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SECTION G – Doctrine: Conciliation,
Individual (5:01 –
8:30)
Balanced
by SECTION g – Doctrine: Conciliation, National (11:01
– 36)
Romans Five – Verses 1-21
01. Being, then, justified by faith, we
may be having peace toward God,
through our Lord, Jesus Christ,
Justification
is the ground of peace. Sin no longer bars us from the presence of God. Yet
peace is a favor infinitely beyond justification. God's affections are not
satisfied with clearing us from all guilt. He craves our love and our
adoration. Righteousness alone does not give us a passport into His
presence, but this further grace of reconciliation urges us into full and
affectionate fellowship with Him. And we are aware that He will not rest in
having us clothed in forensic righteousness only, but will make us all that
He desires, to satisfy His own love. Concordant
Commentary
‘…being, then, justified by faith…’
This follows from the
previous discussion which ended with the statement that Jesus, our Lord,
"was roused because of our justifying.'
(4:25), indicating that because
Christ's sacrifice of Himself, on behalf of mankind, was fully accepted as
adequate (and much more than adequate), the Father, the one and only true
God, raised Him from the dead! Had it not been sufficient and acceptable,
there would have been no justification for us and, hence, no resurrection
for Christ. This justifying is applied to each member of the body as
each is enabled to believe.
Christ's faith, the faith which He demonstrated in His absolute trust in and obedience to His
Father's will, is the key through which God graciously gives us faith for our justification, generating within us a
conviction that what God promises He
is able to, and will, bring
about. This belief is based on Who
and What God is (4:24)!
We, believers, are
justified in the shed blood of Jesus and not in something we
do. Within us, there is not even a spark of inherent belief in the One and Only and True God. Of ourselves,
there are absolutely no grounds
for justification. We are being justified gratuitously in God’s grace in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Rom.5:9 Much rather, then, being now justified in His blood,
we shall be saved from indignation,
through Him.
Rom.3:24 Being justified gratuitously in
His grace,
through the deliverance which is in Christ
Jesus
Tit.3:7 that, being justified in that
One's grace,
we may be becoming enjoyers, in expectation,
of the allotment of life eonian.
1Cor.6:11 And some of you were these,
but you are bathed off, but you are hallowed,
but you were justified
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
and by the spirit of our God.
It must be kept in mind
that the justification through Christ’s faith, though being granted to
believers now, is meant for all
mankind, eventually, and not restricted to those of the nations only.
1Tim.2:3,4 … our Saviour, God,
4 Who wills that all mankind be saved and come into a realization of the
truth.
1Tim.4:10,11 … the living God,
Who is the Saviour of all mankind,
11 especially
of believers.
It is not that those of the
nations who believe are justified through faith and that those of Israel
are saved outside of it – through works only.
Rom.3:20 … by works of law, no flesh at all shall be
justified in His sight,…
Gal.2:16 …having perceived that a man
is not being justified by works
of law,
except alone
through the faith of Christ Jesus, we also believe in Christ Jesus
that we may be justified by the faith of Christ and not by works of law,
seeing that by works of law shall no flesh at all be
justified.
Rom.3:30 Yes, of the nations also, if so be
that God is One,
Who will be justifying the Circumcision out of faith
and the Uncircumcision through faith.
Faith is the all-important factor.
Before the advent of the Christ as Jesus, it was imperative for those who
belonged to Israel to believe that adherence to the God-given law of Moses
would keep them close to God. Central to their belief was the sacrificial system of the Temple rituals. But,
from the time of the ministry of Jesus, a special prophecy, given through
Moses, came into effect.
Deut.18:18 A Prophet shall I raise
up to them from among their brothers,
like you, and I will put My words in His mouth,
and He will speak to them all that I shall instruct Him.
Jn.12:49,50 …I speak not from Myself,
but the Father Who sends Me, He has given Me the precept,
what I may be saying and what I should be speaking.
50 And I am aware that His precept is life
eonian.
What, then, I am speaking, according as the Father has declared it to Me, thus am I speaking
Deut.18:19 Yet it will come to be that
the man
who should not hearken to My words that the Prophet shall speak in My name,
I Myself
shall require his blood from him.
Act.3:22,23 "Moses, indeed,
said that: A Prophet will the Lord your God,
be raising up to you from among your brethren,
as me.
Him you shall hear, according to all, whatsoever He should be speaking to
you.
23 Yet it shall be that every soul
whatsoever which should not hear
that Prophet
shall be
utterly exterminated from among the people.
The law was not done away with for Israel but,
since the advent of Christ, even if the law were to be adhered to in
strictness and severity, only
those of Israel who also believe in
Christ as Messiah are part of the true Israel – those who do not are no
more considered ‘of Israel’.
This is, thus, not
something radically different, but another step, or phase, in God’s
revelation to His people, Israel, so far.
Jn.5:39 Search the scriptures,
for in them you are supposing you have life
eonian,
and those
are they which are testifying concerning Me,
Lk.24:25-27 And He said to them,
"O foolish and tardy of heart to be
believing on all which the prophets speak!
26 Must not the Christ be suffering these
things, and be entering into His glory?"
27 And, beginning from Moses and from all
the prophets,
He
interprets to them, in all the scriptures, that which concerns Himself.
The evangel Paul brings, however,
is radically different - for the
law does not apply at all to any
who believe this message. Justification is granted entirely apart from
circumcision and diligent observance (the works) of the law.
Rom.3:28 For we are reckoning a man to
be justified by faith apart
from works of law.
Gal.3:8,9 Now the scripture,
perceiving before that God is justifying the
nations by faith,
brings before an evangel to Abraham, that In you
shall all the nations be blessed.
9 So that those of faith are being blessed together with believing Abraham.
This evangel does away with
all fleshly distinctions, therein opening the way for all mankind. None are qualified to be, and none are disqualified from,
receiving this grace – it being a matter of God’s choice only.
Gal.5:6 For in Christ Jesus
neither
circumcision is availing anything, nor uncircumcision,
but faith, operating through love.
Gal.6:15 For in Christ
Jesus
neither
circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything,
but a new creation.
2Cor.5:17 So that, if anyone is in
Christ, there is a new creation:
the primitive passed by. Lo! there has come new!
Col.3:10,
11 and putting on the
young, which is being renewed into recognition,
to accord with the Image of the One Who creates
it,
11 wherein there is no Greek and Jew,
Circumcision and Uncircumcision,
barbarian,
Scythian, slave, freeman, but all and in all is
Christ
This being true, Paul took
time to explain to those of Israel
who, like him, were given to
believe the evangel, what the function of the law had been for them until
their faith was given.
Gal.3:23-26 Now before
the coming of faith we were garrisoned
under law,
being locked up together for the faith about to be revealed.
24 So that the law has become our escort to Christ,
that we may be justified by faith.
25 Now, at the coming of faith, we
are no longer under an escort,
26 for you
are all sons of God, through faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal.4:1-5 … for as much time as the enjoyer
of an allotment is a minor,
in nothing is he of more consequence than a
slave, being master of all,
2 but is under
guardians and administrators until the time purposed by the father.
3 Thus we also, when we were minors,
were enslaved under the elements of the
world.
4 Now when the
full time came, God delegates His Son, come of a woman, come under
law,
5 that He should be reclaiming those under law,
that we
may be getting the place of a son.
Where these believers were concerned, the law, having attained its
objective, was now redundant and of no further use.
All who are in the ecclesia
which is the body of Christ, whether they are of Jewish background or of
the nations, have been given to believe apart from any contribution of
their own.
Rom.8:30 Now whom He designates beforehand,
these He calls also,
and whom He calls, these He justifies also;
now whom He justifies, these He glorifies also.
When some of
the believers out of the nations were being sidetracked into
observing some works of the law with its yearly rituals, Paul likened this
move towards Judaism to their going back to the infirm and poor elements of
religion – back to paganism.
