Lesson 37c & begin 8:31-33 Lesson 38a

Since it's been two weeks, and to refresh your memory, I'm going to read the verses that we're covering. We're in Romans chapter 8, 29 and 30. Yeah, 29 and 30. So, for those whom he foreknew, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son. so that he would be the firstborn among many brethren. And those whom he predestined, he also called. And these whom he called, he also justified. And these whom he justified, he also glorified.

So we have been, I think we're probably went through, down through question seven. A pretty thorough discussion so far. Question eight says, what does justified mean? If I said, Alan, you're justified, what am I talking about? Made righteous. What's that? Made righteous. No. Right standing. Declared righteous. Declared righteous, and that's different from being made righteous.

You understand the difference? Understand the difference? Bob's not righteous in himself, but he's been declared to be righteous in Christ. Do you understand that? That's a really important point right there. One's objective, the other's subject. Yeah.

Because Bob doesn't have any righteousness of his own. His total righteousness, or his total justification, is because he's positioned in Christ, and therefore he has Christ's very righteousness. It wasn't, like Miles Stanford said, what's imputed is not imparted. He's not the source. Christ is the source. It's one of those concepts you have to think about for a minute.

What does it mean that I'm justified, I'm declared righteous, but I don't have any righteousness of my own? I have it solely in Christ. That's why positional truth is so critical to us as believers. Everything that we have, we have because of our position in Christ.

Do you see that? Are you alright with that? new creature in Christ. It sounds like you're still a slimy dog, but you've been declared righteous. The difference being that the new creature in Christ, the new person in Christ, is righteous because of Christ's righteousness. Let's ask the other side of that. Why were you unrighteous to start with? Because you were an Adam.

But Romans 5.12 says, well, you sinned in Adam. You did everything that Adam did, and if you'd have been Adam, you'd have done exactly the same thing. So I can't say, well, you know, I'm not justified and I'm not declared righteous because I'm an Adam, because there are men in the Old Testament who were declared righteous, Abraham being one of them.

Why? Because of his faith. Righteousness is a declaration by God that you have a standing before me now that you didn't have before. And the standing is not because you have anything of value. The way Abraham became righteous is that he exercised faith in God, in what God told him. God says, okay, based on your faith, non-meritorious act, I declare you righteous.

It's a declaration. It isn't... In the past, as you said, it's a judicial decision. He has acquitted us. Acquitted, yeah. You know, what's interesting is once we recognize that we're crucified with Christ, and what that means is that we did die, And death means separation. Well, what did I get separated from? What is no longer part of me? Everything I was an atom. Everything I was an atom, including all of it.

Yes, we are. Yes, we are. Yeah. But isn't our condition starting to line up with our... Yeah, maybe the way to say it is that our position, the righteousness of our position is increasingly manifested in our condition. Hopefully. As I look around, I'm not saying... No, never mind. Yeah, that's right.

Because why? Because everything is based on Source. My condemnation was based on my Source. What was my Source? Adam. Now, my new life in Christ is based on Source. What's the new Source? It's the glorified Christ. It's Him. It's astounding to think that God did it this way. Donna and I were out walking this morning. She made that comment. She said, it's just amazing God did what he did.

And you think about it, well, he couldn't have done it any other way. Well, I suppose he could have, but the way he did it totally eliminates any possibility of a backslide from a positional standpoint. You can't change your mind about your salvation and go back because it wasn't your idea in the first place. Yeah, it's amazing that because man never could think of something... Couldn't, and he couldn't bring anything to the table that would allow God to say, okay, you're righteous before me, in and of yourself.

And to Mike's point too, in this verse too, he also predestines to become conformed to the image, as we're conformed to that image, position and condition. Right. If we're being conformed and manifesting Christ. We're moving towards that that position.

That's right Yeah, I mean do you think about this it's it's more I think it's easier to understand when you recognize Galatians 2 20 that you've been crucified with Christ in the crucifixion of Christ's it's really interesting when your relationship to the law if if Cheryl is convicted of a capital crime and she's sentenced to the gallows and she's on her way down the road here with the somber group and the parson praying for her and she falls over and dies of a heart attack.

Do they still pick up her body and stick it on the gurney and put the needle in her? No, she's dead. She's gone. She's separated from it. Well, we are so separated from law that they're not going to stick us up on the gurney again. We are the same degree of separation from the entire Adamic existence is true of us. And the world is designed to try to persuade us that that really isn't true. We still really are an atom. We're living in his environment in an old body that's dying and you ought to be worried. That's the big lie. That's right. That's the big lie. Okay, now question nine, I didn't write any answers to it.

