Notes for Sunday, June 6th, 2010

Proverbs 18:24 - A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother…

Ephesians 3:6 - The mystery of the Gospel is that - through the gospel - Gentiles are spiritual heirs with Israel, members of one spiritual body, sharing together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8

Life Through the Spirit

1There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do (because 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, 4in 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.

5Those 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. 6The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

9You, 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. 10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14because those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17And if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. This makes Christ our elder brother. He is to be our role model, and we are to treat one another like spiritual siblings…

God’s ideal for Christian relationships is best summed up here:


Psalm 133:1 - Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

Romans 12:10 - Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Still, God is aware that we are sinful human beings, and we don’t always get along:

Romans 14:10 - You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat.

Romans 14:13 - Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.

1 Corinthians 8:12 - When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

Hebrews 13:1 - Keep on loving each other as brothers.

1 Peter 3:8 - Live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

1 John 2:9-11 - Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves their brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; they do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.

1 John 3:10 - This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love their brother.

1 John 4:20 - If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates their brother, they are a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

1 John 4:21 - God the Father has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

1 John 3:16 - This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us, so we ought [to be willing] to lay down our lives for our brothers.

John 15:13 - There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends…