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SECTION G – Doctrine: Conciliation,
Individual (5:01 –
8:30)
Balanced
by SECTION g – Doctrine: Conciliation, National (11:01
– 36)
Romans Six – Verses 1-23
01. What, then, shall we declare?
That we may be persisting in sin that grace should be increasing?
The
absolute despotism of Grace is set forth in the startling suggestion that
if we should be persisting in sin, grace would increase. While the
following argument is against persistence in sin, it confirms the
sovereignty of grace. Let us not deny this marvelous doctrine. It will give
us rich, exultant liberty, ridding us of the thralldom of Sin, and giving
us power to avoid the very sins which unnatural logic supposes we would
eagerly follow, now that there is no condemnation even if we should sin.
Concordant Commentary
It has just been declared
that ‘where sin increases, grace superexceeds’.
Scripture anticipates a common objection to such grace, something that
sounds clever and irrefutable. If, it is proposed, with the increase of sin,
more grace is dispensed, why not keep on sinning so that even more grace
can continue to be dispensed. There is the insinuation that one is actually
helping God to act as God. It is a stratagem of Satan to wrestle with
Scripture and to convolute logic to elicit an excuse to continue doing
wrong. He seeks to push the truth so that it looks illogical and
ridiculous. We will meet with more of this type of subtle objection in this
chapter.
Mt.4:5,6 Then the Adversary is
taking Him along into the holy city,
and stands Him on the wing of the sanctuary.
6 And he is saying to Him. "If you are God's
Son, cast yourself down,
for it is written that `His messengers shall be directed concerning Thee'
and 'On their hands shall they be lifting Thee,
Lest at some time Thou shouldst be dashing Thy
foot against a stone.'"
But, the paradox is that if
we have properly presented what grace is, this is the ‘common sense’ and ‘reasonable’ objection that would be elicited. Objectors feel they
have some loophole they can exploit. For, if all are to be constituted
just, why go to the trouble of correcting aberrant lifestyles? No
behavioural changes need to be effected. In fact, there are some
‘Christian’ ministers who propose that if one even attempts to correct his
situation, that one has completely missed out on the meaning of grace! They
claim that since everyone has already been saved when Christ died for all,
one is already saved within his own religion, even in atheism, and there is
not even the need for a personal recognition of Christ as the Son of God.
If this is true, where not even faith is a factor, what is the point of
their preaching anything at all?
Arising out of the wisdom
of God, the Scriptural concept of grace revealed in the letters of Paul is
entirely foreign to those who have not been given to believe. The fact is
that the wisdom of the world cannot come up with the understanding
and conviction of grace that God gives
to those whom He chooses.
02. May it not be coming to that!
We, who died to sin, how shall we still
be living in it?
This
and the following chapter are a digression, discussing the effects of the
reign of grace, first without, and then with, law. Deliverance from sin
comes, not through victory over it, but through death to it. It is useless
to struggle against sin, or to fight with its practices. Rather we should
acknowledge its force and reckon ourselves as dead through it and to it,
yet alive in resurrection, where sin has no place.
Concordant Commentary
The Concordant comment, above, is to the point. Fighting sin is
like fighting death. Of ourselves, we simply cannot win. As mortal beings,
we cannot get rid of the one or of the other. But we move out of its
jurisdiction and power when we consider ourselves as having died to sin so that we are no more
alive in it to carry out its dictates.
Rom.6:11 be reckoning yourselves to be
dead, indeed, to Sin,
yet living
to God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
2Cor.5:14,15 For the love of Christ is constraining
us, judging this,
that, if One died for the sake of all, consequently all died.
15 And He died for the sake of all
that those who are living should by no means still be living to themselves,
but to the One dying and being roused for their
sakes.
The life we live now is a
new one, anticipating the one we will have in resurrection, and outside of
the jurisdiction of sin and death and corruption.
03. Or are you ignorant that whoever are
baptized into Christ Jesus,
are baptized into His death?
The
spiritual values of baptism into the death (Lu.12:50) and entombment with
Christ, as shown in this chapter, indicate that spirit baptism is in view
here (cf. 1Cor.12:13). "For in one spirit also we all are baptized
into one body." Concordant Commentary
‘…baptized into Christ Jesus…’
We read in Scripture of
John the baptizer carrying out his ministry in the wilderness. Since this
was a ritual of immersion in water,
symbolizing a washing away of sins, John ministered where there was
sufficient water for this purpose. Scripture recognizes that ritual as ‘the
baptism of John’. We do not read of any dispensation of holy spirit
connected with this ritual.
