Second Street PCA

God has loved His people and has predestined them to conformity to the likeness of Christ and to glorification. Once God has promised His love, nothing and no one can ever separate us from it. It is He who first loved us and will love us forever, and never will death do us part.

Paul continues to summarize what he has put forth in the first part of this letter, that man is falling but has a Savior in Jesus Christ. He puts forth four characteristics of Christ's work on the cross for the believer which should give us assurance of our salvation in Christ.

God did not spare His own Son for us all. How will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Our salvation is secured by God in Christ.

Fore-loved to glorious conformity.

One of the most often quoted verses of the Bible. It teaches the omnipotence (all-powerfulness) of God over all things and His omnibenevolence (all-goodness) toward the believer. What is meant by "all things" and what is meant by "good"?

As finite creatures of God, even though regenerated by the Holy Spirit, we do not have infinite knowledge of God's purposes. Sometimes we don't know how to pray as we ought. It's during these times that the Holy Spirit is our helper in prayer.

The most important question of all, who was the baby in the manger? What was the incarnation?

The Bible does not sugarcoat suffering in this world. Christians are not excluded from the suffering. The entire creation groans waiting the future Redemption the sons of God, our glorification! How are we to deal with sufferings in this present time? By focusing on future glory!

The primary purpose of the Spirit's leading in the believer is unto holiness and righteousness. As the Spirit of Adoption we know we are the children of God and are, therefore, His by choice and we have a right to all the children of God.

If you are a born-again believer, you have the Spirit of God dwelling in you? For what purpose? How does His presence manifest Himself the life of a believer and in the church? By promoting and enabling His people to lives of righteousness and holiness.

Walking in the Spirit and walking in the flesh are the real difference between life and death. The non-Christian can't see it at all but faith comes by hearing. We call, God chooses

The believer in Christ has been freed from damnation. He has been giving the Spirit to enable the fulfilling of the righteous requirements of the law, not unto salvation, but because of God's work of sanctification by His Spirit in those who have already been justified by His free grace in Christ alone.

Paul takes us on a deep-dive into looking internally at the work of the law in his inner life. His conclusion is to see himself as wretched and in need of rescue which leads him (and us) to Chapter 8!

Given everything that Paul has said thus far, when might come to the conclusion that the law is bad. Paul says that nothing could be further from the truth.

Paul shows us Justification and Sanctification from still another perspective. Here, Paul uses the law of matrimony to demonstrate that we have died to the law in Christ so that we might "belong to another". That other is Jesus Christ, no longer being under the law but under grace. All of this is in order that we would bear fruit for God. The Christian will bear the fruit of righteousness.

Paul, having spent five chapters explaining who we are in Christ and that we are declared righteous (justified) by faith in Christ alone and that we have been reconciled to God, now takes a look at at sanctification (how a believer is to think of sin in his/her life). We must get justification AND sanctification right.

The believer is "dead to sin" in Christ Jesus. How does the knowledge of this help us to fight the remains of sin in our personal lives?

A person is either "in Adam" or "in Christ". Those in Adam are under the dominion of sin and death. Those in Jesus Christ, through faith, reign in life through the grace and righteousness of Jesus Christ our Lord. Grace ALWAYS trumps condemnation.

The proof of God's love for us is seen in the death of His Son in which we are saved from the wrath of God. And not only this, we, in Christ, are reconciled to God.

As a result of our justification by faith we have peace with God and have access into this faith in which we stand. We also have our hope of future glory strengthened in this present darkness. Therefore, we are to be rejoicing even in our sufferings.

1. Wrath 2. Rest 3. Life 4. Growth 5. Glory 6. Assurance 1. The law brings wrath 2. The promise rests on grace 3. God brings life 4. Faith grows 5. God is glorified as our faith grows 6. The assurance of our salvation is based upon faith in the promises of God not on works of the law.

What is the place of the non-Jewish faithful in the Old Testament promises of God in the New Testament under the New Covenant? (Faith being defined as "walking in the faith-footpath of Abraham".)? And what about circumcision?

1. Faith's Content 2. Faith's Quality 3. Faith's Hope. What is the place of faith and works in the life of the true believer? What is saving faith?

Often called "The Heart of the Gospel", these verses define some of the aspects of our salvation that we may tend to overlook. This message looks to define these terms and to challenge us to rise to what Paul sees as a necessary implication; no boasting in anything except the gospel for our hope and salvation.

Justification, Redemption, and Propitiation. O, my!