This was J.D.' 's question, which I love, and it says, how certain is your being glorified? Notice the verse says, read it carefully so I know what I'm talking about. I've often thought about this, and I think I have a good answer. verse 30 says that for whom He predestined, He also called. We talked about called. And those whom He called, He also justified. He justified. But then it says, and those whom He justified, He also glorified.

Why doesn't it say sanctified in there? We're not done yet. Huh? We're not done yet. Being sanctified. Is that why it's not there? Now give me a verse that backs up that thought. You can't find one. Because what are we talking about here? We're talking about position. Spiritual growth, sanctification is not position, it's condition. So it's not talked about here.

Do you see that? And oh, by the way, glorified is in the aorist tense. I don't see any sparks coming out of any of you guys. What does it mean that you're glorified or how certain are you of being glorified? What's the Eris tense? Eris tense? Well, most of the time it means completed action. Not always, but most of the time. But it has with ongoing... No, that's a perfect tense. That's the perfect tense. Is it about an event, like the Aorist Tense, like an event that happened? Yeah, now think about this. It uses the Aorist Tense, it says you're glorified. What does that mean? Like I said, none of you look glorified to me. What? In our position. There we go. Yeah, it's a positional truth based on an eternal fact. It's as true as God is true. And God is completely true. You can depend on Him. So there's no good reason why the word sanctification should be in there, because sanctification is a process. We're not talking process here. We're talking position. So what were the steps?

Now, back to the question. How certain are you of your glorification? You are? Are you? Yeah. Going to be or already are? Already are. That's right. That's right. That's exactly right because you couldn't be there without that. Like at the Mount of Transfiguration, Christ became what he was inside. Well, started to. Didn't get the full shot, but yeah, started to. But he already was. Yeah.

But see, as a man, he wasn't glorified yet. Because he told Mary and some others, you know, I'm not glorified. I've got to go to my Father first. And he even prayed in John 17 that, Father, glorify me with the glory we had before the foundation of the world. He's speaking as a man who set aside his glory to come to the earth. But now that the work is done, he's qualified as a man to be glorified.

Okay? You alright with that? So next week when you come in here, I want to hear stories about your glorification. And no lying. All right, last question. Describe the steps God took in these verses to glorify you. How did he do it? All right, he justified us. What's that? Predestined us. Predestined us. Okay. Predestined us when? After we were... Yeah, that's right, because he knew you in Christ, right? Okay.

So the first thing you have to realize here is that all of this that happened, happened in the Father's mind before they ever created the first A-T-O-M. Atom. Atom. All of it happened in the Father's mind. If something happens in the Father's mind, is it a done deal?

Totally done. Just maybe not implemented yet, but totally done. He doesn't get halfway through the building process and say, I need a change order. After he looked at a couple of you, he said, I need a lot of change orders. Once he determines, that's it. That's the way it's going to be.

And the means through which he accomplished it, what was the means? Christ. That's right. He did it all through his son, the Lord Jesus. All of it. And now, to accomplish all that he determined, and he did through the Lord Jesus Christ, how does he accomplish it in you and me? Through who? Christ. Who? Who?

The Holy Spirit. Christ has done his work and now it's the Holy Spirit's job to implement that work in our lives and he will accomplish it. Yeah, he takes of him and shows him. That's exactly what he does. Remember, since we go through this so surgically in the verses, remember we've just gone through where he searches the mind and the spirit. That's right. That's exactly right. The Spirit is working on us individually to implement God's will in our lives. That's right. And what is His will? Here it is. He's laying it right out.

I mean, I don't know if you're like me, but I love the fact that God tells me what He's doing. And He tells me the end game, and He also tells me how we're going to get there. He does it every time. That's learned through experience, too. reading the Word of God, and then you find that your experience begins to line up with, oh gee, I understand what God's doing now because He told me. And so as I walk by faith, really what's my faith in? My faith is in the veracity of God to do what He said He did and to carry out what He said He's going to carry out. It isn't how I feel about it, it isn't whether I'm up or down emotionally, and it isn't whether I have trials or not.

It's all working that way. And he's so faithful to us that way. He tells us. How many of you who are parents have told your kids everything where they're going? And if you did, did they listen? If you told us, do we listen? We are the masters of yeah, but.

