Alive to God: Studies in Spirituality

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For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. What shall we say then? ( FK)Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, ( FL)“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, [ r] but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ( FM)“For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. Romans 8:30 : Rom. 8:28; 9:24; 1 Cor. 1:9; Gal. 1:6, 15; 5:8; Eph. 1:11; 3:11; 2 Thess. 2:14; [Heb. 9:15; 1 Pet. 2:9; 3:9]

Do not let sin control the way you live; [ a] do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. What then? Shall we sin ( W)because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that ( X)to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart ( Y)that form of doctrine to which you were [ e]delivered. 18 And ( Z)having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness [ f]for holiness. What then? ( AA)Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? ( AB)May it never be! 16 Do you not ( AC)know that when you go on presenting yourselves to someone as ( AD)slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of ( AE)sin [ h]leading to death, or of obedience [ i]leading to righteousness? 17 But ( AF)thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that ( AG)pattern of teaching to which you were ( AH)given over, 18 and having been ( AI)freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 ( AJ)I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just ( AK)as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, [ j]leading to further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, [ k]leading to sanctification.In this way also consider yourselves that you are dead to sin and that you are living to God in our Lord Yeshua The Messiah. Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For ( CL)we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but ( CM)the Spirit Himself makes intercession [ p]for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now ( CN)He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints ( CO)according to the will of God.

In the same way you also must regard yourselves as dead in relation to sin, but as alive in relation to God, because you are in Christ Jesus.The Westminster Shorter Catechism says, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” A life lived for God glorifies God. We pursue God with our entire being – heart, soul, mind, and strength. We abide in Christ (John 15:4, 8) and therefore act like Him by loving others. In doing that, we bring glory to His name and also enjoy the relationship for which we were originally created. God has given us some very clear instructions in His Word as to how we are to live for Him. These include the command to love one another (John 13:34-35), the call to follow Him at the cost of denying our own desires (Matthew 16:24), the exhortation to care for the poor and needy (James 1:27), and the warning to not fall into sinful behaviors like those who don’t know God (1 Thessalonians 5:6-8). Jesus summed up a life lived for God when a teacher of the law asked Him the most important of commandments. Jesus replied, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31). Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Sia benedetto il Signore! Giorno per giorno porta per noi il nostro peso, il Dio della nostra salvezza. Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You love and care for me. Thank You that I can know Your favour and blessing on my life. I humbly bring my requests to You and ask that You would do miracles, in my life and in my situation. Amen. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those ( CP)who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom ( CQ)He foreknew, ( CR)He also predestined ( CS) to be conformed to the image of His Son, ( CT)that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also ( CU)called; whom He called, these He also ( CV)justified; and whom He justified, these He also ( CW)glorified. God’s Everlasting Love

Making sense of life's struggles.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time ( DB)are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for ( DC)the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation ( DD)was subjected to futility, not willingly, but ( DE)because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that ( DF)the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that ( DG)the whole creation ( DH)has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have ( DI)the firstfruits of the Spirit, ( DJ)groan inwardly as ( DK)we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, ( DL)the redemption of our bodies. 24 For ( DM)in this hope we were saved. Now ( DN)hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we ( DO)wait for it with patience. Romans 8:27 : 1 Sam. 16:7; 1 Chr. 28:9; Prov. 15:11; 17:3; Jer. 11:20; 17:10; Luke 16:15; 1 Thess. 2:4 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as [being] dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus. Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc. Gebed: Vader, dit is wonderlik om te weet dat U my dag na dag dra en help om die laste wat ek dra ligter te maak. Ek kies om op U te vertrou met die kwessies en besorgdhede in my lewe. Amen.

Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin [and your relationship to it broken], but alive to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus.