Contributor: Clem Roberts

INTRODUCTION

We have been able to ascertain that the law cannot redeem us, and that our righteousness is like filthy rags before God and only Christ can save us. We have also seen Paul’s eagerness for everyone to be saved.  Bringing to light God’s ultimate desire for us all.

VERSES 14 – 15

¹⁴ How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? ¹⁵ And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things!

The sequence here is:

Sent => Preach => hear => believe

“Preach,” means “to be a herald, to announce,” and this is not limited to declaration from a pulpit! Paul quotes from Isa 52:7. Where the messenger announced to Judah that God had hath brought to end their Exile in Babylon

What Paul was doing here was applying Isaiah 52:7 using words and scriptures that the Jews of his day to whom the gospel was being given would understand.

This tell us how accurate and knowledgeable Paul is with reference to the scriptures.

VERSE 16

“But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

If we focus on the word “Obeyed”: it means:

• to listen;
• to harken;
• to harken to a command;
• be obedient to,
• submit to.

Again, Paul is quoting the introductory part of Isaiah 53. He is also giving them a reminder of the prophecies.  Paul was enthusiastic in letting them know that they really do not have any excuse regarding their rejection of the Gospel.  He pointed consistently that in all of the scriptures The Jews, you and I have been told that about the Messiah.

VERSE 17

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” 

Our God speaks and still does to his people and the world. We only need incline our ear to Him and He will speak.  When speaks, He expects obedience

VERSES 18 – 21

“18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes, verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. 19 But I say, did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. 20 But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. 21 But to Israel he saith, all day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.

Understanding the message of Christ is the next step after hearing it. So Paul's logical question concerning Israel was; did they not understand this message? Israel was given the law and had the prophets and patriarchs as their guide. Israel had understanding of these things and lived daily by them. However, they were so indoctrinated by the letter of the law they missed the fact that this was a type or shadow of Jesus (Hebrews 10:1)

Isaiah foretold this. He saw that Gentiles would come to Jesus and accept the gospel message and Israel would reject it.

This has implications for us today. We can start out through faith in Jesus only to be yoked once again to the rules (or "law"). It is important to understand the truth of Jesus and what he did for you as a basis of how to live. We have died to the law through faith in Christ so we are free to live by the Spirit. Paul said in Galatians, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" (Galatians 2:20-21).

If we go back to religion, to the rules and doctrines of men, after we accept this marvellous grace then Christ died for nothing.  We can nullify the word of God in our hearts by living according to man's rules and regulations. What a harsh reality.

CONCLUSION

In summary, Paul’s argument or conclusion is that Israel had plenty, sufficient, adequate and abundant opportunity, by all-purpose and distinctive revelation, to embrace God. For you and I, everything we see or hear has already been orchestrated for our benefit.  God is giving us His Son and the one and only instrument of salvation.

Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai

INTRODUCTION

Two weeks ago we looked at Paul's Anguish over Israel in verses 1-15 of Chapter 9. It was not enough for Paul to feel sorry for Israel. He wished he could demonstrate his love in an even more active way. Being ready to, like Christ, sacrifice himself for the salvation of his fellow Jews. In today’s study we will be considering how the Jews jeopardized their enviable position and what God, in His mercy offered His chosen people.

PART 1: THE RIGHT AND WRONG WAYS TO GOD (CHAPTER 9, VERSES 30-33)

“30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.” (NIV)

There is a right and wrong way to come to God. If we pursue the righteousness that we need to stand before God by our works, we will fail. If we come to God by faith in Christ, we attain righteousness, even if we were not previously pursuing it.

The Jews were trying to approach God through their works built on faith in their abilities to obey the commands; this wrong approach caused them to stumble over the stumbling stone, which is Christ. Romans 9:32b-33.

The reason the true Gospel offends is that it confronts our sinful pride (1 Cor. 1:29).

• We should not boast in our intellect, because it would keep us from trusting in Christ.
• We should not boast in our morality, because if we could see each other’s hearts, we would see that they are not morally pure, but rotten.
• We should not boast in our good works, because we only do them to look good to others.  

So God deliberately put Christ and Him crucified at the centre of salvation to humble our pride, which is the root of all of our sins. To come in faith to Christ, God must humble our pride. That leads us to the right way to come to Him: because salvation by human righteousness always falls short. We need God’s righteousness, imputed to us; this refers to justification, where God declares the believing sinner blameless and imputes (assigns) the very righteousness of Christ to that sinner’s account.

We cannot bring our best efforts and combine them with the righteousness of Christ. That muddies the pure water of His righteousness and it robs Him of glory. To follow Jesus, we must deny ourselves, especially deny our self-righteousness and good deeds as the basis for right standing with God. Salvation is not a joint project, where we try hard and let God do the rest. It is all of God.

PART 2: WHY RELIGIOUS PEOPLE MISS SALVATION (CHAPTER 10, VERSES 1-4)

“Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”

Once again, Paul starts off by expressing his desire and prayers for the salvation of the Israelites. He testifies of their zeal for God and then proceeds to answer the questions that would have been bothering the Romans. “If the Jews are God’s chosen people, why are most of them rejecting Christ?”

In his answer, he revealed that the Jews and all religious people often miss salvation

1. In spite of their zeal for God, because they possess zeal not based on knowledge (10:2).

Israel failed to attain righteousness because they did not pursue the law by faith, but as if it could be attained by works. In so doing, they were only seeking to establish their own righteousness (10:3), which always falls short.

All roads do not lead to the top; being sincere or zealous is not enough. Good intentions are not good enough if they are mistaken about the truth of the Gospel. Religious zeal must always be tested against the core truth of the unchanging Gospel.

The Jews did not understand God’s saving righteousness, namely, that He imputes righteousness to the one who believes in His appointed substitute.

2. Because they fail to trust in Christ as their righteousness (10:4).

Verse 4 says: “Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”

This is a wonderful verse, but unfortunately it is one of the most disputed verses in all of Paul’s letters. The problem is that the word “end” (Greek, telos) has different nuances of meaning. It can mean “termination,” it can mean “goal,” (Gal. 3:23-25), and it can mean “fulfilment” or “culmination,” (Matt. 5:17). To understand what Paul was referring to here, we must combine verse 3 & 4. Verses 3 & 4 are saying that either you are seeking to be right with God by establishing your own righteousness through good deeds and morality (10:3), in which case you will miss God’s salvation, because all such attempts fall short. Or, you will recognize that you need perfect righteousness to stand before God. Thus you will abandon your own attempts to establish your righteousness and trust in Christ alone to be your righteousness (10:4). His perfect righteousness is credited to your account, so that God declares you to be righteous or justified. In other words, “Christ came to fulfil the law so as to make righteousness available for everyone who believes.”

PART 3: HOW TO BE SAVED (CHAPTER 10, VERSES 5-10)

“5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.” 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

In these verses, Paul contrasts the righteousness based on the law (verse 5) with the righteousness that comes through faith (verses 6-10). To be saved by keeping the law, you must keep it perfectly. But to be saved by faith, you trust in what God has done in sending His Son to die for your sins and raising Him from the dead. Salvation is not by keeping the law, but by faith in Christ.