Jn.3:23 Now John also was baptizing
in Enon near Salim,
for there
was much water there, and they came along and were baptized,
Jn.4:1,2 … Jesus is making and
baptizing more disciples than John
2 (though, to be sure, Jesus Himself did not baptize, but
His disciples),
John the baptizer did
clearly declare that though he baptized
in water, in contrast, Jesus
would be baptizing in holy spirit.
Jn.1:33,34 … He Who sends me to be baptizing
in water, That One said to me, `On Whomever you may be perceiving the
spirit descending
and remaining on Him, This is He Who is baptizing in holy spirit.'
34 And I have seen and have
testified that This One is the Son of God.
Act.11:16 Now I am reminded of the
declaration of the Lord, as He said that `John, indeed, baptizes in water, yet you shall be baptized in holy spirit.'
We read of a dispensation
of holy spirit among believers at that Pentecost after Christ had ascended
into heaven.
Act.2:3,4 And seen by them were
dividing tongues as if of fire,
and one is seated on each one of them.
4 And they are all filled with holy spirit, and they begin to speak in different languages,
according as
the spirit gave them to declaim.
Though, under the evangel
preached by Peter on that day, this physical ceremony was a condition to be
met, holy spirit was not directly
connected with this baptism.
Act.2:38 Now Peter is averring to them,
"Repent
and be
baptized each of you in the name
of Jesus Christ
for the pardon of your sins,
and you shall be obtaining the gratuity of the holy spirit
We read of three thousand being
baptized, and of the addition of others to this band from that day, but we
do not read of their receiving holy spirit. It was a separate issue from
baptism in water. And it has remained separate.
Act.10:44-48 While Peter is still speaking
these declarations,
the holy
spirit falls on all those hearing the word.
45 And amazed were the
believers of the Circumcision,
whoever come together with Peter,
seeing that on the nations also the gratuity of the holy spirit has been poured
out.
46 For they heard them
speaking in languages and magnifying God.
47 Then Peter answered, "There can not
be anyone to forbid water,
so that these are not to be baptized, who
obtained the holy spirit even as we."
48 Now he bids them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
Act.19:1-6 Now it occurred while
Apollos is in Corinth,
Paul, passing through the upper parts, comes
down to Ephesus
and, finding some disciples,
2 said to them, "Did you obtain holy spirit on believing?"
Yet they to him, "Nay, neither hear
we if there is holy
spirit."
3 Yet he said, "Into what, then, are you
baptized?"
Yet they say "Into John's baptism."
4 Yet Paul said, "John baptizes with the baptism of repentance,
telling the people that in the One coming after him
they should be believing,
that is, in Jesus."
5 Now, hearing this, they are baptized in the
name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And at
the placing of Paul's hands on them, the holy spirit came on them….
Paul makes it quite clear
that baptism in water was not
part of the evangel he was commissioned to preach among the nations. In
fact, this baptism is placed in
opposition to the bringing of the evangel – not ‘to be baptising’ but
‘to be bringing the evangel’.
1Cor.1:17 For Christ does not
commission me to be baptizing,
but to
be bringing the evangel,
not in wisdom of word, lest the cross of Christ may be made void.
All believers of the Uncircumcision evangel have been baptized
into Christ. No ritual is necessary. Our faith is based on the cross of
Christ and any imposed ritual would be a condition contradicting the grace that flows because of that
cross. Our baptism is a spiritual
operation of God, put into effect the
moment one is given to believe in the evangel. This is the only baptism under our evangel.
Eph.4:5 one
Lord, one faith, one baptism,
1Cor.12:13 For in one spirit also we all are baptized into one body,
whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free,
and all are made to imbibe one spirit.
04. We, then, were entombed together with Him through
baptism into death,
that, even as Christ was roused from among the dead
through the glory of the Father,
thus we also should be walking in newness
of life.
Here, Scripture associates
our baptism with our entombment with
Christ. This is quite different from the figure of ablutions, a washing away
of sins, in the immersion of water baptism. We do not have our sins washed
away – we are buried, dead
to sin.
Gal.3:27 For whoever are baptized into Christ, put on Christ,
Phil.3:10 to know Him, and the
power of His resurrection,
and the fellowship of His sufferings, conforming to His death,
Rom.6:13 Thus you also, be
reckoning yourselves to be dead,
indeed, to Sin,
yet living to God in Christ Jesus, our Lord
Christ is the Head of the ecclesia which is His body (Eph.1:22). Believers are
an integral part of this body. What the Head experiences, the body is
considered to experience, too – and vice versa.
Col.1:24 I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for you,
and am filling up in my flesh, in His stead,
the
deficiencies of the afflictions of Christ, for His body, which is the ecclesia
Scripture
declares that:
When Christ was
circumcised, we were reckoned as
circumcised in Him.
