Commentary on Romans.

[justbyfaith]

Rom 5:20, Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: Rom 5:21, That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom 6:1, What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? Rom 6:2, God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Rom 6:3, Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Rom 6:4, Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

In v.20, it says that the law entered, that the offence might abound. In Galatians 3:19 it says that the law was added because of transgressions until the seed should come to whom the promise was made. Sin abounded before the law came; but when the law came, sin became trespass, it became the violation of a standard of righteousness set in front of the sinner, violated by the sinner. Now the sinner was sinning against a concrete standard and not only against a vague idea within his conscience.

Now where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. This indicates that the favour of God is not based upon our holy walk. If our walk becomes less holy, the grace of the Lord in our lives remains the same; and it abounds more in proportion to our sin which is increased. It shows that the Lord has mercy on sinners; His sun rises on the evil and the good, and his rain rains down on the just and on the unjust.

I believe that a specific verse comes to bear on this.

Isa 26:10, Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.

Grace, or unmerited favour, is shed abroad to the sinners of the land and yet it does not change their lives. But it is the purpose of God's grace that it might change our lives.

Eph 2:8, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

2Co 5:17, Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

In v.20, sin reigned in death, but grace has the capacity to reign through righteousness. In other words, through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, lives are transformed; and as we saw in Romans 5:19, through the obedience of one man the many are made righteous.

Through the grace and forgiveness of God some of us are redeemed. Having been forgiven much, we love much; and our lives are transformed so that we love the people around us, not in word or in tongue only, but in deed and in truth. The forgiveness is based solely in the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, as He died to provide His shed blood for the cleansing of sins and His Holy Spirit to give us power to live the Christian life. When we receive His sacrifice, it will produce a change in the way that we live if we have genuinely received it and are truly forgiven. We will be thankful over the fact that we know that we know that we know that we have been redeemed. And this gratitude will motivate us to willingly obey Him in the things that He desires of us.

In 6:1, it seems to me that the extravagant grace spoken of in the above verses, which I have not adequately explained, is such that grace is indeed poured out to the wicked and he does not learn righteousness; and yet grace is still poured out. Such an extravagant grace as this may lead the wicked soul to think, well, I can abound in sin and grace will abound. Paul here addresses this concept as being a concept that enters the heart of the unbeliever when he is encountered by grace.

In 6:2, for the believer, who is dead to sin, we can no longer live in a state of sinning against the Lord, walking in the direction of sin. We have died to the old nature of sin and are now walking in a new direction: towards righteousness, life, and heaven. The longer therefore we walk in such a manner, the less sin we will be committing in this life.

In 6:3, Those of us who were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death. This, I believe, is speaking of water baptism. Water baptism can be a point of contact for faith. In Acts 2:38-39, the Holy Ghost is absolutely promised to those who receive baptism in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. See Hebrews 11:33, 2 Peter 1:3-4, 2 Corinthians 1:20, and Romans 4:20-22. We can obtain promises by faith and by fulfilling the conditions of those promises which are conditional; and Acts 2:38 is a conditional promise. We are risen with Him through faith in the operation of God (Colossians 2:12).

In 6:4, When we are buried with Christ in baptism, we die to the old self and are risen with Christ so that we can walk in newness of life. We begin to walk as born again individuals after having been baptized in Jesus' Name. "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight." "If anyone confesses me before men, him will I confess before the angels of God." By acknowledging Jesus through water baptism in His name, we obtain a certain favour with our Lord and Saviour. He will identify with us because we have identified with Him; and He will give to you the Holy Ghost if you fulfill the condition of this promise found in Acts 2:38-39.

 

[justbyfaith]

Rom 6:5, For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Rom 6:6, Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Rom 6:7, For he that is dead is freed from sin. Rom 6:8, Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Rom 6:9, Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. Rom 6:10, For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

In v. 5, we see a guarantee of salvation for those who have been planted together with Christ in the likeness of His death, through water baptism in Jesus' Name; as indicated by the word "shall": which is a term indicating absolute fulfillment at some point in the future. I do not teach, per se, that baptism in Jesus' name is necessary for salvation; although if you compare Acts 2:38-39 to Romans 8:30 you may come to that conclusion. What I do teach is that baptism in Jesus' Name is a point of contact and is a means by which we can obtain absolute assurance that we are indeed saved. The Holy Ghost is absolutely promised to those who fulfill the conditions for that promise laid out in Acts 2:38: I would think that anyone who has received the Holy Ghost through stepping through this hoop is born again of the Holy Ghost and is sealed by Him unto the day of redemption. In Ephesians 1:13-14 this promised seal is only conditionalized by faith in Jesus; however, Paul is there speaking to the Ephesian believers, of whom the original twelve received baptism in Jesus' Name; so I believe that Paul may there be equating their faith with their baptism: as faith without works is dead and often our faith is demonstrated by the works that we exhibit.

In v.6, Our old man is crucified with Him. Who we used to be can sometimes rear his ugly head after we become a believer in Christ. But there is a certain condition that we can be in, in which the old man (who we used to be) is crucified so that he has no say in our behaviour. The element of sin is put to death, although it is not eradicated from our system, so that 1 John 1:8 would not be the reality. If sin within me is dead, then it cannot control me, and I am free to walk in newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. In Romans 7:8, without the law sin was dead. In Galatians 5:24 and 2:20, those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts.

Also, it is so that the body of sin might be destroyed. The body of sin is the encapsulation of that which is sinful within us. In Colossians 2:11, a similar thing is mentioned. The body of the sins of the flesh is the encapsulation of that which is sinful within our flesh. This is put away from us according to that scripture, through the circumcision that Christ operates in our hearts, see also Romans 2:25-29. So then, the body of sin is both destroyed and put off from us when we come to a certain point in our walk. Now in Philippians 3:12-16, esp. v.15, we find that if we think that we have apprehended that state of holiness, we have not yet been perfected. The attitude of those who are perfected is that we hold ourselves as having not yet apprehended, we consider that we still have room to grow.

