Last Sunday's Bible Study: Romans 8:15-19

Last Sunday was 4th of July weekend, so there was an unusual number of people at my Bible study due to a cookout. Well, I'm glad they got to enjoy eating together, and what a blessing it was for me to teach from this passage on being adopted by the Father with the Holy Spirit, and of suffering and glory with Christ. [Note: I retaught on these verses again, as you can see if you scroll down to the previous posts.]

Romans 8:15-19

Verse 15. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"

Speaking of the Holy Spirit, Paul says that believers have received Him as the Spirit of adoption. The reason there cannot be any condemnation for a true Christian, is because Christians have received the very Spirit of the Son of God. He is not a spirit of fear that brings us under slavery, but of adoption as the very children of God the Father. Christians do not need to fear judgment, since God has not only taken away their judgment through Jesus Christ, but has by His Spirit sealed us as His very own children, for whom He has provided an eternal inheritance. It is by His Spirit that we cry like little children, calling Him "Abba", "Father!" God is the Father of those who are saved, and therefore He will never abandon any of His children to condemnation. He loves Christians as His own.

[Lit. No therefore received spirit slavery again to fear, rather received spirit adoption by whom cry Abba the Father.]

Verse 16. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

1. What does the Spirit do if we are God's children?

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit by guiding how we think and live (v.5), and also by leading us to put to death the sins of our flesh, and by moving us to pray to God, calling Him "Abba! Father!" That is, my Father, the One who has made me His own by giving me new life by His Spirit and by the resurrection of His Son, and by the Word preached. (Eph. 1:3-5; Titus 3:5-6; 1 Peter 1:3).

Verse 17. and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

1. What are children of God?
2. What is an heir?
3. What is also necessary for this to be proven true, or for us to be glorified with Christ?

Children of God are heirs. An heir is somone (usually a child) who inherits or is entitled to inherit property, one who inherits or is entitled to succedd to a hereditary rank, title, or office , one who receives or is entitiled to receive some endowment or quality from a parent or predecessor" (Mirriam-Webster online dictionary).

This is true of us, the text says, provided we suffer with Christ so that we may also be glorified together with him. Jesus said that if the world hated him, it will hate us also. All the apostles took what Jesus taught seriously and taught carefully how Christians ought to suffer in the name of Jesus. All of 1 Peter is written to help suffering Christians. Romans chapter 8 is also an encouragment for Christians when they suffer.

Suffering is like the guarantee that proves us to be heirs with Christ, when we suffer together with Him, not apart from Him. We join Him in His sufferings. As Hebrews 12:3-5 says, we suffer with Him in our struggle against sin and are disciplined by our Heavenly Father. In Hebrews 13:3, we suffer with believers who are mistreated (like those in prison for their faith) by remembering their needs. But Hebrews 13:12-13 really explains well how Christians suffer with Jesus. "So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured." (Hebrews 13:12-13).

Verse 18. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

1. What do we learn about suffering in this verse?
2. What do we learn about glory?

Paul reasons here, that you cannot even compare the present sufferings that Christians experience in this life with the glory that is to be revealed to us, or in us.

Remember that in verse 17, he just said that we are truly fellow heirs with Christ, as long as we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

So our suffering with Christ, you could say, guarantees that we will be glorified with him. This is why, though it is hard, Christians prize their sufferings, because we know that "this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison" (2 Cor. 4:17).

Verse 19. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

Q: What is it that this verse says is waiting? How is it waiting? What is it waiting for?

This verse begins with the word "For" which leads us to consider what was stated just before verse 19. In verse 18, Paul says that he doesn't consider the sufferings of this present life worthy to be compared with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. With that said, he now states that the creation waits with eager longing for the sons of God to be revealed.

To understand this, we can look at some other passages that will help us.
1. Psalm 132:11-12
2. Isaiah 43:6-7
3. 1 John 3:1-2
4. Revelation 19:6-8
5. Revelation 21:7

We learn from these passages, that the sons and daughters of God are those who have a covenant (an agreement) with God. This is that if they keep the requirements of God's covenant with them and the testimonies that God would teach them, then they would sit forever on the throne with Christ. This means they will reign in the kingdom of God as God's sons and as co-rulers of the creation of God with Christ.
We also see that those whom God has chosen by grace to be His very own sons are called from all over the earth to be made for the glory of God.
We see that they are not known by the world, but are going to appear in the very same image of Christ when He appears.
We see glimpses of this being fulfilled in Revelation 19, and Rev. 21:7 gives this very promise of being God's son to all who conquer (who overcome the world and its evil by faith in Christ).

So Paul says in Romans 8:19 that the creation itself is waiting eargly and longing for the day when this will happen. In the verses that follow, Paul will explain how this is being worked out.

For now, consider some things:
1. What does it mean to be a son of God?
2. How is it important to me to know whether I am truly a son of God?
3. How can I become a son of God?
4. What hope do they have who are the sons of God, and what hope do they have who are not His children?
5. The only begotten Son of God came into the world to redeem God's chosen children, is this what I base my life on? Do I seek to know God's only begotten Son and to serve Him in humble fear and worship all the days of my life? Do I love Him so that I can say that my life belongs totally to Him and His service?

Remember who it was that God sent to die. Who it was who rose to conquer death and sin and hell.. and who it is who is coming again to bring God's children home.
See 1 Thessalonians 1:10

Romans 8, part 5

Continuing the study in Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8, part 5: The Revelation of the Sons of God

Romans 8:19

Verse 19: For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

Q: What is it that this verse says is waiting? How is it waiting? What is it waiting for?

This verse begins with the word "For" which leads us to consider what was just stated before verse 19. In verse 18, Paul says that he doesn't consider the sufferings of this present life worthy to be compared with the glory that is going to be revealed to us (meaning God's children).

Next, he now states that the creation waits with eager longing for the sons of God to be revealed.

Q: What do you think it means to wait with “eager longing”? What do you think it means by saying that God's sons are going to be revealed?

In Romans

To understand this, we can look at some other passages that will help us.
1. Psalm 132:11-12
2. Isaiah 43:6-7
3. 1 John 3:1-2 (see 2:29 as a preliminary verse to this).
4. Revelation 19:6-8
5. Revelation 21:7


We learn from these passages, that the sons and daughters of God are those who have a covenant (an agreement) with God. This covenant is that if they keep God's covenant with them and the testimonies that God would teach them, that they would sit forever on the throne with Christ. This means they will reign in the kingdom of God as God's sons and as co-rulers of the creation of God with Christ.

We also see that those whom God has chosen by grace to be His very own sons and daughters are called from all over the earth to be made for the glory of God.

We see that they are not known by the world, but are going to appear in the very same image of Christ when He appears. In an amazing way by the grace of God, they will be like Christ, the Son of God. In Luke 20:36, Jesus said they will be equal to the angels and are sons of God in the resurrection.

We see glimpses of this being fulfilled in Revelation 19, where the people of God are called the Bride of the Lamb and are clothed in beautiful garments of righteous deeds.

Revelation 21:7 gives the promise to all who conquer, that they will be God's very own Sons. This victory or conquest is also referred to as overcoming the world by faith that Jesus is indeed the very Son of God (1 John 5:4-5).

