Romans, Introduction II - Spiritual Overview - God's Righteousness
Romans · Bob Eckel · Oct 9, 2005
Romans (2005-07), No. 02
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4826233435480

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

This is a challenge, but Hal remembered a message that I gave, we found out on September the 9th, 1996. And Hal, after I gave that message, think the next week mentioned that he'd never seen anyone cover the Book of Romans in one week. So with Jim's introduction last week to the historical basis of the text, this week we're going to kind of do broad strokes.

And I think what I'd like to do is kind of start with a question for the class this morning, and that's this. What do you think about this? Do you think the order of the books of the Bible are inspired or do you think they just happen to show up where they show up? What are your thoughts about that? No thoughts. Which book in particular seems like it's kind of really out of place? There's a really good example in the Old Testament, a book that just...

Yeah, Job, historically. I mean, if you think about the Old Testament and the New Testament, at least in the Old Testament, there's a certain chronology, is there not? I mean, the Pentateuch does represent the writings of Moses, you know, encouraged and inspired by the Holy Spirit, that really historically relates to Moses's view of what God had created in subsequent events. And then the books that follow, Moses, Judges, and 1st, 2nd Samuel, and all the books that we review there seem to have some chronology to them. Then it gets a little bit more difficult when we get back into Job and the Psalms and Proverbs a little bit. And then it tends to pick up some chronology after that, but it's not perfect. So in a sense, the Old Testament, the best example of the lack of chronology is Job. And it's thought that Job really was probably written sometime around the time of Genesis. I mean, an early book. And that's interesting when you read it because it seems to be so relevant to us today, doesn't it, in so many ways.

But what about the New Testament? I mean, if you think about the gospel accounts, I mean, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, in my opinion, are Old Testament books. I mean, they're pre-cross to a large extent. I mean, the crucifixion and the events leading up to it and the events that followed it are covered in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but in relatively minor detail compared to the rest of the text.

John is really a gospel for the church to some extent, and that we see a lot of teaching for the church in John that anticipates the crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, and then the power of the Spirit. And we'll turn to that briefly here today. So John is, if you will, appropriate as the fourth of the four gospels.

And then Acts, I think we would all agree, is really a transition text that really takes us from from the resurrection to Pentecost and then the events that follow in terms of the spread of the gospel. So Acts is really not a doctrinal book. Acts is a transition book that transitions from the time of Christ's presence on the physical planet to ultimately the message and the working power of the church in the leading of the Holy Spirit. Now, what happens after that? Well, what's the first book after Acts? Romans. Is that coincidental, or is there some heavenly purpose of putting Romans first?

I don't necessarily have an answer here. You can say whatever you think, because I'm not sure we can really accurately answer this. Yes, good morning. Welcome. Good to have you back. I think anything that God has laid out that is intended and motivated to draw us to a conclusion is totally inspired by him.

So then you would claim that the order has a purpose then? Yes, in so much as it's drawing a conclusion. For instance, the Ten Commandments, although they were 100% given, inspired, even concretely given to us, I don't think they're in any necessary order. I think they're all – could stand alone. as they were given for our interpretation in order to draw conclusions, the Gospels or the books in order would be inspired in that order if they would bring us to a conclusion.

All right. Okay, so using an Old Testament example. Okay, thank you. Other comments? When did the books get put into order? Not clear. Anybody have the knowledge historically of that? Hal, Jim, anybody have the knowledge of when the books were ordered in terms of the writing of the text? What year was that, anybody? Nicene? Okay, all right.

Well, let's do our historical homework here. But the point I want to make here is that Romans following Acts may have a very important purpose. Because in many people's view, and I share the stomachs, Romans really is the foundation for the Christian walk. And the doctrine in Romans really is almost necessary, if not necessary, for everything that follows.

Keep in mind that the Bible exists Post-Cross, after Acts, is all Paul first, right? And why would the writings of Paul be first to begin with versus those of James and of Peter and of John? And I think as we find ourselves founded in the truths of Romans, we can look back and explain why Paul's writings would be first. What if you were just a new saved believer and the first book you were encouraged to read was James? Well, James is true, and we all read James, and we're puzzled a little bit by it at times, but yet the truth of James is the same as the truth of Romans, but yet James fits in much more clearly when we're founded in Pauline epistles.

