From Dead to Alive: Romans 6–12 and the Power of Grace

Join Pastor Steve Lennart on the Guardians of Grace podcast for a deep, story-like journey through Romans 6–12—an adventure that begins with the familiar struggle of wanting to do good but falling short, and ends with a startling revelation: God doesn’t only tell us what to be—He supplies the life to become it. Through a storyteller’s lens, Steve traces Paul’s language from being "under law" to living "under grace," from the cry of "Who will deliver me?" to the triumphant answer in the Spirit. As the narrative unfolds, the abstract doctrines of mercy, renewal, and deliverance become living scenes: a fallen body presented as a living sacrifice, a mind slowly exchanged from the human nature to the mind of Christ, and a hidden power that turns private renewal into public blessing. Hear the tension of Romans 7—the frustrated will—and the turning point of Romans 8, where the Spirit becomes the source of life and peace. Then watch the story widen in Romans 12: transformation moves from inward renewal to outward action: humility, hospitality, forgiveness, and community shaped by grace. Theoretical teaching blossoms into vivid encounters—neighbors finding mercy instead of retaliation, families discovering patience, churches becoming safe places of restoration. Steve weaves scripture and pastoral warmth into a compelling narrative that refuses to let grace be only a post-failure pardon. Instead, grace is portrayed as a new realm, a living atmosphere in which we are constantly invited to come boldly for mercy and help in every moment of need—anger, fear, temptation, weariness, and relational pain. This episode reads like a map and a testimony: a map through Paul’s varied metaphors—alive from the dead, delivered, walking by the Spirit, renewed by the Holy Spirit—and a testimony to what happens when God’s supplied life shows up among people. It’s practical, pastoral, and prophetic: grace changes how we treat enemies, how we serve, and how communities become safer and more loving. Whether you feel stuck in an old pattern or hungry for a fresh dependence on God, this episode invites you to experience the new covenant as a story you are living within—not a list to follow. Listen as Pastor Steve calls you to stop striving from human resources and to begin depending on the Spirit so that Christ’s character can be seen and felt by everyone around you. Come for the theology, stay for the hope: a transformed mind, a life supplied by mercy, and a people through whom God’s goodness becomes visible. Let this episode guide you from knowledge to reliance, from trying harder to living by the Spirit—so your life can bless others and bring glory to God.