The Struggle is Real – Romans 7

Posted on September 16, 2023 by dkoop

This passage is an honest account of a person’s inner conflict with himself, one part of him pulling one direction and another part pulling the opposite. The conflict is real and it is intense.

But where does the law fit into all this? In this section, Paul shows that the law is powerless to save sinners (7:7-14) and law-keepers (7:15-22). Even a person with a new nature (7:23-25) experiences ongoing evidence of the law’s inability to motivate him or her toward good. The sinner is condemned by the law; the lawkeeper can’t live up to it; and the person with the new nature finds that his or her obedience to the law is sabotaged by the effects of the old nature. Once again, Paul declares that salvation cannot be found by obeying the law. No matter who we are, only Jesus Christ can set us free. Yet the law, because it is God’s law, is not then cast aside as useless. In the this chapter Paul grapples with the complexity of life under grace and the believer’s relationship to God’s law.

7:7 Is the law sin?NKJV Because the law arouses sin (7:5) and because we have been released from the law (7:6), does that mean the law is the same as sin? Paul again answers his own question, Certainly not!NKJV Instead, the law is both holy (7:12) and spiritual (7:14). The law itself is not sin, but it does tell us what sin is. Paul uses coveting (Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21) as an example—I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”NIV

Paul deliberately chose the last commandment as an example. That particular commandment was unique among the laws in the decalogue, and it obviously had a significant effect on Paul himself. The tenth commandment focuses entirely on our inward nature. At a superficial level, we may claim to have lived up to the first nine, but the last commandment

exposes our intentions with shameful clarity. Paul claims that no sooner had he discovered that commandment than “every kind of covetous desire” (7:8) assaulted him. His “sinful passions” (7:5) suddenly became clear. In telling him not to covet, the law had introduced Paul to the darkest desires. But still Paul could maintain his firm belief that God’s law itself was sinless. The bright light that revealed a world of filth was not itself evil for having done so. The end of the whole thing is that we arrive at an inward situation and not merely an outward one. Actually we break this last commandment, not to covet, before we break any of the others. Any time that we break one of the other commandments of God, it means that we have already broken this commandment, in coveting.

Francis Schaeffer

There are four major interpretations of the meaning of this section. All are ways of attempting to understand how Paul might have been using “I” in these verses. They also rise from difficulties in reconciling the picture that has emerged through history of Paul as a Christian superhero with the person revealed by these verses, who is experiencing deep and agonizing struggles with sin. The four main explanations are as follows:

  1. “I” is autobiographical, but most likely positioned in the past—Paul is recalling his childhood or pre conversion experiences. At the bar mitzvah ceremony, the Jewish child becomes responsible for keeping the law.
  2. “I” is Paul speaking for Adam at the fall in the Garden of Eden and identifying the universal human struggle with sin.
  3. “I” is Paul speaking for the Jewish nation and identifying the unique struggle with sin created for Jews by the presence of the law of God that was given on Mount Sinai.
  4. “I” is Paul speaking for every person’s experience under the law. Each interpretation finds some validity in the text, and none can be discounted outright. When they are compared to each other, we find that 2 and 4 are almost identical and that 1 and 3 could easily fit as subpoints under 2. Each, however, may give us some insight into the depth of human predicament under the law and under grace. But after each approach has been tried, the application question must still be asked: “In what ways is the ‘I’ me?” The Jewish law, a superficial adherence to the law, or nominal Christian life cannot deal with the force of our sinful desires. Only the lordship of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit can give us the victory.

7:8 Sin, seizing the opportunity.NIV “Opportunity” is the translation of a Greek word (aphormen) that was used as a military term—it denotes establishing a bridgehead as preparation for making an attack. Sin uses the law to get a point of attack against us. The commandment “Do not covet” doesn’t cause people to covet, but it arouses within them every kind of covetous desire.NIV Then sin (or our capacity to sin) seizes the opportunity that arises when the law gives a prohibition, but offers no method of resistance. Instead of reading the law as a warning, sin reads the law as a welcome. Prohibiting something often makes people want to do that very act. When those desires are acted upon, they are sinful.

Apart from the law sin lies dead.NRSV Without the law, sin goes unnoticed, unknown. Some sins may not even present a problem until they are prohibited.

 LIFE APPLICATION – READING THE SIGNS
Where there is no law, there is no sin, because people cannot know that their actions are sinful unless a law forbids those actions. God’s law makes people realize that they are sinners doomed to die, yet it offers no help. Sin is real, and it is dangerous. Imagine a sunny day at the beach. You plunge into the surf, then you notice a sign on the pier: No Swimming. Sharks in Water. Your day is ruined. Is it the sign’s fault? Are you angry with the people who put it up? The law is like the sign. It is essential, and we are grateful for it—but it doesn’t get rid of the sharks.
  1. Sin Deceives Me (7: 9- 14)

7:9 I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.NIV Paul’s intimate, personal expressions in the remainder of this chapter have given rise to numerous interpretations. Commentators sound like the Ethiopian eunuch questioning Philip on the road to Gaza, “Tell me please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” (Acts 8:34 niv). The descriptions of someone alive apart from the law and later “deceived” (7:11) parallel the fall of humanity into sin recorded in Genesis. But whether Paul is simply telling his own story or retelling Adam’s story in the first person, the application is the same. Before we realize the seriousness of the law and of sin, we believe ourselves to be “alive.” But when the significance of the command not to covet, for example, becomes clear to us, we suddenly realize our sin and “die”—we sense the outcome of death, the inevitable result of sin (6:23). The other issue in this extended passage (7:9-25) is its timing in Paul’s life. In this verse, written in past tense, the events clearly precede conversion. Within a few verses, however, Paul shifts to the present tense. In this case, the term tense is particularly appropriate, since Paul reveals himself to be a person intimate with soul agony. We should listen carefully to what Paul says, within the context that he says it, before we allow theological priorities to shift our understanding.

7:10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me.NRSV Paul is probably referring to a well-known Old Testament passage, “Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord” (Leviticus 18:5 niv). The commands were given to help people know how to live, but because of sin, those same commands brought only a heightened awareness of the inevitability of death.

7:11 Sin . . . deceived me. Sin deceives people by misusing the law. It is filled with false promises and deceptions:

  • Sin promises to satisfy our desires even more than the last time.
  • Sin promises that our actions can be kept hidden, so no one will know.
  • Sin promises that we won’t have to worry about consequences.
  • Sin promises special benefits: wisdom, knowledge, and sophistication.
  • Sin promises power and prestige in exchange for cooperation.

Don’t buy the lie.

In the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 3), the serpent deceived Eve by taking her focus off the freedom she had and putting it on the one restriction God had given. Since that time we have all been rebels. Sin is tempting precisely because God has said it is wrong. When we are tempted to rebel, we need to look at the law from a wider perspective—in the light of God’s grace and mercy. If we focus on his great love for us, we will understand that he only restricts us from actions and attitudes that ultimately will harm us.

How did sin use the commandment as an opportunity both to deceive and to kill? Perhaps Paul had thought of the commandments in general to justify himself as righteous, in which case he was deceived. But as he read the tenth commandment, he was caught suddenly by the truth of the law, to which sin immediately added killing guilt.