1. To be saved, you must recognize firstly, that you cannot save yourself by keeping God’s law (Verse 5).
2. To be saved, you must recognize that Christ has done for you what you could never do for yourself (Verses 6-8).

So Paul’s point is that human effort is not necessary to procure God’s righteousness. God has done it all: He sent Christ. Christ died for our sins. God raised Him from the dead. All that we must do is to believe in this word that Paul was preaching. The fact that this word “is near you” (10:8) means that you don’t have to go through some difficult or impossible process like (ascending into heaven or descending into the abyss) to find Christ and be saved. Rather, you can believe in Him at this moment and be saved.

3. To be saved, you must truly believe in Jesus as the crucified and risen Lord and Saviour (Verses 9-10)

• True faith is a matter of your heart believing Jesus as the crucified and risen Lord and Saviour.
• True faith confesses openly that Jesus is the risen Lord and Saviour.
• Faith is the root; confession is the fruit. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone, but if our faith is genuine, it will always bear the fruit of salvation (Eph. 2:8-10).

PART 4: GOOD NEWS FOR ALL (CHAPTER 10, VERSES 11-13)

“As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Verse 11 means that the Gospel is good news for all. Good news is only good news for you when you hear it and act on it. So we must preach it to one and all!

1. All people have one primary need: To be saved before they die and face judgment.
2. All people need one message: The Good news that whoever believes in Jesus will not be put to shame.
3. All people need to hear that there is one way to be saved: To believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

CONCLUSION

We have learnt why the Jews for the most part were rejecting Christ: they were trying to be saved by their own good works so that they stumbled over Christ. They missed God’s way of righteousness through faith in Christ. So the emphasis is on human responsibility and sin. We will see in future studies that although Israel rejected Christ because they were disobedient and obstinate (10:21); God’s sovereignty is still present. It is God’s sovereign plan to use the salvation of the Gentiles to provoke Israel to jealousy, so that eventually they will turn to Christ (10:19; 11:11, 14).

Parts of this study was culled from https://bible.org (lessons 62-65)

Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai

INTRODUCTION: In the conclusion of last week’s study, we touched on the mercy of God. Where the Apostle Paul quoted Exodus 33:19 “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” In today’s study we shall be looking further into God’s mercy. God’s mercy is a gift; seen when He shows compassion or forgiveness towards someone who deserved to be punished.

Verse 16: Mercy is God’s Sovereign Gift

¹⁶ So then God’s choice is not dependent on human will, nor on human effort [the totality of human striving], but on God who shows mercy [to whomever He chooses—it is His sovereign gift]. AMP

God’s mercy is not given to us because of what we wish to do (human will), or because of what we actually do (human effort), but simply out of His desire to show mercy. A gift is usually undeserved; it is at the other end of the spectrum of a prize; which is earned.

Verses 17-18: Mercy is at God’s Disposal; He Chooses When and How to Dispense It

17 For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.”18 So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.” (NLT)

These two verses spell out a concept that has confused many. So let’s dig a little deeper.

Firstly, people interpret verse 17 to mean that God created Pharaoh for the purpose of destroying him; so that He could glorify Himself; but that was not the case. Paul was quoting Exodus 9:16. But to understand that verse we must read both verses 15&16 (AMP)

“15 For by now I could have put out My hand and struck you and your people with a pestilence, and you would then have been cut off (obliterated) from the earth. 16 But indeed for this very reason I have allowed you to live, in order to show you My power and in order that My name may be proclaimed throughout all the earth.”

See how different a passage becomes when it is read in context? Does this passage not therefore show God’s mercy on Pharaoh howbeit momentarily?

Secondly. It is not that God forced an “unwilling”, “kind-hearted” Pharaoh to be hard towards Him and Israel. What God simply did was allow Pharaoh’s heart to pursue its natural inclination. Initially, God did not harden Pharaoh’s heart; he was given the opportunity to choose freely to obey God time and time again. Instead, he and the Egyptians freely rejected God’s command to let Israel go. If God had created Pharaoh initially as a vessel for destruction, there would have been no need to harden him later. Hardening only makes sense, if the clay was first soft in the first place. Here is what 1 Samuel 6:6a says:

“Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did?”

Under God’s longsuffering and patience, He allowed Pharaoh additional opportunity to repent and to let Israel go; but Pharaoh decided (himself) not to. This can be seen in Exodus 7:13 (Yet Pharaoh’s heart was hardened) 7:22 (so Pharaoh’s heart was hardened), 8:15 (he hardened his heart), 8:19 (But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened), 8:32 (But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also), 9:7 (But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened), and 9:34 (he sinned again and hardened his heart).

However, it was after much longsuffering; after 7 plagues before God finally hardened Pharaoh’s heart; freezing it in its rebellious state. In other words, God made sure Pharaoh could no longer change his mind even if he wanted to. Because, due to the suffering of the next two plagues, he could have let Israel go but it would not have been because he wanted to obey God willingly. Exodus 10:1 (And the Lord said unto Moses, go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart), 10:20 (But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart), 10:27 (But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart), 11:10 (yet the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart)

Verses 19-21: God’s Decisions Are Unquestionable

“19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still blame me [for sinning]? For who [including myself] has [ever] resisted His will and purpose?” 20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers [arrogantly] back to God and dares to defy Him? Will the thing which is formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Does the potter not have the right over the clay, to make from the same lump [of clay] one object for honourable use [something beautiful or distinctive] and another for common use [something ordinary or menial]?” (AMP)

Paul imagines someone asking, “If it is all a matter of God’s choice, then how can God find fault with me? How can anyone go against God’s choice?” Paul replies by showing how arrogant and disrespectful such a question is. Just as the clay cannot (not even should not) question the potter so we cannot question God! Does God not have the same right that any Creator has over his creation?

Verses 22-24: God’s Mercy is a Declaration of His Glory

 “22 In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. 23 He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory. 24 And we are among those whom he selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles.” (NLT)

In verse 22, Paul draws our attention to the riches of God’s mercy! He is still very patient with those who deserve His wrath. That is what we saw with Pharaoh (Exodus 9:15&16)

Verse 23 reveals an interesting concept: “He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory.”

When you see what could have happened to you and compare it with what God’s mercy did instead, it simply makes the riches of His glory shine brighter! And if God wants to show mercy to the Gentiles as well as the Jews, who can oppose Him? The Jews were inclined to think that God could not make them anything other than vessels of honour. Paul rejects this view and points out that God does what He wills; making us part of those He selected.

Verses 25-26: Conclusion

^“25 Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea, “Those who were not my people, I will now call my people. And I will love those whom I did not love before.” 26 And, “Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.” (NLT)

Verse 25 is a magnificent message of hope and joy concerning you and I! Those who were not original God’s people, He now calls us His people! He also now loves us! But this promise also covers Israel. The prophecy of Hosea in Hosea 1:10 says: “Yet the time will come when Israel’s people will be like the sands of the seashore—too many to count! Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ it will be said, ‘You are children of the living God.”

