The Absolute Goodness of God on Display
From Romans 7 Despair to Romans 8 Victory
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” — Romans 8:1
The Discovery That Changes Everything
If you’ve ever tried—really TRIED—to be good, you’ve discovered the most devastating truth about yourself:
You can’t.
No matter how hard you try. No matter how sincere your effort. No matter how strong your willpower.
You. Cannot. Be. Good.
This is the discovery Paul made in Romans 7. And it’s the discovery every true believer must make before they can experience the victory of Romans 8.
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Romans 7: The War Within
Romans 7:18-19 - “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”
Read that again slowly.
“In me (that is, in my FLESH,) dwelleth NO GOOD THING.”
Not “a little good.” Not “some good mixed with bad.”
NO GOOD THING.
The Internal Fight
Paul describes the war raging inside every person who tries to be righteous in their own strength:
“To WILL is present with me.” = I WANT to do good.
“But how to PERFORM that which is good I FIND NOT.” = I can’t ACTUALLY do it.
“The good that I WOULD I do NOT.” = The good I desire to do, I DON’T do.
“The evil which I WOULD NOT, that I DO.” = The evil I hate, I end up DOING.
This is the cycle of Romans 7:
I want to do good
I try to do good
I fail to do good
I end up doing the very evil I hate
I feel condemned, guilty, ashamed
I try harder next time
I fail again
The cycle repeats
Romans 7:15 - “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.”
“What I HATE, that I DO.”
Have you experienced this? The absolute frustration of:
- Wanting to love, but finding yourself being selfish
- Wanting to be patient, but exploding in anger
- Wanting to be pure, but falling into lust
- Wanting to trust God, but being consumed with worry
- Wanting to be humble, but being driven by pride
This is the discovery of SIN dwelling IN you.
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The Discovery of SIN and SELF
Romans 7:17, 20 - “Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me… Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.”
“SIN that DWELLETH IN ME.”
This isn’t just about committing sins (plural—individual acts of wrongdoing).
This is about SIN (singular)—a NATURE, a POWER, a FORCE dwelling inside you.
What Is This SIN?
SIN = SELF
The fallen nature inherited from Adam. The corruption that entered humanity through the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The internal drive to:
- Be your own god
- Determine your own good and evil
- Trust in your own strength
- Achieve your own righteousness
- Build your own kingdom
- Serve your own interests
SIN is the corruption of SELF that produces:
- Condemnation (you are guilty)
- Shame (you are exposed)
- Guilt (you are at fault)
- Unrighteousness (you are morally corrupt)
- Unholiness (you are defiled)
- Death sentence (you are under judgment)
Romans 7:24 - “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”
“O WRETCHED MAN that I am!”
This is the cry of despair. The realization that you are:
- Enslaved to sin
- Unable to free yourself
- Dying under the weight of the law
- Condemned by your own inability to be good
This is Romans 7: The absolute FUTILITY of trying to be righteous in your own strength.
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The Transition: But God
Romans 7:25 - “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
“I thank GOD through JESUS CHRIST our Lord.”
Here’s the turning point. The shift from despair to hope. From death to life. From Romans 7 to Romans 8.
Paul doesn’t say: “I figured it out! Here’s my new strategy for being good!”
Paul says: “I THANK GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.”
The answer is not a NEW EFFORT. The answer is a NEW SOURCE.
Not YOU trying harder. But CHRIST living IN you.
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Romans 8: No Condemnation, Total Victory
Romans 8:1 - “There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
“NO CONDEMNATION.”
Not “less condemnation.” Not “reduced condemnation.” Not “conditional condemnation if you perform well enough.”
NO. CONDEMNATION.
Zero. None. Nada. Zilch.
Why? Because of What CHRIST Did
Romans 8:2-4 - “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
Let’s break this down:
“The law of the SPIRIT OF LIFE in Christ Jesus hath made me FREE.”
Free from what?
“From the law of SIN AND DEATH.”
The cycle of Romans 7—trying and failing, wanting good but doing evil, condemned and sentenced to death—has been BROKEN.
Not by YOUR effort. By the SPIRIT OF LIFE in Christ Jesus.
“For what the LAW could NOT DO, in that it was WEAK through the flesh.”
The Law (God’s perfect standard) could NOT make you righteous because your FLESH is too WEAK.
“God sending His own SON… condemned SIN IN THE FLESH.”
