Romans 1:1 identifies the author of the book of Romans as the apostle Paul. Romans 16:22 indicates that Paul used a man name Tertius to transcribe his words. The book of Romans was likely
written A.D. 56-58.
Purpose of Writing
As with all Paul’s epistles to the churches, his purpose in writing was to
proclaim the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ by teaching doctrine and edify and encourage the believers who would receive his
letter. Of particular concern to Paul were those to whom this letter was written—those in Rome who were “loved
by God and called to be saints” (Romans 1:7). Because he himself was a Roman citizen, he had a unique passion for those in the assembly of believers
in Rome. Since he had not, to this point, visited the church in Rome, this letter also served as his introduction to them.
Some Key Verses
Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of every
one who believes, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”
Romans 3:9-11, “What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge
that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is
no one who understands, no one who seeks God.’”
Romans 3:21, “But now a righteousness from God apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law
and Prophets testify.”
Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died
for us.”
Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:9, “You however, are controlled not by the sinful nature, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of
God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”
Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been
called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:37-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present
nor the future, nor any powers, neither height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us
from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 10:9-10, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart
that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it
is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living
sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship.”
Romans 12:19, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written:
‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord,”
Romans 16:17, “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your
way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.”
Paul was excited about being able to minister at last in this church, and everyone
was well aware of that fact (Romans 1:8-15). The letter to the Romans was written from Corinth just prior to Paul’s trip to Jerusalem
to deliver the alms that had been given for the poor there. He had intended to go to Rome and then on to Spain (Romans 15:24), but his plans were interrupted when he was arrested in Jerusalem. He would eventually go to Rome
as a prisoner. Phoebe, who was a member of the church at Cenchrea near Corinth (Romans 16:1), most likely carried the letter to Rome.
The book of Romans is primarily a work of doctrine
and can be divided into four sections:
righteousness needed, 1:18–3:20;
righteousness provided, 3:21–8:39;
righteousness vindicated, 9:1–11:36;
righteousness practiced, 12:1–15:13.
The main theme of this letter is obvious of course—righteousness. Guided
by the Holy Spirit, Paul first condemns all men of their sinfulness. He expresses his desire to preach the truth of God’s
Word to those in Rome. It was his hope to have assurance they were staying on the right path. He strongly points out that
he is not ashamed of the gospel (Romans 1:16), because it is the power by which everyone is saved.
The book of Romans tells us about God,
who He is and what He has done. It tells us of Jesus Christ, what His death accomplished. It tells us about ourselves, what
we were like without Christ and who we are after trusting in Christ. Paul points out that God did not demand men have their
lives straightened out before coming to Christ. While we were still sinners Christ died on a cross
for our sins.
PAUL'S SCHOLARSHIP
Paul uses several Old Testament people and events as illustrations of
the glorious truths in the book of Romans. Abraham believed and righteousness was imputed to him by his faith, not by his
works (Romans 4:1-5).
In Romans 4:6-9, Paul refers to David who reiterated the same truth: “Blessed are they whose transgressions
are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against
him."
Paul uses Adam to explain to the Romans the doctrine of inherited sin and he uses the story of Sarah and Isaac, the child of promise, to illustrate the principle of Christians
being the children of the promise of the divine grace of God through Christ.
In chapters 9–11, Paul recounts the history of the nation of Israel and declares
that God has not completely and finally rejected Israel (Romans 11:11-12), but has allowed them to “stumble” only until the full number of the Gentiles will
be brought to salvation. "THE FULLNESS OF THE GENTILES"
(CHAPTERS 9-11 IS THE NEXT STUDY WE WILL SHARE)
Practical Applications
The book of Romans makes it clear:
There is nothing we can do to save ourselves.
Every “good” deed we have ever done is as a filthy rag before
God.
So dead in our trespasses and sins are we that only the grace and mercy of God
can save us.
God expressed that grace and mercy by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on
the cross in our place.
When we turn our lives over to Christ, we are no longer
controlled by our sin nature, but we are controlled by the Spirit.
If we make confession that Jesus is Lord, and believe that He is raised from
the dead, we are saved, born again.
Christ lives and therefore we live in Him.
We need to live our lives offered to God as a living sacrifice to Him.
Worship of the God who saved us should be our highest desire.
Perhaps the best application of Romans would be to apply Romans 1:16 and not be ashamed of the gospel. Instead, let us all be faithful in proclaiming it!
"Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen" Rom.15:33
PART 1
Written by Paul the Apostle, this Epistle has such a personal touch it could have
come to us TODAY and blessed our hearts as it does with such understandings of God's truths that I believe it is the greatest
revelation God has given of the most important principles for our Christian walk in faith.
Paul, a Jew, was chosen by God to preach the Gospel of His Grace to the Gentiles.
This he did by the power of God in him. And the shining star of his mission came at Rome where, though he did not by his presence personally
form this church, his letters and faithfulness was the motivation for the church's birth there at the center of the world.
The church of Rome was NOT formed by Peter, but by Paul.
Romans 15:15-16
"15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have
written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God,
16 That
I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles
might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost."
Paul made it quite clear that
Peter was the apostle to the Jews:
Galatians 2:
"8 (For he that wrought effectually
in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)
9 And
when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas
the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision."
God appoints Paul to Open up
the Gospel in Rome.
Acts 26:
"17 Delivering
thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
18 To
open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness
of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."
And Paul responded in faith:
Rom.1:15
"15 So, as much as in me is, I am
ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also."
And Paul was careful to make it clear
he did not go where another had preached The Gospel. (Look at today!)
So it is fair to
conclude Peter had nothing to do with the ROMAN CHURCH!
Rom.15:
"20 Yea, so have I strived to preach the
gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation:"
Where Does The Catholic Church
Get It's Authority From?
The doctrine of apostolic succession is the belief
that the 12 apostles passed on their authority to successors, who then passed the apostolic authority on to their successors,
continuing throughout the centuries, even unto today. The Roman Catholic Church sees Peter as the leader of the apostles,
with the greatest authority, and therefore his successors carry on the greatest authority. The Roman Catholic Church combines
this belief with the concept that Peter later became the first bishop of Rome, and that the Roman bishops that followed Peter
were accepted by the early church as the central authority among all of the churches. Apostolic succession, combined with
Peter’s supremacy among the apostles, results in the Roman bishop being the supreme authority of the Catholic Church
– the Pope.
However, nowhere in Scripture did Jesus, the apostles, or any other New Testament writer set forth
the idea of “apostolic succession.” Further, neither is Peter presented as “supreme”
over the other apostles. The Apostle Paul, in fact, rebukes Peter when Peter was leading others astray (Galatians 2:11-14).
"11 But
when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
12 For
before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself,
fearing them which were of the circumcision.
13 And
the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
14 But
when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou,
being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the
Jews?"
Yes, the Apostle Peter had a prominent role. Yes,
perhaps the Apostle Peter was the leader of the apostles (although the Book of Acts records the Apostle Paul and Jesus’
brother James as also having prominent leadership roles). Whatever the case, Peter was not the “commander” or
supreme authority over the other apostles. Even if apostolic succession could be demonstrated from Scripture, which it cannot,
apostolic succession would not result in Peter’s successors being absolutely supreme over the other apostles’
successors.
Catholics point to Matthias being chosen to replace Judas as the 12th apostle in Acts chapter 1 as an example
of apostolic succession. While Matthias did indeed “suceed” Judas as an apostle, this is in no sense an argument
for continuing apostolic succession. Matthias being chosen to replace Judas is only an argument for the church replacing ungodly
and unfaithful leaders (such as Judas), with godly and faithful leaders (such as Matthias).
Nowhere in the New Testament are any of the twelve
apostles recorded as passing on their apostolic authority to successors. Nowhere do any of the apostles predict that they
will pass on their apostolic authority. No, Jesus ordained the apostles to build the foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20). What is the foundation of the church that the apostles built? The New Testament
– the record of the deeds and teachings of the apostles. The church does not need apostolic successors. The church needs
the teachings of the apostles accurately recorded and preserved. And that is exactly what God has provided in His Word (Ephesians 1:13; Colossians 1:5; 2 Timothy 2:15; 4:2).
