Romans, part one

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to present Romans 8 during a Holiness meeting as the Scripture basis for the message. To prepare for this undertaking, I tried to get a gestalt of the first seven chapters in order to better understand the message of chapter 8. My notes are a little discombobulated, so please be patient if my ramblings don't quite make sense. I promise, there was a point behind all of them.

At the start of the letter, Paul chooses in his intro to make declarative statements about who the Roman believers are, so that anyone reading would not misinterpret what they believe and with whom they aligned themselves. They are a part of an epic story of LOVE and POWER that holds heavy ramifications throughout the ages. Paul takes a moment to let them in on the knowledge of their effectiveness as believers throughout a wide geographical region, before he reveals his prayers for them. And as we know from the book of James, the prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective.

As I kept reading, this is what I understood:
We have an instinctual knowledge of right and wrong as the result of sin, and God's anger at sin remains. Along with this knowledge, being created in the image of God gives us a propensity towards seeing His fingerprints on the world around us. Therefore, we know right and wrong, and we KNOW God, so we are in no way cleared from the guilt that accompanies sin (before forgiveness). One aspect of wickedness is not separate from the other aspects - one sin is not on a different level from another; if a little sin is there, you are sinful, and other sins and lies to deceive your heart will come after the first like a flood. When you're not focusing on the true nature of god, your thoughts and actions become the opposite of His will. God's calling for you is derived from His character. KNOW JESUS.