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TRUST JESUS TODAY
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THE GOSPEL, IN PRACTICAL APPLICATION is a new version of the Bible with commentary added along with it to make sure context and obscure ideas are clearly followed. This article is Romans chapter 5,6,7,and 8. Chapter 7 is held in high dispute among almost all churches, and this pointed version is written so that the context cannot be missed, and word definitions that have contributed to the confusion are emphasized. People who believe that the Bible is really the word of God and want to know for sure what the Bible means in context are the target audience.
ROMANS 5
THE LOVE OF GOD REVEALED THROUGH FAITH
1. This faith, then, has brought us right standing with God, so that through our Lord Jesus we are now experiencing peace with God, who has given us access to this fabulous relationship, by this faith, and therefore we stand and rejoice greatly in the hope of the glory of God, which we lost when all had sinned and fell short of the glory of God.
3. Not only do we rejoice in that hope, but we also glory in our trials and tribulations. We now know that hard times will form endurance and patience in us. This in turn will build godly character into our lives, which causes faith and hope to grow and become strong. We know this faith and hope will not let us down, as we see the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us, has lavished the love of God into our hearts and minds.
6. Here is the revealed love of God, poured out into our hearts and minds. When our strength had failed, right on time Jesus came and died for us hostile sinners. We can see how hard it would be for someone to die for a good man, and perhaps for a very good man someone might even dare to die. But God has clearly demonstrated His own personal love for each of us: He sent His Son to die for us while we were still living wrong and in revolt against Him, proving to us how much we mean to Him.
9. Now even much more favor is directed toward us, since that we are in right standing before God, and through Jesus and His death we are saved from Gods’ wrath. Because if when we were His enemies, in complete revolt against Him, and God so loved us to reconcile us to Himself through the death of His own beloved son; how much more will He show us favor through the life of His Son now that we are His friends and are living right and have a right standing before Him? If His enemies are treated that well, how well are His friends and family treated? Now we are greatly rejoicing in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, since now we have been reconciled through Him.
SAVED FROM: Two Separate things identified
1. WRONG LIVING/SIN 2.CONDEMNATION/DEATH
12. So, since sin came into the world through one man, and death by sin; through this occurrence death spread to all men, because all have sinned. Before the law sin was in the world, but the full weight of sin is not chargeable where there is no law to break. Even so, death (spiritual and physical) still dominated from Adam until the law came under Moses; even against those who had not broken a known law as Adam did. Now this Adam was a foreshadow, a pattern of Him to come.
{-Free Gift: (1) Eph.2:8, Free Gift of Faith; (2) Romans 5:17, Free Gift of Righteousness; and (3) Romans 6:23, Free Gift of eternal life. This works out unto being free from sin (wrong living), Romans 6:7, and Acts 15:9, purified from corrupt nature. -}
15. But God’s free gift of salvation from death is not like the wrong action of Adam. It is like God over responded with His love and Grace. This is how it works: if through one mans’ sin death came into being for many, much more lavishly did the grace of God abound, and the free gift of eternal life by this grace, come by one man, Jesus Christ, and has abounded greatly to restore the many. Again, the judgment of condemnation that came as a result of one man is not the same as the free gift of justification from many sins, lavished upon the many, by one Man. For if, by the sin of one man death ruled mankind, much more now, they who obey God will receive a super abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness, by which the life of God will dominate and rule unto right living, by one man-Jesus Christ.
18. Put together, we may say, as by the sin of one, judgment unto death came upon all mankind; even so the righteousness of one man brought about justification and the life of God unto all men. Even as one man sinned and many were made sinners, by the obedience of one shall many be delivered from wrong living and made righteous. Now the law was added in order to force sin to increase and abound, so as to be recognized for the evil that it is. And as sin abounded, then the super-abundance of grace abounded even more. Now we see that even as disobedience ruled unto death, even more might God’s grace rule and reign unto living right, bringing on eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Chapter 6
1. How about this then: sin abounded and brought on the super-abundance of grace. Shall we continue to live wrong in order that grace will abound more and more? A person could not look at this more wrong! Now that we are dead to sin, how could we continue to live wrong? Are you not aware that those baptized in water unto Jesus had this done as a uniting with Him unto His death? Our baptism for us was a burial unto His death and burial. Now as by this baptism we are united to and with Him, so as He arose from the dead, to the glory of the Father, it is like us, being united with Him, also rose from the dead. Now we can live in the newness of life, completely saved and free from wrong living. If we became one with Him like this, thus sharing in His death, we know for sure we shall share in the likeness of His new life.