Eph.1:
"13 In whom ye also
trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were
sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,"
Col.1:
" 5
For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;"
2 Tim.2:
" 15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
2 Tim.4:
" 2
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine."
In short, apostolic succession is not biblical.
The concept of apostolic succession is never found in Scripture. What is found in Scripture is that the true
church will teach what the Scriptures teach and will compare all doctrines and practices to Scripture in order to determine
what is true and right.
Alignment with Scriptural teaching, not apostolic
succession, is the determining factor of the trueness of a church. What is mentioned in Scripture is the idea that the Word
of God was to be the guide that the church was to follow (Acts 20:32). It is Scripture that was to be the infallible measuring stick for teaching and practice (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It is the Scriptures that teachings are to be compared with (Acts 17:10-12). Apostolic authority was passed on through the writings of the apostles, not through apostolic
succession.
NEXT WE BEGIN
TO REVIEW THE MEAT OF THE BOOK OF ROMANS:
JUSTIFICATION OF THE SINNER.
Romans 4:8 "Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."
"24 But also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for
us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
"He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification."
Rom.5:
"15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died
by the trespass of the one man,(Adam) how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus
Christ, overflow to the many!
16 Again, the gift of God is not like
the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses
and brought justification.
17 For if, by the trespass of the one
man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the
gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
19 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men,
so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. (who believe on Christ Jesus)
" Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin,
and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned..."
" For before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken
into account when there is no law."
Romans 5:19-21
"19 For
just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the
many will be made righteous.
20 The
law was added so that the trespass might increase.(The reality of man's condition) But where sin increased, grace increased
all the more,
21 so that,
just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord."
Romans 6:
"1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? "2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?"
"9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the
dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.
10 The death he died, he died to
sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. ( As we too who love God)
11In the same way, count yourselves
dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil
desires." (We are allergic to sin! The Spirit convicts us if we fail to judge our own conduct)
Rom.6:
"14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are
not under law, but under grace.
15 What then? Shall we sin because
we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
16 Don't you know that when you offer
yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin,
which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?"
"22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to
God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord."
"13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order
that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might
become utterly sinful.
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to
sin."
Romans 7:
"19 For
what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.
20 Now if
I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does
it.
21 So
I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me."
Rom.7:
"24 What a wretched man I am! Who will
rescue me from this body of death?
25 Thanks be to God—through Jesus
Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law,
but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."
Romans 8:
"1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those
who are in Christ Jesus,
2 because through Christ Jesus the law
of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful
nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful
man,"
" 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness."
Rom.14:
"22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself
and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.
23 But the man who has doubts is condemned
if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith
is sin."
RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD
Rom.1:
"16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of
God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
17 For in the gospel a righteousness
from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The
righteous will live by faith."
Rom.3:
"21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference
23 for all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
Rom.4:
"2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God.
3 What does the Scripture say? "Abraham
believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."
4 Now when a man works, his wages
are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.
5 However, to the man who does not
work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
6 David says
the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 "Blessed are they whose
transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered."
Rom.4:
"23 The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone,
24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification."
Rom.5:
16 Again, the gift of God is not like the
result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift
followed many trespasses and brought justification.
17 For if, by the trespass of the one man,
death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision
of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18Consequently, just as the result
of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings
life for all men."( WHO BELIEVE)
Rom.6:
"12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey
its evil desires.
13 Do not offer the parts of your
body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have
been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
14 For sin
shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."
Rom.10:
"2 For I can testify about them (Jew's) that they are zealous for
God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.
3 Since they did not know the righteousness
that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.
4 Christ is the end of the
law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who
believes."
Rom.14:
"16 Do not allow what you consider good to
be spoken of as evil.
17 For the
kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy
Spirit,
18
because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men."
PART 2
Justification is the act of God that declares a sinner righteous by faith in Jesus Christ
on the merits of His sacrifice. It is the addition of the righteousness of Christ in us and the subtraction of our sins.
Man cannot remove the guilt of sin.
Man cannot change his nature. We suffer an incurable disease!
Law reveals sins not salvation.
Though justification as a principle is found throughout Scripture, the main passage describing
justification in relation to believers is Romans 3:21-26:
“But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law
and the prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no
difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate
his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate
his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”
We
are justified, declared righteous, at the moment of our salvation. Justification does not make us righteous, but rather pronounces
us righteous. Our righteousness comes from placing our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. His sacrifice covers our
sin, allowing God to see us as perfect and unblemished. Because as believers we are in Christ, God sees Christ's own righteousness
when He looks at us. This meets God's demands for perfection; thus, He declares us righteous—He justifies us.
Romans 5:18-19 sums it up well: “Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all
men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the
disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made
righteous.”
It is because of justification that the peace of God can rule in our lives. It is because
of justification that believers can have assurance of salvation. It is the fact of justification that enables God to begin
the process of sanctification—the process by which God makes us in reality what we already are positionally.
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
BY FAITH ALONE
Rom.4:
"16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may
be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith
of Abraham. He is the father of us all."
THE NATION ISRAEL WITHOUT FAITH
Rom.10:
3Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish
their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4Christ is the end of the
law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. (Jew and Gentile)
WITHOUT WORKS
Rom.3:
"24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ
Jesus."
(Titus 3: "7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having
the hope of eternal life.")
Rom.3:
"20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law;
rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."
(Gal.2:16-17: "know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith
in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing
the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.")
JUSTIFICATION THROUGH HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION THE CONDITION PRECEDENT
Rom.4:
"25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification."
Rom.8:
"34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was
raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." ( NEVER WORKS BEFORE OR AFTER! WE ARE JUSTIFIED
IN HIM AND BECAUSE OF HIM)
WE HAVE SECURITY AGAINST GOD'S WRATH!
Rom.5:
"9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be
saved from God's wrath through him!"
SPIRITUAL PEACE
Rom.5:
" 1 Therefore, since we have been justified through
faith, wehave peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,"
ACCESS TO GOD AND A SURE HOPE
Rom.5:
"2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.
And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."
PERSERVERANCE TO RUN THE RACE
Rom. 5:
"3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that
suffering produces perseverance;perseverance, character; and character, hope."
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND CHRIST'S LOVE
Rom.5:
5And hope does not disappoint us, because God
has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
6You see, at just the right time, when we were
still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a
righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God
demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
DELIVERENCE FROM THE GREAT TRIBULATION/ JOY!
Rom. 5:
"9 Since we have now been justified
by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much
more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11Not
only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."
JUSTIFICATION IS AN ACT OF GOD WHICH IS PERMANENT! WE ARE RECONCILED TO GOD
THROUGH CHRIST AND HIS LIFE!
AFTER SALVATION: SANCTIFICATION
Preliminary Review Before Romans Chapters 5 - 8
Jesus had a lot to say about sanctification in the Book of John, chapter 17. In verse 16 the Lord
says, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world,” and this is before His request: “Sanctify
them in the truth: Thy word is truth.” Sanctification is a state of separation
unto God; all believers enter into this state when they are born of God: “But of Him you
are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). This is a once-for-ever separation, eternally unto God. It is an intricate
part of our salvation, our connection with Christ (Hebrews 10:10).
Sanctification also refers
to the practical experience of this separation unto God, being the effect of obedience to the Word of God in one’s life,
and is to be pursued by the believer earnestly (1 Peter 1:15; Hebrews 12:14). Just as the Lord prayed in John 17, it has in view the setting apart of believers for the purpose
for which they are sent into the world:
“As Thou didst send Me into the world, even so send I them into the world. And for their
sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth” (v. 18, 19).
That He set Himself apart for the purpose for which He was sent is
both the basis and the condition of our being set apart for that for which we are sent (John 10:36).
His sanctification is the pattern of, and the power for, ours.
The sending and the sanctifying are inseparable. On this account they are called saints, hagioi in the Greek; “sanctified
ones.” Whereas previously their behavior bore witness to their standing in the world in separation from God, now their behavior should bear witness to their standing before God in separation from the world.