Gal.3:8-10 But then, indeed, having no
perception of God,
you were slaves of those who, by nature, are not
gods.
9 Yet now, knowing God, yet rather being
known by God,
how are you turning back again
to the infirm and poor elements for which
you want to slave again anew?
10 Days are you
scrutinizing, and months and seasons and years.
‘…we may be having peace toward God…’
We were at enmity with God,
estranged from Him, and, not having any perception of Him, there was no way
we could change our state of
ignorance so that we could
approach Him. He was unknowable.
In accord with His schedule, however, God calls us, initiating an operation
to reveal Himself to us and to bring us into a meaningful relationship with
Him.
Justification is a legal
decision and acquits us from the charges that were against us. Having had
righteousness reckoned to us through the faith He gives us because of
Christ’s faith, thus having been declared ‘not guilty’, we are, therefore,
no longer in the state of enmity toward God. Instead, we are having peace
toward Him.
However, though cleared of
guilt and having our estrangement from God removed, we are not necessarily
brought immediately into a mature relationship
with the One Who is the Justifier. We have been lifted from a terribly low minus to a zero level, so to speak. But God does not just leave us there,
with one foot in at the door. He brings us to a realization and understanding
of His love for us, giving entry into
His heart.
Eph.1:17-19 the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory,
may be giving
you a spirit of wisdom and revelation
in the realization of
Him,
18 the
eyes of your heart having been enlightened,
for you to
perceive what is the expectation of His calling, and
what the
riches of the glory of the enjoyment of His allotment among the
saints,
19 and what
the transcendent greatness of His power for us who are believing,
in accord with the operation of the might of His
strength,
‘…through our Lord, Jesus Christ…’
Justification and peace for
now is only for those of humanity who are graciously given to recognize
Jesus Christ as their Lord. It is not for others, yet.
1Cor.12:3 … no one is able to say "Lord is Jesus" except by holy spirit.
We are given holy spirit
which enables us to believe God and acknowledge Jesus as our LORD! If we do not believe God’s
declarations, then Christ Jesus cannot
be our Lord no matter how much we
may claim Him to be (Mt.15:7-9)! And, if people do not recognize Christ as
their Lord and Master, it must be because they have not been given to
believe God. Our standing with God is IN Christ, OUR Lord (Eph.1:5)!
Justification does not
arise out of our remorse and repentance, or out of how much religious
‘penance’ we undertake. If it could, then Christ need not have died for
anyone. But it comes to any, and to all, exclusively through the faith
of Christ.
Gal.2:16 having perceived that a
man is not being justified by
works of law,
except alone through
the faith of Christ Jesus,
we also believe in Christ Jesus
that we may be justified by the faith of Christ
and not by works of law,
seeing that by works of law shall no flesh at
all be justified.
Act.13:39 and from all from which you could
not be justified in the law of Moses,
in this One everyone who is believing is being justified
Rom.3:20 because, by works of law, no flesh at all shall be justified in His
sight,
for through law is the recognition of sin.
Gal.3:11,12 Now that in law no one is being justified with God
is evident,
for the just one by faith shall be living.
12 Now the law is not of faith, but who does them
"shall be living in them."
02. through Whom we have the access also, by faith,
into this grace in which we stand,
and we may be glorying in expectation of
the glory of God.
‘…through Whom we may have
the access also, by faith, into this grace in which we stand…’
Scripture is very explicit
concerning the pivotal position that Christ holds - we are left in no doubt
about this through many passages
in Scripture! Among them are:
Jn.10:7-9 I am the Door
Jn.14:6 I am the
Way and the Truth and the Life…
Jn.14:6 …No
one is coming to the Father except through
Me.
1Cor.8:6 …one Lord, Jesus
Christ, through Whom all
is,…
1Tim.2:5,6 There is ONE mediator of God and
man, the Man Christ Jesus...
Paul explains what type of
faith is counted for righteousness by God and how we are being justified
(Rom.4:16-25). Our peace with God rests upon this justification which is
effective only through Jesus Christ.
It must be re-emphasized
that this justifying faith, on which so much depends, is not the faith that
we exhibit, but the faith of Christ Who implicitly and
explicitly believed God and obediently carried out His directives!
Gal.2:16 having perceived that a
man is not being justified by works of law, except alone through the faith of Christ Jesus, we
also believe in Christ Jesus
that we may be justified by the faith of Christ and not by works of law,
seeing that by works of law shall no flesh at all be justified.
Phil.2:7-8
nevertheless empties
Himself, taking the form of a slave,
coming to be in the likeness of humanity,
8 and, being found in fashion as a human, He
humbles Himself,
becoming obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross.
The faith that we exhibit shows that we have
been given the faith of Christ to
believe God and have, thus, been reckoned righteous. Abraham is reckoned
righteous because he believed God – he believed what God declared to him.
Rom.4:3 For what is the scripture saying?
Now "Abraham believes God, and it is reckoned to him for
righteousness."
‘…we may be glorying in expectation of the
glory of God…’
Not only does the faith of
Christ justify us, but members of the body of Christ – whether out of
Israel or of the nations - now have the further privilege of living in this
environment of grace through
which we have an expectation of
the glory of God, a glory mankind, on the whole, has not as yet been
enabled to apprehend.
Eph.2:18 for through Him we both have had access,
in one spirit, to the Father.
Eph.3:12 in Whom we have boldness and
access with confidence, through His
faith.--
Rom.3:23 for all sinned and are wanting of the glory of God.
When someone promises to
give us something in time to come, we may entertain a hope that we
will actually receive it at the proper time. But the point is that we may
or may not receive what was promised, no matter how sincere the one who
promises is. Circumstances beyond his or her control could change at any
time to prevent the fulfillment of it.
But when we talk of GOD
making a promise, we are on an entirely different premise! His promises will come true! Believing His
declarations, we do not entertain a mere hope, but have a definite expectation of their
realization!
The Greek texts employ two entirely different words to present
the distinction. While prosdokaö,
TOWARD-SEEM, gives us hope, elpis, EXPECTATION gives
us our expectation. Indiscriminate
renderings of these words keep us from realizing the import of relevant
passages. We have more than just a mere hope
of glory, where we may or may not enjoy it, but, rather, a dynamic and an
invigorating expectation of it.
It is through Christ that we can now enjoy the privilege of being in
the grace of God. This produces in us a high expectation of the
glory He has planned for us. We are even given to know that we are to be the
living examples of God's achievement through His gift of grace.
2Cor.3:17,18 … yet where the spirit
of the Lord is, there is freedom.
18 Now we all, with uncovered face,
mirroring the Lord's glory,
are being
transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, …
Phil.3:20,21 For our realm is inherent in the
heavens,
out of which we are awaiting a Saviour also, the
Lord, Jesus Christ,
21 Who
will transfigure the body of our humiliation,
to conform
it to the body of His glory,
in accord with the operation which enables Him
even to subject all to Himself.
Eph.2:4-7 yet God, being rich in
mercy, because of His vast love with which He loves us
5 …vivifies
us together in Christ (in grace are you saved!)
6 and rouses
us together
and seats
us together among the celestials, in Christ Jesus,
7 that, in the oncoming eons,
He should be displaying the transcendent riches of His grace
in His
kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
1Cor.6:3 Are you not aware that we
shall be judging messengers,…?
1Cor.2:7-10 but we are speaking God's
wisdom in a secret,
wisdom which has been concealed,
which God designates before--before the eons, for
our glory,
8 which not one of the chief men of this eon
knows,
for if they know, they would not crucify the
Lord of glory.
9 But, according as it is written, That
which the eye did not perceive,
and the
ear did not hear, and to which
the heart of man did not ascend--
whatever God makes ready for those who are
loving Him.