Wait a minute, that doesn't seem right to me. So once he has each and every one of us eternally chosen, called one complete, accepted in the risen Christ at the Father's right hand in glory, once he has us positionally established there, down he comes to earth in order to place each believer there in his eternally decreed position. Isn't that cool? On the day of Pentecost, he descended to the earth and immediately began to baptize believers into their position in the body of Christ. for by one Spirit you're all baptized into one body.

And think of all that he has accomplished in order to place us in our position. He sought each one of us out, even in our sinful condition. He convicted us and he wooed us to Christ. He did that. And he carried out, and enabled us to carry out our responsibility of believing in the Lord Jesus as our Savior in his work. He did that. Then having hidden us in Christ, He begins the patient, unseen, lifelong work of causing us to grow in grace. How cool is that? And then the knowledge of the Lord Jesus slowly conforming us to His blessed image.

So that would be the sanctification. That's right. It is the Spirit who works all things together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to the Father's eternal purpose. The Holy Spirit never rests nor hesitates until he has every single called one raptured and possessed of his glorified body, so shall we ever be with the Lord. That's pretty cool, isn't it?

So Dennis, stop and take a break. We're too bad to have that happen. No, he doesn't. Back down to earth he descends to seek out from the four corners of the earth every elected Israelite. After he's got us in place, then he comes back after the elected Israelites. Isn't that cool? Would that be in the kingdom? Yeah, that's exactly what he's going to do. So, I'm done. You're up.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up over for all of us, how will he not also with him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies."

You know, the more, you know, studying this and even just this morning, I'm still struck by how important and how much information is contained in Romans 6, 7, and 8. how foundational that is to everything in our Christian life. I don't know how many months have we been in Romans 8, just getting through Romans 8, but that's after several... Is this our second year in Romans? Yeah, I think it is. So we've spent a year and a half or over a year and a half on Romans with 6, 7, and 8 being probably where we've spent a year at least.

And again, if nothing else, it just tells you how much is in these three chapters and how important it is. And the truths that we find in here are life-changing. I think, as I've said many times, like with Lewis Barry Chaffer's 33 things that are true about you when you become a Christian, if you just even understand one or two of those, how it changes your life and the Holy Spirit convicting you and convincing you of those things, These truths are the same thing if the Holy Spirit really convinces you of these things these are life-changing and a lot of things are going to see today in these verses plus just the last part of Romans 8 which the from 35 on which is about the love and that my two big things that The Holy Spirit's working on me his sovereignty combined with his love if you understand those things I think All these other fall into place That you can't be separated from his love and God is sovereign he's in control of all these things and as we see through these verses we can see a sovereignty in place to by Figuring out all these position and condition things and all the things that he did before we were even created Which again I always go to which the love of Christ.

I think there's no more important or Proof of that is that he went through with creating us, knowing that he was going to have to sacrifice his son. Think about that. We've thought about all this, that even before there was an A-T-O-M, Adam created. He knew he was going to have to sacrifice his son, and Christ knew he was going to have to step out of that fellowship with God in heaven to come and become a man. He did all that before, and they knew that before one of us was created. That, I think, is when you get into these last verses of Romans 8, where you get into love.

You'll understand that. He did that. You understand His love is eternal and can't be separated, because He did it before we were even created. So, these things are really important. So, again, just as we... I think about it, we dissect it so much, and we've been months on these. Sometimes we lose focus of the whole context of these three chapters, but... Anyway, question 1 of 38.

What shall we say to these things? And what are these things? So this is directly from verse 31. What then shall we say to these things? So first, let's look at the things. What are the things? What shall we say to these things? So what are the things? The things of God. all those things.

Basically, Paul sets out, we've talked about it many times, how Paul will lay out several different foundational things first. He'll lay it all out and then he'll say, based on all of this, This is a result, or this is what happens, or this is a logical conclusion from all of the base that I've just given you. This is the same sort of thing. Paul has laid out all these things at the beginning of Romans 8.

And we've talked about the things again. We dealt with that a few verses ago about things. We're back at it again. What are these things? So he's just laid out a statement prior to this. And what was that? We've just been going over that. Romans 8, 28 through 30. I'll read it. So, again, he's given us the truth and now he's saying, what about these things? What about it? What do we just say about them? So, read 28 through 30.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to become conformed to the image of his son, so that he would be firstborn among many brethren. And these whom he predestined, he also called, and these whom he called, he also justified. And these whom he justified, he also glorified. So some of the things that were just said right before this, so what do we get to say about these things? God causes all things to work together to those who love God. He foreknew us, predestined us to become conformed to the image of his son.