7:12 The law is holy. Although it was the instrument used to kill him, so to speak, Paul could not speak against the law. The law is holy because it reflects the character and will of God himself, who is holy. The commandment defines sin but is not sin (7:7). Instead it is holy and just and good.NKJV And the purpose of the law is to teach us right from wrong, to give us guidelines, and to show sin for what it is. The law helps us live for God, but it cannot save us.

If the law causes so much difficulty, what useful purpose does it serve? (1) It is a revelation of the nature, character, and will of God. (2) Its ethical components were incorporated in Christ’s teaching. (3) It teaches us about sin. (4) It demolishes self-righteousness.

7:13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me?NIV Taking the last word from the last verse, Paul asks, “Did the commandment [referring to his example of coveting and used as a picture for the law as a whole], which is good, result in death?” Again he answers his own question, By no means!NRSV The law was given by God; it tells us what God desires of us, and it is good. Sin’s deception and then application of the commandment brought death.

In order that sin might be shown to be sin.NRSV It is sin, not the law, that brings death, and it is only through the law that sin can be recognized as sin. Sin uses the commandments in the law, that are good, in order to continue to produce death in people because people cannot keep the law in their own strength. But, by using the commandments as instruments of death, sin reveals itself in all its ugliness.

7:14 The law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual.NIV Here Paul abruptly changes from writing in the past tense to writing in the present tense. By using the past tense in verses 7-11, Paul considered the effects of the law somewhat dispassionately. Then in the last two verses (7:12-13), he again strenuously defended the law’s goodness. Paul’s intense desire to view the law with high esteem helped fuel his next thoughts. He was making every effort to clarify the tension between the “holy and just and good” (7:12) law and the sin that uses the law for its deadly purposes. The law comes from God, has his character, and tells his will for his people. But as the majesty of the law fills Paul’s mind, along with it comes the vision of his own standing before the law. Paul wants to make the point that sin does not besmirch the law. But he also realizes that he must clarify his own ongoing relationship to the law.

How can we be free from sin and yet continue to do wrong? In Christ, we are free from the penalty of sin (judgment) and the power of sin (hopelessness). But while still in the flesh, we are not free from the presence of sin (temptations) and the possibility of sin (failures). Paul never claimed that being under grace instead of under the law meant that a believer was somehow above the law. In fact, having That man is perfect in faith who can come to God in the utter dearth of his feelings and desires, without a glow or an aspiration, with the weight of low thoughts, failures, neglects, and wondering forgetfulness, and say to him, “Thou art my refuge.”

George MacDonald

described such a great distance between the law and sin, he realized that he was still far more acquainted with the reality of sin than the righteous standard of the law. Being under grace does not eliminate the law—it changes the purpose of the law in our lives, from a source of judgment to a source of guidance, from an unattainable moral standard of our judge to a character study of the one who loves us. So, Paul writes, the law is spiritual (pneumatikos); but I am unspiritual (sarkinos), “of the flesh,” carnal. As such, he can write, sold as a slave to sin.NIV The expression is literally “being sold under sin,” which is equivalent to saying “being given over to slavery.” At one time sin was tyrannical in Paul’s life. The law has an uncanny capacity for reminding us of what we once were, and of how captivating that old life can still appear. Our hope never shifts back to the law. We must daily focus on Christ.

2. My Sinful Nature Dominates Me   (7:15-22)

7:15 I do not understand. Or, “I don’t even recognize myself!” By introducing his personal dilemma, Paul invites us to consider how well we understand our own behavior.

I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.NRSV As long as believers live in this world as men and women of flesh and blood, they will face a constant tension—the conflict between their sinful nature and their new spiritual life. Paul wrote to the Galatians, “The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want” (Galatians 5:17 niv). In 7:6, Paul described conversion as being “released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit.” This new service in the Spirit is not compulsory, but the longer we are in this way, the clearer we see its necessity. This growing awareness is itself a work of God’s Spirit, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13 niv).

Paul shares three lessons that he learned in trying to deal with his old sinful desires. (1) Knowledge is not the answer (7:9). Paul felt fine as long as he did not understand what the law demanded. When he learned the truth, he knew he was doomed. (2) self-determination (struggling in one’s own strength) doesn’t succeed (7:15). Paul found himself sinning in ways that weren’t even attractive to him. (3) Becoming a Christian does not stamp out all sin and temptation from a person’s life (7:22-25).

Being born again starts in a moment of faith, but becoming like Christ takes a lifetime. Paul compares Christian growth to a strenuous race or fight (1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 2 Timothy 4:7). Thus, as Paul has been emphasizing since the beginning of this letter, no one in the world is innocent; no one deserves to be saved—not the pagan who doesn’t know God’s laws, nor the Christian or Jew who knows them and tries to keep them. All of us must depend totally on the work of Christ for our salvation. We cannot earn it by our good behavior.

Accepting the approach that Paul is speaking from personal experience in these verses presents us with another problem. From what time in his relationship with God do these reflections come? Or, How realistic is it to think that the thoroughly converted Paul might actually have struggles that seem so strikingly familiar to our own?

Here are three possible answers:

  1. Paul is reflecting on his pre-conversion state of mind.
  • Defense—To accept this passage as a report of experiences Paul is having as a believer exposes him to the charge that he doesn’t practice what he preaches, such as in Romans 5:1-5. Did or didn’t Paul have peace, joy, and hope? It also seems to present one of the greatest Christian minds in a rather weak and frail condition.
  • Response—Remember, Paul is human. Rather than fearing that Paul’s struggle somehow makes his faith less vital, we need to see this as rounding out our view of him. Paul is surprisingly human elsewhere, too! (See 2 Corinthians 12:1-10.) And as for Romans 5, isn’t it possible that anguish over our own frailties might come under “sufferings” that must be passed through on the way to perseverance, character, and hope?
    2. Paul is representing the immature, carnal, or even backslidden Christian.
  • Defense—Believers who are serving in the Spirit and are yielded to God simply do not experience what Paul is reporting here. And since Paul is not appealing to the Spirit and getting immediate relief, the problem must reside in him.
  • Response—In modem terms, who is in denial here? The history of the Christian church is full of godly men and women who have reported struggles remarkably like these. If there is one distinguishing characteristic of immature, carnal, and backslidden Christians, it is that they are devoid of these struggles until the moment when they take up the cross again.                                                                                            3. Paul was experiencing and reporting the normal Christian life.
  • Defense—*This is the most straightforward reading of the text. The first person, present tense resonates with the reader. There is a heightened respect for the law of God. Its shocking openness is matched by its trusting conclusion. Its broader context (the entire letter) presents the experiences as part, but certainly not the whole, of Christian life. The depth of honesty highlights the magnificent message of 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
  • Response—If the ongoing struggle with sin is real, the temptation never to accept the gift of grace is also real.

Those who are really under grace take sin seriously. Sin is no longer their master, but it is still a powerful adversary. If we don’t take sin seriously, we fall into it. If we don’t take victory seriously, we fail to utilize the Holy Spirit’s help.

Peter’s words do not lead us to expect an easy Christian life; “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1 Peter 5:8-9 niv). We may be slaves of a new master, but we still live in enemy territory. The unique balance of the Christian life was described by Jesus himself when he said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 niv). Whatever the experience of each day, our hope is only real “through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (7:25).