When Christ was baptized, we were
reckoned as baptized in Him.
When Christ was crucified, we were
reckoned as crucified with Him.
When Christ was entombed, we were reckoned as
entombed with Him.
When Christ was roused, we
were reckoned as roused together with Him.
Col.2:10-12 And you are complete
in Him,
Who is the Head of every sovereignty and
authority,
11 in Whom you were circumcised also with a circumcision not made by
hands,
in the stripping off of the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ.
12 Being entombed together with Him in baptism,
in Whom you
were roused together also through
faith in the operation of God,
Being baptized into His
death, we were entombed with Him. We are dead to sin, and for those of the body who are out of Israel, dead
also to the law. We are not to
look at our failures prior to being in Christ. For, just as Christ was
roused from among the dead, we should see ourselves as roused with Him and experiencing a newness of life.
Col.2:13 Who rouses Him from among the dead,
you also being
dead to the offenses and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
He
vivifies us together jointly
with Him, dealing graciously with all our offenses,
Gal.2:19 For I, through law, died to law, that I should be living
to God.
Gal.2:20 With Christ have I been crucified,
yet I am living; no longer I, but living in me
is Christ.
Now that which
I am now living in flesh,
I am living in faith that is of the Son of God,
Who loves me, and gives Himself up for me.
1Cor.6:14,15 Now God rouses the Lord also,
and will
be rousing us up through His power.
15 Are you not aware that your bodies are
members of Christ?...
05. For if we have become planted together
in
the likeness of His death,
nevertheless we shall be of the
resurrection also,
The ‘…we shall be…’ shows that no matter what, our resurrection will
come to be nevertheless. This is
the assurance of Scripture. There are no ‘if’s and ‘but’s about our
subsequent sharing in the likeness of
His resurrection. So, our
walk now should be in keeping with what we shall be.
Phil.3:10,11 to know Him, and the
power of His resurrection,
and the fellowship of His sufferings, conforming
to His death,
11 if somehow I should be attaining to the
resurrection that is out from among the dead.
Eph.2:5,6 (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,
06. knowing this, that our old humanity was crucified
together with Him,
that the body of Sin may be nullified,
for us by no means to be still slaving for Sin,
Our old humanity, our
former lifestyle and disposition under the control of sin and death, is
reckoned as crucified together with
Christ. Dead and useless where righteousness is concerned, contaminated and
characterized by sin, enslaved to and under the dominion of sin, this
former stubborn self must be discarded.
Jn.8:34 Jesus answered them,
"Verily, verily, I am saying to you
that everyone who is doing sin, is a slave of
sin.
2Cor.5:21 For the One not knowing sin,
He makes to be Sin for our sakes…
Gal.2:20 With Christ have I been crucified,…
Gal.5:24 Now those of Christ
Jesus
crucify the
flesh together with its passions, and lusts.
Col.3:9 …stripping off the old humanity together with its practices,
Eph.4:20-22 Now you did not thus learn
Christ, 21 since, surely,
Him you hear, and by Him were taught (according as
the truth is in Jesus),
22 to put off from you, as regards your former behavior,
the old
humanity
which is corrupted in accord with its seductive desires,
07. for one who dies has been
justified from Sin.
We are being duped -
whether by our flesh, or by Satan, or even by the stalwarts of ‘Christian
Theology’, it makes no difference - into thinking that it is we who have to engage in some heroic
struggle to overcome sin and to be justified from it.
Scripture is declaring to
us who have been called, that our old humanity was put to death, crucified together with Christ. We did not put it to death; we do
not even need to put it to death
– it is God Who has already put it to death. He has done
it so that we are justified from
Sin and so that, therefore, Sin
no longer has dominion over us.
Truly, it is all of God – it is all His doing.
2Cor.5:18 Yet all is of God, Who conciliates us to Himself through
Christ,…
08. Now if we died together with Christ,
we believe that we shall be living
together with Him also,
As
we did not die, but Christ was crucified for us, we may reckon His death as
ours, fully finishing our connection with sin, and His resurrection as ours
also, for in Him we enjoy an unclouded life in the presence of God. Concordant Commentary
We are reckoned as having
died together with Christ, entombed together with Christ, and as having
been roused together with Christ. Here, our living together with Christ is placed as a consequence of our death together with Him. The emphasis is on the now and into the future. We are in a new
environment of being alive together
with Christ.
2Tim.2:11 Faithful is the saying:
"For if we died together, we shall be living together also;
2Cor.5:17 So that, if anyone is in
Christ, there is a new creation:
the primitive passed by. Lo! there has come new!
2Cor.5:21 …that we may be becoming God's righteousness in Him.
