Book of Romans
3-21-2012 Vol. 6 Part 19
Psalms 64:1-10 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation; Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity, Who sharpen their tongue like a sword, And bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words, That they may shoot in secret at the blameless; Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear. They encourage themselves in an evil matter; They talk of laying snares secretly; They say, "Who will see them?" They devise iniquities: "We have perfected a shrewd scheme." Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep. But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; Suddenly they shall be wounded. So He will make them stumble over their own tongue; All who see them shall flee away. All men shall fear, And shall declare the work of God; For they shall wisely consider His doing. The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and trust in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory. Father we praise you, we give you all the glory. We thank you for this early Spring and beautiful weather. We pray that what is going on in the political arena is your will and if it isn’t we pray that elected officials will rule for the people and not for their own benefit. Give us the discernment to know who to support and vote for. In Jesus name we pray! Amen!
Romans 6:8-14 NKJV
Paul’s message from the beginning of Romans 6 has been the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, for us, in our place. We rejoice that the death of Jesus secured for us freedom from the penalty of sin. Paul begin to show us that Jesus death has done more than simply provided a kind of “fire insurance” from eternal punishment. His death, burial, and resurrection have freed us from the very dominion of sin and has given us the ability to live lives that are pleasing to Him and fulfilling to ourselves.
God’s purpose for us goes beyond our initial response to His offer of grace and forgiveness. His desire is that we may become in practice (sanctified) what He has already declared us to be by position (justified). Meaning He desires us to live a lifestyle modeled after Jesus (sanctified), since God has declared us holy by forgiving our sins (justified) when we had a spiritual birth. 1 Thessalonians 4:1-3 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: ……. Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.
In verses 8 & 9 there are two words that hold the key for a person to put to death their old life style where the sin nature has dominion. The first one is “knowing”. It is this knowledge that a person gains and what they do with it. They can read and study the Bible without the message of God sinking into their lives and making a difference, or they can believe what it says and submit to God’s word and allow it to change their life. Yes, “believe” is the second word. If we don’t believe what is stated in the Bible a person can ask Jesus to come into their life until they are blue in the face and it will never happen. Why would this be? First of all God can see what is in our hearts and what we truly put our faith in. Such as religious denominational laws, rules, regulations, doctrine, etc. He knows what we idolize such as money, sports, shopping, drinking, sex, praying to manmade saints, believing in old wives tales, etc. If God is not included in every part of your life, making decisions, praying unceasingly, praising, giving thanks, etc. then He takes a back seat in your life. He knows this and He is a jealous God and wants first place in your life. If this wasn’t important to God, then why did he make it the first commandment? Exodus 20:3-6 "You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. We as humans are lazy when it comes to picking up a Bible and reading and studying it to find out the truth in what man is teaching us. We would rather go to church on Sunday for a half hour or hour and listen to what a minister, preacher, priest, etc. has to say and then leave with the thought of I have done my religious duty for the week and a quarter mile down the road our minds focus on what’s for breakfast or lunch at our favorite eating place.
Going back to verse 8 Jesus died to sin, resulting that anyone that believes dies to sin also. Jesus knew no sin, nor was he able to sin. He was, and is, the sinless spotless sacrificial lamb. It was through this sacrifice that all mankind was redeemed. Just as Jesus knew no sin and was able to resist all temptation of sin He defeated the effects that sin can do to a person, by nailing it to the Cross. It is through this sacrifice, that when a person becomes a true believer and starts living for Jesus, the believer has the power of the Holy Spirit within, to say no to sin, their old life style. Jesus disconnected the power cord of sin by unplugging it from a Born Again Saint at the time of conversion. If you can grasp the meaning, you will understand how it applies to your life.
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
In verse 10 the phrase, “He died to sin once for all”, is a very misleading statement and diverts the reader’s attention to “all”. This leaves the reader focused on Jesus dying for all which he did, but what is being said is that Jesus die once and only once as a sacrifice. There is no need for any other sacrifice or ritualistic type of sacrifice that some religious denominations practice. I like how it is stated in the KJV and Catholic Bible over other bible versions, they leave the “all” out. The emphasis is left on the fact that Jesus died once, and nothing else is required.
