Thought Question:
When you hear the word “Holy Spirit” what picture forms in your mind?
Romans 7:7-25 (ESV) {Note: since this passage is rendered exceptionally well in the ESV it is printed here for your convenience.}
7What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." 8But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. 13Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
1. What does Paul say is the relationship between the law and sin?
2. How difficult is the war with sin for the believer?
3. What is the only hope for deliverance from the battle with sin?
Romans 8:1-39 (ESV)
1There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
4. How many “laws” are mentioned in this passage?
5. What is the “law of the Spirit of life”? How does it set us free?
6. What does it mean to walk according to the Spirit?
7. What does it mean to set the mind on the Spirit?
9You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. 12So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" 16The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
8. What is the requirement for “being in the Spirit”?
9. How do we know that we are in the Spirit?
10. What does this passage teach us about the way all three Persons of the Trinity are involved in the life of the disciple?
11. What does it mean to be a fellow heir with Christ? What is the requirement for such an inheritance?
18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
12. What is life like now for our loved ones who have experienced the sufferings that have led to their deaths?
13. What is meant by the word “creation” in this passage? How has it been impacted by the Fall?
14. What are the firstfruits of the Spirit?
15. What is the great hope for both the believer and creation itself? Is this a spiritual or physical outcome?
16. How should we conduct our lives in light of this hope?
26Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
17. What is the role of the Spirit in the prayer life of the disciple? What are the practical implications of this?
18. Why is verse 28 one of the most cherished verses of Scripture? Do you really believe all things work together for the good of those who are called? How about sickness, suffering and death?
19. What do we learn about the tricky subject of “predestination” in this passage?
20. Why does Paul use the past tense when he speaks of those who are glorified? Isn’t this in the future?
31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
36As it is written,
"For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."
37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
21. Who inspired these words that Paul wrote? Does the Inspirer focus on Himself or on Someone else? Why?
22. What do we learn about Christ in this final section?
23. Please give some examples of: tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger and the sword.
24. Verse 36 is a quotation from Psalm 44 where the Sons of Korah lament that God has forgotten His people, even though they had not forgotten Him. Why do you suppose Paul interjects this thought here?
25. How do verses 37-39 contrast with the lament of Psalm 44?
26. What is the bottom line of sanctification?
For the next two sessions we will be viewing the video Unlocking the Mystery of Life. A key difference between the 1st and 3rd Millennia is that in our millennium scientific discoveries have produced unprecedented understanding in the nature of biological systems, including us! The video we are about to view will expose us to some of these discoveries and their implications for the current “culture wars” in our society. At bottom, those wars can be summarized in two opposing statements (as stated by Phillip Johnson, considered to be the father of the Intelligent Design movement):
*In the beginning were the particles (atheistic materialism)
*In the beginning was the Word (Christian theism)
Genesis 1:1
1. What does this passage presume about the origin of the universe?
John 1:1-3
1. Who created the universe?
2. What is the implication of identifying the Son of God with The Word?
3. What does that tell us about the origin of Information?
Psalm 139:13-17
1. What does the psalmist say about the origin of his life?
Watching the Video
Please note the following concepts which we will discuss after the viewing:
*Darwinian evolution
*Intelligent design
*Irreducible Complexity
*Bacterial Flagellum
Review of Session 6: The Disciple’s Calling
· In a number of passages in the New Testament, such as 2 Peter 1, we see Paul and Peter giving lists of qualities that should be exhibited in the lives of believers. These can be looked at as ways to measure our individual progress in sanctification: becoming more like Christ Himself.
· All such lists cause us to face the antinomy of our election and our calling: God alone is responsible for our being new creatures in Christ, yet we bear responsibility for “putting on Christ” in our lives as his disciples.
· To aid us in making progress in fulfilling Christ’s call to discipleship, he has given us the church and the family wherein we can come alongside one another—in love—and provoke each other to good works and character development.
· Our vocations in life are part of our calling, but as time consuming as they often are, their role is less emphasized in the New Testament compared to the work of the Spirit in transforming us into the image of our Savior. Yet, our secular and our sacred work is always to be done “unto the Lord.”
A Thought Question
When you hear the word “discipline,” what emotion do you experience? Is it positive or negative? Why is this?
1 Cor. 9:1-27
1. This passage interweaves several themes we have been discussing in this class. What do we learn about the family, about the church, and about “calling” through Paul’s discussion here?
2. What motivated Paul to write this chapter of his letter? Do the issues that caused him to write in the 1st millennium concern us here in the 3rd millennium?
