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From the Pastors at Joy

Archives for January 2015

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The Gospel of Jesus Christ Must Be Central

"For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if justification were through the law, then Christ died for no pur...

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Is Penal Substitution Fair?

Before moving on to verse 4 of Romans 8, let’s consider one more question that arises from considering verse 3:...

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The Likeness of Sinful Flesh

"By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh..." -Romans 8:3b It is an astonishing truth that God Himself would condescend and come to earth to rescue His fallen creation. That fact alone should amaze and enthrall our hearts, while also confounding our minds. Why would the God of the universe even care? Especially give...

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He Breaks the Power of Cancelled Sin

Romans 8:1-2 describe two precious blessings that come to us in Christ. In Christ there is no condemnation. This blessing deals with our objective freedom from the penalty of sin. And in Christ, we are set free from the law of sin. This blessing deals with our subjective freedom from the rule or tyranny of sin. Both come to us by virtue of being united with (i.e., in) Chri...

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Why Do Free People Continue in Sin?

In a blog post last week, we considered from Romans 8:2 that in Christ, believers have been set free from the law of sin and death. I ended that post by asking: what exactly is this freedom? If we are free, why do we still find such a struggle with sin inside of us? Does that ongoing struggle mean that I am not really free, and maybe even, not in Christ? These are the ques...

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Therefore

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Those are sweet words to the ears and hearts of those who believe in Jesus Christ! And the adverb "therefore" causes us to ask what came before it. Paul is basically saying, "In light of all that, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Why is there no condemnation? What is hi...

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Law of Spirit, Law of Sin

Among the abundant blessings that come to those who are in Christ Jesus (see last week’s blog post) is freedom from the law of sin and death: "For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." So here is another blessing that comes to us in Christ: in verse 1, there is the blessing of justification (no condemnation in God...

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How Do We Become "in Christ"?

Romans 8 begins and ends with reference to some of the wonderful blessings that come to those who are in Christ Jesus:...

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No Condemnation, NOW

Romans 8 begins with the triumphant declaration, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Why does Paul say there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ? I would not have missed that word had it been omitted: “There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ.” That is such wonderful news that I would not have...

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