Contributor: Leye Olayiwola

INTRODUCTION

In our last in-depth study of the concluding verses of Romans Chapter 8 we considered the depth and intensity of God’s love for us. We were reminded that as long as God is for us, no one can be against us; If He justifies us, then no one can condemn us. How fulfilling and refreshing to be reminded that no matter what we go through, nothing can alienate us from Christ’s love. In Romans chapters one through eight, Paul thoroughly convinced us about man’s need and God’s glorious provision in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. Now, in Romans 9 through 11, Paul deals with the problem associated with the condition of Israel. What does it mean that Israel has missed its Messiah? What does this say about God? Or about Israel? What does it say about our present position in God? Some of these questions will be addressed in today’s lesson.

Romans 9: 1-3

“I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, ² that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. ³ For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,”

• Paul solemnly testifies that what he is about to say is the truth. He is not lying. While one’s conscience can be hardened or deceived (Titus 1:15) the Christian’s conscience can be cleansed, so that the Holy Spirit bears witness through our conscience (1 Timothy 1:5)
• With all honesty, Paul can say in verse 2 that his response to Israel’s unbelief and very real peril is that of sorrow and grief. These are the responses of love, not of bitterness or vengeance. In spite of all the Jews have done against Paul, he still loves them and finds no joy in their downfall.
• Paul’s love goes far deeper than this as he tells us in verse 3. It is not enough for Paul to feel sorry for his people. He wishes he could demonstrate his love in an even more active way. If it were possible, he would wish to be like Christ, sacrificing himself for the salvation of his fellow-Jews. This great passion for souls gave Paul’s perspective. Lesser things did not trouble him because he was troubled by a great thing – the souls of men. “Get love for the souls of men – then you will not be whining about a want yet to be met and the little disturbances that people may make by their idle talk. You will be delivered from petty worries (I need not further describe them) if you are concerned about the souls of men… Get your soul full of a great grief, and your little griefs will be driven out.” (Spurgeon)

Romans 9: 4-5

“Who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; ⁵ of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.”

The pain Paul feels for his lost brethren is all the more severe when he considers how God has blessed them with all the privileges of being His own special people.

• The glory speaks of God’s Shekinah glory, the visible “cloud of glory” showing God’s presence among His people.
• Paul also considers the human legacy of being God’s chosen people. Israel not only gave us the great fathers of the Old Testament, but Jesus Himself came from Israel. This entire spiritual legacy makes Israel’s unbelief all the more problematic.
• “Christ… who is over all, the eternally blessed God, Amen”: This is one of Paul’s clear statements that Jesus is God.

Romans 9: 6-9

But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, ⁷ nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” ⁸ That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. ⁹ For this is the word of promise: “At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.”

• Paul thinks of someone looking at Israel and saying, “God’s word didn’t come through for them. He didn’t fulfill His promise for them because they missed their Messiah and now seem cursed. How do I know that He will come through for me?” Paul answers the question by asserting that it is not that the word of God has taken no effect.
• For they are not all Israel who are of Israel: One meaning of the name Israel is “governed by God.” “Paul tells us that no one is truly Israel unless he is governed by God. We have a parallel situation with the word ‘Christian.’ Not everyone who is called a Christian is truly a follower of Christ.”
• The children of the promise are counted as the seed: God’s word didn’t fail, because God still reaches His children of the promise, which may or may not be the same as physical Israel (but also Believers in Christ). Paul shows that merely being the descendant of Abraham saves no one. For example, Ishmael was just as much a son of Abraham as Isaac was; but Ishmael was a son according to the flesh, and Isaac was a son according to the promise. One was the heir of God’s covenant of salvation, and one was not. Isaac stands for the children of the promise and Ishmael stands for the children of the flesh.

Romans 9: 10-13

And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac 11 (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), 12 it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”

• Our father Isaac: God’s choice between Ishmael and Isaac seems somewhat logical to us. It’s a lot harder to understand why God chose Jacob to be the heir of God’s covenant of salvation instead of Esau. We might not understand it as easily, but God’s choice is just as valid.
• Not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil: Paul points out that God’s choice was not based on the performance of Jacob or Esau. The choice was made before they were born.
• That the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls: So we do not think that God chose Jacob over Esau because He knew their works in advance, Paul points out that it was not of works. Instead, the reason for choosing was found in Him who calls.
• The older shall serve the younger: God announced these intentions to Rebecca before the children were born, and He repeated His verdict long after Jacob and Esau had both passed from the earth (Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated

1. We should regard the love and the hate as regarding His purpose in choosing one to become the heir of the covenant of Abraham. In that regard, God’s preference could rightly be regarded as a display of love (accepted/ loved more) towards Jacob and hate (rejected/ loved less) towards Esau – Gen.29:31, 33; Matt.6:24; John 12:25.
2. All in all, we see that Esau was a blessed man (Genesis 33:8-16, Genesis 36). God hated Esau in regard to inheriting the covenant, not in regard to blessing in this life or the next.
3. “A woman once said to Mr. Spurgeon, ‘I cannot understand why God should say that He hated Esau.’ ‘That,’ Spurgeon replied, ‘is not my difficulty, madam. My trouble is to understand how God could love Jacob.’” (Newell)
4. Our greatest error in considering the choices of God is to think that God chooses for arbitrary reasons, as if He chooses in an “eeny-meeny-miny-moe” way. We may not be able to fathom God’s reasons for choosing, and they are reasons He alone knows and answers to, but God’s choices are not capricious. He has a plan and a reason.

CONCLUSION: Romans 9:14-15

What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”

• Is there unrighteousness with God? Paul answers this question strongly: Certainly not! God clearly explains His right to give mercy to whomever He pleases in Exodus 33:19.
• I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy: Remember what mercy is. Mercy is not getting what we do deserve. God is never less than fair with anyone, but fully reserves the right to be more than fair with individuals as He chooses. 
• Jesus spoke of this right of God in the parable of the landowner in Matthew 20:1-16.
• We are in a dangerous place when we regard God’s mercy towards us as our right. If God is obliged to show mercy, then it is not mercy – it is obligation. No one is ever unfair for not giving mercy.

This study is culled from https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/romans-9/

Contributor: Alex Alajiki

INTRODUCTION:

In our last lesson, we considered the present suffering and the future glory for all believers from Rom. 8:18-30. What is considered as suffering is simply our battles against the flesh and the kingdom of darkness. We are encouraged to stand our ground by focusing on the glory ahead which surpasses any challenge of the present time. Jesus is still our best example according to Heb. 12:2 “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”

Romans chapter 8 actually holds the central theme of the 16 chapters of the entire book.

The chapter begins with the message ‘no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (vs. 1) which only makes sense to those who have grasped that without Christ we are and must be condemned. The chapter ends with ‘nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus’ (vs 39). Within this chapter, Paul highlighted the works of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life.

We shall be focusing on the last nine verses to see how apostle Paul concluded this interesting chapter.