Therefore, while these verses put out the hope of sinless perfection, even in this life; we find that if anyone thinks that they have obtained it, they have indeed not obtained it. Therefore if anyone says that they have no sin, they deceive themselves and the truth is not in them. And yet, this is not to say that those who do not claim this second benefit (2 Corinthians 1:15) have not obtained it; for it is possible that they have obtained it. It is written (Philippians 3:15 and context) that, as many as be perfect, let them have this attitude.

In v.7, he that is dead is freed from sin. This is to be coupled with the understanding that I will explain perhaps a little more in the next message, that we who are dead to sin are dead to sin in the same sense that Christ died unto sin. Now Jesus became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. So if we are dead in the same sense as He was dead, we are in a sense made one with sin, as He was. Now this is a little deep so you may not be able to understand it right away; you will have to think on the matter. But the reality is that, in our flesh we are basically darkness because we are dead unto sin even as Jesus became dead unto sin when He died. But we are also alive unto God. There is a dichotomy of flesh and Spirit in which I consider myself to be utterly sinful and yet I am also dead to sin in the sense that I am set free from the power of it. What this means is that I have adopted the saying that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief" (1 Timothy 1:15); but that in my practical walk I am going to be walking in freedom, holiness and victory over sin.

In v. 8, You will live with Christ in heaven for ever if you count yourself to be the chief of sinners and yet walk in freedom, holiness, and victory in the practical sense; and also have been buried with Him in baptism; in which you are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God.

In v.9, Christ being raised from the dead is not going to ever die again. What this means is that if you are truly in Christ, you cannot die spiritually either. I encourage the reader to heed what is written in the following scriptures:

Phl 2:12, Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Phl 2:13, For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

2Pe 1:10, Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

If you do these things, you cannot die spiritually; because of what this verse says (Jesus can never die again) and because you are in Christ. It is also written,

Jhn 11:25, Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Jhn 11:26, And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Jhn 11:27, She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

It is set forth to you as to whether you will believe Jesus or not, that if you live and believe in Him you will never die. Now this is not speaking of physical death because there are many who, being alive and believing in Jesus, have died physically since He died and rose again. Therefore this is definitely talking about spiritual life and death.

In v.10, Jesus died unto sin once. Now we know that scripture interprets scripture, this is the biblical hermeneutic of 1 Corinthians 2:13. So we compare the scripture that also tells us in what manner Jesus died unto sin:

2Co 5:21, For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Jesus became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of the Lord in Him. In the next lesson we will see what this means for us because of the beginning word in the next paragraph, "Likewise."

 

[justbyfaith]

Rom 6:11, Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom 6:12, Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Rom 6:13, Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. Rom 6:14, For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

In v.11, The word likewise refers to what was specifically before, that Jesus died unto sin once. This is referring to the fact that He became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). Therefore the sense in which we reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin is to be in that we count ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin in the same sense that Jesus died unto sin: and He became sin for us. Therefore we are to reckon ourselves utterly sinful; and this is what it means to reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin. Now we are also to reckon ourselves to be alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore I consider that in me, that is, in my flesh, there dwells no good thing: but that my spirit is alive unto the Lord and is one with the Holy Ghost. See 1 Corinthians 6:17 and Ephesians 3:19. Now I am to reckon myself to be utterly sinful, so that I adopt the faithful and trustworthy saying in 1 Timothy 1:15 unto myself, even if I know that the Lord has completely cleansed me so that I am whiter than snow (Psalms 51:7) and that He has cleansed me from all sin (1 John 1:7); and that I have purified myself even as He is pure (1 John 3:3). I am to project the sin of the world around me onto myself so that when they look at my holy life and see that I call myself a sinner, that they can do nothing less than the same concerning their own lives when they see that in the practical sense, their life is less holy then mine. I may be righteous as all get-out but I am to reckon myself to be utterly sinful. In much the same way that the Lord declares us righteous even though we are ungodly (Romans 4:5); so are we to consider ourselves to be ungodly even when we know that, in our practical lives, we are exhibiting righteousness.

In v.12, we are not to let sin reign in our mortal body, that we should obey it in the lusts thereof. Remember that our identity in Christ is that we are the righteousness of God in Him, and that therefore we are to go and live like it. This presents a kind of paradox in our thinking. We are to know that our identity is righteousness, and yet we are to reckon ourselves to be utterly sinful. While this may appear to be a contradiction, in all reality it is not. Our righteousness is completely from God, but our ungodliness stems from the old man...that person who we used to be and of whom remnants of its thinking do occasionally rise up within us so that we behave like we did before we became Christians. It is our flesh that is utterly sinful. Now we have also discovered that the old man is crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, that we might henceforth serve sin no longer. In understanding that we are dead indeed unto sin, we do indeed understand that we are utterly sinful; but we also understand that according to Romans 6:7 we are set free from the power of sin. The key is in understanding the meaning of the word dead. We are dead indeed unto sin. The unto sin aspect means that we are utterly sinful; but the dead aspect means that we are separated from that utter sinfulness so that we can walk in freedom and victory over sin. These things may indeed require some thinking on your part to be able to understand as they are deep truths of scripture. But here in verse 12, we are told that in the practical sense, we are simply not supposed to walk according to the flesh or to yield our members to unrighteousness or to allow sin to reign in our mortal bodies.

