Read Romans 8.
What are the benefits of a personal relationship with Christ?
1. No Condemnation. (vv.1-11)
Those who personally place their faith in Jesus are forgiven of their sins.
The judgment against them has been expunged. This is not the result
of anything the individual did. It is solely due to the fact that Jesus
paid our penalty on the cross. At the very moment of belief in Him, the
grace of God is applied to our account.
2. No Obligation. (vv.12-17)
We owed a debt we could not pay. He paid a debt He did not owe.
Placing our eternal trust in Jesus spiritually frees us. No longer
are we slaves to sin, but we have become the children of God.
3. No Comparison. (vv.18-25)
Everyone in this life suffers. It is the worldwide effect of sin ever
since Genesis 3. The world is in "bondage to corruption"
(v.21). This is the observable scientific law of entropy at work as
opposed to the man-made theory of evolution. All things are not evolving
into something better, but the world is degrading with each generation.
All creation groans (v.22)
All people groan (v.23)
The Holy Spirit groans (v.26)
These groanings are like birth pangs, leading all creation toward the next step
in God's sovereign plan. Paul stated that the present sufferings
"are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to
us." (v.18) The physical, cultural, moral, and spiritual
deterioration of this world will ultimately lead to hope. Our hope is not
in this world getting better but in the fact of Christ's return. He will
come. He will rule. All the groanings of this life will one day be
turned to glory. The wait will be worth it.
4. No Desperation. (vv.26-30)
In the meantime, we are not left alone in our present suffering and weaknesses.
The Holy Spirit who indwells every believer in Jesus (8:9), helps us with
our thinking (v.5), assures us of our right standing and relationship with the
Lord, and intercedes for us in our praying. There is no need to be
depressed and give up. Even when we feel so overwhelmed by what we see in
our deteriorating world and our immediate circumstances, God is present with
us. Even when we do not know what God is doing and cannot put our prayers
into words, the Holy Spirit does so on our behalf according to God's will.
5. No Separation. (vv.31-39)
No matter what the culture does, no matter what circumstances may come our way,
nothing will ever change the love that the God of Heaven has for us. Once
we have become part of God's family through personal faith in Jesus, it is impossible
to jeopardize that eternal position.
"He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming soon.'
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20)
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