Understanding Our Enmity with God and His Grace

Devotional

Day 1: Understanding Our Enmity with God

Before reconciliation, we were enemies of God, not by memory or experience, but as revealed in Scripture. Romans 5:10 highlights the necessity of divine intervention for peace. This enmity is not always felt consciously, especially for those raised in a Christian environment, but it is a reality of our sinful nature. Our natural inclination is to resist God's authority, and His just wrath is directed towards our sin. This understanding is crucial for recognizing the depth of God's grace and the transformative power of reconciliation through Christ. [02:36]

"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." (Romans 5:10, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways do you see your natural inclinations resisting God's authority in your daily life? How can you invite God to transform these areas?

Day 2: The Twofold Nature of Enmity

Enmity with God is twofold: our inherent resistance to His authority and His just wrath towards our sin. Even if we have never consciously felt hostility towards God, our sinful nature inherently opposes Him. This dual aspect of enmity underscores the need for divine intervention and reconciliation. Understanding this helps us appreciate the magnitude of God's grace and the necessity of Christ's sacrifice to bridge the gap between us and God. [04:09]

"For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot." (Romans 8:7, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt resistant to God's authority. What steps can you take to submit to His will in that area today?

Day 3: Christ's Sacrifice and God's Love

God's love is demonstrated in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, removing the enmity between us and God. This act of reconciliation is independent of our actions or feelings, showcasing the magnitude of His grace. It is a divine act that transforms our relationship with God, allowing us to experience peace and reconciliation. Understanding this helps us to live in gratitude and humility, recognizing that our salvation is not earned but given freely through Christ's sacrifice. [05:25]

"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8, ESV)

Reflection: How does understanding the independent nature of Christ's sacrifice change your perspective on grace and forgiveness?

Day 4: Immersing in God's Word

To truly comprehend our condition outside of Christ, we must immerse ourselves in God's Word. Scriptures like Romans 3:9 and Romans 8:7 reveal the depth of our sinfulness and our inability to please God without His intervention. This understanding is not about dredging up feelings of guilt but about recognizing the magnitude of God's grace in our lives. By studying Scripture, we gain a deeper understanding of who we were without Christ and who we are by His grace. [09:30]

"What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin." (Romans 3:9, ESV)

Reflection: What specific steps can you take to immerse yourself more deeply in God's Word this week?

Day 5: Our Shared Need for Grace

Whether saved at a young age or later in life, we all share the same fundamental need for God's grace. Our perception of sin and enmity is limited by human experience, but Scripture provides the true understanding of our need for reconciliation. This shared need for grace unites us as believers and reminds us of the transformative power of God's love. By recognizing our shared condition, we can extend grace and compassion to others, knowing that we are all recipients of God's mercy. [12:06]

"For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:20, ESV)

Reflection: How can you extend grace and compassion to someone in your life today, recognizing your shared need for God's mercy?

Sermon Summary

In our journey through the book of Romans, we find ourselves grappling with profound truths about our relationship with God, particularly as we reflect on Romans 5:10. This passage challenges us to understand our past enmity with God, even if we have no conscious memory of it. Bethany, an 18-year-old listener, raised a poignant question about how she could have been God's enemy when she has always been part of a Christian environment. This question resonates with many of us who have grown up in faith, never feeling overt hostility towards God.

The crux of the matter lies in understanding that our true condition before Christ is not something we can fully grasp through memory or experience alone. Instead, it is revealed to us through Scripture. Romans 5:10 tells us that before we were reconciled to God, we were indeed His enemies. This enmity is twofold: our natural inclination to resist God's authority and His just wrath towards our sin. Even if we have never consciously felt anger towards God, our sinful nature inherently opposes Him.

God's love is demonstrated in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, removing the enmity between us and God. This reconciliation is a divine act, independent of our actions or feelings. It is crucial to understand that our perception of sin and enmity is limited by our human experience. Whether saved at a young age or later in life, we all share the same fundamental need for God's grace.

To truly comprehend our condition outside of Christ, we must immerse ourselves in God's Word. Scriptures like Romans 3:9 and Romans 8:7 reveal the depth of our sinfulness and our inability to please God without His intervention. This understanding is not about dredging up feelings of guilt but about recognizing the magnitude of God's grace in our lives. As we continue to study Romans, let us seek to know God more deeply, understanding who we were without Him and who we are by His grace.

Key Takeaways

1. Our understanding of being God's enemy is not based on memory or experience but on the truth revealed in Scripture. Romans 5:10 reminds us that before reconciliation, we were indeed enemies of God, highlighting the necessity of divine intervention for peace. [02:36]
2. Enmity with God is twofold: our natural resistance to His authority and His just wrath towards our sin. Even if we have never consciously felt hostility towards God, our sinful nature inherently opposes Him. [04:09]
3. God's love is demonstrated in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, removing the enmity between us and God. This act of reconciliation is independent of our actions or feelings, showcasing the magnitude of His grace. [05:25]
4. To truly comprehend our condition outside of Christ, we must immerse ourselves in God's Word. Scriptures like Romans 3:9 and Romans 8:7 reveal the depth of our sinfulness and our inability to please God without His intervention. [09:30]
5. Whether saved at a young age or later in life, we all share the same fundamental need for God's grace. Our perception of sin and enmity is limited by human experience, but Scripture provides the true understanding of our need for reconciliation. [12:06]
** [12:06]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:14] - Introduction to Romans
[00:41] - Bethany's Question
[01:10] - Understanding Enmity with God
[02:36] - Reconciliation through Christ
[03:49] - Twofold Enmity
[04:45] - God's Love and Wrath
[05:25] - Christ's Sacrifice
[06:47] - Degrees of Sinfulness
[08:05] - Learning from Scripture
[09:30] - Identity in God's Word
[10:33] - Sin and Self-Determination
[11:29] - Hostility to God
[12:06] - Seeking Understanding
[13:28] - Rejoicing in Hope

