Romans 5 Choices

In Romans 5, we find a contrast between Adam’s child and God’s child.

One of my study Bibles (Life Application) lists this chart:

Adam’s Children God’s Children

Ruin 5:9 Rescue 5:8

Sin 5:12,15, 21 Righteousness 5:18

Death 5:12, 16, 21 Eternal Life 5:17, 21

Separation from God 5:18 Relationship with God 5:11, 19

Disobedience 5:12, 19 Obedience 5:19

Judgment 5:18 Deliverance 5:10, 11

Law 5:20 Grace 5:20

For your teaching purposes, this is valuable. Each student can see a clear picture of the difference God makes in life today and life eternal.

How might you use this teaching? Consider using the contrasts for study in critical thinking and in drawing conclusions. Choose any one word. Read the appropriate Scripture and talk about meaning, contrast and application. But above all, use this study in worship. This gives a clear teaching in God’s promised goodness and security.

Failure — Do you fear it?

Right now that’s what you may be feeling:

- Your marriage is not giving the world a picture of Christ and the church. OR

- Your older children have walked away from what you perceive to be God’s way. OR

- Your family seems to live in chaos. OR

- You are tired of being the only one who seems to care what happens in your family. OR

- Failure — you just are!

Please consider these ideas:

1) Pray. Really pray. Come to see prayer as a powerful link to answers, including joy and peace.

2) Develop a prayer warrior team. Share only generalities. Ask them to pray believing.

3) Realize that when all looks lost God is right there in the midst doing what He sees best. Keep reminding yourself of this.

4) Admit your powerlessness. Call on the power that indwells you to do what must be done, because you simply can’t.

5) Thank God for trusting you with such difficult kingdom work.

6) Each day surrender your burden to God and rejoice in what He is doing, even if you can’t see what He is doing.

7) Use your experience to warn and train others.

Conclude that you cannot be a failure unless you absolutely refuse to turn to God and His ways. You can train a child, but the child must choose to receive the training. Others among your relationships are responsible to choose God’s way. Your own heart is the one you can search. (Psalm 139:23-24)

Teaching Methods

We are always looking for ways to teach that fit with who we are in Christ. Consider this foundation for teaching methods: focus on connecting each student in each area of study to God — and seeing that as the learning goal. For example:

• When you have met with a great math success and have shouted your joys, pause and say, “God trusted you with this math step.” OR “Wow, we sure make a team — all 3 of us!” • When reading aloud as a family and only part of the family is appreciating the reading, comment: “Do you notice we are all one family but have different interests? Why is that, do you think?”

• When facing a schedule interruption that is unfortunate or serious, think: “I’m glad we are not alone.” Pause and pray. Perhaps there will be some weeping. Connect these feelings to purpose and Godliness: “I feel such a cleansing after tears.” OR “We all feel closer to each other and to God. I wonder how He does that?”

• Everything is in a jumble from dirty dishes to dirty clothes to dirty house. Pause. Draw everyone in. Give assignments. Admit: “I certainly wouldn’t know the next step through this mess except I can trust God’s own Spirit to direct me to the order that reflects Him.” • You are teaching history, even at the High School level, and you come to a point of war or other difficult circumstances and ask: “Why would God not just step in and solve this mess? Is His power limited? Does he not care?” Take a few minutes and show God’s good plan for man to have free will and to have the opportunity (Gospel) to bring that will into submission. Maybe discuss how God is still restraining evil. • Through the teaching of science, walks through nature, weather situations—use these to declare regularly God’s greatness. Avoid repetitive trite phrases that cloud true meaning of His glorious being. Isaiah 40:12-31 shows God is immense. But consider one example: Measuring the waters in the hollow of His hand. Who can picture a hand that big — so great is our God. (From Day 4 of Jerry Bridges’, I Exalt You, O God.) • “I’ve used this curriculum before and all of my other kids understood it. Now it isn’t working.” Before trying many other curricula, talking to myriads of other moms, think: “the Gospel.” Before I make my next move I want to saturate myself in the love Jesus has for me and my student. I do not want to lose the focus of knowing Jesus, as Savior, Redeemer, Rescuer. I may comment to my student, “God shows His love for us in making us unique. It’s always for a good purpose for me —and for Him.” Then set goals for what really needs to be understood in this course and teach toward those goals.

Championship Christian Education

You are delighted to be seeing evidence of this philosophy of education at work in your home which serves as your school. You understand that:

• You are dependent. While you are tempted to depend on excellent curriculum, you know that falls short to your need to depend on God’s Spirit, given to you for the express purpose of keeping you on the path of righteousness.

• Both the student and the teacher will respond wrong, talk nastily or show anger. But you are prepared for those moments because you understand the value of the Gospel, showing Jesus as Redeemer for this situation.

• Moments of review in lessons are moments well spent when individualized to the need of the precious (God’s image) student.

•Your students will not be interested or gifted in the same things because God is the only Creator and creates for His own purposes. Therefore you joyfully teach, illustrate, reteach and change assignments to agree with how God created each student.

These and other evidences show how you have embraced this philosophy. You now take a deep breath and move with gratitude to continue your journey of practicing Biblical teaching.

Love, Becky