and sisters 3) Called by God to come to Him. 4) God gives him right standing with Himself. 5) Promised to have His glory. Note: What more can I ask of God? I couldn't possibly have thought up any one of those awesome gifts to ask of God! |
| Q. What should I conclude about God? |
A. Romans 8:31 = If God is for me, who can ever be against me? Note: The answer is "No one." No one can harm us without God's okay. Even then, He uses harm for our good. Everything that happens to us, good and bad, brings us nearer to God. Ultimately, God is in control. |
| Q. What extremes will God go to in order to meet our needs as we ask Him to? | A. Romans 8:32 = Whatever it takes to give us everything. Remember, in order to save us, He gave us His own Son as a sacrifice. |
| Q. Does God accuse us? | A. Romans 8:33 = Never! |
| Q. How can I be sure? | A. Romans 8:33 = God has given us right standing with Himself, once for all time, with the scrifice of His Son, Jesus. |
| Q. So when I am accused or else hear negative tapes playing in my own head, it is never from God? |
A. Romans 8:33 = Never! Note: People may hear negative things about themselves, but where are those negative words coming from? Personal history! Teachers, parents, siblings, enemies and Hell, but not ever from God. He has only thousands of good thoughts for us. When we feel like being critical or judgmental of others, it isn't a God thing. All those other sources contribute to our own negative responses and reactions. Repent for taking offense with words directed at you. Take a Cleansing Stream course and deal with your dark and hidden areas of your sould where offense has settled in and made a cozy nest for itself. Let only God's light permeate every part of your being and begin seeking all that God has for you! |
| Q. Can I lose my salvation? | A. Romans 8:34 = No. Not even Jesus, who suffered, bled and died for us would think to ever condemn us. Jesus pleads and prays for us! |
| Q. So where do feelings of condemnation come from? | A. Romans 8:34 = Again, from personal history. Teachers, parents, siblings, enemies and Hell. Deal with those feelings and be rid of them forever! |
| Q. Can anything ever separate me from Jesus' love? | A. Romans 8:35 = No. |
| Q. So the circumstances of my life are not signs that God is displeased with me for some reason? | A. Romans 8:35 = No. Trouble, calamity, persecution, hunger, cold, danger and threat of death are no indication that God no longer loves us. |
| Q. What does tribulation indicate? | A. Romans 8:36 = We love God, serve Him fully and Hell and sinful man tries to make us pay a high price for it in order to steal our hope, if possible. |
| Q. Can we lose if pushed hard enough? | A. Romans 8:37 = No. Jesus gives us overwhelming victory in the end. He really lovs us! |
| Q. Can I ever be separated from God's love? | A. Romans 8:38 = No. God's love for us remains through every trial we experience. |
| Q. What trials are there in life? |
A. Romans 8:38 = 1) Death 2) Life 3) Angels 4) Demons 5) Fear for today 6) Worries about tomorrow 7) the powers of Hell. God's love cannot be driven away from us, nor can it be stopped. |
| Q. Can space or the deepest ocean separate us from God's love? | A. Romans 8:39 = No. Everything we know and see is just creation. The created thing cannot prevent the Creator from loving us or being close to us. |