Chichii

Q5. (Romans 7:14-25) Christians disagree about who is the "I" in Romans 7. Is Paul referring to himself or others? What is your opinion? (We won't all agree here, but we'll learn what the issues are by taking and arguing for a position -- lovingly). I think that Paul was actually referring to himself at the time of writing. Even though he must have been at a level spiritually that most of us can't even begin to fathom I think as a human being he still had areas in his life that God was working with him to change or improve on. even though he was living a victorious christian life, I think as long as we are still clothed by flesh there will be times when we are less that victorious and that is why Christ shed his blood and advocates for us before the Father so we can be forgiven and fight again till we conquer that part and attain new levels of faith or right living.

Q4. (Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:18-20; Romans 7:24) What is the doctrine of "total depravity"? Put it in your own words. It teaches that man is a mixture of good and evil so much so that even the good we do is often tinted with selfish motives. Does it mean that none of God's original goodness shows through? There is some good in us but again one can never be sure that the intentions are totally pure. Then what does it mean? Why does modern man tend to believe that man is basically good? I guess because if you don't know you have a problem you can't fix it. So if we believe that we are basically good we are not alert to search our hearts and be sure that out true intentions are pure. Also we will not cry out for a saviour. How does this differ from what the Bible teaches? The Bible teaches that a man's heart is deceptive and conniving and no one can truly know their heart.

Q3. (Romans 7:12; 8:3) What does the law do well? It tells us what is sin and what is not What does it do poorly? It doesn't tell us how to stop doing things that are wrong. Why is the law (knowing right and wrong) powerless to save us? What is the problem here? The knowledge of right and wrong is not what saves us or what enables us to stop sinning, the problem is that the flesh is too weak to withstand temptation.

Q2. (Romans 7:7-8) The law reveals sin for what it is. Why wouldn't we be better off just not knowing that we should not covet, for example? We need the consciousness of sin so that we realise we can not by our strength stop sinning and know that we need a saviour. Someone or something other than oursleves that can purify us. Why does the flesh respond to being told "Do not covet" by coveting all the more? I think that because the flesh is contrary to God whenever it knows that this is what God wants it instinctively does the opposite.

Q1. (Romans 7:5) Paul uses the word "flesh" (or NIV "sinful nature") many times in chapters 7 and 8. In your own words, what does Paul mean by "flesh" in these verses? In my opinion flesh is man's innate desire to do things his own way which is usually contrary to what God wants us to do.

Q5. (Romans 6:18-22) In Paul's analogy in these verses, is there a place of independent freedom apart from "slavery" to sin or to Christ? There is no middle ground. We are either for God or for the devil. Why do we long for this kind of independent freedom? I think that our longing for independent freedom is in itself a temptation and deception of the devil. It allows one to live unconsciously and without taking responsibility for ones actions. Why do we hesitate to firmly take sides and make our allegiance clear to all? For me I hesitate sometime because I fear being judged that is I fear that if I take sides and make my position clear and then slip up that people will laugh, sneer or call me a hypocrite.

Q4. (Romans 6:17b) How does good doctrine affect the way we live? Why should we honor good doctrine? If we shouldn't look down on doctrine itself, what kind of teaching should we be avoiding? Good doctrine is a pattern or instruction for living so it helps me interpret the words of the Bible and explains how I can practically apply it to my life in my age or time. We honour good doctrine by obeying it. We should avoid doctrine that is not Bible based or that dilutes what the Bible says.

Q3. (Romans 6:15-18). What does obedience have to do with slavery? In what way does doing acts of righteousness demonstrate your slavery to God? In what ways does doing bad things demonstrate a slavery to sin? How is such a slavery or bondage broken? What part does obedience have in breaking this bondage? In what areas is God speaking to you about a fresh obedience in your life? It is no good if I say that I am free from slavery of sin but still obey the call of sin. When I obey the flesh to sin then even though I am free I am still doing the bidding of the former and so technically am the slave of the former. But when I choose to obey God then I show the I have truly been set free to righteousness. For it is who we obey that is our master. Till I show that I can do other than the bidding of sin then I am truly free from slavery of sin. For it is when I obey that I show who my master is, a servant can only do the bidding of its master. God is speaking to me about my temper, the need to be right and forgiveness.

Q2. (Romans 6:13) In what ways do you "offer the members of your body" to either sin or God multiple times in a day? In all our daily choices, I can chose to do this. For instance if I'm offended I can choose to remain angry and offer my mind to sin or to forgive and offer the same mind instead to God. Why is it that we can sin unconsciously? I think I sin unconsciously when I begin to live unconsciously. Whenever my connection with God is weak in especially in times of stress, anxiety, or when I get too busy to spend time with God, I find that I fall quite easily to sin. How can we begin to offer our members deliberately to God? What changes will it take in our daily life to do this? Spending time with God consistently, putting God first no matter what. By thinking about my actions and consciously deciding to choose God's way. Listening for the direction of the Holy Spirit and obeying promptly.