So Paul says in Romans 8:19 that the creation itself is waiting eagerly, longing for the day when this will happen.

In the verses that follow, Paul will explain how this hope of the revealing of God's true children is being worked out.

For now, consider some things:
1. What does it mean to be a son of God?

2. How is it important to me to know whether I am truly a son of God?

3. How can I become a son of God?

4. What hope do they have who are the sons of God, and what hope do they have who are not His children?

5. The only begotten Son of God came into the world to redeem God's chosen children, is this what I base my life on? Do I seek to know God's only begotten Son and to serve Him in humble fear and worship all the days of my life? Do I love Him so that I can say that my life belongs totally to Him and His service?

Remember who it was that God sent to die for us. Who it was who rose to conquer death and sin and hell.. and who it is who is coming again to bring God's children home.

See 1 Thessalonians 1:10
1Th 1:8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.
1Th 1:9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,
1Th 1:10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Romans 8, parts 4

SO IT HAS BEEN so long since I published my Romans Bible studies. I have not stopped studying and teaching from Romans (we are in chapter 8 now), but I have taken a lot of time off from publishing them in an organized way here on my AS IT IS WRITTEN blog.

To anyone interested in looking closely at Romans, please read this study and the ones listed on my sidebar. Grace be with you.

Romans Chapter 8, part 4

Text: Romans 8:15-18

Study Notes:

Verse 15: For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"

Q & A: What spirit have Christians not received? What spirit have Christians received? What is your concept of the Christian? Do you view the Christian life as one of fear and slavery, or as one of adoption and being the very children of God?

Speaking of the Holy Spirit, Paul says that believers have received Him as the Spirit of adoption. The reason there cannot be any condemnation for a true Christian, is because Christians have received the very Spirit of the Son of God. He is not a spirit of fear that brings us under slavery, but of adoption as the very children of God the Father. Christians do not need to fear judgment, since God has not only taken away their judgment through Jesus Christ, but by His Spirit has sealed them as His very own children, for whom He has provided an eternal inheritance. It is by His Spirit that we cry out as children, calling Him "Abba", "Father!" God is the Father of those who are saved, and therefore He will never abandon any of His children to condemnation. He loves Christians as His own.


Verse 16-17: The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Q & A: What does the Spirit himself do with the spirit of those who are adopted? What does He witness to them about? What does it mean to be a child of God? What must happen in order for Christians to be glorified with Christ?


Verse 18: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Q & A: What does Paul consider is not worthy to be compared with the future glory? What sufferings do you think is he referring to? What do you think the glory he refers to is all about?

Concluding now that Christians are called to suffer with Christ, Paul considers with reason that these present sufferings can't be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us. That glory is the glory of God in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. My friends whom I love dearly, do you believe this? Do you really believe it??

Romans 6, part 1

Romans 6:1-4

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Introduction:

We are now at a very important part of Romans, and it is a chapter that we really must understand carefully.

Do you remember how the book of Romans started out? What was it teaching us?
It started by introducing the reason for the book, which Paul began by telling us that he was “a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord...” (Paul's intro to Romans goes on even more in verses 1-17 of chapter 1, as he wrote to the saints in Rome). So we see that this book is really written about Christ. It is concerning the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul's mission and purpose was to serve Christ by preaching this gospel to everyone, including the people in Rome through his letter.

Do you remember what else we learned from chapters 1-5? What were some important things and words we read about?
We learned that God's wrath is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress His truth by their unrighteousness (Rom 1:18). We also learned that it is hypocrisy to think one is safe from God's wrath because he is religious or prays, or trusts the Bible when in fact he is disobeying it in his heart. Rather, God's kindness is meant to lead us to repentance, and we cannot harden our hearts to our sin and God's justice thinking we will be forgiven because of our good works. No, as we learned in chapter 3, “there is none good not even one.” We also learned that the law was given to show us our sin so we would seek to be justified by faith in Jesus Christ alone. And we learned that God showed His justice in giving His Son to be the propitiation for believers. Then we learned in chapter four how we are justified by faith alone, just like Abraham was, and we are counted righteous by faith because of what Jesus Christ did when He died and rose again. This has nothing to do with our works or deeds or obedience. Rather, it is all about one thing – faith.

Do you remember what faith is about?
Faith is trust in God that He will save you by the finished work of Christ. It is entrusting all to Him and turning away from every other trust. Faith is to trust in Jesus Christ alone and not in any works of our own.

Now, you tell me, what was chapter 5 about?

Study notes:

Verse 1
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?

This is a question that people often bring up after hearing about all the grace spoken of in chapter 5. People still ask this question today when they are told about grace. There are two types of people who ask this: 1. the religious people, who think that grace makes it too easy to be saved. They respond in distrust, denying salvation by grace alone through faith, because they think people will sin even more. 2. The other group are what we call antinomians. That means they live without any law. They think grace is wonderful because it gives them an excuse to keep on sinning even more. The argument is that the more you sin, the more grace abounds, so why not?

So what do you think? What is the answer to this question?

Verse 2
By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

So what's the answer?
The answer to the question in verse 1 is a strong, resounding NO! No way! May it never be!!

Why does he give this answer? What does Paul ask in response to this question (what is the question in verse 2 that Paul gives)? Paul answers the question with another question: How can we be dead and still be alive at the same time? In other words, we died to sin, so how can we be alive to it anymore?

Is it possible for someone to be dead and be alive at the same time? What does it mean to be dead? Those who are dead are no longer living, and those who have died to sin can no longer live in it anymore. It is an impossibility, a contradiction for a Christian to continue to live a sinful life, because he has died to sin.

A Death Poem:
What happens when someone dies?
First, they lose their ability to do anything. No more breathing, heart-beating, feeling, tasting, hearing, smelling, seeing. No more thinking, speaking, reading, writing, praying, being. No more learning, loving, laughing, smiling, teaching, giving, getting, keeping, growing. No more moving. Death takes everything away. No more wearing, buying, selling, enjoying. No more money, friends, family, health, house, city, town, pets, spouse, children, country. All gain is lost. All hopes quenched. All plans ended. The past is gone, the future lost, the present restricted. Death ends it all.

Verse 3
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

Again, Paul asked another question. And this time it begins with, “Do you not know...?” Don't you know this?

What were the Christians supposed to know? What were they baptized into? In other words, these Christians had learned these things before, and they had also learned about baptism. What is baptism? Baptism is the Greek word for “immersion” - to be immersed into, to be submerged, to go under water. That is the meaning of the word “baptize.”

However, Paul didn't speak about water at all in this verse. What kind of baptism was he talking about? This question about baptism is to show why a Christian can no longer continue in sin. Paul says that all of us who were baptized (i.e. immersed, submerged) into Christ Jesus, were immersed into his death. The Christian has been put into Christ and has been immersed into the death of Christ when He died on the cross.

Paul explains this in more detail with the following verses.

