Sermons From My Heart

The message of Romans is that sin’s mastery over humankind has been broken in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The opening verses of Romans 6 are a helpful summary of the new state of things. Former slaves of sin have been buried with Christ in baptism. While it is a drastic form of escape, it is an effective one: a dead slave is a free slave. Paul says simply, “whoever has died is freed from sin”.

Paul goes on, “But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus”.

Just as being enslaved to sin was an embodied existence, so is being alive to God. We bring our bodies to the new life, and so Paul writes in Romans 12:1, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship”.

In the epistle to the Romans, the sacrifice of Christ as the means of reconciliation has been clearly described, and Paul specifies that in response the believer is to offer his body to the Lord out of appreciation and celebration. The body may be seen as the “whole person” or perhaps as the means whereby the whole person is expressed symbolically in a physical setting, in much the same way that the defeated general in a military situation would hand over his sword, thereby demonstrating the surrender of his whole being. The sacrifice is to be unique in that it will be “living” as opposed to the normal dying experience of the victim. This points to the fact that believers, when committed to the Lord, show in the lives they live in the body the genuineness of that commitment.

Paul uses God’s mercies as the basis for his appeal to the believers in Rome. The core of Christian commitment to Christ-the believer’s motivation for giving himself or herself wholly to God-is the mercy He has demonstrated toward His people. What God has already done for the Christian is the basis of everything the Christian does for God.

The word “beseech” is the Greek verb parakaleo. It consists of “para”, which means “beside”, and “kaleo”, which means “to call.” The word literally means “to call to, exhort, or urge.” The world “parakaleo” is used 54 times in Paul’s epistles, demonstrating his heart as a counselor and encourager to the infant church rather than a demanding authority over them. A related word is parakletos, or “the Paraclete,” the descriptive name given to the Holy Spirit, who comes alongside the faithful to encourage them in their walk with Christ.

God does not want us to try hard to sin less, but to depend upon His Spirit to be transformed into people who love to please God through willing obedience. That transformation begins with the mind. Because human beings are inveterate conformists, the temptation to simply fit into the picture and fade into the scenery can be practically overwhelming. The committed life, however, is shown by the degree in which the believer stays in the secular world without being trapped by it and without failing to be a witness to it. The tension is aptly described by the Master’s words explaining that we are “in the world but not of it.”

What is a living sacrifice? Negatively, we are not to be passively conformed to this world. Instead, positively, we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. With his “renewing minds” phrase, Paul is coming to closure on a minor theme that he has been voicing from the first chapter of the letter until now. This theme is that following the gospel authentically involves thinking in authentic ways about God and one’s own place in God’s world.

In complete contrast to the conforming tendency, the believer experiences a transforming dynamic in his life. To be “transformed” is to be literally “metamorphosed” or changed into another form. We may draw an analogy with the way caterpillars shed their crinkly skins to become transparent butterflies, or we may relate the experience to that of Christ, Himself, being “metamorphosed” on the Mount of Transfiguration when the pent-up glory of heaven suddenly burst through the confines of His physical body. The inward power of this transforming experience is the renewed mind.

The word “conformed” was sometimes used for a masquerade or an act. If people conform to the world’s standards of behaviour, they mask who they are in Christ. The Christian’s life should be marked by transformation, seeing through the renewing of the mind, ever seeking to grow in understanding to discern (or prove) God’s will. The word metamorphosis comes from the Greek word for transformed and indicated change “from the inside out.” The term is used twice in reference to Christ’s Transfiguration. Jesus’ brightness was His inner person shining through, visible on the outside. His brightness should likewise shine through His followers.

There is only one body of Christ, but there is a diversity of gifts within that body, a diversity that ensures the health of the unified whole. If God by His grace gives everyone a unique task in the church, then there is no reason for people to think more highly, or lowly, of themselves than they ought to. The grace of God which brings salvation through faith also brings gifts to the saved believer which he must utilize in the context of the body of believers.

Most believers do not question the truth of the “will of God,” but many regard it as such an obscure mystical reality that they despair of knowing it with any certainty or of doing it with any deep sense of assurance. For many the will of God is as confusing as an Agatha Christie mystery story—an idea that finds unfortunate confirmation in the use of the word “mystery” in many versions of the New Testament. Paul would strongly resist this concept. He rightly insists that the will of God is to be discovered and done with such relish that it will be proved to be good, acceptable, and perfect.

The church is not an organization but an organism, a living and unified entity with many parts. If part of a person’s body just disappeared, they would desperately seek it out. Do believers do the same when a member of their church disappears?

Paul appears to suggest that other believers may abuse their gifts by simply not using them. There is little doubt that, because of the unfortunate tendency of churches to underemphasize the truth of the giftedness of all believers, there are many who have no concept of their gifts while others who know their gifts are given little or no encouragement to exercise them.

Paul means that God equips each believer for a particular task and expects him to discover and fulfill his special role in the context of the believing community. Once this is understood, the believer is delivered from a number of potential miscalculations. He will not aspire to be more than God intends him to be, but he will not settle for being less than he was created and redeemed to be. Accordingly, he will be delivered from an arrogance which is destructive of harmony in the body of believers and will be content to make a “sober” evaluation of his own gifts and calling.

The apostle has spent much time in this epistle explaining how individuals can be reconciled to God and become recipients of the life of Christ in order that they might live in a new relationship to Him. Another important dimension in spiritual experience is related to the fact that if many people become related to Christ, they must develop their relationship with each other. When believers become heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ, they also become fellow heirs with each other. The environment in which these relationships operate is the assembly of believers—the local church. Paul, whose ministry to the Gentiles was characterized by the formation of churches, loved to use the human body as a striking analogy of the functions of the church as mentioned in Romans 12:4-5: “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. “

Our natural tendency to selfishness and individualism militates against the concept of the body of Christ, but the renewed mind produces a different attitude. Those who are instructed from the Word of God by the Spirit of God recognize the uniqueness of the believer’s position in the church and also are committed to being a part of the body of Christ. When Christ was on earth, He inhabited a body similar to our physical bodies and, accordingly, knew something of our physical limitations. But after His Resurrection, He was free to come again in the Person of the Spirit and inhabit numerous individuals who, together, would become the means of His continued activity on earth. So varied were the abilities and ministries of the Lord that it would be ludicrous to expect any one individual to begin to emulate His ministry. But when many people come together as His body, they can collectively begin to demonstrate the multiplicity of ministries which He longs to perform through their united efforts.

What does it mean to be the body of Christ in the world today?

First, you are the flesh of Christ, in the world. You personally are Christ’s body in the world. You are the eyes of Christ and you see the work of God all around you. You are the ears of Christ and you hear the sounds of Christ all around you. You are the mouth of Christ and you speak the words of Christ’s compassion to those around you. You are the heart of Christ, and you share the emotions of Christ with all that you meet. You personally are the hand of Christ, and you stretch out your hand which is Christ’s hand to help others. You are the legs of Christ and those legs carry you to those in need. You are the feet of Christ, and you help others to walk in Christ’s ways. Yes, you are literally and symbolically the body of Christ, the flesh of Christ in your world.

God enables that body to create its own body of work—prophecy, ministry, teaching, challenging and encouraging, giving, leading, and being compassionate. We can do those things alone, but we do them with more discernment and impact as part of a larger body. None of us can do it all. No single community can do it all, either. But God empowers each community to do all it is called to do in its context. It makes a difference to see church not as a noun but a verb, not as a place to go but as a living offering to God. In verses 6-8, Paul mentions seven of the 19 spiritual gifts that are listed in the New Testament. Since none of the spiritual gifts are identical, many believe there is no set, finite number of gifts. The word gift is a rendering of the Greek word charisma, which has as its root the word charis, or grace. Therefore, a spiritual gift is really a grace-gift, bestowed by the God of grace.

The church is the body of Christ in the world today. We are the flesh of God’s love in human form; we are a living organism and a complex organism. And we work harmoniously together, all these different parts working together. Yes, we have our differences and are unique and distinct; and we are to work together harmoniously and in the spirit of Christ’s peace.

Prophecy is a gift used to speak God’s truth. Like Old Testament prophets, some New Testament prophets had the ministry of foretelling-addressing the future. But most probably had the gift of “forth telling”-speaking God’s truth into present situations. Regardless, the prophets’ purpose was to speak words of “edification and exhortation and comfort” to the church. Prophets today do not have the gift of foretelling the future but function as teachers and proclaimers of God’s truth.

The word ministry, or service, is from the Greek word diakonia, from which comes deacon. While every Christian is called to serve one another, deacons do so with a special grace. Teaching if for explaining God’s truth. Teachers study the Bible diligently and search out what the church needs to learn for its edification.

The word exhort could also be translated as “encourage.” People with this gift are moved to come alongside those who are hurting, weak, or discouraged. People with the gift to give do so joyfully and sacrificially.

The church always needs leaders who lead with a sense of what the church should do. The sons of Issachar had a reputation for leadership in the Old Testament. People naturally follow others with this gift. The gift of mercy is the Spirit-given ability to extend love and compassion toward suffering members of the body of Christ. It is reaching out to the outcasts, those whom others ignore.

(An audio version of this post can be found by clicking this link: Romans 12 verses 1-8 Our Transformation)

Bibliography

1. Jermiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 1561-1562)
2. Briscoe, D.S., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomaas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 212-221)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. Frank L. Couch, “Commentary on Romans 12:1-8.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
5. Mark Hinkle Shore, “Commentary on Romans 12:1-8.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
6. Mark Reasoner, “Commentary on Romans 12:1-8.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org

When Nolan’s mother reminded him that he needed to study his Sunday school lesson and learn the memory verse, he looked up from his work on an airplane model. “Aw, Mom, I know all that stuff,” he argued. “I don’t need to study. I hear all that at church and Sunday school and at Bible Club. I even go to a Christian school.” But when Dad gave him a stern look, he obediently put away his model and worked on his lesson until bedtime.

