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Romans Introduction | Robert H. Mounce · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome back to the deep dive sound of brief audio segment
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Reformed Thinking. Today we're tackling a really
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significant text, the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans.
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We're going to be digging into the theology, sure, but also the
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historical background, the why behind it and what it means
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practically. We're drawing from academic work
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commentaries, getting a full picture.
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That's the plan. Roman isn't just another letter.
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Our sources really frame it as Paul's most systematic
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presentation of the gospel, specifically that core doctrine
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of justification by faith, how God makes us write with him.
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And not just the doctrine, but the results, right?
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Yeah. What that means for how
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Christians should live, especially together.
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Yes, the consequences. If we can sort of grasp the
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structure Paul uses, the deliberate way he builds his
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case, it gives us a really clearview of the gospel message
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he preached. OK, so let's start with the
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basics. Context.
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This letter feels so theological, so massive, we
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might forget it came from a real person in a real place, at a
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specific time. So where was Paul when he put
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this together? Well, the scholarly agreement on
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this is actually quite strong. The evidence really points to
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Corinth or possibly it's court city nearby San Korea over in
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Greece. OK, Corinth, And when was this?
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Paul wrote Romans near the end of his third missionary trip.
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We know from Acts he spent about 3 months in Greece just before
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he headed to Jerusalem with the collection.
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For the believers there, that three month window seems to be
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the time. Right.
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And the letter itself, it seems, has clues baked into it.
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Chapter 16 is often just seen as a list of names, but it actually
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helps pin down the location. It really does.
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If you look closely at those greetings, they're not just
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random shout outs. First, Paul commends Phoebe.
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Oh, yes, he calls her servant or diakonos of the church right
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there in Saint Crea. That's the eastern port for
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Corinth. Now for her to be the one
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carrying this letter to Rome, well, it makes sense.
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She's from the place where it was written.
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OK. That connects it to the Corinth
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area. What else?
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Then there's Gaius. Paul sends greetings from Gaius,
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calling him his host and actually the host of the whole
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church there. This Gaius, we've met him
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before. Probably our sources connect him
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to the Gaius Paul mentioned baptizing back in his first
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letter to the Corinthians. So if he's the same guy, he's a
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known established figure in Corinth, which makes sense for
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him hosting Paul during this period.
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Makes sense, but wasn't there one really specific detail?
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Something about a city official. Yes, Erastus.
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That's maybe the most concrete link.
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Paul mentions Erastus, calling him the city's director of
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public works or treasure, depending on the translation.
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OK And significantly, archaeologists actually found an
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inscription in Corinth from that era mentioning an Erastus who
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held a similar public office, an E dial responsible for public
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buildings. Wow, so that really ties it to
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Corinth specifically. These aren't just casual hellos,
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they're like geographical markers.
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Pretty much they help place the letter quite firmly.
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And this level of detail also helps us figure out when it was
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written, doesn't it? Puts it on Paul's timeline.
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Yes, we can narrow it down pretty well.
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Probably around 8056. We sort of triangulate using
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other known dates. The Gallio and Corinth.
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Right, we know Gallio was pro consul there around 805054 from
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Acts. Romans comes after Paul's main
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work in Corinth but before he goes to Jerusalem and gets
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arrested under Felix which is usually dated around 8059.
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So that three month stay in Greece around 8056 fits nicely.
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So mid 50s AD Paul's ministry is really mature at this point.
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He's consolidating things in the east before looking West.
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Exactly, which ties into why he wrote the letter.
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But before we get there, there's another detail about how it was
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produced. Paul didn't physically write it
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himself. Right used to describe an
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amanuensis that was common. Back it was, and we even know
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his name, Tertius. He actually pops in a personal
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greeting in Romans 16.22. I, Tertius, who wrote down this
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letter, greet you and the Lord. Which is fascinating, yeah.
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But this role of scribe, it could mean different things.
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Couldn't. It could, and emanuensis might
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just take dictation word for word in longhand, or they might
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use shorthand tachography, which was a skill.
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Or maybe they just got the main ideas, the gist, and then wrote
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the letter more freely using their own style.
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That's a possibility discussed by scholars.
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You know, maybe for a simple note, but for Romans, given how
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incredibly structured and theologically dense it is.
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You think Paul kept tight control?
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The consensus is yes, very tight control.
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The style, the vocabulary, the specific way Paul argues it
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aligns so closely with his other major letters like Galatians or
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First Corinthians, it seems highly unlikely he'd let Tertius
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just draft it based on a few bullet points.