And I don't want to spend a lot of time there. And John really brings across a message that carries a different kind of theme, a different character, that really is, again, based on the foundation of Paul. What if you take John out of context, or actually in context, and he says, you know, if you're a believer, you don't sin. What do you do with something like that, if in fact you move from getting saved to the book of 1 John? That if you're really a believer, you don't sin. Huh? I mean, he says early, if you confess your sins, you're forgiven. But the idea later in chapter 5, John says, if you're a believer, sin is not part of your life.

Now, if you're well-grounded in Paul, you can put that into perspective. And so that, I think, is a good rationale to think the order of the books may well be inspired. And in fact, I think Romans is where it is for a very, very important reason. And another thing here about Romans is this, is that most people, I think a lot of people you run across, have in fact avoided Romans because it's too difficult. Have you heard that? I mean, maybe you've had that own experience in your own lives. Romans is not a simple book. But yet, Romans is still the foundation of the stadium to be built upon. All right, that is an introduction. Let's go ahead and look at the text before us.

I've divided Romans, just arbitrarily, as an overview into seven major spiritual truths. And they include God's righteousness revealed, and Hal's going to begin with that next week in chapter one. The second is the concept the whole world is guilty before God. The third is justification by faith. Martin Luther, we love you. The fourth principle is the two atoms, very necessary for us to comprehend. The fifth is a spirit-led life.

The sixth is Israel versus the church, an important distinction for the body, covered very nicely in Romans. And finally is something I've listed as characteristics of the body. Now keep in mind, all Pauline epistles are founded on the early sections of those epistles as being doctrinal truth. And then subsequent to that, like Ephesians 4-6, has got to be based on Ephesians 1-3, because if you begin with 4-6, you've missed important foundational messages that relate to what the characteristics of the body of Christ really look like.

So this is an overview, and we're going to kind of course through this pretty quickly today. Let's look at the first area, and that's God's righteousness revealed. Obviously we're not going to read all this text, but what I want to do is read selected verses to make the point that I'm trying to summarize here in the lesson today. So God's righteousness revealed is really profoundly stated. Let's look at the first chapter in the first seven verses.

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle separated unto the gospel of God and which he had promised before by his prophets in the holy scriptures concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared to be the son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead by whom we have received grace and apostleship." Again, credibility. Paul's credibility. First verse, he calls himself an apostle.

And now in verse five, he reminds us him receiving the grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations, among whom you're also called of Jesus Christ to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints, grace to you, etc." So Paul presents at the beginning a revelation of God's righteousness and enhances our understanding and purpose of the book by his credibility as being called an apostle. Then in the final section here, 14 through 17, I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise. So as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are in Rome also, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For it's the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek, for in it is the righteousness of God revealed.

Remember, God's righteousness revealed. from faith to faith, as it is written, that just shall live by faith. So you get a hint of what's going to follow in one of the future themes of justification by faith, the third one, in what Paul introduces in the first chapter. So the text next week is 1 through 7, and we're going to look at that in more detail. But today, remember, broad strokes. This is an overview. Any discussion about the first point, any arguments, contrasting views, any additional comments?

God's righteousness revealed. Second point, very important point, and again keep in mind now that I'm making the claim that the order of the books of the Bible have a purpose. So, after God's righteousness is revealed, what might next be appropriate? Well, if God is so righteous, where does man fit, right?

Well, in Romans 1.18 through 3.23, we see the three C's of accountability. those three C's we'll look at here in a moment, but they stand for creation, conscience, and Christ.

Let's reflect on these just for a moment before we look at the verses. All men are accountable to God, right? What about someone who has never heard the gospel? What's your view about someone who may be buried in the bush of a a third world country and has never been presented with the gospel. Are they accountable before God?

Why? What's that? That's right. How else? Alright. Okay. I mean, creation speaks for itself. The evolutionists would say that it just came to be and that's what we accept and that's where it is. We just need to understand this better scientifically, right?

But God says, let's look at Romans chapter 1, verses 18 through 20. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. Remember, the whole world is guilty before God, right? of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath shown it unto them, for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." Can't say it much more clearly than that, can we? That the whole world is guilty before God, first of all, because of his creation.

I don't know about you. Much of my adult life, I was not saved. So in fact, I looked at the world around me and was trying to make some conclusions about it. And ultimately, that led me to become more curious. And approaching that from a scientific perspective didn't quite fit. And so ultimately, that was one of many things that ultimately brought me to salvation.