1. If God is for us, who can be against us? Rom. 8:31-32

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

We must never doubt if God is on our side according to Jer.29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

If then God is pleased with us and so is willing to work on our behalf, Paul asks what does it matter who opposes us or is displeased with us? Of course, many people may in fact oppose us. Satan will surely oppose us. But if the omnipotent, all-wise, loving God of the universe is pleased with us, no one else really matters! Compare Psalms 118:6; Matth. 10:28. Far too often we are much too concerned about how others view us. We let them hinder our service to God, because we want people on our side. We must love God above all others (Matth. 6:33; 10:34-37). Though parents, spouse, children, friends, and enemies all oppose us, we should still serve God, since His attitude toward us is all that matters in the end. See also Gala. 1:10; Matt. 6:1-18; 23:5; 2 Corin. 10:12,18; 1 Thess. 2:4: John 12:42,43; 5:44.

Vs 32 “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”

Paul here offers the supreme proof of God’s love and of His desire to give us all that we need in His service. He did not spare even His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. This was God’s supreme sacrifice (John 3:16; Rom. 5:5-8; 1 John 4:9-11). If God is willing to make such a sacrifice, how can we doubt His love and His ability to meet all our needs?

We should rest assured that God will always give us everything we need to serve Him: all the blessings mentioned here and even things we may not realize that we need (Eph. 1:3; James 1:17). Why would we ever doubt His wisdom, love, or provisions for us? Why would we question Him for allowing problems to come? This is surely Paul’s point in context

2. If God justifies us, who can condemn us? Rom.8:33-34

33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Paul here asks who can cause us to stand condemned if God has justified us? If God is pleased to forgive our sins, who has the power to defeat His purpose and election? Who can bring such a charge against us as to cause us to stand condemned? The obvious implied answer is that no one can

do so (compare verses 31,32). We are assured of our blessings under the gospel by the fact that Christ died for us and arose, so that He is now at God’s right hand to make intercession for us according to Heb. 7:25. He is also our advocate with the Father according to 1 John 2:1.

3) What problems in life can separate us from Christ’s love? Rom. 8:35-36

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

Paul here listed specific suffering that Christian can likely go through because of our faith in Christ;

Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril and sword. Then he asks whether or not any of these particulars can hinder our relationship with God. The answer in each case must be “No!”. Separation from the “love of Christ” can refer either to our love for Christ or His love for us’. God can never cease loving us because of our suffering or persecution, but we must decide that none of these problems can force us to stop loving Him like Job did according to Job 2:9.

If within ourselves we lose our commitment to God’s service, we surely will die spiritually and be separated from God. We must keep ourselves in the love of God – Jude 21

Can anybody relate how their love for God was tested under pressure or persecution.

Vs 36, As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

Here, Paul quoted Ps.44:22. He suffered intense persecution in the process of bringing the gospel to others. God’s people do suffer in this life. Doctrines that teach otherwise simply cause despair when hardship and persecution continue even for those who are faithful according to 2 Tim.3:12.

4) We are more than conquerors; Rom. 8:37-39

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In all these trials, God will always be there to help us endure the hardship and overcome. But in what sense are we “more than conquerors” through these trials? If we allow suffering to lead us to sin, then we are separated from God. This is what Satan hopes suffering will produce, as he hoped in the case of Job. But if we use God’s provisions so that we remain faithful, then we defeat the trials; they do not defeat us. Jesus already gave us the victory even before any trial according to John 16:33, Phil.4:13.

We are conquerors, if the trials do not defeat us. But we are more than conquerors, because we actually benefited by that which Satan sent to defeat us. We are actually drawn closer to God. Our weaknesses and impurities are removed. We learn patience and faith, and ultimately receive eternal rewards if we endure to end according to Rev.2:10, Matt.24:13.

In vs 39, “no created thing,” neither those listed nor any other can keep us away from the benefits of Christ’s love. If we take the way of escape (1 Corin. 10:13), we can always defeat

Satan and his power by the armour God provides (Eph. 6:10-18).

Conclusion.

The Holy Spirit is our greatest help or helper in any trial according to Eph.3:16 “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man”. He also helps us to pray and show us the way to overcome. Rom. 8:26

Contributor: Alex Kokobili

Introduction
Our last study of Romans 8:1-17 focused on “Life through the Flesh & Life through the Spirit”. The summary of the last three verses helps us to understand that the Spirit of God is not a spirit that ensnares us into slavery, which binds one to fear but that it is through Him we gained adoption as sons and daughters of God. Also, The Holy Spirit confirms that we are now God’s children and by this, we can now share in the glories of God’s kingdom and He calls us sons as long as we keep being led by His Spirit This is because we were adopted as His children not according to the flesh but the Spirit. This means we share in both His sufferings as humans and also share in the fullness of His glory through the Spirit. Our focus now is on Romans 8: 18 -30 with emphasis on the “Present Suffering and the Future Glory”. Suffering is regarded as an unpleasant experience either in the long or short term but we realize that people consider suffering differently based on how a specific situation relates to them. One thing people often say is if God is good, then why do we suffer? But we are encouraged by Apostle Paul's words in Philippians 1:29-28. To define God’s glory is to describe God’s goodness and His wonder as El-Shaddai who is Almighty in all His ways and as believers, we are rewarded with glory each time we prevail in our Christian work and if tarry till the very end, an eternal glory also awaits us.

Verse 18 – A Comparison That Makes Suffering Worth Our While
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

Apostle Paul acknowledges the challenges of staying knitted to Christ is likened to one form of suffering or the other. In previous verses, Paul echoed on the struggles of the flesh and the carnal nature of man. The suffering of these present times is nothing if we endured partaking in the incomparable glory ahead. We must accept that the suffering of this present time is real and Christians should not be ignorant of this. For instance; Christians are regularly mocked for openly confessing their faith, while others are persecuted, and the church as a who is often a victim of government legislations to curtail its influence. Also, some other Christians are faced with the temptation for quick wealth, etc. Regardless of all these situations, we were able to endure for the glory ahead to be revealed in us.

Verses 19-22 – The World Eagerly Waits Our Manifestation
“19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.”

Paul makes it clear that the world now eagerly awaits to see us as God’s children because they realize how difficult it is to be consecrated unto God. For the Christians in this generation to partake of the glory of Christ, we must endure the sufferings of Christ and flee from all forms of evil. The world is subject to ungodliness and evil but now all men who turn to Christ can benefit from the glory ahead if they see Christ in us and turn from all unrighteousness. The glory starts from here on earth but it is a glory unto eternity which is the reason why we have to endure hardship as good soldiers of Christ (2Tim 2:3). Be aware, of the silent cry of those
perishing that we cannot hear which is the yearning for help, freedom, and liberty from the corruption of the flesh but who will set them free if we delay the manifestation of God’s glory? (Romans 10:4). But the world around can’t do it by itself because it lost hope in a generation that couldn’t unveil God to them. Part of the challenge of this generation is the unwillingness to serve God, violence, technological arrogance, manipulation of evil, etc., but it now depends on our unveiling to set the people around us from the bondage of this world. Paul likened the expectation from us as God’s sons who are surrounded by a generation that needs direction to be that of groaning and labour pangs (intensive pain during childbirth).