Verse 4
We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

What does it say happened to the believers when they were baptized into Christ? What happened to Christ after He died? How was He raised? How does this affect us who believe? The reason is explained that, we were therefore buried with Christ through immersion into death (that is the death of Christ on the cross, Rom. 6:3). We were buried with Christ by being immersed into His death. This was so that, as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so in this way, we walk in a completely new life. The old life is dead and buried with our Lord Jesus Christ (who is our representative Head, Rom. 5:14), now, through His resurrection we walk in a brand new life. Just as Christ died and lives completely new in His resurrected life, so also we live completely new in our new Christian life. All this was accomplished for us by Christ when He died, was buried and was raised on the third day. This displays the glory of the Father who gives life to the dead, making a completely new life through Christ's resurrection.

Conclusion:

All this has nothing to do with our works. We do nothing to be saved from God's wrath. Rather, it was Christ Jesus who the Father gave to die in our place. Jesus died, and so everyone who believes the gospel is counted to be dead through faith in Him. Faith unites us to Christ, and when we are united to Christ, we are united to His death (as we will see more next week in Romans 6:5). And just as Christ was raised from the dead, Christians are also given a completely new life through His resurrection. 1 Peter 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...” God causes believers to be born into a new life through the resurrection of Christ. This is why a Christian cannot live any longer in his old ways. If you are saved, you are a new person completely. If you think you are saved, but you still live as you did before, without any change in your heart's desires, and without any change in how you live your life, and what you do with your time, then you are deceived, because you are not a Christian. And many people today live this way, thinking they are saved when they have never been given a new life in Christ. I was the worst of them all, and it was after reading this chapter that my eyes were opened to see how I could not go back to my sin anymore, but Christ gave me a new life.

Romans 5, part 3

Romans 5:11-21

Verse 11

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

We didn't get to finish talking about reconciliation last time, so I want to go over this once more. First, what does the word 'Reconciliation' mean? To reconcile means to bring back together again after being separated. To make peace between two people who were formally enemies. Remember verse 10? It said that while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son.

Lets look at a few more NT verses that help us understand this:

2 Corinthians 5:17-6:2 (We are implored to be reconciled to God and not take His grace in vain, because now is the time He will accept us through faith in Christ.)

Colossians 1:21-23 (Christ reconciled us through His death on the cross, so that we would be accepted as holy and blameless before God in Him, if we continue steadfastly in the faith.)

1 Peter 3:18 (Jesus suffered once, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God.)

This verse really describes it well:

Colossians 1:19-23 says about Jesus Christ,

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

From those verses, we learn that Jesus made peace by the blood of His cross in order to reconcile all things back to God. And it tells us what we are like before we are reconciled and what we are like after. It says that we were once alienated (foreign to God, separated) and hostile in mind (enemies, unyielding, rebellious), that we were doing evil deeds (doing things we know are sinful and wrong, and continuing to practice them anyway). That is what every Christian is like before they are reconciled back to God. Now (for us who are born of the Spirit) it says, Christ has now reconciled us in his human body by dying in our place, in order to present us as holy and without any blame (with no fault) and above reproach before Him. This is all really, really good news, and there is one condition though. That is, that this is true for us only if we continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting not turning from the hope of the good news (the gospel, which I've been teaching you every Sunday) which you heard.

Verse 11
More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

What does this mean? More than what? More than being reconciled to God while we were His enemies?! Yes... more than that, we also rejoice! Rejoice in what? We rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Do you rejoice in God through Jesus Christ our Lord? Have you received the reconciliation through His death and life? Are you justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:24)?

In this verse, we are told that those who are justified, have peace with God and are reconciled to Him by the death of Christ, rejoice more in God than anything else. Rejoice means to boast, or glory in. We boast, we speak joyfully about God now, because He has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ. That is something to be happy about! Do you rejoice in God more than you do in anything else?

Psalm 63:3 says, “Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.” Can you say in your heart, that God's continuous love is better to you than life? That is what we mean when we rejoice in God through Christ, we enjoy Him more than we enjoy anything else in this life.

Verses 12-14

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned – for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

This is where reading Genesis 1-3 really helps us understand the gospel. What came into the world? Who did it come through? What came through sin? What did death do after it came into the world? Now, we know from 1 John 3:4 that sin is breaking the law, because it says, “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.”

But here, Paul says, even before the law was given by God, sin was already in the world. So there was no law given show people what sin is. There were no commandments to say, “This is sin and that is sin.” But nevertheless, sin was there anyway, only the law was not. So Paul says, sin is not counted where there is no law. That leaves us with the question, then why were people dying if there was no law for sin? And that is the exact issue Paul mentioned next when he said, “Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam...”

Death was still reigning during the time when the law was not yet given. Do you know what that time period was from these verses? The sin that people committed during the time between Adam and Moses was not like Adam's transgression, yet they all died. So why then did they die? First, we can look back at verse 12, and see that death spread to everyone because everyone sinned, but their sin was counted to them when Adam sinned, because Adam was the only one who had a commandment (a law) given by God that he transgressed. The rest of the people were counted in Adam when he sinned, and so death came upon all people, and all people come into this world as sinners. To understand that better, we find that Paul gives us more answers to that question in the following verses.

Lastly in v14, we learn that Adam was a type of the one who was to come. Do you know who that is talking about? Who was Adam a type of? The Christ, the Anointed One. Do you know what a “type” is? It is like an example, or a figure of something else to come in the future that is the fulfillment of that “type.” We will learn more about how Jesus is like Adam, but first we are told how Jesus and Adam are different.

Verse 15

But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.

Okay, do you remember what we learned about Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden? What was the trespass that Adam committed? Why was it so wrong? What happened to them after they sinned?

Here in v15, we learn that what is not like the trespass? The “free gift.” The free gift of God is not like the sin of Adam. This is the first way we learn that Jesus and Adam are different.

Why is the free gift different from the trespass? Because just as Adam's sin brought death to many people, God's free gift through Christ brings not sin and death, but grace to many, many people. So everyone who receives a nature like Adam's dies. That is how we are all born into this world, with Adam's human nature passed on to all of us who are actually his great great great great... grandchildren. Which is why we all have death passed unto us, and we are convicted by God's law as totally guilty of sin as soon as we come into existence. It is the sin of one man that has ruined us all forever.

But, on the other hand, it is the grace of one man that is much more freely given to many!

Let's continue to explore this deep truth:

Verse 16

And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.

Again, we learn that the free gift is not like the sin of one man. How is it this time that the free gift is not like the result of Adam's sin? What was the result of Adam's sin? Just one sin resulted in God's judgment and brought condemnation. But what does the free gift follow? Many, many, many, many trespasses. The free gift of God comes after people have been sinning and sinning, and breaking His laws everyday all the time. Then God's free gift comes following all that sin, and what does it bring? Does it bring judgment and condemnation? No, it brings justification!

Verse 17

If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

What reigned through that one man's trespass? Death. What does it mean for death to reign? The word has to do with the reign that a king would have. Death rules over all people. Everybody is under death's reign, and so nobody ever escapes it. Hebrews 9:27 says that it is appointed for us all to die once, and then after that comes the judgment. So death kills everybody, then everybody is judged for their sins. And hell is the eternal place of judgment for everyone who transgresses the Holy Law of God.

But the free gift is different! How is it different than the reign of death? Those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness will much more reign, not in death, but in life through just one man – Jesus Christ our Lord. So death rules through Adam, but life has much more rule through Jesus Christ. In fact, everyone who receives grace and the free gift of righteousness through Christ cannot ever die. They can never be condemned. Death can never have any power over them, not ever. Not ever. Why not? The answer is because Jesus took our sin, died and rose again to take away our death forever. Through Him we are counted righteous, so we have no sin to be condemned for if we have received grace and righteousness through faith in Christ alone.

Verse 18

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

This is one way that Adam and Jesus are very much alike. What did one sin lead to for everybody? What did one act of righteousness lead to for everybody who receives the gift? In Adam, everyone gets condemned because of just one trespass (one step over the line – sin). In Christ, everyone who receives His grace gets justified (counted perfectly righteous, and without sin) and receives life instead of death – and that is the result of just one act of obedience. Do you know what that one obedient act was? This is why we are saved by grace and not by our works. It is because God's grace is given freely to believers because Jesus obeyed God for us. Jesus fulfilled the law for everyone who believes. He has become our righteousness by obeying God, and then we are counted righteous by standing in His abundant grace.

Some people read this verse, and because it says, “one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men” they believe that means everyone in the world is going to be saved because of what Jesus did on the cross, and that no one will be condemned. But that is not what it means, it is talking about people who are in Adam, and people who are in Christ. Nobody who receives the grace of God in Christ will ever be condemned. But everyone who does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:16).

Verse 19

For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

What happened by the disobedience of just one man, Adam? “The many were made sinners.” What happened by the obedience of just one perfect man, Christ? “The many will be made righteous.” Again, this is why we are saved not by works we perform of any kind, not by our obedience, not by anything we do. It is not our obedience that makes us righteous, but who's obedience is it? Christ Jesus is God. He is the Creator of the world. He has always existed from all eternity. But He (God the Son) became a man, with flesh and blood, in order to obey God the Father through the Holy Spirit who Anointed Him. He did it for, and in place of all God's elect, His chosen people. He kept every commandment, loved the Father with all His heart and soul and mind and strength. He never disobeyed even once. He was tempted with sin in every way that we are tempted, but He never once gave in to the temptation. He never sinned. And He did it all, not for Himself, but for the Father, so that through Him, we can be counted righteous by the obedience of the one man, Jesus Christ our Lord. This is only for believers, we are justified by faith in Christ alone (Romans 5:1).

We will have to finish this chapter later, it has a great ending, and it leads to more great news. This is not bad news at all, but good news, and it is my hearts desire that you all begin to see it as good news. Please consider these things often on your own, because nothing brings more joy to my heart, than knowing what Jesus did for me.

Let's ask these questions of ourselves:

1. Have we been reconciled to God so that we are no longer living opposed to His will?

2. Have we received the free gift of grace and righteousness that comes through faith alone in Christ?

3. Have we found our righteousness in Christ's obedience? That would mean that we are no longer looking to our works, or to our own righteousness for life, since we have none of our own. Christ has to be it for us. Is this true for us? Do we consider Christ to be all our goodness?

4. Are we rejoicing in what Christ Jesus has come to do for us? If so, then this will cause us to want to know Him and His Word in the Bible much better. Is this true of you?

Grace be with you all who are resting in the obedience of Jesus Christ alone as your righteousness!

Romans Chapter 5, part 2

We have been spending a lot of time talking about this chapter, because it is such a powerful lesson on grace. I memorized the entire chapter of Romans 5 in the ESV in 2006 for several reasons, one is because it contains such powerful truths which I cannot let go of. Please take the time to look over Romans 5 on your own, and if our Bible study helps you out, so be it. God bless and grace and peace be multiplied to the saints of God.

Reconciled to God

Romans 5:6-11 ESV:

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person - though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die - 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, 9 since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Verse 6
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

(Literally: "For while we were without strength, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.") 1 Timothy 1:15 says, "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am foremost." Romans 3:10 says, "as it is written: 'None is righteous, no, not one;" and Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,".
Do you know what it means to be without strength? It means to be weak, unable to do anything.
Who was weak according to verse 6? "While we were still weak..." While we were still unable to do anything to be righteous, because we were without strength. We are by nature sinners, so there is no way we are strong enough to obey God's holy law in our flesh. We were powerless to do what is right.
At what time did Christ die? "At the right time..." That means at the appointed time, the time God had set, the time for the prophecies in the Scriptures to be fulfilled.
Who did Christ die for? For the ungodly.
What does it mean to be ungodly? It means to be irreverent toward God, to be disrespectful to God. As we see in verse 8, it means to be a sinner; verse 9 shows us it means to be under the wrath of God; and verse 10 says it means to be an enemy of God. So the ungodly are disrespectful, unholy, unrighteous, irreverent, sinful, under God's wrath and condemnation and are His enemies. That is what characterizes the kind of people the Christ (the Messiah or Anointed One) died for. For evil, no good, people that God's justice must punish in order to uphold His righteousness and satisfy His righteous indignation. But as we learned in Romans 3:25-26, that God gave His Son to be a propitiation in order to demonstrate His justice or righteousness when He forgives a sinner who in repentance trusts in His blood to be cleansed.

Verse 7
For one will scarcely die for a righteous person - though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die -

People may die for other people, right? But as we will see, who would die for a worthless criminal? Why would a righteous man, who had no guilt, voluntarily stand in place of a cold-blooded murderer? But that is exactly what Jesus did for everyone who believes!

Verse 8
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

How do you know God loves you? Look at what Jesus Christ, His Son did - Christ (the Anointed One, the promised Ruler of Israel and Redeemer of God's people) died for us.
When did Christ die for us? While we were still sinners.
What does that mean? A sinner is someone who breaks God's laws and disregards His commands. In effect, a sinner is saying, "God, I know you are righteous and Holy and that your commands are good, but I don't care about you." That is a sinner. And Christ died for us while WE were like that!
Let us each examine ourselves with this question: Am I a sinner? Do I deserve hell? If so, then look again at the verse, "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." That is how God shows His great love (See John 3:16).

Verse 9
Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

What does it mean to be justified? It means to be considered just or righteous. It means God looks at us as being perfect people, never having done wrong. Have you ever done wrong? I have all my life. But the person who is justified before God does not have any of that counted against him, he/she is considered perfect if justified.
Why? How is that made possible? It says, "by His blood."
Do you know what it means to be justified by Christ's blood? It means God killed His Son and Christ shed His innocent pure blood on the cross, so that you could be counted worthy of eternal life. That is what it means to be justified by His blood. Christ became a substitute, He died instead of those who have faith in Him.
Notice two very important words in verse 9... they both start with an "m"? Do you know what they are? "Much more!" What does that mean? Much more than what? Much more than having been justified or counted righteous by Christ's blood, we shall be what? "Saved!"
Saved from what? Saved from the wrath of God. And notice, it says, much more shall we be saved BY HIM from the wrath of God. God did not send Jesus to condemn the world, but to save it from His wrath and condemnation by taking away our sins at the cross (See John 3:17-18).

