Man, so I'm getting slammed with so much truth here at New Tribes. God's Word is indeed living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword. It is penetrating and revealing my constant need for dependence on God to conform me more and more to the image of Christ. Praise God he's faithful to do that!
So far this semester has been stacked full of stuff. It's all good stuff, but I'm pretty busy a lot. This semester I'm working in the Admissions Office for my student work job and I get to make phone calls to people who are interested in the school or have already applied and I get to give tours and talk with visitors that come to check out school. The deans also made me an RA this semester so there's a lot of responsibilities that come with that, but I enjoy it, the Lord is growing me a ton through my interactions with my dorm mates. I'm still working over at the hospital and have been able to speak truth into the lives of some of my co-workers as they talk about certain things or ask questions so praise God! I'm also working with the prison ministry here at school where we go into the prison every Thursday and teach the body of believers there. This semester we're going through the book of Romans, but I'll get to that in a moment. Here at school right now I'm in three classes for this block. Anthropology/Harmartiology (theology of man and sin), Prophets (major and minor), and the Life of Christ. It's been a real humbling semester thus far, seeing my constant need for God and to utter depend on him because I'm still a sinner and need his grace every day to live a life glorifying to him.
So we are teaching through the book of Romans right now in prison and it has been amazing just studying through it on my own time. Romans 1:18-3:20 talks mainly about the condemnation on those who do not believe. However, Romans 3 discusses how no one is righteous, no one does good, there is no fear of God in anyone, there is none who seek God. Paul goes into the fact that in our sin nature apart from Christ we are all under the wrath of God, destined for Hell. He lays this out before he goes into our justification by Christ's blood through faith in Romans 3:21-5:21 because knowing what we deserve apart from Christ, condemnation, Hell and punishment, makes us understand our position in Christ. Our sinfulness and deserved condemnation makes us understand the beauty of justification. Romans 3:22b-25a, "For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom Christ put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith." Paul explains that all of us sin and fall short of the glory of God and deserve the wrath of God. But God set Christ forward as a gift and a propitiation, to turn away the wrath of God and take it upon himself so that those who believe are justified and declared righteous by the blood of Christ. Romans 5:9-10, "Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life." Since God has done the greater, sending his Son to die for sinners so that those who believe would be justified by his grace and blood, much more then will he also save us from the wrath of God by his life. In Romans 5:12-21 Paul contrasts the death that was brought into the world through Adam and his sin that infected all of mankind with the life and justification that Christ brought to all who believe through his blood. My friends, remember the beauty of justification. You and I were absolutely dead. Destined for Hell, with no hope. But Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, so that those who believe might be freely justified and declared righteous before the Father by his blood, his mercy and his grace. We were criminals headed to destruction standing before the Judge, and have been saved by the blood of Christ. Praise God for his love displayed in sending himself to die for us, to provide a covering, the righteous blood of Christ for us undeserving wretches.
