Monthly Archives: May 2025

ROMANS 8 NOTHING SEPARATES US FROM GOD

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May 20

ROMANS 8

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can beagainst us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:31-39

ROMANS 8 NOTHING SEPARATES US FROM GOD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you are in Christ Jesus, fear not for God is with you

There is nothing that will separate you from God’s love

No matter what happens to you or whatever Satan does

It will never diminish the steadfast love of God

Even death will not stop God’s Spirit from being with you

No circumstances or adversities will keep you away from that love.

Have you ever been loved by someone unconditionally? Why do we humans long to be loved this way? That is because God made us in his image as Genesis 1:27 says. We were made for God and nothing or no one else. The Lord designed a perfect match for us. It was his love. This is why we long to have that assurance in life. Because of the sin of Adam and Eve, that love of God was twisted with another kind of love, a transactional love. But this kind of worldly love doesn’t complete us. It poses emptiness and loneliness. Unknowingly, we are unable to understand that twisted thinking that the devil made when he enticed Adam and Eve to disobey and change the trajectory of God’s plan. Giving Jesus to us removed that separation by sin and nothing can separate us from God.

REFLECTION

  • What were Satan’s tricks in your life that made you feel separate from God?

ROMANS 8 THE SPIRIT HELPS US IN WEAKNESS

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May 19

ROMANS 8

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. – Romans 8:26-30

ROMANS 8 THE SPIRIT HELPS US IN WEAKNESS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

There is no fear for all those who are in Christ Jesus

They need not worry about their trials and weaknesses

The Spirit helps believers in their difficulties and troubles

He guides them when they don’t know what to pray for

For all those who love God, all things work together for good

They are led to righteousness and to give all the glory to God.

Paul continues to lay down all the benefits of believing in Christ in this letter. He assures all believers of what the Spirit can do when they don’t know what to do. How do we know what to do when we cannot see the Spirit? We are given the word of God. In 2 Timothy 3:16, it says that “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” That is how the Holy Spirit guides us. He even inspired all the writers of the books of the bible to write them so that we have the truth and be guided by it.

There is no reason for any believer to stay fearful and doubtful because the Spirit of the Lord lives in every heart of every believer. He is our helper so that everything in our lives will work together for good. It may not remove all our troubles and challenges, but the Holy Spirit will always be present to counsel us and protect us from falling away.

REFLECTION

  • Share some ways that the Holy Spirit guided or counseled you in your life.

ROMANS 8 HOPE FOR THE GLORY AHEAD

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May 18

ROMANS 8

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that 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 the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now 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 wait for it with patience. – Romans 8:18-25

ROMANS 8 HOPE FOR THE GLORY AHEAD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you are chosen to be one of God’s people

There is much eager expectancy to hope for

Do not be discouraged with the sufferings you encounter

They are incomparable to the glory waiting for a believer.

In this letter, Paul encourages the church in Rome not to be discouraged by trials, adversities and suffering they encounter. He wants the believers to look forward to the glory that surpasses all those challenges they are faced with currently. He is urging them to have an eager expectancy of the glory that are coming for all those who believe and serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

This letter is not only for those believers in Rome at the time Paul was writing it. It is also for all believers in our current day. We need to press on towards the promises that is going to be fulfilled when Jesus comes back. Instead of being discouraged and let down, we focus on the glory that lies ahead. If we place our attention on the promise of the new heaven and earth, of a place where there will be no more diseases, pain and tears, we could have that expectancy that will make us press on and grow our endurance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

REFLECTION

  • Why is “hope” sometimes challenging for some believers?

ROMANS 8 ADOPTED AS CHILDREN OF GOD

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May 17

ROMANS 8

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. – Romans 8:9-17

ROMANS 8 ADOPTED AS CHILDREN OF GOD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you believe in Jesus Christ, you are adopted by God himself

You are dead to your flesh and is led by the Spirit in righteousness

You are no longer slaves to sin but alive in Christ Jesus

God claimed you as his child and sin no longer controls you.

