bible_expositor

04:15 am: Believe It! You Can Be Made Right With God! Justification By Faith
BIBLE: BOOK OF ROMANS

CHAPTER 5
(A.D. 60)
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH http://traductor.livejournal.com/

THEREFORE being Justified by Faith (this is the only way one can be justified; refers to Faith in Christ and what He did at the Cross), we have peace with God (justifying peace) through our Lord Jesus Christ (what He did at the Cross):
2 By Whom also we have access by Faith into this Grace (we have access to the Goodness of God by Faith in Christ) wherein we stand (wherein alone we can stand), and rejoice in hope (a hope that is guaranteed) of the Glory of God (our Faith in Christ always brings Glory to God; anything else brings glory to self, which God can never accept).
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also (in the fact that tribulations do not hurt us): knowing that tribulation works patience (points to the characteristic of a man who is unswerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to Faith, even by the greatest trials and sufferings);
4 And patience, experience (points to an end result); and experience, hope (presents the natural product of an approved experience).
5 And hope makes not ashamed (in effect, tells us that this is not a false hope); because the Love of God is shed abroad in our hearts (God’s Love brings all of this about) by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us (all of this is wholly a work of the Holy Spirit).
6 For when we were yet without strength (before we were saved), in due time (at the appointed time) Christ died for the ungodly (the entirety of humanity fell into this category).
7 For scarcely for a Righteous man will one die (not many would do such): yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die (some few might).
8 But God Commendeth His Love toward us (Christ dying for the ungodly is a proof of Love immeasurable), in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Jesus died for those who bitterly hate Him).
9 Much more then (if Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, how much more will He do for us now that we are Redeemed and, thereby, reconciled to Him!), being now Justified by His Blood (we are justified now, and the Blood of Christ stands as the guarantee for that Justification), we shall be saved from wrath through Him (the Wrath of God, which is always manifested against sin).
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the Death of His Son (the only way we could be reconciled; this Verse shoots down the “Jesus died spiritually doctrine”), much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (does not speak of His Perfect Life, but rather the pouring out of His Life’s Blood at Calvary).
11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ (we are to boast of our Reconciliation to God, for it is a true confidence [I Cor. 1:31; II Cor. 10:17]), by Whom we have now received the Atonement (Reconciliation).

ADAM

12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world (by Adam), and death by sin (both spiritual and physical death); and so death passed upon all men (for all were in Adam), for that all have sinned (all are born in sin, because of Adam’s transgression):
13 (For until the Law (Law of Moses) sin was in the world (caused by Adam’s Fall): but sin is not imputed when there is no Law (before the Law was given, sin and its immediate Judgment were not imputed to the account of those who were then alive; but by the fact of Adam’s Fall, they were still sinners).
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses (because of the sin nature that was in all men due to Adam’s Fall), even over them who had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression (irrespective that all did not in essence commit high treason against God, as did Adam, they were still sinners), who is the figure of Him Who was to come (Adam was the fountainhead of all sin and death, while Christ is the Fountainhead of all Redemption and Life).

CONTRASTS

15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift (would have probably been better translated, “as the offence, much more the Free Gift”; the “Free Gift” refers to Christ and what He did at the Cross, which addressed all that was lost at the Fall). For if through the offence of one (Adam) many be dead, much more the Grace of God (proclaims the inexhaustible Power of this attribute), and the Gift by Grace (presents Jesus as that “Gift”), which is by One Man, Jesus Christ (what He did at the Cross), has abounded unto many (this “One Man,” the Lord Jesus Christ, nullified the offence of the “One Man” Adam).
16 And not as it was by one who sinned, so is the gift (so much greater is the Gift): for the judgment was by one to condemnation (by Adam), but the Free Gift is of many offences unto Justification (cleanses from all sin).
17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one (Adam’s Fall); much more they which receive abundance of Grace (not just “Grace,” but “Abundance of Grace”; all made possible by the Cross) and of the Gift of Righteousness (Righteousness is a Gift from God which comes solely through Jesus Christ, and is received by Faith) shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ.) (This proclaims the Believer “reigning,” even as death had reigned, but from a position of much greater power than that of death.)
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation (Judged by God to be lost); even so by the Righteousness of One (Christ) the Free Gift came upon all men unto Justification of life (received by simply believing in Christ and what He did at the Cross, which is the only answer for sin).
19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners (the “many” referred to all), so by the obedience of One (obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross [Phil. 2:8]) shall many be made Righteous (“many” refers to all who will believe).
20 Moreover the Law entered, that the offence might abound (the Law of Moses, that the offence might be identified). But where sin abounded, Grace did much more abound (where sin increased, Grace super-abounded, and then some on top of that):
21 That as sin has reigned unto death (sin reigns as an absolute monarch in the being of the unredeemed), even so might Grace reign through Righteousness unto Eternal Life by Jesus Christ our Lord (Grace reigns unto Life, but it reigns “through Righteousness,” i.e., because of God’s Righteous Judgment of sin at Calvary executed in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ).