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So Paul was likely dictating carefully.
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Maybe Tertius used shorthand, maybe not.
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But the final wording was Paul's.
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This wasn't just a casual letter, it was a carefully
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constructed theological statement.
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Absolutely. Think about the flow, especially
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in the early chapters, the back and forth, the rhetorical
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questions. It feels like a carefully
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dictated argument, like he's building a legal case.
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The precision matters too much. OK, so that brings us to the big
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question. Why?
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Why write this? It's incredibly detailed,
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systematic explanation of the Gospel to a church in Rome, a
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church he hadn't even founded or visited yet.
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It's clearly more than just saying hello.
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It was definitely strategic, multi layered really.
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First, the immediate reason he was planning to visit Rome soon.
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He wanted them to understand his gospel before he got there.
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Lay the groundwork. OK, preparation for a visit.
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But there was a bigger vision, wasn't there?
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Something beyond Rome itself. Yes, Spain.
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Paul saw Rome not as the final destination, but as a launching
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pad for mission work further W into Spain.
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So Rome was meant to be his new base of operations, kind of like
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Antioch had been for his earlier work in the East.
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That seems to be the idea. And for that he needed their
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support, practical support, financial backing.
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Remember, he asked them to assist me on my journey there in
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Chapter 15. So to get that support, they
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needed to be fully on board with his theology, with the message
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he was preaching. Precisely if they had serious
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disagreements with his understanding standing of the
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gospel, why would they fund his next big venture?
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So laying out his gospel clearly was crucial for securing that
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Roman partnership for Spain. And this need for clarity
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connects to another issue Paul often faced, right People
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questing his message. Yes, definitely.
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He knew all too well think about the troubles in Galatia or even
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Corinth, that opponents could distort his teaching, especially
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his teaching on justification by faith and freedom from the law.
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Accusing him of promoting lawlessness, perhaps?
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That was a common charge. So by writing Romans, he's
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giving the Roman church a full authoritative statement of his
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gospel. It's like a pre emptive defense
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against misunderstandings or deliberate distortions that
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might arise later. Protect the message in his
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future home base. So it's both promotional for the
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Spain mission and protected for the Gospel itself.
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This led him to write such a systematic peace.
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Right. He aimed to set forth the
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doctrine of justification by faith and show its implications
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for how believers live. It's described as this
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magnificent presentation of the Gospel.
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And the structure itself seems designed to counter specific
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errors. Yes, it seems carefully built to
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guard against two opposite dangers that constantly threaten
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the church. Which are.
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On one hand, legalism. That's the idea.
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You can earn God's acceptance through your own efforts, by
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keeping the law, or through religious activities.
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Paul hits that hard in the first main section.
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Showing that righteousness comes by faith alone, apart from
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works. Correct, but then there's the
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opposite danger. Antinomianism.
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Basically anti law. This is the distortion that says
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OK, if we're saved by grace and free from the law's
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condemnation, then sin doesn't matter anymore.
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We can live however we want. Paul tackles that one head on
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later, doesn't he? Especially in Chapter 6.
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He does. He shows that true freedom in
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Christ doesn't lead to license, but to a new kind of service,
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service to righteousness. So Romans carefully navigates
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between these two errors, earning salvation versus
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cheapening grace. And there's another major
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theological knot he has to untangle, particularly relevant
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for a church with both Jewish and Gentile believers.
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The whole question about Israel. That was huge.
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Chapters 910 and 11 are dedicated to it.
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How could God be righteous and faithful to his promises if it
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looked like his chosen people, Israel, had largely rejected the
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Messiah and were being set aside?
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A major source of tension, you'd imagine.
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No doubt Paul had to show God's plan hadn't failed, that his
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promises were still good, that there was a remnant, and that
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even Israel's partial hardening had a purpose in bringing
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salvation to the Gentiles. Reconciling God's sovereignty
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and faithfulness was key for unity in Rome.
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OK, one last potential reason, maybe a more sobering one.
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Paul knew he was heading into danger in Jerusalem, didn't he?
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He did. He mentions warnings from the
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Spirit about prison and hardships waiting for him.
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So there's a plausible view that Romans might also have been, in
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a sense, his theological last will and testament.
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Meaning if he didn't make it through Jerusalem, if he was
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imprisoned or worse, this letter would ensure the Roman church
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had the definitive statement of his gospel.
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They'd have the blueprint to carry on the mission, maybe even
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the Spain mission without him. A legacy document.