Do you know of someone who has been adopted? They are brought into the family of those who took them in. They become like their own. The adopted parents give their name to them. They get all the same benefits as the biological children get. This is how God adopted all those who believe in Jesus Christ into his kingdom. They become heirs to his kingdom. If God is a King, then all believers are princes and princesses. Like Jesus, they also have a place in his kingdom. So, all believers ought to act like they are God’s actual children. Paul explains here the spirit of adoption which is given to all those who believe in Christ. Even though Christians still live in a sinful body, they are given God’s Spirit so they can have the ability to do what is right and pleasing to God. There is no reason anymore to be slaves to sin since righteousness dwells in us through the Spirit of the Lord.

REFLECTION

  • Why do you think some Christians behave like they weren’t adopted by God?

ROMANS 8 HEDONISTICS CANNOT PLEASE GOD

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May 16

ROMANS 8

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set youfree in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. – Romans 8:1-8

ROMANS 8 HEDONISTICS CANNOT PLEASE GOD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When a person is indulgent with worldly pleasures

He will acknowledge God but chase material treasures

His mind is focused on his own desires and cravings

He will not please God or bow down to a higher being

Self-seekers can never please God for they are their own idol

They idolize themselves and are unable to revere the Lord.

Paul emphasizes the difference between someone who lives for God and those who live for themselves. In Christ, he points out that we have victory over our sinful nature. On our own, we will never overcome the flesh. In verse 5, he explains that anyone who lives for the flesh (human psyche) will always obsess over things that are physical or material. They do not understand that there are more important things aside from what they see. Matthew 6:19-21 says 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. So, those who are hedonistic cannot please God because their hearts are focused on earthly treasures.

REFLECTION

  • How can we fight the love for the things of this world?

ROMANS 7 INNER CONFLICT

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May 15

ROMANS 7

19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. – Romans 7:19-25

ROMANS 7 INNER CONFLICT

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Before I knew the Lord Jesus Christ

I was a slave to my own desires

I only did what gives me pleasure

I chased wealth, achievements and treasures

When I learned about the laws of the Lord

I can no longer continue to follow the world

I now want to please God rather than myself

But my body still desires to give in to the “self.”

The worst kind of conflict is the one that is inside of us. Paul talks about this inner conflict in this letter to the Romans. He was referring to that battle between the flesh and the spirit. We didn’t used to be bothered by sins until we heard the gospel and received it. When one pledged allegiance and loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ, the old selfish ways are now a threat to the Spirit’s transforming work. Before we heard the gospel and received it, we were unaware of the sins that we automatically do, but when the laws of God were presented to us, a consciousness is stirred in us and we begin to be convicted of sins. Our conscience kicks in because we now belong to the Lord.

There is no struggle to all those who continue to live in the standards and systems of the world, but for those who believe in Christ, they can no longer continue to do the wicked and evil ways they used to do. Now, the inner conflict is a challenge to believers.

REFLECTION

  • How can we win the battle that wages inside us regularly?

ROMANS 7 THE PARADOX IN A BELIEVER’S LIFE

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May 14

ROMANS 7

13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. – Romans 7:13-18

ROMANS 7 THE PARADOX IN A BELIEVER’S LIFE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

“Following my own desires” was what I used to live for

But when I believed in Christ, it is now difficult to do so

For God’s law showed me the sinful nature that lives in me

Because of the law, paradoxes fill my mind and heart

For it is a struggle to follow the good that is required of me

I do not follow the law even though I desire it because of sin.

Paul continues to explain the changes that happen to a believer when they transition to their old life to the new one given to them in Christ. Before they believed in Christ, they didn’t have many conflicts of interests.  Now that they heard the truth, they can no longer follow their carnal desires because their flesh was totally opposed to what God requires in his law.  The more they heard the law, the harder it was to lean on their own understanding and cravings. This is the paradox that believers are constantly battling on a regular basis. Verses 15 and 16 expose this inner contradiction in a believer’s heart and mind. Now that their lives are no longer about “serving the self” and is now “serving the Lord,” it may be a struggle to follow the law because they still live in their sinful bodies.