The next morning when Mom told Nolan to hurry and get ready for church, he frowned. “We probably won’t hear anything we haven’t heard before,” he grumbled as he shuffled toward his room. A few minutes later, he was back again. “I need new pants!” he exclaimed, motioning at the pants he was wearing. “Look at these. They’re getting really short.”

Mom nodded. “I see that,” she agreed. “You’re growing right out of them. We’ll look for a new pair this week.”

“Good idea,” said Dad. He grinned. “I guess those pants must have shrunk,” he joked, “or could it be that you’re growing up?” Then he became serious. “But, Nolan, I get the feeling that you think God is like that old pair of pants.”

“What do you mean?” asked Nolan, looking at his father in surprise.

“Well, you’ve implied that you know all there is to know about God,” explained Dad. “You seem to think you’ve outgrown Him. Actually, you’ll need a whole lifetime to learn about God–what He’s like and what He does and what He teaches in His Word. Even then, you’ll only know just a little. God is so great and so wonderful, we’ll never know all there is to know about him.”

“That’s right,” said Mom. “And if you really think about the things you hear and study, you’ll be surprised by how much you can learn.”

Nolan looked down at the pants he was wearing. “Okay. I get it,” he said. “I’ll pay attention in church this morning to see what I can learn. But first I need to put on some different pants!”

It is sometimes said that knowledge is the accumulation of information, and wisdom is knowing what to do with it. Paul is deeply impressed by God’s unique grasp of both. God’s information concerning human behavior in general and response to the gospel in particular is unique in that it incorporates foreknowledge, and His wisdom in handling the human problem as demonstrated by both Gentile degradation and Jewish obduracy is shown to great effect by the way He used Jewish hardness to bring about Gentile blessing and then used Gentile blessing to bring about Jewish revival. His knowledge and wisdom truly do qualify for the adjectives “unsearchable” and “past finding out.”

It is particularly fitting that Paul’s lengthy exposition of the Christian gospel which started with a description of human failure should finish with a shout of appreciation for divine capability. By doing this Paul demonstrates the truth of the centrality of the Lord in all things, which he then articulates in one of the greatest of all statements: “For of Him”—a reminder that He is the source of all things—“and through Him”—a reminder that He is the sustainer of all things—“and to Him”—a reminder that He is the significance of all things.

Paul, having argued in chapter 11:1-32, that the “hardening” of the Jews, as to number, is not total, rounds up chapters 9-11 with praise to God, praise to the all-wise and almighty Sovereign whose resources, wisdom, decisions, and methods are beyond anyone’s comprehension. The passage before us serves as a hymn of wonder and adoration addressed to God in all his majesty. It expresses the mystery of God’s grace toward broken humanity, a mystery that cannot be fathomed, a mystery that lies in the very majesty of God. Thus we are reminded that our God is the originator, director, and end of all things.

There are many ways to describe God, but let us think of just three of them:

(1) omnipresence

(2) omnipotence, and

(3) omniscience.

These are fairly common words amongst believers, but we may need a reminder:

(1) being present at all times.

(2) all powerful.

(3) all knowing and all wise.

He is everywhere and sees everything, and we have a very limited perspective. He creates and sustains everything, and we are weak in every sense. He knows all, and we know very little.

There are events, circumstances, which, in a special way, display the hand of God, and reveal a deep “knowledge” of him. These events are part of God’s special providence. Special providence concerns his determined purpose to conform a people into the likeness of his Son. From the beginning of time God determined, purposed, to gather a people to himself and to glorify them. So, throughout history we can observe a righteous line, a remnant people, a people saved by grace through faith. Nothing has ever hindered God’s purpose to gather this people to himself, and nothing will ever hinder this purpose. Even the wilful acts of sinful humanity may serve God’s purpose. Take, for example, the crucifixion of Jesus. God’s eternal purpose is realized despite the human sinfulness. It is then we learn something of God’s “wisdom and knowledge.”

As we develop a closer relationship with Jesus, and have a deeper appreciation of the nature, character, and heart of God, through His word, it’s true that we begin to learn that all His actions, plans, and purposes are motivated by His love for us. Although we cannot always understand the ways He chooses to implement His actions, we have to hold firmly to His words spoken through the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29:11, ‘I know the plans I have for you, they are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope’.

However, there can be specific times when God does reveal His plans and purposes directly into our hearts by His Spirit. The apostle Paul mentions this in 1 Corinthians 2:13: ‘When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths from God’s Spirit’. Nevertheless, we must always weigh these inner thoughts extremely carefully, and check them against Scripture. We should seek the advice of other trusted, mature Christians, and, if necessary, ask God to confirm His word in some way. Gideon did this in Judges 6:33-40.

When eventually we stand in glory, we will no doubt be given a tour of human history and be shown how in one event after another God was at work. His working in no way violated human freedom or exempted human beings from the consequences of their actions; nevertheless, God was working to bring things to their predetermined conclusion. To understand this fully will be the greatest possible stimulus to praise and worship.

In the meantime, humans who understand in some measure the things of which Paul has written join him in articulating their sense of wonder and take every opportunity to express their appreciation to God for God. In addition, they take seriously the necessity not only to speak His praise but also to show forth His glory by the very lives they live.

The reason that so many Christians today are weak and powerless in this world… the reason that most Christians have never once shared their faith with another person… is because they don’t understand the unsearchableness of the riches of God. Instead, they see God’s greatness as secondary to their own comfort and convenience.

God has not revealed everything about Himself. In our fallen state, we couldn’t handle it if He did. Therefore, as long as we live in these mortal bodies, we must remain humble. We must let God be God. But many are doing the exact opposite-working as hard as they can to humanize God and deify man.

We will never completely understand God’s ways or grasp why He does what He does, but we can worship Him for the goodness and love and mercy that He has already shown us! God’s wisdom and knowledge in His dealings with Israel are rich. His judgments are unsearchable. The ways in which He has worked His plan for the salvation of all people is past finding out.

(An audio version of this post can be heard by clicking this link: Romans 11 verses 33-36 God’s Wisdom)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, p. 1561)
2. Briscoe, D.S.: & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 210-211)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. Rev. Brian Finlayson, “Romans: Praise to God. 11:33-36.” Retrieved from https://www.lectionarystudies.com/sunday21aee.html
5. Rev. David MAinse, “Of Him, Through Him, To Him (Romans 11:36).” Retrieved from www.100words.ca
6. Dr. Jack Graham, “Going the Distance.” Retrieved from jgraham@powerpoint.org
7. “Second Guessing.” Retrieved from seeds@ellel.org
8. Michael Youssef, Ph.D., “God’s Ways Are Unsearchable.” Retrieved from www.ltw.org
9. “Outgrown.” Retrieved from keys@lists.keysforkids.org

In Romans 11, Paul develops a crucial point in his argument. In verses 1-10, he presents a panoramic view of God’s plan for Israel, past, present, and future. God has preserved a remnant, and His election is by grace, no longer of works. The grace of God and works for salvation are mutually exclusive.

 Paul has established that Israel cannot plead ignorance because the good news has been preached to them through the prophets and the writings. Israel has not understood the message it has received and has been disobedient. This leads to the question in Romans 11:1, “Has God rejected his people?” Paul answers himself, “By no means!”

Paul does two things to buttress his answer. First, he gives himself as a proof of God’s faithfulness. He lists his credentials as an Israelite in verse 1 and concludes that, “God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew”. Paul’s point is that God has not rejected his people. His statement alludes to a line in 1 Samuel 12:22.

In that context, Israel has asked for a king, signalling that they have forsaken God. Samuel prays for them and assures them that that, “the Lord will not forsake his people.” This recalls Paul’s earlier argument in Romans 3:1-6, particularly, “What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means!”.

Second, Paul grounds his answer with a story about Elijah. King Ahab has killed God’s prophets. Elijah escapes, dejected because he is the only one remaining who has refused to worship Baal. But God promises Elijah to preserve a remnant of 7,000 Israelites who refuse idolatry. Here is a pattern for the way God shows faithfulness to Israel by preserving a remnant by grace.

At the end of chapter 10, it almost seems that Israel has hopelessly and eternally rejected Christ, effectively ending God’s plan and purpose for Israel. But Paul himself is proof that God is not through with Israel. Paul was from the tribe of Benjamin, a Jew who had believed in the Messiah. And just as God reserved a remnant in Elijah’s day, even when Elijah thought he was the only faithful person left, so in Paul’s day and beyond, God has preserved a remnant, according to the election of grace. Although the nation had rejected Jesus, thousands of individual Jews had come to faith in Him. God did not choose this remnant because of its foreseen faith, good works, spiritual worthiness, or racial descent, but solely because of His grace. Those whom God graciously had chosen in turn sought and found His righteousness.

The remnant, having been saved by grace through faith, are clearly discernible among those natural-born sons of Abraham who, unlike their father, choose to seek justification through their works rather than the way ordained by God. The more they have resisted the grace of God, the harder their hearts have become, until, like Pharaoh, their hearts have arrived at such a state that God has hardened them.

The believing minority have obtained God’s righteousness, but the rest-the blinded majority-stay blind because of unbelief. Because of their rejection, God brought on the Jewish people to the disaster David had prayed would fall on his enemies. The nation of Israel at the time of Paul’s ministry was a stumbling nation that had not completely fallen. Or, to use boxing parlance, they were “down but not out,” and God had no intention of letting His people be “counted out.” What, then, was His purpose in allowing Israel to openly reject His Messiah and live on in the resultant darkness and hardness? Paul’s answer is as striking as it is unexpected. God is trying to make Israel jealous by turning to the Gentiles to offer them what Israel has refused.