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That adds another layer of gravity to it.
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So let's look at the argument itself.
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The structure is quite logical. He starts by showing why
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everyone needs God's righteousness.
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He has to establish the problem before offering the solution.
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So Romans one point eighting all the way to 3.20 is about the
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universal sinfulness of humanity, the hopeless
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condition, as one source put it, of people apart from God.
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He starts with the gentiles, the non Jewish world.
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What's his argument there? His point is there without
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excuse. Why?
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Because God has made basic truths about Himself, His
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eternal power, His divine nature, plain to see in the
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created world. Natural revelation.
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So ignorance isn't the issue. No.
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Paul says the problem is suppression.
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They know the truth at some level, but they actively
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suppress it because of unrighteousness.
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They exchanged the truth about God for lies and worship created
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things rather than the Creator. Then he turns the attention to
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the Jewish people, anticipating they might feel superior because
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they have the law. Right.
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But he argues, having the law doesn't automatically make one
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righteous. In fact, he shows that they,
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too, have failed to keep the law.
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The conclusion is blunt. Everyone, Jew and Gentile alike,
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is under the power of sin. All have sinned and fall short
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of God's glory. So the core problem isn't just
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specific bad actions, but a fundamental rebellion against
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God. That's the root rebellion
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against his truth and authority. And the law, Paul argues,
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actually serves to expose the sin, to show how serious the
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offenses, rather than providing a path to righteousness through
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human effort. And this universal rebellion,
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this sinfulness, provokes a reaction from God.
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Yes, God's wrath, Paul says. God's wrath is being revealed
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from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of
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people. How is this wrath revealed?
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Is it just about future judgment?
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It includes future eschatological judgment,
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definitely, but Paul speaks of it in the present tense too.
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Our sources highlight this present aspect, particularly in
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that shilling phrase repeated 3 times in Chapter 1.
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God gave them over. Exactly.
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God gave them over to sexual impurity, then God gave them
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over to shameful lusts, and finally God gave them over to a
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depraved mind. It sounds like, yeah, God,
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stepping back, letting people have what they insisted on
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choosing. That's a good way to put it.
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It's a form of judicial abandonment.
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God removes his restraining grace and allows people to
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plunge deeper into the consequences of their own sinful
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choices. It's a terrifying form of
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present judgement, confirming God's holiness and his
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opposition to sin. Wow.
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OK, so if everyone is condemned, Jew and Gentile alike, and
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facing God's righteous wrath, that sets the stage perfectly
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for the central question. How can anyone be made right
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with this holy guy? And that brings us right to the
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heart of Romans, specifically the passage from 3.21 to 3.26.
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This is the core statement. This is where he introduces
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God's solution. Yes, he says.
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But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been
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made known. This righteousness comes from
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God. It's not achieved by us.
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It's available completely separate from trying to keep the
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law. So it's unearned, totally
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unearned. No amount of effort or religious
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practice can secure it. Absolutely not.
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It has to be received purely as a gift through faith in Jesus
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Christ. And this is where that term
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justification comes in. It's crucial to understand what
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it means and maybe what it doesn't mean.
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It's about our standing, right? Fundamentally, has justification
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is a legal term. It's God acting as the righteous
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judge, declaring A believing Sinner righteous in his sight.
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It's an acquittal. He bestows A righteous status on
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us. So it's a declaration, not
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necessarily an immediate internal change.
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Change. Yeah, that comes later.
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Correct. It's crucial to distinguish
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justification from sanctification.
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Justification is the instantaneous declaration of
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righteous status based on Christ's work received by faith.
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Sanctification is the ongoing, lifelong process where God works
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in us to make us actually progressively more holy.
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Justification is the foundation. Paul uses some powerful
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metaphors to help us grasp what God does and justification
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concepts drawn from everyday life back then.
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Yes, he uses at least three key ones.
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The 1st, as we said, is justification itself from the
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Law Court being declared righteous, acquitted of the
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penalty of sin. OK, the legal metaphor.
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What's the second? Redemption.
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This comes from the marketplace, specifically the slave market,
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Paul says. We are justified through the
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redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
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Redemption means being bought back, freed from slavery by the
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payment of a ransom. So Christ's death is the ransom
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price that frees us from slavery to sin.
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That's the picture. We're freed from sin's dominion
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because the price has been paid. And the third metaphor, this one
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seems really loaded theologically.
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Atonement. Sacrifice.
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Yes, this centers on the Greek word hill Historian.