Gal.2:20
…yet
I am living; no longer I, but living in me is Christ.
Now that
which I am now living in flesh,
I am living in
faith that is of the Son of God,
Who loves me, and gives Himself up for me.
Col.3:10 and putting on the young, which is being renewed into recognition,
to accord
with the Image of the One Who creates it,
Eph.4:23,24 yet to be rejuvenated in the spirit of your mind,
24 and to put on the new humanity which, in
accord with God,
is being
created
in righteousness and benignity of the truth.
09. having perceived that Christ, being
roused from among the dead,
is no longer dying. Death is lording it over Him no
longer,
Christ has been roused, now
immortal and incorruptible. Death no longer has any power over Him.
1Cor.15:20 Yet now Christ has been
roused from among the dead,
the
Firstfruit of those who are reposing.
1Cor.15:22,23 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;…
Col.1:18 He is the … Firstborn from among the dead,
that in all He may be becoming first,
Rev.1:5 from Jesus Christ, the
Faithful Witness, the Firstborn of
the dead,
1Tim.6:15,16 …He is King of kings and Lord of
lords,
16 Who alone has immortality, making His home in light
inaccessible, …
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.
10. for in that He died, He died to
Sin once for all time,
yet in that He is living, He is living to
God.
‘…for in that He died, He died to Sin once for all time…’
Again, Scripture declares
that Christ died to Sin once
for all time. He cannot die again, ever. Roman Catholic theology is in
direct opposition to this fact – it is claimed that He is sacrificed again each and every time the Mass is
celebrated. Going the whole hog, it is proudly claimed that a Mass is
being celebrated every minute of the day somewhere or other in the world.
The fact is that the theology of that denomination is in defiance of almost
every truth of Scripture. It is, in fact, an amalgamation of beliefs from
pagan sources extant when it was being formulated and masquerades as truth
from God.
Heb.7:27 Who has no necessity daily,
even as the chief priests,
to be offering up sacrifices previously for
their own sins,
thereupon for those of the people,
for this He does once for all time, offering up Himself.
Heb.9:28 …Christ also, being offered once for the
bearing of the sins of many,…
Heb.10:9,10 …He has declared, "Lo! I am
arriving to do Thy will, O God!" ….
10 By
which will we are hallowed
through the approach present of the body of
Jesus Christ once for all time.
The work that Christ
undertook in becoming flesh has been completed, its purpose accomplished.
Nothing has been left out – so there will never again be a need for Him to die. His faith in God, demonstrated
by His devoted obedience even to the death on the cross, more than offset the unbelief and disobedience of all
mankind. He has taken away the sin of the world,
removing that which kept mankind from being in harmony with God.
Jn.1:29 …he is observing Jesus
coming toward him, and is saying,
"Lo! the Lamb of God Which is taking away the sin of the world!
Jn.17:4,5 I glorify Thee on the earth,
finishing
the work which Thou hast given Me, that I should be doing it.
5 "And now glorify Thou Me, Father,
with Thyself,
with the glory which I had before the world is with Thee.
Jn.19:30 When, then, Jesus took the
vinegar, He said, "It is
accomplished!"
And reclining His head, He gives up the spirit.
1Tim.1:15 Faithful is the saying,
and worthy of all welcome,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,
Rom.3:22.23 … for there is no distinction,
23 for all sinned and are wanting
of the glory of God.
Rom.5:19 … through the disobedience of the
one man,
the many were constituted
sinners,…
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),
‘…yet in that He is living, He is living
to God…’
Having accomplished that phase of His work (dying once
for all time for the sake of all), He now lives on to fulfill other phases of the work designated
for Him by God. Though the work has been done, our being justified is an ongoing process, even as this justification
is being applied to those who are
being called now as well as to
those who are yet to be called.
Rom.5:18 … it is through one just award for
all mankind for life's justifying.
Rom.5:19 ..through the obedience of the One,
the many shall be constituted just
Rom.4:25 Who was given up because of
our offenses,
and was roused because of our justifying
Rom.8:34 …Christ Jesus, the One dying, yet
rather being roused,
Who is also at God's right hand, Who is pleading also for our
sakes…
The work of Christ will see
its fruition in its entirety only when He
has subjected all (that God is now making subject to Him) under God
for the culmination of God’s purpose to be all in all. Christ is the One
completing this work – and how privileged it is for us to be the complement of Christ in this
distinguished work of His.
Eph.1:19-23 the transcendent greatness of
His power for us who are believing, in accord with the operation of the
might of His strength,
20 which is operative in the Christ, rousing Him from among the dead
and
seating Him at His right hand among the celestials,
21 up over every sovereignty and authority and
power and lordship,
and every
name that is named,
not only in this eon, but also in that which is
impending:
22 and
subjects all under His feet,
and gives Him, as Head over all, to the
ecclesia
23 which is His body,
the
complement of the One completing the all
in all.
