There are a few answers to that question, but for now I want to focus in on one area.

To get the most out of this Bible Study, read the Scripture excerpt carefully, then answer the questions based on what you read in the Scripture text.

Romans 7:21-25, Romans 8:1-9

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God–through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. (NIV)

•    Why did God send His Son, Jesus? (Rom 7:24-25, Rom 8:2-4)
•   Verse 1 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…” Taken in the context of the rest of this Scripture, mean that there is never any sort of condemnation for a follower of Christ?

•    Compare this to Romans 6:1-4:

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (NIV)

•    Does being saved by faith and grace mean that it is acceptable to continue walking in sin?
•  Why is there “now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… who do not live according to the flesh..”? (Rom 8:1,4)
•    Who is unable to please God? (Rom 8: 8 )
•    What are the characteristics of the person who cannot please God? (Rom 8:5-7)
•    What are the two laws competing for our attention? (Rom 7:21-25)
•    How is a slave to sin released from sin? (Rom 7:24-25

Good question! It was one that I often wrestled with as a teenager. Why did we, as Roman Catholics (as I was at the time) celebrate the brutal, torturous death of Jesus? What was the significance of it?

 While I don’t have time right now to exposit on it (it is, in essence, a central aspect of the Christan Gospel message), I have written a summary of the Gospel message at  http://darthmaulmakesmesmile.wordpress.com/the-bible/.

CMI have published a brief article, “Genesis and the Cross,” on their apologetics ministry website. Here’s a brief extract and link to the rest of the article.

Genesis and the Cross

by Tas Walker  [Published: 21 March 2008]

It may seem odd for people to celebrate the humiliating defeat of their leader and hero. But the suffering, shame and death of Jesus Christ are a source of hope to Christians.

No one wants to live in a world where evil is ignored, or worse still, approved. Everyone yearns for justice when they have been mocked, insulted, betrayed or abused. [Read more at http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/5679/...]

It’s a reasonable question - if Earth’s history is one of suffering and pain, how could a loving God have created all this? It’s a question that I asked many times… But, for many years, no Christians were able to give me an answer (2 Corinthians 10:5; 1 Peter 3:15). That’s not to say that there aren’t answers.

Here’s a link to an article that discusses this issue - written for a Christian audience.

Excerpt from: http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/508/

The god of an old earth

Does the Bible teach that disease, bloodshed, violence and pain have always been ‘part of life’?

by Ken Ham

The late Carl Sagan, in his book Contact, wrote:

‘If God is omnipotent and omniscient, why didn’t he start the universe out in the first place so it would come out the way he wants? Why is he constantly repairing and complaining? No, there’s one thing the Bible makes clear: The biblical God is a sloppy manufacturer. He’s not good at design, he’s not good at execution. He’d be out of business if there was any competition.’¹

 

It’s easy to understand why Carl Sagan viewed the God of the Bible this way. Sagan believed that the fossil record, with all its death, mutations, disease, suffering, bloodshed and violence, represented millions of years of Earth’s history. …

Read more…

The poor long-suffering people around me often have to sit through my impromptu apologetics preaching sessions. I can’t help it! Well, I’m sure I could learn to keep my mouth closed but I’m just really enthusiastic about it. I might be biased because it was largely apologetics that opened my mind to the possibility of accepting Christ.

 My all-time favourite apologetics resource technically isn’t a book - it’s a magazine! I have been subscribing to it for a few years now and, when each new edition rolls around every 3 months I can’t wait to sit down with a cup of organic green tea and read all about the latest in science, faith, archaeology and society.  I feel like I’m starting to sound like one of those awful mid-afternoon telemarketing shows. That’s not true, though. I’m not being paid to promote it!

 Anyway, if you’re interested in finding out more, it’s called Creation magazine. As the name suggests, it’s focus is on the world around us, and finding God’s hand at work in nature - whether the amazing diversity of lifeforms, or the complexity of the Universe - I find it an inspiring read.

It’s published in Australia, by Creation Ministries International, and available in a number of countries.

To learn more, try the following links:

About Creation / subscriptions - http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/3871/97

Article archive - http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/23

CMI also publish Journal of Creation, which offers a Bible-based slant on science. I personally find it a bit technical at times, but if you’re science-minded it should suit you.

To find out CMI’s position on the Gospel, the Bible and science / faith issues, try their “What We Believe” page.

 For apologetics articles on a variety of topics,  go to their “Frequently Asked Questions” Topic Index.