Q1. (Romans 6:12) What does obedience have to do with the "reign" of sin? it is who or what we obey that we are slaves to. So if we obey our flesh and do as it wants then we are inadvertently continuing the reign of sin in our lives and submitting once more as slaves to sin even though we have been freed and no longer are controlled by sin.

Q5. (Romans 6:11) What does it mean to "reckon, consider, count" in verse 11? This means a logical deduction much like the IF statements in mathematics. One logical conclusion flowing from another. It also calls for a person to add think on what this statement means to their individual life or it's effect on ourselves. Does this actually mean that we are convincing ourselves of something that isn't really true? No as mentioned above it is a logical deduction based on a historic event. What will be the effect in our lives if we actually do consider it to be true that we died with Christ's death with regard to sin? We are empowered by this knowledge, I know I have been very empowered by this because I know now when sin comes calling that Jesus who is daily delivering me will find me a way out and I can make the choice not to fall head long into the temptation. Even if I fall for it, I am aware that I don not have to repeat the cycle again and keep on falling, I can choose now to receiev instruction from God's Word and His prompting in my heart and stand firm next time.

Q4. (Romans 6:6-7) In what way has our "body of sin," our "flesh," our old nature been made powerless because of our crucifixion with Christ? It has made our "flesh" ineffective for sin and so has liberated us from slavery to sin. In what way have we been freed from slavery? As we have died in the spiritual with Christ we have also delivered from the power of sin or freed from slavery to sin. What difference does this understanding make in our struggles against temptation? I guess this means that we know we don't have to succumb to whatever temptation we are facing. If we know that we are freed from sin controlling us then at the point of temptation we can choose to do the right thing instead of just going along with whatever we feel like doing.

Comments, anyone? Hi Guitar Jim I so feel you on the paradigm shift for the mind. Like you I did go through immersion baptism because that was what Jesus did. It is a new frontier looking at these verse this way but I do know that the spiritual is real and that what we see in the natural is a product of whatever has happened in the spiritual. Living as a new creature is hard, I just like you am still struggling with old habits and sometimes even ones that I thought were long dead start creeping up. But I have faith that Christ will not abandon me especially since the study before this (Rom 5:9) so who am I to give up on myself. So when I feel bad I just dust myself off, confess my sin or repent of the thought, read more of the Word and begin again. I Know and the Bible tells me that sanctification is a process so like you though I struggle now I believe all of the Bible and it tells me I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I just believe and wait for one day when I can truly say that though I have not fully apprehended I have fought a good fight. Hang in there, you're not alone.

Q3. (Romans 6:1-7) Is Paul referring to a figurative "death" to sin, or to a kind of historical, actual death? He's referring to a historical, actual death. Whose death is he talking about? How does this death become our own? To what degree is this just theological mumbo-jumbo or does it have some basis in reality? Paul is referring to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. It becomes our own death to sin when we are baptised and enter in to union with Christ. It does have basis in reality because this happens in the spiritual and not in the physical. Just as we all are tainted by Adam's sin in the garden, Jesus's sacrifice washes us clean of sin and gives us the ability to live free of the control by sin.

Q2. (Romans 6:3-4) In Paul's reference to baptism in 6:3-4, what does "buried" (6:4a) correspond to in the act of baptism? Buried corresponds to being submerged in water. What does "Christ was raised from the dead" (6:4b) correspond to in baptism? Being lifted out of the water.

Q1. (Romans 6:3-5) In what sense does baptism bring about our union with Christ? We are in union with Him because just as He died physically so we die to sin in the spiritual when we are baptised. In what sense does baptism symbolize our union with Christ? It symbolises our union with Christ because as we are immersed in water we symbolise death and being buried. When we rise from the water it symbolises rising from the dead.

Q4. (Romans 6:2-5) According to this passage, at what point do we move from being under the headship of Adam to the headship of Christ? When we give our lives to Christ by accepting that He is the messiah and that He died for our sins. We also have to repent and resolve to follow Christ and His teachings. Is there anything we must do to bring about this change in headship? We must be baptised. What are the implications of us having died with Christ? We must recognise that we are dead to sin and live a new life lived for God.

Q3. (Romans 5:15-19) By what right does Adam represent all humankind? Adam represents all mankind because he was the first man God created. When God created Adam He said "Let us create man in our own image......" the emphasis being man and not a particular human being but mankind or the human race in general. This is so significant in my opinion that when God wanted to create woman He didn't mold another being from sand but He took a part of Adam to create woman (Eve). We all therefore flowed from Adam's seed and Eve who is also a part of Adam and so physically and spiritually we are "in" Adam because when he was created we were all created. This is why Adam represents us all because till Christ came we were all in Adam. By what right does Christ become head of all who become his disciples? Christ suffered and died for our sins. He has the right to be the head of all who become His disciples because He became the perfect sacrifice for our sins and the only sacrifice that could blot out our sins forever and when we accept His Headship He is the only way that leads us to the Father and to the ways of Life. If Christ is not our "representative" or "head," how can his death for sins be effective for us? We can not avail ourselves of the salvation that Christ's death gives if we do not make Him our "head" and "representative". Sad but true.