Eph.4:12,13 …for the upbuilding of the
body of Christ,
13 unto the end that we should all attain
to the unity of the faith
and of the realization of the son of God, to a
mature man,
to the measure of the stature of the complement of the Christ,
Eph.1:10,11 to have an
administration of the complement of the eras,
to head up
all in the Christ--both that in the heavens and that on the earth--
11 in Him in Whom our lot was cast also,
Rom.8:17 …enjoyers, indeed, of an
allotment from God,
yet joint
enjoyers of Christ's allotment,
if so be that we are suffering together, that we
should be glorified together also.
11. Thus you also, be reckoning yourselves
to be dead, indeed, to Sin,
yet living to God in Christ Jesus, our
Lord.
As Christ died to
Sin, and we died with Him, thus also, as He is now living to God, we
should be living to God in Christ
Jesus and together with Him. In keeping
with being members of the body of Christ, we follow in the footsteps of our
Lord.
2Cor.5:15 And He died for the sake of
all
that those who are living should by no means still be living to themselves,
but to the
One dying and being roused for their sakes.
Rom.6:2 …We, who died to sin, how shall we still be living in it?
Gal.2:20 With Christ have I been
crucified, yet I am living;
no longer I, but living in me is Christ. Now
that which I am now living in
flesh,
I am
living in faith that is of the Son of God,
Who loves me, and gives Himself up for me.
Col.3:1-4 If, then, you were roused
together with Christ,
be seeking
that which is above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Be
disposed to that which is above, not to that on the earth,
3 for you
died, and your life is hid
together with Christ in God.
4 Whenever Christ, our Life, should be
manifested,
then you also shall be manifested together with
Him in glory.
As far as believers in the body
of Christ are concerned, we have
DIED to sin and were buried with Christ into His death. Our old humanity
was put to death, crucified, together with Christ. Christ was made to be Sin so that Sin could be
crucified, put to death, nullified. Now that we are dead to sin we should
not allow Sin to dictate to us anymore! Now, therefore, we should be living
as though resurrected with Christ.
As we died together with
Christ, we shall be living together with Him. Death has been nullified in
Christ's case. His death to Sin was a once for all time event. He now lives
to God. This is how we should consider our own situation - we are dead to
Sin but living to God in Christ Jesus.
12. Let not Sin, then, be
reigning in your mortal body,
for you to be obeying its lusts.
A
realization of our death to sin and life in Christ will give us power to
cope with sin, always remembering that sin cannot bring us into disfavor
because of the superexceeding grace. Concordant
Commentary
Sin reigns in
death (Rom.5:21). While we had on our old humanity, Sin exercised its
dominion over us – preventing us from doing that which we acknowledged as
good and moving us to do that which we recognized, and even detested, as
evil.
Eph.2:3 … 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.7:14,15 … 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….
Rom.7:18,19 …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.
Scripture asserts that now
that we are reckoned as dead to Sin, we should not live as if It still has
control over our thinking and actions - even though we still have mortal
bodies. The temptations and lusts are associated with our flesh, and our succumbing to these with our old humanity. But, having
died with Christ, we have also been resurrected with Him. Where our
disposition had been towards the
satisfaction of the flesh, satiating its lusts, we must now live a life in
the reality of being led by the spirit into pleasing the Father in all
things.
Rom.8:13 for if you are living in
accord with flesh,
you are
about to be dying.
Yet if, in spirit,
you are putting the practices of the body to death,
you will be
living.
Gal.5:16 Walk in spirit,
and you should under no circumstances be
consummating the lust of the flesh.
Gal.5:24 Now those of Christ
Jesus
crucify
the flesh together with its passions, and lusts.
Eph.4:22-24 to put off from you, as regards your former behavior,
the old
humanity
which is corrupted in accord with its seductive desires,
23 yet to be rejuvenated in the spirit of
your mind,
24 and to put on the new humanity which, in accord with God,
is being
created in righteousness and benignity of the truth.
1Cor.6:12 All is allowed me, but not
all is expedient.
All is allowed me, but I will not be put under its authority by anything.
1Cor.6:23,24 All is allowed me, but not all is
expedient.
All is allowed me, but not all is edifying.
24 Let no one be seeking the welfare of
himself, but that of another.
13. yet
be presenting your members, as
implements of injustice, to Sin,
but present yourselves to God as if alive
from among the dead,
and your members as implements of
righteousness to God.
Not letting Sin reign over
us entails not letting our bodies become instruments for wrongdoing.