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Paul says God presented Christ as a hill historian.
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This word is used in the Greek Old Testament for the mercy
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Seat, the lid of the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple's most
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holy place. Place where the high priest
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sprinkled blood on the Day of Atonement.
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Right. So by calling Christ the hill
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historian, Paul is identifying him as the ultimate place where
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God's wrath against sin is dealt with and where reconciliation
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between God and humanity happens.
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And this sacrifice, Christ's death, achieves 2 things at
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once. Our sources talk about expiation
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and propitiation. Yes, and it's important to get
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both. Expiation means the covering or
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removal of our sins, dealing with our guilt.
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But propitiation is about satisfying God's righteous
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anger, His wrath against sin. So Christ's death doesn't just
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wipe the slate clean for us, it also satisfies God's own
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justice. It has to For God to remain
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just, sin must be punished. Propitiation means Christ's
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sacrifice fully absorbed the wrath that we deserved.
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This allows God to be, as Paul says, both just and the one who
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justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
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He upholds His justice while forgiving sinners.
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That's incredibly dense. So after laying out this
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theology of justification by faith through Christ's
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sacrifice, Paul knows he needs proof, right?
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An example everyone would recognize.
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He immediately turns to Abraham. He anticipates the objection.
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What about Abraham, the father of her faith?
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Surely he was righteous because of his works.
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Maybe circumcision? How does Paul counter that?
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He goes straight to Genesis 15.6.
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Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as
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righteousness. The key, Paul argues, is the
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timing. When did this happen?
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Paul asked directly, was Abraham credited with righteousness
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before or after he was circumcised?
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The answer from Genesis is clear.
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It was before years before. So Abraham was declared
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righteous while he was technically still a Gentile in
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terms of the sign of the covenant.
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Effectively, yes, and long before the Law of Moses was
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given. This demolishes the argument
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that righteousness depends on works of the law or ritual
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observance like circumcision. It makes Abraham the father of
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faith, for whom? For all who believe, Paul says,
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whether they are circumcised Jewish believers or
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uncircumcised Gentile believers, faith is the common ground, the
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sole basis for justification. Abraham proves the case.
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OK, so Paul has systematically dismantled legalism, the idea of
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earning salvation. But now he has to pivot and deal
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with that other danger, antinomianism.
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If we're justified so freely by grace through faith alone, does
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that mean our behavior doesn't matter anymore?
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Can we just keep sinning? That's the logical, though
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perverse question. He anticipates, Shall we go on
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sending so that grace may increase?
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And his response is immediate and forceful.
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By no means may it never be. It's the strongest possible
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rejection. He then asks how can we who died
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to sin live in it any longer? Died to sin?
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What does that mean? How does that happen?
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Paul connects it directly to our union with Christ, often
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symbolized in baptism. Through faith, we are united
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with Christ in his death. We have died to the ruling power
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of sin. So sin doesn't have ultimate
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authority over us anymore. It's reign is broken.
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It's absolute control is shattered.
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Now Paul is realistic. The struggle with sin continues.
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The sinful nature is still present, but the believer is no
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longer helplessly enslaved. We've been raised with Christ to
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walk in a newness of life. So the reality of our union with
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Christ's death and resurrection is the basis for resisting sin.
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It's the theological foundation, yes.
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And this leads to his other main point in Chapter 6, the change
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of allegiance or master. Right.
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We're either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness.
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Exactly. Being set free from sin doesn't
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mean we're autonomous, free to do anything.
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It means we've become slaves to righteousness or slaves to God.
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We've exchanged A cruel master for a loving and liberating one.
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Freedom from the law's condemnation doesn't mean
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freedom from the obligation to live righteously.
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OK, but how? If the old nature is still
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there, how do we actually win this battle?
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How do we live as slaves to righteousness?
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Is it just greeting our teeth and trying harder?
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No, and that's the crucial transition into Romans 7 and
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especially Romans 8. The power comes from the Holy
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Spirit. Romans 8.
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Many consider this the high point of the letter, maybe the
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whole New Testament. It's all about the Spirit, its
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work it. Absolutely is.
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Our sources note the word NUMA spirit appears something like 21
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times just in this one chapter. It underscores that the
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Christian life is a spirit empowered life.
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And Paul contrasts 2 operating principles here, doesn't he?
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2 laws. Yes, he talks about the law of
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sin and death. That's the old cycle described
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in Chapter 7. Knowing what's right, but being
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unable to do it consistently in our own strength, leading to
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frustration and condemnation. But there's a new law.
