Romans 8

Alright; in my perusal of Facebook i came across a great read by an awesome bible teacher Richard Murray. With his permission i share his recent draft of Romans 8.
Whenever self-awareness grips me, self-doubt and self-condemnation follow - - I have just entered the Romans 7 “zone.”
The good news is that Romans 8 is nearby, ready to save me from all condemnation through the life of the Spirit. Romans 8 tells me that in Christ there is no condemnation (v.1), no sin (v.2), no death (v.2), no carnal mindedness (v.6), and no defeat (v.37). In Christ, there is only life (v.2), righteousness (v.4), spiritual mindedness (v.6), peace (v.6), physical quickenings (v.11), continual leading by the Holy Spirit (v.14), Abba intimacy (v.15), Holy Spirit witness (v.16), Holy Spirit strengthening (v.26) and the inseparable love of Christ (v.35-39).

Let me give an allegory about living in Romans 8.
Once, years ago, I entered a Ryan's Steakhouse Buffet for the first time. As was my custom at steak houses, I planned on ordering a ground chuck steak. But, when I passed the hostess she told me I could only get the buffet. I had no choice but to trust that there was something better awaiting me on the other side of the cashier station than my self-willed chopped steak. Since I had one of my theological buddies with me, I jokingly told the host, "You just violated my freewill!"

Well, when I entered the buffet, I saw that what I was was being offered was NOT a restriction of my freedom, but an EXPANSION of it. There were mouthwatering mountains of food of various types, from Italian to Mexican to Oriental, from steak to chicken to seafood, from salad to dessert to pasta. I could have as much as I wanted of anything I wanted (including a chopped steak).

So, when we trade in our freedom of myopic Romans 7 self-will for entrance into the limitless Romans 8 buffet of the mind of Christ, we aren't legalistically restricting our freedom but exponentially enlarging it. We are trading one loaf of self-willed bread for instantaneous access to a thousand better leavens. We are not losing freedom when we put on the mind of Christ, but truly finding it!

So the next time Satanic suggestion tries to convince you of what you are giving up to follow Jesus, smack that devilish lie flush on its jaw. "Therefore let no man glory in men. For ALL things are yours; Whether Paul , or Apollos, or Cephas , or the world , or life , or death, or things present, or things to come; ALL are yours; And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s." 1 Corinthians 3:21-23.