7:16-17 If I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.NIV We want to obey God’s law, yet we still fail. Our failure is not the law’s fault, nor is it our own fault: It is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.NIV If sin did not exist, then the law would give us guidelines for living perfectly. But sin perverts everything. Paul is not abdicating responsibility for his sin; instead, he is making the point that his desires and the sin within him are in constant conflict. Sin is a power that, at times, can still win because his redemption is not yet complete.

The saints in the Old Testament expressed this struggle exquisitely. Jeremiah cried out, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 niv). David prayed, “Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression” (Psalm 19:12-13 niv).

One of the ongoing duties of God’s Spirit is to convict us of our potential for wickedness. Serving “in the new way of the Spirit” (7:6) includes regular encounters with the Spirit’s convicting ministry in our life (see John 16:7-15). When we are made aware of sin, we have a clear responsibility: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 niv).

7:18-19 Nothing good lives in me.NIV In our sinful nature, there is nothing good. Paul sees this as part of being human. Although we belong to Christ and have died to sin, we still live in a sinful world and have a sinful nature. Picture the highly trained commander of a modem tank equipped with laser guidance systems, electronic wizardry, and atomic power. In preparation for a crucial battle he:

  • loaded up with the wrong fuel
  • filled his magazines with the wrong caliber ammunition
  • picked up the wrong maps and directions
  • left most of his crew in their bunks

How effective would he be under fire? Yet how often do we undertake spiritual warfare in our own strength, using our own tools and resources, and making up our own directions as we go along? We shouldn’t be surprised if Satan quickly puts us out of commission! The tension continues—What I do is not the good I want to do . . . the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.NIV Paul describes the person who knows what is good and might even desire to do it, but this person lacks the power. Without the Holy Spirit’s help, the person is dominated by the power of sin and continues to do evil when he actually desires to do good.

 LIFE APPLICATION – NOTHING GOOD LIVES IN ME
Where am I battling in my own strength?
From time to time, it helps to list our major area of struggle and examine what our strategy has been:
 Childrearing
 Finances
 Church issues and problems
 Marriage
 Work Problems
 Personal temptation
 Aging

7:20 It is sin living in me that does it.NIV Paul repeats his words from verse 17. Believers still have a sinful nature that pulls them to do what they do not want to do. The seeming contradiction of “I do-I don’t do” emphasizes how difficult it is to identify the sources of our sinful behaviors. One way to think of it is, Until I was under the grace of God, sin owned me. After I was under the grace of God, I admit that I still owned sin. Before Christ, I was responsible for being a sinner. Once Christ saved me, I’m still responsible for my sins.

 LIFE APPLICATION – EXCUSES
“The devil made me do it.” “I didn’t do it; the sin in me did it.” These sound like good excuses, but we are responsible for our actions. We must never use the power of sin or Satan as an excuse because they are defeated enemies. Without Christ’s help, sin is stronger than we are, and we will be unable to defend ourselves against its attacks. That is why we should never stand up to sin all alone. Jesus Christ, who has conquered sin once and for all, promises to fight by our side. If we look to him for help, we will not have to give in to sin.

7:21 This law at work.NIV The law, or principle, at work here is the reality that evil is within us, even when we want to do good. In fact, it is when we most want to do good that we become most acutely aware of our propensity not to do so. A swimmer has no idea how strong the current is until she tries to swim upstream. When she faces the current, she finds this law at work: the current is against her.

7:22 In my inner being I delight in God’s law.NIV Believers take delight in God’s law (i.e., the path of obedience to God that the entire Old Testament presents) because they long to know it and do it and thus to please God. This is one of the marks of wisdom: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night (Psalm 1:2 niv).

  1. Christ Delivers Me  (7:23-25)

7:23 Another law at work in the members of my body.NIV This other principle that is at work is the law of sin. Sin is constantly at war.NRSV We are at war because sin will not give up the control over us that it lost when we came to faith in Christ. Sin fights against the law of the mind because our mind is where we make our decisions and our moral judgments. We are prisoners of the law of sin at work with us. We cannot resist our sin nature in our own power. When we try, we will be defeated.

Paul does not say that these powers are equal, but he knows they are both there. We must do the same. One power must be resisted while relying on the other. When we fail to rely on Christ’s strength for our daily strength, we in essence provide sin with more power over us. Sin’s power will not have grown, but our relative weakness will make it seem that way. Sin’s power is not an excuse for us to drift spiritually, or openly give in to temptation. Believers must not forget that “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4 niv).

 LIFE APPLICATION – WE MUST FIGHT!
All Christians struggle against sin. We must never underestimate sin’s power; and we must never attempt to fight sin in our own strength. Satan is a crafty tempter, and we have a great ability to make excuses. Instead of trying to overcome sin with human willpower, we must take hold of the tremendous power of Christ that is available to us. This is God’s provision for victory over sin—he sends the Holy Spirit to live in us and give us power. And when we fall, he lovingly reaches out to help us up.

7:24 Who will rescue me from this body of death?NRSV Our bodies are mortal; they are bodies of death. As long as we live on this earth in our human bodies, we will face this conflict with sin. Our place of residence is our place of least resistance. And, as seen above, as long as we are confined to this world, we will experience a measure of struggle and defeat. But, we are not left in defeat—rescue will come!

Sooner or later, almost every person asks this desperate question. How sad for those who cannot answer as Paul answered. His answer must also be ours, and we must share this truth with others. Paul made sure the Romans knew that he believed the gospel to be the answer.

7:25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!NRSV The triumph is sweeter because the struggle is real. In the last few verses, we have glimpsed the struggle of a genuine believer. Now the answer is shouted in exclamation.

Many who claim to know Christ never see themselves well enough to appreciate as deeply as Paul did what they actually have in Christ. Because of Jesus Christ, we are assured of a great future. We will one day join him in eternity with a new body that is free from sin.

The battle ends with a shout of victory. The winners know who really won. The winners also know the war isn’t over. But in the meantime, there are more lessons to learn, and there is more freedom to experience.

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/watch-now/leander-campus-videos

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Sources:
MacArthur New Testament Commentary, The – MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Romans 1-8.
Bruce B. Barton, David R. Veerman, Neil Wilson, Life Application Bible Commentary – Romans, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1992), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 135-146.
Posted in Romans - Foundation of our Faith | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Set Free from Sin’s Power – Romans 6

Posted on September 15, 2023 by dkoop

During a court session, an attorney will often rise to his feet and say, “Your Honor, I object!” Some of the Roman Christians must have felt like objecting as they heard Paul’s letter being read, and Paul seemed to anticipate their thinking. In Romans 6 Paul defended his doctrine of justification by faith. He anticipated a few objections: (1) “If God’s grace abounds when we sin, then let’s continue sinning so we might experience more grace” (Rom. 6:1-14) and (2) “If we are no longer under the Law, then we are free to live as we please” (Rom. 6:15-7:6).

These objections prove that the readers did not understand either Law or grace. They were going to extremes: legalism on the one hand and license on the other. So as Paul defended justification he also explained sanctification. He told how we can live lives of victory (Rom. 6), liberty (Rom. 7), and security (Rom. 8). He explained our relationship to the flesh, the Law, and the Holy Spirit. In Romans 6, Paul gave three instructions for attaining victory over sin.