10 Yet
to us God reveals them through His spirit,
for the
spirit is searching all, even the depths of God.
03. Yet not only so, but we may be
glorying also in afflictions,
having perceived that affliction is
producing endurance,
‘…Yet not only so, but we may be glorying
also in afflictions,…’
When we realize that God is graciously providing every experience,
the good and the bad, in our lives for our benefit, we begin to expect that
there is some grand result in store. After all, we are His achievement - and unless He knocks the chips off our
shoulders and the flaws in our character, through some dedicated
pre-determined process, we can never turn out the way He has intended us
to. It is when we see God’s hand in these afflictions, that we are being
treated ‘hands on’ in a formative process towards a glorious end, that we
can be glorying in expectation.
Rom.8:28,29 Now we are aware
that God
is working all together for the
good of those who are loving God,
who are called according to the purpose
29 that, whom He foreknew, He designates
beforehand, also,
to be conformed to the image of His Son,
for Him to be Firstborn among many brethren.
Eph.2:10 For His
achievement are we,
being created in Christ Jesus for
good works,
which God makes ready beforehand,
that we should be walking in them.
Phil.1:6 … He Who undertakes a good work among
you,
will be performing it until the day of Jesus
Christ:
Phil.2:13 for it is God Who is
operating in you
to will as well as to work for the sake
of His delight.
Jesus Christ Himself did
not take on His office as Saviour with a mere hope of success, with just
the possibility or even the probability of achieving the goal, but with a
definite certainty of it, in
absolute faith. Looking to the
goal, then far into the future, He humbly accepted what had to be undergone
to bring it about.
Heb.12:2 looking off to the
Inaugurator and Perfecter of faith, Jesus,
Who, for
the joy lying before Him, endures a cross, despising the shame,
besides is seated at the right hand of the
throne of God.
‘…having perceived that affliction is
producing endurance,…’
We realize that even in the
secular world this holds true. For example, to train one to be a soldier
worthy of the name, that one must be put through a rigorous program designed to toughen and prepare him
for operations to come.
Paul speaks of our having
to endure evil as this accords with
God’s purpose, which was determined before
times eonian. We are being prepared for service under Christ.
2Tim.1:8,9 but suffer evil with the evangel in accord with the power of
God,
9 Who saves us and calls us with a holy calling,
not in accord with our acts,
but in
accord with His own purpose
and the grace which is given to us in Christ
Jesus before times eonian,
Phil.1:29,30 for to you it is graciously granted, for
Christ's sake,
not only to be believing on Him, but to be suffering for His sake also,
30 having the same struggle such as you are perceiving in me,…
2Tim.3:12 And all who are wanting
to live devoutly in Christ Jesus shall
be persecuted.
1Thes.3:3 No one is to be swayed by these
afflictions,
for you yourselves are aware that we are located for this.
Part of the process of our
being God’s achievement, then, is for us to go through this ‘training
course’. His intention is to make us, not break us.
1Cor.10:13 No trial has taken you except what is human.
Now, faithful is God,
Who will not be leaving you to be tried above what you are able,
but, together with the trial,
will be making the sequel also, to enable you to undergo it.
Rom.12:11,12 in diligence not
slothful, fervent in spirit, slaving for the Lord,
12 rejoicing in expectation, enduring affliction, persevering in
prayer,
But though this lasts a
lifetime, how terribly long, even how unbearable, can this be when compared
to the glory that is ahead of us as finished products of His hand? It is
not that God is preparing us for just a little bit of glory. In His grace
He intends so much glory for us that we are almost overwhelmed by it – not
simply a load, but a burden of
glory! Superlatives must be employed to come anywhere close to describing
it – a transcendently transcendent
burden of glory for the impending
eons.
2Cor.4:17 For the momentary lightness of our affliction
is producing for us a transcendently
transcendent eonian burden of
glory,
Rom.8:18-25 For I am reckoning that the sufferings of the current era
do not
deserve the glory about to be revealed for us.
19 For the premonition of the creation
is awaiting the unveiling of the sons of
God.
20 For to vanity was the creation
subjected, not voluntarily,
but because of Him Who subjects it, in expectation
21 that the creation itself, also, shall be
freed from the slavery of corruption
into the glorious freedom of the children of
God.
22For we are aware that the entire creation
is groaning and travailing together until now.
23 Yet not only so, but we ourselves also,
who have the firstfruit of the spirit,
we ourselves also, are groaning in ourselves,
awaiting
the sonship, the deliverance of our body.
24 For to
expectation were we saved.
Now expectation, being observed, is not
expectation,
for what anyone is observing, why is he
expecting it also?
25 Now, if we are expecting what we are not
observing,
we are
awaiting it with endurance.
04. yet endurance testedness, yet
testedness expectation.
This grace also enables us to rejoice and glory in
the afflictions and traumas that we have been set to experience. We
begin to see that these are necessary
for the formation of our individual characters, for us to become exactly
what God has planned for each one
to be.
Knowledge can be dispensed in a book, in a compact disk, or
through some such media; experience
must be lived through – there is no other way! He is the Potter; we are the
clay! We are HIS achievement, HIS workmanship! With confidence, therefore,
we can expect the outcome to be as
planned - a success in every detail!
Even with Jesus, God’s Own Son, experience had to be lived
through. He had to be put through confrontation with the Adversary in the
wilderness, the hypocrisy of the religious leadership, the unbelief of the
people in general, the lonely trauma in the garden, the betrayal by an
apostle, the kangaroo court with its false witnesses, the false charge of
blasphemy against God, the ignominious suffering and terrible death by
crucifixion. The worst of all was the three-hour loss of contact with His
Father.
Heb.2:10 For it became Him, because of
Whom all is,
and through Whom all is, in leading many sons into
glory,
to perfect the Inaugurator of their salvation through
sufferings.
Heb.5:7-9 Who, in the days of His flesh,
offering both petitions and supplications with
strong clamor and tears
to Him Who is able to save Him out of death,
being hearkened to also for His
piety,
8 even He also, being a Son, learned
obedience from that which He suffered.
9 And being perfected,
He became the cause of eonian salvation to all
who are obeying Him,
Heb.12:2 looking off to the Inaugurator and
Perfecter of faith, Jesus,
Who, for the joy lying before Him,
endures a cross, despising the shame,
besides is seated at the right hand of the
throne of God.
05. Now expectation is not mortifying,
seeing
that the love of God has been poured
out in our hearts
through the holy spirit which is being
given to us.
His
way of winning our response is to pour His own love into us first, as
exemplified in the death of Christ for us while we were most undeserving of
His favor. The grace of it lies in the entire lack of anything in us to
draw out His affections toward us. Concordant
Commentary
We can be sure of the
realization of this expectation because we have the proof and assurance
of God's love for us in the gift of His holy spirit. We can never be
disappointed in this. This gift of the spirit to us is in grace - with no
criteria for qualification or
disqualification!
1Cor.3:16 Are you not aware that you are a
temple of God
and the spirit of God is making its home in you?
2Tim.1:14 The ideal thing
committed to you,
guard through the holy spirit which is making its home in us.
2Cor.1:22 Who also seals us
and is giving the earnest of the spirit in our hearts.
Eph.4:30 …the holy spirit of God
by which you are sealed for
the day of deliverance.
Eph.1:13,14 In Whom you also--on
hearing the word of truth,
the evangel of your salvation--in Whom on
believing also,
you are sealed
with the holy spirit of promise
14 (which is an earnest of the enjoyment of our allotment,
to the
deliverance of that which has
been procured) for the laud of His glory!
Rom.8:8-11 Now those who are in flesh are not
able to please God.
9 Yet you are not in flesh,
but in spirit, if so be that God's spirit is making its home in you.
Now if anyone has not Christ's spirit, this one
is not His.
