Romans 8:1-5

There is therefore now, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for the Law of the spirit of life has set us free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.  For God did what the law, weakened by flesh could not do.  By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.  For those who walk according to the flesh set their minds on things of the flesh, but those who walk according to the Spirit set their minds on things of the Spirit.


I'm in the process of memorizing Romans 8 with a friend on Twitter.  He's doing a bit better than me as far as memorization, but it's still be great for several reasons.  One of the reasons is that memorizing the passage forces me to really think, spend time, meditate and study it.  This is because it's much easier for me, as I'm sure it is for other people, to memorize something I understand.  It's forced me to look at the passage as not a group of random verses stuck together, but as a coherent, continuous thought - as it was intended to be.

I'm not trying to start a new movement in Christianity, but I really get annoyed by verse numbers at times, because it my head, it breaks apart the passage.  They interrupt the flow of reading and make each verse seem like a separate thought.  With this passage, once I broke down verses 3 and 4, and understood them as one thought, (and with verse 3, understood what it was actually saying) it was MUCH easier for me to read, memorize, understand and appreciate!

Another reason this has been great is because, as the people who know me and/or follow me on Twitter know, I started a new job a few weeks ago that I'm not really crazy about.  (The job has gotten better, getting the hang of the work, as well as making a few friends.)  But memorizing the passage between calls (I work at a call center) has been great because it helps me focus on God, and thus, lifts my spirits up as I remember what He's done for me, and what I have to look forward to!  It's also sparked some great conversations as people ask me why I keep typing these huge paragraphs over and over again, and why I'm talking to myself!

I'm hoping to get in the habit of memorizing scripture on a regular basis.  After I'm done with this chapter, I'm hoping to eventually memorize parts of the book of Ephesians, or maybe even the whole thing!  (Very ambitious, I know!)

Lastly, I typed the beginning  portion (the verses themselves) without any aid from my Bible, or online tools, so if you see any mistakes point them out to me!