Simple one first- Most families have a head usually the father and he usually takes decisions for everyone. The connection is that of filial affection, trust and respect. Presidents- They make decisions that affect their country. The connection is that of loyalty and laws which punish dissent or treason.

(Romans 5:9-10) What does "reconciliation" mean? Reconciliation means to be judged innocent, put in right standing with God, to have a guilty verdict overturned. Why is reconciliation with God necessary? As in the parable of the prodigal son we are of two states of unrighteousness. Those that are outwardly rebellious children and those that are filled with shame for their guilty acts. In both states a person will not be of a mind to approach God. Also God is Holy and only a holy person can fellowship with Him. Rom 3:10-12 says that no one is holy, no one seeks God and no one is righteous so no act of our own could have won us right standing with God. Reconciliation with God is therefore necessary to overturn the guilty verdict and restore us again to sonship as God intended from the very beginning. We understand our having been saved by Jesus' death (5:10a, past tense). In what sense are we being saved (5:10b, present tense) by his life? What is Jesus doing for us in the present? Jesus is in the present giving us the keys to victorious Christian living i.e living a life free from control by sin. This does not mean that the Christian never sins but the Holy Spirit enables him or her to live a godly life and when he or she fails but confesses and repents the blood of Jesus immediately cleanses and restores their soul. Thus the sin does not have time to fester and grow but is immediately mastered. This is the victory over dominion from sin that Jesus does for us on a daily basis and we are assured of this. So we can be confident in the power of the Blood of Jesus to deliver us from being controlled by any sin. If we believe this then we can master any sin and live "right" before God and man.

-This is important because Christ died for us at our worst, when we were still rejecting him and in our sin. So it's not about what we do that gains us right standing with God it's all about Christ's sacrificial death on the cross. - We need to know this so when the devil tells us our sin is too big to forgive we can tell him for a fact that God is not about to give up on us. Christ has taken away all our condemnation first when we gave our lives to Him all our sins are blotted away and He continues to intercede for us daily before the Father. His blood will continue to save us daily as we abide in Him.

Q2. (Romans 5:2-5) According to this passage why should we rejoice in our sufferings and tribulations? It's because through suffering and tribulation God is doing a work in us. It is a process of refining for us. One by one, what is the importance to our lives of perseverance, tried character, and hope? Perseverance is important because we have to learn to endure with a good attitude. In other words we have to walk in love both with ourselves and with our fellow man no matter what we are going through. This can only be learned as we are taken through wilderness experiences where we have to endure certain things, if we come out victorious not losing our fight to do good and stay grafted in Christ then we can say that we have persevered. Tried character is important because without the trial you can not say for sure what your reaction to a particular circumstance would be or if you will truly stand up for what you believe. In order to know what we have inside us it is necessary to pass through trials or tests in order to determine that our character is tried and is in conformance with the image of Christ. Hope is what differentiates us from all others. It is the hope that in Christ we are truly at peace with God and call him Father. It is that which assures us that if we cling to Jesus we will be with God for eternity in Heaven.

Q1. (Romans 5:1-2) According to verses 1-2, faith is a key to salvation. For Abraham (4:3), what was the relationship between faith and justification? Because of Abraham's faith in God, he was declared righteous and therefore in right standing with God i.e justified. Abraham was declared in right standing with God even before the law, this means that it wasn't because he obeyed the law or even did all the right things. We know from the Bible that he was very mortal and made mistakes so his actions were not the reason for God declaring him righteous or justified. Rather Abraham did something remarkable, he believed God even in the face of what looked impossible to man that a 100 year old man could father a child or that a 75 year old woman could become pregnant, carry and deliver a child. He believed the promises God made to him that he would be the father of nations and he eagerly expected the promises to come to pass as God had said they would. In short words, Abraham had faith in God, he completely and utterly relied and had confidence in God and for that God pronounced him righteous. For us (5:1-2), what is the relationship between faith and justification? It is through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ that we are made righteous. When we believe, repent and put our faith in Jesus Christ we become incorporated into His body. As Jesus aptly put it He is the vine and we are the branches so when we believe what He said and put all our reliance in Him to lead us in the right path, we become attached to Him. God then sees Jesus when He looks at us and we become righteous in His eyes as Jesus is righteous. We become fully reconciled to God and restored to full fellowship because we are in Jesus and Jesus is in right standing with God. So it is only through faith- a confidence in the promises of Jesus, reliance on His finished work on the cross and trust that He will eventually return to take us to the Father where we will enjoy eternal life that we can be saved by Jesus and have His righteousness. In your own words, what does it mean to be justified? To be justified in my words means to be acquited and declared clean as if I had never committed any offence or sin. To be justified means to me to be restored to the state that God intended man to be in the beginning before sin entered the world. Then He could have fellowship with man and often did in the garden of eden. To be justified is to be without blame in the eyes of God.

Hi Everyone I'm Nigerian and have been searching for a truly Christ inspired Bible study. I hope this is it. Looking forward to sharing and growing with you all as I dig deeper into God's word.