In v.13, we are not to yield our members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; but we are to yield ourselves unto God as those who are alive from the dead. Now in Romans 8:10-11 it should be clear that we have literally died physically and then been quickened unto life so that our old man is now gone from us and the new man is in control. If you are not yet in the place that I am speaking of, there is grace and the Lord will be slowly (or perhaps even quickly) bringing you into that place. In 2 Corinthians 1:15, entire sanctification is shown to be a second benefit given to us for the purpose of being able to live with a pure, clean, and good conscience as believers in this world. Most certainly these verses speak of the fact that repentance is a requirement for salvation; and that if someone is not walking in holiness and bearing fruits worthy of repentance, that the axe may very well be being laid to the root of the tree. Jesus said that if you continue in His word, you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free; in the same context (John 8:31-36) slavery is related as being in bondage to sin. Therefore I suggest that if a man is truly born again, he will be walking in purity, holiness, freedom, and victory in his practical life while at the same time the Holy Ghost may be pinpointing to his consciousness how utterly sinful he is before the Lord.

In v.14, this is powerful. We are not under the law but under grace; and because of this, sin shall not have dominion over us. Funny thing, because sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). So then, by not being under the law, we gain victory over transgression of it: we overcome sin when we cease to focus on its power in our lives.

Understanding that we are forgiven and that there is no condemnation for us can be a powerful thing when it comes to having victory over sin. According to 1 Corinthians 15:56, the strength of sin is the law. Sin takes advantage of the law to produce in a man all manner of concupiscence (Romans 7:8). Without the law, sin is dead. When the commandment comes, sin revives, and we die. Therefore the law, which is holy and just and good, becomes death unto us, not because the law is evil, but in order that sin might be shown to be exceedingly sinful; in that it takes advantage of that which is good in order to get what it wants. We become tempted every time when the wet paint principle comes into effect (otherwise known as the forbidden fruit principle). I cannot go into perfect detail on how all of this works in this singular post, but you can read the document written by me, under my pen name of Victor Jedidiah, on the Wet Paint Principle; and in reading the document you may indeed gain insight into the principle I am here speaking of. I will give a link below.

The point however being that as we are set free from the law and begin to realize the reality of grace, that this is the key to victory over sin in our personal lives.

Link: Wet Paint Principle (Freedom)

 

[justbyfaith]

Rom 6:15, What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Rom 6:16, Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Rom 6:17, But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Rom 6:18, Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. Rom 6:19, I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

In v.15, there is the concept that because we are not under the law but under grace, that we can just sin and there will be no consequence. The concept that we are not under the law but under grace is also revisited in Romans 7:1-6, and therefore it is good to return to this passage after reading that portion of the holy scripture. The answer to the question of whether it is alright to keep sinning for that we are not under the law but under grace is: God forbid.

I will also throw in my two cents here. Since the love of the Lord is shed abroad in our hearts through faith (Galatians 3:14, Romans 5:5); how can we then sin against the Lord? As long as we walk according to love, we do not sin: for all the law is comprehended in this saying, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Therefore if I walk in love towards my neighbor, I will not be doing anything in violation of the spirit of the law: I will not sin.

1Jo 2:10, He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

Now in v.16, it should be clear that there are two masters that we can obey: sin (unto death) or obedience (unto righteousness). This indicates two things. 1) the wages of sin is death. We will see this as a statement shortly in the next few verses. 2) obedience is unto righteousness. This means that righteousness, at least as the scripture here defines it, is the result of obedience. Now of course we know from the previous chapters that righteousness is imputed as the result of faith; we are declared righteous by the Lord because we believe in Him. Nevertheless it is impossible for the Lord to lie; and therefore if He declares us righteous, we will be righteous. And 1 John 3:7 tells us (as well as this present verse) that righteousness is something that will be practical in the life of the one who has it.

So then, if we obey sin, death will be the result, but if we are obedient to the Lord, righteousness will be the result (and life with it). Except that there is the possibility of being righteous according to the law and yet not being saved. Paul before his conversion was blameless as touching the law (Philippians 3:6). Nevertheless he was not saved.

This is because salvation can only come through forgiveness that comes as the result of Christ's shed blood on the Cross. If I turn over a new leaf, but am not forgiven through the blood of the Cross, I certainly will not have to pay for sins that I will not commit after that point; but I will still have to pay for the sins that I have committed up to that point. Also, only the blood of Jesus, accompanied by the Holy Spirit, has the power to truly deliver anyone from the power of sin at its deepest level (as it exists at the core of our being): and therefore simply turning over a new leaf is not going to make me less of a sinner. Sin will simply show itself forth in other ways than the specific area that I have dealt with in my effort at working self-help into my existence.

In v.17, Paul sets forth the Roman believers as an example of those who have obeyed from the heart the doctrines of the gospel, and that as a result they are no longer servants (slaves) of sin.

In v.18, They are made free from sin. John 8:31-36 is a good parallel passage for this. They have become servants of righteousness. As Bob Dylan sang, you gotta serve somebody. It may be the devil, or it may be God; but you gotta serve somebody. So then, in being set free from sin, we become the servants of righteousness.

In v.19, we find that the last statement is spoken in human terms because of the infirmity of our flesh. It means that it is not exactly an accurate statement; but it is what we need to hear at a certain point. Because the reality, that we might take for granted; and therefore not submit to righteousness: is that we are sons rather than servants.

Gal 4:4, But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Gal 4:6, And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Gal 4:7, Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

So then, in all reality we are sons of righteousness; and therefore our obedience comes from the perspective of family relationship rather than that of servant or slave. But for those who are hearing the gospel for the first time, who have not yet been regenerated (i.e. made into sons), they need to understand that in being set free they will need to be surrendering to the opposite of what they are being set free from: in being set free from sin they must become a servant to righteousness. Because even a son does service to the family, although his motivation is the honour of his family and not an obligation to his master. A son serves his father because he loves his father; a slave or servant serves because he is required to.

So then, as you have surrendered your members to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now surrender your members as servants to righteousness unto holiness.

