Romans: WEEKEND RECHARGE!

October 4, 2025

Monday, September 29—Romans 7:1-6
Tuesday, September 30—Romans 7:7-13
Wednesday, October 1—Romans 7:14-25
Thursday, October 2—Romans 8:1-11
Friday, October 3—Romans 8:12-17 

THIS WEEK’S DAILY DEVO OVERVIEW: ROMANS 7:1—8:17

Romans 7:1-6: Released to Belong

• Just as physical death ends a legal obligation (like marriage), our death with Christ ends the legal grip of the law (Rom. 7:1-3).
  
  
• We died with Christ so that we can belong to him and bear fruit for God. Our new identity in Christ produces genuine fruit—righteousness, obedience, and Spirit-empowered living (Rom. 7:4).
  
  
• The law stirred rebellion because our sinful nature resists restraint, but the Spirit brings about transformation (Rom. 7:5-6). 

Romans 7:7-13: Exposed by the Law

• The law reveals sin, but it is not sin itself. Our sinful nature reacts to the law with rebellion—not because the law is bad, but because we are (Rom. 7:7-8).
  
  
• Sin hijacks what is holy. It manipulates even holy things for evil purposes. What was meant to bring life (God’s righteous standard), instead, exposes death (Rom. 7:9-11).
  
  
• The law is holy, righteous, and good—it reveals how deeply broken we truly are. The law highlights our need for a Savior (Rom. 7:12-13).

Romans 7:14-25: New Me vs. Old Me

• Paul affirms the goodness of the law but emphasizes a deeper issue: our sinful nature. As believers, our flesh still responds to the old master, even though we are no longer under Satan’s control (Rom. 7:14-17). 
  
  
• Paul describes the painful tension every believer faces: wanting to do right but falling short. This isn’t a failure of intention — it’s the reality of inner conflict between the new nature and the old one (Rom. 7:18-23). 
  
  
• The battle is real, but victory is already ours — not because we win it, but because Christ has already won it. Deliverance is found in a Person, not in performance (Rom. 7:24-25). 

Romans 8:1-11: Alive in Christ

• Through Jesus’ sacrifice, believers are completely freed from the penalty of sin. The law could not save, but Christ did—fulfilling its righteous requirement and empowering us to walk by the Spirit, not the flesh (Rom. 8:1-4). 
  
  
• The Spirit changes our worldview. A mindset centered on the Spirit brings life and peace, while a mindset focused on the flesh results in death and hostility toward God (Rom. 8:5-8). 
  
  
• The indwelling Holy Spirit is the mark of truly belonging to Christ. This same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead gives us spiritual life now and guarantees our resurrection life to come (Rom. 8:9-11).  

Romans 8:12-17: Our True Identity

• By the Spirit, we are called and empowered to put sin to death. True life is found not in indulging the flesh, but in following the Spirit (Rom. 8:12-13). 
  
  
• The Spirit doesn’t lead us into fear, but into close intimacy with God. We are adopted into God’s family and confidently cry out, “Abba! Father!” (Rom. 8:14-15).
  
  
• The Holy Spirit assures us that we are God’s children. With that identity, we inherit eternal life. Though we may suffer now, glory is our certain future (Rom. 8:16-17).

Here is the full poem by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, where he wrestles with questions and his identity while in a German prison. Even amid his doubts and uncertainties, he concludes with these powerful words: “Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am thine!”

WHO AM I?[1]
Who am I? They often tell me
I stepped from my cell’s confinement
calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
like a Squire from his country house.

Who am I? They often tell me
I used to speak to my warders
freely and friendly and clearly, 
as though it were mine to command. 

Who am I? They also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
equally, smilingly, proudly,
like one accustomed to win. 

Am I then really that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
Struggling for breath as though hands were 
compressing my throat,
yearning for colours, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
thirsting for words of kindness, for neighbourliness, 
tossing in expectation of great events,
powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
faint, and ready to say farewell to it all.

Who am I? This or the Other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
and before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army
fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?

Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am thine!

Zoom Call: We’re excited to invite you to a special Zoom call on Monday, October 6, 2025 at 7:00 PM as we come together to reflect on what we’ve learned in our study of John and take a midpoint review of the book of Romans. The link to join the call will be found in the October 6 Daily Devotion email.