More than Conquerors

August 7, 2016 Background Scripture: Romans 8:28 – 39 Lesson Passage: Romans 8:28 – 39 Today’s lesson caused me to reflect on what it means to win, to be the victor, or to overcome obstacles in life. For me, the last one is what conquering is all about: overcoming obstacles in life. Obstacles, whether large or small, will often cause us to assess our strengths and weaknesses and develop a plan to triumph or at the very least, survive an encounter. After all, what is success if it is not about surviving life’s challenges to our personal endeavors? The beginning of today’s text could easily be seen as a cop out; that is to say, no matter what the outcome, I will accept it as okay as though I could change it if I choose to. But beneath the veneer of an “all’s well that ends well” attitude is the declaration that God orchestrates everything in the affairs of mankind. This is not saying, No matter what you do, God will make sure that events happen that He intends to happen. Contrariwise, it is a declaration that mankind orchestrates events but God decides the final outcome. God allows us to remain free moral agents; however, God is still in control. As free moral agents who are allowed to do things outside of the will of God, we are accountable for much of the evil that exists in society. Demonic spirits are instigators but people sin through thoughts and deeds. God does not cause evil things to happen but He does allow them for a time. In spite of the short term evil deeds, God still determines the long term outcome and that is what the text refers to when it states that Christians know that all things work together for good to them who love God and are the called of God. Christians are called out of the immoral fabric of the world to live as children of light by depending on God. As children of light, God gives each individual a purpose to fulfill in His divine plan. It is this spiritual separation from the world and participation in God’s plan that provides us the assurance that God will always ensure that the long term outcome will always conform to His will and not man’s intent. In the text, Paul lists a number of life’s challenges that can easily cause one to give up or give in. But Paul emphatically states that none of these things can separate the believer from God’s love which is demonstrated in Christ Jesus. Because of this, believers in Jesus who are trusting God for salvation are more than conquerors when faced with the obstacles and challenges in life. This includes the challenges listed in the text along with numerous others not listed. Believers are not simply conquerors who overcome some of the challenges of life. We have the assurance that we will overcome all of them because of God’s purpose for and predestination of us in Christ. God has justified us and exonerated us from the penalty of sin and assured us that He will glorify us. This is not for our sakes but for Christ’s sake that he might be the firstborn of many that have become his brethren. God raised Jesus from the dead and exalted him to his pre-incarnate glory. We are being conformed to Jesus’ image and the conformance will end in glorification of the saints. None of the obstacles or challenges of life can prevent the completion of God’s plan. We are more than conquerors! Robert C. Hudson July 26, 2016

From Death to Life

July 31, 2016 Background Scripture: Romans 6 Lesson Passage: Romans 6:1 – 4, 12 – 14, 17 – 23 We believe the scriptures declare that the unsaved person, or non-Christian, is spiritually dead towards God. So when today’s lesson topic proclaims “From Death to Life”, it is not about resurrection of the physical body but rather the regeneration of the spirit. The scriptures also declare that the unsaved cannot know or receive the things of God because those things are spiritually discerned. In fact, the things of God are considered foolishness to the unsaved. All Christians are going through the process of sanctification whereby we are being delivered from our old way of life and into the new reality of being children of God. In today’s lesson, Paul explained the practical side of sanctification in the life of a believer. In other words, Paul shared how sanctification looks in the everyday life of believers in Christ? We must first understand that sinners are ruled by sin—just as we were in the past. Sinners don’t always run towards sin to participate out of desire. It is a compulsion the person cannot escape. It is impossible for a lost person to escape sin on their own because sin rules over them. Because of salvation in Jesus Christ, believers are no longer ruled by sin. This does not mean that believers are incapable of sinning or that we never commit sinful acts. Christians do sin. But salvation in Jesus assures us that sin no longer rules our lives and we have a choice. When the Holy Ghost baptized us into the spiritual body of Christ, we were immersed into Jesus’ death and resurrection. Because of death, sin in our body loss its power to control us. We still live in these physical bodies and sin is still present in our bodies. However, sin no longer reign in our lives or rule over us. For Christians to sin we have to submit ourselves to sin as servants and that leads to carnality. Christians have the choice to allow the Holy Spirit to rule our lives or to attempt to walk in self-rule which leads to carnality. Carnality is when Christians attempt to satisfy the flesh rather than following after Christ. Carnality is the state whereby a saved person lives as though they are not saved. Our flesh nature tends to want to gratify us through our minds and physical bodies. Last week we discussed the struggle that we have because of the dual nature of flesh and spirit living on the inside of Christians. In spite of this, we need not despair. In this lesson we learn how to live victorious lives as Christians. First, we must know our current spiritual state as presented here. Secondly, we must accept that we now have a choice we did not have before we were saved. Paul used the word “reckon” to describe this step. “Reckon” was used as an accounting term and here it means to “count” this new reality as being true for us. If we accept salvation as a present reality, then we should live according to the instructions of Christ and the prompting of the Holy Spirit. This is what it means to “reckon” it to be so. Through our living, we count salvation as final. Thirdly, we must be determined to allow the new life in Christ to be made manifest in us by submitting ourselves to God rather than to self which leads to sin. We will serve the one we submit ourselves to. Paul referred to this as the choice of who we will yield ourselves to. Because of our faith in Jesus Christ, God has translated us from death to life. When we yield to Jesus, we walk victoriously as children of God. Robert C. Hudson July 14, 2016

