Unashamed Reading Plan
Check out all the previous Unashamed readings here.
Unashamed Reading Plan | Week 8 | Day 1
Prayer
As you come to spend time with Jesus, calm your mind and body until you feel fully present. Ask Him to teach you more about Himself today.
Bible Reading: Romans 8:1-4
Read these verses three times slowly.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Reflection & Questions
Romans chapter 8 has often been described as the most amazing chapter of the Bible. That doesn’t mean it is easy to understand. These few verses have so much going on in them, and they are not straightforward. In the short reflection we have here, there are a couple of things worth noting.
Paul tells us that Jesus was sent by God “in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.” Paul is careful to say he came in the “likeness of sinful flesh”. Jesus was without sin. So it wasn’t his own sin that he was a sacrifice for. So whose was it? It was our sin that was being condemned and punished completely and finally when Christ died. So if our sin has been condemned and punished, we will not be punished for it again. So Paul can say, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Complete exoneration in Jesus.
So now, “the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” The “law of the Spirit” is the way the Spirit comes into us and teaches us how to live righteously. It is the process of sanctification – becoming more holy, by the teaching of the Spirit. We learn to no longer follow our own ways (which led to sin and death) but the Spirit’s ways, which lead to life!
- Do you believe Jesus has paid for your sins? Why or why not?
- Think of an example of how the Spirit taught you to say “no” to sin and live righteously. Was it through reading the Bible, through a teaching you heard or a Christian friend? How can you learn to pay attention to the Spirit’s direction in your life?
Prayer
Pray in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Bible Reading: Romans 8:1-4
Read these verses three times slowly.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Reflection & Questions
Condemnation is a rather big word that means giving someone a “guilty verdict” and in our verses today ”condemnation” specifically refers to the judgment that comes because we have broken God’s law. If you have ever read the Ten Commandments, you might think that you have never broken a single one of them. But those laws cover more than what you think. For example, if you roll your eyes at your mom, you are disobeying Commandment 6 which says to “Honor your father and mother.” If you are jealous of your friend’s new shoes and want them for yourself, thinking you deserve them more, you are disobeying Commandment 10 which says that “You shall not covet.“
There are many more ways that we disobey the Ten Commandments each day. We deserve a “guilty verdict.” We deserve condemnation. We deserve punishment for our sins. But the first verse of today’s scripture says that there is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Instead, God sent His son, Jesus, to be punished for our guilty verdict by taking all of our sins upon Him when He died on the cross. He was the “sin offering.”
Not only that, but we have been given the Holy Spirit to live within us and be our guide. He teaches us how to turn from our own selfish way of living and to how to live righteously.
- Can you think of a time when you have heard the Holy Spirit tell you which choice would be a good one and which would be a bad choice?
Pray
If you haven’t done so yet, tell Jesus that you know you are a sinner and ask Him to forgive you. Thank Him for dying on the cross for your sins and ask Him to come into your heart and life.
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate