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Romans 5:10
- Romans 3:9
- Romans 8:7

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Observation Questions:

According to Romans 5:10, what was our relationship with God before reconciliation? How does this passage describe the change that occurs through Christ? [02:36]
In the sermon, Bethany questions how she could have been God's enemy despite her Christian upbringing. What does this reveal about our understanding of enmity with God? [01:10]
How does Romans 3:9 describe the universal condition of humanity in relation to sin? What does this imply about our need for God's grace? [09:30]
What does Romans 8:7 say about the mind of the flesh and its relationship to God? How does this passage help us understand our natural inclination towards sin? [11:29]

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Interpretation Questions:

The sermon suggests that our understanding of being God's enemy is not based on memory or experience but on Scripture. How does this perspective challenge or affirm your understanding of your spiritual condition before knowing Christ? [02:04]
The concept of enmity with God is described as twofold: our resistance to His authority and His wrath towards our sin. How does this dual aspect of enmity deepen our understanding of the need for reconciliation? [04:09]
The sermon emphasizes that God's love is demonstrated through Christ's sacrifice while we were still sinners. How does this act of reconciliation highlight the magnitude of God's grace? [05:25]
Romans 3:9 and Romans 8:7 reveal the depth of our sinfulness. How do these passages help us comprehend our inability to please God without His intervention? [09:30]

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Application Questions:

Reflect on your own spiritual journey. Have you ever struggled with understanding your past enmity with God, similar to Bethany's experience? How can immersing yourself in Scripture help clarify this understanding? [01:10]
The sermon discusses our natural resistance to God's authority. Can you identify areas in your life where you might be resisting God's will? What steps can you take to surrender these areas to Him? [04:26]
God's love is shown through Christ's sacrifice for us while we were still sinners. How does this truth impact your view of God's grace in your daily life? How can you live in response to this grace? [05:25]
Romans 8:7 speaks about the mind of the flesh being hostile to God. Are there specific thoughts or attitudes you need to address to align more closely with God's will? How can you work on transforming these areas? [11:29]
The sermon highlights the importance of understanding our condition outside of Christ through Scripture. How can you incorporate more Bible study into your routine to deepen your understanding of God's grace? [09:06]
Consider the idea that our perception of sin and enmity is limited by human experience. How can you seek a more biblical understanding of these concepts in your life? [12:06]
Reflect on the statement that whether saved at a young age or later in life, we all share the same fundamental need for God's grace. How does this perspective influence your interactions with others who are at different stages in their faith journey? [12:06]

Sermon Clips

"Bethany refers to Romans 5:10, that's a good place to start 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. So she's right to conclude that before conversion, whatever age before faith in Christ, we needed to be reconciled to God because we were his enemies." [00:02:29]

"The basic issue we face is are we going to learn our true condition before Christ and outside Christ from our memory and our experience, or are we going to learn it from the word of God? Are we going to feel it because it's in the word of God and the spirit applies to us, or we're going to try to Drudge up some memory that may not exist at all?" [00:01:47]

"Reconciliation has to go both ways both directions in order for us to have peace with God. He's angry at her and me and everybody because of our sin and we don't like him. That's our part, we don't like him, we consider him an intrusion Upon Our self-determination and our self-exaltation. That's our enmity toward him." [00:04:03]

"God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. So before the problem of our enmity toward God is overcome while we were still his enemies, God does what must be done in order to remove his enmity toward us by sending Christ. This is what must be done, he sends his son Christ who Bears our punishment so that we might be forgiven and Justified." [00:05:25]

"Bethany is only different in degree from the person who was saved at age 35, having had illicit sex over and over, been in jail, done drugs and every other manner of evil you can think of. She's only different in degree as to whether she or that person could feel enmity toward God." [00:06:47]

"You can only know the root of your condition outside Christ by learning it from the Bible. God must reveal to us the nature and the depth of our corruption and our sinfulness and our enmity to God. Experience can only take us so far but not far enough." [00:07:39]

"I immerse myself in what God says I was What God Says I would be outside Christ. I make the Touchstone of my identity outside Christ God's word, not my memory. For example, here's what I preach to myself Romans 3:9 both Jews and Greeks are under sin as it is written none is righteous no not one no one understands no one seeks for God." [00:09:30]

"Sin is exchanging God for the treasures I prefer rather than God. I prefer to eat of the tree of the Garden of Eden. I prefer my way toward money, my way toward power, my way toward Fame, my way towards sex and God is in the way. I don't like it, I want him out of the way, I want to do what I want to do." [00:10:33]

"The mind of the flesh is hostile to God, it does not submit to God's law indeed it cannot and that word cannot is crucial. My condition apart from Sovereign Grace God's work in my life is not just that I don't please God or even that I don't want to please God but that my not wanting to please God is so deep I cannot please God." [00:11:29]

"We're All in This Together whoever we are as Christians we are all seeking to know who God is what Grace is and who we were and would be without him and what we are by grace and we can only know these things rightly deeply not because of our memory or our experience but because of God's word." [00:12:06]

"You can only know the root of your condition outside of Christ by learning it from the Bible in quote specifically in Romans a book that answers some of the most important questions we have about our own lives." [00:12:38]

"Our present rejoicing is a hoping Joy an anticipating Joy a Desiring joy for something to come something we don't have yet in hand a hope in future Glory that sustains our present Joy right now." [00:13:28]

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