Verse 10
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

We already learned from this passage that God sent Jesus to die for the ungodly, that His love is shown in that Christ died for us while we were still sinners, that He gave His life in order that now much more we shall be saved by Him from the wrath of God. Now we just learned something else, that while we were God's faithful followers and friends we were reconciled? No! What does it say? "While we were enemies..."

Let's take a look at some other verses speaking about God's enemies:

Psalm 37:20
But the wicked will perish; the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish - like smoke they vanish away.

Psalm 66:3
Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.

>>Psalm 68:1-2
God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him! As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God!

>>Psalm 68:21-23
But God will strike the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways. The Lord said, "I will bring them back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea, that you may strike your feet in their blood, that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe."

>>Psalm 83:2 says,
"For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads."
Then verses 9-10 says,
"Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon, who were destroyed at En-dor, who became dung for the ground.
verse 16-18
"Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O LORD. Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace, that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth."

>>Psalm 139:19-21 says,
"Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God! O men of blood, depart from me! They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain! Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?

Now, just one more from Isaiah 66:14-16,
"You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bones shall flourish like the grass; and the hand of the LORD shall be known to his servants, and he shall show his indignation against his enemies. "For behold, the LORD will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind, to render his anger in fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire will the LORD enter into judgment, and by his sword, with all flesh; and those slain by the LORD shall be many."

Now, with verses like that in mind... we read that while WE were enemies, God did what? It says, we were reconciled while we were His enemies.

But not all are reconciled, because that last verse in Isaiah is talking about the future day of judgment. So those who are enemies are still going to be destroyed forever in hell by fire.

But it is those of us who are reconciled to God by faith in Christ (Rom. 5:1), who have been brought near to God, had our sins washed clean by His blood, have been born of the Holy Spirit, have been given a new life in Christ. We now have peace with God, have been saved from His wrath through Christ... and now look at the end of Romans 5:10 with me:
“Much more, now that we are reconciled [we who were His enemies], shall we be saved by his life”! That is pure grace! Those who are reconciled have been brought back from being God's enemies to being His friends. They are justified by the death of Jesus Christ our Lord, and are saved forever by His life! That is good news - to know that you are saved forever and ever, because Jesus Christ lives! He rose from the dead to give eternal life to all who are found safely hidden in Him. God's wrath will never touch us if we are saved, because it was all poured out on Christ at the cross.
Those who are justified, saved from God's wrath, and reconciled back to God the Father through the death of His Son, are saved forever and ever, and can never be lost or condemned. Not ever! That is something to rejoice about if it is for you! And that is what Paul says in the next verse:

Verse 11
More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

What does this mean? More than what? More than being reconciled to God while we were His enemies?! Yes... more than that, we also rejoice! Rejoice in what? We rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Do you rejoice in God through Jesus Christ our Lord? Have you received the reconciliation through His death and life? Are you justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:24)?

Let's just think one more time about this word: Reconciliation. What does it mean?

Here is one verse that really describes this well:

Colossians 1:19-23 says about Jesus Christ,

“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

From those verses, we learn that Jesus made peace by the blood of His cross in order to reconcile all things back to God. And it tells us what we are like before we are reconciled and what we are like after. It says that we were once alienated (foreign to God, separated) and hostile in mind (enemies, unyielding, rebellious), that we were doing evil deeds (doing things we know are sinful and wrong, and continuing to practice them anyway). That is what every Christian is like before they are reconciled back to God. Now (for us who are born of the Spirit) it says, Christ has now reconciled us in his human body by dying in our place, in order to present us as holy and without any blame (with no fault) and above reproach before Him. This is all really, really good news, and there is one condition though. That is, that this is true for us only if we continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting not turning from the hope of the good news (the gospel, which I've been teaching you every Sunday) which you heard.

Let's ask ourselves these questions:

1. Do we recognize that we are totally helpless to be good people – that there is nothing in us that can make us good or right before God?

2. Do we recognize that Christ died for the ungodly, sinners?

3. Do we realize that is who we are, and that is who God has chosen to display His great love to?

4. Do we rejoice in being reconciled back to God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ more than anything? In other words, do we rejoice in God because of who He is more than we rejoice in getting the things we want, more than in being saved from hell, or more than in being forgiven, or more than anything we enjoy in this world? Do we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation?

Romans 5... we made it past verse 5!!!

We have been spending a lot of time on Romans 5 the past couple of weeks, so I haven't added anything to the Bible studies since. But I plan on doing some exposition of verses 6-11 next. By God's grace that will be possible. It is like walking into a cave filled with gold and silver treasures beyond number. I've got to go in there and pull out what I can to give you glimpses of the riches of God's grace, which I've only seen dimly in Christ Jesus through His precious Word the Bible. :)

The Gospel in Romans, part 12

Just by faith - peace - hope - joy. Sufferings - endurance - character - hope - never disappointed! We have finally begun reading Romans again, and we are now in chapter five, which I like to call the "grace chapter" of Romans. We had taken a break from Romans for some weeks, and looked at Genesis 1-3, especially so that as we read Romans chapter 5, we will see the connection between Jesus and Adam in Genesis 3 as they are discussed from verses 12-21 of this chapter. I did not teach this whole lesson last night, but I hope to continue it next week. There is so much joy and hope to be found in understanding this chapter, so go ahead and dig in...

Romans Chapter 5, part 1

Romans 5:1-6 (ESV):
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

For while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.

Verse 1
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Remember what we must do whenever we start reading the Bible at a certain verse or passage and see a "therefore"? We are supposed to go back and find out what that "therefore" is there for. The last chapter ended by teaching us that the Scripture was not written for Abraham's sake alone that his faith was "counted to him as righteousness" (Romans 4:22; Genesis 15:6), but it was also written for us who will be "counted righteous" by faith, if we trust in God who delivered Jesus up to be crucified for our trespasses and raised for our justification (Romans 4:23-25).
Now we have come to chapter 5 verse 1; and what does it say we are therefore justified by? "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith..." So the word "therefore" is intended to show us that because, or since we are justified by faith, as it was stated back in 4:25, we now have these blessings that follow.

What is the first result of being justified by faith? "We have peace with God." And through whom does this peace come? "Through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Remember when we studied Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter three, and how Adam and Eve needed to be reconciled to God. They had been separated from God's presence by their sin and by God's judgment with the angel and the flaming sword keeping them out of Paradise. Their own efforts to cover their shame could not have restored them to peace with God. They needed God to make a provision, and He did that through the sacrifice of the "lamb" in order to clothe them, representing Christ's sacrifice of atonement. Thus God was showing Adam and Eve how He would make a way for them to be brought back to Himself and have peace with Him through Christ. Now Paul is declaring that we have that peace through Jesus Christ if we are justified by faith, just as Abraham and all the saints were justified!