Romans 6:10 KJV For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Romans 6:10 DRB For in that he died to sin, he died once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
What Jesus did for us by being the ultimate sacrifice, put an end to man being the intercessor between God and man. There is no longer a need for a priest to offer sacrifices for the atonement of sin. Jesus is our one and only intercessor to God for us. Man cannot forgive sin, only God. Luke 5:21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" Luke 5:24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"…………
Hebrews 7:26-27 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
Hebrews 9:12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
Hebrews 9:28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
Hebrews 10:10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,
The last part of verse 10 applies to us as believers and living to God. Accepting the truth you will receive the assurance from God you are saved and just a Jesus you will live a life as He does. Because of Christ's death and resurrection, we need not ever fear death. That assurance frees us to enjoy fellowship with him and to do his will. This will affect all your activities, work, worship, play, Bible study, quiet times, and times of caring for others. When you know that you don't have to fear death, you will experience a new purpose for and in life. Hebrews 2:14-15 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
Reckon; what is Paul getting at here. Reckon is the key word. The Greek word is logizomai; log-id'-zom-ahee; meaning to take an inventory, that is, estimate (literally or figuratively); come to a conclusion, conclude, (ac-) count (of), reason. In short what Paul is telling us, is that everyone claiming to be a true Christian must examine their lifestyle and compare it to Jesus lifestyle. Compare it to God’s standards. Are you living according to the 10 Commandments? Is the corrupt nature, called the old man, inherited from our first father Adam, crucified with Christ? Is the sin nature in a dying state, even though it struggles for life and victory in a believer? Is the whole body of sin, whatever is not according to the holy law of God, done away with? Being a Christian is like being an athlete. We must study and practice daily to achieve holiness (sanctification), and practice what we preach. 1 Corinthians 9:27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. Every true believer, by the grace obtained at the cross, must shed their sin nature, so they will no longer be a slave to sin, but live to God, and find happiness in his service.
13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Paul is telling us that we are not to allow our members to become tools for the purpose of unrighteousness and sin. Our body members can be used as weapons by the enemy of our soul, in getting his work done.
Are you wondering what body members? There are quite a few and here is a list to get you started in thinking about others. Christians should devote every member of the body to God and to his service. Their tongue should be consecrated to his praise, thanksgiving, the office of truth, kindness, and benevolence, and not to vain, gossiping, and filthy language. Their hands should be employed in useful labor for him and his cause. Their feet should be swift in his service, and should not go in the paths of iniquity or lead a person into places where sin may occur. Their eyes should contemplate his works to excite thanksgiving and praise and not fall upon lusts that excites the flesh. Their ears should not be employed to listen to words of deceit, or songs of dangerous and licentious tendency, or to persuasion that would lead astray, but should be open to catch the voice of God as He utters his will in the Bible. Their minds should be focused on God, tuned to His voice, and trained to discern the truth and not on worldly pleasures. Their heart should be opened and trained in loving God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength, and loving their neighbor as themselves, and not on me, me, me. He speaks to us every day, and we should hear Him. He spreads his glories before us, and we should survey them to praise Him. He commands, and our hands, heart, and feet should obey. Romans 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. Colossians 3:1-3 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
The last part of this verse ties right in with verse 15 which we will address next week. What this verse means in a nutshell is when a person accepts Jesus as their saviour they have the capability to recognize sin in a whole new way and turn from it by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. Sin no longer has a hold on the person. When under the law, the law of obedience (Ten Commandments) sin was our master. Don’t think that what I just said means we can disregard the Ten Commandments, because it doesn’t. What I’m saying is the Ten Commandments are to show us right from wrong and bring us to God. The law (Ten Commandments) does not justify us, or gives us the power to overcome sin. It condemns every transgression and every unholy thought without providing a way of eradicating evil or the pardon of sin. But now that we are bound to Christ, he is our Master, and he gives us power to do good rather than evil. We are under God’s grace that provides all the things that the law could not provide.
NOW THAT IS SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT!
HALLELUIAH! PRAISE GOD ALMIGHTY! THANK YOU JESUS!
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,
for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes,
Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Unless you are Born Again, you cannot enter into Heaven, the Kingdom of God."
Bill
Last Week’s Trivia: Hagar/Sarah = Old Covenant/New Covenant = Man’s Way/God’s Way = Hell/Heaven = Physical Birth/Spiritual Birth = Eternal Death/Eternal Life = Living by Sin Nature/Living by Spirituality = Born of Water/Born of Spirit = Flesh/Spirit = Mortal/Immortal = Carnal/Spiritual. Do you understand why all are equal?
Answer: The left side is all about man and the right is all about God. The son born to Hagar, Ishmael, was a result Sarah and Abraham taking things into their own human hands to obtain a child instead of waiting for God to act. We as human beings are often not patient enough to allow God to move in our lives, so we decide to do it our way and as a result we normally mess things up. When we act upon the things on the left side of the slash the result will be putting our faith in man resulting in difficulties, but if we act upon the things on the right side of the slash and put our faith in Jesus and what he did at the Cross for us the result will be much better.
This week’s Trivia: How can we apply Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s actions toward Nebuchadnezzar to modern day living?
| Verse List: |
| · Romans 7:5 |
| · Romans 7:23 |
| · 1Corinthians 6:15 |
| · 1 Corinthians 12:12 |
| · 1 Corinthians 12:18 |
| · 1 Corinthians 12:20 |
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