So creation makes us accountable. So this individual buried in the jungles of a third world country who's never heard the gospel, at least we're told by the Bible, and again, specifically in Romans 1, that he or she is accountable before God because of the creation that surrounds them. Now, are you saved by the creation? No, you're saved by Christ. But nevertheless, I mean, I happen to believe, and this is entirely my opinion, and one could argue with this, we could spend the rest of the morning on this, I believe that people who have never heard the gospel, God will deal justly with. In fact, if their belief is based on the evidence of creation and consciousness. Yes, the cross is what saves them. but God is merciful, and in fact that doesn't mean we shouldn't spread the gospel.

Don't misinterpret me here, okay? But the issue is someone who has never been presented the gospel, never had the occasion, still is accountable. Now let's move on to number two, and this is really an important concept, and there's insufficient wisdom here for me to be absolutely clear about how conscience works. But if we look at verses 11 through 15 of chapter 2, Basically, I'm going to summarize this because I don't have time to read all the text today. But basically, it says that if you look at verse 15, who show the work of law written in their hearts. So these are people without the legal system of the Jewish tradition. These are people who are Gentiles and not under the cloak of Israel.

And what the text says, and we'll be looking at this in great detail in a few weeks to months, is that the conscience works in all men. to make them accountable to God, outside of the legal system. And if you sense, the conscience is a legal system unto its own right. It's not the law, but a law system that ultimately man thinks he or she must respond to, to be right with God. Now, what's the problem with a conscience being a method for salvation? I mean, creation speaks for itself.

So we can't change it, we observe it, we conclude what it's about in terms of our accountability to God, but what's the... Conscience works up to a certain extent, but then breaks down some. How does conscience break down as making us accountable? Does it rely on works to ease that conscience? So it does rely on works? I think it comes to that. If we don't realize right and wrong, then we make an effort to be right through works. All right. So it's works-based. Yes. Excellent.

And give me an example. Can you think of an example how our consciences could be deceived? What's the conscience based on? I think it's God given to begin with. But it can be modified by what? By what? By sin, of course. We can start justifying ourselves to believe that our sin nature is appropriate under certain circumstances.

What else can influence our conscience? The world. The environment we live in. What if you grew up in a society where cannibalism was accepted? So the conscience of the ethnic group, in fact, that you were used to, was in fact that killing people and eating them was an appropriate thing to do. Well, I think ultimately the environment can be so overwhelming and influence our conscience that we can be misled here.

But nevertheless, God put the conscience in each one of us to know that there is right and wrong. I'm just saying the power of the world system, the power of the sin nature, can ultimately modify our conscience in a direction which is not you know, really dealing with the accountability that God gives us through the conscience.

All right, and then importantly and necessarily is the third C, the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Let's turn to Romans 3 and 19 through 23. This is an important section to take a moment to read. Now we know that whatever things the law says, it says to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. Remember, The world is guilty before God, and here it is.

Therefore, by the deeds of the law there shall be no flesh justified in the sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God, apart from the law, is manifest, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference. For all have sinned and come short of the glory So, all men are accountable. Creation makes that evident. Our conscience, most of the time, works to remind us of this. And finally, all have sinned and fallen short. And it's by faith, not works, not by law, that we're saved.

So, second point, the whole world is guilty before God. The third, any comments on that before we go ahead? Further comments? whole world guilty before God? You know, and I think if you look at the rest of the New Testament, you can come away with this truth by piecing places together, you know, from epistle to epistle and ultimately come to the conclusion that, I mean, Ephesians is a good example, Ephesians 2, where these truths are profoundly expressed, but yet, boy, Ephesians fits so much more nicely when you have a foundation that's based on the Book of Romans.

All right, let's go ahead. Justification by faith. Chapter 3, verse 24 all the way to 5.16. And the principles here are not of works, lest any man should boast. And ultimately, we get a peace with God through this justification by faith, and that's not of ourselves. So let's look at these texts here and make sure that we're representing them correctly. Carol, would you read Romans 4, 1 through 5 for us, please?

What then shall we say, that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.

And neat thing about that is that it takes us back, doesn't it? Even at a time where in fact the cross was just a distant vision and probably a very unclear one for the men and women of faith in the Old Testament, yet Abraham exemplified this very, very well.

Bill, how about Romans 5, 1 through 2? Could you read about this peace with God that we have here? Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we exult in hope of the glory of God. Thanks, Bill. It's so neat in that verse to look at the outcome of verse 2. And how he has taught this so well over the years, this whole issue of God's glory being revealed in the believer.

