Read: Romans 7:1-6 and your notes from Sunday morning’s sermon.
Intro: Chapter 7 starts off with an illustration of marriage, but that’s not the focus of this chapter. Paul is continuing to tell the Roman people, specifically those who know the law, that they are no longer bound to it. The emphasis here is that while they were, they produced fruit for death. Even though they knew the law, it was impossible to keep it. He says “you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.” Paul sees that our natural tendancy may be to produce nothing in response and he addresses this.
Now that we’ve pruned away the old way, what’s meant to happen next is to continue to grow and produce fruit.
Questions:
1. What does producing fruit to God look like?
2. Paul says we are to serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” What do you think that looks like?
3. If the law is dead, yet we are still expected to be obedient and produce fruit for God, what do you think we need in order to accomplish that?
Feel free to discuss or ask additional questions as they arise
Spiritual Practice: We are currently focusing on the spiritual discipline of submission. Imagine a slave that is bound or in chains. That person may be able to accomplish some tasks for their master, but how much more could they accomplish if they were no longer bound? Arms with a full range of motion, legs that can run! Now apply this to Christians as Paul does in this chapter. Now that we are no longer bound to the law, (as the Jews at that time were before Christ died) we are completely free to CHOOSE to submit with all of the freedom to MOVE and GO and ACT as the Spirit leads us? The beauty of submission through this lens is powerful. Imagine what we can accomplish now. This is the purpose of the release: not to just be let off the hook, but to serve in a way that was previously impossible. This week we have 2 actions:
- Finish reading Romans Chapter 7 on your own. (verses 7-25.) Also, continue to read Chapter 8:1-16. (this will help frame step 2)
- Be open to wherever the Holy Spirit leads you and pay attention to those gentle nudges or feelings that you have to act. For example, if someone you know randomly comes to your mind, pray for them. (and maybe send them a text and just let them know you’re thinking of them and praying for them too!)
Closing Verse: Romans 7:6 – But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
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