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FROM THE PASTOR'S STUDY

Topic: Message Outlines: Chapter 8 (Include Audio)

Romans 8:17-25 (8)

by Darrel Cline
(darrelcline biblical-thinking.org)

Chapter # 8 Paragraph # 3 Study # 8
December 4, 2007
Lincolnton, N.C.
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(364)

Thesis:   Hope's impact is limited to its ability to address the reasons for groaning.

[We groan over sins' illegitimate impacts; Hope keeps the sins from being "ours".]

Introduction:   In our study last week we looked into the fact that "hope" has been introduced into our experience of the "futility" to which the entire creation has been subjected. That "futility" consists of the inability of any of Sin's procedures to actually produce the results that are sought at the level of ultimate objectives. The only thing that can produce the final objective(s) is a Love-driven Truth. Any action taken that is divorced from Love or Truth will result in the defeat of the reason that the action was taken in the first place.

Though this is true, we do need to keep in mind that God did not subject the creation to "futility" as an act of "futility". In other words, God brings benefit out of futility even while He maintains the "futility" of the "futility". In a kind of "back door" approach, God can use Sin to teach us to not sin. In this sense, He uses Sin against itself.

This evening we are going to pursue the issue of Paul's introduction of "hope" into our experience of the universal futility. It is apparently obvious that this "hope" does not quench what Paul calls the "groaning" of both "all of creation" and "every believer". It is into this "obviousness" that we step in our study this evening with this question: If hope does not keep groaning at bay, what is its purpose?


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This is article #365.
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