God did what you could not do. He sent Jesus to:
- Live the perfect life you couldn’t live
- Fulfill the law you couldn’t fulfill
- Take the condemnation you deserved
- Die the death you should have died
- Rise in victory over sin and death
“That the RIGHTEOUSNESS of the law might be FULFILLED IN US.”
Not “by us.” IN US.
Christ fulfilled the law. And His righteousness is now IN you if you are in Christ.
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The Spirit of God IN You: The New Power Source
Romans 8:9-11 - “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”
“The SPIRIT OF GOD DWELL IN YOU.”
This is the game-changer. This is the victory.
You have a NEW POWER SOURCE:
- Not your willpower
- Not your determination
- Not your self-discipline
- Not your religious effort
The SPIRIT OF GOD dwelling IN you.
“If CHRIST be IN YOU, the body is dead because of sin; but the SPIRIT is LIFE because of righteousness.”
Your body (flesh, SELF) is DEAD. It has no power anymore.
But the SPIRIT is LIFE. And that SPIRIT is producing RIGHTEOUSNESS in you.
Not your righteousness. HIS righteousness.
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His Faith and His Faithfulness: The Author and Finisher
Hebrews 12:2 - “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
“The AUTHOR and FINISHER of our faith.”
AUTHOR = He STARTED your faith. He gave it to you as a gift. You didn’t produce it.
FINISHER = He will COMPLETE your faith. He won’t abandon the work He started.
Philippians 1:6 - “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
“He which hath BEGUN… will PERFORM IT.”
Not “you began and now you have to finish.”
HE began. HE will finish.
His Faithfulness, Not Yours
The victory of Romans 8 is not about YOUR faithfulness to God.
It’s about HIS FAITHFULNESS to you.
2 Timothy 2:13 - “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”
“HE abideth FAITHFUL.”
Even when you’re faithless, HE remains faithful.
Lamentations 3:22-23 - “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
“Great is THY faithfulness.”
Not “great is MY faithfulness.” THY faithfulness.
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The Consequence of His Faithfulness: Sweeping Victory Over SIN and SELF
Because of His faithfulness—because He is the author and finisher of your faith—you have TOTAL VICTORY over sin and SELF.
Romans 8:37-39 - “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
“We are MORE THAN CONQUERORS through HIM that loved us.”
Not “we barely scrape by.”
Not “we might make it if we try hard enough.”
“MORE THAN CONQUERORS.”
Overwhelming, sweeping, total VICTORY.
And how? “Through HIM that loved us.”
Not through your effort. Through HIM.
Nothing Can Separate You
“NOTHING shall be able to separate us from the love of God.”
Not your failure.
Not your weakness.
Not your sin.
Not your doubt.
Not your fear.
Not demons.
Not circumstances.
Not time.
Not space.
NOTHING.
This is the consequence of HIS FAITHFULNESS: You are KEPT by His power, not by your performance.
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Grace and Truth: Wave After Wave
John 1:14, 16-17 - “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth… And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
“GRACE and TRUTH came by Jesus Christ.”
Not one or the other. BOTH.
GRACE = God’s unmerited favor, His kindness toward you when you deserve judgment
TRUTH = Reality, the way things actually are, God’s Word
And how do we receive it?
“Of His FULNESS have all we received, and GRACE FOR GRACE.”
“Grace FOR grace.” = Wave after wave after wave of grace.
Not a one-time dose. Continuous, abundant, overflowing grace.
John 1:12 - “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”
“As many as RECEIVED HIM.”
You don’t achieve sonship. You RECEIVE it.
You don’t earn it. You BELIEVE and RECEIVE.
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1 Peter 5:10: The God of All Grace Will Perfect You
1 Peter 5:10 - “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”
“The God of ALL GRACE.”
Not some grace. Not limited grace. ALL GRACE.
“Who hath CALLED US.” = He initiated. He chose. He invited.
“After that ye have suffered a while.” = There will be testing, refining, trials.
“Make YOU perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle YOU.”
Notice who’s doing the work:
HE will MAKE you perfect.
HE will STABLISH you.
HE will STRENGTHEN you.
HE will SETTLE you.
Not you. HIM.
This is the absolute GOODNESS of God: He doesn’t just save you and leave you to figure out the rest. He COMPLETES the work He started.
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Matthew 22:1-14: The Wedding Banquet
Matthew 22:2-4 - “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.”
