Renew: Romans 8 With Timothy KellerSample

Confident Christianity

Christians can be confident people—but not in ourselves, or in our circumstances. In the last part of chapter eight, Paul shows us the way to deep, unshakable confidence.

Where Confidence Is

• What does Paul say “we know” (v 28)?
• What people is this answer true for, according to verse 28?

Christians are not shocked by the tragedies and hardness of life—we don’t expect things naturally to work for good. When something works out for good, it is all and only because of God’s grace, working for us, his children, who love him. When something goes “wrong,” we still know with absolute certainty that God is working good for us.

This means we are positive about life, but we’re not saccharine or unrealistic about it.

Apply

• How does verse 28 give us confidence in… good times? Bad times? Times of failing?
• How do you particularly need to remember that verse 28 is true today?
• How could it cause you to rejoice over an aspect of your life that you would instinctively only grieve or grow anxious about?

What Good Is

• How do these verses lay out God’s ultimate purpose in history?
• What do you think each word in verse 30 means?
• What is God working to “conform” (or shape) us into (v 29)? How does this tell us what our ultimate “good” (v 28) truly is?
• Can you think of a hard time in your life when things went “wrong,” but which, as you look back, you can see that God used to make you more like his Son?

Verse 30 is breathtaking. God foreknew his people—before the beginning of time, he knew us in a relational, loving sense. He set our destination, planning for us to be with him in glory. Then, at a particular point in time he called us to have faith in him. As we believed, he justified us—declared and treated us as righteous and blameless. And one day, he will glorify us—make us perfect in body and soul. This lies ahead of us—but because it relies on God’s action, not ours, it is so certain that Paul speaks of it in the past tense, as though it has already happened.

Pray

Use each clause in each verse we’ve looked at to fuel your thanks to God for what he has done, is doing, and will do, for you.

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