10 Now if Christ is in you, the body,
indeed, is dead because of sin,
yet the spirit is life because of
righteousness.
11 Now if the spirit of Him Who rouses
Jesus from among the dead
is making
its home in you, He Who rouses Christ Jesus from among the dead
will also be vivifying your mortal bodies
because of
His spirit making its home in you.
‘…the love of God has been poured out in
our hearts through the holy spirit…’
God loves His whole
creation but, in accord with the counsel of His will through which He
operates all, all of humanity have become estranged and enemies.
They cannot recognize and
acknowledge Him as God. There is no love of Him in their hearts at all.
And, until He begins a work with each, this is the situation in
which they will remain.
Rom.3:10,11 according as it is
written, that "Not one is just"--not even one.
11 Not one is understanding. Not
one is seeking out God.
Scripture reveals, however,
that He has a special and vast love for those whom He has
predetermined to reveal Himself to.
Eph.2:4 yet God, being rich in
mercy,
because of
His vast love with which He loves us…
These are graciously given
faith so that they not only believe that there is the God, but they believe
Him – they believe what He declares. Believing in God is one
thing – believing Him is quite another.
Eph.2:8,9 For in grace, through faith,
are you saved,
and this is not out of you; it is God's
approach present,
9 not of works, lest anyone should be
boasting.
Jas.2:19 You are believing that God is one.
Ideally are you doing.
The demons also are believing and are
shuddering.
Rom.4:3 For what is the
scripture saying?
Now "Abraham believes God,
and it is reckoned to him for righteousness."
Rom.4:20-22 the promise of God was not
doubted in unbelief,
but he [Abraham] was invigorated by faith,
giving glory to God,
21 being fully assured also, that, what
He has promised, He is able to do also.
22 Wherefore, also, it is reckoned to him
for righteousness.
But we need to remember
that the love that we now have for
God, toward God, our love of God, was not within us until His gift of holy spirit was
dispensed to each one. This love of God that we now have has been poured
out into our hearts through the holy spirit. Before that moment, like
everyone else of humanity, we were estranged from Him, enemies of God. It is not we who initiate the relationship. God
does not love us because we first decided to love Him. He is not merely returning
our love.
1Jn.4:19 We are loving God, for He first loves us.
2Tim.1:7 for God gives us,
not a spirit of timidity, but of power and of love and of sanity.
2Tim.1:9 Who saves us and calls us with
a holy calling,
not in accord with our acts, but in accord with His own purpose and the
grace
which is given to us in Christ Jesus before times eonian,
Eph.2:4-7 4 yet God, being rich
in mercy,
because of His vast love with which He
loves us
5 (we also being dead to the offenses and
the lusts),
vivifies us together in Christ (in grace are you
saved!) 6 and
rouses us together and seats us together among
the celestials, in Christ Jesus,
7 that, in the oncoming eons, He should be
displaying
the transcendent riches of His grace in
His kindness to us in Christ Jesus
06. For Christ, while we are
still infirm, still in accord with the era,
for the sake of the irreverent, died.
The fact is that Christ
died for us. But He died for us while we were still unbelievers,
while we were unrighteous and undeserving, while
we had no inherent love of God, while
we were behaving irreverently toward Him, and while we were sinners.
We were exactly like everybody else.
Eph.2:1-3 And you, being dead to your
offenses and sins,
2 in which once you walked, in
accord with the eon of this world,
in accord with the chief of the jurisdiction of
the air,
the spirit now operating in the sons of
stubbornness
3 (among whom we also all behaved
ourselves once in the lusts of our flesh,
doing the will of the flesh and of the
comprehension,
and were, in our nature, children of
indignation, even as the rest),
Rom.3:23 for all sinned and are
wanting of the glory of God.
1Tim.1:15 Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all
welcome,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,
Jn.3:17 For God does not dispatch His
Son into the world
that He should be judging the world,
but that the world may be saved through
Him.
07. For hardly for the sake of a
just man will anyone be dying:
for, for the sake of a good man,
perhaps someone may even be
daring to die,
Scripture
declares that:
Jn.15:13 Greater love than this
has no one,
that anyone may be laying down his soul for his
friends.
But none are, of
themselves, friends of God. Why would anyone want to die for such unworthy
specimens of creation? It just has to be for some objective beyond that
which human wisdom can propose.
08. yet God is commending this love of His
to us,
seeing that, while we are still sinners, Christ died for our sakes.
God demonstrates His love
for us by sending His most loved possession, the Son of His love, to die
for our sakes. It is this love, that transcends all human understanding,
that moves Him to make this sacrifice of His Christ.
The proof of God's love for
us and of the grace that we now enjoy lies in the fact that, while we were
unable to help ourselves and while we were estranged from Him, and like
Paul, actively working against His objectives, Christ died for us!
NOT in our stead as
our substitute, the One for the one, as most wrongly teach,
BUT on our behalf as
our Representative, the One for
the all –
the correspondent Ransom.
1Tim.1:15,16 Faithful is the saying, and worthy
of all welcome,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, foremost of whom am
I.
16 But therefore
was I shown mercy, that in me, the foremost,
Jesus Christ should be displaying all His
patience,
for a
pattern
of those who are about to be
believing on Him for life eonian.
1Tim.2:5,6 …one Mediator of God and mankind, a
Man, Christ Jesus,
6 Who is giving Himself a correspondent Ransom for all
(the testimony in its own eras),
2Cor.5:14 …if One died for the sake of all,
consequently all died.
09. Much rather, then, being now justified
in His blood,
we shall be saved from indignation,
through Him.
The
blood of Christ is a memorial of the abiding efficacy of His death. It
fends us from all future indignation. If Christ died for us as sinners, surely
we have no need to fear aught now that we are justified! Concordant Commentary
Being now justified through
the obedience of Christ in His
offering up of Himself for us, in the shedding of every drop of His blood (Jn.19:34),
believers are now sheltered from God's indignation (Rom.3:20). The
indignation due to us was vented on our representative, Christ. We are even
saved from the indignation of God that is soon to visit the earth!
1Thes.1:10 and to be waiting for His Son out of the
heavens,
Whom He rouses from among the dead, Jesus,
our Rescuer out
of the coming indignation.
1Thes.5:9,10 for God did not appoint us to indignation,
but to the procuring of salvation through our
Lord Jesus Christ,
10 Who died for our sakes, that,
whether we may be watching or drowsing,
we should be living at the same time together
with Him.
Eph.5:6 Let no one be seducing
you with empty words,
for because of these things
the
indignation of God is coming on the sons of stubbornness.
10. For if, being enemies,
we were conciliated to God through the
death of His Son,
much rather, being conciliated, we shall
be saved in His life.
We
now take up the new subject of conciliation. We leave the atmosphere of the
court for the closer ties of the family circle. Now it is not Christ dying
for sinners, but God's Son dying for His enemies. The effect is not
justification, but conciliation, peace. Furthermore, we are not only
unafraid of future wrath, because of the abiding value of His death, as
figured by the blood, but we have the living Son of God Himself as the
surety of our salvation. We shall be saved by His life. Concordant Commentary
Where justification deals
with judicial matters, conciliation is a matter of relationships. Here we
deal with matters of the heart, with feelings and sensitivities.
The Greek katalla’ssö, literally, DOWN-CHANGE, means ‘conciliate’. This should
be distinguished from the related word ‘reconcile’ which comes from apokatalla’ssö. When two parties
find themselves at odds with one another, and one decides not to continue
being at enmity with the other and seeks to establish a good relationship,
that one is conciliated. And when the other party comes to a similar
conclusion the two are reconciled.
Though God is presently
conciliated to the world because its qualified representative (the One
through Whom it came into being) died for it, the world is still at enmity
and is, therefore, not yet conciliated to God.
