Romans Week 14 - Romans 8 1-17

This week Pastor Mel brings us to Romans chapter 8 -- what he and many theologians consider to be the most important chapter in the entire Bible. Mel opens with the four most liberating words in Paul's writing: there is no condemnation. He unpacks what that actually means -- not that condemnation was abolished, but that Jesus took it on himself so we don't have to carry it. And he makes the case that this freedom is not just about your past. It covers your present and your future too. From there the message moves through eleven verses in which Paul references the Holy Spirit eleven times. Mel traces the Spirit's work from the very beginning -- hovering over the chaos in creation, coming upon judges and kings and prophets in the Old Testament, temporarily and selectively -- all the way to Pentecost in Acts 2, where everything changed and the Spirit became permanent and available to every believer. There is a really powerful section on the Greek word translated as "to mind" -- and what it means to be in agreement with the flesh versus in agreement with the Spirit. Mel connects it to the word amen, and the application is practical and pointed: where does your mind go in the still, quiet moments of your day? Next week Mel picks up in Romans 8:18 and gets into what it means to share in Christ's glory -- and his suffering.