He also predestined, he called us, he justified us, and he glorified us. Why does he put called in that spot? When is it justified and then called? predestined, so predestined, and then called. So he knew us in Christ before we, so again, the predestined is just, you know, it's those ones where we, again, once you become a believer, You look back, and now you have all of Christ's history. So that's who God knew us at that point, because Christ is eternal, God is eternal. So again, the predestined is He'd known us.

And then we're called. We're called because we're in Christ. And so all these things. So what about all these things? When you think about it, what do we just say about them? That they're fantastic. Not bad. You know, all these things, you know, God creates all things to work together. All things to work.

What? Just because. Why? What did it say? For our good. Predestined. We're called. And then what we just talked about, we're glorified. So what do we just say about these things? Amen. Thank you. In grace, what are we supposed to do in grace? Thank you. So Paul's laid all these incredible truths out, and so what are we to say about them? Thank you. And the biggest thing is, I think the most important is, believe it. Believe it. By faith, believe what he just told you. So some things that I guess in Weiss' study, he went through some of this.

The thing is, and Denny, one of the commentators, enumerates as follows, the idea underlying all that proceeds is that of suffering to be endured by those who would share Christ's glories. In verse 17, it says we're to share in his sufferings. The Apostle is belittled as sufferings in comparison with the glory. He says, in comparison to my suffering, it's not even on the radar scope to what we're going to receive in glory. He is interpreted as in a manner prophetic of the day. We're going to be glorified.

And he has in his last verses asserted the presence through all the Christian life of an eternal victorious purpose of love. All this is included in these things. So it's all incorporating. All of what he said prior to this is in the things. What do we say about these? Newell also goes on to say, by these things Paul evidently indicates not only the whole process of our salvation by Christ, from chapter 3 onward, with the great deliverance by the help of the Holy Spirit set forth in this 8th chapter, but he also points most directly to what he's been telling us of the purpose of God, whom he foreknew, foredamed, called, justified, and glorified. So that's, again, he's just brought that out. So I think, what are we to say about those things? Incredible. So, are we to keep quiet about these things? Are you supposed to hide these in your heart and just meditate upon them quietly? What about, do you believe these things?

You're called, you're justified. God causes all things. What about that bad day you had on Friday? What about the trial? What about the blessings? What about all those? Does God use all of those things for growth? He said in verse 17, we're just sharing his sufferings. Is that on your party ticket? That's what you want? Sharing the sufferings?

But it's part of it. But then the beautiful part is we're going to be glorified. We are glorified positionally. But he also says, too, that we're going to be conformed to the image of him, of Christ. All these things are true. And so again, what are we to say about these things? Amen. And thank you. It's incredible what he's just laid out. And what are we to say about these things? So also Newell also goes on.

And why I say, if you believe them, to doubt them is to not to deny them. For God asserts them from foreknowledge to glorification. To question whether they apply to us is to question, not election, but the words whosoever will. of the Gospel invitation. You can let God be absolutely sovereign in election. And yet if you find the door open by the sovereign God and whosoever will is written over it by the same sovereign God, by all means enter, set your seal to this, that God is true by receiving his witness.

So to doubt them is to deny them, to deny these truths. I thought that was harsh, but true. If we deny them, we doubt them. Or if we doubt them, we deny them. And that kind of hit me square in the face when I started to think about it. If I doubt Him, I'm denying Him. And wouldn't we just say, what is the veracity of all this? Because God said it, it's true. When we doubt that, we deny Him. But all things work together for good. So doubt... Only for believers. For believers, yeah. So doubt, you wouldn't have doubt unless you knew there was doubt. the object. Well, you're denying the one who stated that, which is Christ. And so I think the thing is, I can kind of see, we have doubt, we have trials, we have those things, and we may not do it, but he uses all things. Even the doubt that we have, and that's what I've said many times, is he lying to sin? Yeah.

And why does he do that? Why does he allow you to sin? Why does God allow you to sin? You've all said yes to that, now why? So we can put off the old and put on the new. Yeah, sort of. Why does he allow you to do that? I think it ultimately is to bring us back to the dependency upon Him. And that He allows us to do that, to allow us to grow. That when we go our way, is that a good way, typically? No. But He allows us to show us that.

How do you learn? I think there's a song or something about that. How do you learn if something's hot? How would you know if you're dirty or clean? How do you know if you're clean? You're dirty. You know, there's some of these things that until you kind of walk in doubt or you sin, you may not know that what you're doing is sinful until you do this.