There
is one more sense that the word sanctification is referred to in Scripture. Paul prayed in 1 Thessalonians 5:23,
“The God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body
be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul also wrote in Colossians of “the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, whereof
ye heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel” (Colossians 1:5). He later speaks of Christ Himself as “the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27) and then mentions the fact of that hope when he says, “When Christ, who is our Life, shall
be manifested, then shall ye also with Him be manifested in glory” (Colossians 3:4).
This glorified state will be our ultimate separation from sin, total
sanctification in every aspect. “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall
be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).
To summarize, sanctification
is the same Greek word as holiness, “hagios,” meaning a separation. First, a once-for-all positional separation
unto Christ at our salvation. Second, a practical progressive holiness in a believer’s life while awaiting the return
of Christ. Third, we will be changed into His perfect likeness—holy, sanctified, and completely
separated from the presence of evil.
PART 3
Remember Paul was the Minister to the Gentiles.
He was called by God to this service. Evident in his ministry were many of the gifts of the Spirit. Certainly the "Fruit"
of Christ's love coursed through his body, his life a living sacrifice to God, and monumental to all generations of Christ's
church . Europe was opened to the Gospel of the Grace of God in Jesus Christ through his ministry. It is interesting
that his first helpmate when he landed in Europe who introduced him to his initial port of preaching was Lydia.
Dr.Luke writes Acts, A Continuation Of
His Gospel
The key theme of ACTS is found in Chapter 1:
" 8 But you will receive power when the
Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth."
PAUL'S HELPMATE LYDIA
Acts16:
"13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city
gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered
there. 14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth
from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider
me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us."
Paul's Ministry To
The Gentiles Begins
Romans 15:
"15 I have written you quite boldly on some
points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me 16to
be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the
gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit."
Let us go back in History to Adam.
Death Through Adam
Rom.5:
"12 Therefore, just as sin entered
the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there
is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses,
even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
And Let Us Come To Where "Life" lives: In Christ
Life Through Christ
Rom.5:
"17 For if, by the trespass of the one man,
death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift
of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ."
Christ and Adam Contrasted
Rom.5:
"18 Consequently,
just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification
that brings life for all men. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one
man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20 The
law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
UNION WITH CHRIST IN HIS DEATH AND
RESURRECTION, THE BASIS OF DELIVERANCE FROM SIN
DEAD TO SIN, ALIVE IN CHRIST
Rom.6:
"1What shall we say, then? Shall
we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how
can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized
into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with
him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we
too may live a new life."
5 If
we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with,
that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7because anyone who has died has
been freed from sin.
"8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe
that we will also live with him. 9 For we know
that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God."
(SANCTIFICATION IS THE GOD DEVELOPED EXPERIENCE OF BEING
MADE MORE AND MORE LIKE CHRIST WHO IS IN US THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT)
OBEDIENCE TO GOD LEADS TO THE LIFELONG EXPERIENCE
OF DELIVERANCE FROM SIN (NOT SINLESS PERFECTION)
1 John 1:(Speaking To Believers)
"8
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
Rom.6:
"11 In the same way, count yourselves
dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13
Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those
who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not be your master, because
you are not under law, but under grace.
Slaves to Righteousness
15 What
then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don't
you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether
you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly
obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18 You have been set free
from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. (We are being transformed by sanctification through The Spirit if
we live in The Spirit, not in our sin nature)
19 I
put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery
to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to
holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control
of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you
are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been
set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord."( We must walk dependent on Christ)
SALVATION KNOWS NO DEPENDENCY ON A BELIEVERS
SINLESS CONDUCT
Rom.8:
"33 Who will bring any charge against
those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns?
Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding
for us."
In the next study we will explore Paul's experiences
in sin AFTER he was saved and how God delivered him through sanctification by fillings of the Holy Spirit
PT 4A: THE STRUGGLES OF A SAVED SOUL
May God richly bless you in your faithful walk in Christ in
You. How could you go wrong?
We are to COUNT on our position as "Born from above" AND identification
with Christ in His death and resurrection. Whoever believes on Him DIED with Him and ROSE in newness of HIS LIFE WITHIN by
the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Christ In Us is the life God has freely given us WHO BELIEVE. That BEGINS the process of God's
sanctification (Changing us into a new creation more and more like Jesus IF WE WALK BY FAITH IN THE SPIRIT OF GOD IN US.
NO ONE WHO GOD HAS CALLED TO THIS GREATEST OF ALL EVENTS IN HISTORY OF GOD'S
DEALINGS WITH LOST MAN DOES NOT HAVE ISSUES OF WALKING IN FAITH AFTERWARDS. ALL OF US STRUGGLE. WHY? BECAUSE OUR DEAD NATURE,
REMAINS A STUMBLING BLOCK AND ENEMY OF GOD'S WORK WITHIN.
WHO OF US HAS NOT HAD COUNTLESS TIMES WE DID NOT RELY ON SCRIPTURES TELLING
US IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS THAT WE ARE A NEW CREATION IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD? WHO OF US CAN DENY WHAT THE APOSTLE PAUL HAS
SUCCINCTLY PROVIDED US OF HIS EXPERIENCE AFTER RECEIVING CHRIST AS GOD THE SAVIOR?
I speak to you in BOLD letters my beloved, for THIS IS A TIME IN OUR LIVES,
that we would be best served heeding God's words through Paul to ALL BELIEVERS:
Romans 8:
"1 There is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
(Rom.5: "15 But not as the
offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift
by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16And
not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many
offences unto justification. 17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one;
much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.")
(Rom.3: " 23 For all have sinned,
and come short of the glory of God;")
2 For
the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
The phrase “Spirit of life” means the Holy Spirit is the one who
produces or gives life, not that He initiates salvation, but rather that He imparts newness of life as opposed to the Law,
which according to Romans 7, produces death and condemnation. When we receive eternal life through Christ, the Spirit provides
the spiritual food that is the sustenance of the spiritual life. Here again we see the triune God at work. We are saved by
the Father through the work of the Son, and that salvation is sustained by the Holy Spirit.
(Ezk.37: "14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live,
and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD."
)
Law Of Sin And Death
(Gen2: "17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,
thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.")
(Rom.5: "12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world,
and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:")
(Rom.5: " 15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift.
For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus
Christ, hath abounded unto many.")
3 For
what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,
and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
(Rom.7: "18 For I know that in me (that is, in
my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not"
4That the righteousness of the law might
be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
( Col.1: "27
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in
you, the hope of glory:)
(Rom.6: " 11 Likewise reckon
ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that
are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.")
(Col.3: "16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.)
(Gal.5: 22 But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law.")
5 For
they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh;... (Total depravity
of our being in death through sin. Total alienation from God. We are His because He chose us! )
(Eph.2: " 1
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein
in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit
that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our
conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature
the children of wrath, even as others.")
(Col.1: "21 And you, that were
sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled")
(Col.3: "8
But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;" )
(Gal.5: " 19
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have
also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." )
...but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
THINGS
OF THE SPIRIT
Col.3: " 1 If ye then be risen
with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."
Col.3: " 12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness,
humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving
one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14
And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."
Walk in The Spirit.
To “walk in the Spirit” is to follow the
Spirit’s leading. It is essentially to “walk with” the Spirit, allowing Him to guide your steps and conform
your mind. To summarize, just as we have received Christ by faith, by faith He asks us to walk in Him, until we are taken
to heaven and will hear from the Master, "Well done!" (Colossians 2:5; Matthew 25:23).
6 For to be
carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Here is the "death" many use as indicative of loss of salvation. FALSE! Spiritual
death in a living believer is seperation from fellowship with God.
WE NEED WASHINGS DAILY!
John 13:" 3 Jesus knowing that
the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; 4
He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. 5
After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith
he was girded. 6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord,
dost thou wash my feet? 7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest
not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. 8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt
never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. 9
Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. 10
Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean,.."
1 John 1: "7 But if we walk in the
light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from
all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth
is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not
sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
7 Because the
carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
THERE IS NOTHING GOOD, NOR IS THERE A "DIVINE SPARK" IN MAN!