Unwavering Hope

July 24, 2016 Background Scripture: Romans 5:1 – 11 Lesson Passage: Romans 5:1 – 11 Christians live in anticipation of the day when we shall receive glorified bodies that are not corruptible or mortal. In our youthful years we can sometimes feel a sense of immortality but as we age, we become acutely aware of the deterioration of our physical bodies. Some things we cannot fix or avoid through diet and exercise. On the other hand, as we mature spiritually, we become more aware of the sin that is in our natural bodies. We come to grips with the realization that our moral struggles are not against anyone or anything outside of us but rather it is a struggle on the inside. Christians are true schizophrenics. We have a spiritual life and an earthly mortal life coexisting within us. The two are constantly at war with each other. Our spiritual person helps us to see that our natural bodies are condemned to be destroyed by God. Yet, our souls will survive because we are not utterly destroyed by God because we now have peace with God through Jesus Christ. Our faith in Jesus has made this possible. Jesus’ atoning death on Calvary’s cross and subsequent resurrection have justified us in the eyes of God. God now treats us as though we had never sinned. We sometimes say “justification means just ‘as if’ I had never sinned”. Today we struggle with the war that rages within us but we have the hope that one day the struggle will come to an end and we will live the life God created for us to live in His presence. We have this hope to make sense out of the present situation. We can rejoice in tribulations because we know that troubles will teach us to be patient and wait for an outcome that God brings about. The fact that we cannot snap our fingers and make troubles disappear causes us to either panic or learn to trust God with the outcome. The more we trust God during times of trouble the more experience we get in watching God perform miracles in our lives. This experience causes us to develop an attitude of hope. Experience teaches us to never give up on God because His track record is clear. We don’t worry about being put to shame because we put our hope in God. God enables us to overcome all obstacles and schemes that the enemy develops against us. The Spirit of Christ within us reminds us of this as we grow more and more dependent on God. This realization is made abundantly clear when we consider what Jesus did for us. When we were at our worse as people, Jesus laid down his life in our stead. Jesus died for those who were counted as enemies of God. His death reconciled us to God. And now Jesus lives to intercede in prayer for us. Since he died to reconcile us, then our salvation is made secure in Christ because he intercedes for us as our high priest. The Spirit of Christ lives in us as a guarantee that God will finish what He has begun in us. All of our hope for eternal life is based on the finished work of Jesus on Calvary. If our hope were based on our own merit or actions, then our hope would waver every time we find ourselves out of fellowship with God because of sin. Sin would constantly interrupt our hope of salvation and eventual glorification if that hope is dependent on us. Thank God that because of Jesus, we have an unwavering hope. Robert C. Hudson July 11, 2016