This would tell us, wouldn't it, that the Lord desires that we might live a holy life? It is His objective in teaching us the doctrines of grace, that we might begin to live as holy vessels that are surrendered to His will for our lives.

Tit 2:11, For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13, Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Tit 2:14, Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

 

[justbyfaith]

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[GodsGrace]

Romans 1:1, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures) 3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh:

The author of this epistle is Paul the apostle. The word, "servant' in the next phrase of the sentence is doulos, which means bondservant, or bondslave. It is a reference back to Exodus 21:1-6, wherein it is written that after six years of service, if a slave loves his wife, family, and master more than the idea of freedom, he can have his ear pierced to the door with an awl and he will be the slave of that master for ever. A parallel passage is John 6:66-71, wherein (interestingly enough), John 6:66 speaks of how many disciples who followed Jesus went back and followed Him no more. By my calculations the number of the Beast means rejecting Jesus Christ completely after having been a Christian for many years. If anyone tells you that chapter and verse aren't inspired, show them this verse and then tell them (verbally) to go and read Proverbs 32 (Proverbs 30:2). Now Peter in the passage I am referring to said to the Lord, "To whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life." We come to a place in our walk where we are faced with a decision to either become surrendered to Him for the rest of our lives (eternity) or to follow Him no more forever; and this is an eternal decision.

Paul was called to be an apostle and separated unto the gospel of God. He wrote in Galatians 1 that he was called from his mother's womb; a similar testimony that the prophet Jeremiah also had. Predestination is a huge subject in modern theological doctrine; and I happen to believe in it. When I first heard of Calvin in my history book in elementary school, it was said that Calvin's primary contribution was concerning the subject of predestination. Now predestination is not only concerning salvation; but concerning a number of other things. In Jude 1:3-4 it is shown that certain false teachers, who preach grace as a license for sin (NIV), turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness and deny the only Lord God even our Lord Jesus Christ (kjv), their condemnation was marked out long ago (forordained, kjv). Predestination is also a basic truth in the nature of God's transcendence; He is outside of time, and therefore when He intervenes in human affairs, it is done from the perspective of eternity: both from before the foundation of the world and at the end of all things and everything in between; except from the perspective of not being bound to finite means of accomplishment. Now the word separated means holy; and to be separated unto the gospel of God means being called to the ministry, even of holiness, if you get my drift.

Now this good news (the gospel of God) was promised before Jesus ever came to earth through the writings of the Old Testament prophets. Scripture passages in particular that stand out are Psalms 22 and Isaiah 53, which are specific prophecies that bear witness to the crucifixion. In Psalms 22, the very first line was spoken by Jesus, only in the Aramaic language, while he was dying on the Cross. Also the bodily suffering of crucifixion is described very adequately in verses throughout the chapter. Jesus spoke from the Cross, "I thirst" in fulfillment of a prophecy in that chapter. Isaiah 53 is considered to be a prophecy about the suffering of the Jewish people for other nations by most Jewish scholars (if they will handle it correctly this is the conclusion they should make if they are going to deny that it is about our Lord); the suffering servant of Isaiah dies for the sins of the world and if this refers to the Jewish people then anti-semitism has validity in that the Jews are supposed to die for the rest of the world. However I do not believe that this is the case, as I was circumcised the eighth day myself although my mother never told me specifically that I was Jewish (perhaps in order to keep me from being persecuted for my lineage); she did however tell me that there were parts of my nationality that were unknown (other than 1/2 Italian, some Norweigian, and 1/16 Cherokee) and therefore I identify with the Jewish people at the very least as a kind of Samaritan halfbreed according to what in the days of the New Testament was considered to be true of those who were only part Jewish. But I have digressed. What is the gospel of God? It is that Jew and Gentile alike can be redeemed by the sacrifice of a lamb that was completely innocent in the place of them for their sake as their sins are transferred to the lamb and the innocence of the lamb is applied to their account (see John chapter 1).

Now this gospel is concerning God's Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who came and died on a Cross approximately 2,000 years ago (at the time of this writing) and also was risen from the dead by God the Father. Jesus also claimed that He had power to lay down His life and power to take it up again and that He had received that commandment from the Father.

The crucifixion and resurrection is a historical fact and the world has never been the same since this occurence happened. Some say that Jesus was the greatest moral teacher who ever lived. C.S. Lewis set forth the proposition that since Jesus claimed to be God (John 8:24, John 8:58) and the Pharisees understood His claim well enough to pick up stones to stone Him for blasphemy (John 8:59, John 10:31-33), that this idea of Him being a great moral teacher cannot be unless He is indeed who He claimed to be (Now please read Matthew 5-7). Either He was a lunatic on the level of someone who thinks he is a poached egg, or He is a liar on the level of the devil of hell; or else He is the Lord and the God who created all of us as it is at the very least implied in John 1:1-3 and John 1:14.

Now Jesus was made of the seed of David according to the flesh. This means his lineage was of David. In Matthew chapter 1, and in Luke chapter 4, two different genealogies are given of Jesus' ancestry and one of them is only concerning Jesus' true stepfather Joseph; for His Father was the God who created all of us. In the concept of the Trinity, the Father descends to take on human form and this Person that comes into being who is wholly God and wholly man is called the Son of God, identified as the 2nd Person of the Trinity. When Jesus releases His Spirit back to the Father, the person of Jesus' Spirit is given the title the Holy Ghost. See John 4:23-24 and John 14:7-11 for details. Also Ephesians 4:4.