God has not withheld his promises to all people on earth, to those who continue to disbelieve, to those who have understood, to a disobedient and contrary people, and even to those who didn’t ask for God. In light of God’s purpose of salvation, Paul asks the rhetorical question: “Has God rejected his people? By no means!” Paul knows the reality of God’s promise and word of revelation as “an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.” Paul, the former persecutor and called by God to proclaim the gospel of his Son, knows that “God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew”

God promised to bless the world through the seed of Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. He also promised to bless the world through the Messiah in Romans 10:19. Believers have that blessing that is theirs now because of what Israel did when they rejected the Messiah. When Israel accepts Him, the blessing will be even more astonishing. So long as there is a man like Paul there is no such thing as a rejection of Israel. Furthermore, the principle “whom He foreknows He predestines” applies. Knowing everything in advance, God has the advantage of seeing the end from the beginning, and with this knowledge His determining of the outcome is sure.

Because Israel’s rejection of their Messiah was so tragic, their acceptance of Him will be as vivid as one being resurrected from the dead. Picture the open valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37:1-6. These bones will have life from the dead, which also will be true of believing and restored Israel during the Millennium. To acknowledge Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah and be God’s witness nation resulted in the Gentile church being given that privilege.

Paul believed Israel’s rejection was temporary. He draws on Old Testament illustrations. If the firstfruit of the offering (Abraham and the Patriarchs) was holy, then the lump (all of it) was holy. If the root (the people of Israel) is holy, then so are the branches (Gentiles). Whatever comes first contributes its character to what follows.

The branches broken off are the unbelieving Jews. They rejected the faith and were broken out of the stream of God’s blessing, so He grafted the Gentiles into the tree. Abraham is not only the father of the Jewish nation but the spiritual father of all who believe. The root is the source of life according to John 15:2. People do not support the root; the root supports them.

In Romans 11:22-24, the word “you” is singular but refers to Jews and Gentiles. God will graft the natural branches (Israel) back into the root, but He will also keep the wild branches (Gentiles) there. Warming to his theme of the Gentile opportunity which became possible through the Jewish rejection of the gospel, Paul thinks aloud about the “riches” that have reached the world through the fall of Israel and then begins to dream about the possibilities of blessing when the people of Israel finally come to acknowledge the Savior.

By drawing a sharp contrast between Jew and Gentile and by showing how he was trying to provoke the Jews to jealousy, Paul was running the risk of provoking both Jew and Gentile to more than jealousy. He seems to sense this because, having spoken to the Jews in terms which they could readily have found offensive and having addressed the Gentiles in such a fashion that they might well become arrogant, he promptly sets about redressing the balance. He speaks warmly of the privileged position of the Jewish people and reminds the Gentiles of their relatively inferior position, thereby in one fell swoop pricking the potential Gentile balloon and smoothing the potentially ruffled Jewish feathers. Then he gathers both Jew and Gentile together by the use of two deft illustrations.

The first expression is no doubt a reference to the ancient practice of presenting to the Lord a loaf or cake baked from the first flour to come from the threshing floor. The idea behind the ceremony was that if the first cake was offered to the Lord, the whole batch would be special in the Lord’s eyes and, accordingly, in the people’s stomachs. The second illustration draws from the common Old Testament picture of Israel as the vine, and it points out that because root and branch are one, thus if the root is holy so also is the branch.

Despite all her faults, Israel has never been less than God’s chosen means of bringing blessing to the world, and everything else that He has chosen to do must be seen in that context. The temporary setting aside and hardening of national Israel is a mystery to Paul. But it is temporary-only until the fullness of the Gentiles is seen in salvation history. Then Israel will again receive its promise. God is not working through Israel now, but He will; their future is assured. The word “all” means just that. Paul quotes Isaiah 59:20-21 and Isaiah 27:9 as confirmation.

There is something awesome about Paul’s description of God’s dealings with His Vine. He shows the mighty power of God as He relentlessly works according to His own righteous principles and will continue to do. Paul speaks of God’s power to establish Israel as the Vine purely on the basis of His own choice. But then he adds that He will use His power to break off some of the branches if they refuse to come to Him in humble faith. At the same time, God has no reluctance at all in taking wild branches and grafting them into the old stock, provided, of course, that the wild branches would do what the natural branches refuse to do—namely, come to Him in faith. But the wild branches must not overlook the fact that when natural branches refused to believe, God reserved the right to remove them, and He will not hesitate to do the same with wild branches. There is no room for complacency, only humble trust. It is the continuance in belief that is the true evidence of genuine faith in the same way that the story of the saints” reminds us that true saints do persevere.

Israel was eager to lay claim to its special status as a nation with God, but reluctant to accept the responsibility of faithful obedience to Him. Yet God has given an unconditional promise to His people, and He is not going to renege on His promise.

Gentiles should not criticize God because of His plan to bless Israel in the future. God chose Israel so Gentiles could receive and enjoy salvation. Once you have placed your faith in Him, God will never cast you away. He will never abandon you, reject you, or turn you away. As a loving Father, He will discipline you, but He will never throw you away.

(An audio version of this post can be found by clicking this link: Romans 11 verses 1-32 God’s Plan For Us-Past, Present, and Future)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 1569-1560)
2. Briscoe, D.S., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 202-210)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. MacArthur, J.F., Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Elizabeth Shively, “Commentary on Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
6. Paul S. Berge, “Commentary on Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org

Today I want to tell you about an imaginary town. The town is Duckville and everyone that lives there is a duck. That’s right. Everyone is a duck. The stores are duck stores. The movie theater is a duck theater. The park is a duck park. The church is duck church.

On Sunday, all of the ducks waddled off to duck church to hear what kind of a preacher? A duck preacher. In that church they didn’t have a children’s sermon. They had a duckling or baby duck sermon.

On this particular Sunday, as the duck preacher stood at the pulpit, the duck preacher spoke eloquently of how God had given the ducks wings with which to fly. She pounded the pulpit with her beak and said, “With these wings, there is nowhere we ducks can not go! There is no God-given task we ducks cannot accomplish! With these wings we no longer need walk through life. We can soar high in the sky!”

The ducks quacked, “Amen!” throughout the duck congregation. The duck preacher concluded her message by exclaiming, “With our wings we can fly through life! WE ….. CAN …. FLY!!!!” More ducks quacked out loud “AMENS!” in response. Every duck loved the service. In fact, all the ducks that were present commented on what a wonderfully convicting message they had heard from their duck preacher.

Then when they left the church, they waddled all the way home. They didn’t fly like the duck preacher told them they could do. They went home just like they came to church, waddling.

Sometimes we have the same kind of problem the ducks had.

When we come to church, we come to thank God for all He’s done for us. We come to praise Him. We also come to learn things about God. Even though God can talk to us anywhere, we come to church to hear what God wants us to do. We want to hear God.

Too many times, when God talks to us at church, we don’t hear God. We aren’t listening. We need to pay attention and listen for God when we are at church and when we aren’t at church. God is going to help us do wonderful things. When we leave church each Sunday, we should be different than when we came to church.

Starting with the fact that faith is necessary, Paul asks how anyone can possibly call on the Lord for His promised salvation without believing the promise. Then he asks how anyone can come to this belief without being told what is available to believe. He follows with a question as to how people can hear without someone telling them. This in turn leads to a question as to how people can tell others about the promised salvation of God without being sent as those who will tell. In the context of Paul’s argument, his point is that if the gospel is available to the whole race, the whole race must know about it, and the telling of it to the whole race will require considerably more involvement in Gentile ministry than has been evidenced by the Jews of Paul’s day.

Before people can call, they must believe. Before they can believe, they must hear. Before they can hear, someone must preach the message. Before they can preach, they must be sent. Isaiah 52:7 speaks of those who take the message of God’s good news and deliver it so that it can be believed.

The Jews failed to respond in Paul’s day, Jesus’ day, and Isaiah’s day. Not all who hear will respond. Hearing and believing produces new life; hearing and refusing produces death. The problem is not with the message or the messenger but with the hearer.

To his own people, the Jews, who are upset at his ministry and scandalized by his message of God’s grace to the Gentiles, Paul is saying, “Come join me in the exciting acceptance of salvation through Christ and the ensuing sharing of the message of glad tidings and good things with those who have never heard.” The same emphasis is necessary to those who sit comfortably in Christian pews, untouched by the condition of more than half the world’s population which has no knowledge of God’s Son. The apostle’s words ring true and clear. How will these people call on the Lord if they don’t believe, and isn’t their believing dependent on hearing? And surely hearing is related to telling, and the telling is exclusively in the hands of those who sense that Christ has commissioned His people to take the message to the uttermost parts of the earth. Starting with the fact that faith is necessary, he asks how anyone can possibly call on the Lord for His promised salvation without believing the promise. Then he asks how anyone can come to this belief without being told what is available to believe.

Paul refers to Deuteronomy 32:21 and Isaiah 65:1-2 as evidence of the Gentiles’ eagerness to turn to God. God is pictured as stretching out His hands, open and welcoming, but to a disobedient and contrary people who have rejected His offer. Now His crucified, resurrected Son holds out His nail-scarred hands for all who will reach out and grasp them.

The Lord of the Universe, whose heart is open to all people, will not be limited by the failure of His own people to believe as they ought and to act as they should. On the contrary, He is committed to seeing that even though His people may be a “disobedient and contrary people,” this in itself will not hinder His purposes of making salvation available to all people in all ages through the preaching of the gospel. Everything that we need to know in regard to salvation—what it is, why we need it, how we can receive it—can be found in God’s Word. God blesses us when we hear His promises and respond in faith to them.