And then you realize, I'm not focused on God. And he allows that to refocus you and I think to grow you and your dependency on Christ. You have that look. Yeah, but he allows you to go that way. And that's where the reason why I think allows you to sin is to grow you. Because again, the thought that you don't know you're clean until you're dirty. I think once you do that, you realize, I'm not focused on God, I'm not depending on him. But he allows you to do that. So you know, you're not there. Or you know it's not hot until you touch it. It's hot. Oh, yeah.

So again, I think that's why he allows us to do that. Later, Noel expands by saying, what will you say to these things? Same with Paul, God is for me. He spared not his own son for me. This question, what shall we say to these things, is a testing word as well as a triumphant word. So we'll get into that, expand that in a later question. So are we good with that? What do we just say to these things? Amen.

You know, when you asked that question a minute ago, why does God allow us to sin, I find it interesting that allowing us to sin is to do something he's already taken care of. He's already paid the penalty for what I'm about to do. And he knows it. And so how does that affect me, I think, over time as I learn the complete work of the cross. See, that's a good point. I think you touched on something that He's already paid for it. So he's allowed it. He's already paid for it. It's not like, oh man, you did that. Now we're going to add that to the tab. It doesn't happen that way. We already know. It's on the tab. I've got to make sure you do it. Yeah. Yeah, come on. I paid for that. Now you're going to do it for me.

That's a really contorted view of that one. Is it like testing our faith? I think it's part of that. I think it sets up a scenario where he can use that kind of a thing to build our faith that we recognize that, gee, what I just did, willfully sinned, God has already taken care of the problem with it. He's already paid the penalty for that sin. Well, I think also, as Laura just said about this, doubting is denying. So we doubt we're not acting by faith in what he said. So he allows us to do that, and that brings us back to, do I believe what's true about me? to be conformed to his image, to be manifesting him rather than Adam. I think all these things are to conform us to the image, to transform our mind, to renew our mind, all those things he uses.

And again, that's a great point, that he's already paid for it, so he knows it. And he's allowed for it, so it's not going to be a new sin that we got to pay for. He's already paid for it, so he knows what you're going to do anyway. He's already paid for it, but he's allowing it for your growth. So can you expand on that a little bit, because like the name it and claim it. You believe it, so now I've got it. No, not happening. I think the sanctification process is a growth period.

I look at it as when we say some of the ones where you're able to have milk and you slowly to meet, there's a process of growth. There's lots of verses that say about our maturity, our growth, and all those things. Does a two-year-old know calculus? Can a two-year-old even do 2 plus 2? No. So I think it's a process. It's not claim it, name it, and claim it.

I think when you do that, that's more centered on you. Or I think if what you just said, then you start thinking, well, Did I doubt that? I mean, that focuses it right back in on me again. Right. But I think he brings the process through that brings you to that knowledge.

I think the name it and claim it stuff is, you know, that's more focused on what I am doing. I think the process, and that's why it's such a slow and long process, is so it gets away from that, I did it today and I'm going, And it's me. I think it's much more, the sanctification process is more long term. It's like watching a plant grow or something. It doesn't happen overnight. It's slow and it goes. And I think that's where the real roots are buried, is when you do that, when you name it and claim it. I think I told you that time after time about how I tried to memorize verses. I am going to memorize verses. I am going to do this. Stunk.

Never got anywhere. Well, it helps. No, it didn't. It didn't? The focus was totally wrong, and I never got it memorized. Oh, yeah. You forget everything. Yeah. It was because I was focused on me, and me being knowledgeable about verses. It was stupid. It was self-focused. So, I mean, that was kind of a name and claim for me, was, I'm going to do this, because it's going to make me spiritual. Because isn't there a depth of believing?

I mean, you accept what God tells you in His Word, But then the Holy Spirit tends to work that into you, right? Well, I think it's all about Him, not about us. I mean, I think His working into us is, it's the Spirit first and then us. You know, we can try, but it's all about the Spirit convincing and getting us to, you know, get that truth.

I guess the thing I was also thinking about is, how many times have I nailed it? I've got it. I've got this truth down, you know, I am there. And then six months later, a year later, five years later, something comes up and you're like, yeah, did I forget that? You know, on Wednesday night we're in Genesis and a couple of cool things. You find about the early guys that found favor with God.

Noah walked with God. And who's the other guy that was translated? Enoch. Enoch walked with God. And if you spend time with, what does it mean to walk with God? I think it means that he becomes the focus of your attention and what you do all the time. And I think that's the job of the Holy Spirit is to get us so involved with the Lord Jesus that we don't have time to think about ourselves. And that's what walking with God really is.