And so because this piece is based on a system that we don't contribute to or understand, we simply respond, then ultimately we're in a position to allow God's glory to be revealed in each one of us. Very special. Anything that's based on works is not God's glory. It's ours. So this is a principle that ultimately, I think, led centuries and centuries of believers unclearly. And I'm sure Martin Luther wasn't the first to catch on to this.

Abraham did very nicely back in Genesis and even before him. If we look at Abel and Cain, there's a good example there, too, in terms of of response to the mandate by faith and not by works. But the works were evident of the faith. And that's the principle, is that the works need to be evident of the faith. So this justification by faith is a principle that really is extremely well-founded in Romans.

And it's not that the principle's not picked up elsewhere. But yet, here's a book that really, I think, establishes us in the concrete and pillars of truth. Comments about justification by faith. And again, we're going to be looking at this in tremendous detail, so keep in mind, today, an overview. Now, the principles of the two atoms.

I don't know how you feel about this, but in a sense, I don't know that there's any important doctrine of the Christian faith that is missed by so many people who are members of the body of Christ in this principle. And I think that this is the one that Romans is just so incredibly essential in describing in the way that it does. Paul often refers to the old man and the new, but The clarity of what this relates to is so perfectly well described in Romans. And this principle is missed by so many.

So many people who don't go to Romans because it's so difficult never enter into this very, very incredibly important aspect of what the walk is all about. So let's look at this. First, I want to spend a little bit more time here, maybe five, seven minutes, on this particular component of the overview. Let's look at Romans 5, 12 through 19. David, could you read that for us? Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned. For until the law of sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who was a type of him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For on the one hand, the judgment arose from one transgression, resulting in condemnation. But on the other hand, the free gift arose from many transgressions, resulting in justification. For by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one.

Much more, those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ. So then, as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one the many will be made righteous. No, you're fine. I was just pausing, just kind of reflecting on this.

So some thoughts about this text. You know, the language is difficult and really kind of hard to discern. If you were just simply going to jump in the Book of Romans and start here, it would be difficult. We're going to study this again in much detail. But the principle of the two natures is really well-founded there. Some thoughts, comments about this.

Was this something that was apparent to you shortly after you became saved? Or if you grew up as a child, was this a principle you grew up with in the faith? The concept of the two atoms? As a child, children are under law, aren't they, to a large extent? When you think about being parents, when you raise your kids, you raise them under law because they have to have limits and guideposts along the way. And so the principle of grace is one that's part of maturing into an adult. Who knows, for some kids that may be nine. Other ones, never mind. But then maybe 45 or something. I don't know.

All that aside, I mean, the principle of the two atoms really is an incredibly important distinction to make in terms of approaching the Christian faith. Thoughts, again? Anybody want to share? It's critical because if it's not understood, then one's not functioning in the flesh. and trying for self-improvement. And how do you know, Jim, whether you're functioning in the flesh, in the old atom, or in fact in the new? Do you have a sense of that?

We talked a lot about that. Yeah, we did. And also, don't you tend to, if you don't understand the two natures, you tend to blame Satan or something's making you do those things. It's not really... you're a changed person, so it couldn't be you doing those things. It has to be something else. I mean, you know?

It's like schizophrenia. Also, when you talk to other people who are maybe not Christians, their argument is, well, how can I be held accountable for what Adam did? Right. That's a constant argument. I've heard it over and over again. Why would God punish me for what he did in the garden? If you think about building on that, most believers would then accept a one natures position themselves. Some people based on that.

But Bill, on what Margaret said, if you went to an emergency room and had whatever event that led you there and someone You know, let's say for some reason a psychiatrist was asked to be brought down to talk with you in the emergency department for whatever reason. Maybe the way you were responding, like how your cat, the guy in the next bed, probably thought you were psychiatrically ill the way you were dealing with this. But anyway, let's say a psychiatrist would come down and you were explaining to him or her about your two natures. That doesn't make it with the worldly psychiatrist, I can assure you.

Two natures? We call that schizophrenia, really, is what we call that. And depending on the behavior that relates to that other nature, we could potentially think about medications that might be necessary to take care of that problem, right? So this is really a wild and crazy concept, the idea that we carry two natures in it. But most of us really recognize this on a day-to-day basis. And that's what's so neat about the second point. because these two natures are clearly identified in the text and then separated before God. Oh, how beautiful that is, isn't it? I mean, God can see us in the new nature even though we carry the old.