God Set Things Right

July 17, 2016 Background Scripture: Romans 3 Lesson Passage: Romans 3:21 – 31 In last week’s lesson we discussed the struggle that humanity has endured over the ages due to the power of sin. We noted the universal nature of the struggle and the consequences of sin. Given that backdrop, this week’s lesson is nothing but good news! And all of us can use some good news these days. Since all people have been found guilty of sin as evidenced by the struggle, all people are eligible to receive God’s gracious solution for the problem. God simply asks that we put our faith in the saving power of the blood of Jesus to remove our sin and to bring us in right standing (relationship) with Him. What we cannot make right on our own because of the power of sin, God sets it right for us. That’s the good news! Jesus paid the price for our redemption by laying down his sinless life as an offering to God. But we must accept Jesus’ vicarious death in our stead as a free gift from God in order to receive this gracious gift. We sometimes simplify this by stating that Jesus died to pay the price for our sin. However, the word “propitiation” gives the more complete meaning of what Jesus did. Jesus’ atoning death on Calvary’s cross completely satisfies God in regards to a person’s sin if the person accepts Christ’s death as being in their stead. Jesus is our substitute. He received the punishment for our sins that we deserved. This is the only provision God has made available for a sinner to be in right standing with Him. The human struggle under the power of sin over the ages happened under the patient oversight of God who had a plan for our deliverance before he created the world. For thousands of years prophets foretold of a coming deliverer for mankind. Even angels desired to look into the plans of God. But God kept those things hidden in Him until they were revealed to us through His only begotten son, Jesus. The God who judges all sin is both just in His judgment and the justifier of all who accepts His plan of salvation. God judges sin and then rescues the believing sinner from the condemnation wrought by sin. There are no actions a person can ever take to save himself. All human actions combined would never bring about “propitiation” absent the atoning death of Jesus. No one can boast of anything they have done to secure their own salvation. No mere human effort can satisfy the wrath of God against sin. We must place all of our confidence in Jesus—and him alone if we are going to be made right with God. The law is very explicit: The soul that sins shall die. Only faith in Jesus’ death is accepted by God as the atoning price for a person’s sin. In His justice, God upholds the law as righteousness. Therefore, sin is properly judged and punishment is executed. However, through His grace, God accepts a person’s faith in Jesus Christ as righteousness. All sin is against the holiness of God. Sin makes all things wrong in God’s eyes. In Christ, God set things right. Robert C. Hudson July 2, 2016

Struggling Under Sin’s Power

July 10, 2016 Background Scripture: Romans 3:1 – 20 Lesson Passage: Romans 3:9 – 20 It has been said that when it comes to an addiction, the most difficult step is to admit that one has a problem. I believe this same attitude applies to sin as well. It seems that few Christians, that I know, are willing to admit that sin has a power that an individual cannot overcome by one’s own might. The more we struggle against sin the more powerful it seemingly becomes. If we continue to live in a state of denial about the struggle, the more intense and difficult it becomes. There are times when it appears that being saved brings all of the spiritual forces of darkness against us. The resultant sin does not come without repercussions. Sin is against God and it will be judged and condemned. In the previous lesson, the Apostle Paul proved that all will be judged by God. Those with the law are not exempt because they have the law and yet continue to sin. Those without the law have the spirit of the law written in their hearts and therefore are also judged if they sin. The struggle against sin is universal and no one is exempt from the struggle or the consequences. The bottom line to this is that no one is seen as being in right standing with God on their own merit. There is only one solution to the dilemma but it is often overlooked because of a lack of understanding on the part of sinners. The basis of so many religious faiths stems out of this struggle to overcome sin and to be in right standing with the creator. In the depths of the most remote jungles where people have been found, religion is often a central part of their community. The religious rituals are interwoven within the fabric of those tribes. Over the years, some have practiced animal (and human) sacrifice as an act to appease God while others practiced dance and/or incantations as acts of worship. As far back as archeologists can determine, the remains of past civilizations have been unearthed and one of the common finds involves some form of religious order within the group. So we do understand that the struggle against sin is nothing new for humanity. Across the span of time we can observe the ongoing human struggle. Some sought group solutions through worship and others sought individual answers through self-denial and even self-mutilation. There are thousands of religious faiths today and even more have become extinct and yet man continues to seek his own solution to a universal problem that only God can solve. It appears that the more religious man seeks to become the more violent we become towards each other. History reflects how man has enslaved, tortured, mocked, and even killed others in a futile attempt to prove that one manmade religion is superior to another and ought to be accepted without question. One century’s terrorist group will become another century’s religiously oppressed. Over time, people pursue terrorist activity as an expression of their religious faith while proving through their actions that they have no knowledge or fear of God for whom their faith should be the object. We attempt to satisfy a law that cannot justify but only condemn. Such is the case when we struggle under sin’s power. Robert C. Hudson June 28, 2016