Romans:
We have a curvature happening here. Paul is speaking to the Jew's and the Greeks, which were considered the Gentiles of that time. In order for them to listen he had to speak plainly to them and bring them both out on an even surface. For the Jew's believed that they did not have any sin in them becuase they followed the law. How is it possible for the Jew's to accept the Gentiles as part of the children of God?
In his letters to them, he allows a precedence to be put forth; mainly "Jews as well as Gentiles" are the same. Are we prejudice today thinking of ourselves humanly/spritually higher than another? Are we not all born with these coruptable bodies ~ that God's kindness is meant to lead us to repentance. God is not a respector of persons.
Paul explains that all are under the power of sin, so don't think or imagine that those of you who say we have the law of Moses that it keeps you safe and away from the power of sin...it doesn't. And you who say you have no law, don't think or imagine that you can do anything you are not accountable for your actions, you are.
He explains by using examples, and himself at times to prove what is right. He reminds them of faith. How faith grew stronger in Abraham even though his body was a good as dead being that he was over 100. This was to the Jew's of that time foolishness for Abraham to be to believe such a blessing would actually happen. Abraham was able to boast about this, not to God but to men. Abraham was justified by faith.
Faith doe not show up on our door step like a bouquet of flowers. faith needs to be grasped. Like a child walking from one end of the room to another, something has caught his attention and he wants it.
Paul sets the foundation of Christ "Therefore since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" Rom 5 vs 1
Paul begins to express the state of ourselves; weak, in a state of death, sinners, enemies of God and had condemnation upon us because of disobedience. The Jews were not impressed because they claimed their rights as those of the Children of Abraham.
Paul writes "...Law came in, to increase the trespass; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteiousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom 5 vs 20
But the Law is Holy and if we follow it, we are Holy as well!??
Have you ever tried to change a belief system by six degree's. Paul spoke with wisdom, understanding and knowledge and above all this he had a love for us which through Christ which manifested itself in truth and began to set men free. He knew once they "got it, found it, received it" once this all made sense that the word would spread abroad and that the foundation which was laid would be built upon. Thus we have with us today, the Roman Catholic Church ~ with men having to deal with the power and riches that came with such good news. Its no question that money and power can corrupt, how wars are manipulated in the name of religion. A man such as Paul would never seek office. Peter was head of the Church as Christ proclaimed, making him a rock because our dearest brother Peter was a true witness to the devinity of Christ and his death and his reserection. He had been rebuked from Jesus at a time when he felt he was doing his best work for him. This is humbling, but look at how our Lord raises those who humble themselves before him. True humility comes with love, as do all good things. This is how we know the difference.
Paul speaks of the complete renewal: he points out that its really not about choice anymore wether you live in sin or not. Once you've been set free from sin, you're out of it...its not like a journey to walk out, sin is no longer apart of you...set free, cleansed from all unrighteousness, made whole, complete, given new mind and heart to know him...thus your journey begins because up until now, its been a never ending cirlce.
Like a babe newly born receives nurturing, goes to sleep wakes up and eats and then goes back to sleep; through time to begins to grow, learns how to walk, understand the objects around him. We being spritual, begin to understand the spiritual, the things not seen, we begin to understand. This is our journey: To suffer we know produces endurance, and endurance produces hope and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given us. Rom 5 vs 3
The free gift of complete redemption from sin was thought as a sin in itself. Paul explains that the free gift was from the begining, following us all along and came to us through the birth of Jesus, manifested to take away all sin from the beginning to the end, to bring a light into the world of darkness and set us free. This I believe was an explanation to the Jews who were hard of hearing the truth. It made sense, it was scriptural.
Paul writes of complete renewal: "We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For he who has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. For we know that Christ being rased for the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over us. The death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus"We obtain through faith and though it may appear foolish, it is not!
Paul goes on writingto the Jews and Gentiles regarding a change of masters: How the law is binding in so many ways, but now the law through Christ is revealing so that we may belong to one another, be of one mind, one body, one Christ. That we are now discharged from the law but that doesn't mean we call the law sin. For with the law we were able to recognize our sin, our flesh in its weakness, for the law proved the flesh to do one thing while our minds knew to do another. This is called the waring of our memembers, which Paul uses himself as an example in Chapter 7 vs 21.
Paul writes down what he knows the Jews are up against, for he himself has been in such a position but never before have the Jews had someone speak so clearly on their behalf. Paul was pouring himself out. It was craziness for them to continue as they have been, covering themselves with a shroud, hiding their faces from God, offering sacrifices for their sin, trying to maintain a holy life style...they turned to this hope that Paul was delievering to them, and Paul full of grace from our Lord, continues to draw them to the Saviour.
Paul leads them through the steps of repentance through confession, acknowledgement of their sinful state and then with exclamation "Wetched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" Yes! the people are following his words, those that have been called are moving forward in true repentance and acceptance. Paul new the secrets of mans hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit, he had been taught for three years in the wilderness where he conversed with no man. Christ had prepared him to speak the truth in such a way that it would cut to the quick of our beings.
Paul sets the confession ~ "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I of myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin." Rom 7 vs 25
This is not the end, this is the curve as Paul goes on to explain "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of the life in Christ Jesus has se me free from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the just requirement of the law might be fulfulled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." Rom 8 vs 1 and so on.
Paul writes gently to them saying that with hope we wait for it in patience, knowing we do not need faith for what we see. That in this time the Spirit will help us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs to deep for words.
Paul proclaims "Who can bring any charge upon God's elect?" "It is God who justifies; who is to condemn? It is Jesus who died and was raised who sits at the right hand of God who intercedes for us...Who shall spearate us from the love of Christ? Not God, for he cannot disown himself. So with this, we know that we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Nothing can separate us, nothing! And if we continue to say that we are dealing with sin in us, there is no true glory in that forgiveness. We are to work our faith out in fear and trembling, this is suffering. Working our faith is not trying to rid our lives of sin, Christ has already done this, but rather following the steps of Christ through relationship in suffering as was previously written.
The scriptures are full of redemption of the complete kind. It is finished. We can attain to the thoughts of our Lord when he calls us his children, whom he loves and calls us to partake of the freedom he has offered us.
There is divine justice in this, that Christ died for us while we were yet sinners and made us his own through the death and the reserrection of his life. John 17 is our Lord's prayer to the Father. We were the walking dead, and now we are the walking light. These bodies are temples full of the Holy Spirit. I cannot judge myself whether I be good or not, for some will find me one way and some another, but I would that all see Christ and the freedom that he gives within. We are not the children of the devil, who has sinned from the beginning, we are the children of God, bought back with a price that no one could pay except for him himself.
There is no sin in Christ, I am in Christ therefore I have had to be made clean to abide there. There is no sin in the Holy Spirit, I have the Holy Spirit in me, therefore the body I live in has had to be made clean to house such glory. I have the appearance of sinful flesh, and would be judged by this world as one that has sin, but through Christ, I am made clean in order to proclaim the truth in a time when men's hearts are failing them. We are justified my brothers, not by sin...for sin was ratified; we acknowledged it, confessed it and in doing this before Christ have been made free from its death. I am clean, and in this I am learning how to be content in every situation. Because of this, I will not venture to speak of anything except for what Christ has worked out in me.
And this has been worked out for your sakes, that you would not imagine yourselves any different than your brother. For there are many religions of the world that would try to covet the truth, but we acknowldege freely our existance in him who took away the sins of the world.
Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelations of the mystery which was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed and through the prophetic writings is made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith ~ to the only wise God be glory for evermore through Jesus Christ?! Amen Rom 16 vs 25