And let's exemplify that here for a second. Let's turn to, we'll skip the first part of that carryover from 520 to 611, but let's look at Romans 6, 1, maybe through 4 or 5, and then we'll jump down to 11. Let me back up. Maybe we will start with 520. Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound, but where sin abound, grace did much more abound, that as sin reigned unto death, so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life. Notice the preposition, by Jesus Christ our Lord. Alright, so, judicially We have been transitioned from one Adam to the next, and the evidence for that follows. What shall we then say? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer? And by the way, this being dead unto sin isn't having our sins forgiven. This sin is a noun and represents a nature, a being, a power, a force in each and every one of us. I love verse three and four.

Know ye not that as many of us as were baptized unto Jesus Christ were baptized into his death. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death. That as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we shall also walk in newness of life. I suggest and then we jump down to 11. Likewise, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Before God, the Adams are separated. Why, in fact, do we get preoccupied with this old guy? But he shows up all the time, doesn't he? But before God, I think we're fully justified. As we see where Paul went astray in terms of this truth being played out in his life, we ultimately can not influence our relationship with God, no matter how much we get preoccupied with that first Adam. And that's pretty special. And this is such an incredibly important truth that I think only the Book of Romans really sets the stage as perfectly as can be for all the other New Testament texts that follow. So incredibly important.

The issue now is what about this old guy, you know, and verse 11 of chapter 6 gives us an idea that maybe we're reckoning on the wrong things here. And when we, you know, when Adam shows up and we start paying more attention to him and we start getting preoccupied with why we're not doing better in our walk, we in fact are reminded that in fact God doesn't see Adam. And why do we confess our sins? Is it because there's more that needs to be done here? No. Why? Why do we confess our sins? For ourselves. For our ability to then be reconciled with God. It's not for God's sake that we confess our sins. All right.

But we have a battle, don't we? And that battle on the planet in which we live, in the earthly sphere, relates to things that Paul so well exemplified. So Ruthie, could you read Romans 7, 19 through 24 for us, please? So Paul has led up to these final statements in Romans 7 that really relates to the frustration of his earthly existence.

So pick it up, but kind of partway through there. So what I do is not the good I carry out what I want to do. 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, it is the sin living in me that does it. 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 at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.

What a wretched man I am. Who will rescue me from this body? Some people claim that this section of Romans was written by Paul as an unbeliever. Does anybody believe this? That this is written by Paul before he was saved? I can't even begin to conceptualize that based on what was written in Romans 1 through 6 that preceded it, right? I mean, why would Paul all of a sudden reflect back on his pre-Acts 9 experience? I mean, that just doesn't in context fit at all. So I'm going to dismiss that as even a possibility. So here's Paul the believer. who is doing exactly what Ruth said. He's struggling on a day-to-day basis.

And remember, the law Paul is referring to here could really be the legal system of the nation of Israel. Alternatively, it could be those little laws we set up for ourselves, right? We're all in the business of having a law system that's before us all the time, aren't we, in terms of the way we choose to live our Christian life. Maybe I should just speak for myself here.

But anyway, Paul has reached the point, oh wretched man that I am. He's a believer. Now, what's Paul's problem here? And there's no place in the Bible that deals with this as succinctly as Romans 7. In the book of Romans, again, foundational truth. So what's Paul's problem?

What about 6? He wrote all these beautiful truths about being buried with him in baptism unto death and risen with him in newness of life. I mean, great, profound truths. And here Paul is saying, oh, wretched man that I am. What's Paul's problem? He's realizing that he's spending way too much time in the first Adam, the sin nature, the flesh, and he doesn't want to be there. But why? Why is he doing that, Margaret? Maybe Barbara's... you have a thought?

I was just going to say, the closer that you get to Jesus and to God, the more that you see... I would agree with that statement. I think most of us, I mean, you know, the growth can't be measured with a yardstick, but the Lord takes us down a path, and as we grow in grace and truth, that old man shows up to be a little more ugly than he was a few years ago, right? I mean, or maybe even a few weeks ago. I mean, Adam is not worth studying, at least in detail, but the Lord Jesus Christ is worth our time and our investment.