3. We will return to this passage when we discuss evangelism. Briefly, how far was Paul willing to go to heed the call to spread the Gospel?
4. What is Paul’s point in using the metaphor about running a race and winning a prize? What race is he referring to? What is the prize?
5. What does he mean when he says that he beats his body and makes it his slave? Why does he do this?
6. What does this say about the role of spiritual disciplines in our lives as disciples?
7. We studied spiritual disciplines in an earlier class. Please recall as many as you can.
A List of Spiritual Disciplines
Disciplines of Engagement
· Prayer
· Study (including memorization)
· Meditation
· Celebration
· Fellowship
· Service
· Submission
· Worship
Disciplines of Abstinence
· Fasting
· Silence/Solitude
· Frugality/Simplicity
· Sacrifice
8. In what way do these disciplines aid us in winning the prize Paul speaks of here? Please share which disciplines have become most valuable to your own spiritual development since we studied them together.
Revelation 3:14-22
Note on Laodicea: Its water supply had to be provided from a distant source through pipes. The resulting water was lukewarm and barely drinkable. By contrast, the neighboring town of Hierapolis had medicinal hot springs, and the neighboring Colosse was supplied by a cold mountain stream. (New Geneva Study Bible, p. 2013)
1. What was the fundamental problem with the church in Laodicea according to the Lord?
2. Do you really believe a lukewarm church is worse than a “cold” church? Why or why not?
3. What fundamentally wrong assumption did the Laodicean believers make about themselves?
4. What was the nature of this church’s poverty?
5. How would you compare this church to the evangelical church in the US in the 3rd millennium? How would you compare it to us?
6. How is the word “discipline” used in this passage? What do we learn about discipline here?
7. What is the most important thing the Laodiceans need to do to correct their shortfall? How does that apply to us?
Review of Session 5: The Disciple and the Family
· Even though Jesus spoke hyperbolically about giving up father, mother, sister, brother and even spouse to follow him, he strongly endorsed the family. He was born in a family, and he was the one who spoke those famous words we hear at every (Christian) wedding: “what God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”
· Yet there are some, including Jesus himself and the apostle Paul, who are called to be single for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.
· Paul endorses marriage, with some qualification, for most believers based in large part on the grounds of sexual intimacy: “it is better to marry than to burn.”
· He goes on to note how marriage symbolizes the union between Christ and his bride: the church. In the marriage union the keys are that the husband love his wife as Christ loves the Church, and that the wife respect her husband as the Church respects Christ.
· In light of that symbolism, divorce is a very serious matter indeed, and should be undertaken only on the basis of adultery or abandonment.
A Thought Question
What do you think of when you hear the word “calling”? Church? Work? Cell Phone? Telemarketers? Avon?
Matt. 4:12-22
1. What exposure do you think Peter, Andrew, James and John had to Jesus before he called them?
2. What was Jesus calling them to do?
3. Was their abrupt leaving unfair to their father and other business associates?
2 Peter 1:1-11
1. What does Peter say is the reason disciples/saints can partake of the divine nature?
2. In verses 5-7 Peter gives us a list of qualities. What do these have to do with our calling?
3. In verse 5 he tells his readers to “make every effort…”. What does he mean by this? Is he advocating salvation by works?
4. What measurement does Peter give us in this passage for us to use in judging the effectiveness of our discipleship?
5. Consider the quality of “brotherly kindness” mentioned in this list. Do you think you can judge your own effectiveness in area totally alone? Or do you need outside help?
6. Peter tells us in verse 10 to make our calling and election sure. What is he telling us to do by giving us this command? How are calling and election related?
7. In our millennium we often think of “calling” as job related. Does anything in this passage speak to our “secular” vocation? Why or why not?
I Thess. 4:1-12
1. In what way does this passage echo the one we read from Peter?
2. What do verses 11-12 tell us about our calling as workers? Do you wish Paul had said more about vocation since we spend so much time occupied with it?
3. Let’s compare this these verses with similar ones in Colossians 3:22-25. Who will judge the quality of our vocational work? What will be the basis of the judgment?
In Summary
Please react to the following comment from Michael Green (Tyndale Commentary on II Peter, Eerdmans:1976; p.73-74):
“Make your calling and election sure” is an appeal that goes to the heart of the paradox of election and free will. The New Testament characteristically makes room for both without attempting to resolve the apparent antinomy. So here; election comes from God alone—but man’s behavior is the proof or disproof of it. Though ‘good works’ ..are possible only through the appropriation of God’s gracious aid, they are absolutely necessary, and fairly and squarely our responsibility.