But, because of the faith
of Christ in God, those who have been given faith in God and are,
therefore, believers, have thus been brought into reconciliation with God.
There is no distinction among men – all have sinned and do not have the
glory that God intends for them. Though conciliation is for all, it is now
active only for those who have been given to believe. All are sons of
stubbornness (rather than sons of God) until God
intervenes for each one in accord with His set schedule.
Rom.3:21-23 … a righteousness of God
is manifest …
22 yet a righteousness of God through Jesus
Christ's faith, for all,
and on
all who are believing,
for there is no distinction,
23 for all sinned and are wanting of the
glory of God.
Eph.2:1-4 …once you walked, in accord with
the eon of this world,
in accord with the chief of the jurisdiction of
the air,
the spirit now operating in the sons of stubbornness
3 (among whom we also all behaved
ourselves once in the lusts of our flesh,
doing the will of the flesh and of the
comprehension,
and were, in our nature, children of indignation, even as the rest),
4 yet God, being rich in mercy,
because of His vast love with which He loves us…
Rom.8:14-16 For whoever are being led by
God's spirit, these are sons of God.
15 For you did not get slavery's spirit to
fear again,
but you got the spirit of sonship, in
which we are crying, "Abba, Father!"
16 The spirit itself is testifying together
with our spirit that we are children of God.
11. Yet not only so, but we are glorying also in God,
through our Lord, Jesus Christ,
through Whom we now obtained the
conciliation.
Christ did not obtain "atonement".
That was a mere temporary covering for sin made by the blood of bulls and
goats, and utterly failed to take away sin. Let us not degrade Christ's
work by calling it an "atonement". But let us glory in
conciliation, the ripened fruit of God's great effort to win the fealty and
affection of His creatures. Few things indicate more clearly the necessity
for using sound words than the constant reference to the work of Christ as
"the atonement." Concordant Commentary
Through the death of God's
own Son we, while in the state of enmity, were conciliated to God. The
estrangement, on God's side, has been removed! Now it is the life of Christ
- what He is dedicated to now - that will save us. In this way God's
righteousness is manifest and we can glory in Him through Christ for this
conciliation which we now have.
Those who are being called,
believers such as we are, have received this conciliation now for the purpose of dispensing
this message of conciliation to the rest of the body of Christ who are
still to be called. We do not know who these will be – only God knows those
who are His - so that, though our call goes out to all, only those who have been designated
to be called can and will respond.
2Cor.5:18-21 Yet all is of God, Who conciliates
us to Himself through Christ,
and is giving us the dispensation of the conciliation,
19 how that God was in Christ, conciliating the world to Himself,
not reckoning their offenses to them,
and placing in us the word of the conciliation.
20 For Christ, then, are we ambassadors, as
of God entreating through us.
We are beseeching for Christ's sake, "Be conciliated to God!"
21 For the One not knowing sin, He makes to
be sin for our sakes
that we may be becoming God's righteousness in
Him.
Rom.8:30 Now whom He designates
beforehand, these He calls also,
and whom He calls, these He justifies also;
now whom He justifies, these He glorifies also.
12. Therefore, even as through one man sin
entered into the world,
and through sin death,
and thus death passed through into all mankind,
on which all sinned--
Death
entered through sin at first, but now sin is transmitted through death. All
sin because they are mortal. Christ brings life, which disposes of both
death and sin.
Concordant Commentary
We now come to
a passage that reveals the underlying cause of man sinning. However, the
renderings of almost all translations produce an understanding that misses
the point of the passage and instigates an erroneous grasp of what God is
achieving.
‘…even as through one man sin entered into the world, and through
sin death,…’
All agree that, through
Adam, sin entered into the world and that this sin brought death. What is
usually missed is that this death that entered then was the penalty for Adam’s sin of
disobedience.
Gen.2:16,17 And instructing is Yahweh Elohim the human,
saying,
"From every tree of the garden, you are to
eat, yea, eat.
17 Yet from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil,
you are not to be eating from it,
for in the day you eat from it, to die shall you be dying."
The Serpent, in keeping
with his character as the Deceiver, just had to inveigle the humans into believing that this would not
happen, even insinuating that there was an ulterior reason for God to make
that pronouncement.
Gen.3:4,5 And saying is the serpent to the woman,
"Not
to die shall you be dying,
5 for the Elohim knows that, in the day you eat
of it,
unclosed shall be your eyes,
and you become as the Elohim, knowing good and evil."
The first part directly contradicts God’s declaration to Adam
that the penalty for going against His instruction would be ‘in the day you
eat from it, to die shall you be
dying.’
This first-ever lie that
man heard has got stuck in his craw and is one of the deepest foundations
of his theology and religion. He believes that he will not really die –
that though he ‘dies’, he is actually conscious and alive somewhere (in
heaven or hell or in between). ‘Christian’ orthodoxy clearly rejects
Scripture on this subject.
Eccl.9:5,6 For the living know that
they shall die,
But the
dead know nothing whatsoever;
There is no further reward for them;
Indeed remembrance of them is forgotten.
6 Both their love and their hate as well as their
jealousy have perished already,
And there is no
further portion for them for the eon
In all that is done under the sun.
Eccl.9:10 All that your hand finds to
do, do with your vigor,
For there is no doing or devising or knowledge or wisdom
In the unseen where you are going.
Psa.88:10-12 Would You perform marvelous works for
the dead?…
11 Is Your benignity recounted in the
tomb, Your faithfulness in destruction?
12 Are Your marvelous works known in
darkness,
And Your righteousness in the land of
oblivion?
Psa.30:9 What gain is there in my
blood poured out,
In my descending to the grave?
Does soil acclaim You? Does it tell Your faithfulness?
Psa.6:5 For in death there
is no remembrance of You;
In the unseen, who shall acclaim You?
Psa.115:17,18 The dead cannot praise Yah,
Nor all those descending into stillness.
18 But we, we the living, shall bless
Yah, Henceforth and unto
the eon….
Isa.38:18,19 For the unseen
is not acclaiming You, nor is death praising You,
and those descending into a crypt are not
looking forward to Your truth.
19 The living! The living one! He is
acclaiming You as I today.
The father to his sons shall make known Your
truth.
Job.14:19-21 …So do You cause the expectation
of a mortal to perish.
20 You overpower him permanently, and he
goes away;
His face alters, and You send him afar.
21 His sons may attain glory, yet he
does not know it;
Or they may be discredited, yet he does not
understand it of them.
Job.19:25-27 Yet as for me, I know my Redeemer
is living,
And after this He shall arise on the soil;
26 And behind my skin I will stand erect,
And from my flesh I shall perceive Eloah,
27 Whom I shall perceive for myself,
And my own eyes will see, and not an
alien.
This is why
the resurrection is the crucial event that we look forward to. In Corinth,
some were proposing that there was no need for any resurrection and,
this being so, there would not be any resurrection of the dead.
Frankly, what would be the use of resurrection if, at death,
one goes either to his reward in heaven or to his condemnation to heinous
torture in hell ‘for all eternity’? This, sad to say, is one of the
foundational teachings of orthodox Christianity. But, what does Scripture
say?
1Cor.15:12-19 Now if Christ is being
heralded
that He has been roused from among the dead,
how are some among you saying that there is no
resurrection of the dead?
13 Now if there is no resurrection of the
dead, neither has Christ been roused.
14 Now if Christ has not been roused,
for naught, consequently, is our
heralding, and for naught is your faith.
15 Now we are being found false witnesses
also of God,
seeing that we testify by God that He rouses
Christ,
Whom, consequently, He rouses not,
if so be that the dead are not being
roused.
16 For, if the dead are not being
roused, neither has Christ been roused.
17 Now, if Christ has not been
roused, vain is your faith--you are still in your sins!