8 So then
they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
(1 Corinthians 3:" 1 And I,
brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet
now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying,
and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?)
9 But
ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit
of Christ, he is none of his.
( 2 Cor.5:" 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new." )
(1 Cor.6: " 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of
the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" )
10 And
if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
( Gal.2: " 20 I
am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh
I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." )
11 But if the
Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your
mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
( 2 Cor.5: " 1 For we know that
if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in
the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed
upon with our house which is from heaven: 3 If so be that being clothed
we shall not be found naked. 4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being
burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life." )
12 Therefore,
brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye
live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live."
First lets get some facts and terms straight used here so we don't
misunderstand Paul.
1. Paul is TALKING to believers.
2. As we are dead to fellowship with God by sin and the death of our spiritual
connection to Him SINCE ADAM, THE STATE OF THE LOST SOUL, and since we are STILL living in the presence of this
DEATH which is WHO WE ARE IN THE FLESH, to die to Christ after being SAVED is to be living in death and not in the new and
only LIFE God has provided: THE LIFE FROM ABOVE.
3. To live in the flesh (Carnal nature) is to DIE. TO DIE IS NOT A PHYSICAL
TERMINATION BUT A LOSS OF FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD. To live in the flesh is to live in the sin nature thus being IN SIN and finding
death as the consequence, separation from God, which to a believer, appears as the experience most
uncomfortable, as depression, death, lacking joy, peace, love, uneasy, listless, without purpose, hostile, angry, AND
ALL THE MAIFISTATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CARNAL SELF.
***WHY HAS GOD MADE PROVISION FOR THIS STATE OF SIN? WHY IS CHRIST ABOVE AS
OUR HIGH PRIEST? YOU KNOW WHY! I HAVE TRIED TO TELL YOU MANY TIMES. SO WE CAN GET BACK IN FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD BY DIRECTLY
CONFESSING OUR SINS TO OUR FATHER THROUGH JESUS AND FELLOWSHIP IS RENEWED.
But what if we remain BOUND in the DEAD NATURE? Then we are LIVING IN SIN!
SPIRITUALLY DEAD TO GOD.
WE ARE TO COUNT ON GOD'S WORD THAT WE ARE A NEW CREATION AND STEP OUT IN FAITH.
STRUGGLE CONTINUED IN VICTORY
Romans 7:
In Romans 7:14-25, Paul is speaking of a Christian's struggle with sin;
this is not a picture of defeat but a description of the struggle with sin that every Christian must go through and is a necessary part of sanctification. In
other words, Paul wasn't talking about the goal (to end the struggle), but Paul is speaking about the process
by which God does bring us to victory over sin (our sanctification).
"23 But I see another law in my members, warring against
the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I
am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus
Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."
Paul is describing his then present experience of the struggle
with sin. Furthermore, I do not believe that this section of Romans is depicting a deficient condition experienced by those
Christians who choose not to be victorious (the so-called carnal Christian). No, I believe that this is
a description of the normal Christian life.
First, in Romans 7:14-25, Paul speaks in the present tense, which stands
in sharp contrast to the use of the past tense in the previous section (Rom. 7:7-13). This makes the natural sense of the
passage a description of Paul's current experience at the time of the writing of this epistle.
Second, in Galatians 5:17, Paul speaks of a similar struggle in which he
is clearly describing the experience of all Christians, including his own: "For the desires of the flesh
are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep
you from doing the things you want to do." Thus, Romans 7:14-25 and Galatians 5:17 are parallel passages. If Galatians
5:17 is a description of a war within every Christian, why can that not be true of Romans 7:14-25?
Third, an unconverted person could not delight
in the law of God, such as Paul depicts here, nor desire to do what is right. This is a description of those affections
for and delight in the things of God that only a Christian actually experiences. Furthermore, no non-Christian ever experiences
the kind of godly sorrow described here. They may feel guilty, but they do not experience the despair of sinning against the
revealed will of God, which they love inwardly.
Fourth, the argument that a Christian, such as Paul, would never speak of
himself as a slave to sin, since he has already testified to the fact that Christ has set him free, is mitigated by the fact
that Paul is aware of this freedom ("with my mind I serve the law of God"), and yet, because of indwelling sin, still
feels as though sin has a death grip upon him. In other words, the final outcome of the war is a foregone conclusion-Christ wins and so will all those in union with him. But there are a number of battles with indwelling
sin still to be fought, and this is what Paul is describing (the struggle, not the final outcome).
Fifth, that Paul is not speaking of his struggle before his conversion becomes clear when we consider how Paul felt about himself before he encountered the risen
Christ on the road to Damascus. Consider Paul's testimony in Philippians 3:3-10:
"For we are the real circumcision, who worship by
the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh-though I myself have reason for confidence
in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth
day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor
of the church; as to righteousness, under the law blameless. But whatever gain I had, I
counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ
Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ,
the righteousness from God that depends on faith."
How could Paul see himself as blameless before his conversion (Phil. 3),
if, in Romans 7:14-25, he's describing his intense struggle with sin before his conversion?
Therefore, in Romans 7:14-25, the Apostle Paul is describing the normal Christian
life. This is a struggle that every Christian will experience. The poor, struggling sinner who is erroneously told that the
struggle with sin he or she is currently experiencing is a sign of defeat and that the person is not yet a Christian, LOST
THEIR SALVATION!, or else has chosen not to take advantage of the victory offered to all those in Christ, should instead see the struggle with sin as proof that sanctification is actually taking place. The New Testament
knows of only one victorious life-the life of Jesus Christ.
All of those who are truly in Christ's will go
through the refiner's fire so that when Jesus returns, he will receive a spotless and radiant bride. Far, then, from
a description of Paul's journey from a defeated Jew to a victorious Christian, in this passage, Paul is describing what every
Christian will experience- a desire to do what is right and a continual struggle with indwelling
sin. While final victory is assured, it will finally come when we are glorified: freed not only from sin's guilt and tyranny,
but its very presence.
The believer has the capacity for godliness because the Spirit of God
lives within him or her. He still has the capacity for sin as well, but he now has the ability to resist sin and, more importantly,
the desire to resist and to live godly. When Christ was crucified, the old man was crucified with Him, resulting in the Christian's
no longer being a slave to sin (Romans 6:6). We “have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness”
(Romans 6:18).
At the moment of conversion, the Christian receives a new nature.
It is instantaneous. Sanctification, on the other hand, is the process by which God develops our new nature, enabling us to
grow into more holiness through time. This is
a continuous process with many victories and defeats as the new nature battles with the “tent” in which it resides—the
old man, old nature, flesh.
In Romans 7, Paul explains the battle that rages continually in even
the most spiritually mature people. He laments that he does what he doesn’t want to do and, in fact, does
the evil he detests. He says that is the result of “sin living in me” (Romans 7:20). He delights in God’s law according to his “inner being,”
but he sees another law at work in “the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner
of the law of sin at work within my members” (v. 23). Here is the classic example of the two entities, whatever terms
they may carry. The point is that the battle is real, and
it is one Christians will wage throughout their lives.
This is why believers are encouraged to put to death
the deeds of the body (Romans 8:13), to put to death that which makes a Christian sin (Colossians 3:5), and to put aside other sins such as anger, wrath, malice, etc. (Colossians 3:8). All this to say that the Christian has just one true nature, but that nature
needs continual renewing (Colossians 3:10). This renewing, of course, is a lifetime process for the Christian. Even though
the battle for sin is constant, we are no longer under the control of sin (Romans 6:6). The believer is truly a "new creation" in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and it is Christ who will ultimately “rescue [us] from this body of
death. Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:24-25).
PT 5 :THE FAITHFUL SAVED FOREVER
This Epistle of St.Paul is so powerful, so full of truths God has bestowed upon
us through Apostle Paul I am amazed. Here goes part 5. Before I begin I want to encourage all of you who LOVE HIS WORD to
read the entire Epistle (Many times in your lifetime) that you may be FULL of truths which will guide you in your walk as
well as the world of Satanic deceptions that we see so much of here on YouTube by some who are in error, in heresy as well
as apostate.