(An audio version of the message can be found by clicking this link: Romans 10 verses 14-21 Listen to the Good News and Respond to It)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1559)
2. “Duckville.” Retrieved from www.sermons4kids.com/sermons/duckville
3. Briscoe, D.S.; & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 198-201
4. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)

The task of the evangelist is not only to point out to people the right way to go but also to explain that they are already heading the wrong way. Because most people have an intense distaste for being told they are wrong, great care should be taken in pointing out error. Paul exhibits three helpful characteristics in this regard. First, he is clearly deeply concerned about the people themselves. He does not see them as statistics but as individuals whose eternal salvation is in question. His “heart’s desire… is that they might be saved.” Second, there is no trace of superiority in his remarks about their error, but only a humble reliance upon God to whom he prays for them and from whom alone he looks for blessing. Third, he speaks from a deep understanding of the true position of the people to whom he ministers. For him there is no superficial stereotyping of their beliefs and no inadequate research of their condition. He can “bear them witness” or, literally, “speak on their behalf” because he knows what he is talking about.

Paul means that belief in Christ as Lord and Savior ends the sinner’s futile quest for righteousness through his imperfect attempts to save himself by efforts to obey the law. The Jews were outwardly zealous for God, but they were not zealous to know Christ. Seeking to establish their own righteousness, Israel missed the gift God offered them. For Israel to receive God’s righteousness, they had to stop relying on works and, rather, believe in Christ’s work. The error of Israel is also to be seen in that they are fundamentally “ignorant of God’s righteousness.” The ignorance of which Paul speaks is not an academic illiteracy but a basic failure to grasp the significance of data readily available to them in the Scriptures they prize so highly.

Israel’s persistence in a self-righteous attempt to “establish their own righteousness” by keeping the demands of the law regardless of what the law-giver himself wrote: that life through the law comes to those who keep the law and those who do not keep it in its entirety are condemned by the law they thought would bring life.

 We all know the voice that tells us that in order to be “good enough” we have to attain a certain level of success, or our kids have to turn out a certain way, or we have to look just so, or we have to have more and better stuff than our neighbors. We think we are “taking care” of ourselves when we obey these dictates of the false god within, but in reality we are simply locking ourselves in the prison of our own selfish desires.

Christ is the goal or fulfillment of the law, the object to which the law pointed. Christ, Paul says, “is the end of the law for righteousness,” meaning that He is the end  in the sense of the fulfillment of the law, but also in that He terminated the era of the law and introduced the new era where men and women could be delivered from the hopeless task of fulfilling the law and could be invited to be saved through faith. The error of Israel was, in a special sense, that they were chauvinistic despite the fact they had been chosen. Those who endeavor to communicate the Christian gospel should take note of the errors of Israel because they are common to most people in one form or another.

Paul seems to expect that God’s good news actually gets inside of people. It is not simply something to be spoken but it is a power that changes hearts and lives. Recall that in Paul’s day, the heart is the seat of physical, intellectual and spiritual life, including the will, emotions, and desires, while the mouth gives expression (or denies) what is in the heart. 

Paul proceeds to illustrate both the impossibility of justification through keeping the law and the possibility of being blessed through that which God has made available. He ingeniously uses Moses’ farewell speech of encouragement to the children of Israel to realize that through their relationship with the Lord they could find the spirit of His law in their hearts and mouths and live in a way pleasing to Him without feeling the necessity to go to extreme lengths to find in the heavens or the depths the needed strength.

If a person chooses to be justified by the law, he or she must, of necessity, live by the law. There is no room for error; the entire law must be kept because keeping a portion of it has no value. The law demands absolute perfection without any mitigation. But for the Jewish person deeply steeped in the idea that salvation came through the fulfilling of the law through their own efforts, this message seemed so simple as to be simplistic and so free as to be insulting.

Similar attitudes confront the proclaimer of the gospel in today’s world. While the religious systems of self-effort vary in many degrees from those Paul wished to counter, the fundamental attitude of many people is that they must do something to merit or earn their salvation. This attitude is perfectly understandable in those societies where people have learned all their lives that “there is no such thing as a free lunch.” The task of the modern-day evangelist is still the same, namely, to explain the impossibility of salvation through self-effort and the availability of salvation through faith in Christ.

Faith being the basis of assurance, it becomes clear that everyone is capable of assurance because everyone is capable of exercising faith. When the fulfillment of law is seen as the basis of justification and forgiveness, only those initiated in the law can hope to be saved, but faith transcends all limitations and makes salvation a possibility for all people. This means that there is “no distinction between Jew and Greek”—a concept the Jews had not been prepared to accept even though the prophet Joel had proclaimed the fact that “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Paul speaks of righteousness as if it were a person. One need not ascend into heaven to bring righteousness down; Christ has already done that. One need not descend into the abyss; Christ has already been raised from the dead. No worldwide journey is needed. Christ is absolutely accessible by faith, as near as people’s mouths and hearts. All they have to do is reach out and receive Him by faith.

Confessing Christ is evidence of genuine faith. Salvation comes through belief in Christ, acknowledging that He is God and was raised from the dead. Christ’s death satisfied God’s righteous demand for the penalty for sins and Christ’s resurrection validated both His claims and the Father’s statements that He is God.

For Paul, salvation is a merciful God’s intention to bring healing to a broken world. It is a gift of a God whose goal is to free us from our own self-destructive bondage to the powers of sin and death. God offers salvation to every individual, regardless of ethnic background. Salvation comes through believing in Jesus—no amount of good works can ever be sufficient to win God’s approval.

But for everyone, there needs to be a breakthrough of some kind, a moment when we call out to the Lord and access “the righteousness that comes from faith”. It may be a moment of loss or weakness when we realize we don’t have the resources to handle life alone. It may be a moment of softening of our hearts toward someone or some group we have kept at arm’s length or thought of with hostility.

We discover that, when we call out to the Lord, God doesn’t have to go very far at all to reach us. God is not like the friend who lives four hours away and both of you agree that you wish you lived closer so you could visit more. God is in the neighborhood and comes when we call.

Because Christ is God, His death, burial, and resurrection took care of the world’s sins. Just as all who sin will be judged, all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. When we place our faith in Christ, God looks at us just as He looks at Jesus, who completely obeyed the whole law, without exception and without fault. The perfect record of Christ becomes ours through faith.

Christ lived the life we could not live and took the punishment we could not take to offer the hope we cannot resist. His sacrifice begs us to ask this question: if He so loved us, can we not love each other? Having been forgiven, can we not forgive? Having feasted at the table of grace, can we not share a few crumbs? “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” as stated in 1 John 4:11.

Only by recognizing the illusions that bind us in the prison house of shame can we find the freedom to live the life God intends for us. Acknowledging Jesus as one through whom God brings the life and joy and love of God’s rule into our lives can be a step toward that freedom. Taking that step requires that we recognize that when we obsessively pursue our own selfish agenda, we remain imprisoned in our shame. The way to begin the process of becoming free from that voice of shame is to acknowledge that there is one who loves us unconditionally, irrevocably, undeniably—throughout time and eternity. To this one we are always of infinite worth, we are always wanted, chosen, and loved. To this one we can turn and know that “No one who believes in him will be put to shame” as stated in Romans 10:11.

(An audio version of this message can be found by clicking this link: Romans 10 verses 1-13 Christ is the Fulfillment of the Law)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 1558-1559)
2. Briscoe, D.S., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 193-198)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005
4. MacArthur, J.F., Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Audrey West, “Commentary on Romans 10:8b-13.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
6. Alyce McKenzie, “Good News or Bad News? Reflections on Romans 10:5-15.” Retrieved from www.patheos.com/progressive-christian/good-news-or-bad-news-alyce-mckenzie-08-04-2014
7. The Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm, “No More Shame.” Retrieved from www.thewakingdreamer.blogspot.com/2010/02/no-more-shame-rom.html

Paul’s question about God being unjust is the theme of Romans 9-11. His answer “Certainly not!” rings loud and clear. If God is unjust then He cannot be God, for God is perfect justice in and of Himself.

God is absolutely sovereign and is doing what He wills to do. He may choose or not choose. He may bless or not bless.  He is God. God’s mercy is not in response to man’s will. Nor is God’s mercy a response to man’s effort. God is free to show mercy to whomever He wills, independently of what they do.

In extreme Jewish thought the fact of election to be the chosen people was tantamount to an eternal guarantee of blessedness, and the corresponding choice of God not to make the Gentiles the chosen people was a guarantee of their inevitable rejection. For the Jews, therefore, to be told by Paul that Gentiles were being accepted while Jews were being rejected because of attitudes to Christ, was totally unacceptable. In the first place, it was a national insult and, in the second, it attributed to God a freedom the Jews did not believe was appropriate—the freedom to reject Jews and accept Gentiles. To attribute this freedom to God was in their eyes to make God the perpetrator of a deeply unrighteous act.

The dramatic story of God’s dealings with Pharaoh through Moses is replete with references to “hardening.” Over and over again, Pharaoh is moved by the momentous events that overtake him, only to revert, once the effects wear off, to his arrogant attitude of resistance to Jehovah’s demands. Repeatedly, he hardens his heart until finally God hardens it for him. The history of Pharaoh’s heart-hardening should be noted carefully, as should the Lord’s explanation of His actions. God claims to have “raised up” this man in order that His power might be made known.

The mighty act of God in freeing Israel from the hand of Pharaoh demonstrated two corollary truths. Both Moses and Pharaoh were wicked sinners, even murderers, and were equally worthy of God’s wrath and eternal punishment. But Moses received mercy while Pharaoh received God’s judgment, because that was God’s sovereign will.