Now the fact that Jesus is made according to the seed of David is to the Jehovah's Witness an evidence that Jesus is not the Lord God. However Isaiah 45:11 indicates that Jehovah God indeed has a Maker and I perceive this to mean that in the flesh Jesus had a created body. The Holy Spirit became one with the egg in the womb of the virgin Mary in the conception of Jesus. Now it is said in certain circles that sin is carried down DNA-wise through the father 's seed and not the mother's egg. Therefore since Jesus' Father was not human but the only Divine Creator, Jesus was sinless as a human being. Now since I believe in the entire sanctification of the believer (see 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, Hebrews 10:14, 1 John 3:9, Romans 6:6, Colossians 2:11), it is possible that there was an immaculate conception in my view (except that Mary lived before the Cross). However, I believe that sounder doctrine indicates to us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; and also that if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Therefore the only One who can accurately claim to be without sin is God.

HI JBF
Did you write the above?

 

[justbyfaith]

HI JBF
Did you write the above?

Everything except the scriptures that were expounded upon themselves.

 

[farouk]

Everything except the scriptures that were expounded upon themselves.

Often the context of Scripture passages provides a lot of interpretation help.

 

[justbyfaith]

Often the context of Scripture passages provides a lot of interpretation help.

Yes...and there is both the immediate context to consider...and the topical context.

1 Corinthians 2:13 tells us that the topical context is important and that the Holy Spirit can and will teach us through contrasting and parallel verses that speak on the same subject in scripture.

 

[GodsGrace]

Everything except the scriptures that were expounded upon themselves.

Wow.
I can't believe the amount of work you did that went into this O.P.
Impressive.

 

[justbyfaith]

Rom 6:20, For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. Rom 6:21, What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. Rom 6:22, But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. Rom 6:23, For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

In v.20, when we were slaves of sin, we were free from righteousness. This indicates that in a certain sense, now that we are set free from sin, we are bound to righteousness; but again Paul is speaking in human terms because of the weakness of our flesh. As sons of righteousness, our behaviour will be consistently righteous; but as a born again believer I do not count this to be any kind of drudgery or hardship, as though I were a slave rather than a son. I obey my Father because I love Him; because He first loved me (1 John 4:19, Luke 7:36-50). I am not free from righteousness as one who is born again because it is my nature to do what is righteous now. Before, when I was a servant of sin, I felt no need to do what was righteous and was free from righteous living...while I was under the law and therefore the Lord required righteousness of me, yet I was for the most part oblivious to that, especially when I went and did my own thing. I considered that "grace covers me" but in all reality, if I would have had grace, it would have enabled me to walk in freedom from sin; and from the unbeliever's perspective this would mean being a slave of righteousness. Because to the unbeliever, to walk in righteousness would be a requirement and a drudgery; but to the son, to the one who is born again, walking in rightousness is a privilege and the joy of our hearts.

In v.21, The only fruit that we had in those things of which we are now ashamed, was shame...and death.

In v.22 and 23, I want to mention that often people tend to take the fact that the wages of sin is death the wrong way, in that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. They consider that the gift overrides the penalty, so that the wages of sin is no longer death.

However the gift has within it the reality of the fact that we are set free from sin, and bear our fruit unto holiness, and the end result of these two things is everlasting life.

Therefore we do not obtain eternal life apart from being set free from sin (becoming slaves of righteousness).

 

[justbyfaith]

Rom 7:1, Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? Rom 7:2, For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. Rom 7:3, So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. Rom 7:4, Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. Rom 7:5, For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. Rom 7:6, But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

In v.1, Paul is speaking in this passage to them that know the law. If you don't know the law, then you might consider that the law is what defines sin for us, and that it condemns those who are disobedient to it as sinners. But if you do know the law, then it will be clear to you that it is a yoke that neither the disciples nor their forefathers were able to bear. We will see in v.6 that it is the letter of the law that kills, but the spirit gives life.

In v.2-3, Paul gives the analogy of a woman who is married to her husband. If the woman remarries while her husband is still alive, she will be called an adulteress. But if one of them dies, she is no adulteress over the fact that she has remarried. This is referring to the fact that before we come to faith in Christ, we are married to the law. We were kept under the law, Galatians 3:23, we were married to a husband who was a taskmaster at heart. When we come to faith in Christ, we die; and this means that we are free to remarry Christ who is a Helper rather than a taskmaster.

In v.4, Paul repeats in no uncertain terms what he said in Romans 6:14, that we are not under the law but under grace. In that verse, Paul said that because of this severance, sin shall not have dominion over us. Here it is written that because of this severance we will now be able to bear fruit unto God. I will say here that the scripture teaches us that we are not under the law, we are dead to the law, and we are delivered from the law. Scripture: Romans 6:14, Romans 7:4, Galatians 2:19, Romans 7:6, Ephesians 2:15-16, Colossians 2:14, Hebrews 7:18. This means that because we are forgiven of past, present, and future sins (Romans 4:8, Romans 8:38-39, Hebrews 9:12), our relationship to the law has changed. It no longer condemns us from the outside, as tablets written on stone. Now it governs us from the inside, as written on fleshy tables of human hearts. Scripture: Hebrews 8:8-10, Hebrews 10:16; Romans 5:5; Romans 13:8-10, Galatians 5:14, 1 John 5:3, 2 John 1:6, Romans 8:4, Romans 8:7; 2 Corinthians 3:3.

Also in Galatians 5:16-24, it is clear that we do not violate the law when we walk according to the fruit of the Spirit: there is no law that exists against such behaviour.

In v.5, we find a principle, that the motions of sins are by the law. This will be plushed out more clearly in the next passage. If you are not in the flesh, you are not under the law; and therefore the principle of the law, wherein it produces in you all manner of concupiscence, is made dead; because the law is dead: or rather, you are made dead to the law. It may help to take a look at my treatise on this subject of the wet paint principle, which I will post the link shortly.

Wet Paint Principle (Freedom)

In v.6, we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held. Now that wherein we were held, is both the law, and it is the flesh nature that often takes control so that we sin. But if you can get free of the law, so that it is no longer a condemning factor from the outside, but only governs you from the inside, you will begin to have victory over sin. Because the law has the effect of producing in you all manner of concupiscence; and therefore if you can get free of the law's condemnation, you can also get free of the law's effect of creating in you the desire to sin.