Second Peter 3.18, growing the grace and knowledge. Grace so we understand the operating system we're in and the knowledge of Christ. That's it, in a nutshell. And that's a time... And that's what the Spirit's doing all the time. Conforming us to His image. I mean, we just went through those verses. He's conforming us to His image. That's His whole purpose.

So, yeah, I mean... But it's not, again, to be honest, it's not a name it and claim it. I think that's a whole different thing. And to me, that's more self-focused than the actual working in of a truth. You know, where that takes years to maybe go through that, a lifetime to go through that. Well, those guys lived 900 years, so they had a lot of time. Yeah, they had a lot of time. They didn't have TVs, they didn't have cell phones, they didn't have a telephone. They didn't have to send.

I don't know if you heard that, that the name it and claim it is more on merit based itself. Adam, it's what I can do. So yeah, totally not the spirit in and under a grace based system. Yeah, yeah. You know, it's also a name to claim it. It's like, I've read the scripture verse says this, God, you're on the hook. Yeah. He's already done. Yes. Well, that's the do you doubt it? You know, you're putting him on trial. So you're putting the one who who said it on trial. And the person on trial. So yeah, that's a lot of people do that. You know, and just the name and employment.

You said about me so make it true. Well, you will in time. And I think a lot of those times, sometimes when you do the name it and claim it, sometimes you get a really hard right turn on that, you know, where he's going to make you go through something. You know, you're going to name it and claim it? Okay, we're going to show you about that. But then you end up with gold toilet seats. Well, I mean, it's not only name it and claim it about finances. It's name it and claim it.

That's what you said. It's a truth. Now, God, you said it's true. Make it, you know, why? Make it true to me right now. You know, that's the name it and claim it to. It's not only gold toilets and all that. Well, then he comes back at you with positional truth and says, what do I need to show you that I can do? Yeah, exactly. Why are you testing me?

Which again, the whole doubt is denying you. It goes back to that. If I'm challenging him... I'm doubting what he said, and if I'm doubting what he said, then I'm denying him. Isn't that probably one of the first steps we go through with sanctification? That's part of it.

Think about your growth, too. Think about it when you're a brand-new Christian, how you go through differences there. What is it typically when you're a brand-new Christian? What's it all about? You know, what can I get from God? You know, I have this new life. I'm a Christian. It's all roses and hunky-dory, right? But usually at the beginning, He takes you through that, and it's true, usually. You know, you have a new life. You're so excited about it. You're so excited about what you've got in salvation. It's the growth, it's the growth when you go. The first part of your spiritual life typically is about, it's all about you and what you get. But that's, that's a baby. You know, that's what does a baby need. He needs everything. And that's why I say it's a very long process, and it's not claimant today. You start out as a milk baby, and it's all about you. Feed me, give me.

But then as you walk through that in your Christian life, he begins to wean that out. I think the latter part of your Christian life is the toughest, which is what we're going through, is identifying the old Adam and Eve. That's hard. You know Adam really well. But you won't face up to it. It's hard to understand how bad Adam is. And what Romans 6, about the crucifixion, that was the best thing that he could have done, is crucify the old Adam. But you have to come to that, I mean you understand that, but understanding how bad that Adam is, it's still resonant in you. That nature is still in you.

How bad that is. That's the hardest part, I think, of a Christian life, is thinking about how sweet and wonderful I am in this little fleshly body. It's not. What did we just come through? Is there anything good dwelling in this flesh? Nada. Zip. Nothing. But, you know, that's a hard thing to come by.

We think we're the sweetest people around. Oh, we can love somebody now! Yeah, but this is the growth process, it's leading us through that. Alright, well, I guess we'll start on Question 2 next week, so let's go. Heavenly Father, we thank you. We thank you for this time. We thank you for all the times that we've studied together. We thank you for all these deep, deep truths that we have in these chapters and moments.

And what it means, the foundational things, is our Christian life. And we thank you for your word, which we can read and see and understand your direction and will. expressed in your word and we think also the Holy Spirit and just as we've learned in this chapter too about you search the mind of the Holy Spirit in us for exactly what we need for our Christian growth and exactly that time that in those events all those things you know you search the mind of the Holy Spirit for what we need And we just thank you for, again, these truths. What are we to say? We are to say amen and thank you to all these truths.

And again, we just thank you for this time. We pray for the next meeting with Roger and just presenting the word. We just ask that it be accurately presented and just prepare our hearts to receive it. We thank you for this time. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.