6. So now we need to be very aware that our old carnal man was crucified with Him, in order that the body that lives in sin might be destroyed (“Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Gal. 5:24) (“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your fleshly desires: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, wanting wrong things and greed, which is idolatry.”Col. 3:5): we are no longer slaves to sin, so do not serve and obey those carnal desires which lead to wrong living. Because when a man or woman dies, they are thus free from sin.
8. Since we have died with Jesus, we believe through Him we will truly live. Seeing how that Jesus has been raised from the dead, he cannot die again, and death has no more power over Him. In the death that occurred, He died to sin once for all; and now that He lives, He is living in close relationship to His father, not distracted by carnal desires to live wrong as He once was. It is in this same way you are to consider yourselves completely dead to and saved from wrong living, and alive to God your Father, living in close relationship to Him and not distracted by these carnal desires of the body as you once were, through Jesus Christ our Lord. (“Training us to avoid ungodly lives filled with worldly desires, so that we can live self-controlled, moral, and godly lives in this present world” Titus 2: 12).
12. The conclusion of this is very clear. Never let sin and wrong living rise up in your bodies, causing you to obey the cravings of the flesh again like you used to do. (“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures…”Titus 3:3a) Never, and I mean never, allow any carnal desire to take over and cause your members to be used as a tool for unrighteousness unto sin. (“But put on the life style of the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill any of its desires.” Romans 13:14) On the contrary, offer and present yourself and your mortal body to God your Father, newly raised from the dead, as tools of righteousness, for His own personal use, at His command. Wrong living shall never again control you, as you are led by God’s grace and not the law.
15. One may ask then, are we allowed to sin since we are not under the law anymore, but instead under grace? Certainly not! Never forget, whoever you give yourself to obey, they are your master and will rule over you. (Jesus replied, “I will tell you this truth for sure: Whoever lives wrong is a slave to the desires of sin. But if the Son of God sets you free, you will experience true and complete freedom!” John 8: 34&36). If you give yourself to disobedience, that will lead to death; but if you present yourself for obedience, that will lead to victory in God’s righteousness. So thank God eternally, because that when you were unsaved, fleshly, a slave to sin and wrong living, you obeyed from your heart the teaching we gave you about Jesus, and now you have been set free from wrong living, and have become a slave to right living.
19. I am presenting this in human terms, not spiritual terms, because of your present spiritual weakness. Listen carefully: as you yielded your flesh over to sin and its’ desires, you went from one wrong thing unto another. ( “Now the works of the flesh are established: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, partying, and anything similar. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”Gal.5: 19-21). Now you must yield your flesh over and follow the desires of right living, which will lead to holiness. When you were serving the desires of sin and wrong living, and properly called ‘servants of sin’, you were actually free from righteousness. Was there ever any benefit you enjoyed in those things of which you are now ashamed? Now you know that participation in those things brings death and condemnation. So now you have been set free from wrong living and have become servants of right living as directed by God, you enter into holiness, and that has as its reward eternal life. This is because the result of living wrong is eternal death and all that goes with it; but God’s gift is eternal life and all that goes with it, and this is obtained through obedience to Jesus Christ our Lord.