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The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus the indwelling Holy
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Spirit provides the power to break free from that old cycle.
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Why? Because what the Law couldn't do
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because of our weakness, God did.
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By sending his Son, Christ condemned sin in the flesh and
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fulfilled the Law's righteous requirements for us and.
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Because he did that, this leads to that incredible declaration
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of the start of chapter 8. Romans 8.1 Therefore there is
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now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
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No condemnation. That's the objective reality
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based on Christ's work and our justification.
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Absolutely. The legal verdict is not guilty.
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But the Spirit's work isn't just about our legal standing.
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He's also the one who empowers us now to live differently.
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How does that work practically? The spirit enables us to fulfill
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the righteous requirement of the law, not by focusing on the law
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itself, but by living according to the spirit.
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Our responsibility, Paul says, is to rely on the spirit to put
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to death the misdeeds of the body.
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Through his power, we actively cooperate with the spirits work
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within us. Romans 8 seems to broaden the
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view too, talking about suffering and hope and the
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security we have in Christ. It does.
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Paul acknowledges that suffering is part of this present life,
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even for believers, but he puts it in perspective against the
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future glory. He even speaks of the whole
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creation groaning, waiting for its liberation alongside ours.
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And he assures us we're not alone in our struggles.
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Not at all. We have the Spirit helping us in
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our weakness. When we don't even know what to
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pray for. The Spirit himself intercedes
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for us with groans that words cannot express.
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It's a picture of deep divine assistance.
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That leads into that incredibly comforting verse about God
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working things for our good. Romans 8.28 And we know that in
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all things God works for the good of those who love him, who
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have been called according to his purpose.
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But that good isn't just about things turning out nicely for us
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in this life, is it? It's tied to God's bigger plan.
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Yes, Paul immediately defines that good.
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He links it to God's eternal plan.
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For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to
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the image of His Son. The ultimate good God is working
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towards is our final transformation into Christ's
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likeness, our glorification. So the confidence isn't based on
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the circumstances themselves, but on God's sovereign purpose
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that cannot fail. Precisely which allows Paul to
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build that triumphant conclusion of the chapter.
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If God is for us, who can be against us?
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He goes through a list of potential threats, trouble,
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hardship, persecution, angels, demons, future powers, and
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declares that nothing will be able to separate us from the
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love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Absolute security. Wow.
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So having reached this peak of theological assurance,
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justification, life in the spirit, eternal security, Paul
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then shifts gears quite dramatically, doesn't he?
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He moves into very practical instructions starting in Chapter
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12. He does.
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The first word of chapter 12 is therefore it connects everything
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that follows directly back to the immense grace and mercy of
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God detailed in chapters one through 11.
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So the theology is the foundation for the ethics.
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It has to be because of justification, reconciliation,
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adoption, all these mercies of God.
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The only logical response, Paul says, is to offer ourselves
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completely to God. He's that phrase living
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sacrifice. What does that involve?
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Well, unlike the Old Testament sacrifices which were killed,
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this is a life offered an act of service to God, and key to this
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is resisting the pressures of the surrounding culture.
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Do not conform to the pattern of this world.
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Right. Don't let the world squeeze you
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into its mold, its values, its priorities, its ways of thinking
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and behaving. Instead, he says, be transformed
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by the renewing of your mind. So internal transformation leads
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to external nonconformity. Yes, so that we can discern and
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do God's will, which Paul describes as good, pleasing, and
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perfect. This renewal of the mind enables
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right living. And the specific instructions
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that follow in chapters 12 and 13 are very focused on
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relationships, aren't they? Especially within the church
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community. Very much so.
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Humility, using spiritual gifts to serve others, genuine love,
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hospitality, blessing persecutors, living in harmony.
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It's all intensely practical and community oriented.
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He sums it up by saying the only ongoing debt we have is to love
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one another. Yes, because he argues that Love
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Actually fulfills the intent of the law.
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If you truly love your neighbor, you won't murder them, commit
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adultery, steal from them, or covet their possessions.
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Love is the summary of our ethical duty.
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But communities always have friction points.
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Paul addresses one specific issue that was likely causing
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problems in Rome disagreements over nonessential matters, what
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theologians call a diophera. That's right, chapters 14 and
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into 15 deal with the weak and the strong in faith.
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This probably related to things like eating certain foods, maybe
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meat sacrifice to idols, or observing special Jewish holy
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days. So the strong were those whose
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conscience was clear. They felt free in Christ
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regarding these matters. Yes, they had a robust
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understanding of their freedom. The weak, on the other hand,
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were those whose conscience still bound them.