It would appear in Pharaoh’s case that God placed this man in his position of international visibility so that when his own hard-heartedness came into conflict with God’s purpose he would become an international illustration of the futility of arrogantly opposing the purposes of God. If Pharaoh, with the same natural, sinful, egotistical attitude, had been born in a cabin and lived in seclusion, his sin would have been neither lesser nor greater. But in God’s economy He placed this arrogant man in a position where his adamant refusal to accede to God’s will would not only lead to his own downfall but also to as broad a demonstration of divine power as possible. The freedom to do this is incontrovertibly God’s.

If God, says the apostle, is prepared to go on tolerating the attitudes and actions of the Pharaohs of this world so that through their own hardness in the end they have come to the place of being hardened by God into “vessels of wrath,” that is unquestionably well within God’s rights. And if Israel goes on behaving toward the gospel in much the same way that Pharaoh behaved toward the people of Israel, then they must be prepared to accept the fact that if it was right for Pharaoh, it is right for them too. By the same token, God is free to take those who respond to His message and make them “vessels of mercy” even though they come from the ranks of the despised Gentiles.

God hardened Pharaoh’s heart after Pharaoh hardened his own heart. God’s hardening always presupposes sin and can be part of the punishment of sin according to John 12:40. God can freely extend His mercy or withhold it. All deserve judgment. The question is never “Why did He not save that one?”; the question must always be “Why did He save any?”

Using the familiar Old Testament analogy of the potter, Paul argues that it is as irrational, and far more arrogant, for men to question God’s choice of certain sinners for salvation, as for a piece of pottery to question the purposes of the potter. Israel is in Paul’s mind in the illustration in Romans 9:20-21. The potter, God, has the right over the clay, Israel, to do as He wishes. The most natural way to look at the God/man relationship is from the human perspective, but the most necessary is from the divine. Paul proceeds in the following verses to do this so exclusively that he leaves out completely the balancing aspects of human response and responsibility. This is because his objective is to deal with the nature of God’s dealings with mankind rather than the nature of man’s involvement in such dealings.

It would be a mistake to apply all the qualities of clay to mankind in this context, as can be clearly seen from the fact that Paul speaks of clay that talks! He is not saying that man is a powerless lump of clay that God can mold whichever way He pleases, for to say that would contradict what he has outlined in the early portions of the epistle, namely, that man is responsible. He is stating the unquestioned sovereignty of God to take a rebellious Egyptian and make him Pharaoh and to let Pharaoh live with the consequences of his own arrogance and be a warning not only to his contemporaries but to all posterity.

God is always consistent with His nature and revelation. The sinner chooses his sin and God may leave him to it. Vessels of wrath have prepared themselves for destruction and vessels of mercy have been prepared by God for glory. All deserve condemnation, but by His grace, salvation is offered to all. He will display the riches of His glory in those who believe. The vessels of mercy God has prepared beforehand for glory are both Jews and Gentiles. It is God who does the choosing.

Hosea 1:10 and Hosea 2:23 demonstrate God’s pursuit of the Gentiles, whom He included in His plan. Paul moves from the inclusion of the Gentiles in Hosea to the exclusion of the Jews in Isaiah 1:9 and Isaiah 10:23. All these questions about God’s integrity were fully recorded as prophetic statements in the Old Testament. Today there is a faithful remnant of Jewish people who know the Messiah.

Paul quotes at length from the prophet Hosea, showing God’s ancient commitment to make those who were “not My people” to be accepted. From Isaiah he substantiates the fact that God has previously turned away from His rebellious people but has always left Himself a “remnant” or a “seed” by way of promise that brighter times lie ahead.

God’s plan provided righteousness to the Gentiles, who were not looking for it, and the Jews, who were looking for it and missed it. May believers never be so caught up in the trappings of Christianity that they miss an opportunity to give God glory. If God were to choose some people for salvation and pass over others apart from their merits or actions, that would make God arbitrary and unfair. God blesses people with His grace and mercy, not because they deserve it but because it is God’s nature to give grace and mercy. Neither grace nor mercy can be demanded; they can only be gratefully accepted.

The Jews could not obtain righteousness by the works of the law. Their rejection of the Messiah was clearly prophesied in Psalm 118:22 and Isaiah 28:16-19. Because Israel was committed to righteousness out of their works, they stumbled at the stumbling stone and fell over the offer of righteousness through faith in the finished work of Christ.

Paul concludes the lesson on God’s divine choice by reminding his readers that although God chooses some to receive His mercy, those who receive His judgment do so not because of something God has done to them, but because of their own unwillingness to believe the gospel. Sinners are condemned for their personal sins, the supreme one being rejection of God and Christ.

It is plain to see that the apostle in this passage, far from capitulating to the criticisms of his gospel, shows how, in fact, it is a thoroughly consistent extension of all that God has been doing through the ages. As a result, God is seen to be superbly sovereign in His dealings with man in ways that wonderfully preserve His control and retain the dignity with which God invested man when He created him in His own image.

(An audio version of this post can be found by clicking this link: Romans 9 verses 14-33 God’s Divine Choice)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013: pp. 1557-1558)
2. Briscoe, D.S., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson inc.; 1982)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bbiles; 2005)
4. MacArthur, J.F., Jr. The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)

As Paul begins this important section in Romans, he is speaking the truth in Christ and with great compassion for his people: “I am speaking the truth in Christ–I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit–I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart”. These are remarkable words coming from the heart of Paul; he carries a personal burden, but he is also aware that the only one who can relieve him of this burden is God working through the Holy Spirit.

Paul exulted in the thought of God’s salvation, but in his joy recognized again that his own people, whom he loved deeply, knew nothing of the joy that was his. A cloud passed over his sun as he contemplated Israel’s rejection of his Lord. Calling Christ and the Holy Spirit as witnesses, Paul affirms his love for the Jews. His greatest joy in His position in Christ is contrasted by the sorrow and grief he feels for his unsaved Jewish brothers and sisters.

There is a striking intensity in the apostle’s words as he tries to impress on his readers how genuinely he feels about the condition of his own people. He insists he is telling the truth, adds that he is not lying, appeals to his conscience, and adds the testimony of the Holy Spirit as he speaks of heaviness of heart and continual sorrow.

The degree of sorrow is expressed by a thought so extreme that if it had not been introduced in this way would probably have been dismissed as ridiculous. He says that he would gladly be anathema—that is, “cut off” from Christ—if it would help in the blessing of his kinsfolk. When Paul offers to be made anathema, his motivations extend beyond the fact that he loves his people so dearly. Paul also has an unyielding commitment to an understanding of God’s utter faithfulness.

For whose sake did Paul volunteer to be “accursed and cut off from Christ”? For “Israelites,” as he calls them: for the Jewish people, for Paul’s own people. Yet he calls them “Israelites” in Romans 9:4, rooting their identity in more than a vague notion of ethnicity, kinship, or nationality. He’s speaking about people with a long, deep legacy: one established by God and intertwined with the life and history of God.

We must note, then, that Paul’s concerns about his people stem from more than casual curiosity or compassionate piety. These concerns arise out of theological questions–questions about God, God’s intentions, and God’s reliability. Does God’s history (past promises) matter for God’s future (pledges about what lies ahead)?

While Paul was justifiably proud of his Greek culture and his Roman citizenship, it was his Jewish heritage that was dearest to his heart. To be a member of the people of God was, to him, the most magnificent privilege, for the name Israelite was itself a reminder of God’s special intervention in the life of Jacob leading to the identification of his descendants as a unique people. To be Jewish was to be a part of the “adoption,” literally the “placing as sons,” or the special invitation by Jehovah to be His family.

Only when the Spirit controls the conscience can it be trusted-but it remains imperfect and its warnings must always be evaluated against the Word of God. Israel’s rejection of Christ does more than stir deep emotions; it raises profound questions that Paul was continually required to address in his ministry. One question went something like this: “How could Paul’s gospel be true when the Israelites had rejected it? Wasn’t their rejection proof of its falsity?” Alternatively, “How could God be called faithful if He rejected those He had chosen to be His people simply because they rejected Christ?” Calvin summarized the dilemma as follows: “Either… there is no truth to the divine promise, or … Jesus, whom Paul preached, is not the Lord’s Christ who had been promised to the Jews.”

Paul’s wish is the same kind of sincere, selfless gesture as Moses’ prayer in Exodus 32:30-35. The word “accursed” means “to be cursed to perdition, to be cut off from God.” Though Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, he took great pleasure in his Jewish heritage. His pain was so great that he was willing to be separated from Christ if only his people could be in Christ.

Paul is not talking about a “chosen people” as an abstract concept. He means the flesh-and-blood people who, throughout history, have possessed and continue to possess God’s favor. Why do Jews possess this favor? Because God gave it to them. The “Israelites” are who they are because of God’s gift, God’s free choice.

What do they possess? Paul says they possess several things–all of which receive attention elsewhere in Romans, as well. They possess God’s “adoption,” making them children in God’s family. God has shared “glory” with them and made “covenants” by which to bless them. They received and possessed God’s “law,” God’s own for holiness and justice. They “worship” or serve the one true God, who made concrete “promises” with them via their “patriarchs.”

The supreme privilege of Israel and their gift to the world is that the Messiah, Christ, came through the lineage of the patriarchs-at least, according to the flesh. But beyond the flesh comes an ancestry Israel cannot claim; this Messiah is the eternally blessed God.

