God
of Goodness and Mercy
“I am a sinner but God loves me anyhow. I am a hypocrite but God loves me
anyhow. I do believe, help my
unbelief. But I am trying to cooperate
with God as He leads me through life. I
am a sinner saved by grace.”
“Or do you
despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing
that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” Romans 2:4
“But God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
Paul’s lament about Law.
“For we
know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I
do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I
hate, that I do..... But now, it is
no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me
(that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but
how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I
will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I
practice..... For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But
I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and
bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O
wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” Romans
7:15,17-19,22-24
“The law
was central to God's old covenant with the people of Israel, and many Jews in
Paul's day still saw it as critical to how God's people lived. Therefore, in
Romans, Paul frequently deals with questions about the law. The pinnacle of his
treatment comes in Romans 7, where Paul powerfully argues that
the law of Moses, rather than having a positive effect on people's lives,
stimulated sin and brought death (7:5). Paul wants
us to realize that the law is not at fault. God's law is good and holy (7:12), but it is powerless to change the
human heart. Deliverance can come only through a new and radical experience of
God's power and grace in Jesus Christ (7:25). Through God's Holy Spirit, Jesus
rescues us "from the power of sin that leads to death" (8:2).
God’s
answer of salvation.
“For God
did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world
through Him might be saved.” John 3:17
“Then I
will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you
from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new
heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of
your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit
within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments
and do them.” Ezekiel
36:25-27
Jesus
has already purged our sins (Hebrews 1:3).
“For Christ
has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made
right with God.” Romans 10:4 (NLT)
“So
now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.2 And because you belong
to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin
that leads to death.3 The
law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful
nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body
like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s
control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.4 He did this so that
the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer
follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.” Romans
8:1-4 (NLT)
How to
work it out - sanctification.
“Trust and
obey, for there’s no other way.”
“I say
then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts
against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to
one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by
the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident,
which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery,
hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions,
dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I
tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those
who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness,
self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are
Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the
Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
Gal 5:16-25
“But you
are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in
you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is
in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life
because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from
the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life
to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans
8:9-11
“And the
nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the
earth bring their glory and honor into it.” Revelation
21:24
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