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Perhaps because of their background or incomplete
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understanding, they felt certain things were still wrong for
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them, even if not inherently sinful.
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And Paul's instruction isn't just the we can need to get.
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Stronger. No, his main burden is on the
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strong. He tells the strong they must
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not look down on the weak or crucially, use their freedom in
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a way that causes the weaker brother or sister to stumble, to
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violate their own conscience. So the principle is love over
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liberty. Absolutely.
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The strong must put up with the failings of the weak and not
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please themselves. They should limit their own
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freedom out of love to build up their fellow believer and
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maintain unity. The guiding rule isn't am I
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allowed to do this, but will this action harm my brother or
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sister? That's a challenging standard.
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Then in chapter 13 the focus shifts outwards to the
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Christians relationship with the government.
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Yes, quite abruptly, Paul lays down the principle that
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believers must submit to the governing authorities.
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Why? Because all authority has been
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established by God. Rulers are God's servants.
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For what purpose? To maintain order, punish
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wrongdoing and commend good conduct.
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So paying taxes, showing respect, obeying laws, these are
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presented as part of our Christian duty flowing out of
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our obligation to God who instituted government.
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But what about when the government commands something
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wrong or becomes tyrannical? The sources mention the need for
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careful thinking here. They did.
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While the default is submission, there's a higher principle seen
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elsewhere in Scripture and church history.
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We must obey God rather than human beings.
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When the state commands something that directly
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contradicts God's clear commands, like demanding
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idolatry or prohibiting the preaching of the gospel, then
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the Christians ultimate allegiance to God requires
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disobedience to the state in that specific matter.
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So submission is the norm, but not absolute if it forces direct
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disobedience to God. That's the historic
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understanding, but Paul's main point in Romans 13 is
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establishing the legitimacy of government and the Christians
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general duty towards it. And tying all these practical
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sections together, dealing with differences within the church
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relating to the state, what's the ultimate goal Paul is aiming
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for? Unity.
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He comes back to it strongly at the end of the practical
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section. He urges both the weak and the
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strong to accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted
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you in order to bring praise to God.
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The standard is Christ's acceptance of us.
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Yes, that radical, undeserved acceptance is the model for how
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believers, despite their differences on secondary
26:12
matters, should treat each other.
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The aim is harmony, unity so that together they can glorify
26:19
God. It ends with a call to put on
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the Lord Jesus Christ and rely on the Spirit, not our own
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fleshly desires. So we've traced the letter from
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its likely origin in Corinth, driven by Paul's strategic
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mission goals. Through its profound theological
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core, the universal need for righteousness, and God's
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provision through justification by faith in Christ.
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Explore the necessary result, life empowered by the Holy
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Spirit, freedom from condemnation and the call to
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holiness. And finally landed on the
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practical outworking, living as sacrifices, loving one another
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and navigating differences and relating to the world around us.
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It really is a comprehensive picture.
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It covers so much ground and thinking about the sources we
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used. You mentioned the commentary by
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Mounts. It's interesting to hear about
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his intention in writing it. Yes, he explicitly said his
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primary audience was pastors. He wanted to create something
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directly useful for sermon preparation, focusing on clarity
27:10
and practical application. And his method was quite
27:13
discipline, spending that first year just in the Greek text.
27:17
Right. He wanted to let Romans speak
27:19
for itself first, to grasp Paul's argument directly from
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the original language before diving into all the secondary
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scholarly debates. Which he then put mostly in the
27:28
footnotes. Yes, to keep the main commentary
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text focused and accessible for someone teaching the passage.
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His goal wasn't academic point scoring, but helping preachers
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communicate the message effectively.
27:40
And he summed up that message, his hope for the commentary,
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quite simply. He said he wanted to bring
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understanding to the believer and new life to those who are
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just learning that God accepts us not on the basis of our
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performance, but because Christ died for our sins, which really
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captures the essence of Romans itself.
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It does indeed. So a final thought for you to
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consider as we close. Romans 8.32 asks He who did not
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spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not
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also along with Him, graciously give us all things, if that God
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is actively working all things for your ultimate good?
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Perhaps the question isn't just about striving harder.
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Maybe it's about identifying what's striving, what anxiety,
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what self-reliance you release today, choosing instead to rest
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in the finished work of Christ and depend on the empowering
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spirit He has already given you. What would that look like in
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practice?