“All things are READY.”
The King has prepared EVERYTHING. The feast is ready. The invitation is sent.
All you have to do is COME.
The Wedding Garment
Matthew 22:11-13 - “And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
“Not having a WEDDING GARMENT.”
This man came to the wedding in his OWN clothes. His own righteousness. His own “goodness.”
And he was CAST OUT.
Why? Because you cannot come to the King’s wedding in your own filthy rags.
Isaiah 64:6 - “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.”
“All our righteousnesses are as FILTHY RAGS.”
You must be clothed in the WEDDING GARMENT provided by the King.
Revelation 19:7-8 - “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”
“To her was GRANTED.”
The wedding garment—the white linen of righteousness—is GRANTED by the King.
Not earned. GRANTED. Given. Gifted.
This is GRACE.
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Romans 12:1-3: Present Yourselves as Living Sacrifices
After Romans 8 declares total victory, after you understand that Christ has done it all, NOW comes the call to action:
Romans 12:1-2 - “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
“Present your bodies a LIVING SACRIFICE.”
Not “achieve righteousness.” Not “work your way to holiness.”
PRESENT yourselves. Offer yourselves. Surrender yourselves.
“By the MERCIES OF GOD.”
This is your response to His mercy, His grace, His faithfulness.
“Be ye TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING of your mind.”
Not “transform yourself.” “Be ye TRANSFORMED.” Passive voice. God does the transforming.
Romans 12:3 - “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
“According as GOD hath DEALT to every man the MEASURE OF FAITH.”
Even your faith is a GIFT from God.
You didn’t produce it. He DEALT it to you.
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Romans 5: Reigning in Life Through Jesus Christ
Romans 5:17 - “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.”
“Shall REIGN IN LIFE by one, Jesus Christ.”
Not “barely survive.”
Not “scrape by.”
REIGN.
Like a king. With authority. With power. With victory.
How? By receiving:
- Abundance of GRACE (not a little grace; ABUNDANCE)
- The GIFT of righteousness (not earned righteousness; GIFT)
Romans 5:20-21 - “Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”
“Where SIN ABOUNDED, GRACE did MUCH MORE ABOUND.”
Sin is powerful. But GRACE is MORE POWERFUL.
“Grace REIGN through righteousness unto eternal life.”
Grace REIGNS. Grace RULES. Grace WINS.
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Reigning with Jesus for 1,000 Years from the Throne of Grace
This is where everything leads: REIGNING WITH CHRIST.
Revelation 20:4, 6 - “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years… Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”
“They LIVED and REIGNED with Christ a THOUSAND YEARS.”
This is your destiny. Your calling. Your inheritance.
Not because you were good enough. Because HE is faithful.
The Throne of Grace
Hebrews 4:16 - “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
“The THRONE OF GRACE.”
Not the throne of judgment. Not the throne of performance. Not the throne of works.
The throne of GRACE.
Where mercy is found. Where grace is given. Where help is obtained.
And from this throne—the throne of GRACE—you will REIGN with Christ for 1,000 years.
Hebrews 4:1, 9-11 - “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it… There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”
“There remaineth therefore a REST.”
This is the REST Jesus talked about:
- Ceasing from your own works
- Trusting in His finished work
- Abiding in His grace
- Reigning from the throne of grace
Not striving. RESTING.
Not performing. RECEIVING.
Not working. TRUSTING.
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Yoked to Him: Putting Off the Perishable, Putting On the Imperishable
Matthew 11:28-30 - “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
“Take my YOKE upon you.”
A yoke connects two animals to pull a load together. But when you’re yoked to JESUS, He’s doing the pulling, not you.
“My yoke is EASY, and my burden is LIGHT.”
Why? Because HE’S carrying the weight.
Putting Off the Perishable
Colossians 3:8-9 - “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds.”
“Put OFF the OLD MAN.”
The old SELF. The Romans 7 man. The flesh that cannot please God.
1 Corinthians 15:53 - “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
“This CORRUPTIBLE must put on INCORRUPTION.”
The perishable body. The dying flesh. The corrupted SELF.
It must be PUT OFF.
Putting On the Imperishable
Colossians 3:10, 12 - “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him… Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.”
“Put ON the NEW MAN.”
Not create a new man. PUT ON the new man.
It’s already created. Christ already lived the perfect life. His righteousness is already complete.