Thus you will begin to walk in the freedom of obeying the spirit of the law, as opposed to the bondage of being subject to the letter. It is written that the letter kills, but the spirit gives life. When we are attempting to earn our salvation through the keeping of a set of do's and don'ts, we will find ourselves in bondage...we will find that we are bound to the letter of those do's and don'ts, and that we don't have the freedom to do what God wants us to do in those instances when, as in situational ethics, two moral virtues are set forth, and in order to uphold the one you have to violate the other.

This happened with Jesus, in that He upheld the moral virtue of being a Healer in violation of the sabbath. He actually violated sabbath law, in that He healed a man and in the doing of it told him on the sabbath to take up his bed and walk (see John 5:17-18 and context). He said, My Father worketh hereto, and I work.

Since no work is allowed to be done on the sabbath day (Exodus 20:10), Jesus violated one of the ten commandments here. And yet the scripture declares that He was without sin. How can this be?

The answer is, Jesus came in the priesthood of Melchizedec, which was not based in a carnal commandment but after the power of an endless life. Jesus was and is the Lord of the sabbath. He Himself was not under the letter of the law but was obedient to the nth degree to the spirit of what the law is all about.

So, we follow Jesus' example as believers. We are no longer bound to the letter, but we seek to be obedient according to the spirit of what the law says is righteousness.

We have been given a righteousness which is apart from the law, which is attested to by the law and the prophets, Romans 3:21. This means that the law and the prophets bear witness that what we have is righteousness indeed; and therefore there is an extent to which the righteousness which is by faith is also according to the law (but not by the law). The law testifies to the fact that our righteousness is true. Because we are obedient to the spirit of what the law is all about, we are following the tenor of the law and are obedient, even if there are aspects of the letter that are violated by us.

I think that tefilin is fulfilled in me, not in that I carry a phylactery around that has the word of the Lord written in it; but in that I do carry a pocket Bible and read it often. The word is nigh me, in my mouth and in my heart. But the letter of tefilin is not kept by me; I would have to behave as the most orthodox of Jews for that to be the case; and Christianity was never intended to turn Gentiles into Jews.

 

[justbyfaith]

Rom 7:7, What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. Rom 7:8, But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. Rom 7:9, For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. Rom 7:10, And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. Rom 7:11, For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Rom 7:12, Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Rom 7:13, Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

In v.7, one might make the conclusion from the former statements of Paul that the law is sin. But Paul is going to here make the distinction that the law isn't sin; but that rather the law defines sin. He is also going to here set forth the principle that the law creates in us the desire to sin. This is the wet paint principle, otherwise known as the forbidden fruit principle. When we are forbidden to do something, it is human nature to want to go and do that thing because we want to know why it is forbidden. We think, that, perhaps, God is trying to hold back something from us in telling us not to do it. In all reality God set forth the law as a standard that keeps us within the boundaries of safety; when we obey His law, we will find that we are not doing things that will put us in spiritual or even physical danger. The fact is, God has been seen as some kind of cosmic killjoy, in that He has forbidden such things as fornication; because the same is pleasurable, satan whispers in the ear, "See, God is trying to hold back from you the pleasures of sex!" In all reality, God created sex to be a holy thing within the confines of holy matrimony. But as was the lie in the garden, wherein the devil convinced Eve that God was trying to hold back from her something that would be good for her once she partook of it, so the devil lies to us today, telling us that, whatever it is that he is tempting us with, is pleasurable and that if God really loved us He wouldn't have forbidden us to partake of it.

In v.8, It is not the law that produces all manner of concupiscence; no, rather it is sin that takes advantage of the law to do the same. Without the law sin is rendered dead. If there is nothing forbidden, then sin cannot take advantage of the law to make us want to do it. This is why Paul wrote previously that we are not under the law (Romans 6:14), are dead to the law (Romans 7:4; see also Galatians 2:19), and are delivered from the law (Romans 7:6). When there is no condemnation from the law, that means that nothing is forbidden in the sense that we will be condemned in the doing of it. Does this then mean that as believers, we do whatever we want? the answer is twofold: 1) what we want to do is different than what we wanted to do as unbelievers; for we have been made into new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17 (kjv)); and 2) the law is written in our hearts and on our minds as those who are under the New Covenant (Hebrews 8:8-10, Hebrews 10:16); and therefore it is true that while the law no longer condemns us from the outside as being written on tablets of stone, yet it governs us from the inside as being written on fleshy tables of human hearts (see Romans 5:5; Romans 13:8-10, Galatians 5:14, 1 John 5:3, 2 John 1:6, Romans 8:4). As those who are spiritually-minded, we are subject in our minds to the law of the Lord (Romans 8:7). Therefore, we now obey, not out of fear of condemnation in the case of disobedience; but rather out of love for the Lord. It would seem also that if we do not love the Lord in this manner that we are not born again and therefore the condemnation of the law would still apply to us. So the effect is the same, that if we disobey there is condemnation; however, it should be clear that this is referring only to willful disobedience: if we are spurning obedience to the Lord because we don't love Him, that is different from making a mistake or messing up in some area because of weakness (for Jesus said, The spirit is willing; but the flesh is weak). Therefore, if I don't love the Lord and disobey Him for that reason, it is because I am not born again and there is condemnation over that; but if I do love the Lord, you can be sure that I am born of Him: however the weakness of the flesh may indeed take hold of me. I will give you a sort of preview of a principle that we will find in the next passage: Romans 7:14-25 may be speaking of a carnal believer; but it also may be speaking of an unbeliever. I believe that if the person living a Romans 7:14-25 lifestyle is a born again believer, their attitude will be that which is spoken of in v.24...they will be grieved over their sin and will be seeking deliverance from it; they will not be content to do what they say they don't want to do (by claiming Romans 7 as their claim to faith); in all reality, they do want to do it...otherwise they would have gotten deliverance a long time ago. If they don't want to do it, they will ask, seek, and knock, at the door of entire sanctification...and they will find. In Romans 4:20-22 it is clear that if we hold God as able to perform that which He has promised, that we are justified because of this. So then, if we are justified and truly desire to obey God in an area that is our besetting sin, we will come to that place of repentance sooner rather than later, for entire sanctification is promised in the holy scriptures (specifically 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, Hebrews 10:14, 1 John 3:9, Jude 1:24, 2 Peter 1:10, and many more verses that would take up an entire page to give them all to you).

