Class Lesson for November 30, 2025

 The Whole Story 

Romans 8:1-4

There are some verses in the Bible that feel like holy ground — where the weight of divine truth meets the wonder of divine mercy. Romans 8:1–4 is one of those places. After seven chapters of building theological tension, Paul opens this chapter not with condemnation, but with a thunderclap of gospel assurance: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” These words are not wishful thinking. They are not polite suggestions. They are a blood-bought reality secured by the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Romans 8 is often called the greatest chapter in the Bible because it begins with “no condemnation” and ends with “no separation.” But the beauty of that opening declaration is best understood in the shadow of what came before. In chapter 7, Paul wrestled with the frustration of sin — the divided heart, the lingering flesh, the inability to do the good he desires. He cried out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” And now, in chapter 8, he gives the answer: deliverance has come through Jesus. Not by trying harder, but by trusting deeper. Not by the law, but by the Spirit.

In verses 1–4, Paul reveals the heart of the gospel: Jesus did what the law could never do. He condemned sin in the flesh so that we could be set free from its power. The cross doesn’t just forgive us — it liberates us. And for all who are in Christ, the verdict is already in. The gavel has fallen. The sentence has been served. And the condemnation we deserve has been swallowed up by the righteousness He gives. This is not just doctrine to be understood — it is truth to be lived. Because when you know you’re no longer condemned, you begin to live like you’re truly free.

Romans 8:1-4

Life in the Spirit

8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Romans 8:1-4

 

 

Discussion Questions

What part of “no condemnation” is hardest for you to truly believe — and why?

In what ways do you still feel the pull of the “law of sin and death” in daily life?

How does knowing the law cannot save us deepen your gratitude for what God accomplished in Christ?

What does walking according to the Spirit look like for you right now? What habits help or hinder that walk?

How does this passage reshape the way you think about holiness, obedience, and spiritual growth?

 

Closing Thoughts

Romans 8:1–4 invites us to live each day resting in Christ’s finished work and relying on the Spirit’s ongoing power. You are no longer condemned, so you don’t have to live like someone carrying guilt, shame, or fear. You are no longer enslaved, so you don’t have to submit to the patterns and pressures of your old life. The Spirit now empowers you to pursue holiness not for approval but from assurance, not in fear but in freedom. The real question is this: What would your week look like if you truly lived as someone who is fully forgiven, deeply loved, and powerfully filled by the Spirit?

 

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Teacher Notes:

Last week Paul made a declaration to the world of what happens when we forget God and go our own way. This week, he speaks to a struggle we all face and how thankful we should all be that Jesus has given us a way out and forward with our struggle.

In Les Misérables, Jean Valjean, a hardened ex-convict, is taken in for the night by a kind bishop. Valjean repays this kindness by stealing the bishop’s silver. This is a powerful scene of human grace that speaks to our lesson today.

Click Play to Watch

In the movie, Valjean walked out of that house a different man because he received grace instead of judgment. If the bishop had condemned Valjean, he would have stayed the same man.

How does condemnation keep people stuck today, and how does God’s grace set people free?

Condemnation chains people to who they were; grace frees people to become who God created them to be.

To be in Christ means Jesus is your identity, your righteousness, your power, your life, and your future.

If you ask many Christians today if they are going to heaven, do you know what the most common reply is? answer: I hope so.

The Sled Dog Story

There was an old man in a village who owned two sled dogs — one was white, the other black. Every weekend he would bring them into town and let them fight. The villagers would gather around and place their bets. Sometimes the white dog would win. Sometimes the black dog would win.

But one thing was always the same: the old man always knew which dog would win that week. He never lost a bet.

Finally, someone asked him, “How do you always know which dog will win?”

The old man smiled and said: “That’s easy. The one that wins is the one I’ve been feeding all week.”

This is exactly how the ‘law of sin’ and the ‘law of the Spirit’ work in us.

Both are present. Both are pulling. But the one that dominates in our lives is the one we keep feeding.

If we feed the flesh — old habits, old patterns, old lies — it grows stronger.

If we feed the Spirit — God’s Word, prayer, obedience, worship, community — the Spirit’s desires grow stronger in us.

The question isn’t just - Which dog is in you?

The question is, Which one are you feeding?

What did He do?

May we walk now as someone who knows that there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus and that our eternity with Him is secure.

Class Lesson for November 23, 2025

 The Whole Story continues... 

There are few passages in Scripture that confront us with such unapologetic clarity as Romans 1:16–32. Paul opens with boldness: “I am not ashamed of the gospel,” and the reason is simple — it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

That’s not religious rhetoric. That’s a radical claim. Paul is declaring that the gospel is not advice, it is not ideology, it is not mere tradition — it is divine power. Power to save sinners. Power to raise the spiritually dead. Power to restore what sin has shattered.

And yet, beginning in verse 18, Paul doesn’t ease us into grace — he drags us through the darkness of wrath. Why? Because until we grasp the severity of humanity’s fall, we’ll never treasure the beauty of God’s mercy. Romans 1:18–32 is a sobering revelation of what happens when a society suppresses the truth of God and exchanges His glory for created things.

It is not a hypothetical — it is a historical reality and a present danger. This passage traces the downward spiral of a people who refuse to honor God, and in turn, are given over to dishonorable passions, corrupted minds, and destructive behavior. It diagnoses the disease beneath the surface: not just that people sin, but that they love their sin more than they love the truth. It’s not merely bad behavior — it’s rebellion at the core. And yet, in the midst of this heavy truth, the gospel still shines.

Paul doesn’t write these words in disgust, but with a burdened heart, setting the stage for the miracle of justification by faith that will unfold in the chapters to come.

Romans 1 isn’t here to make us comfortable — it’s here to make us desperate. Because only when we feel the weight of our need will we run to the cross for rescue. This is not a passage for finger-pointing — it is a mirror for all of us. And the good news is that the power of the gospel Paul refuses to be ashamed of is still mighty to save — even now, even here, even with us.

Romans 1:16-32

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

God's Wrath on Unrighteousness

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore, God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Romans 1:16-32

 

Discussion Questions

The Exchange: What are some modern examples of how people “exchange the glory of God for images” (Romans 1:23)? How do even good things become idols?

Why does Paul begin with God’s wrath before explaining His grace? How does this order help us understand the gospel more fully?

The Consequences: How do you see evidence of God “giving people over” in our culture today — and in our own hearts apart from grace? (Romans 1:24–28)

The Solution: In what ways does the gospel reverse the exchanges described in this passage? How did Jesus take on what we deserved so we could receive what He deserved?

How should this passage shape the way we share the gospel — with humility, urgency, and hope?

 

Closing Thoughts

Romans 1 reminds us that sin is not just breaking rules — it’s breaking relationship with the Creator. Every time we trust in idols of comfort, control, or approval, we repeat the same tragic exchange. Yet God’s grace is greater. In Christ, He was “given up” so that we would never be “given over.” The gospel restores what sin destroyed, renewing our hearts to worship the true and living God. This week, take inventory of what competes for your worship and intentionally replace those idols with gratitude, obedience, and faith in Jesus — will you let Him reverse the exchange in your life today?

  

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Teacher Notes:

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