Verses 23-25 – Desiring to manifest God’s Glory
“23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”

It is not enough to be a Christian, but we must desire to manifest the Glory of God. This glory is not an imagination, but that our lives portray God’s goodness all the time till the point of the rapture (At this point we are transformed from our carnal nature to glory). We must spiritually see the glory ahead, and endure all the temptations, shame and be unshaken in our faith. Hebrews 12: 1-2, tells us about how Christ despised the earthly humiliation for the glory ahead. Paul himself had to wait in perseverance for glory ahead which is the ultimate reward for all who finish their earthly race in Christ in 2Tim 4: 7-9. This should be the attitude of a Christian soldier who endures all situations (the good, bad, and ugly roads in life) without been dismissed from the Lord’s army and he/she is eventually rewarded here on earth from God’s gloriousness and most importantly with God’s eternal glory which is the ultimate goal

Verses 26-27 – The Holy Spirit Helps Us to Pray
“26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

As sons of God who have been redeemed to reveal God’s glory to this generation, we must embrace God’s will all times because he will make all things beautiful in its season. It’s an irony Christians forget that we are expected to tarry before God till the very end. For instance, 1Peter 5:10, we learn that the Holy Spirit sees the genuineness of our hearts and helps us if we are willing to persevere. Christ our High Priest was also tempted like us as it is written in Hebrews 4:15, but Christ prevailed. Let us always endeavour to ask the Holy Spirit for help, as we cannot overcome the world by motivational words but through a Holy Spirit filled and controlled life. Then, the Holy Spirit helps us to pray in accordance with God's will and gives us the grace to live a victorious life in Christ.

Verses 28-30 – God Makes All Things Work Together
“28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

God is always ready to help us get His best in life and make every aspect of our earthly pilgrimage to work for our good if we love Him and stay in His purpose whether in good or bad times. It’s God's will for us to manifest the image of Jesus here on earth because the world is waiting for us to unveil God’s glory as sons adopted in the similitude of Christ. Therefore, let us not feel discouraged or ashamed in displaying His love when we suffer all sorts as Christians, for God will eventually make it work out for His glory at the end of the day. Paul himself had unpleasant experiences in his apostolic ministry and voyages but he endured at all times. We can be assured that tarrying and discomfort for the sake of holding fast in our salvation will eventually make us perfect unto His glory - James 1:2-4 (2 Count it all joy, my brothers,2 when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing).

In Conclusion
As Christians, we must strive for the glory ahead, and what a shame if we fail to unveil God’s glory to the world around us. Paul’s love for the glory ahead cared less even to the point of death, sickness, or shame, etc., (Rom 8:35). Let us be aware that the creation is subject to eternal destruction if we don’t manifest God’s glory for them to be saved but if we rather join them to sin, it will be a total loss for us and God could raise another generation that will unveil His glory to His people. Our desire should not be to live on this earth forever but for our bodies to be transformed unto His eternal glory whenever He comes for us and all the other saints (Romans 8:23, Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, redemption of our body).

Contributor: Peter Folikwe

INTRODUCTION

By way of recap, from our previous study of the book of Romans, Apostle Paul focused on the problem of sin as a limitation of the natural man. In the last study of Chapter 7, Apostle Paul emphasized the unending war between the natural flesh and Spirit of man.

For instance, in Rom 7:15 NIV Paul says “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” In Verse 24, Paul declared how wretched he was asking who shall deliver his body from death, because of our fleshly desires. He stated that the law is spiritual, but we are carnal because of the lust of the flesh. Since the law is spiritual and we are carnal, we are often condemned by the law. The law, as a mirror, keeps exposing our sins. The law according to Paul, therefore, has a right to condemn us, because we flesh out often. By the end of chapter 7, our condemnation by the law leaves us wondering; who can save us from this condemnation?

VERSE 1: A RAY OF HOPE

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (KJV)

Chapter 8 opens with Paul’s declaration. This opening verse simply gives us that ray of hope that we are not indeed condemned by the law. Why? We shall understand by the time we get to Verse 17.

VERSE 2: NOT CONDEMNED

“because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” (NIV)

The law Paul refers to here is not the law of Moses (the law of righteousness), but something/natural authority that has “power” over us. For instance, the Taoiseach enacted a law at the beginning of the pandemic that religious houses and some other places of social gathering should be closed. Violation of that law comes with consequences. Eccl 8:4 says “Where the word of a king is, there is power:”

So if you replace “law” in the above verse with “power”, the verse reads “the power of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the power of sin and death”. Therefore, if the ‘power of the Spirit’ dwells in you, it will save you from the ‘power of the law’. In essence we need the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the power of the law.

VERSE 3: THE WEAKNESS OF THE LAW

“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:” (KJV)

Paul here switches back to the law of Moses (law of righteousness). This law sets out rules but does not empower anyone to keep it. The weakness in the flesh often weakens the ability of the law to change our lives. God, understanding of our weakness, sent His only begotten son Jesus in likeliness of our sinful flesh, not as a sinner. Jesus was without sin in the flesh and had to be without sin to qualify to pay for our sins. If Jesus had sinned, He would have to pay for His sins and not for you and I. If you lend me money, I can’t be owing you and decide to pay another man’s debt, except only after I have settled my debts. Since Jesus took on our sins, He became condemned for our sins. Going back to the introductory verse, there is therefore no condemnation for them who are in Christ Jesus, why? Simply because Jesus has been condemned for our sins. This however does not give us freedom to continue in sin.

VERSE 4: RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE LAW FULFILLED IN US

“That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

This verse tells us why Jesus was condemned; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us....... Paul here talks of the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled “in” us, not “by” our own actions of obedience. Because none of us can fulfil the righteousness of the law in our sinful flesh. It will be fulfilled in us, only if we walk after the spirit. Because Jesus (through the power of the Holy Spirit) lives in you & I, therefore He can empower us to live & keep the requirements of the law. It does not mean that we do not occasionally fall (not deliberately) into sin, but Godly sorrow through the Spirit of God that lives within us, we confess & repent of our sins.

VERSE 5: SPIRIT CONTROLLED VS FLESH CONTROLLED

“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set (constantly thinking) on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set (constantly thinking) on what the Spirit desires.” (NIV)

Paul clearly distinguishes between those whose minds are inclined towards living a life controlled by the flesh and others whose focus/mindset are focused on spiritual desires. Luke 12:34 says “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

VERSES 6-8: THE CONSEQUENCES

“So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.” (NLT)

Paul admonishes us to bring our body under subjection, otherwise our bodies will bring us instead under its control. It is usual for the natural man to run contrary to God’s laws. Adam was instructed not to eat the apple; exactly that he did with eve. Paul says “I find myself doing those things I hate to do”. Caution a child not to touch an object, just look away, your guess is as good as mine. It is impossible to live gratifying the flesh and live a life pleasing to God. It is by the spirit of God that lives within us we are redeemed (born again).