Notice also the title Jesus Christ has - "our Lord Jesus Christ." Do you remember what the words, "Lord" and "Christ" mean? First, Jesus is our Lord, which means He rules; He is our Judge, our Master, our God and the one we bow to in humble submission and obedience. Whatever He says, that is what we must believe and do. Next, Jesus is the Christ, which means "Anointed." That means He is the the one God the Father has anointed with the Holy Spirit to be our Prophet (speaking the truth of God), our Priest (making the sacrifice for our sins and interceding before God on our behalf), and our King (providing a kingdom and a land of peace and safety by ruling and reigning supreme over all). This is who Jesus is to those of us who are justified by faith. He is our Lord, and the one by whom we now have peace with God, because of the sacrifice of Himself.

Verse 2
Through him we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

How do we get access into "this grace" mentioned here? Notice the words, "through him." It is only through Jesus Christ that there is salvation, and that is received by faith. Jesus is the source of God's grace. John chapter one says that Jesus is "full of grace and truth," and that "from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace," and that "the law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (John 1:14,16,17). So all God's grace is only given and accessed through Jesus Christ our Lord.

What is grace? Salvation is by grace, so do you know what the word "grace" means? (I asked a young Hispanic man this, and since the Spanish word for grace is "gracia", he thought I was talking about giving thanks). I heard of one old black minister, who died not long ago (Elder D.J. Ward), who was quoted as saying, "I'm a grace case... I'm a grace case!" Grace is really profound and beautiful. I have a blog on the internet devoted to grace, called "All of Grace." A lot of ministries and churches like to attach the word "grace" to their names; "grace church," "Greater Grace World Outreach," etc. Countless books are written about grace all the time. In fact, this very chapter of Romans 5 is written to teach us about grace. So what is it? Well, grace in the Bible usually means Divine favor. It is God's favor and goodness toward those who deserve His judgment and wrath. It is revealed to us through Jesus Christ who took the judgment and wrath on behalf of those who are under God's divine favor. I like this definition: Grace is the free gift of undeserved favor toward hell-deserving sinners.

Grace is something we stand in. We have these blessings which result from being justified by trust (faith) in Jesus: 1) we are justified (counted righteous before God); 2) we have peace with God (we are His friends and no longer enemies); 3) we have access into this grace in which we stand (i.e. we stand in God's favor as His chosen and beloved); 3) this causes us to rejoice (lit. "to speak loud") in hope of the glory of God. All these spiritual blessings come to us only through Jesus Christ our Lord by faith.

Verses 3-4
More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

Verse 3 begins with the words, "More than that." What do we do "more than that" if we are justified by faith? We rejoice in our sufferings. Sufferings are a part of the blessings that come with being justified by faith. Philippians 1:29 says, "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake." Just as faith is granted (given) to us in order to believe in Jesus for His sake, even so, suffering is given to us for His sake also. The Greek word used for "sufferings" means to be under pressure, afflictions, tribulations, persecution, anguish, burdened. Such are the things Christians rejoice (lit. "speak loud") in. The reason we rejoice in our sufferings if we are justified by faith is, because sufferings produce all kinds of valuable spiritual blessings in us.

Why do you think suffering would be the cause of great spiritual blessings to a Christian? We see from verse 3, that it produces endurance. What does it mean to endure? The Greek word used here for endurance means to patiently and cheerfully endure, to have power to remain, to endure with hopefulness. It gives the idea of patient continuance in the faith. To endure means to hold out against adversity, not to fold under pressure but to remain steadfast, continue in hopefulness. Jesus said, "By your endurance you will gain your lives." (Luke 21:19). Hebrews 10:36 says to suffering Christians, "For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised." Jesus said to the Church of Philadelphia in the book of Revelation, "Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown." [The crown was used as a symbol of victory after enduring the test of sufferings]. Revelation 14:12 calls Christians to endure after telling them about how those who follow the beast and receive the 666 mark will be tormented in fire forever without rest, it then says, "Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." And the following verse pronounces a blessing on all who die in the Lord from now on, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!" (See Revelation 14:9-13). Endurance is essential to being saved, and Paul says that we rejoice in our sufferings, since as justified believers, they are producing this blessing of endurance in our lives.

What is the second thing sufferings produce? Sufferings produce endurance, which in turn produces character. The Greek word translated "character" means "test," or "proof." It is a word people used when testing gold or money to see if it was genuine. Sufferings or difficulties produce endurance in the justified believer, and that hopeful endurance produces genuine tested character (proving our faithfulness to God). When you want to know somebody, you always want to test their character to see if it is real. That is exactly what difficulties and trials do for our faith - it is tested and proven to be the real thing.

What is the third thing sufferings produce? Or, what does tested character produce? Character produces hope. Hope is a really good thing. It means to be waiting with expectation. When I was studying this word in the Bible, I thought of this example for hope: The Bible's definition of hope is similar to the feeling you get when you know it is sure your team is going to win. You are watching a football game, or playing soccer or something else, and everything is intense. Then the time starts running out, and your team does something, like scores or whatever, and you realize it's all over. The game is over - your team is going to win and now it is just a matter of time until it ends. And you begin to rejoice, even jump for joy, because you know it's finished. You know what the outcome is going to be, and so you are filled with hopeful expectation. That is the idea we get here. Suffering produces endurance in the justified believer's life, which produces tested proven character, which produces joyful hope.

Verse 5
and hope does not put us to shame because the love of God has been
poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given
to us.

What does hope not do for us? Hope does not put us to shame. The NASB says, "and hope does not disappoint." Verse 5 is the climax of all the spiritual blessings listed here. Hope, which means "waiting in expectation" does not leave the justified ashamed or disappointed. Why not? How could someone have hope, and then end up disappointed or put to shame? Proverbs 13:12 says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life."

I read an article about an African American man from a small town who was accused of several rapes and a murder back in the 1980's. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison. The man, who's name was Tim, always held that he did not commit the rapes and the murder. After he was in prison for a number of years, another man stepped forward and admitted he was the one who committed those crimes that Tim was in prison for. The judges would not listen to the man's confession and they would not reconsider that Tim was innocent. After more years passed, Tim died in prison of health complications. It was only after he died that the courts reconsidered his case, and found out he was innocent, while the other man was the one who had indeed committed those rapes. I watched a video where Tim's brothers and mother were crying and talking about their brother. One of the brother's held a little brown New Testament, and he read from it these words, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life." (Proverbs 13:12). Tim's hope and his family's hope had been deferred. Tim died before justice could be dealt out rightly for him. However, someone in the article said that there is only one Judge and one system of justice that is perfect, and it isn't on this earth yet. Nevertheless, for Tim's family, their hope for his release was gone. Tim's hope was ended. However, knowing that he was innocent did fulfill their desire for their brother in some ways. That is what it means to have hope and not see it fulfilled. It is a sad story. But the story will not end there. Whether or not Tim was a believer, God will raise him from the dead and all this will be worked out on judgment day. God was Sovereign over Tim's situation, and we do not know what God's purposes were for him to be in such a situation. That is why we look forward to that day, because it is a day when God will judge the world in righteousness (Psalm 96:13).