Even though the believer wants to do what is good, sometimes they end up doing what is evil or sinful. Those who are unbelievers do not struggle with this paradox since they only do their hedonistic desires and do not have to please the Lord. There is no inner conflict in their minds and hearts unlike the believer.

REFLECTION

  • What do we need to do as Christians each time this paradox presents itself?

ROMANS 7 THE LAW EXPOSES SIN

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May 13

ROMANS 7

7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. – Romans 7:7-12

ROMANS 7 THE LAW EXPOSES SIN

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you didn’t know the law, you kept on sinning

But Jesus died for you to keep you from wrongdoing

When the law was presented to God’s people

The automated sinful nature of humans was exposed

Therefore, the law is good because it shows sinfulness

Before the law came about, people lived in covetousness.

In this letter, Paul explains to the church in Rome that the purpose of the law is to expose man’s sinful nature. Before they were aware of the law, they didn’t know that what they were doing was wrong. In verse 7, he expounds that until the law says for them not to be greedy, they thought that they were just doing what is right for them. But, once the law was laid down, they are now aware that it is wicked and it is evil to continue doing it. Paul emphasizes that the law is good and holy because it makes us see when we are sinning and when we are going against God.

Isn’t this also true in criminal laws in our country? A good example would be the law about bigamy. In Ontario, bigamy is a criminal offence. If one is found guilty of bigamy, they can be locked up for at least 5 years. The law prohibits marrying someone when you are already married to someone else. If you marry someone knowing they are already married, you also commit bigamy.

REFLECTION How does the law expose sin as Paul cited in verse 7? Cite other examples

ROMANS 7 SERVE IN THE WAY OF THE SPIRIT

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May 12

ROMANS 7

Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. – Romans 7:1-6

ROMANS 7 SERVE IN THE WAY OF THE SPIRIT

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When we believed in Jesus Christ, we were freed from the law

No longer are we controlled by sin but by the Spirit of God

Our desires for pleasures and cravings are buried on the cross

We now serve to please the Lord instead of our selfish nature

Because we now have a new way of serving God and others

We will manifest the fruits of the Spirit towards one another.

Paul continues to explain the limitations of the law. In verse one, he points out that one of its limitations is that it is only while we are alive that we can follow it. It loses its authority once a person dies. He cited in verse 2 about the vows of the marriage covenant. The wife is bound to her husband as long as he is alive and if she takes another man, she is committing adultery. But once her husband dies, she is no longer tied to the marriage vow.  She is now released from the law. Paul compares it to our faith. Once we were married to the world system. We lived to cater to our pleasure to our flesh, but when we believed in the Lord, the flesh dies and we now have an ability to please God instead. We are no longer tied to the law which is the world system. We now live in God’s grace.

REFLECTION

  • What can you say about those who live under the law and claim to be Christians?

ROMANS 6 THE WAGES OF SIN VS. GOD’S GRACE

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May 11

ROMANS 6

19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:19-23

ROMANS 6 THE WAGES OF SIN VS. GOD’S GRACE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When a man continues to go through life in sinfulness

He will struggle and be defeated by evil and wicked ways

But if that man decides to trust and serve the Lord Jesus Christ

He will be blessed with much grace and his life will be sanctified

He now will have the power to overcome his sinful ways

Since the Holy Spirit will transform his life to righteousness.

In this letter, Paul presents to the believers in the Roman church the wages of sin which is death and the reward for believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. Eternal life is the free gift that comes with believing in Christ. He explains what happens to their lives once they accept the invitation of God to believe in his own Son. When Jesus died on the cross, he did it in such a way that all can be saved by his one sacrificial offering of his own body and blood on the cross. He opened the gateway towards reconciliation with God and a clean slate to start a relationship with our heavenly Father.

In verse 20, he explains the process that a man undergoes from sinfulness to righteousness. Before Jesus died for us, we could not enter into a relationship with God, but he paved the way for us to be forgiven of our sins and be purified. Since God is a holy God, he requires for our sanctification so we can have a right relationship with him.

REFLECTION

  • Can a person just decide to believe in Christ on his own? Why or why not?