18 Consequently those also, who are
put to repose in Christ, perished.
19 If we are having an expectation in
Christ in this life only,
more forlorn than all men are we.
1Cor.15:22-24 For even as, in Adam, all
are dying,
thus also, in Christ, shall all be
vivified.
23 Yet each in his own class:
the
Firstfruit, Christ;
thereupon those who are Christ's
in His presence;
24 thereafter the consummation,
whenever He may be giving up the kingdom to His
God and Father,
whenever He should be nullifying all sovereignty
and all authority and power.
25 For He must be reigning
until He should be placing all His
enemies under His feet.
26 The last enemy is being abolished:
death.
Scripture
asserts that, in Christ, all shall be vivified (made alive beyond
the reach of death, made immortal). And it instructs that this will take
place in three sequential groups.
Christ is the First of all men to be vivified –
the Firstfruit, the Firstborn to be vivified from among the dead. Scripture
asserts that only Jesus Christ has ascended into heaven – and
He will remain there until an appointed time.
1Tim.6:15,16 …He is King of kings and Lord
of lords,
16 Who alone has immortality,
making His home in light inaccessible,
Whom not one of mankind perceived nor can
be perceiving,
to Whom be honor and might eonian! Amen!
Jn.3:13 And no one
has ascended into heaven
except He Who descends out of heaven, the Son
of Mankind Who is in heaven.
Act.3:21 Whom heaven must indeed
receive
until the times of
restoration of all which God speaks
through the mouth of His holy prophets who are
from the eon
Thereupon the next
group -- those who are Christ’s, those
who are of the body of Christ - will be made immortal in His presence -
when He comes to snatch them away from the indignation of God that is to
come upon the sons of stubbornness.
1Cor.15:50-53 Now this I am averring, brethren,
that flesh and blood is not able to enjoy an
allotment in the kingdom of God,
neither is corruption enjoying the allotment of
incorruption.
51 Lo! a secret to you am I telling!
We all, indeed, shall not be put to repose, yet
we all shall be changed,
52 in an instant, in the twinkle of an eye,
at the last trump.
For He will be trumpeting,
and the dead will be roused
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on
incorruption,
and this mortal put on immortality.
All are to be vivified
– but, so far, Christ has been vivified, and those of His body
are vivified at the snatching away and will appear at the dais of Christ.
So, what about those who are not of the body of Christ, all the
rest of humanity – when will they receive vivification?
They are covered in the ‘thereafter
the consummation’ – the rest of humanity will be vivified at ‘the
consummation’. This will take place ‘whenever’ He may be giving up
the kingdom to His God and Father, which is ‘whenever’ He should be
nullifying all sovereignty and all authority and power.
The second part of Satan’s statement to Eve insinuates a hidden
agenda on God’s part – that He was afraid that Adam and Eve would become
like Him. But to become like Him is the very goal of God for creating
mankind. Man is to know, to understand, and to apply good and evil through a ‘hands-on’
experience.
Gen.1:26,27 And saying is the
Elohim,
"Make will We humanity in Our image, and according to Our likeness,
and sway shall they over the fish of the sea,
and over the flyer of the heavens,
and over the beast, and over all land life,
and over every moving animal moving on the
land."
27 And creating is the Elohim humanity in His image.
In the image of the Elohim He creates it. Male and
female He creates them.
‘…and thus death passed through into all
mankind…,’
This declares that DEATH
passed through into all mankind.
It is not the sin of Adam, his disobedience in
the eating of the fruit,
that passed through.
It is Death, the penalty that was incurred, the sentence to be dying creatures,
that was passed through.
Scripture declares that it
is Death that is passed through to every descendent of Adam. Orthodoxy
rejects this and prefers to build its theology on the transmission of ‘original sin’ – that it is Adam’s sin that is passed through, not the
penalty he incurred.
‘…on which all sinned--…’
The Greek text is ef hö pantes hêmarton and should be
rendered on (ef) which (ho) all sinned. This tells us that, based on the fact that death passed through
into all mankind, and has been in operation since then, all sinned. Put in another
way, all sinned because of the fact that all are dying creatures!
All are dying creatures - therefore, all sinned.
1Cor.15:56 Now the sting of Death is sin,…
Rom.3:22,23 … for there is no distinction,
23 for
all sinned and are wanting of the glory of God.
Gal.3:22 But the scripture locks up all together
under sin,
Scripture declares that
Death will be abolished, this
process already ongoing from the time of Christ’s resurrection. When
this penalty that was passed
through is abolished there will
be no more the basis for sin in
mankind.
1Cor.15:26 The last enemy is being abolished: death.
2Tim.1:10,11 … our Saviour, Christ Jesus, Who,
indeed, abolishes death,
yet illuminates life and incorruption through the evangel
11 of which I was appointed a herald and an
apostle and a teacher of the nations.
13. for until law sin was in the world,
yet sin is not being taken into
account when there is no law;
‘…for until law sin was in the world…’
The ‘for’ signifies that what follows gives the reason, the basis, for what has just been stated – that ‘death passed through into all
mankind, on which all sinned‘!
It is declared that
from the time of Adam’s transgression until the giving of the law to Israel
on Sinai, every one of mankind sinned. Men did whatever they felt like
doing – whether or not such acts were right and just. God gave them no
specific guidance except their consciences – and consciences can be easily
cauterized and hardened for some perceived advantage or for some imaginary
benefit.
‘…yet sin is not being taken into account
when there is no law;…’
This is the declaration of
God concerning His principle for judgment. When there is no law
given, there can be no transgression and, therefore, there can be no
penalty executed. Men could not come under any individually earned
penalty – no matter how serious their sinning.
Rom.4:15 for the law is producing
indignation.
Now where no law is, neither is there
transgression.
14. nevertheless death reigns from Adam
unto Moses, over those also
who
do not sin in the likeness of the transgression of Adam,
who is a type of Him Who is about to be.
The
type covers the period of time up to the giving of the law, from Adam to
Moses. During this period there was no transgression, for there was no law.
So it is today. The law was not given to the nations, hence they do not
transgress it. Nevertheless death reigns, even as it did before the law was
given. The type, however, is in the nature of a shadow, whose dark outlines
do not clearly depict the present grace. The reign of Sin corresponds to
the reign of Grace, Adam's single offense to Christ's one just act on
Calvary, bringing life where Adam brought death. But the type fails utterly
in a number of particulars. Concordant
Commentary
Laws are enacted with
accompanying penalties which may be meted for failure to comply with them -
else they would be mere toothless tigers, useless, ineffective. Adam
transgressed God's command and drew upon himself the stipulated penalty.
But, from the time of
Adam's sin of disobedience until the appearance of Moses on the scene,
there was no law given. As Scripture asserts, since there was no law there
could not be any transgression
and, hence, no corresponding penalty.
Though people sinned, doing their own thing without regard for God rather
than doing what was right (sin means 'missing the mark'), there was no
individual penalty that could rightfully be enacted.
But the fact is that DEATH
still ruled during all that time! People still DIED - in spite of not having transgressed!
They all died – but not because
of their own sinning. Even
newborn babies died – even though they had had no opportunity at all to do
anything wrong.
This demonstrates that DEATH, the penalty for Adam's disobedience,
was what was passed on to all mankind! What was transmitted was not Adam's sin but the stipulated PENALTY for that sin – the ‘to die shall you be
dying’ factor!
It is this now intrinsic dying-factor in humanity
that is the basis for sinning - the Greek of verse 12 says 'eph ho', on which (upon which, based on which, because of which) all
sinned!
Rom.8:6 For the disposition of the flesh is
death,…
1Cor.15:56 Now the sting of Death is sin, yet the power of sin is the law.
15. But not as the offense, thus also the
grace.