Rom.1:
1 "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called
to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,"
THE SCRIPTURES DO NOT LIE: HE HAS A "PURPOSE" FOR YOU AND YOU ARE HIS FOREVER.
2 Timothy 2:19: "Nevertheless the foundation of God
standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart
from iniquity."
John 6:37
37 "All that the Father giveth me shall
come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
Romans 8:
28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son,
that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."
Rom.9:
11 "(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good
or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of
him that calleth;)"
2 Tim.1:
9 "Who hath saved us, and called
us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began,"
1 Pet.1:
2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling
of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied."
Eph.1:
5 "Having predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted
in the beloved."
Eph.1
11 "In whom also we have obtained
an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things
after the counsel of his own will:"
2 Thess.2:
13 "But we are bound to give thanks
alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:"
John 15:
16 "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,
and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask
of the Father in my name, he may give it you."
Romans 16:
13 "Salute Rufus chosen
in the Lord, and his mother and mine."
WE ARE ABSOLUTELY SECURE IN CHRIST
Ephesians 1:13-14
13 "In whom ye also trusted, after
that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that
holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance
until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."
The Holy Spirit is Himself the seal. In the symbolism of Scriptures a seal signifies
a finished transaction, ownership and security.
Eph.2:
8 "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves,it is the gift of God"
Colossians 3:12
12 "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;"
Romans 8:33
33"Who shall lay any thing to the charge
of God's elect? It is God that justifieth."
Paul continues: in Romans 8:34-39:
"Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, and that is risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God, who makes intercession for us".
Now hear what the Spirit, through Paul, has to
say:THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN SEPERATE US FROM CHRIST!
"What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long;
we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For
I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to
come, nor height, nor depth, nor anything created, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus,
our Lord."
TRUTHS TO SLEEP BETTER BY
(1) "And now, O Father, glorify
thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was" (John 17:5).
(2) "Father, I will that they also, whom
thou has given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou has given me: for thou lovedst
me before the foundation of the world" (John 17:24)
(3) "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling,
not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began" (II Tim. 1:9). (4) "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery,
even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory" (I Cor.2:7).
(5) "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie,
promised before the world began" (Titus 1:2).
(6) "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
When you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy
One of Israel, your Savior." (Isaiah 43:2-3).
(7) "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they
follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has
given them to me, is greater than all, no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one" (Jn.10:27-30).
(8) "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk
in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with
one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us
from all sin." 1 John 1:6-7
CONCLUSION
We are the body of Christ (1Cor.12:12-13). The church of
the "first born" written in heaven (Heb.12:23). Christ is our all in all (Eph.1:22-23). We are His temple (Eph.2:19-22). Like
in marriage, we are one in Him (Eph.5:30-31). His bride to be (2 Cor.11:2-4). YOU
ARE SEALED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT UNTIL THE DAY OF REDEMPTION (Eph.4:30). NONE OF US WILL
EVER LOSE OUR SALVATION (John 10:27-30 above). He will take us home to live with him in the New Jerusalem (1
Thess.4:13-17)
PT 6: ALL ISRAEL WILL BE SAVED
Romans 11:16-36 records the illustration of the olive tree. This passage speaks of Israel the nation as the
(“natural” branches) being broken off from the olive tree, and the Church (“wild” branches or shoots)
being grafted into the olive tree. Since Israel is referred to as branches, as well as the Church, it stands to reason that
neither group is the “whole tree,” so to speak; rather, the whole tree represents God’s workings with mankind
as a whole and in particular Israel. Therefore, God’s program with Israel and God’s program with the Church are
part of the outworking of His purpose among men in general. Of course, this is not intended to mean that either program is
of little significance, because more revelation is given in the Bible regarding God’s programs with Israel and with
the Church than any of God’s other dealings!
The best way to interpret Scripture is with the Scripture itself,
so with that in mind, recall that in Genesis 12, God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation (the Jews),
that that the Jews would possess a land, and that nation would be blessed above all other nations, and that all nations would
be blessed out of Israel. So, from the beginning God reveals that Israel would be His chosen people
on the earth, but that His blessing and working would not be limited to them exclusively.
Galatians 3:14 identifies the nature of the blessing that would come to all the other nations in addition to Israel.
It says:
“That the blessing of Abraham might come on the
Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” All the peoples
of the nations of the world, then, would be blessed by Israel, through whom would come the Savior of the world.
God’s
plan of redemption is built upon the finished work of Jesus Christ, who came from the line of David, who is himself a physical
descendant of Abraham. Of course, Christ’s death on the cross is sufficient for the sins of the entire world, not just
the Jews! Galatians 3:6-8 states:
“Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to
him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the
children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel
unto Abraham, [saying], In thee shall all nations be blessed.”
“And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed,
and heirs according to the promise.”
When you put all of this together, what it is saying is not
that believers become Jews (the physical descendants of Abraham), but
that in Christ, they are counted righteous by faith in the same way that Abraham
was saved BY FAITH (Galatians 3:6-8).
In this sense, believers become the spiritual
descendants of Abraham. In summary, believers do not become Jews, but may enjoy the same type of spiritual blessings
and privileges as the Jews WHO ARE SAVED BY FAITH, and from both, the church is fashioned.
Now, this does not
contradict or nullify the revelation given in the Old Testament. What took place in the Old Testament is still valid, in that
God’s relationship with Israel as a chosen people as a nation points to the work of Christ as a Redeemer of the
whole world. The Old Testament contains the Mosaic Law, which is still mandatory for all the Jews NOT saved (the physical
descendants of Abraham) to follow, because they have not yet accepted Christ as their Messiah, who would do what they could
not do—fulfill the Law in all its details. As New Testament believers, we are no longer under the curse of the Law (Galatians 3:13), because Christ has taken that curse upon Himself on the cross. The Law served two purposes, first
to reveal the problem of unrighteousness, and mankind’s inability (on his own merit) to do anything about that problem,
and to point us to Christ, who fulfills the Law. His death on the cross completely satisfies God’s righteous requirement
of perfection.
It must be remembered that God’s promises are not made invalid by the acts and unfaithfulness
of man. Nothing we do is ever a surprise to God, and He does not need to adjust His plans according to the way we behave.
No, God is sovereign over all things—past, present and future—and what He has foreordained for both Israel and
the Church will come to pass, regardless of circumstances. Romans 3:3-4 explains that the unbelief of the Jews would not nullify His promises concerning them:
“What if some did not have faith? Will their lack
of faith nullify God's faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: ‘So that you
may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.’"
Promises
made to Israel are still going to be kept in the future. The “clock” for that has been temporarily stopped,
and only God knows when those things will come to pass. However, we can be sure that all God has said is true and will take
place, because of His character and consistency. Earlier, we mentioned that how one views Israel and the Church has implications
on the interpretation of Scripture, and here is why: it is not possible for the Church to fulfill or expect to have fulfilled
for them the promises made to Israel. So, as one reads Scripture, it is absolutely essential to follow the pattern set by
Scripture itself and keep Israel and the Church separate.
Who are the “other sheep” mentioned in John 10:16? And God's unconditional covenants with Israel
PT 7: GOD KEEPS HIS WORD
The Lord spoke to Israel:
"I will ransom you from the power of the grave; I will
redeem you from death..."(Hosea 13:14).
THE NEW COVENANT FOR ISRAEL IN THE FUTURE AND THE CHURCH NOW
Today we fall under the New Covenant (Through Christ), being made a part of it as Christians, but God is NOT through
with the nation of Israel yet! And these better promises are going to be fulfilled for them in the future millennium .
Jeremiah 30:
18 "Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's
tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain
after the manner thereof."
Jeremiah 31:
8 "Behold, I will bring them from the
north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and
her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither.
9 They shall come with weeping, and with
supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not
stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
10 Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations,
and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth
his flock.
11 For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and
ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he."
THE NEW COVENANT
Jer.31:
31 "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD,
that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that
I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant
they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that
I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their
inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people."
