Preacher: Pastor Ray
Romans 7 or Romans 8? Which chapter is the normative experience for the Christian? It’s time for you to decide which side you’re on.
Discussion Questions
– Romans 7 or 8? Which chapter captures the normative experience for the Christian?
– Do you agree that the Word is clear as to which chapter ought to be our normative experience?
– Assuming you agree that Romans 8 ought to be the normative experience, why is it then that many Christians believe that Romans 7 is our normative experience?
Read Rom 6-8.
– How did Plato view the soul vs the body?
– How do we create a false dichotomy between the mind/heart/spirit/inner man and the body/flesh even as believers?
Read Rom 7:25.
– Do you find this verse rather odd? Why?
Rom 6-8 talks about our members, the body and the flesh.
– What is the difference between the “body” and the “flesh?”
– Do you find it significant that there are two different words in the Greek for body and flesh?
– Why is the “body” a neutral thing?
Read Rom 8:10-11. Our bodies will be given life through the Spirit.
– When does this happen? How might a Rom 7 believer answer and how might a Rom 8 believer answer?
Read Rom 12:1.
– Is it significant that Paul mentions “bodies” here?
In Rom 8, Paul pits the Spirit against the flesh.
– What does “flesh” refer to?
– How does Paul refer to “flesh” in this chapter?
– How can religious-minded people who are thankful for Jesus still approach the spiritual life in a “fleshly” way?
– Another way of explaining the distinction between the Spirit vs. the flesh is the supernatural vs. the natural. Explain this statement.
Think about the Israelites in Exodus.
– How do they fit in with Rom 7 and Rom 8?
– The Israelites were free for a moment but they died as slaves in the wilderness. Explain this statement and how this relates to Romans.
Read Rom 8:3-4.
– This is the gospel. Put it in your own words.
Look up the multiple definitions of the word “condemnation.”
– What does it mean that you are no longer under condemnation?