Rather, we should present ourselves to God as if already resurrected and as
useful instruments of righteousness in His service.
Rom.6:4,5 … even as Christ was roused from
among the dead
through the glory of the Father, thus we also
should be walking in newness of life.
5 For if we have become planted together in the
likeness of His death,
nevertheless we
shall be of the resurrection also,
Rom.6:19 … For even as you present your
members
as slaves to Uncleanness and to Lawlessness for
lawlessness,
thus now
present your members as slaves to Righteousness
for holiness
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.
14. For Sin shall not be lording it over you,
for you are not under law, but under
grace.
Law,
as we shall see in the next chapter, not only cannot deliver from Sin, but
actually forges the fetters of Sin, and makes Sin's bondage more cruel and
galling. Concordant Commentary
We being under grace, Sin
has no legitimate hold over us - for it needs law in order to have that
power.
1Cor.15:56 Now the sting of Death is
sin, yet the power of sin
is the law.
This applies to members of
the body whether they are of the nations or out of Israel. Those of the
nations were never under law, but
through Christ, have been redeemed from all lawlessness.
Tit.2:14 Who gives Himself for us,
that He should be redeeming us from all lawlessness
and be cleansing for Himself a people to be
about Him, zealous for ideal acts.
And those out of Israel,
having died to the law with Christ, have been delivered from that law.
Gal.4:4,5 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.
The law was a mainstay of
the Mosaic system, and an imperative (together with faith) for those under
the evangel of the Circumcision. Scripture declares, to the members of the
body of Christ who are out of Israel,
distinctions to be borne in mind. They, as well as Paul (hence the ‘we’ in
some passages), had been under law but, through Christ, have been reclaimed
from it. Their experience under the law had served as a ‘protective
custody’ until the coming to faith. They were to be careful not to place
themselves under the spell of the law once again.
Deut.4:8 And what great nation
is there
which has statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law
that I am putting before you today?
Rom.3:19 Now we are aware that,
whatever the law is saying, it
is speaking to those under the law,
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.4:3-6 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.
6 Now, seeing that you are sons,
God delegates the spirit of His Son into our
hearts, crying "Abba! Father!"
Rom.8:14 For whoever are being led by God's spirit, these are
sons of God.
Gal.5:18 Now, if you are led by
spirit, you are not still
under law.
This being so,
we, believers who are of the body of Christ, must not hand over to Sin that
control it does not now actually have.
We should not allow Sin to
control and to dictate to us, mortal though we still are. We should not
allow our bodies to be used for injustice, serving Sin. Instead we should
serve God as if already resurrected, doing righteousness. We are not under
law from which Sin draws its incentive, becomes alive, becomes activated,
but under Grace, which superexceeds it.
1Cor.15:56 Now the sting of Death is
sin, yet the power of sin is the law.
Rom.5:13 ….yet sin is not being taken
into account when there is no law;
Rom.4:15 …Now where no law is, neither
is there transgression.
Rom.7:8 …For apart from law Sin is
dead.
Gal.3:19 What, then, is the law? On
behalf of transgressions was it added,…
Rom.5:20,21 …law came in by the way, that the offense should be increasing.
Yet where sin increases, grace superexceeds,
21 that, even as Sin reigns in death,
thus Grace also should be reigning through
righteousness,
for life eonian, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
15. What then?
Should we be sinning, seeing that we
are not under law, but under grace?
May it not be coming to that!
The
law said, "Accursed is everyone who is not remaining in all things
written in the Scroll of the Law, to do them." Grace says, Blessed are
you, whatever you may do, for Christ has justified you and not one dare
bring anything against you. The fallacious logic of the old humanity is
immediately imagining that this gives license and encouragement to sin. But
its actual effect is quite the opposite. Grace, not law, has power to deter
us from sinning. No one who has an actual experience of grace, reasons that
because there is immunity, therefore he will sin. The offender against law
flies in the face of law. Its austere threats do not hinder him. But the
offender against grace feels the heinousness of his offense and flies from
it.
Concordant Commentary
We are not under law and,
therefore, cannot transgress and cannot, consequently, draw upon
ourselves any penalty that would be associated with such transgression.
Rom.4:15 for the law is
producing indignation.
Now where
no law is, neither is there transgression.
Rom.5:13 …yet sin is not being taken into
account when there is no law;
Being under grace, however,
does not mean that we now have a licence to continue sinning, let alone to
widen its scope and to escalate its frequency.
Gal.5:13 For you were called for
freedom, brethren,
only use not the freedom for an incentive to the flesh,..