Paul states this thought, as if it were from the Jews: “If we have been chosen by God as a people, and according to you, we have missed the ultimate plan of redemption, does it not follow that God, now, was unable to carry out His plan for us?” It looked as though the word God spoke concerning Israel’s purpose had taken no effect. Paul once again anticipates his readers’ objection to Paul’s theology: If God were to choose some people for salvation and pass over others apart from their merits or actions, that would make God arbitrary and unfair.

John Flavell, a Puritan, said, “If Abraham’s faith be not in your hearts, it will be no advantage that Abraham’s blood is in your veins.”  God’s elective purpose does not depend on physical ancestry, but on His grace. The national and racial promises made to Abraham did not include every one of Abraham’s descendants but only those who came through Sarah’s son Isaac. Only Isaac’s descendants could truly be called the children of the promise. God chose Jacob before either Jacob or Esau performed deeds to developed character. The fact that Jacob was not a pleasing person shows that God’s choice was not due to Jacob but to God Himself-a choice based on grace.

God’s choice of Jacob, instead of Esau, to continue the physical line was not based on Jacob’s personal merit or demerit. Rather, God’s choice of Jacob resides solely in His own sovereign plan, a perfect example of election unto salvation. God has chosen some Jews—and some Gentiles—but not all, for salvation, not because of works but because of Him who calls. The fact that God made His choice of Jacob before the boys were born and apart from personal merit demonstrates that election unto spiritual life is unrelated to any human effort, and is based only on the prerogative of God who makes His selection.

A covenant is a legally binding promise, agreement, or contract. Three times in the NT the word “covenants” is used in the plural. All but one of God’s covenants with man are eternal and unilateral—that is, God promised to accomplish something based on His own character and not on the response or actions of the promised beneficiary. The 6 biblical covenants include:

1) the covenant with Noah

 2) the covenant with Abraham

3) the covenant of law given through Moses at Sinai

4) the priestly covenant

5) the covenant of an eternal kingdom through David’s greatest Son

6) the New Covenant

Paul reminds his readers that even the racial and national promises made to Abraham were not made to every physical descendant of his, but only to those who came through Isaac. Only Isaac’s descendants could truly be called the children of Abraham, the inheritors of those racial and national promises

Paul’s question about God being unjust is the theme of chapters 9-11. His answer “Certainly not!” rings loud and clear. If God is unjust then He cannot be God, for God is perfect justice in and of Himself.

Paul also affirms that the word he announces comes forth from an anguished conscience for his people. In addition, the scriptures that he will cite extensively are words through which the Holy Spirit bears witness to the truth of God’s revelation in Christ Jesus. Paul’s conscience is clear; he can do no other than bear witness to words that cut to the heart.

Paul now goes to the wall for the sake of his own people, the Jews: “For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh”. In the Galatian letter Paul bore witness that it is Christ who bore our curse, citing Deuteronomy 21:23 in his argument: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us–for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” Is Paul actually saying that if he could put himself on the tree as Christ, bearing the curse of God, he would do so for his own people? Yes. These are words that can only come from Paul’s anguish for the sake of Christ crucified and the people of the covenant promise of God.

(An audio version of this message can be found by clicking this link: Romans 9 verses 1-13 God Chooses His Chosen People)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 1556-1557)
2. Briscoe, D.S., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 182-187
3.  Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. MacArthur, J.F., Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Matt Skinner, “Commentary on Romans 9:1-5.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
6. Paul S. Berge, “Commentary on Romans 9:1-5.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org

The Letter to the Hebrews is about the person of Christ-His deity, humanity, supremacy, priesthood, sacrifice, and glory. The letter contains more than 20 names and titles for Jesus, with the most common being “Son” and “priest.”

God spoke at various times-to Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, to Moses, and to the prophets-and in various ways, from thunder and lightning to the voice of a trumpet; in a still, small voice or in visions and dreams; in human form and angelic visitations; through a foreshadowing and parable and more.

God did not reveal all of Himself in any one time. The process of revelation was a continuous one, in which the recipients received ever-increasing revelation of God. At no time in that older process did they have a complete idea of God.

At first they began to understand His creative power. Then they perceived something of His moral demands and His character as Judge as He sent the flood to destroy the evil in the world. Soon they were to see Him as a covenant-making God taking the initiative in establishing a covenant with Noah by means of a rainbow; then establishing a threefold covenant with an old shepherd and his wife, Abram and Sarah, promising them offspring in great number, a land in which their children would dwell, and finally that all nations of the earth would be blessed through their descendants. They perceived Him as a God interested in individuals and families, while yet judging the nations of the earth. Later God revealed that in spite of His judgments, He would always save a remnant and from that remnant bring about a new people. The whole world would discover Him to be a God who would pay a tremendous price out of redeeming love for the salvation of all people in Jesus Christ.

No, God did not say all about Himself at one time or in one period of revelation. Rather, He spoke in bits and pieces at various times and through different methods—events, prophets, individuals, history. All prior revelation pointed to God’s final revelation in Jesus. Through Jesus, God provided the perfect vehicle for expression: He translated deity into humanity, and this revelation was absolute, infallible, and authoritative according to John 1:14. The world in its entirety was given to Christ as the heir of all things. As the executor of the divine will, one day Jesus will return to enforce its every clause.

God’s very nature- “His glory and the express image”- is revealed perfectly in Jesus because Jesus is God in human form. The Son-who existed before time, was at the beginning of time, and will be at the end of time-is the one who upholds all things by the word of His power and thereby controls history.

The Jews believed angels were the highest beings next to God. To prove that Jesus is much better than the angels, the writer of Hebrews quotes seven of Israel’s own scriptures (six from the Psalms and one from 2 Samuel). The word “better” occurs 12 times in the Letter to the Hebrews, indicating Jesus’ superiority to all of creation and to the Old Covenant. The quotation from Psalm 104:4 that is in Hebrews 1:7 further reflects Christ’s superiority over the angels. They are but His ministers.

When God the Father refers to Jesus as the eternal God, it is one of the Bible’s most irrefutable proofs of the deity of Christ. The comparison must have been clear and obvious. The Son is superior to the prophets! Although He is in the stream of prophetic utterance and revelation, His Person is in unique relationship to God. With a dash of verbal simplicity, the author draws an essential chasm between the prophets and the Son, while at the same time indicating historical continuity between them both. The revelation is essentially one; Jesus the Son is in the line of the prophets. They were precursors; He is the finality! They preached expectantly of the coming Messiah and divine kingdom of God; the Son is the fulfillment and Messiah-King Himself, who will build the kingdom, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The title “firstborn” does not mean that Jesus was created but refers to His exalted status and authority as the ruler of all creation. His superiority to the angels is also proven by the fact that all the angels of God worshipped Him at His birth and worship Him now at the throne of God. Although angels are not superior or equal to Jesus, they play an important role in the lives of believers today as ministering spirits.

In Bible times, a person’s name was the outward expression of who they were, encompassing not only a person’s proper name but his or her identity-including rank, authority, fame, and character. The more excellent name Jesus inherits is “Son”-He is the eternal Son of God.

While Scripture sometimes refers to angels as “the sons of God,” nowhere does God say of angels, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.” Only to Jesus does the Father speak in such personal, familial terms.

How did Jesus look on Himself in reference to this term? What was the meaning of “Son of God,” and how unique was the relation between God the Father and this Son; how special was the Son’s relation to the Father? What was His essential identity that He could call Himself or be known by others as Son of God?

The Gospel record shows that among Christ’s statements there are both direct and implied answers to these questions. The following belong to the latter category.

1.Jesus considered Himself a special envoy of the Father.

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2. Jesus proclaimed Himself as a unique fulfillment of the law and the prophets; in Him was the fulfillment of the kingdom of God. In Matthew 5:17 Jesus says, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill”. He took it upon Himself to reinterpret the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees with an authority which implies a primal understanding of the very nature of the law.

3.Jesus claimed the authority to forgive sins, and in so doing incurred the indictment of blasphemy, for only God can forgive sins.

4. Jesus stated a unique power to oppose and judge Satan in the last times.

5. Jesus claimed superiority over the angels.

6. Jesus claimed so unique a relation to the Father that when people recognized or perceived His true identity, they would see the Father.

Surely by these statements Jesus places Himself above the Law, the prophets, Satan, and the angels. He claims to be in a category above them all. But how much higher? What is His relation to the Father? What is His essential identity as the Son of God?

First, Jesus speaks of Himself as the Son in a unique relationship to the Father. In John 5:19, Jesus said that “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner”.

Second, in John 8:48–59 Jesus claims a kind of pre-existence with God, even using of Himself a name that is used only of God.

Third, when speaking to the woman at the well in John 4:14, Jesus tells her that the water He will give “will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life”. To the person who believes in Him He promises eternal life, that this person will not come into condemnation but already has passed from death to life.

Fourth, The Jews believed that the resurrection of the dead in the last days was to be only by the power and redemption of God. Talking with Martha before the resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus said in John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.

Finally, perhaps the most telling of all Jesus’ claims to be essentially one with God is His statement in John 5:26–27 in which He claims to have the essence of life within Himself even as does the Father.

 When Christ was appointed heir of all, His ultimate authority and possession flowed naturally from His being Son. Both presently and ultimately there is no possession apart from Him. Without Christ we are destitute; we are without those resources which He both controls and distributes to His people. As we share in His resurrection, we share also in His inheritance. As we fail to share in Him, we are bereft of the inheritance and fail to have the necessary resources for life.

And how does Christ come about this control, possession, and authority to distribute? There are two reasons: first, He Himself is creator of all things, and second, through His death and Resurrection He has been given dominion over all principalities and powers. It is He alone who has defeated the satanic powers and gained the victory over death and the grave. He is indeed Christus Victor!