ISRAEL IN UNBELIEF IN A PORTION OF THE LAND GOD GRANTED
THEM
The Jews in the world who have not accepted Christ are not
under God's redemption today, but when the future day comes, there will be a fulfillment of what the writer to the Hebrews
says that there are going to be better promises on a better covenant with the house of Israel and the house of
Judah.
Now let me say this: we, being under the new covenant that God has made ready for Israel
as well, through their redeemer, the Lion of The Tribe of Judah, must be mindful that we do not believe,
in GROSS ERROR OR EVEN IN HERESY, that Israel is no more in God's plan, for in so denying Israel we call into
question the very covenant, that by the grace of God through Christ, we come under! Just as God has provided a sure hope
for us, He has done likewise for Israel.
Heb.8:
8 "For finding fault with them, he saith,
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah:
9 Not according to the covenant that I
made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued
not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will
make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind,
and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
11 And they shall not teach every man
his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
12 For I will
be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he
hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away."
And as Paul makes abundantly clear:
Romans 11:
26" And so
all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness
from Jacob:
27 For this is my covenant unto them,
when I shall take away their sins.
28 As concerning the gospel, they are
enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's sakes.
29 For the gifts and calling of God are
without repentance.
30 For as ye in times past have not believed
God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
31 Even so have these also now not believed,
that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
32 For God hath concluded them all in
unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all."
GOD WILL KEEP HIS UNCONDITIONAL
PROMISES TO ISRAEL, JUST AS HE WILL KEEP HIS PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE TO HIS
CHURCH. GOD KEEPS HIS WORD ! SALVATION IS FOREVER AND ETERNITY AWAITS THOSE WHO BELIEVE ON JESUS CHRIST.
Paul says in Romans
8:1: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus..." And expands that truth to it's conclusive triumph in Romans 8:33:
"Who shall lay any thing to the charge
of God's elect? It is God that justifies."
Nothing can change what is ours through
the Lord and our faith in His blood sacrifice that cleaned us forever...and does so each day.
Paul continues: in Romans 8:34-39:
" Who is he
that condemns? It is Christ that died, and that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who makes intercession
for us".
Now hear what the
Spirit, through Paul, has to say:
"What shall
separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or
sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. In all
these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor anything created,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord."
PT 8 : GOD'S UNCONDITIONAL COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM
God loves Israel so much He has promised her that she will be the center
of His throne and Kingdom on Earth during the 1000 year rule of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior! This unconditional plan
and purpose of God came into the reality of earth life and being through God's UNCONDITIONAL COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM.
GOD KEEPS HIS WORD: HIS PROMISES TO ISRAEL THROUGH ABRAHAM.
The Abrahamic Covenant
A covenant is an agreement between two parties. There are two types of covenants: conditional and unconditional. A conditional or bilateral covenant is an agreement
that is binding on both parties for its fulfillment. Both parties agree to fulfill certain conditions. If either party fails
to meet their responsibilities, the covenant is broken and neither party has to fulfill the expectations of the covenant.
An unconditional or unilateral covenant is an agreement between two parties,
but only one of the two parties has to do something. Nothing is required of the other party. The
Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional covenant. God made promises to Abraham that required
nothing of Abraham. Genesis 15:18-21 describes a part of the Abrahamic Covenant, specifically dealing with the dimensions of the land
God promised to Abraham and his descendants.
Genesis 15:
18 "In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying,
Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites,
and the Kadmonites,
20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites,
and the Rephaims,
21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites,
and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."
The actual Abrahamic Covenant is found in Genesis 12:1-3.
Genesis 12
1 "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country,
and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation,
and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless
thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
In this case the covenant is principally a promise by God. He is the
one who binds Himself. . Fulfillment of the covenant fell to God alone.
God determined to call out a special people
for Himself through whom He would bring blessing to all the nations. The Abrahamic Covenant is paramount to a proper understanding
of the kingdom concept and is foundational to Old Testament theology. There are no conditions attached to it (no “if” clauses, suggesting its fulfillment is dependent
on man). It is also a literal covenant in which the promises should be understood literally. The land that is promised
should be understood in its literal or normal interpretation—it is not a figure of heaven. It is also an everlasting covenant. The promises that God made to Israel are eternal.
There are three main features to the Abrahamic Covenant:
1. The promise of land (Genesis 12:1). God called Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees to a land that He would give him (Genesis 12:1). This promise is reiterated in Genesis 13:14–18 where it is confirmed by a shoe covenant; its dimensions are given in Genesis 15:18–21 (precluding any notion of this being fulfilled in heaven). The land aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant
is also expanded in Deuteronomy 30:1–10, which is the Palestinian Covenant.
2. The promise of descendants (Genesis 12:2). God promised Abraham that He would make a great nation out of him. Abraham, who was 75 years old
and childless (Genesis 12:4), was promised many descendants. This promise is amplified in Genesis 17:6 where God promised that nations and kings would descend from the aged patriarch. This promise (which
is expanded in the Davidic Covenant of 2 Samuel 7:12–16) would eventuate in the Davidic throne with Messiah’s kingdom rule over the Hebrew people.
3.
The promise of blessing and redemption (Genesis 12:3). God promised to bless Abraham and the families of the earth through him. This promise is amplified
in the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31–34; cf. Hebrews 8:6–13) and has to do with “Israel’s spiritual blessing and redemption.” Jeremiah 31:34 anticipates the forgiveness of sin. The unconditional and eternal nature of the covenant is seen
in that the covenant is reaffirmed to Isaac (Genesis 21:12; 26:3–4). The “I will” promises suggest the unconditional aspect of the covenant. The covenant
is further confirmed to Jacob (Genesis 28:14–15). It is noteworthy that God reaffirmed these promises amid the sins of the patriarchs, which fact
further emphasizes the unconditional nature of the Abrahamic Covenant.
God’s method of fulfilling the Abrahamic
Covenant is literal, inasmuch as God partially fulfilled the covenant in history: God blessed Abraham by giving him the land
(Genesis 13:14–17); God blessed him spiritually (Genesis 13:8, 18; 14:22, 23; 21:22); God gave him numerous descendants (Genesis 22:17; 49:3–28). The important element of the Abrahamic Covenant, however, demands a
future fulfillment with Messiah’s kingdom rule:
(1) Israel as a nation will possess the land in the future.
Numerous Old Testament passages anticipate the future blessing of Israel and her possession of the land as promised to Abraham.
Ezekiel envisions a future day when Israel is restored to the land (Ezekiel 20:33–37, 40–42; 36:1–37:28).
(2) Israel as a nation will be converted, forgiven, and restored (Romans 11:25–27).
Romans 11:
25 "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should
be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There
shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away
their sins."
(3) Israel will repent and receive the forgiveness of God in the future (Zechariah 12:10–14).
Zechariah: 12:
10 "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall
mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his
firstborn.
11 In that day shall there be a great
mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.
12 And the land shall mourn, every
family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and
their wives apart;
13 The family of the house of Levi
apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;
14 All the families that remain,
every family apart, and their wives apart."
The Abrahamic Covenant finds its ultimate fulfillment in connection with the return
of Messiah to rescue and bless His people Israel. It is through the nation Israel that God promised in Genesis 12:1–3 to bless the nations of the world. That ultimate blessing will issue in the forgiveness of sins
and Messiah’s glorious kingdom reign on earth.
ROMANS PT 7 C: GOD'S "CONDITIONAL" COVENANT WITH MOSES: THE LAW
Here is THE LAW given to Israel. There is NO GRACE
inferred. It is CONDITIONAL. So how was a Jew as well as a Gentile saved? By the FAITH OF ABRAHAM. This same FAITH that we
are saved by and this is THE KEY! As we shall see when we review THE NEW COVENANT that His Church is now under, no one could
keep the LAW PERFECTLY. It was a schoolmaster to SHOW ISRAEL IT'S SINS and unrighteousness compared to God's righteousness.
The reliance on God's favor, His love and provision of a Savior to save the people from their sins is dramatically displayed
in the TOTAL FAILURE OF ANY ISRAELITE : TO KEEP ALL THE LAW PERFECTLY.