  1. Know (Rom. 6:1-10)

The repetition of the word “know” in Romans 6:1, 6, and 9 indicates that Paul wanted us to understand a basic doctrine. Christian living depends on Christian learning; duty is always founded on doctrine. If Satan can keep a Christian ignorant, he can keep him impotent. The basic truth Paul was teaching is the believer’s identification with Christ in death, burial, and resurrection. Just as we are identified with Adam in sin and condemnation, so we are now identified with Christ in righteousness and justification. At Romans 5:12, Paul made a transition from discussing “sins” to discussing “sin”—from the actions to the principle, from the fruit to the root. Jesus Christ not only died for our sins, but He also died unto sin, and we died with Him. Perhaps a chart will explain the contrasts better.

Romans 3:21-5:21 Romans 6-8
Substitution: He died for me Identification: I died with Him
He died for my sins He died unto sin
He paid sin’s penalty He broke sin’s power
Justification: righteousness imputed (put to my account) Sanctification: righteousness imparted (made a part of my life)
Saved by His death Saved by His life

In other words, justification by faith is not simply a legal matter between me and God; it is a living relationship. It is “a justification which brings life” (Rom. 5:18, literal translation). I am in Christ and identified with Him. Therefore, whatever happened to Christ has happened to me. When He died, I died. When He arose, I arose in Him. I am now seated with Him in the heavenlies! (see Eph. 2:1-10; Col. 3:1-3) Because of this living union with Christ, the believer has a totally new relationship to sin.

He is dead to sin (vv. 2-5). Paul’s illustration is baptism. The Greek word has two basic meanings: (1) a literal meaning—to dip or immerse; and (2) a figurative meaning—to be identified with. An example of the latter would be 1 Corinthians 10:2: “And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” The nation of Israel was identified with Moses as their leader when they crossed the Red Sea.

It appears that Paul had both the literal and the figurative in mind in this paragraph, for he used the readers’ experience of water baptism to remind them of their identification with Christ through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. To be “baptized into Jesus Christ” (Rom. 6:3) is the same as “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body” (1 Cor. 12:13). There is a difference between water baptism and the baptism of the Spirit (John 1:33). When a sinner trusts Christ, he is immediately born into the family of God and receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. A good illustration of this is the household of Cornelius when they heard Peter preach (Acts 10:34-48). When these people believed on Christ, they immediately received the Holy Spirit. After that, they were baptized. Peter’s words, “Whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins” gave to them the promise that they needed. They believed—and they were saved!

Historians agree that the mode of baptism in the early church was immersion. The believer was “buried” in the water and brought up again as a picture of death, burial, and resurrection. Baptism by immersion (which is the illustration Paul is using in Rom. 6) pictures the believer’s identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. It is an outward symbol of an inward experience. Paul is not saying that their immersion in water put them “into Jesus Christ,” for that was accomplished by the Spirit when they believed. Their immersion was a picture of what the Spirit did: the Holy Spirit identified them with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.

This means that the believer has a new relationship to sin. He is “dead to sin.” “I am crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2:20). If a drunk dies, he can no longer be tempted by alcohol because his body is dead to all physical senses. He cannot see the alcohol, smell it, taste it, or desire it. In Jesus Christ we have died to sin so that we no longer want to “continue in sin.” But we are not only dead to sin; we are also alive in Christ. We have been raised from the dead and now walk in the power of His resurrection. We walk in “newness of life” because we share His life. “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live” (Gal. 2:20).

This tremendous spiritual truth is illustrated in the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11). When Jesus arrived at Bethany, Lazarus had been in the tomb four days; so there was no question about his death. By the power of His word (“Lazarus, come forth!”) Jesus raised His friend from the dead. But when Lazarus appeared at the door of the tomb, he was wrapped in graveclothes. So Jesus commanded, “Loose him, and let him go!” He had been raised to walk “in newness of life.” In John 12, Lazarus was seated with Christ at the table, in fellowship with Him. Dead—raised from the dead—set free to walk in newness of life—seated with Christ: all of these facts illustrate the spiritual truths of our identification with Christ as given in Ephesians 2:1-10.

Too many Christians are “betweeners”: they live between Egypt and Canaan, saved but never satisfied; or they live between Good Friday and Easter, believing in the Cross but not entering into the power and glory of the Resurrection. Romans 6:5 indicates that our union with Christ assures our future resurrection should we die. But Romans 6:4 teaches that we share His resurrection power today. “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above…. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:1, 3, NIV).

It is clear, then, that the believer cannot deliberately live in sin since he has a new relationship to sin because of his identification with Christ. The believer has died to the old life; he has been raised to enjoy a new life. The believer does not want to go back into sin any more than Lazarus wanted to go back into the tomb dressed again in his graveclothes! Then Paul introduced a second fact:

He should not serve sin (vv. 6-10). Sin is a terrible master, and it finds a willing servant in the human body. The body is not sinful; the body is neutral. It can be controlled either by sin or by God. But man’s fallen nature, which is not changed at conversion, gives sin a beachhead from which it can attack and then control. Paul expressed the problem: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwells no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not” (Rom. 7:18).

A tremendous fact is introduced here: the old man (the old ego, self) was crucified with Christ so that the body need not be controlled by sin. The word “destroyed” in Romans 6:6 does not mean annihilated; it means “rendered inactive, made of no effect.” The same Greek word is translated “loosed” in Romans 7:2. If a woman’s husband dies, she is “loosed” from the law of her husband and is free to marry again. There is a change in relationship. The law is still there, but it has no authority over the woman because her husband is dead.

Sin wants to be our master. It finds a foothold in the old nature, and through the old nature seeks to control the members of the body. But in Jesus Christ, we died to sin; and the old nature was crucified so that the old life is rendered inoperative. Paul was not describing an experience; he was stating a fact. The practical experience was to come later. It is a fact of history that Jesus Christ died on the cross. It is also a fact of history that the believer died with Him; and “he that is dead is freed from sin” (Rom. 6:7). Not “free to sin” as Paul’s accusers falsely stated; but “freed from sin.”

Sin and death have no dominion over Christ. We are “in Christ”; therefore, sin and death have no dominion over us. Jesus Christ not only died “for sin,” but He also died “unto sin.” That is, He not only paid the penalty for sin, but He broke the power of sin. This idea of dominion takes us back to Romans 5:12-21 where Paul dealt with the “reigns” of sin, death, and grace. Through Christ we “reign in life” (Rom. 5:17) so that sin no longer controls our lives.

The big question now is, “I believe the facts of history; but how do I make this work in daily experience?” This leads to Paul’s second instruction.

2. Declare (Rom. 6:11)

The word reckon/count/declare is a translation of a Greek word that is used forty-one times in the New Testament—nineteen times in Romans alone. It appears in Romans 4 where it is translated as “count, reckon, impute.” It means “to take into account, to calculate, to estimate.” The word impute—”to put to one’s account”—is perhaps the best translation.

To declare/reckon/count means “to put to one’s account.” It simply means to believe that what God says in His Word is really true in your life.

Paul didn’t tell his readers to feel as if they were dead to sin, or even to understand it fully, but to act on God’s Word and claim it or declare it for themselves. Declaring is a matter of faith that issues in action. It is like endorsing a check: if we really believe that the money is in the checking account, we will sign our name and collect the money. Declaring is more than claiming a promise, but acting on a fact. God does not command us to become dead to sin. He tells us that we are dead to sin and alive unto God, and then commands us to act on it. Even if we do not act on it, the facts are still true.