VERSES 9-13: IT IS ALL ABOUT GOD’S SPIRIT IN US

“9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. 12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” (NIV)

Paul says if the Spirit of God is not in you, then you are not a believer. It is the spirit of God, not our own righteousness that makes us born again children of God. Verse 10 says our physical bodies are subject to physical death because of sin. Jesus however did not die for our physical body, but for our souls. For those who Jesus will meet on earth when He returns in glory will have their physical bodies transformed/changed, not redeemed. Verse 11, talks about the glorification of our bodies at resurrection for as long as we have the in dwelling of the Holy Spirit. Verse 12 says we are debtors, but not to the flesh anymore because it has been paid by Jesus on the cross. Verse 13 implies you can only put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit, not by our own strength.

VERSES 14-15: LED BY THE SPIRIT

“14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” (NIV)

God sees us as His children provided, we have His Spirit dwelling in us. Unlike some ‘so-called Christians’ who believe they can only make heaven based on how hard they work for God, but do not have a Spiritual relationship with God through Jesus Christ. For you and I who walk by the Spirit, we can boast of a personal relationship with God; calling Him “Abba Father” - our dear Father.

VERSES 16-17: CONCLUSION

“16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

Verse 16 tells us that we are His children only if we do His will enabled by the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. The Spirit in us testifies/bears witness with us that we are children of God. 2Cor 13:1 says “.... In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” The two witnesses here are the Spirit of God in you and yourself. Verse 17 talks about our inheritance in His heavenly kingdom. This inheritance is however predicated on our sharing in His sufferings (salvation, persecution, putting our bodies under subjection of the Holy Spirit etc). Ultimately, we will also share in His glorification. Jesus explained this inheritance in the Parable of the Sheep and Goats: Matt 25:34 NIV

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. God bless and help us all to abide in His Words. Amen.

Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai

INTRODUCTION

Let’s have a quick reminder of what we have learnt from the last two studies; so that we can keep today’s study in perspective. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has set you and I free. Having said that, it is possible to miss out on this freedom for two reasons. First, Romans 6:1-14 points out that, even though you are a Christian, you can deliberately choose to give yourself over to the bondage and slavery of sin. There’s also the notion that God, in His grace, will forgive us, so we can continue to indulge in sin. The answer to that attitude is found in Chapter 6, Verses 15-22. The Scripture says that anyone who lives on that basis, will be enslaved, shamed, limited, corrupted, defiled, saddened and ultimately eternally separated from God by sin.
The second way we can miss God's freedom for us is exactly the opposite. When we attempt to handle this problem of sin by discipline and dedication of heart and the exercise of determined willpower; we seek to do our best to do what God asks, to live according to the Law. But Romans 7:1-6 tells us that legalism is not the answer, because the Law does not serve any useful purpose in delivering us from sin.
That raises the question: "What, then, is the function and purpose of the Law in a Christian's life; seeing that it cannot deliver us from sin?" And the answer is this: The Law is meant to expose sin in us and drive us back to Christ. That is what the Law is for, and that is the story of Chapter 7, Verses 7-25; today’s study. Paul’s words in today’s study have vexed many scholars for centuries.

Verse 7: THE LAW’S LEGITIMATE FUNCTION
“7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” (NIV)

The MSG version renders verse 7b thus: “The law code had a perfectly legitimate function. Without its clear guidelines for right and wrong, moral behaviour would be mostly guesswork.”
The MSG version also renders 7c thus: “Apart from the succinct, surgical command, “You shall not covet,” I could have dressed covetousness up to look like a virtue and ruined my life with it.”

Verses 8-11: SIN’S MANIPULATIVE POWER
“8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death.” (NIV)

The MSG version renders verse 8b thus: “What happened, though, was that sin found a way to pervert 
the command into a temptation, making a piece of “forbidden fruit” out of it. The law code, instead 
of being used to guide me, was used to seduce me.”
This is exactly what the serpent did in Eden. Here, Paul describes something that he went through himself. But, also, Paul employs the past tense throughout these verses, which suggests that he is describing his experience before he became a Christian. Paul was also describing something that is common to the experience of many of us today. No doubt many of us have had exactly the same experience that the Apostle Paul describes. It is important to remember Romans 5:14 & 18 at this point

14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

Verses 12-13: THE LAW IS HOLY & RIGHTEOUS – NOTHING WRONG WITH IT
“12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. 13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.” (NIV)

The MSG version renders verse 13b thus: “No again! Sin simply did what sin is so famous for doing: 
using the good as a cover to tempt me to do what would finally destroy me.

The Law was designed to expose sin, and to make us feel this way so that we begin to understand what this evil force is that we have inherited by our birth into this fallen human race. The Law shows sin to be what it is, something exceedingly powerful and dangerous, something that has greater strength than our willpower and causes us to do things that we are resolved not to do.

Verses 14-15 – TWO PROBLEMS
“14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” (NIV)

In these verses, Paul switches to the present tense. This is significant because it means that he is now describing his experience at the time he wrote this letter to the Romans. These verses always raise a problem. Recall in Chapter 6 verses 17-18, where Paul said: " But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness"  (NIV)

How could a man write that he had become in Christ, a slave to righteousness, and just a few paragraphs later write, "I am unspiritual (carnal), sold under sin, a slave to sin"? Was he confused? Not at all! He was simply describing what happens when a Christian tries to live under the Law. When a Christian, by his dedication and willpower and determination, tries to do what is right in order to please God, he is living under the Law. And what Paul is telling us today is what to expect when we live like that -- for we all try to live that way from time to time. Sin, you see, deceives us. It deceived Paul as an apostle, and he needed this treatment of the Law. It deceives us, and we need it too.

In Verse 15, Paul tells us that there are basically two problems: The first is spotted in the b part of verse 15 and the second problem is in the c part
"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do."
There are things he would love to do, but he cannot do them. Instead, he does what he hates. This is not the same for a person who lives habitually in sin. To such, they do what they want to do – sin.

Verses 16-20: THE EXPLANATION - “I” vs “Me”
“And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature [or my flesh]. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 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. 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.” (NIV)

Paul says that as a Christian, redeemed by the grace of God, there is now something within him that wants to do good, that agrees with the Law, that says that the Law is right. But also, he says, there is something else in him that rises up and says "No!" Even though he determines not to do what is bad, he suddenly finds himself in such circumstances that his determination melts away, his resolve is gone, and he ends up doing what he had sworn he would not do. Have you ever felt that way?

So, what has gone wrong? Paul's explanation is this: "It is no longer I who do it; it is sin living in me." Isn't that strange? He implies a separation within our humanity. There is the "I" that wants to do what God wants, and there is the "me" indwelled by sin, that is different from the "I". Human beings are complicated creatures. We are made up of a spirit, a soul, and a body; these are distinct, one from the other. What Paul is suggesting here is that the redeemed spirit never wants to do what God has prohibited. It agrees with the Law that it is good. And yet there is an alien power, a force that he calls sin, a great beast that is lying still in the flesh until touched by the commandment of the Law (remember, it is the spirit that is regenerated when we are born again and not the flesh); that springs to life, and overpowers us and we do what we do not want to do.