In v.9, Paul speaks of his experience of being spiritually alive, and spiritual death coming to him because the commandment came in. This is referring again to the fact that sin takes advantage of the law to create in us all manner of sinful desire. The flesh, being put to death in us, takes hold of the law in order to find resurrection power; and it revives itself in us through that principle of, "You can't do this..." our flesh rises up and says, "wanna bet? I can do anything I want" and so the nightmare begins all over again.

In v.10, It is absolute truth that the law was ordained to life. If anyone perfectly lives by the law, they will live by it (Galatians 3:12, Romans 10:5). However, even those who were sticklers for the law in Paul's day, it is clear that even they did not keep it (see Galatians 6:13). For the scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe (Galatians 3:22).

In v.11, Paul here reiterates the concept that sin takes advantage of the law to revive itself. He adds here that there is a deceptive quality to this work of sin in us through the law.

In v.12, In spite of all that Paul is saying, he wants us to understand that the law in itself isn't sinful.

In v.13, he makes it clear that it is sin that is sinful; and that it takes advantage of that which is good to bring about its evil purposes; in order that sin might be shown to be exceedingly sinful.

As a supplement to this teaching I want to refer you also to my tract/booklet written under my pen name of Victor Jedidiah that speaks of the wet paint principle and how we can have the victory over it. I will post the link shortly (which I have also posted previously in this same thread).

Wet Paint Principle (Freedom)

 

[Zachary]

Romans 6:16 ... obedience is unto righteousness. This means that righteousness, at least as the scripture here defines it, is the result of obedience. Now of course we know from the previous chapters that righteousness is imputed as the result of faith; we are declared righteous by the Lord because we believe in Him. Nevertheless it is impossible for the Lord to lie; and therefore if He declares us righteous, we will be righteous.

You fail to understand that the previous chapters were referring to
one's INITIAL salvation!
I.E the moment one receives the Holy Spirit, he receives everything!

BUT, his salvation must be maintained through co-operation with
the Holy Spirit during his sanctification process unto holiness.
This is what the MANY dire warnings in the NT are all about.
.

 

[justbyfaith]

You fail to understand that the previous chapters were referring to
one's INITIAL salvation!
I.E the moment one receives the Holy Spirit, he receives everything!

BUT, his salvation must be maintained through co-operation with
the Holy Spirit during his sanctification process unto holiness.
This is what the MANY dire warnings in the NT are all about.
.

Salvation is maintained by faith (Romans 1:17, Colossians 2:6, Galatatians 3:1-3); which produces co-operation with the Holy Spirit and a practical righteousness.

 

[Zachary]

Salvation is maintained by faith (Romans 1:17, Colossians 2:6, Galatatians 3:1-3); which produces co-operation with the Holy Spirit and a practical righteousness.

For teaching you a thing or two, a thank you would be more in order
than continuing to pretend that you know everything.
Was I correct by saying you are hopeless,
or is there still some hope for you?
A place to start is humility before God and man.
.

 

[justbyfaith]

For teaching you a thing or two, a thank you would be more in order
than continuing to pretend that you know everything.
Was I correct by saying you are hopeless,
or is there still some hope for you?
A place to start is humility before God and man.
.

I am proud of my humility...and humbled by my pride!

Therefore humility is what reigns in me over and above my pride.

But I definitely have more hope than you could even imagine.

I am a blood-bought saint, living daily in the palm of Jesus.

 

[justbyfaith]

Rom 7:14, For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. Rom 7:15, For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. Rom 7:16, If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Rom 7:17, Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Rom 7:18, For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. Rom 7:19, For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Rom 7:20, Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Rom 7:21, I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. Rom 7:22, For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: Rom 7:23, But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. Rom 7:24, O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Rom 7:25, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

In v.14, we find that Paul is using a literary tactic, called IDENTIFICATION, to identify himself as a carnal believer in order that he might define carnality in the next few verses. Paul states elsewhere in scripture that he sometimes uses this tactic:

1Co 9:22, To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

Paul identifies himself as weak in order that he might save the weak.

Now, of importance to our understanding of this passage is the following:

1Co 3:1, And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 1Co 3:2, I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 1Co 3:3, For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 1Co 3:4, For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

Here, Paul states that there are two types of believer: 1) the carnal; and, 2) the spiritual.

Later, in Romans 8, he speaks of the difference between the carnal and the spiritual:

Rom 8:4, That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Rom 8:5, For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. Rom 8:6, For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Rom 8:7, Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Rom 8:8, So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Rom 8:9, But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

The carnally-minded person walks according to the flesh; and his mind isn't subject to the law of the Lord: his inclination is towards death.

Pro 8:33, Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Pro 8:34, Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. Pro 8:35, For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. Pro 8:36, But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

In v.15, Paul, identifying himself as a carnal believer, states that he hates the things that he does. It reminds me of the song by DC TALK: "What's going on inside of me? I despise my own behaviour...this only serves to confirm my suspicion, that I'm still a man in need of a Saviour!"

It is written, Pro 19:16, He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul; but he that despiseth his ways shall die.