Christ is the primal radiance of God’s glory; that is, because of the nature of Jesus Christ we know there must be some radiating source—God’s own glory. Nicodemus could see that when he said in John 3:2, “No one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

The character of God must radiate; He must express Himself. Jesus Christ is the earthly and human expression of God, God’s own character in human form. Moreover, when we analyze Jesus Christ we learn about the radiant source, the glory of God. There is no other being that so radiates the glory of God, and no other one by whom we may completely know the Father.

A small boy was looking at a picture of Jesus, musing long over it in thoughtful silence. Noticing the boy’s studious quietness, his father asked, “What are you doing, son?”

“Looking at this picture of Jesus.” Then with an approving and decisive nod of his head, the boy added, “Hmm, best picture God ever had taken.”

He had caught the meaning our author was attempting to portray—Jesus is the unique likeness of God the Father. Again “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father”; or, to paraphrase, “If you have recognized my true identity, then you know what God is like.” When we hear Jesus, we hear God. When we see Jesus, we see God. If we ever want to know what God is like or how He might act or where He might go, all we have to do is watch Jesus.

(To hear an audio version of this post, please click this link: Hebrews 1 verses 1-14 What is God Like)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 1744-1746)
2. Evans, L.H., Jr., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 33: Hebrews (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1985; pp. 37-63)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. MacArthur, J.F., Jr. The MacArthur Study Bile: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson; 2010; pp. 1689-1690)

In Romans 8:1, Paul summarizes not just chapter 7, but his whole argument up to this point. “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Having carefully expounded the divine principle whereby God justifies sinners and frees them from all condemnation for their guilt, Paul now shows that the believer has much more to enjoy in terms of freedom from condemnation.

The word “now” contrasts that peace with the time before people enjoyed emancipation from sin through Christ’s justification. The believer’s judgment day is behind them, at the cross of Calvary. The unbeliever’s judgment day is ahead of them. The word “condemnation” is a legal term that includes both the sentence and the execution of the sentence.

In the same way that a law can be either a legal requirement or a scientific principle, so Paul sees the law sometimes as a divine requirement and other times as a spiritual principle. It is the operation of the principle of the “Spirit of life” in the believer that sets him free from the operation of the principle of “sin and death.” The law itself is not weak; it is weak because of humankind’s inability to keep it. To deal with this human insurmountable problem, God sent Jesus to meet the demands of the law that were rightly leveled against people.

Since “the flesh” naturally puts itself first and does everything it can to honor itself, nothing done “in the flesh” can honor or please God. We please God only when we depend on Him to do through us what we cannot. Grace does not change the nature of sin; sin leads to death, always. Grace never makes sin less deadly. Instead, grace enables us to rely on the power of the Spirit to put to death our sinful urges and desires.

The ceremonial aspect of the Mosaic law has been set aside, and the basic responsibility for the civil aspect, which shows the application of moral law in a community, has been transferred to human government. The moral law finds its basis in the character of God and is presented in outline form in the Ten Commandments; its most condensed form is in Jesus’ commands to love God and to love one’s neighbor as one’s self. Although the believer is no longer in bondage to the moral law’s condemnation and penalty, the law still reflects the moral character of God and His will for His creatures. But what the external, written code was unable to accomplish, the Spirit is able to do by writing the law on our hearts and giving us the power to obey it.

To understand what Paul means by the “law of sin and death” we need to note the link between “the flesh” and “sin” in his thinking. The flesh is an attitude or inclination operating in complete rejection of the divine will that requires self-sacrificial submission, choosing rather the free expression of anything and everything that will bring self-gratification. It is in this flesh that the law of sin and death moves and has its being.

To be “in the flesh” means the same as being “in Adam,” or unregenerate; to live “according to the flesh” means to live as if unregenerate after becoming regenerate. Paul’s cry for deliverance is therefore a longing to be free from the discouraging tendency he has discovered in himself to live, although justified, as if he is not. He finds within himself a sinful propensity which is so powerful that he recognizes he, in himself, is incapable of breaking it; in fact, it is so pervasive that he feels as if he is “sold under sin” because his human nature is so thoroughly imbued with selfishness and self-serving. This is the law of sin and death from which he longs to be free.

This is a simple spiritual equation: The person with the mind set on the flesh is spiritually dead. The person with his mind set on the things of the Spirit is very much spiritually alive and at peace with God. This describes every Christian.

Christ came into our humanity and assumed our personality, but He was unique in that, while human flesh is consistently corrupt, He lived with and in our nature without in any way succumbing to the sinfulness which goes along with it. It was the inescapable fact of His sinlessness while living in the vehicle of our humanness which roundly condemned the fleshliness of our nature and the sinfulness of our lives. Having condemned sin in the flesh by His flawless 33 years inhabiting our humanity, He then assumed our sin on the Cross, and in dying for sin, He made the most thoroughgoing denunciation of sin once and for all.

Those who are “in Christ” have identified with Him in His condemnation of sin in the flesh and in so doing have taken the first step to living free of its dominion. Those who choose rather to excuse their fleshliness by blaming it on heredity or who condone it by pointing out it is “only human” cannot begin to live in liberty. But those who intelligently take their stand in Christ not only lament their sinfulness—cry for deliverance, as did Paul—but also take great interest in the operation of the “law of the Spirit of life” which “in Christ” sets them free.

No one would be able to keep the law without the indwelling of the Spirit. Law-keeping doesn’t save people; they must be saved before they can keep the law. Augustine said, “The law is given that grace might be sought; grace is given that the law might be fulfilled.” To give the Roman Christians some idea of the significance of the divine indwelling, Paul introduces another of his favorite sets of contrasts. Whereas the human body is subject to death because of sin—a concept already developed—the spirit of man through the presence of the life-giving Spirit possesses life eternal because of justification. While the body of man is not exempt from the corruption common to the race because of Adam’s sin, the spirit of man is preserved unto life through the sheer power of the indwelling Spirit. The mortal bodies of the believers which will, of course, return to the dust from which they came, will in a coming day be resurrected to a reunion with their corresponding spirit. Both the eternal preservation of the human spirit and the ultimate Resurrection of the human body are attributed to the Spirit of God. But of particular interest to us in this context is the fact that the power thus exhibited by the Spirit is the power made available to believers in the present age in order that they, through the Spirit of life, might be set free from the law of sin and death.

The phrase “in the flesh” means an absolute inability to please God. Only surrender to the Holy Spirit can guarantee motives pleasing to Him because the human heart is deceitful and wicked. Having described in detail what it means to be “in the flesh” and to live “according to the flesh,” Paul now sets out to describe the divine alternatives, which are to be “in the Spirit” and to live “according to the Spirit.” “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” either in terms of moving Him to save them because they have been good, or in terms of living such exemplary lives that He delights in watching them do it. But believers do not need to be unduly concerned about this human limitation because they are “not in the flesh but in the Spirit” and, accordingly, have the capability of pleasing the One who has redeemed them. The proof that they are “in the Spirit” is to be found in the fact of His indwelling presence. It is apparent that Paul moves freely from one title to another when writing about the Holy Spirit. In the verses we are considering, He is called “the Spirit of God,” “the Spirit of Christ,” “the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead.” While each of these descriptions is synonymous with the others, they all point to a different aspect of His personality and remind us of the Triune God.

The unique Christian truth dealing with the fact of God’s indwelling presence was introduced to the disciples by the Lord Jesus. They were definitely unreceptive to what He had to say because He introduced the topic by telling them that He proposed leaving them and that they would be better off without Him. This unpalatable prospect was improved considerably for them when He explained. After He had left them, He said, the Comforter would come to them and make it possible for Him to live in them. With the same kind of free interchange of ideas which characterize Paul’s treatment of the truth, the Lord talked about the Holy Spirit’s indwelling them, His own indwelling them, and even God’s taking up His abode in them. It was the indwelling of their lives which would be far superior to anything they had as yet experienced; therefore, the departure of the Lord which would precede the arrival of the Comforter was to be to their advantage. In the body of flesh which He had assumed, the Lord was subject to the limitations of time and space common to all men. As a result He could not be with Peter in Galilee and at the same time with John in Jerusalem, but when liberated from His earthly body through the Resurrection and Ascension, He would come to them in the Spirit and live in their lives, imparting to them His grace and power.

In verses 9-11, Paul shifts from third person to second person, personally addressing his readers and urging them to yield to the Spirit’s power in their lives. He is their help and their holiness as they refuse the old patterns of the flesh. The Holy Spirit inhabits, invigorates, and ensures every believer, enabling a victorious Christian life. Paul reminds us that, when it comes to spiritual life, everything is important and nothing is to be taken casually. There is a particular danger for Christians who have worked themselves into a comfortable, undemanding situation where they are confronted with little external challenge and have so come to terms with their own lifestyle that they see little or no necessity for deepening of the spiritual life. Without realizing it, they may have ceased to be ambitious for the things of the Spirit and may have lapsed into a kind of spiritual neutrality which in reality is an ambition for the comfort of the fleshly and an identification with the purely natural.

It is worth noting that, although Paul regards the “things” of both flesh and Spirit of the utmost importance, he does not outline what they are. But from the context it would appear that he was thinking of the presence of the Spirit in the believer, which, when borne constantly in mind, has a most salutary impact on the individual’s thought processes. The contrast between the holiness of the Holy Spirit and the things that so easily captivate the believer’s thinking is underlined when it has become increasingly normal for the believer to concentrate on the Spirit’s presence.

The “walk” according to the Spirit is a most natural development from minding the things of the Spirit. It means to make definite decisions based on the intelligent appreciation of the Spirit. It is helpful to remember that there is an obvious difference between taking a step and going for a walk. While Christian experience involves taking some massive steps occasionally, the normal Christian experience is the product of a succession of relatively unimportant steps that require varying degrees of decision.