Paul’s first instruction (“know”) centered in the mind, and this second instruction (“declare”) focuses on the heart. His third instruction touches the will.

3. Yield (Rom. 6:12-23)

The word yield is found five times in this section (Rom. 6:13, 16, and 19), and means “to place at one’s disposal, to present, to offer as a sacrifice.” According to Romans 12:1, the believer’s body should be presented to the Lord as “a living sacrifice” for His glory. The Old Testament sacrifices were dead sacrifices. The Lord may ask some of us to die for Him, but He asks all of us to live for Him.

How we are to yield (vv. 12-13). This is an act of the will based on the knowledge we have of what Christ has done for us. It is an intelligent act—not the impulsive decision of the moment based on some emotional stirring. It is important to notice the tenses of the verbs in these verses. A literal translation is: “Do not constantly allow sin to reign in your mortal body so that you are constantly obeying its lusts. Neither constantly yield your members of your body as weapons [or tools] of unrighteousness to sin; but once and for all yield yourselves to God.” That once-and-for-all surrender is described in Romans 12:1.

There must be in the believer’s life that final and complete surrender of the body to Jesus Christ. This does not mean there will be no further steps of surrender, because there will be. The longer we walk with Christ, the deeper the fellowship must become. But there can be no subsequent steps without that first step. The tense of the verb in Romans 12:1 corresponds with that in Romans 6:13—a once-and-for-all yielding to the Lord. To be sure, we daily surrender afresh to Him; but even that is based on a final and complete surrender.

Why does the Lord want your body? To begin with, the believer’s body is God’s temple, and He wants to use it for His glory (1 Cor. 6:19-20; Phil. 1:20-21). But Paul wrote that the body is also God’s tool and God’s weapon (Rom. 6:13). God wants to use the members of the body as tools for building His kingdom and weapons for fighting His enemies.

The Bible tells of people who permitted God to take and use their bodies for the fulfilling of His purposes. God used the rod in Moses’ hand and conquered Egypt. He used the sling in David’s hand to defeat the Philistines. He used the mouths and tongues of the prophets. Paul’s dedicated feet carried him from city to city as he proclaimed the Gospel. The Apostle John’s eyes saw visions of the future, his ears heard God’s message, and his fingers wrote it all down in a book that we can read.

But you can also read in the Bible accounts of the members of the body being used for sinful purposes. David’s eyes looked on his neighbor’s wife; his mind plotted a wicked scheme; his hand signed a cowardly order for the woman’s husband to be killed. As you read Psalm 51, you see that his whole body was affected by sin: his eyes (Ps. 51:3), mind (Ps. 51:6), ears (Ps. 51:8), heart (Ps. 51:10), and lips and mouth (Ps. 51:14-15). No wonder he prayed for a thorough cleansing! (Ps. 51:2)

Why we are to yield (vv. 14-23). Three words summarize the reasons for our yielding: favor (Rom. 6:14-15), freedom (Rom. 6:16-20), and fruit (Rom. 6:21-23).

Favor (vv. 14-15). It is because of God’s grace that we yield ourselves to Him. Paul has proved that we are not saved by the Law and that we do not live under the Law. The fact that we are saved by grace does not give us an excuse to sin; but it does give us a reason to obey. Sin and Law go together. “The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the Law” (1 Cor. 15:56). Since we are not under Law, but under grace, sin is robbed of its strength.

Freedom (vv. 16-20). The illustration of the master and servant is obvious. Whatever you yield to becomes your master. Before you were saved, you were the slave of sin. Now that you belong to Christ, you are freed from that old slavery and made the servant of Christ. Romans 6:19 suggests that the Christian ought to be as enthusiastic in yielding to the Lord as he was in yielding to sin. A friend once said to me, “I want to be as good a saint as I was a sinner!” I knew what he meant because in his unconverted days he was almost “the chief of sinners.”

The unsaved person is free—free from righteousness (Rom. 6:20). But his bondage to sin only leads him deeper into slavery so that it becomes harder and harder to do what is right The Prodigal Son is an example of this (Luke 15:11-24). When he was at home, he decided he wanted his freedom, so he left home to find himself and enjoy himself. But his rebellion only led him deeper into slavery. He was the slave of wrong desires, then the slave of wrong deeds; and finally he became a literal slave when he took care of the pigs. He wanted to find himself, but he lost himself! What he thought was freedom turned out to be the worst kind of slavery. It was only when he returned home and yielded to his father that he found true freedom.

Fruit (vv. 21-23). If you serve a master, you can expect to receive wages. Sin pays wages—death! God also pays wages—holiness and everlasting life. In the old life, we produced fruit that made us ashamed. In the new life in Christ, we produce fruit that glorifies God and brings joy to our lives. We usually apply Romans 6:23 to the lost, and certainly it does apply; but it also has a warning for the saved. (After all, it was written to Christians.) “There is a sin unto death” (1 John 5:17). “For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep” (1 Cor. 11:30, nasb). Samson, for example, would not yield himself to God, but preferred to yield to the lusts of the flesh, and the result was death (Jud. 16). If the believer refuses to surrender his body to the Lord, but uses its members for sinful purposes, then he is in danger of being disciplined by the Father, and this could mean death. (See Heb. 12:5-11.)

These three instructions need to be followed each day that we live. KNOW that we have been crucified with Christ and are dead to sin. DECLARE this fact to be true in your own life. YIELD your body to the Lord to be used for His glory.

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/watch-now/leander-campus-videos

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Sources:  Bible Exposition Commentary (BE Series) – New Testament – The Bible Exposition Commentary – New Testament, Volume 1.
Bruce B. Barton, David R. Veerman, Neil Wilson, Life Application Bible Commentary – Romans , (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1992), WORD search CROSS e-book, 124.
Posted in Romans - Foundation of our Faith | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Salvation Brings Peace – Romans 5

Posted on September 13, 2023 by dkoop

We are now at peace with God, through Jesus Christ which may differ from peaceful feelings such as calmness and tranquility. Peace with God means that we have been reconciled with him. There is no more hostility between us, no sin blocking our relationship with him. Peace with God is possible only because Jesus paid the price for our sins through his death on the cross.

Paul had proved that all men are sinners; next he explained how sinners can be saved. The theological term for this salvation is justification by faith. Justification is the act of God where He declares the believing sinner righteous in Christ on the basis of the finished work of Christ on the cross. Each part of this definition is important, so we must consider it carefully.

Justification is an act, not a process. There are no degrees of justification; each believer has the same right standing before God. Also, justification is something God does, not man. No sinner can justify himself before God. Most important, justification does not mean that God makes us righteous, but that He declares us righteous. Justification is a legal matter. God puts the righteousness of Christ on our record in the place of our own sinfulness. And nobody can change this record.

In Chapter 5 there is much more the we need to know about justification by faith. Can we be sure that it will last? How is it possible for God to save a us through the death of Christ on the cross? Romans 5 is Paul’s explanation of the last two words in Romans 4: “our justification.” He explained two basic truths: the blessings of our justification (Rom. 5:1-11), and the basis for our justification (Rom. 5:12-21).