Chapter 7
1. Now you brethren know what the law demands. You are aware that the law has dominion over people as long as they are alive. A woman who has a husband is tied to her husband as long as he is alive. If and when her husband dies, she is free from that law of her husband. Also, if while her husband is alive, she becomes married to another man, she shall be found guilty of adultery. But now if her husband dies, she is now free from that law, so that she can be married to another man and not be guilty of adultery. I have used one of the Ten Commandments of adultery to illustrate this point. You, also brothers, have become dead to the law by the uniting as one with the crucified body of Christ. Now you can be married to another, Jesus God’s Son who was raised from the dead, and now we can bear fruit unto God.
5. While we were unsaved, “in the flesh” so to speak, the law set sin moving in our members by giving an opportunity, an occasion for the flesh to operate. The result of this was spiritual death. (“They are darkened in their understanding and are dead to and separated from the life of God” Eph.4:18a) Well, now we have been set free from the law, and set free from the death penalty where we had been held. So now we can serve God within the context of a new life, loving what we are required to do; instead of following a code of written regulations.
7. So now I have become ‘saved’ and ‘set free from the law’. As I look back, what am I to understand? Was the law sin? No, not at all. The function the law did for me when I was unsaved from wrong living was to point out and make my sin known to me. For example, I would never have known how wrong my strong desire to steal something was, if the law had not said in the Ten Commandments “do not covet” (desire something not allowed). So what sin did was to take its opportunity, since the law had pointed out this wrong desire, and sin then aroused all kinds of new and strong desires and cravings in my flesh. So we can see if the law was not there when I was unsaved, sin would have had little opportunity to express itself. (“Now the law was added in order to force sin to increase and abound, so as to be recognized for the evil that it is. And as sin abounded, then the super-abundance of grace abounded even more”. Romans 5:20) As a small child, I was spiritually alive once, under the age of accountability. But as I grew to accountability, the law came in, and it brought with it Increased desire, even craving, to do wrong. Thus, under this program, the desires of sin revived and came strongly to life, and I of course, died spiritually.
10. So now I can see that the law, which pertains to life, resulted in death for me. And it was not the law’s fault. Sin took its opportunity by the law, created strong wrong desires, deceived me, and killed me. So let us conclude that the law is holy, each commandment holy, righteous, and good. That which is good was not the cause of death in me, it only revealed in me a need to get saved from wrong living. No indeed, it was sin that caused death! God allowed this to happen so that sin might be revealed for the evil that it really is, causing my death by using something good, the law thereby exposing sin for the true wickedness that it consists of.
14. Now to summarize, here is exactly how I got saved from wrong living. First of all, we concluded that the law is good and righteous. But as I described above, as the law comes to me, sin fills me with wrong cravings and demands of the flesh. We know that the law is spiritual, but that does not help me because I am carnal, sold as a slave to wrong living. So the war is on, and the battles shape up like these examples: The things that I am doing, now that I have been instructed by the law, I do not approve of nor allow: what I do want to do, I do not actually get done, but what I hate, that I find myself doing. Since I am doing what I do not really want to do, I am agreeing with the law that is instructing me that the righteous requirements of the law are good.
17. So actually, it is not really me that is doing these things, but it is sin living in me, as I described above, taking its opportunity by the law. Now I am learning that in me, in my flesh, there is no ability of itself to do good. The desire to do good I can find, as the law instructs, but how to perform any good thing is not present. (“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags”. Isaiah 64:6a) The good that I want to do, I find I can’t do, but the evil I want to stop doing, as the law is demanding, I find I cannot stop. Now if I am doing what I do not want to do, it must not be me doing it, but it must be that sin living in me, inciting those wrong desires, as I previously described.
21. I have found then a principal of life in the flesh, that when I want to do what is right; some kind of evil is present, stopping me. For my spirit, my inner man, can see with delight that the law of God that is instructing me is truly good. (See note below.) But I see another law in my flesh, enflaming wrong desires, even by using God’s righteous laws, and is at war against the law of my mind. And winning the war, it brings me into captivity to the law of sin and death which is in my flesh.
24. What a miserable, wretched person that I have turned out to be! Can anyone deliver me from this body of flesh that takes the law and enslaves me unto sin and death? Oh! Thank God for Jesus our Lord! So with my mind I agree with and serve the commandments and laws God gave, but my flesh will only follow and serve sin and wrong living. (“Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires”. Galatians 5:24)
Chapter 8
1. Well, now that we are not living by following the flesh any longer, but having been set free from wrong living, we are instead following the leading of the Holy Spirit; there is now no more condemnation for us who are in Christ Jesus. Finally, now I have been set free from the principle of sin and death by the ability and power of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. The law, being weak through the flesh, could not set me free and save me from wrong living and sin. So God set me free from wrong living by sending his only Son Jesus, looking like a regular person in the flesh, used Him as an offering for sin, and thus condemned sin in the flesh. Now all who are not living by following the desires of the flesh, but instead are following the leading of the Holy Spirit; the righteousness of God’s law has been fully accomplished in them.
5. Comparing being saved from sin and wrong living, to not being saved from wrong living, one may say: those who are ‘in the flesh’ will follow its unholy desires, think about, and be mindful of these desires and values. On the other hand: those who are ‘in the Spirit’ will follow and be mindful of whatever the leading of the Spirit has. One may say also that to be mindful of the flesh is death, and to be mindful of the leading of the Spirit is life and peace. The reason for this is that the mind set on the fleshly leadings is hostile and at war with God. Moreover, it is not subject to the laws of God we were talking about, and further, it actually cannot be. The conclusion of this is that there is no way that anyone ‘in the flesh’ could ever please God and end up in heaven.
(Note: Unsaved Jews approve and delight in the Law of Moses. Romans 2:17-24: “Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; and you know so well that you are a guide for the blind, a teaching of light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the unlearned, a teacher of babies, because you have in the law the revelation of knowledge and truth-you Jews, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who teach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you defile temples? You who are proud about the law, are you dishonoring and bringing disrespect on God by breaking the law? As it is written: “God’s name is slandered among the Gentiles because of you Jews.” Romans 10: 2, “I can testify about them that they have a zeal for God, according to His law, but not according to knowledge of what God really wants”)
9. But, as we have said, you are not ‘in the flesh’ any longer but you are now ‘in the Spirit’, if it is true that the Spirit of God is living in you. Now remember this: if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, that person has nothing to do with Jesus. Now that Jesus Christ is in you by His Spirit, your body is dead because of the sin death penalty, but you have been brought life by His Spirit because of God’s righteousness accounted to you because of your faith. Even though the body is dead, when the Spirit of God lives in you, who raised Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies, once again, through the Spirit of God, which lives in you.
12. Brethren, it turns out then we are in debt to the Spirit of God who is keeping us alive. Certainly we are not in debt to the flesh, to follow its old desires of the body. But if you follow the desires of the flesh, you will quickly and easily backslide and die, (“The acts of the flesh are established: sexual immorality, impurity and sensuality; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of anger, selfishness, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, partying, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will never make it into the kingdom of God.” Gal.5 19-21), but if you destroy the fleshly desires by the leading and power of the Spirit, you will live right before God. The real sons of God are the people who are listening to God and following Him by the leading of His Holy Spirit.
15. You have received the Spirit of God unto adoption into His family; therefore we call out, Father, Father! And this without the bondage of the law or any fear of rejection. Now the Spirit of God Himself is reassuring our spirit within us that we are in His family and are His children. Yes, and now that we are children, then we are rightful heirs-an inheritance from God and joint heirs with His Son Jesus.
17. However, in order to be properly glorified together with Jesus, we must also suffer with Him. (“Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” 2ndTim.3:12) But we do not need to cringe back from this, because I can see that the affliction, tribulation and persecution of this present life is unworthy to be compared next to the fabulous glory which shall be revealed in us. (“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison”. 2ndCorin. 4:17)
19. Indeed all creation is expecting and can hardly wait for the revealing of whom the Sons of God are and what they shall be like. Yes, all of creation was given over to futility, not by its’ own choice, but with the hope of Him who gave it over; so that this creation would in turn be spectacularly delivered and rescued from this corruption and the glorious liberty of the Children of God would then be revealed. Even now we see the whole creation, as if giving birth, groaning and working hard.
23. And us, being part of that creation, even us who have Gods’ Holy Spirit within us, are uncomfortable enough to groan and moan, waiting for our bodies to be redeemed and the adoption to be completed. (“Indeed, we groan in this body, desiring to put on our dwelling from heaven.” 2ndCorin5:2) Now the hope of this redemption keeps us saved and close to God, but if we already had this accomplished, what more would there be to hope for? And because we do not yet see this in our lives, we are waiting with patience and endurance.
26. And the Holy Spirit who God has given to us joins in with us, finding our weaknesses and strengthening us. We really do not even know how to pray properly; the Holy Spirit Himself joins in praying with and for us with spiritual crying out which we cannot express. We know that the Spirit is making requests for the saints of God according to the will of God, because He is in harmony with Gods’ will and searches the hearts and mind of Gods’ people.
28. Because of this help that God has provided by His Holy Spirit, we can be assured that all things are being adjusted for good for those of us who Love God, and those who He has called according to His own purposes. All of us who He foreknew He also has predestined to be changed, until our life style and our hearts look just like the image His Son, Jesus. (“And to cover your life with the new person, which was created according to God's image, the image of righteousness and true holiness.” Eph.4:24) That is the way all of us brethren will follow Jesus, who is the first born from the dead. Also, all people He predestined He also called; and those He called them He also justified; and those He justified, those He also glorified.
31. What are we to think about these things? God is clearly on our side, so who would be able to stand against us? If Our Father would not spare the comfort and life of the Beloved Son of His love, but turned Him over to torture and death for us sinners, clearly through Jesus He will lavish every good thing upon us. We are now Gods’ elect, who shall bring an accusation against us? God Himself will make sure we are justified. Does anyone dare to condemn us? Jesus Christ has died for us, and even more, is now risen; sitting down next to God Himself, at His right hand of power, praying for us according to the Fathers will.
35. What do you think would be able to separate us from the love of God revealed to us by His Son Jesus Christ? How about hard times? Could Tribulation, affliction, persecution; going hungry or without good clothing or danger, or even war? It is even written of us: “for your sake we are killed all day long; we are looked upon as sheep ready to be killed”.
37. Yet we are more than overcomers; we come out way ahead in all these things because of Him who loves us so. I am completely convinced that neither life nor death itself, not any angles or spiritual rulers or authorities, nothing now and anything coming new, nothing way high up or down into unseen depths, nothing at all in Gods’ great creation, shall be able to come between us and the love our God has for us, which is embodied in Christ Jesus our Lord!
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My own testimony can show a person how this works. Being raised on the coast of Washington state in a remote area in 1960-68, even as a child I managed to stay drunk most of the time. Two week long keg parties on the beach were common, and in between it seemed all I really wanted to do was find more beer. By the time I was 20 years old, I was a chronic alcoholic. I always lied to myself that I could quit anytime I wanted, but wanting to quit to go to college proved to me I could not quit even with good reason. Alcoholics Anonymous helped me to dry out, but in the long run only gave me more drinking friends. Calling out to Jesus, I found I could for the first time in many years stop drinking, but the temptation at times was still strong. Having people pray for me to get more of Gods’ Holy Spirit, asking God for all I could get, I found a spiritual experience that led me to experience John 8: 34&36; I was, as Jesus said, “free indeed”. And also Romans 8:13 above: “But if you follow the desires of the flesh, you will quickly and easily backslide and die, but if you destroy the fleshly desires by the leading and power of the Spirit, you will live right before God.” By getting more of the Holy Spirit, I now had no more temptation to drink. But there was even more. Swearing constantly went away as I noticed I had not even thought a swear word for several days after getting more of the Holy Spirit. My fits of anger went away completely, and I found I was very uncomfortable with my old con man status, as lying and deceiving I felt I could now never live with. Truly, I was a new creation! (2nd.Corin.5:17)
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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