So Paul, to some extent, is recognizing as he's growing in these truths that the Adam nature is more profoundly apparent to him because of its ugly nature. But Paul's got another system, a legal system, that he's placing on. And keep in mind, that second Adam doesn't live in a legal system. So where did Paul stop short? I would claim that Paul stopped short by intellectualizing in Romans 6, but not living by faith in Romans 7.

Well, let me back up. What does being saved mean to each and every one of you? Three kind of concepts of being saved. I was saved, I'm being saved, and I will be saved. So past, present, and future. Past, as we can reflect from the beginning of time, God had our names written in the book of life. We responded by grace and came to salvation. So we're sure of our salvation because the Bible declares it to be true. We will be saved.

We all trust in the fact that once we die, we'll be with the Lord Jesus Christ forevermore. We'll be gathered with the body in our citizenship in heaven where we are right now, but we'll be there spiritually and ultimately physically. probably physically even after death, although it's a little unclear what that nature is going to be like in terms of its physical content. But now the difficult part of the Christian life isn't, I was saved on October whatever it was, you know, 1982, or I'm going to be saved after I die, or will be saved in the presence of the Lord eternally.

It's this process of being saved in the present tense, right? So keep in mind the principles of salvation relate to our response by faith. we respond by faith in terms of our future salvation. We respond by faith that on a certain date and time, or perhaps growing up we were a believer, but we identified that at some point in our lives we were saved. But this issue of being saved on a day-to-day basis is still an act of faith, is it not? So Paul has ultimately reverted back into his pre-salvation days in terms of intellectualizing this concept, but not living it out.

Think about your own lives here, and this becomes so apparent. How many times have you been put in a situation, perhaps even this morning or last night, in a situation where you're somewhat frustrated and you're responding and you're asking the Lord to allow his truth of the new man to respond. And so you're saying, God, I believe it. I believe that in the Lord Jesus Christ, in my new nature, I should be responding in a certain way. And you reckon on that to the extent that you intellectualize that. But intellectualization of that truth does nothing to the way we respond. This is not a head knowledge. This is a whole heart knowledge in responding by faith. It doesn't make it easier, but I think Paul really is trying to live the Christian life in his own strength.

So what's the next principle? This principle is the spirit-led life. So this covers the section of 7.25 to 9.3 and 7.25 so nicely says, after O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? It's I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord, so then with my mind I myself serve the law.

It's exactly what I said, with his mind he's serving the law, not with his heart. But with a flesh, the law of sin. So his mind and his flesh really are responding to the legal system around him. Paul is working by his own strength here. But then, verse 1 in chapter 8, a breath of fresh air, a drink from a rustling stream in the desert.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus. Oh boy. That's just, in my opinion, one of the more powerful phrases in the whole text. No condemnation. No condemnation. None. Even the struggles that Paul experienced in 7, the ones we experience on a day-to-day basis, God sees this as part of the past. No condemnation before God.

And just this morning, it's interesting, reading the None But the Hungry Heart to Miles Stanford's Daily Devotionals, This is a quote from Charles Coates. I just love Charles Coates. Some people, I don't know, we all kind of identify with in terms of where they're coming from. Charles never writes anything that I don't really relate to. And let me read this to you.

The Lord Jesus, by His death, has undertaken to remove all my unsuitability. And by that death, I am entitled, notice this, entitled to be with the Father and Son as one set free from all that attached me as a child of fallen Adam. It is a love which has removed for its own satisfaction everything that I am morally as of the race of Adam, so that I might be free in the presence of that love." How profound is that?

And in fact, if you read the whole devotional today, by the way, this takes about a minute and a half or two minutes to read, but these are really nice ways to have those busy days where you're leaving early or something, it's nice just to take this in in the morning and kind of set the stage for the day to follow. So the principle that's really being lived out here, we'll not take time to look at the verses, is that Paul had an intellectual truth in Romans 6, but not the life related to it.

And what we see in 2 through 11 is, in fact, an exemplification that the life lived in the new Adam is one that's empowered by the Spirit. But what I would like to do just briefly is turn to John 16 and 12 through 17. Trish, could you read that for us, please? John 16, 12 through 15. 12 through what?

15. I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for which He will not speak on His own initiative. But whatever He hears, He will speak, and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine, and will disclose it to you. All the things that My Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He takes of Mine, and will disclose it to you.

Thanks. The spirit has many purposes, doesn't he? But ultimately, he's the battery power for the new life. And when we get into the mind of the old Adam, the flesh, which we're perfectly capable of doing as believers, we in fact intellectualize and respond to a legal system. We're in our own strength. And that spirit-led life is one that is of rest and peace.