  1. The Blessings of Our Salvation ( 5:1-11)

In listing these blessings, Paul accomplished two purposes. First, he told how wonderful it is to be a Christian. Our justification is not simply a guarantee of heaven, as thrilling as that is, but it is also the source of tremendous blessings that we enjoy here and now.

His second purpose was to assure his readers that justification is a lasting thing. His Jewish readers in particular would ask, “Can this spiritual experience last if it does not require obedience to the Law? What about the trials and sufferings of life? What about the coming judgment?” When God declared us righteous in Jesus Christ, He gave to us seven spiritual blessings that assure us that we cannot be lost.

Peace with God (v. 1). The unsaved person is at “enmity with God” (Rom. 5:10; 8:7) because he cannot obey God’s Law or fulfill God’s will. Two verses from Isaiah make the matter clear: “There is no peace, says the Lord, unto the wicked” (Isa. 48:22); “And the work of righteousness shall be peace” (Isa. 32:17). Condemnation means that God declares us sinners, which is a declaration of war. Justification means that God declares us righteous, which is a declaration of peace, made possible by Christ’s death on the cross. “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Ps. 85:10). “Because the Law brings wrath” (Rom. 4:15), nobody condemned by the Law can enjoy peace with God. But when you are justified by faith, you are declared righteous, and the Law cannot condemn you or declare war!

Access to God (v. 2a). The Jew was kept from God’s presence by the veil in the temple; and the Gentile was kept out by a wall in the temple with a warning on it that any Gentile who went beyond would be killed. But when Jesus died, He tore the veil (Luke 23:45) and broke down the wall (Eph. 2:14). In Christ, believing Jews and Gentiles have access to God (Eph. 2:18; Heb. 10:19-25); and they can draw on the inexhaustible riches of the grace of God (Eph. 1:7; 2:4; 3:8). We stand “in grace” and not “in Law.” Justification has to do with our standing; sanctification has to do with our state. The child of a king can enter his father’s presence no matter how the child looks. The word “access” here means “entrance to the king through the favor of another.”

Glorious hope (v. 2b). “Peace with God” takes care of the past: He will no longer hold our sins against us. “Access to God” takes care of the present: we can come to Him at any time for the help we need. “Hope of the glory of God” takes care of the future: one day we shall share in His glory! The word “rejoice” can be translated “boast,” not only in Romans 5:2, but also in Romans 5:3 and 11 (“joy”). When we were sinners, there was nothing to boast about (Rom. 3:27), because we fell short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).

But in Christ, we boast in His righteousness and glory! Paul will amplify this in Romans 8:18-30.

Christian character (vv. 3-4). Justification is no escape from the trials of life. “In this world you shall have tribulation” (John 16:33). But for the believer, trials work for him and not against him. No amount of suffering can separate us from the Lord (Rom. 8:35-39); instead, trials bring us closer to the Lord and make us more like the Lord. Suffering builds Christian character. The word “experience” in Romans 5:4 means “character that has been proved.” The sequence is: tribulation—patience—proven character—hope. Our English word “tribulation” comes from a Latin word tribulum. In Paul’s day, a tribulum was a heavy piece of timber with spikes in it, used for threshing the grain. The tribulum was drawn over the grain and it separated the wheat from the chaff. As we go through tribulations, and depend on God’s grace, the trials only purify us and help to get rid of the chaff.

God’s love within (vv. 5-8). “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Prov. 13:12). But as we wait for this hope to be fulfilled, the love of God is “poured out into our hearts” (literal translation). Note how the first three of the “fruit of the Spirit” are experienced: love (Rom. 5:5), joy (Rom. 5:2), and peace (Rom. 5:1). Before we were saved, God proved His love by sending Christ to die for us. Now that we are His children, surely He will love us more. It is the inner experience of this love through the Spirit that sustains us as we go through tribulations.

Faith (Rom. 5:1), hope (Rom. 5:2), and love (Rom. 5:5) all combine to give the believer patience in the trials of life. And patience makes it possible for the believer to grow in character and become a mature child of God (James 1:1-4).

Salvation from future wrath (vv. 9-10). Paul argued from the lesser to the greater. If God saved us when we were enemies, surely He will keep on saving us now that we are His children. There is a “wrath to come,” but no true believer will experience it (1 Thes. 1:9-10; 5:8-10). Paul further argued that if Christ’s death accomplished so much for us, how much more will He do for us in His life as He intercedes for us in heaven! “Saved by His life” refers to Romans 4:25: “raised again for [on account of] our justification.” Because He lives, we are eternally saved (Heb. 7:23-25).

A will is of no effect until the death of the one who wrote it. Then an executor takes over and sees to it that the will is obeyed and the inheritance distributed. But suppose the executor is unscrupulous and wants to get the inheritance for himself? He may figure out many devious ways to circumvent the law and steal the inheritance.

Jesus Christ wrote us into His will, and He wrote the will with His blood. “This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20). He died so that the will would be in force; but then He arose from the dead and returned to heaven that He might enforce the will Himself and distribute the inheritance. Thus, we are “saved by His life.”

Reconciliation with God (v. 11). The word atonement means “reconciliation, brought back into fellowship with God.” The term is mentioned also in Romans 5:10. In Romans 1:18-32, Paul explained how men declared war on God and, because of this, deserved to be condemned eternally. But God did not declare war on man. Instead, He sent His Son as the Peacemaker (Eph. 2:11-18) that men might be reconciled to God.

A review of these seven blessings of justification shows how certain our salvation is in Christ. Totally apart from Law, and purely by grace, we have a salvation that takes care of the past, the present, and the future. Christ died for us; Christ lives for us; Christ is coming for us! What a Saviour!

  1. The Basis of Our Salvation ( 5:12-21)

How is it possible for God to save sinners in the person of Jesus Christ? We understand that somehow Christ took our place on the cross, but how was such a substitution possible?

Paul answered the question in this section, and these verses are the very heart of the letter. To understand these verses a few general truths about this section need to be understood. First, note the repetition of the little word one. It is used eleven times. The key idea here is our identification with Adam and with Christ. Second, note the repetition of the word reign which is used five times. Paul saw two men—Adam and Christ—each of them reigning over a kingdom. Finally, note that the phrase much more is repeated five times. This means that in Jesus Christ we have gained much more than we ever lost in Adam!

In short, this section is a contrast of Adam and Christ. Adam was given dominion over the old creation, he sinned, and he lost his kingdom. Because of Adam’s sin, all mankind is under condemnation and death. Christ came as the King over a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). By His obedience on the cross, He brought in righteousness and justification. Christ not only undid all the damage that Adam’s sin effected, but He accomplished “much more” by making us the very sons of God. Some of this “much more” Paul has already explained in Romans 5:1-11.

Skeptics sometimes ask, “Was it fair for God to condemn the whole world just because of one man’s disobedience?” The answer, of course, is that it was not only fair; but it was also wise and gracious. To begin with, if God had tested each human being individually, the result would have been the same: disobedience. But even more important, by condemning the human race through one man (Adam), God was then able to save the human race through one Man (Jesus Christ)! Each of us is racially united to Adam, so that his deed affects us. (See Heb. 7:9-10 for an example of this racial headship.) The fallen angels cannot be saved because they are not a race. They sinned individually and were judged individually. There can be no representative to take their judgment for them and save them. But because you and I were lost in Adam, our racial head, we can be saved in Christ, the Head of the new creation. God’s plan was both gracious and wise.