THE MOSAIC COVENANT
The Mosaic Covenant is a conditional
covenant made between God and the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19-24). It is sometimes called the Sinai Covenant
but is more often referred to as the Mosaic Covenant since Moses was God’s chosen leader of Israel at that time. The
pattern of the covenant is very similar to other ancient covenants of that time because it is between a sovereign king (God)
and his people or subjects (Israel). At the time of the covenant, God reminded the people of their obligation to be obedient
to His law (Exodus 19:5), and the people agreed to the covenant when they said, “All that
the Lord has spoken we will do!” (Exodus 19:8). This covenant would serve to set the nation of Israel apart from all
other nations as God’s chosen people and was as equally binding as the unconditional covenant that God made with Abraham
because it is also a blood covenant. The Mosaic Covenant is a significant covenant in both God’s redemptive history
and in the history of the nation of Israel through whom God would sovereignly chose to bless the world with both His written
Word and the Living Word, Jesus Christ.
The Mosaic Covenant was centered around God's giving His divine law to Moses
on Mount Sinai. In understanding the different covenants in the Bible and their relationship with one another, it is important
to understand that the Mosaic Covenant differs significantly from the Abrahamic Covenant and later biblical covenants because
it is conditional in that the blessings that God promises are directly related to Israel’s obedience to the Mosaic Law.
If Israel is obedient, then God will bless them, but if they disobey, then God will punish them. The blessings and curses
that are associated with this conditional covenant are found in detail in Deuteronomy 28. The other covenants found in the
Bible are unilateral covenants of promise, in which God binds Himself to do what He promised, regardless of what the recipients
of the promises might do. On the other hand the Mosaic Covenant is a bilateral agreement, which specifies the obligations of both parties to the covenant.
The Mosaic Covenant is
especially significant because in it God promises to make Israel “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). Israel was to be God’s light to the dark world around them.
They were to be a separate and called-out nation so that everyone around them would know that they worshiped Yahweh, the covenant-keeping
God.
*** It is significant because it is here that
Israel received the Mosaic Law that was to be a schoolmaster pointing the way towards the coming of Christ (Galatians 3:24-25). The Mosaic Law would reveal to people their sinfulness and their need
for a Savior, and it is the Mosaic Law that Christ Himself said that He did not come to abolish but to fulfill. This is an
important point because some people get confused by thinking that keeping the Law saved people in the Old Testament, but the
Bible is clear that salvation has always been by faith alone, and the promise of salvation by faith that God had made to Abraham
as part of the Abrahamic Covenant still remained in effect (Galatians 3:16-18).
Also, the sacrificial system of the Mosaic Covenant did not
take away sins (Hebrews 10:1-4); it simply foreshadowed the bearing of sin by Christ, the perfect high
priest Who was also the perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 9:11-28). Therefore, the Mosaic Covenant itself, with all its detailed laws,
could not save people. It is not that there was any problem with the Law itself, for the Law is perfect and was given by a
holy God, but the Law had no power to give people new life, and the people were not able to obey the Law perfectly (Galatians 3:21).
Beloved, His
word goes out to you, and I, from many quarters have been inspired to reach out as much as time and
His Spirit allow. To help in some small way with your studies, with cares and troubles, with prayer and praise, is a position
that God has appointed to me, and that some of you confirm by your testimony.
I continue
to aspire to be a light in the darkness of apostasy and error, and a beacon of hope pointing always to
our Lord who is the author and finisher of our "Faith". We are the just, through Him, and we live, by His
faith.
Let us walk
the path He built for us, and see how straight and narrow, yet liberating it is!
WE
ARE UNDER A BETTER COVENANT THROUGH CHRIST
2 Cor.3:6
6 "Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit:
for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."
We are ministers
of a New Covenant, a New Testament, effectual because of His blood and His death.One in which it is not of
the letter of the law but of the spirit. The letter of the law in the Old Testament condemned. All are guilty sinners.
The Mosaic law never gave life. And Paul makes this clear here "...the spirit gives life".
Is there anyone in
the history of God's creation who was saved by keeping Law? NO! Only Jesus Christ kept the law! Moses was a murderer,
as was King David. The law cannot be kept. It is a mirror of our sinfulness, and a measurement of our sin nature and failures.
It was designed to show His righteousness and our sinfulness. So no man could boast and that all men and women must be saved
by faith, a faith God bestowed in anticipation of Messiah on Earth. Faith worked before Abraham, then under the Law of Moses
and after Christ, it is by grace through faith. Law never saved a soul.
THE
FAILURE OF MAN: GOD'S GRACE RESPONDS
Genesis 6:5: "The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that
every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
Psalms 51:5: "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive
me."
Psalms 58:3: "The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking
lies."
Ecclesiastes 7:20: "Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never
sins."
Ecclesiastes 9:3: "This is an evil in all that is
done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness
is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead."
Jeremiah 17:9: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can
understand it?"
Jeremiah 13:23: "Can the Ethiopian change
his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil."
Mark 7:21-23: "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual
immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these
evil things come from within, and they defile a person."
John 3:19: "And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people
loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil."
John 6:44: "[Jesus said,] 'No one can come to me
unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.''
John 6:64-65: "[Jesus said,] 'But there are some
of you who do not believe.' (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would
betray him.) And he said, 'This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.''
John 8:34: "Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly,
I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.''
Romans 3:10-11: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks
for God."
Romans 8:7-8: "For the mind that is set on the flesh
is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God."
1 Corinthians 2:14: "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God,
for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."
Ephesians 2:1-3: "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked,
following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons
of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the
mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind."
Titus 3:3: "For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to
various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another."
THE ROOT OF GOD'S MERCY IN CHRIST
2
Corinthians 3:7-11
7 "But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that
the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to
be done away:
8 How shall
not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?"
9
For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory
that excellent.
11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
We
are ministers in the righteousness of Christ! "For if that which was done away..." WHAT was done away? THE
LAW! And what took it's place? The New Covenant and the day of GRACE in which we live ! Thank you Jesus! Let us bow our
heads and give our Lord some praise for He is The Glory.
The
Mosaic Law was strict. It demanded an eye for an eye. a tooth for a tooth etc. It was absolute. Whatever a man deserved according
to the law, that was what he received. In Exodus 32 the people were already breaking the Law.
Exodus
32:1,7-9
1 "And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered
themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the
man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him."
7 "And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest
out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them
a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought
thee up out of the land of Egypt.
9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiff-necked
people:"
Had
Moses brought the tables of the Law into the camp at this time the entire nation of Israel would have been destroyed according
to LAW. The breaking of these laws meant instant death. So Moses smashed them and went into the camp!
Then
Moses returned to the top of Mt. Sinai and the presence of God and something happens! He asks God for mercy for the
people and God gives them a second chance. He gives Moses the second tables of the Law. Moses now understands God is tempering
the Law with mercy and grace. The Mosaic system will now have at it's heart a tabernacle and a sacrificial system that
will be the basis of approach to God, which is "...without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin".
Heb.9:22
22 "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood
is no remission."
But
without holiness, no man is going to see God!
Heb.12:14
14 "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:"
How
in the world are we going to get into the presence of God? God had to make a way for us and did! It was the grace of God fulfilled
in the, birth, death and resurrection of Christ.
Philippians 3:9
9 "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which
is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:"
The
glory of the grace of God fulfilled in Christ is a ministration of glory. It is called "the glorious gospel of the blessed
God". God loves man and DELIGHTS in mercy! He wants to save man. It is not His will that any of the human family should be
lost. Saving man makes Him happy.
When
Moses came down from Mt. Sinai the second time there was joy in his heart and his face shined. Now there was a way for the
children of Israel to come into the presence of God through the sacrificial system.
But
Moses came down with a veil on his face. The glory was already beginning to fade! It was a portend of what would be the fate
of the nation of Israel. Blinded to the fulfillment of the whole law by Christ to this very day! And not only these, but in
the church itself some of us still live as under law though grace came in the form of THE SON OF GOD.