Jesus implied the same when He said, "If your right hand offends you, cut it off," (Matthew 5:30). He was implying that we should take drastic action because we are up against a serious problem. Agreeing that that there is a "me" within us that runs our members, that gives orders to our hands, feet, eyes, tongues, brains, sexual organs, and controls them. That "me" gives the order to do something wrong, but there is another "I" in us who is offended by this. This "I" does not like it, does not want it. And so, Jesus' words were, "Cut it off."

Verses 21-23 THE BATTLE OF LAWS
“So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law [another principle] at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law [or principle] of my mind [my agreement with the law of God] and making me a prisoner of the law [principle] of sin at work within my members.” (NIV) Emphasis mine

These verses emphasize the same problem. You want to do right and determine to do right, knowing what it is
and swearing to do it, only to find that under certain circumstances all that determination melts away and you do not do what is right. You do exactly what you did not want to do. So you come away angry with yourself. "What's the matter with me? Why can't I do what is right? Why do I give way when I get into this situation? Why am I so weak?" Very many of us have found ourselves in this situation before, right? This is the struggle of many Christians.

Verse 24: THE HEART’S DESPERATE CRY
“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (NIV)

The Message version says: “I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is 
there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?”

This desperate cry at the end is where the Lord Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," (Matthew 5:3). Blessed is the man who comes to the end of himself. Blessed is the man who has arrived at spiritual bankruptcy. Because this is the point -- the only point -- where God's help is given.
This is what we need to learn. If we think that our wills are strong enough, our desires motivated enough, that we can control evil in our lives by simply determining to do so, then we have not come to the end of ourselves yet. And the Spirit of God simply folds His arms to wait and lets us go ahead and try it on that basis. And we fail, and fail miserably -- until, at last, out of our failures, we cry, "O wretched man that I am!" Sin has deceived us, and the Law, as our friend, has come in and exposed sin for what it is. When we see how wretched it makes us, then we are ready for the answer, which comes immediately:

Verse 25: THE CONCLUSION
“Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a 
slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature (or in the flesh) a slave to the law of sin.” (NIV)

Who will deliver me from this body of death? The Lord Jesus has already delivered us! We are to respond to the feelings of wretchedness and discouragement and failure, to which the Law has brought us because of sin in us, by reminding ourselves immediately of the facts that are true of us in Jesus Christ. Our feelings must be answered by facts. We are no longer under the Law; that is the fact. We have arrived at a different situation; we are married to Christ. That means we must no longer think, "I am a poor, struggling, bewildered disciple, left alone to wrestle against these powerful urges." We must now begin to think, "No, I am a free child of God, living a normal human life. I am dead to sin, and dead to the Law, because I am married to Christ. His power is mine, right at this moment. And though I may not feel a thing, I have the power to say, "No!" and walk away and be free, in Jesus Christ."

Culled from: https://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/romans/the-continuing-struggle
 

Contributor: Clem Roberts

INTRODUCTION
From our last study we concluded that sin no longer has dominion over us. “Knowing this, that our old man [self] is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed [done away], that henceforth we should not serve sin”. A few points to note:
• “Knowing this”: no doubts allowed here.
• “Destroyed” = might be rendered powerless. The word “destroyed” here is “to make of none effect, to be paralyzed or cancelled or nullified”— “that henceforth we should not serve sin.
• ” Old self is rendered powerless because of our union with Christ in His death. We no longer have to be a slave to sin; never again. Hallelujah!
As we study next few verses for today, it is important to know that the aim of these verses of scripture is to open us to the reality of Sanctification

PART 1: CHAPTER 6
VERSES 15 -16: WE BECOME SERVANTS TO WHO OR WHAT WE OBEY
“What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbids. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

There is no middle ground between being a slave to sin and a slave to obedience to God; you are either for one or the other

VERSES 17-18: A NEW NATURE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
“But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18] Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants [slaves] of righteousness.”

“Thanks be to God” because He did it. And Paul also admonishes us in Col 2:6: “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him...”
The word servants here in Greek is doulos, which means slaves that are bond forever. Not temporary slaves or servants. So, our new nature should be to do God’s will and not the nature of sin

VERSES 19-23: CONCLUDING CHAPTER 6
“I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. 20] For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 21] What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22] But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23] For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The wages
• Three times in this chapter Paul wrote that sin results in death (Verses 16, 21, & 23).
• This death is eternal separation from God in hell, in which unbelievers suffer conscious torment forever (Lk 16:24-25).
• This is the wages they have earned and deserve because of their sin (Rom 5:12; 7:13).
• By contrast, the gift of God is eternal life (John 3:16, 36).
• Eternal life is a gift that cannot be earned (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5)

PART 2: CHAPTER 7
VERSES 1-3 AN IMPORTANT ILLUSTRATION
“Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? 2] For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. 3] So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.”

Paul made a very powerful illustration, pointing out that if a wife marries (lit., “if she comes to”) another man while her husband is still alive, she is called (future tense, “shall be publicly known as”) an adulteress. Conversely, on the death of her husband she is free from that marriage. So, she is not an adulteress if she marries (lit., “even though she comes to”) another man. A widow who marries again is not guilty of adultery.
Speaking of the believer as the “Bride of Christ.” Paul applies his illustration of marriage to the believer and the Law. Since this is so
• Trying to live by the law that you are free from whilst being in Christ is adultery.
• Conversely, trying to follow the world whilst you are born again is adultery against Christ

VERSE 4: WE ARE DEAD TO THE LAW
“4] Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that [for the purpose that] ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.” (Emphasis mine)

He said that you also died to the Law. Just as a believer “died to sin” (6:2) and so is “set free from sin” (6:18, 22), so he also died to the Law and is separated and set free from it (6:14; cf. Gal 2:19). As a wife is no longer married to her husband when he dies, so a Christian is no longer under the Law.
As a result, Christians belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead
Believers are, indeed, united to Him as His Bride (Eph. 5:25).
God’s purpose in all this is “that we might bear fruit to God “

VERSE 5: WHAT DID THE LAW DO FOR US?
“5] For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.”

This verse describes a believer before he was saved (Rom 6:19). The Law by its prohibitions aroused sinful passions. Sin, Paul repeatedly affirmed, leads to death (Rom 5:15, 17, 21; 6:16, 21, 23; 7:10-11, 13; 8:2, 6, 10, 13). The law energized our rebellion... The law cannot bring us into a righteous life. All it does is to demonstrate our sinful nature.

VERSE 6: WE HAVE BEEN DELIVERED FROM THE LAW
“6] But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.”