It should be clear that the Romans 7:14-25 lifestyle is not the desirable one.

In v.16, Paul shows that even though it is not desirable to live in defeat as the Romans 7:14-25 believer lives in, that at least this believer understands that the moral law has authority over him.

In v.17, Those who know what the law says and yet do not obey it because they are weak, it is not them that is committing the sins that they commit, but it is sin dwelling in them. Of course, ideally we should be set free from the element of sin's power in our lives. Romans 7:8 and Romans 6:6 and Galatians 5:24, all show that sin ought not to have dominion in our lives: we can have the victory over the element of sin when we shall put it to death. Romans 6:14 and Romans 8:12-13 also speak of this.

 

[justbyfaith]

In v.18, I am sinful by nature. I have sin dwelling in me: and in me (that is, in my flesh) there dwells no good thing. Of course, Romans 6:6 and Colossians 2:11 might have something to say about this:

Rom 6:6, Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Col 2:11, In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

In v.19, Paul finds a yin-yang effect going on in his psyche: when he wants to do good, he doesn't do it; and when he doesn't want to do evil, he does it. This is all of course in identification of the carnally-minded person; for he has made it clear that there is also the spiritually-minded person who is not captivated by this type of thinking.

In v.20, Paul repeats that it is indwelling sin that is the culprit concerning all of his evil-doing. And I will say again that Romans 6:6 and Colossians 2:11 is the solution.

In v.21, This law of yin-yang, that when Paul (identifying himself as carnal) wants to do good, evil is present with him. However this law can be broken by the principle in Romans 6:6, Colossians 2:11. Paul himself isn't carnal; but is identifying himself as carnal in order that he might win the carnal person to Jesus Christ.

In v.22, Paul states that the carnally-minded person does in fact delight in God's law: he rejoices in the understanding of his conscience and desires to do what is right. As Jesus said, The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

In v.23, sin dwells in the members of the body. There is a law of sin within the members that holds captive many a person who desires to live and walk in victory and freedom over the power of sin.

In v.24, This is a key understanding, that there are those who live according to Romans 7:14-25 who are saved, and there are those who live according to it that are not saved. I believe that the difference between the saved and unsaved persons living a Romans 7:14-25 lifestyle is that the saved person is discontented with being a sinner: his heart's cry is Wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death?

In v.25 we find the answer to that heart's cry, that Jesus is the answer. Whereas in v.18 Paul was seeking HOW to deliver himself, in vs.24-25 Paul realizes that the answer to his question is a WHO. He is able to deliver you from the power of sin and to set you free.

Tit 2:14, Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

The carnal believer has the law of God in his mind; but with the flesh he obeys the law of sin. However, there is victory:

Gal 5:24, And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Rom 6:6, Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Rom 7:8, But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

The element of sin can be put to death. Consider the following:

Rom 8:10, And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Rom 8:11, But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Rom 8:12, Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. Rom 8:13, For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Rom 8:14, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

 

[justbyfaith]

Rom 8:1, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Rom 8:2, For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Rom 8:3, For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: Rom 8:4, That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Rom 8:5, For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. Rom 8:6, For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.Rom 8:7, Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

In 1 John 3:6, we find the words,

1Jo 3:6, Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

In Romans 8, the concept of abiding is very clear: as believers in Jesus Christ who abide in Him, we consistently walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.

In v.1, it has been disputed that the latter half of the verse does not belong there. I would say that it does indeed belong there; not only is there a penalty of loss of eternal life for taking away from the word in Revelation 22:19; but I would say that those who remove the latter half of the verse are more likely to fall into sin; and since sin is deceitful (Hebrews 3:13) they are in spiritual danger because they believe, with the taking away of the latter half of the verse, that there is no condemnation for them even if they sin. There may not be at the first; but if someone falls into sin and does not ever recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, they are putting themselves into a position where they may even depart from the living God because of an evil heart of unbelief; because of the deceitfulness of sin.

It is important that we walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit; so important, in fact, that it needs to be mentioned that if we do not do so there is indeed condemnation: because in it we would not be abiding in Christ and therefore we would not be walking as children of God. In 1 John 3:8 we find the powerful words that "He that committeth sin is of the devil." This indicates to me that those who are truly the children of God do not walk according to the flesh or sin: those who walk in sin are not of God but of the enemy of our souls.

If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: He will make intercession for you that you might be translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.

In v.2, there is a law of the Spirit of life that sets us free from the law of sin and death. Now the law of sin and death was described for us aptly in Romans 7:14-25; that passage shows us what it means to be carnal and subject to the law of sin and death. But if we walk according to the Spirit we are not subject to the Romans 7:14-25 lifestyle: we do not have to live in the defeat that is described in those verses. God has given us His Spirit and this means that we can walk in freedom and victory over the power of sin in our lives. As a matter of fact, sin is not inevitable: through the Spirit we can even walk in freedom from and victory over the power of sin for the rest of our lives: we do not ever have to sin again. If anyone has cried out with Paul what Paul cried out in Romans 7:24, then to them this is good news.

In v.3, God condemned sin in the flesh; that is, He relegated sin to the flesh so that if we don't walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit, we can indeed walk in freedom from sin. Sin is no longer defined by the law to us; but now it is defined as walking according to the flesh. We are delivered from the law, we are dead to the law, and we are not under the law (Romans 7:6, Romans 7:4, Romans 6:14). Sin is now defined to us as walking in the flesh. It is now simplified. Rather than looking to a set of 613 commandments in the Old Testament, we gauge our deliverance through a relationship with Jesus Christ as we live a life of communion and fellowship with Him and walk according to His Spirit. We walk by faith and not by sight: we live according to the bearing of the fruit of the Spirit; and in this we will not be in violation of any just law. For it is written,

Gal 5:18, But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

and,

Gal 5:22, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.