Now, we are reading here that while Christians may suffer extremely in this life, and we are promised that it will be so, nevertheless, this hope will not be deferred, it will be fulfilled. Christians may die, yet Christ, who is our hope, will return and will raise the dead. And this is how we know our hope will be fulfilled, because it says, "the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." I have often thought, how could I ever doubt God's love? How can I doubt His love when He has given me everything? He gave His Son, as we will see in verse 6, and He gave me His Holy Spirit to be in me and with me. Through the Holy Spirit, God has poured out His love into the hearts of those of us who are justified. The Holy Spirit is given as a down payment, or as an engagement ring. He is the seal of God's promise that He will save those who are justified by faith. This love of God is poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. So if you have the Holy Spirit, then God's love has been poured into your hearts through Him and you have this hope that will never put you to shame, because it will be fulfilled!

Verse 6
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

This is where we see the love of God - that Christ would die at the right time for the ungodly. While we were still weak, helpless, ungodly, unable to do good, Christ died for us who are justified by faith in Him!

I will end with some soul-searching questions:
Are you justified by faith in Christ? Are you trusting Him alone as your hope and your righteousness? Are you enjoying peace and friendship with God through Him? Are you standing in His grace that comes only through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord? Are you suffering through difficulties as a result of your faith in Jesus? Are you enduring, proving your character and waiting in hope for Christ to return and for you to be delivered into Heaven? Have you experienced this overflowing love of God poured out into your hearts through the Holy Spirit? Has He changed your heart, and has He melted it with His love, so that you are looking to Christ for all grace? And last of all, do you view yourself as weak, and ungodly? Do you see that Jesus Christ died at the right time for the ungodly, and that includes you if you have trusted in Him?

Don't turn away from Him, but instead, trust Him who delivered Jesus up for our trangressions and was raised for our justification. Trust Him and Him alone.
Amen.

The Gospel in Romans, part 10

Romans 4:9-15

Romans 4:9-15 ESV:

Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.

Intro:

First, in order to prove that God only saves people by faith and not by their works, Paul brought up Abraham as an example. What did Abraham find? If he was justified by works, he could have something to glory in or boast about, "but not before God." (v2). The Scripture says he was counted righteous when he believed God (Genesis 15:6). Those who rely on works for justification are under debt, not grace. But those who are counted righteous before God are justified by faith while they are still ungodly. This is grace... it is a free gift. The person who is justified by faith is the most blessed of all! Why? Because their iniquities (their disobedience to the Law) are forgiven, and their sins are covered over. Romans 4:8 says [paraphrased], "Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord won't count." That is the blessing of all blessings! Those who are justified by faith will never be charged guilty with sin!

Study Notes:

(Paul continues using Q & A as a format in this chapter).

Verse 9
Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness.
Who gets the blessing, Jews only, or Gentiles also?
It is faith that was counted to Abraham as righteousness. So then, could a person who is not circumcised have faith also?
(There are many people, ministers, churches, so-called Christians, Bible study leaders, who will tell you that being right with God [or justified] is dependent upon YOU and the works YOU do).
Paul says, "When was Abraham justified?"

Verse 10
How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised.
Not after, but before he was circumcised, i.e. before he performed the sign of the covenant or did any works.

Verse 11-12
He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Circumcision was God's command to Abraham and all his people for a sign and a seal that he was already righteous by faith in the one true GOD, YHWH.
So salvation is by faith alone, both for the man who is circumcised and for the man who is not.
Abraham was made the father of all who believe, both Jew [circumcised] and Gentile [uncircumcised], (and for everyone else believing in Christ).

Verse 13
For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.
The Bible is clear that God will destroy the earth and everyone in it who has not obeyed Him out of faith and love, when His righteous judgment is revealed. So when the Bible says, "Abraham and his offspring... would be heir of the world..." we should think, "What does that mean? What offspring? Heirs of what world?"

Do you know what God told the serpent after Adam and Eve were decieved by him into disobeying God? Genesis 3:14-15 says, "The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” God said the serpent would have "offspring" or "seed," and the woman would have an "offspring" or "seed." These are two heads, or fathers of peoples. There are two offspring, one of the serpent, and one of the woman. The two offspring, or seeds, are the rulers of two different groups of people (only on of them inherits the world, according to Romans 4:13). What does the word "enmity" mean? They would be enemies [enmity=enemy] of each other. What does the woman's offspring do? And what does the serpent do? Which is worse, a bruised head, or a bruised heel? (Now for the tricky part) has any woman on earth ever produced a seed? Seed in Greek is "sperma." Did Mary commit adultery before she was married? Absolutely not, she was a virgin. Then how was she pregnant? The Holy Spirit caused her to conceive before being married to a man. So Jesus is the "seed" of the woman, and He is the Head of all those who will inherit the earth.

Back in Romans 4:13, when God promised Abraham and his seed [offspring] that he was to be heir of the world, we see a connection with what God had said about the woman and her offspring who would destroy the serpent. Jesus, the seed of the woman, would come through Abraham as his offspring. There is also a connection here with believers, who are Abraham's offspring through faith. Every person who is born of the Spirit (which is a miraculous birth, like the birth of Christ) will be an heir of the world just as God promised Abraham.

Now we can ask, how does that promise come? Does it come to you through your obedience to the law? Not through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. (There is no mistake, you must be righteous to be saved. How did Abraham become righteous? It says, he believed God, and righteousness was counted to him).

Verse 14
For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.
Faith is useless and the promise is empty if one becomes an heir of the world-to-come by law. Why? Well... verse 15 says,

Verse 15
For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.
What does the law bring? Wrath! "But where there is no law, there is no transgression."
Faith justifies apart from works of the law. Romans 3:28 says, "For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law."

If you trust God as Abraham did, then God counts you to be righteous and not guilty of breaking any law. Why not? Because Jesus died for those who believe and trust the Word of God. So it is His blood and death on the cross that atones for all your sin if you come to Him. And He rose again to be the Ruler, the King, the Head of all the people of God. You can be an heir of the world, if you believe the Word of God. It comes only through Jesus and no other.

Conclusion:

So, are you believing God's Word? Do you trust God to be faithful, just as Abraham did? Do you believe all the Bible says concerning the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord?
What does the Bible say? The Bible tells us of the wrath of God, which is "revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness." (Romans 1:18). The wrath (indignant anger) of God is against all who commit sin. He feels righteous anger everyday, and is ready to kill those who will not repent (Psalm 7:11-13). Here is a short list of some sins that bring God's wrath: cowardliness, pride, self-will, faithlessness, hatred, coveteousness (wanting what doesn't belong to you), disobedience to parents, jealousy, uncontrolled anger, slander, sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, theft, greed, drunkenness, abusive language, swindling, lying, evil thoughts, gossip, boastfulness, selfishness. This righteous judgment of God against those who do these things is a reality. Do you believe it?
The Bible says "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23). Do you believe that you have sinned? Do you believe that you deserve the righteous anger and judgment of God? (I sure deserve it).

Now, with that said, do you believe God's gracious promises? First, do you know any of His promises? Dear friends, if you don't know the promises of God, then you don't have any hope. God promises to justify the ungodly through faith in Jesus Christ, His Son (Romans 4:5). He promises to pardon every sin you have ever committed through faith in Jesus (1 John 1:7-9). God promised that all who put their hope in Him who raised Jesus from the dead will be counted righteous before Him. That means to have no sin, to be perfect, to be upright and blameless. It is a free gift (Romans 3:24)! He promises to give His Holy Spirit to every believer who comes to Jesus (Ephesians 1:13). God promises believers will never die (John 11:25-27). Though our bodies wear out like old rags, or decompose in the dust, or get eaten by worms, God will raise them again, forever new to be with Him and to see His face (1 Corinthians 15:35-38,56-57; Revelation 22:1-4).

