3-Day Bible Reading Plan: “The Spiritual Warfare of Our Bodies”
The Apostle Paul talks about this corrupted aspect of ourselves in Romans 7:18-19 when he notes that there is part of him that wants to do good, but is often unable to carry it out. There is a part of him, what he calls his inner being, that wants to respond to God and do what is right, but there is another part of him, his flesh, or corrupted self that fights against him and keeps him from doing what is right. Unfortunately, we also aren’t ever free of that corrupted part of ourselves. There is part of it that is connected to our physical bodies that we will always have with us. - Pastor Daniel Johnson, 11/24/24
Day 1
Featured Verse: Romans 7:18-19 - “Nothing Good Dwells in Me”
Cross References:
Genesis 6:5 - “...Every Intention of the Thoughts of His Heart Was Only Evil Continually”
What does this verse reveal about the depth of human depravity, and how does it relate to the need for a Savior?
Jeremiah 17:9 - “The Heart is Deceitful…and Desperately Sick”
How does this verse challenge our understanding of the human heart, and what implications does it have for our relationship with God?
Romans 3:23 - “All Have Sinned and Fall Short of the Glory of God”
Using this verse as your reasoning, why is Jesus Christ the only way to God?
“Sin is a disease that pervades and runs through every part of our moral constitution and every faculty of our minds. The understanding, the affections, the reasoning powers, and the will are all more or less infected. Even the conscience is so blinded that it cannot be depended on as a sure guide, and it is as likely to lead people wrong as right, unless it is enlightened by the Holy Spirit. In summary, from the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness about us (Isaiah 1:6).” - J.C. Ryle
Day 2
Featured Verse: Romans 8:5-8 - “To Set the Mind On the Flesh is Death”
Cross References:
Galatians 6:8 - “The One Who Sows to His Own Flesh Will From the Flesh Reap Corruption”
If we reap what we sow, and we reap corruption by sowing to the flesh, what does this verse teach us about the nature of our flesh?
Hosea 8:7 - “For They Sow the Wind, and They Shall Reap the Whirlwind”
Take a minute to picture this metaphor. If the seed sown is wind, then what grows from that seed is a much bigger blast. What is meant by “reaping the whirlwind”?
1 Corinthians 2:14 - “...He is Not Able to Understand Them Because They Are Spiritually Discerned”
What does this verse tell us about our understanding of spiritual discernment and the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives? How is the spiritual world closer to the material world than we might think?
“Are we most wise for the world, or for our souls? Those that live in pleasure are dead (1 Timothy 5:6). A sanctified soul is a living soul; and that life is peace. The carnal mind is not only an enemy to God, but enmity itself.” - Matthew Henry
Day 3
Featured Verse: Romans 8:9-11 - “The Spirit is Life Because of Righteousness”
Cross References:
1 Corinthians 3:16 - “Do You Not Know That You Are God’s Temple and That God’s Spirit Dwells In You?”
How might this understanding of ourselves as God's temple impact the way we live our lives, particularly in terms of our thoughts, words, and actions?
2 Corinthians 6:16 - “What Agreement Has the Temple of God With Idols?”
How does this verse challenge our understanding of idolatry in modern culture? What are some modern idols people worship today?
1 Corinthians 6:19 - “You Are Not Your Own”
In what ways does this verse challenge your bodily autonomy head-on?
“We declare on scriptural authority that the human will is so desperately set on mischief, so depraved, so inclined to everything that is evil, and so disinclined to everything that is good, that without the powerful, supernatural, irresistible influence of the Holy Spirit, no human will ever be constrained toward Christ.” - Charles Spurgeon