For if, by the offense of the one, the
many died,
much rather the grace of God and the
gratuity in grace,
which
is of the One Man, Jesus Christ,
to the many superabounds.
A
simple reversal of the offense would put us where Adam was before he
transgressed. But the gratuity through Christ is infinitely more than a
mere recovery from the effects of Adam's offense. Concordant Commentary
‘…But not as the offense, thus also the grace….’
We notice in this passage
the references to the sinning, to the transgression, and to the offence
that came from that one act of disobedience of Adam. His one act of
wrongdoing had all three aspects.
In this verse, the offence aspect is contrasted with the grace of God. The offence of the
one man brought death to him, and this penalty
of being dying creatures was passed on to all men, becoming inherent in their makeup, an intrinsic factor.
But, because of the
obedience of Jesus Christ, the other One Man, of Whom Adam is the type, the
grace of God now super-abounds to
all men. The grace is not merely equal to the offence in its effect, to
merely counter its work and to restore something to its original condition.
It is overwhelmingly superior, bestowing a quality that transcends the
original condition.
1Tim.1:14 Yet the grace of our Lord overwhelms,
with faith and love in Christ Jesus.
1Cor.15:47-49 The first man was out of the earth,
soilish;
the second Man is the Lord out of heaven.
48 Such as the soilish one is, such are
those also who are soilish,
and such as the Celestial One, such are those
also who are celestials.
49 And according as we wear the
image of the soilish,
we should
be wearing
the image also of the Celestial.
16. And not as through one act of sinning is the gratuity.
For, indeed, the judgment is out of one
into condemnation,
yet the grace is out of many
offenses into a just award.
One
sin brought condemnation to all mankind. Grace recovers, not from one sin
only, but from many offenses. Concordant
Commentary
This gratuity of God, this
freely given blessing, does not apply in the same way as the sinning of
Adam. In judgment, the one offence of Adam brought condemnation. In grace,
however, all the offences of all men, instead of bringing even
more condemnation, become the reason for a gift from God that makes all
men just.
Men are dying, so they sin.
They cannot help but be dying –
so they cannot help but be
sinning. Scripture states that they are disposed of under sin. As we cannot
rid ourselves of being dying, there is no way we can rid ourselves of being
sinning. Men sin even when they do
not want to do that which they know is wrong. From the time they were
conceived, it was already too late to do anything to change this. God made
it to be so. And only He can free mankind from this existing condition.
Rom.7:14,15 …yet I am fleshly, having been disposed of under Sin.
15 For what I am effecting I know not,
for not what I will, this I am putting into
practice,
but what I am hating, this I am doing.
Gal.3:22a But the scripture
locks up all together under sin,…
Rom.11:32a For God locks up all together in
stubbornness,…
Rom.7:18,19 For I am aware
that good
is not making its home in me (that is, in my flesh),
for to will is lying beside me, yet to be
effecting the ideal is not.
19 For it is not the good that I will that
I am doing,
but the evil that I am not willing, this
I am putting into practice.
‘…yet the grace is out of many offenses
into a just award…’
Since men are beyond
helping themselves from a situation they have no control of, God having set
it so, would it be righteous of Him to leave them to continue in their
subjection to sin permanently? Though God has the absolute right to do as
He desires, we must keep in mind that He
is righteous. He will always do that which is right. So,
there has to be some valid reasons for this predicament humanity finds
itself in. And this is what Scripture reveals.
Rom.7:24 A wretched man am I!
What will rescue me out of this body of death? Grace!
Gal.3:22b … that the promise out of Jesus Christ's faith
may be given
to those who are believing.
Rom.11:32b … that He should be merciful
to all.
17. For if, by the offense of
the one, death reigns through the one,
much rather, those obtaining
the superabundance of grace
and the gratuity of righteousness
shall be reigning in life through the One,
Jesus Christ.
Adam
enthroned death, but Christ gives believers not only a full vindication
from all guilt, but life and the right to reign with Him. Concordant Commentary
Scripture
declares that death resides in all men and this moves them to sin. This is,
of course, contrary to all analyses and pronouncements of the human
reasoning in psychology and psychiatry.
Even more devastating to a
true understanding of sin, religion comes up with its decretive
pronouncement that man, by his own volition and determination, has strayed
away from God and that is why he sins. Premising with man going astray from
God on his own accord, they place the onus on man to find God and align
himself with Him, on man coming back to the true path (religion) and ceasing
to sin. Even that theology which speaks
of grace still insists on man’s proper response to that grace to make it effective. The grace of
being brought into being - did we have to make a proper response to some
offer of God to bring us into being before He could bring us into being?
Before we came into the world, were we asked whether or not we would like
to become dying creatures? Could we have chosen not to be such? Why do we
now insist that there must be conditions to be met to receive this grace?
Death will occur whether or
not we sin. It is inborn, inherent, intrinsic, in every one of us. Even a
newborn may die on his very first breath without ever having sinned through
any thought or act. Death reigns! It is the root cause of sin in man. To
repeat the fact of a previous verse (v.12),
‘…death passed through into
all mankind, on which all sinned.’
1Cor.15:56 Now the sting of Death is sin,….
What the grace given by God
produces, far exceeds what the offence of Adam has done! It does much more
than just cancel the deficit caused by the offence of Adam. For,
on the one hand,
through one act, the one offense brings condemnation;
on the other hand,
instead of more offenses
bringing down even more condemnation,
through grace, the many offenses bring on a just
award!
Also,
On the one hand,
Through the one offence,
DEATH reigns through Adam;
On the other hand,
Through the superabundance of grace and the gift of
righteousness,
in those who receive this,
LIFE will reign through Jesus Christ!
Death reigns over us in
sin, in the missing of the mark and in offence, and these escalate in
seriousness into transgression. These keep us at enmity against God.
But the super-abundance of grace and the
righteousness God bestows enables those who receive these to reign in life
through Christ. Gone will be the sinning and offending and transgressing.
Not only will we have peace with God, we will have His intimate fellowship
through Christ.
18. Consequently, then,
as it
was through one offense for all mankind for condemnation,
thus also
it
is through one just award for all mankind for life's justifying.
The
parallel here is perfect. Adam's one offense is counteracted by Christ's
one just award. The act of Adam actually affects all mankind. So Christ's
work, eventually, must also actually justify all mankind. This cannot be
during the eons, hence will not be fully accomplished until after the eons
are past, when all are made alive in Christ (lCor.15:22). If Adam's offense
only gave each one an opportunity to sin, so that some become sinners and
others not, then we might say that Christ's work brings justification to
all subject to their acceptance. But we must acknowledge that man has no
choice in becoming a sinner, thus also will it be through the work of
Christ. Both are actual and universal. Concordant
Commentary
The ‘consequently, then’
indicates that what follows ensues from what was stated earlier. And the
verses in this passage state a parallel in contrast under the same logic.
The ‘as it was’ sets the base,
and the ‘thus also’ is the
parallel – in the same way.
As it was thus
also
Through one offence through one just award
For all mankind
for all mankind
For condemnation for
life’s justifying
The points of contact in the parallel must be held – otherwise the
passage would be pointless. In the ‘as
it was’, none of mankind were invited to take part in the offence and to
receive the resulting condemnation. In the ‘thus also’, therefore, none are given any invitation to
contribute towards justification - there can be no invitation. In both
cases it is an operation entirely
of God. Those whom God is not presently active with at this time want the
distinction of being more righteous and deserving than others in deciding
to take the right option for
justification. This passage allows for no choice at all, and to introduce
such a concept constitutes a distortion of truth.
19. For even as, through the disobedience
of the one man,
the many were constituted sinners,
thus also, through the obedience of the
One,
the many shall be constituted just.
The
contrast here is between one and many, not between the many and the all of
the previous statement. The many here are the all of verse eighteen.
Concordant Commentary
All of humanity is affected
by the act of the one man and
that of the other One Man.