All these promises and more, are to those who come to Jesus Christ alone for satisfaction and life and rest (Matthew 11:28; John 6:35,37). They are not made to anyone else, because it is only through Jesus that they come to us. Do you believe Him? Have you repented and thrown yourself down at the feet of Almighty Jesus? If you do, He will most certainly save you. It is a promise (John 6:37).

Don't put off believing for another time. If you continue in unbelief, you may never have another chance to be turned and saved. Today is the day... Now is the time... Call on Jesus! Ask Him to make it possible. God bless.

The Gospel in Romans, part 9

I was extremely excited to share this wonderful passage of Scripture to study with my small group in West Philly. May God use this study to reach whomever He wills, however He wills, for His glory and praise. There really is no better news in the world than the news that Jesus Christ came to give! May God bless those of you who read this study.

Romans 4:1-8

Romans 4:1-8 ESV:

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." [Gen. 15:6]. 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

7 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,

and whose sins are covered;

8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."

Study Notes:

Intorduction:

We are still talking about justification by faith. In Romans 1:17, Paul said that the gospel reveals the righteousness of God from faith to faith, "as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith [Habakkuk 2:4]." Before we could get on this topic about justification, we had to learn what Paul taught in the first three chapters about righteousness and judgment. Remember Romans 1:18, "For the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unright eousness suppress the truth." So God's righteous wrath is revealed from heaven against people who are unrighteous and suppress the truth about Him. That is what unrighteousness is, it is suppressing the truth about God, and turning instead to lies for satisfaction and worship. We are created to worship God, and if we do not worship Him, we worship other things besides Him. Therefore, God's wrath (His righteous anger and judgment) is revealed from heaven against people who turn away from Him as the source of their life and joy and satisfaction to lesser and more unworthy things which will not satisfy us, but cause death in the end.

We also learned that religion does not help anyone avoid this wrath and judgment, but actually makes it worse, because Romans 2:4-5 says to the self-righteous hypocrites, "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent [unchanging] heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed." And in chapter three, we read about how we are all guilty, the whole world is condemned before God, because every one of us has turned aside and become worthless as far as making ourselves right. God's law shows us what sin is and reveals that we are sinners, and we all are under the righteous judgment and wrath of God. Being guilty before God of sin ultimately leads to an eternity of suffering and torment in hell, unless we are forgiven and made righteous before Him. Now, the way for anyone to be forgiven and stand righteous before God is not by our works (obedience to the law, religious ceremonies, prayers, confession, baptism, making ourselves feel bad, trying to do better, or anything else we do), but rather we are given a righteousness from God through faith in the Person and life, death and resurrection of God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This righteousness is God's righteousness for us, and it is a free gift. Since He died as a propitiation for those who believe, God can forgive those who trust in Him and still be righteous in condemning their sin on the cross.

At the end of chapter three, Paul said this eliminates all boasting in what we have done. Nobody can say, "I did what I was supposed to do, now God is going to accept me and save me." No one can say that, because no one has the right to be forgiven or justified. However, through faith in Christ, we can now be completely (and I mean completely, totally) forgiven and justified because of who He is and what He has done for us if we believe (trust) in Him as our only hope.

Verse 1
What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh?

To understand why Paul is writing this verse, we need to remember what he wrote in the previous verses about boasting, and what kind of people he had in mind when he wrote it. Paul wrote to Jews about how they cannot be justified by the law (3:1,9,20). He said that righteousness is actually a free gift of God given to those who trust in Christ (3:24). this eliminates all forms of boasting in what they do (3:27). Now, he mentions Abraham as an example from the Old Testament to back up the things he just taught them. Who was Abraham? Abraham was the first father of the nation of Israel. He was the one God called out of his homeland, and promised that he would be a father of many nations, "And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Genesis 12:2-3).

Verse 2

For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

Why could Abraham have something to boast about if he was justified by works? Why not before God?

Abraham could boast if he was justified by works, because he would have something good that he had done, so all he would have to do is point to those good things he did, and boast. But not before God, because no one stands justified before God who has not kept every part of the law (Galatians 3:10).

Verse 3

But what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness."

Paul again goes back to the Bible, "What does the Bible say about this?" We would label someone like that "a Bible thumper" or something else, but there is an important reason for that. The Bible contains exactly what God has spoken to all people for all time in every place. When we want to know what God says or thinks, we can go to the Bible and find out exactly. So, what does it say? What does it say Abraham did? What was counted to Abraham as righteousness [being right before God]? By saying this, Paul showed the Jews that God has always justified His people by faith, rather than by works they performed.

Verses 4-5

Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

If you went to work someplace for $8 an hour, and at the end of the week you get paid for all that you had done, could the person paying you say, "I'm giving this to you as a gift"? No way! Why not? Because you worked for it, you earned it! Nobody earns a gift. Nobody deserves a gift. A gift is something a person gives out of love for the person they give to, not because of anything the person has done to get it, but to show them how much the giver loves. In the case with God, God is not glorified if you deserve forgiveness and justification, and heaven and eternal life. No, rather, God is glorified when He gives those things freely to people who don't deserve them. (That is the whole reason why chapter three made it so clear we are all no good sinners, who are worthless and unrighteous and deserving of damnation from God. It is to show how great His grace and love is to freely give us forgiveness and righteousness through Jesus Christ).

In what way does verse 5 describe God? How does it describe the person who believes in Him?

Verse 6

just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

Here again is another example of an Old Testament person trusting in God to be justified. Who was David? What part of the Bible did David write? Who does Paul say David was writing about in these next veses?

Verses 7-8

"Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,

and whose sins are covered;

blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."

Have you heard of people talking a lot about blessings? What kinds of blessings do they refer to most? Well, this blessing is the greatest blessing in the world! How are the people in these verses blessed? What are "lawless deeds"? What does it mean to have your "sins covered"? What does it mean for the Lord to count your sin? Notice about that those who are trusting, resting, relying on, satisfied with, Jesus Christ as their only hope and treasure and Lord and Savior, that the Lord will not count their sin against them.

Conclusion:

If you have understood what I've been teaching you, you should then be able to see how this is "good news only for bad people." Have you realized that you are totally guilty of breaking God's righteous and holy Laws, rejecting His rules and following after your own will, and that this makes you totally worthy of eternal damnation in hell from God? If you can humbly, and honestly acknowledge such things about yourself, then Jesus Christ is the best news in the world to you! Why? Because for those who do not work, but rely on Him, Jesus Christ becomes our righteuosness before God, and He will never, ever count your sin against you. Why not? Because He already counted it against His perfectly righteous and holy Son, when He was crucified for hell-deserving sinners. God raised Him from the dead, so there is hope for the unrighteous. There is hope, because there is a real, living Savior who really saves all who come to God through Him. Praise God!