From Law to love – When Jesus rewrote the rules
The things we cling to
What incorrect belief have you clung to that you eventually realized was incorrect?
Coconut oil example.
The Jewish faith: Law-centric.
Examples of the Law and how they had been living:
–> Read Leviticus 11
–> Leviticus 19
We don’t follow these rules today as Christ-followers. But we still struggle with “rules”, we still tend to make them our emphasis. We do this personally and as a church.
Give/ask for examples of both.
Then Jesus came along
This was big, earth shattering news – the Law was no longer the thing. Jesus was. His grace and mercy and love covered us.
–> Matthew 5:17
This is the crux of the book of Romans.
Romans 1-4 : Inclusivity of Christ. Jew, Gentile, male, female, slave, or free, can earn our way into God’s favor. We all need the Savior and God’s grace.
Chapters 5-8 Putting our faith in Jesus. Chapter 8 – the great love and grace we experience when we surrender to Christ. How our ability to follow rules perfectly aren’t the thing, the fulcrum of our faith. Christ is at the center. His love and grace now is.
–> Romans 8:38-39
Looking ahead
In the weeks ahead, we’ll be diving more into this scripture, talking more in depth about each of the ways (angels nor demons, height nor depth, present nor the future, etc.) that we can never be separated from Christ’s love.
[Write weekly challenge in journal]
[Look through study Bibles, etc. and find context – who, what, where, when, why]