Micah
7:18
18 "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression
of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
Ezekiel
33:11
11 "Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the
wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house
of Israel?"
2 Corinthians 3:14-18
14 "But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away
in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed
into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."
And,
my brethren, it is Christ IN THE WORD OF GOD that will transform you. For in it we draw as close as possible to the Lord Jesus
and are transformed. And as we grow in His truths we see the vail lifted and His being is more clear to us, as we look upon
the One who loves us and gave His life so we should live, by GRACE through FAITH, according to His will for us, in the Power of The Holy Spirit.
The Spirit brings us the Life of Christ
from above. And it is only by The Holy Spirit we are able to fulfill the Laws of Christ, and yet imperfectly, though always
mindful that we strive to be like Him. ONE DAY WE WILL AT HIS CALL.
1 Peter 1:23
23 "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."
BECAUSE OF YOU LORD WE LIVE FOREVER!
CHRIST ESTABLISHED HIS CHURCH IN
THE PERFECTION OF HIS LIFE, DEATH AND RESURRECTION.
WE LIVE BY FAITH IN HIM AND
ARE UNDER THE NEW COVENANT IN HIS BLOOD.
PART 1
"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized
into Jesus Christ, were baptized into His death" (Rom.6:3)
"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified
with Him, THAT THE BODY OF SIN MIGHT BE DESTROYED, THAT HENCEFORTH WE SHOULD NOT SERVE SIN" (Rom.6:6).
"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one
body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." And this
was revealed to Paul "by the revelation of Jesus Christ" (Gal.1:11,12).
"Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism
into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness
of life" (Rom.6:4).
"God forbid that I should glory, save in the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal.6:14).
THE NEW COVENANT IN CHRIST'S BLOOD PT1
Many still have one foot in Old Testament Law
and the other in Christ and the New Covenant. Sabbath keeping, Holidays, dietary laws, indeed, the 10 commandments as a necessary
yardstick to whether one is saved or not by keeping or not keeping all of them.
But to fully appreciate what Jesus Christ achieved
for us we must consider His exalted place today at the right hand of God and what He fulfilled on the cross as well
as WHAT IS THE NEW COVENANT IN CHRIST'S BLOOD? and why we are under it's saving grace and NOT the Old Covenant made with Israel.
(THE MOSAIC COVENANT)
HE IS OUR HIGH PRIEST : HIS SACRIFICE
THE FINAL ATONEMENT FOR SINS
Heb.8:6:
"6But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant,
which was established upon better promises."
Our Lord is our High Priest above pleading His
blood for our sins and the sins of the world until He returns to call His church up from the earth to meet Him in the air.
He is ministering to us in the Tabernacle in Heaven. The earthly one of the Jew's was just a shadow of it. The animals just
a symbol of what God would eventually complete by His Body and His Blood.
HIGH PRIEST
Heb. 8:
"1 Now
of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne
of the Majesty in the heavens;
2 A
minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
3 For
every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also
to offer. "
HIS BLOOD!
Heb.9:
11 "But Christ being come an high priest
of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12 Neither
by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place,
having obtained eternal redemption for us.
13 For
if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the
flesh:
14 How
much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God?
15 And
for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption
of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal
inheritance."
HE IS OUR HIGH PRIEST RIGHT NOW!
Brethren, ask yourself "Is Christ real to me right now".
What does this mean to you?
Have you considered that you have a mediator between
yourself and God our Father who keeps you in grace and in fellowship notwithstanding sins that
you commit by commission and omission, by thoughts without actual deeds, by the very nature of your dead self that you still
live in, though as an overcomer, you overcome SOLELY by The Holy Spirit in you?
When we left the house
this morning did we take Christ with us? Are we conscious of His presence? He is in heaven serving us all the
time! He is our intercessor! we make confession of sin through Him to our Father. May we make Jesus Christ, in all His
power, and in all His salvation, and in all of His love and care for us, a true reality!
1 John 1:6-10:
"6 If
we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But
if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son
cleanseth us from all sin.
8 If
we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If
we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
1 John 2:1-2:
"1 My
little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2 And
he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
We need to get to
the meat!
Are we in His presence daily? Why do we have so
many problems that we take to everyone, including our pastor's when we have Him up there? A living Christ. If we walk in the
light of His presence, we are going to walk with Him down the street. Wherever we are He is with us. Do we take Him with us?
If He is with us then there are many things we will have to consider in our choices, our conduct, our ministries.
The throne of God is today a throne of GRACE! He
has done that for us! He has told us to enter there and be with Him. We have the key, He has given it to us by Faith
He gave us and our salvation He died for; "Without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that comes to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Heb.11:6).
Now we are into the meat! Now we are walking in
the tall corn fields!
Beloved, no one could remain saved if Jesus Christ
was not where he is right now!
He is the mediator of a better covenant, the New
Covenant... the New Testament God has made IN HIS BLOOD, in contrast with the Old Testament. God gave Moses the Law. No one
was ever saved by keeping the Law. no one ever came to God and said " I have kept all the law, therefore receive me". NO!
They were continually bringing sacrifices to the Temple because they transgressed God's Law. THE LAW WAS GIVEN TO REVEAL TO
THEM THEY HAD TRANSGRESSED GOD'S LAW AND COME SHORT OF HIS GLORY!
The sacrificial system was a shadow of things to
come. And the tabernacle God gave them a shadow of the REAL TABERNACLE IN WHICH OUR LORD MINISTER'S TODAY! So we see we have
a BETTER priest up yonder, a BETTER sacrifice, and a BETTER tabernacle. Christ incorporates ALL THREE!
What we have now is established on BETTER PROMISES!
Back in the Old Testament God had given the Mosaic Law and the tabernacle ritual, and when they breached His law they brought
a sacrifice. Before Moses there was Abraham and the instruction on how to come to God was BY FAITH, like Abraham
. Before Abraham, there was Noah and the basis was different.
Today we fall under the New Covenant (Through Christ),
being made a part of it as Christians, but God is NOT through with the nation of Israel yet! And these better promises
are going to be fulfilled for them in the future millennium AS WELL!
THE NEW COVENANT
Heb.8:
6 "But now hath he (Christ) obtained
a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
7 For if that first covenant had
been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
8 For
finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of
Israel and with the house of Judah:
9 Not
according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land
of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10 For
this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their
mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
11 And
they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from
the least to the greatest.
12 For
I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
13 In
that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away."
ISRAEL SHALL BE SAVED UNDER THE SAME COVENANT CHRIST
KEEPS!
Jeremiah 30:18:
"18 Thus
saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places; and the
city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof."
Jeremiah 31:8-11:
" 8 Behold,
I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame,
the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither.
9 They
shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight
way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
10 Hear
the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him,
and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.
11 For
the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he."
Jer.31:31-33:
"31 Behold,
the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not
according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the
land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But
this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law
in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people."
The Jews are not in Israel under God's redemption
today, but when the day comes, there will be a fulfillment of what the writer to the Hebrews says that there are going to
be better promises on a better covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
Now let me say this: we, being under
the new covenant that God has made ready for Israel as well, through their redeemer, the Lion of The Tribe of Judah, then
let us be mindful that we do not trespass and set aside in GROSS ERROR OR EVEN IN HERESY, the sureness of our position in
Christ by proclaiming as some do that Israel is no more in God's plan, for in so denying Israel we deny the very covenant,
that by the grace of God through Christ, we come under!
And as Paul makes abundantly clear:
Romans 11:26-32:
" 26 And
so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness
from Jacob:
27 For
this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
28 As
concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's sakes.
29 For
the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
30 For
as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
31 Even
so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
32 For
God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all."
A last word before we stop this most important
study of our Lord, His High Priestly ministry above, His faithfulness to His church AND to Israel, we must CONSIDER
that so much false and erroneous teachings are being tossed out by people who have NOT studied the word of God in depth
AND WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT DIRECTING THEM that many brethren, less knowing, have a serious misconception of end time prophesy
as well as a lurking doubt about the security of their salvation.
I do hope YOU WILL BENEFIT from these
messages as well as present any questions that you may have.