Through the disobedience of
Adam, the rest of mankind were constituted
sinners. Not that they became sinners because of their own wrongdoing –
they were already constituted sinners, (made inherently sinners) by God’s decree, even before they can sin! Because they have been made
inherently dying, they are inherently sinners.
Through the obedience of
Christ, the rest of mankind shall be constituted
just. No doubt about this clear declaration of Scripture. It is not that
they have justified themselves somehow, and God simply confirms their
righteousness. Just as God, and only He, constituted the many sinners,
it is only He also who will
constitute them just. He declares this good news of what He will do for all
mankind. Scripture sees no distinction – all have been constituted sinners;
therefore, all shall be constituted just. The timeframe for this to
be effected is not given in this passage but in another (1Cor.15:23).
This means that
JUST AS
Mankind comes under Adam's influence
without any choice on its part
whatsoever,
EVEN SO
mankind shall come under Christ's influence
without any choice on its
part whatsoever!
The choice, or option, is entirely God's!
2Cor.5:18 Yet all is of God, Who conciliates us to
Himself through Christ,
and is giving us the dispensation of the
conciliation,
John
6:44 No one can come to Me
if ever the Father Who sends Me should not be
drawing him….
Phil.2:13 for it is God Who is operating in you
to will as well as to work for the sake of His
delight.
We, believers of today,
members of the body of Christ, are explicitly addressed:
2Tim1:8,9 …suffer evil with the evangel in accord with the power of
God,
9 Who saves us and calls us
with a holy calling,
not in accord with our acts, but in accord with His own purpose
and the grace which is given to us in Christ
Jesus before times eonian,
Tit.3:4-7 …when the kindness and
fondness for humanity of our Saviour, God, made its advent,
5
not for works which are wrought in
righteousness which we do,
but according to His mercy, He saves us,
through the bath of renascence and renewal of
holy spirit,
6 which He pours out on us richly through
Jesus Christ, our Saviour,
7 that, being justified in that One's grace,
we may be becoming enjoyers, in expectation, of
the allotment of life eonian.
This is very clearly put in
Ephesians 2. In the first three verses it is declared,
Eph.2:1-3 And you,
being dead to your offenses and sins,
2 in which once you walked,
in accord with the eon of this world,
in accord with the chief of the jurisdiction of
the air,
the spirit now operating in the sons of
stubbornness
3 (among whom we also all behaved
ourselves once in the lusts of our flesh,
doing the will of the flesh and of the
comprehension,
and were, in our nature, children of
indignation, even as the rest),
Here, God declares through
the Scripture that we are utterly
unworthy, undeserving, disqualified to contribute anything towards our salvation!
The only thing we deserve is condemnation! But, Scripture continues, in
verses 4 through 7,
Eph.2:4-7 yet God, being rich in mercy,
because of His vast love with which He loves us
(we also being dead to the offenses and the
lusts),
5 vivifies us together in Christ (in grace
are you saved!)
6 and rouses us together and seats us together
among the celestials, in Christ Jesus,
7 that, in the oncoming eons,
He should be displaying the transcendent riches of His grace
in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Scripture asserts, quite
clearly, the mode through which we receive our salvation!
Eph.2:8-10 For in grace, through faith, are
you saved,
and this is not
out of you; it is God's
approach present,
9 not of works, lest anyone should be boasting.
10 For His
achievement are we, being created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God makes ready beforehand, that we should
be walking in them.
Rom.3:21-23 Yet now, apart from law, a
righteousness of God is manifest
(being attested by the law and the
prophets),
22 yet a righteousness of God through Jesus Christ's faith,
for all,
and on all who are believing,
for there is no distinction,
23 for all
sinned and are wanting of the glory of God.
All have been constituted
sinners, but the good news to all is -
Gal.3:22 But the scripture locks
up all together under sin,
that the promise out of Jesus Christ's faith
may be given
to those who are believing.
1Tim.1:15 Faithful is the saying, and worthy of
all welcome,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,
Phil.2:9-11 Wherefore, also, God highly exalts
Him,
and graces Him with the name that is above every
name,
10 that in the name of Jesus every knee should be bowing,
celestial and terrestrial and subterranean,
11 and every
tongue should be acclaiming
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
for the glory of God, the Father.
1Tim.2:3-6 …our Saviour, God,
4 Who wills that all mankind be saved and come into a realization of the truth.
5 For there is one God,
and one Mediator of God and mankind, a Man,
Christ Jesus,
6 Who is giving Himself a correspondent
Ransom for all
(the testimony in its own eras),
1Tim.4:9-11 Faithful is the saying and worthy
of all welcome
10 (for for this are we toiling and being
reproached),
that we rely on the living God,
Who is the Saviour of all mankind,
11 especially of believers.
20. Yet law came in by the way, that the
offense should be increasing.
Yet where sin increases, grace superexceeds,
Here
we have the true character and function of the law. It crept in. It was not
a normal necessity, nor did it make any vital change. Its effect was to
alter the character of sin so that it became an offense. Just as Adam's sin
was against God's expressed command, and thus was a personal affront to God
as well as a misdeed bringing harm on his own head, so those under the law,
by sinning against light, greatly increased the sinfulness of sin.
Obedience to the law would have banished sin and death. Disobedience
enhanced their power. But grace not only exceeds the effects of sin, but
superexceeds the offenses of those under law, so that now, Grace has
dethroned sin. Concordant Commentary
‘Yet law came in by the way, that the offense should be
increasing….’
From the time of Adam until
that of Moses, men sinned. But because there was no law, no account was
taken of their wrongdoing. There could always be the excuse of ignorance of
what is right and what is wrong.
Rom.5:13 …yet sin is not being taken into account when there is no law;
Then came the giving of the
law to Israel through Moses on Mt.Sinai. This law defined what sin is,
setting the mark for thinking and behaviour.
Rom.3:20 … for through law is the recognition of sin.
Rom.7:7 But sin I knew not except
through law.
For besides, I
had not been aware of coveting except the law said,
"You shall not be coveting."
Rom.4:15
…Now
where no law is, neither is there
transgression.
Now, sin could be taken into account. Wrongdoing
became a deliberate flouting of the law. It was now transgression and it
drew its own penalty. Instead of becoming better, things became terribly
worse for those to whom the law applied. Where sin had been ineffective,
unable to act, dead, the law now gave it life. The situation is stated -
things have got worse for those under law.
Rom.7:8,9 …For apart from law Sin is dead.
9 …yet at the coming of the precept Sin revives.
1Cor.15:56 …the power of sin is the law.
‘…Yet where sin increases, grace
superexceeds…’
But the evangel truly is good news to the people
under the law, to those who transgress that law and incur their own
sentence.
This evangel ensures that
there is no way God is going to allow sin to have a permanent ascendance.
No matter how serious sin can be, God’s grace in the evangel is more than
sufficient to overcome it. Here Scripture employs ‘super-exceeds’,
elsewhere It uses ‘overwhelms’! Those who have been through a major tsunami
have an experience of what such words mean.
1Tim.1:14 Yet the grace of our Lord overwhelms with faith and love in
Christ Jesus.
Sin, even so serious as
deliberate transgression, is no match at all for God’s grace.
21. that, even as Sin reigns in death,
thus Grace also should be reigning through
righteousness, for life eonian, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Law has got
nothing to do with the promises made to Abraham and fellow-believers. It
was only incidental to show how impossible it is for us, humans, to live up
to God’s standards and to, thus, deserve any consideration for life.
But, no matter how many the
sins, or how serious they be, grace superexceeds! Just as Sin reigns in
Death, thus also will Grace reign in Righteousness, bringing on a life of
special quality which will be enjoyed throughout the coming eons. And this
is only because of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
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Index of Articles - Romans
June 2007
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