You just PUT IT ON like a garment.
Ephesians 4:24 - “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
“Created in RIGHTEOUSNESS and TRUE HOLINESS.”
Already created. Already righteous. Already holy.
You receive it. You put it on. BY GRACE.
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Ready and Dressed for the Wedding Banquet
Revelation 19:7-9 - “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.”
“His wife hath made herself READY.”
How? By putting on the wedding garment that was GRANTED to her.
“Fine linen, clean and white.”
Not dirty. Not spotted. Not wrinkled.
CLEAN and WHITE.
“The righteousness of saints.”
Not their own righteousness. HIS righteousness given to them.
Ephesians 5:27 - “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”
“That HE might PRESENT IT to HIMSELF.”
HE does the presenting. HE does the preparing. HE does the cleansing.
You just RECEIVE.
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Jesus Serves Those Who Believe
Luke 12:37 - “Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.”
“He shall GIRD HIMSELF, and make them to SIT DOWN, and will come forth and SERVE THEM.”
The Master will SERVE His servants at the Wedding Banquet.
The King will wash His Bride’s feet.
This is the absolute GOODNESS of God on display.
Revelation 3:20 - “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
“I will come IN to him, and will SUP with him, and he with me.”
Intimate fellowship. Dining together. Face to face.
Not because you earned it. Because you BELIEVED and RECEIVED.
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The Gentile Bride Forever
Ephesians 2:11-13, 19 - “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ… Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”
“Ye being in time past GENTILES.”
“Made NIGH by the BLOOD OF CHRIST.”
You were FAR OFF. Separated. Alienated. Without hope. Without God.
But now—by the BLOOD OF CHRIST—you are NEAR.
You are the BRIDE. The GENTILE BRIDE. Forever united to Christ.
Romans 8:38-39 - “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
“SHALL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US.”
Future tense. Forever secure.
NOTHING can separate you from His love.
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All For the Glory of God
Ephesians 1:5-6, 12 - “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved… That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.”
“To the PRAISE OF THE GLORY OF HIS GRACE.”
“To the PRAISE OF HIS GLORY.”
This is the purpose of everything:
- Your salvation
- Your sanctification
- Your transformation
- Your victory over sin
- Your wedding garment
- Your reigning with Christ
ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.
Romans 11:36 - “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.”
“Of HIM, and through HIM, and to HIM.”
HE is the source. HE is the means. HE is the goal.
All glory to HIM.
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The Good News: It’s All About What HE Did, Not What You Do
This is the GOSPEL—the GOOD NEWS:
You were dead in Romans 7—enslaved to sin, unable to do good, condemned and sentenced to death.
But God—in His absolute GOODNESS—sent Jesus to:
- Live the life you couldn’t live
- Die the death you deserved
- Rise in victory over sin and death
- Give you His Spirit to dwell IN you
- Make you more than a conqueror
- Clothe you in His righteousness
- Present you spotless at the Wedding
- Seat you on the throne to reign with Him
And He did ALL OF THIS by GRACE—wave after wave after wave of grace.
Not because you were good. Because HE is good.
Not because you were faithful. Because HE is faithful.
Not because you earned it. Because HE gave it.
This is the GOOD NEWS of the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
From Romans 7 despair to Romans 8 victory—all by the absolute GOODNESS of God.
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Romans 8:31-32 - “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”
“If GOD BE FOR US, who can be AGAINST US?”
“How shall He not with Him also FREELY GIVE US ALL THINGS?”
He gave you His SON. Will He not also give you EVERYTHING ELSE?
Salvation. Righteousness. Holiness. Victory. The wedding garment. The throne. The crown. Eternal life. EVERYTHING.
ALL BY GRACE.
ALL FOR HIS GLORY.
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This is the GOOD NEWS.
Receive it. Believe it. REST in it.
You are the Bride. Forever loved. Forever secure. Forever His.
Maranatha! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Soli Deo Gloria—To God Alone Be the Glory
THE Grace Awakening Study Guide
Who is Craig Rogers and KINGDOM Empowered?
About the Author:
Craig Rogers
KINGDOM Empowered CEO and CoFounder
Professional Experience: CEO | KINGDOM Empowered (2020 -...
Professional Experience: CEO | KINGDOM Empowered (2020 - Present) In his role as co-CEO, Craig’s daily mission is to surrender his...