Can you imagine prospective parents saying, “We’d like to adopt Johnny, but first we want to know a few things. Does he have a house to live in? Does he have money for tuition? Does he have a ride to school every morning and clothes to wear every day? Can he prepare his own meals and mend his own clothes?”

No agency would stand for such talk. Its representative would lift her hand and say, “Wait a minute. You don’t understand. You don’t adopt Johnny because of what he has; you adopt him because of what he needs. He needs a home.”

The same is true with God. He doesn’t adopt us because of what we have. He doesn’t give us His name because of our wit or wallet or good attitude.… adoption is something we receive, not something we earn.

We are welcome in God’s house because we have been adopted by the owner. God has adopted you. God sought you, found you, signed the papers and took you home.

It would be enough if God just cleansed your name, but He does more. He gives you His name. It would be enough if God just set you free, but He does more. He takes you home … God adopted you simply because He wanted to. You were in His good will and pleasure. Knowing full well the trouble you would be and the price He would pay, He signed His name next to yours and changed your name to His and took you home. Your Abba adopted you and became your Father.

The Spirit is every believer’s hope-the seal God has given to guarantee life forever in the presence of the Father. The words “mortal” and “immortal” always refer to the body, which is still subject to death because of sin. The Holy Spirit regenerates the human spirit upon conversion. At the time of the resurrection, human bodies will be clothed with life immortal, too.

(An audio version of this post can be found by clicking this link: Romans 8 verses 1-11 Justification Leads to Peace With God)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 1554-1555)
2. Briscoe, D.S., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 149-160)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. MacArthur, J.F., Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Lucado, M.; The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson; 2010)

One issue surfaces in virtually every one of Paul’s letters: What good is the law? To most of Paul’s audience, the word “law” stands for the huge collection of rules and rituals detailed in the Old Testament. Whenever he starts talking about “the new covenant” or “freedom in Christ,” his Jewish listeners want to know what he thinks about Moses’ Law. Does God still require obedience?

It is not uncommon for believers to be unsure about their relationship to the law. On the one hand, they have learned that they have died to the law, that they are not under law but under grace and that they should live as free people. On the other hand, they hear Paul extoling the virtues of the law, calling it “holy, just, and good” and describing it as “spiritual,” and they feel a little uneasy about disregarding it all together. The dilemma should be resolved when we remember that God’s law reflects the purity of His character and outlines the standards of behavior that He regards as normative. The flaw of the law is that it cannot bring anyone to regeneration, and to die to the law means to die to all efforts to be justified by keeping it. This does not mean, however, that the law is any less true or that God regards it as less important. It still reflects God’s nature and continues to outline His standards and, therefore, is relevant to the believer.

Paul’s new inner self, the new “I,” no longer approved of the sin that was still living in his flesh, like his old self did but rather, strongly disapproved. Many have misconstrued Paul’s comments as abdicating personal responsibility for his sin by embracing a form of Greek dualism. Dualism taught that the body is evil and the spirit is good, so its adherents sinned with impunity by claiming they were not responsible; their sin was entirely the product of their physical bodies, while their spirits remained untouched and unsullied. But the apostle has already acknowledged personal guilt for his sin. His sin does not flow out of his new redeemed innermost self, but from his unredeemed humanness.

The flesh serves as a base camp from which sin operates in the Christian’s life. It is not sinful inherently, but because of its fallenness, it is still subject to sin and is thoroughly contaminated. The law of sin operates in the members of our bodies—that is, our unredeemed and still sinful humanness—waging war against our desire to obey God’s law.

The believer who holds the law of God in high regard will, like Paul, find himself in something of a battle. One part of him will give assent to the goodness of the law, but another part of him will rebel against it. In response to the principles of God outlined in the law, one part of the believer will aspire to great deeds, but another part will pull him back from achieving them. Challenged by the law to be done with lesser things, the believer may resolve to change his ways only to find that, he goes back to do again the things he loathes.

The key to the interpretation and proclamation of this passage is the identification of the “I.”  Theories abound, and much exegetical ink has been spilled.

• The “I” equals Paul’s pre-Christian life, in which he was dissatisfied with God and with legalism; what we have in Romans 7 is essentially Paul’s pre-Christ diary.  Paul himself, however, does not show that dissatisfaction.
• The “I” equals the Christian.  But how does that fit with all of the passages that speak of the believer as free from sin?
• The “I” equals Adam or humanity as determined by Adam.
• The “I” is the sinner (or perhaps Paul himself) viewed from the perspective of one who has been justified.  The now justified person re-evaluates his/her pre-Christ life.
• But finally, perhaps the “I” is at least in part the present-day Christian.  So why did Paul devote so much space to our passage’s concern if the temptation to sin was firmly in the past?  The anguish of our text sounds fresh. In Romans 7:4-6 there is a strong statement of the “already,” but in Romans 7:14-24 Paul details the gravity of the “not yet.”^. For now the believer is caught in-between.

Paul’s normative use of body is positive.  The body is a gift of God, and it is in the body that the believer is called to glorify God as Paul states in 1 Corinthians 6:20. The word “flesh” on the other hand, is the short-hand term Paul uses when he wants to designate a body or life that is being misused, that is, a body that is controlled by Sin.  The positive body in that case has become the negative flesh.  It is important to realize that body and flesh do not usually in Paul mean the same thing.  And that is why nothing good can dwell in the “I’s” flesh.

Stated in the simplest terms, Paul is describing the sad experience of many a person who believes that the principle “thou shalt not commit adultery” is “holy and just and good” but still has a terrible struggle with adulterous thoughts. Or the person who firmly believes that “thou shalt not covet” is a “spiritual” statement and agrees with it wholeheartedly but has great feelings of resentment toward the person appointed to the position she wanted for her husband (and herself!). They both “delight in the law of God according to the inward man,” but, unfortunately, they are discovering that the law which could not bring anyone justification cannot bring anyone sanctification either. The law pointed out sin in the unbeliever to bring them to repentance, and it goes on pointing out “sin that dwells” in the believer in order that they may look for ongoing deliverance.

The picture of the battle of the soul is clearly sketched by Paul as he carefully chooses words with military connotations. He describes sin as “warring” against the law of his mind with the result that he is brought into “captivity.” It is fitting that he continues the theme by using the expression commonly employed by soldiers wounded in battle and in need of help when he writes, “Who will deliver me?” His response to his own query is as powerful as it is brief. “Thank God,” he says, “through Jesus Christ” deliverance from the ongoing power of sin will be experienced. Paul tempers his exultant cry of promised victory with a balanced reminder: the war is not over and the battle will continue, but with the certainty of victory instead of the inevitability of defeat.

All of us can relate to the fierce internal struggle that Paul describes. Until we stand in Jesus’ presence, we will all experience this battle. The only way to win it is by joyfully tapping into the Spirit’s overcoming power. We simply do not have the power by ourselves to do what pleases God. Even the “good things” we do in our own strength make us prideful and dishonoring to God according to Isaiah 64:6.

 It begins to dawn on us that one of the marks of a mature Christian is the awareness of this struggle with evil in our lives. One of the marks of a mature Christian is this honest awareness about who are, honest about this civil war within us. It is to struggle with evil until our dying day. We all struggle. We all say to ourselves, “O wretched person that I am.”

Or perhaps we have outgrown this? Have we become so mature, so holy? Are our lives so together, so we have finally arrived at the point where we say, “We are just fine. We are not like the Apostle Paul?” We say inside, “Wretched are those other people. We have won the battle with our sins; we have conquered our sinful selves and our civil war.”

According to the Apostle Paul, a mark of a mature Christian is that a person continues to struggle with sin until our dying day. This is not a sign of Christian immaturity, not a sign of Christian weakness, not a sign of Christian double mindedness and doubt. This is a mark of a real Christian who lives in a real world and has real feelings inside and real awareness of himself or herself. Yes, we know that we struggle with it.

Sin is responsible for death, not God’s holy law. Sin twists the goodness of the law so that it brings death. This is catastrophic for those who depend on the law for their life and salvation. The law reveals a person’s sinful nature, but it does not change it. Those who are bound by the law end up embracing death, not life.

The law is spiritual because it originates from God and reflects His holy nature. The word “carnal” does not describe someone who is unsaved, but someone who is saved and still battles the flesh-a condition that will persist until the Saviour returns.

The phrase “sin that dwells in me” uses a Greek expression that suggests that sin “sets up house in me.” Paul is not talking about conflict with evil in the world but conflict with evil within himself. Because Paul failed to do only good, he could not completely fulfill the requirements of God’s holy law.

Born with a legacy from Adam that can do nothing right, believers retain the capacity to sin according to Galatians 5:17. They are also gifted with a new capacity from God: the ability to do right. These two capacities are incompatible and irreconcilable. The law of Sinai demands absolute perfection according to James 2:10. The law of sin and death came into being when Adam fell and places the whole human race under this law. It fights against the law of God. The law of Sinai pulls one toward heaven; the law of sin pulls one toward hell.

Just as eternal life is through Jesus Christ, escape from the flesh is through Him, as Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:57. Jesus dealt effectively with the problems of sin, Satan, and self on the cross.

(An audio version of this message can be found by clicking this link: Romans 7 verses 13-25 Our Spiritual Struggle)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1554)
2. Briscoe, D.S., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 143-148)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. MacArthur, J.F., Jr: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Walter F. Taylor, Jr., “Commentary on Romans 7:15-25.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
6. The Rev. Edward Markquart, “I Don’t Do What I Want to Do.” Retrieved from www.sermonsfromseattle.com
7. “Limits of the Law: The law serves a good purpose—up to a point.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com