Our final question must be answered: how do we know that we are racially united to Adam? The answer is in Romans 5:12-14, and the argument runs like this: We know that all men die. But death is the result of disobeying the Law. There was no Law from Adam to Moses, but men still died. A general result demands a general cause. What is that cause? It can be only one thing: the disobedience of Adam. When Adam sinned, he ultimately died. All of his descendants died (Gen. 5), yet the Law had not yet been given. Conclusion: they died because of Adam’s sin. “For that all have sinned” (Rom. 5:12) means “all have sinned in Adam’s sin.” Men do not die because of their own acts of sin; otherwise, babies would not die (Rom. 9:11). Men die because they are united racially to Adam, and “in Adam all men die” (1 Cor. 15:22).

Having understood these general truths about the passage, we may now examine the contrasts that Paul gives between Adam and Christ and between Adam’s sin and Christ’s act of obedience on the cross.

Adam’s offense is contrasted with Christ’s free gift (v. 15). Because of Adam’s trespass, many died; because of Christ’s obedience the grace of God abounds to many bringing life. The word “many” (literally “the many”) means the same as “all men” in Romans 5:12 and 18. Note the “much more”; for the grace of Christ brings not only physical life, but also spiritual life and abundant life. Christ did conquer death and one day will raise the bodies of all who have died “in Christ.” If He stopped there, He would only reverse the effects of Adam’s sin; but He went on to do “much more.” He gives eternal life abundantly to all who trust Him (John 10:10).

The effect of Adam’s sin is contrasted with the effect of Christ’s obedience (v. 16). Adam’s sin brought judgment and condemnation; but Christ’s work on the cross brings justification. When Adam sinned, he was declared unrighteous and condemned. When a sinner trusts Christ, he is justified—declared righteous in Christ.

The two “reigns” are contrasted (v. 17). Because of Adam’s disobedience, death reigned. Read the “book of the generations of Adam” in Genesis 5, and note the solemn repetition of the phrase “and he died.” In Romans 5:14, Paul argued that men did not die “from Adam to Moses” for the same reason that Adam died—breaking a revealed law of God—for the Law had not yet been given. “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Because sin was reigning in men’s lives (Rom. 5:21), death was also reigning (Rom. 5:14, 17).

But in Jesus Christ we enter a new kingdom: “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17). “Therefore being justified by faith” we are declared righteous, we have peace with God, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Note that it is we who reign! “Much more they… shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” In Adam we lost our kingship, but in Jesus Christ we reign as kings. And we reign “much more”! Our spiritual reign is far greater than Adam’s earthly reign, for we share “abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness” (Rom. 5:17).

The two “one acts” are contrasted (vv. 18-19). Adam did not have to commit a series of sins. In one act God tested Adam, and he failed. It is termed an “offense” and an act of “disobedience.” The word offense means “trespass—crossing over the line.” God told Adam how far he could go, and Adam decided to go beyond the appointed limit. “Of every tree of the Garden you mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shalt not eat of it: for in the day that you eatest thereof, you shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17).

In contrast to “the trespass of one” is “the righteousness of one,” meaning the righteous work of Christ on the cross. In Romans 5:19 Paul calls it “the obedience of One” (see Phil. 2:5-12). Christ’s sacrifice on the cross not only made possible “justification,” but also “justification of life” (italics mine). Justification is not merely a legal term that describes our position before God (“just as if I’d never sinned”); but it results in a certain kind of life. “Justification of life” in Romans 5:18 is parallel to “be made righteous” in Romans 5:19. In other words, our justification is the result of a living union with Christ. And this union ought to result in a new kind of life, a righteous life of obedience to God. Our union with Adam made us sinners; our union with Christ enables us to “reign in life.”

Law and grace are contrasted (vv. 20-21). “Then Law crept in” (WMS); or, “Then the Law came in beside” (literal translation). Grace was not an addition to God’s plan; grace was a part of God’s plan from the very beginning. God dealt with Adam and Eve in grace; He dealt with the patriarchs in grace; and He dealt with the nation of Israel in grace. He gave the Law through Moses, not to replace His grace, but to reveal man’s need for grace. Law was temporary, but grace is eternal.

But as the Law made man’s sins increase, God’s grace abounded even more. God’s grace was more than adequate to deal with man’s sins. Even though sin and death still reign in this world, God’s grace is also reigning through the righteousness of Christ. The Christian’s body is subject to death and his old nature tempts him to sin; but in Jesus Christ, he can “reign in life” because he is a part of the gracious kingdom of Christ.

Sin and death are reigning in the “old creation” over which Adam was the head, but grace and righteousness are reigning in “the new creation” over which Christ is the Head. And as we yield to Him, we “reign in life.”

In Romans 5:14, Adam is called “the figure of Him that was to come.” Adam was a type, or picture, of Jesus Christ. Adam came from the earth, but Jesus is the Lord from heaven (1 Cor. 15:47). Adam was tested in a Garden, surrounded by beauty and love; Jesus was tempted in a wilderness, and He died on a cruel cross surrounded by hatred and ugliness. Adam was a thief, and was cast out of Paradise; but Jesus Christ turned to a thief and said, “Today shalt you be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). The Old Testament is “the book of the generations of Adam” (Gen. 5:1) and it ends with “a curse” (Mal. 4:6). The New Testament is “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ” (Matt. 1:1) and it ends with “no more curse” (Rev. 22:3).

We were all born into Adam’s physical family—the family line that leads to certain death. All of us have reaped the results of Adam’s sin. We have inherited his guilt, a sinful nature (the tendency to sin), and God’s punishment. Because of Jesus, however, we can trade judgment for forgiveness. Christ offers us the opportunity to be born into his spiritual family—the family line that begins with forgiveness and leads to eternal life. If we do nothing, we receive death through Adam; but if we come to God by faith, we receive life through Christ. To which family line do you now belong?

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/watch-now/leander-campus-videos

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Sources:  Life Application Study Bible, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1988), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 1902.
Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary – New Testament, Volume 1, (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2001), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 522-30.
Posted in Romans - Foundation of our Faith | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Then and Now, Faith Explained – Romans 4

Posted on September 12, 2023 by dkoop

There were some misunderstandings between the Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome. Worried Jewish Christians were asking Paul, “Does faith wipe out everything Judaism stands for? Does it cancel our Scriptures, put an end to our customs, declare that God is no longer working through us?”  “Of course not!” says Paul. When we understand the way of salvation through faith, we understand the Jewish religion better. We know why Abraham was chosen, why the law was given, and why God worked patiently with Israel for centuries. Faith does not wipe out the Old Testament. Rather, it makes God’s dealings with the Jewish people understandable. In chapter 4 Paul will expand on this theme.

Paul stated three important facts about Abraham’s salvation that prove that the patriarch’s spiritual experience was like that of believers today.

1.  He was saved by faith, not works (vv. 1-8). Paul called two witnesses to prove that statement: Moses (Gen. 15:6) and David (Ps. 32:1-2). In Romans 4:1-3, Paul examined the experience of Abraham as recorded in Genesis 15. Abraham had defeated the kings (Gen. 14) and was wondering if they would return to fight again. God appeared to him and assured him that He was his shield and “exceeding great reward.” But the thing that Abraham wanted most was a son and heir. God had promised him a son, but as yet the promise had not been fulfilled.