Whether we realize it or
not, Scripture declares that grace, this kindness of God, is actually
leading us to repentance from our old ways, to leaving it behind as
discarded with our old humanity. There is no more condemnation for us no
matter what we do – even if we do evil. We are being justified in Christ
and set free from what controls the flesh. Now, with God’s spirit working
in us, through His grace we can live free of these. The quicker we realise
this fact, the better we can be
efficiently functioning within
the body of Christ and can be contributing
towards its edification and growth.
Rom.8:1,2 Nothing, … is now condemnation to those in Christ Jesus.
Not
according to flesh are they walking, but according to spirit,
2 for the spirit's law of life in Christ
Jesus frees you from the law of sin
and death.
Rom.2:4 …are you despising the riches of
His kindness and forbearance and patience,
being ignorant that the kindness of God is leading you to repentance?
1Cor.6:12
All is allowed me, but not all is expedient.
All is allowed me, but I will not be put under its authority by anything.
1Cor.10:23 All
is allowed me, but not all is expedient.
All is allowed me, but not all is edifying.
16. Are you not aware
that to whom you are presenting yourselves
as
slaves for obedience,
his slaves you are, whom you are obeying,
whether of Sin for death, or of Obedience
for righteousness?
All
of us are slaves, however much we may vaunt our liberty. We are controlled
either by Sin or by Obedience. It is a cause of thankfulness that we all
have had service under Sin, for only so could we realize the nature of such
slavery. But we have not been taken from Sin's service to become idle. We
have been transferred to the service of Righteousness. Concordant Commentary
The principle should be
quite clear - to us even if not to others. No one man is as free and
independent as he would like to think he is. He is a slave whether or not
he admits it. He is either a slave of Sin - and draws its ration of death;
or, he is a slave of Obedience and is accounted righteous. He is either
serving one or the other – and neither of these serves him.
Rom.6:23 For the ration of Sin is death,…
Lk.6:46,47 …"Now why are you calling Me `Lord,'
and are not
doing what I am saying?
47 Everyone coming to Me and hearing My
words and doing them…
Rom.10:9 if ever you
should be avowing
with your mouth the declaration that
Jesus is Lord,
and should be believing in your heart that
God rouses Him from among the dead,
you shall be saved.
1Cor.12:3 …And no one is able to say "Lord is Jesus" except by holy
spirit.
Rom.8:9 … Now if anyone has not Christ's spirit, this one is not His.
Rom.8:15 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!"
Phil.2:5-8 For let this disposition be in you, which is in Christ Jesus also,
…
He humbles Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death
of the cross.
17. Now thanks be to God that
you were slaves of Sin, yet
you obey from the heart the type of teaching to which you were
given over.
We, believers within the
body of Christ, whether out of the nations or out of Israel, were as much
slaves of Sin as unbelievers still are.
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),
Once, not recognizing God
as God, we were given over (as
the rest still are) to aberrant behaviour.
Rom.1:21-32 because, knowing God, not as God do they glorify
or thank Him,
but vain
were they made in their reasonings,
and darkened
is their unintelligent heart.
22 Alleging themselves to be wise, they are made stupid,
23 and they change the glory of the
incorruptible God
into the likeness of an image of a corruptible
human being
and flying creatures and quadrupeds and
reptiles.
24 Wherefore God gives them over, in the lusts of
their hearts,…
26 Therefore God gives them over to dishonorable passions….
28 And according as they do
not test God, to have Him in
recognition,
God gives
them over to a disqualified mind, to do that which is not befitting,…
32 those who, recognizing the just statute
of God,
that those committing such things are deserving
of death,
not only are doing them, but are endorsing,
also, those who are committing them.
Yet, through the grace of God, we have been enabled to believe the evangel and, therefore, to obey what the
evangel teaches. Now, God having opened our minds into recognizing and
acknowledging Him as God,
we have been given over to
obeying the teaching of the evangel.
Eph.2:4-7 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.
Phil.2:12,13 …with fear and trembling, be carrying your own salvation into
effect,
13 for it is God Who is operating in you
to will as well as to work for the sake of His delight.
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.
18. Now, being freed from Sin, you are
enslaved to Righteousness.
We have changed masters.
The point is that when we were slaves to Sin and, therefore, under its
control, we were not permitted to obey any other – Sin owned us, so to speak, and it gave us no option to leave its
service.
Gal.3:22 But the scripture locks up all together
under sin,…
Rom.7:14 … I am fleshly, having been disposed of under Sin.
Rom.5:19 … through the disobedience of the
one man,
the many
were constituted sinners, …
Only God, Who operates all
in accord with the counsel of His will, could intervene – and in our cases
He did.
Gal.3:22 … that the promise out of Jesus Christ's faith
may be given
to those who are believing.