That doesn't make things easy at times. But it's one that provides a view from our citizenship. It's a whole different experience. And it's hard to share this and convince people who are not of the faith what this whole power is about. But as believers, we learn it very, very well. OK, I'm going to just do a quick, maybe a minute or two on these last two concepts.

Israel versus the Church is an extensive section in the Book of Romans. And I think we look at this in a number of different ways. First of all, the concept that not all of Israel are Israel. And it gives you an idea that maybe within the nation of Israel there are even several classes of citizens. And there are. And we're going to come down in a second after we take a look briefly at law versus faith.

How many classes of citizens does the Bible talk about? Saved Israelites, which are really a group of Israelites who are of Israel because they come to salvation at the time that ultimately this text was written and beyond. Israelites under the law who have delayed promises.

We have Gentile non-believers and the church. And I would claim, even though we can look at these four classes of people, basically it all boils down to two classes of citizens. Either you're saved or you're not. Remember, following the cross, Israel merged to the church. We don't think of Jewish believers. We think of believers.

But nevertheless, Israel is a divided kingdom. And in fact, this little diagram, I mean, Israel was given promises and those who were adhering to the promises and believing by faith at the seed of Abraham was the Lord Jesus Christ. Those people enter into the church. But then Israel, much of Israel today, doubts God's presence.

I mean, it's funny, they always take the Jewish holidays. You know, I work with a lot of Jewish people. Boy, the holidays are always there, but these people can't even spell God. I mean, it's really amazing. So Israel really falls in, like I guess even the body to some extent, into a lot of different groups. But there are people who are claiming the promises God's made to Israel, and those are kingdom people. Those are people that are looking at a reign on earth, its power on earth, and they're looking at it from the wrong reasons. So Israel, to some extent, does divide into two classes of citizens, but the one that are responding to the seed are part of the body. So they're no longer Jews or Greeks.

Then finally, the text ends in its last four chapters on the whole issue of the characteristics of the body. And again, the idea here is that once Paul, like he does in every other epistle, frames the foundation of true and solid doctrine, now he says, what does that look like in a life? And just to introduce that very briefly, Craig, why don't you read 1 and 2, if you could, from chapter 12.

Yes, please. Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is a spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Great, thank you.

You know, that's not a good place to start. If you were called into Romans 12 without the foundation that precedes it, boy, we've got a big task here, don't we? Presenting our bodies as dedicated vessels and carrying out all these things that are holy and acceptable before God, that's a task that we can't even begin to respond to. But when we have the foundation that precedes it, we're in a position to respond by faith. And then that becomes a reasonable service. And if you look at 9 through 20, it lists all the kinds of things that represent the characteristics of the new man played out in the life of the believer, not by law, not by effort, but by acceptance and faith with the power of the Spirit working in our lives.

So the question I have for each one of us, and Jim, back to 2 Corinthians, this was a question we dealt with a lot there. How are you doing at this? And I'm sensing that this is something that we need to be concerned about, but not in a legal sense. This is a Spirit-led teaching experience that each and every one goes through.

And the focus is not on the behavior. The focus is on the Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians 3, 1 through 3, 2 Corinthians 3, 18 and beyond. The Lord Jesus Christ is our home, our focus, our life. And how we're doing is not a yardstick we need to be placing at this. The Spirit will guide and lead.

And that is just what's so beautiful about about the truths that are really established here and which follow in the books that Paul has written beyond. So I think we can conclude with the second part of chapter 14, verse 23. And the reason we're looking at just the second part is that Paul's dealing here with a lot of the stumbling blocks, if you will, in the faith. And so he begins 23 and he says that He that doubts is condemned if he eats. We're talking about what they're eating in terms of whether that's a witness or not. But I think the second part of the verse has broad application. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Boy, how you doing? Let's close in prayer.

Father, we're thankful for this opportunity to just reflect just very, very minimally on the truths that are contained within this powerful epistle. And whether or not the order of the books are inspired, we see a great purpose for Romans being an exposition of the New Testament. May we approach this with a desire to see the importance of this text, as Paul has been led by the Spirit to articulate, and one in which the Spirit in each one of us can respond to as we mature over the next several years in Romans. And we're thankful for the opportunity to fellowship together. And may the Lord Jesus Christ be glorified. In his name we pray. Amen.