But now, being identified with Christ, believers are dead to the Law. Like the widow released from marital obligations, so believers are released from the Law and its arousal to sin. Like we read in Romans 5:20; Moreover, the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.
Man, through religion cannot reach God.
Philippians 2:12-13 says:
"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

SUMMARY
The Law has no place in us. We are justified in Christ Jesus. By this declaration we are Sanctified. Sanctification binds us to Christ. And this begins with regeneration, the implanting of spiritual life in a believer. It is God, progressively separating a believer from sin unto Himself and transforming his total life experience toward holiness and purity.
The process of sanctification for a believer never ends while he is on earth in his mortal body. It is consummated in glorification when that believer—through death and resurrection or through the Rapture—stands in the presence of God,” conformed to the likeness of His Son” (8:29).
Reading through the book of Romans, Paul’s intent was to help us believers understand who we are in Christ and the exact position we occupy. You will discover that Justification declares us holy and Sanctification makes us holy.

Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai

INTRODUCTION 

In our last study we considered two teams: Team Adam and Team Christ. We learnt that by Adam’s sin, sin entered the world and we became sinful in nature from birth. But glory to God we also learnt that by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we have become free from the curse of sin; as long as we choose the join Team Christ. In today’s study we shall be looking at a fundamental aspect of a believer’s standpoint; depicting the power we have in our everyday life to live in ways that are faithful to God. In Romans 5:20, Paul said that where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. And in the first two verses of Chapter 6, Paul answers the question that stems naturally from that verse.

VERSES 1-2: A CATEGORICAL ANSWER
“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”

The opening two verses of Romans 6 make it very clear that the apostle was dealing with the question of whether a believer can go on living in sin after he or she has come to Christ. Can they go on in a lifestyle that is basically wrong and sinful? Can they live as alcoholics, or swindlers, adulterers, homosexual, or slanderers? Is it possible to maintain such a lifestyle and be a Christian? The apostle's answer -- as we have already seen in the first two verses -- is, "By no means!" (Romans 6:2a NIV). It is impossible, Paul says, because, as he puts it in these four little words, "We died to sin," (Romans 6:2b NIV). When we stand in grace it is bizarre to
think that it is necessary for any reason to continue in sin. To think this way is to miss the whole point. Standing in grace is standing in an entirely new place, a place apart from sin. We now live under a regime of grace, and grace does not stimulate sin, as law does; grace liberates from sin and enables us to triumph over it.

VERSES 3-4: THE SYMBOLISM BAPTISM OFFERS
“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.”

Paul draws attention to baptism as the starting point. It is the act which communicates our identification with Christ's death. But the water isn’t what cleanses us! It is a demonstration of how we died to sin, how we became separated from being in Adam, and how we became joined in Christ. You will agree with me that no water can do that. It is the Spirit of God! John the Baptist, who made his reputation because he baptized in water, said, "I indeed baptize you with water, but there comes One after me, greater than I, who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit," John 1:33). That is what Paul is talking about here -- the baptism of the Holy Spirit --
which places us into Christ. 
He then drives home the point of dying with Christ. When something is dead its existence in reality ends; it exists only in memory. We cannot continue to live in sin because we have died, have been buried, and have risen again with Jesus, and therefore we too may live a new life. When we become Christians, there must be a noticeable change in our behaviour because there has been a radical change of government. If we go on living as we were before, then our profession of Christianity is false. There must be a change, and there will be, if there has been a change in the heart.

VERSES 5-7: GRAFTING – WHAT IT MEANS TO BE UNITED IN DEATH WITH CHRIST
“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.”

Paul draws out inferences in terms of death to sin. We can't die with Christ and not be risen with him. If we died with Him, we must be risen with Him as well. In other words, we can't pick and choose. The word united means "to graft a branch into another." The branch is tied together in such a way that the life from the trunk of the tree flows into the branch and they grow together until finally you can't tell the difference between the graft and the natural branch. The life is fully shared. This is the figure Paul is using here to describe our tie with the Lord Jesus. His life becomes our life. We are no longer in Adam, in any sense. The tie is totally broken. We are now in Christ, and He is our life from now on.

VERSES 8-10: RISEN WITH HIM
“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”

Next Paul traces this parallel. Jesus was crucified, and we were crucified too. Our old self, the old man, the man who was in Adam, the tie with Adam, has been broken by death. All that we were as a natural-born human being ended when we accepted Jesus. Paul was referring to our spirit man here. He explains that Jesus was crucified in order that the sin which was in His body on the cross should come to an end; that His body be rendered powerless with respect to sin. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says "he was made sin for us," In Adam, sin filled the whole of man -- our spirit, our soul, and our body. We were slaves to sin, and no matter how much we wanted to be different, we couldn't be. But now that bond has been broken. In Christ our spirits are free, and have become united with Jesus; have risen with him, and now free from sin. (1 John 3:9). Here John was talking about our spirits; our spirits are who we are, not our bodies!
What Paul makes clear in this chapter is that sin remains an alien power trying to dominate and control our bodies and our souls. It is the presence of the spirit in the body that produces the soul, just as electricity in a light bulb produces light. Paul makes it clear that our spirits were freed from sin. They do not sin, and cannot sin, because they are linked with Christ, so that we may be able to control the sin which is in the body. From here on, we do not have to sin. If we do, it is because we allow it to happen. But we are no longer slaves to sin.

VERSES 11-13: TWO KEY STEPS TO OVERCOME TEMPTATION
“In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.”

When we feel temptation in our bodies or minds, then there are two things we are to do:
First, we must remember that we don't have to obey sin. We just don't have to! We are free to refuse it; because we are dead to it! Second, we must remember His power is in us to enable us to offer that same part of our bodies to God, to be used for His purposes. Now, that may mean a struggle, because the strength of sin is very strong. When we start to turn away from evil in our bodies, the habits of our lives are so deeply engrained that oftentimes it is very difficult, and we struggle. But we have the power not to sin because we have God himself within us -- the living God. There will be a struggle; it is not always easy, but we have the strength to do it and we have the right to do it. We have the freedom not to sin and the desire not to sin. That is what God has brought to us in Christ.

CONCLUSION
“For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace”.

Paul closes with such a wonderful statement. Interestingly, he brings in the Law because he is dealing with one of the most basic problems of the Christian struggle, the thing that oftentimes depresses and discourages us more than anything else -- the sense of condemnation we feel when we sin. You see, the Law produces condemnation. The Law says that unless you live up to this standard, God will not have anything to do with you. We have been so engrained with this that when we sin, even as believers, we think God is angry and upset with us and He doesn't care about us. We think that way about ourselves, and we become discouraged and defeated and depressed. We want to give up. "What's the use?" We say. But Paul says that is not true; we are not under the Law. God does not feel that way about us. We are under grace, and God understands our struggles. He is not upset by it; He is not angry with us. He understands our failures. He knows that there will be a struggle and there will be failures. He also knows that He has made full provision for us to recover immediately, to pick ourselves up, and go right on climbing up the mountain. Therefore, we mustn’t be discouraged. Sin will not be our master because we are not under the law and the condemnation that comes from it, but under grace. And even though we struggle, if, every time we fail, we come back to God and ask His forgiveness, and take it from Him, and remember how He loves us, and that He is not angry or upset with us, and go on from there, we will win the battle over sin!

Culled from: https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3882, https://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/romans/the-true-baptism-of-the-spirit