We are now owned by Righteousness, so to speak,
and are expected to serve with diligence as good slaves should. Our
disposition should be towards pleasing God in righteousness.
Gal.5:1 For freedom Christ
frees us!
Stand firm, then, and be not again enthralled with the yoke of slavery.
Phil.2:5,8 For let this disposition be in you, which is
in Christ Jesus also…
8 …being found in fashion as a human, He humbles Himself,
becoming
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
19. As
a man am I saying this, because of the infirmity of your flesh.
For even as you present your members
as slaves to Uncleanness and to
Lawlessness for lawlessness,
thus now present your members
as slaves to Righteousness for holiness.
To the Romans Paul has to
employ such a figure, of slavery
either to Sin or to Righteousness, to more simply demonstrate the logic
concerning their present position and consequent behaviour since they were
as yet unable to grasp it at a more mature level.
Perhaps, he was not to know, at that time,
just how much also we, of today,
need this simple approach. Either to the one or to the other, we are
slaves. We serve. We are not
independent operators doing what we
decide and determine to do. The promotion
of the doctrine of ‘free will’ demonstrates that we have either not
grasped, or have in our ‘wisdom’ chosen to discard, such a clear teaching.
We are being told that,
having served Sin, we are now to serve Righteousness. We have been freed
from Sin and Death, not from Righteousness. We still serve.
20. For when you were slaves of Sin, you
were free as to Righteousness.
Slaves
of Sin can produce only the fruits of sin and know that the only possible
outcome is death. But slaves of Righteousness have a brighter outlook. Even
though ashamed of their lawless deeds, they look for life eonian. Concordant Commentary
Obviously, when we served
Sin, it was our master – and we could not, and did not, serve Righteousness, which was not our master then. As such we could even ignore Righteousness, so to speak.
21. What fruit, then, had you then?--of
which you are now ashamed,
for, indeed, the consummation of those things is death.
But, what did our service
under Sin bring us? If only we could have seen ourselves then for what we
really were. Disposed of under Sin, we were inveigled into doing that which
is not befitting, things which actually belittle us and bring us to shame.
We were headed down the road to death and destruction.
22. Yet, now, being freed from Sin, yet
enslaved to God,
you have your fruit for holiness. Now the
consummation is life eonian.
But now, having been
liberated from Sin, we come under Righteousness and serve God. Where
mankind still serves Sin, we have been set apart from the rest in our doing
what pleases God. And this service under Righteousness leads us to eonian
life. We are privileged to know
that, in accord with the operation of God, Sin has been executed in the
death of Christ. Why, then, should we yield to an already subjected foe?
Rom.8:6-8 For the disposition of
the flesh is death,
yet the disposition of the spirit is life
and peace,
7 because the disposition of the flesh is enmity
to God,
for it is not subject to the law of God, for
neither is it able.
8 Now those who are in flesh are not able to
please God.
2Cor.5:21 For the One not knowing
sin, He makes to be Sin for
our sakes
that we may be becoming God's righteousness in
Him.
23. For the ration of Sin is death,
yet the gracious gift of God is life eonian, in Christ Jesus, our
Lord.
Sin,
like slave holders, does not pay wages, but only supplies rations. This
consists, at present, in an attitude toward God which is the equivalent of
death, for all Sin's slaves avoid God's presence. Hence their deeds will
result in destruction. Neither do we, as slaves, look for wages. God not
only gives, but gives graciously, or gratuitously, the very reward which is
only for those whose endurance in good acts merits it—eonian life, or life
for the eons (2:7). Concordant
Commentary
Sin can only bring death –
it does not have anything else to remunerate its slaves with. No matter how
much service Sin demands, it can only supply a ration common to all – death. And if God does not step in,
does not intervene, that would be the end of it all – oblivion.
Rom.5:12 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--
Jas.1:15 Thereafter, the desire, conceiving,
is bringing forth sin.
Now sin,
fully consummated, is teeming forth death.
On the other hand, God
graciously grants, not just life
(as those in the Great White Throne judgment will experience for a while),
but eonian life, a quality of
life that is in keeping with the blessings of the coming eons, especially
the final one.
Rom.8:9-11 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.
1Cor.2:9,10 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,
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.
As we have served Uncleanness
and Lawlessness, we should now serve Righteousness. The result of service
to Sin (during which time we did things which shame us now) is Death! Now
that we have been set free from Sin, we should dedicate ourselves to the
service of God. What we eagerly look forward to is His gift of eonian life
which HE guarantees to us through the earnest, or down-payment, to us
of holy spirit which SEALS us, believers of the Evangel of the
Uncircumcision!
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Index of Articles - Romans
July 2007
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