It was then that God told him to look at the stars. “So shall your seed [descendants] be!” God promised; and Abraham believed God’s promise. The Hebrew word translated believed means “to say amen.” God gave a promise, and Abraham responded with “Amen!” It was this faith that was counted for righteousness.

The word counted in Romans 4:3 is a Greek word that means “to put to one’s account.” It is a banking term. This same word is used eleven times in this chapter, translated “reckoned” (Rom. 4:4, 9-10) and “imputed” (Rom. 4:6, 8, 11, 21-24), as well as “counted.” When a man works, he earns a salary and this money is put to his account. But Abraham did not work for his salvation; he simply trusted God’s Word. It was Jesus Christ who did the work on the cross, and His righteousness was put on Abraham’s account.

Romans 4:5 makes a startling statement: God justifies the ungodly! The Law said, “I will not justify the wicked” (Ex. 23:7). The Old Testament judge was commanded to “justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked” (Deut. 25:1). When Solomon dedicated the temple, he asked God to condemn the wicked and justify the righteous! (1 Kings 8:31-32) But God justifies the ungodly—because there are no godly for Him to justify! He put our sins on Christ’s account that He might put Christ’s righteousness on our account.

In Romans 4:6-8, Paul used David as a witness, quoting from one of David’s psalms of confession after his terrible sin with Bathsheba (Ps. 32:1-2). David made two amazing statements: (1) God forgives sins and imputes righteousness apart from works; (2) God does not impute our sins. In other words, once we are justified, our record contains Christ’s perfect righteousness and can never again contain our sins. Christians do sin, and these sins need to be forgiven if we are to have fellowship with God (1 John 1:5-7); but these sins are not held against us. God does keep a record of our works, so that He might reward us when Jesus comes; but He is not keeping a record of our sins.

2. He was saved by grace, not Law (vv. 9-17). As we have seen, the Jews gloried in circumcision and the Law. If a Jew was to become righteous before God, he would have to be circumcised and obey the Law. Paul had already made it clear in Romans 2:12-29 that there must be an inward obedience to the Law, and a “circumcision of the heart.” Mere external observances can never save the lost sinner.

But Abraham was declared righteous when he was in the state of uncircumcision. From the Jewish point of view, Abraham was a Gentile. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised (Gen. 17:23-27). This was more than fourteen years after the events in Genesis 15. The conclusion is obvious: circumcision had nothing to do with his justification.

Then why was circumcision given? It was a sign and a seal (Rom. 4:11). As a sign, it was evidence that he belonged to God and believed His promise. As a seal, it was a reminder to him that God had given the promise and would keep it. Believers today are sealed by the Holy Spirit of God (Eph. 1:13-14). They have also experienced a spiritual circumcision in the heart (Col. 2:10-12), not just a minor physical operation, but the putting off of the old nature through the death and resurrection of Christ. Circumcision did not add to Abraham’s salvation; it merely attested to it.

But Abraham was also justified before the Law was given, and this fact Paul discusses in Romans 4:13-17. The key word here is “promise.” Abraham was justified by believing God’s promise, not by obeying God’s Law; for God’s Law through Moses had not yet been given. The promise to Abraham was given purely through God’s grace. Abraham did not earn it or merit it. So today, God justifies the ungodly because they believe His gracious promise, not because they obey His Law. The Law was not given to save men, but to show men that they need to be saved (Rom. 4:15).

The fact that Abraham was justified by grace and not Law proves that salvation is for all men. Abraham is the father of all believers, both Jews and Gentiles (Rom. 4:16; Gal. 3:7, 29). Instead of the Jew complaining because Abraham was not saved by Law, he ought to rejoice that God’s salvation is available to all men, and that Abraham has a spiritual family (all true believers) as well as a physical family (the nation of Israel). Paul saw this as a fulfillment of Genesis 17:5: “I have made thee a father of many nations.”

3. He was saved by Resurrection power, not human effort (vv. 18-25). These verses are an expansion of one phrase in Romans 4:17: “who gives life to the dead.” Paul saw the rejuvenation of Abraham’s body as a picture of resurrection from the dead; and then he related it to the resurrection of Christ.

One reason why God delayed in sending Abraham and Sarah a son was to permit all their natural strength to decline and then disappear. It was unthinkable that a man ninety-nine years old could beget a child in the womb of his wife who was eighty-nine years old! From a reproductive point of view, both of them were dead.

But Abraham did not walk by sight; he walked by faith. What God promises, He performs. All we need do is believe. Abraham’s initial faith in God as recorded in Genesis 15 did not diminish in the years that followed. In Genesis 17-18, Abraham was “strong in faith.” It was this faith that gave him strength to beget a son in his old age.

The application to salvation is clear: God must wait until the sinner is “dead” and unable to help himself before He can release His saving power. As long as the lost sinner thinks he is strong enough to do anything to please God, he cannot be saved by grace. It was when Abraham admitted that he was “dead” that God’s power went to work in his body. It is when the lost sinner confesses that he is spiritually dead and unable to help himself that God can save him.

The Gospel is “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16) because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Romans 4:24 and Romans 10:9-10 parallel each other. Jesus Christ was “delivered up to die on account of our offenses, and was raised up because of our justification” (Rom. 4:25, literal translation). This means that the resurrection of Christ is the proof that God accepted His Son’s sacrifice, and that now sinners can be justified without God violating His own Law or contradicting His own nature.

The key, of course, is “if we believe” (Rom. 4:24). There are over sixty references to faith or unbelief in Romans. God’s saving power is experienced by those who believe in Christ (Rom. 1:16). His righteousness is given to those who believe (Rom. 3:22). We are justified by faith (Rom. 5:1). The object of our faith is Jesus Christ who died for us and rose again.

All of these facts make Abraham’s faith that much more wonderful. He did not have a Bible to read; he had only the simple promise of God. He was almost alone as a believer, surrounded by heathen unbelievers. He could not look back at a long record of faith; in fact, he was helping to write that record. Yet Abraham believed God. People today have a complete Bible to read and study. They have a church fellowship, and can look back at centuries of faith as recorded in church history and the Bible. Yet many refuse to believe!

 If you are a Jew, you are a child of Abraham physically; but are you a child of Abraham spiritually? Abraham is the father of all who believe on Jesus Christ and are justified by faith. If you are a Gentile, you can never be a natural descendant of Abraham; but you can be one of his spiritual descendants. Abraham “believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”

Abraham never doubted that God would fulfill his promise. Abraham’s life was marked by mistakes, sins, and failures as well as by wisdom and goodness, but he consistently trusted God. His faith was strengthened by the obstacles he faced, and his life was an example of faith in action. If he had looked only at his own resources for subduing Canaan and founding a nation, he would have given up in despair. But Abraham looked to God, obeyed him, and waited for God to fulfill his word.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, an exchange takes place. We give him our sins, and he forgives us and makes us right with God (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). There is nothing we can do to earn this. Only through Christ can we be made right in God’s eyes. What an incredible bargain this is for us!

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/watch-now/leander-campus-videos

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Sources:  Life Application Study Bible, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1988), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 1900.
Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary – New Testament, Volume 1
, (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2001), WORD search CROSS e-book, 524-526.
Posted in Romans - Foundation of our Faith | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment