Romans Highlights Cont.

Romans 3:All the World Guilty

“There is none righteous, not even one;
¹¹ There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
¹² All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”

 

We, on our own, do not seek God.  God has to draw someone to himself in order for that person to see him.  I believe God draws everyone at some point in their lives.  Apart from God opening our eyes, we cannot see him.  Paul says that the "gopel is foolishness to those who are perishing" and that "the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers."  Satan is trying to blind all people.  Combined with our original sin passed down from Adam, and Satan's deception, no one seeks God apart from God's assistance.  Arminians believe that man jumps up to God at some point; that of our own will we choose God.  Calvinists believe that God reaches down to some and pulls them out of the deep water they are in apart from their own will at some point.  I believe it is both; God reaches down to everyone and some reach back up and take his hand.  That is the most consistent, I think, with scripture.  "No one comes to the father unless he be drawn."  But also, "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."  It is both us and him, just like the Christian walk is both us and him.  "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling....for it is God who...." works in you.  It is not all us and it is not all God, it is both.  We work together as a team, in salvation and in the process of sanctification. 

"Through the Law comes the knowledge of sin."

Paul later explains in Romans that apart from the law we would not know what sin is.  We may have a general idea of what seems right and wrong, but the law explicitly says what is right and wrong.  Therefore, if we know the law, we are without excuse.  As Christians we are still to strive to live up to the law, because Paul says, "walk in a manner worthy of your calling."  We are called to live differently than the world, to be set apart.  We are not saved by the law, but if we are saved, we will live up to most of the law, because we walk in the Spirit not the flesh. 

 "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

We are all sinners.  No one can say they are perfect.  Many may think they have never done wrong, because they may live relatively good lives.  But if they have ever told a lie, in their entire lives, they have sinned. 

"We maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law."

We are justified by faith in Jesus alone; that he died, rose again and is sufficient to cover all of our sins.  We are not saved by fulfilling the law.  That would be trying to be saved in our own strength.  Left to ourselvse, apart from God, we cannot fulfill and live up to the law.  It is only after we are filled with the Holy Spirit and walk in the Spirit that we can live by the law. 

^"Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law."

We are not saved by the law, but the law is not voided through faith.  Paul says "we establish the law" meaning we bring about the law, we are finally able to hold to the law through the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us. 

Jesus said, "I did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill the law."  We are not saved by trying to live up to the law, but as James says, "Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do."  If we truly saved, we will live out the commandments of the law.  Jesus said, "If you love me you will keep my commandments." 

And the commandments now in the new covenant go beyond just the 10 that were given to Moses.  They now include loving your neighbor, which covers a lot of things.  They cover that we are not to lust; sins of the heart, not just outward actions.  They cover not gossiping or slandering.  Now instead of there being 10 commandments it is more like there are 100 or more, but we are not trying to live up to them in our own strength anymore as they did before Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit's assistance to help us obey God's commandments. 

Romans 4: Justification by Faith

^{16 "}For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace."

Grace is unmerited divine assistance.  It is something we did not earn.  We are saved by God's amazing grace, not by anything we have done. 

This verse is referring to Abraham:

"Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, ²⁴ but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵ He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification."

Our faith will be credited to us as righteousness, just as Abraham's was.  Abraham believed that God would give him a son.  He had faith in God's promise to him, and so he was made righteous through his faith.  We have faith that Jesus' death on the cross is sufficient to cover our sin, and so this faith is also credited to us as righteousness.  It seems too simple, but that is how it is. 

Romans 5: Results of Justification

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

 

 "We exult in hope of the glory of God."

 

"We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; ⁵ and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

^"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

 "Having now been justified ^[by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him."


^"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.... 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."