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THE GOSPEL IS OUR ONLY HOPE
(THE SIN PROBLEM)
READ
Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
-Romans 6:16-20
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.”
-John 8:34
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
-2 Corinthians 4:4
They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
-Ephesians 4:18
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned …
-Romans 5:12
THINK
In the first three chapters of the Bible we watch God create a perfect world where humans and God walk together in sweet fellowship and then in an instance humans disobey God and bring sin and death into the world. Our passages today help us better see why, as a result of this, it is huge in our understanding that the Gospel is our only hope.
The Bible tells us clearly in both Romans 6:16-20 and, from Jesus Himself, in John 8 that we are slaves in sin. What comes to mind when you hear the word slavery? Could slaves just choose freedom? Could they just will their way out of slavery? Seeing the comparison what does that tell us about our condition concerning sin?
Likewise it gets worse and we read on to see that we aren’t only slaves to our sin but in fact we are dead. (Romans 5:12)
What can dead men do about their condition? Fortunately God has not left us without a way out of death, think about in your life if you were physically dying, and someone you knew possessed the knowledge to restore you into life. Even better life than you experienced before you nearly died. How desperate would you be for that life? In the same way shouldn’t our knowledge of being born into slavery and death change how we reach out to this generation around us? Why is this most important?
PRAY
These thoughts and prayers are just a guide to get you started in your conversation with God. Think of them as conversation starters rather than a check list to quickly pray.
Acknowledge your sin before the Lord today.
Confess your failures to God and dwell on the fact that alone we are helpless
DO
Take your list from a few days ago and contact another member in the same way you did the first name. Just let them know that you are praying for them. Then do it.
