Ashley Davis - Inseparable: Who I Am, Was, and Will Be in Christ

2014 by Ashley Linne

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Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from The Voicetranslation. 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.*

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from THE ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION. 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Scriptures marked HCSB are from the HOLMAN CHRISTIAN STANDARD BIBLE. 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Broadman and Holman Publishers. All rights reserved.

Scriptures marked NASB are from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Scriptures marked NKJV are from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scriptures marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

* Note: Italics in quotations from The Voice are used to indicate words not directly tied to the dynamic translation of the original language but that bring out the nuance of the original, assist in completing ideas, and... provide readers with information that would have been obvious to the original audience (The Voice, preface). Emphasis in quotations from The Voice is indicated with the use of boldface type.

9781401680237

ISBN: 9781401680244 (eBook)

14 15 16 17 18 [RRD] 6 5 4 3 2 1

For Maddy.

... when you are joined with the Lord, you become one spirit with Him.

1 Corinthians 6:17

Contents

When I was a teen, a pastor once said, When you study the Bible, youre spending time getting to know a person, not just reading a book. His words impacted me greatly and made the prospect of studying the Bible that much more appealing, although at the time I didnt feel as though I had what I needed to really understand Gods Word. Throughout this book Im going to give you opportunities to dig into Scripture and use some tools to help you discover what God is saying. However, I believe there is so much value in simply reading Scripture and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to us. I know were all at different places along our journey, so dont be afraid to take things a few steps further if you want or to just interact with the suggestions provided. The point here is to love God more, and we do that by getting to know Him betterand we do that by getting to know His Word.

I use The Voice translation throughout and have added those scriptures to provide a more streamlined experience for you. I would suggest that you read the entire book of Romans in one sitting sometime this week in your favorite translation, but also consider reading through it in one sitting in The Voice for a fresh perspective. If reading it in one sitting seems a little intimidating, you can break it up and read two or three chapters at a time. If youve never read an entire chapter of the Bible, let alone an entire book, I promise it will change your life and be well worth the time you put into it! I pray that you will find the courage to give it a shot (see the appendix for a suggested Romans reading plan that will help you read the whole book in seven days). While we wont go through Romans verse by verse, the principles found in the book of Romans are foundational to this book, and I know you will appreciate getting the big picture by reading through it before we begin.

I n each chapter, we will discuss an aspect of our identity in Christ and then take a look at different characters in Scripture as examples of those aspects. Following the character studies, youll find an interactive portion of Scripture called Step into the Story. Finally, youll find Come Together discussion questions for you and a friend as you go through the book together.

If youve never studied the Bible before, I hope to guide you through Scripture in ways that are understandable and straightforward for you. But I also deeply desire for you to be able to read, study, and understand Scripture on your own. Our lives will change as we allow the Holy Spirit to bring the Word to life within us. The reality is that some of us dont have large amounts of uninterrupted time to read and study the Bible, so I want to encourage you to do what you can with what youve got right now. Maybe you only have a ten-minute commute on the train to sink into study, or just thirty minutes while the baby is napping. Or maybe youre on the other end of the spectrum; you find yourself with too much free time and want to spend several minutes or maybe an hour or two investing in something that has eternal value. Reading, studying, and living out Scripture is something we all can do. This isnt a competition to see who can memorize the most verses or spend the most hours in Bible study. That isnt what pleases God. What pleases God is our coming to Him in faith that He loves us and wants to interact with us. And I promise youeven a little bit of time spent in Gods Word can change your life. It may be just a very slight, almost unnoticeable change. But it will be change, and even the slightest adjustment in your walk with Him can set the course of your life.

This is what the Step into the Story sections will offer youopportunities to spend as much time as you can in Gods Word. Ill provide you with a portion of Romans that expounds the aspect of identity weve discussed in that chapter. This is where I will offer what I call fluid study elements, which look like this:

Prayer: Always start with prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Word as you read and to till the soil of your heart and prepare you for what He has in store. As you read, praying through Scripture and interacting with God about what He has said will change your lifeI promise! (For a great resource on how to pray through Scripture, check out Praying Gods Word by Beth Moore.)

Big Picture: Whenever possible, study what the entire Bible has to say. It takes more time that way, but getting the whole story is very important. I would recommend you read through the entire Bible at least once in your lifetime, if not once a year. There are dozens of great reading plans out there that can help you read through in just about any time period (check out the appendix for a good suggestion). Many Bibles have a cross-reference feature that will point you to other relevant passages of Scripture. Cross-referencing can be quite helpful in seeing how God speaks on a certain topic across the board. Being familiar with the grand narrative of the Bible will help you discern truth from error throughout life, and youll be able to connect the dots much more quickly as you study the Bible.