CHAPTER 6
(A.D. 60)
THE CROSS

WHAT shall we say then? (This is meant to direct attention to Rom. 5:20.) Shall we continue in sin, that Grace may abound? (Just because Grace is greater than sin doesn’t mean that the Believer has a license to sin.)
2 God forbid (presents Paul’s answer to the question, “Away with the thought, let not such a thing occur”). How shall we, who are dead to sin (dead to the sin nature), live any longer therein? (This portrays what the Believer is now in Christ.)
3 Know you not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ (plainly says that this Baptism is into Christ and not water [I Cor. 1:17; 12:13; Gal. 3:27; Eph. 4:5; Col. 2:11-13]) were baptized into His Death? (When Christ died on the Cross, in the Mind of God, we died with Him; in other words, He became our Substitute, and our identification with Him in His Death gives us all the benefits for which He died; the idea is that He did it all for us!)
4 Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death (not only did we die with Him, but we were buried with Him as well, which means that all the sin and transgression of the past were buried; when they put Him in the Tomb, they put all of our sins into that Tomb as well): that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the Glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (we died with Him, we were buried with Him, and His Resurrection was our Resurrection to a “Newness of Life”).
5 For if we have been planted together (with Christ) in the likeness of His Death (Paul proclaims the Cross as the instrument through which all Blessings come; consequently, the Cross must ever be the Object of our Faith, which gives the Holy Spirit latitude to work within our lives), we shall be also in the likeness of His Resurrection (we can have the “likeness of His Resurrection,” i.e., “live this Resurrection Life,” only as long as we understand the “likeness of His Death,” which refers to the Cross as the means by which all of this is done):
6 Knowing this, that our old man is Crucified with Him (all that we were before conversion), that the body of sin might be destroyed (the power of sin broken), that henceforth we should not serve sin (the guilt of sin is removed at conversion, because the sin nature no longer rules within our hearts and lives).
7 For he who is dead (He was our Substitute, and in the Mind of God, we died with Him upon Believing Faith) is freed from sin (set free from the bondage of the sin nature).
8 Now if we be dead with Christ (once again pertains to the Cross, and our being Baptized into His Death), we believe that we shall also live with Him (have Resurrection Life, which is more Abundant Life [Jn. 10:10]):
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dies no more (means that His Work was a Finished Work, and will require nothing else); death has no more dominion over Him (because all sin has been Atoned; inasmuch as Christ is our Substitute, if death has no more dominion over Him, it has no more dominion over us; this means that the power of the sin nature is broken).
10 For in that He died, He died unto sin (the sin nature) once (actually means, “He died unto the sin nature, once, for all”): but in that He lives (the Resurrection), He lives unto God (refers to the fact that all life comes from God, and that we receive that life by virtue of the Cross and our Faith in that Finished Work).
11 Likewise reckon (account) you also yourselves to be dead indeed unto (the) sin (while the sin nature is not dead, we are dead unto the sin nature by virtue of the Cross and our Faith in that Sacrifice, but only as long as our Faith continues in the Cross), but alive unto God (living the Resurrection Life) through Jesus Christ our Lord (refers to what He did at the Cross, which is the means of this Resurrection Life).

SANCTIFICATION

12 Let not sin (the sin nature) therefore reign (rule) in your mortal body (showing that the sin nature can once again rule in the heart and life of the Believer, if the Believer doesn’t constantly look to Christ and the Cross; the “mortal body” is neutral, which means it can be used for Righteousness or unrighteousness), that you should obey it in the lusts thereof (ungodly lusts are carried out through the mortal body, if Faith is not maintained in the Cross [I Cor. 1:17-18]).
13 Neither yield you your members (of your mortal body) as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin (the sin nature): but yield yourselves unto God (we are to yield ourselves to Christ and the Cross; that alone guarantees victory over the sin nature), as those who are alive from the dead (we have been raised with Christ in “Newness of Life”), and your members as instruments of Righteousness unto God (this can be done only by virtue of the Cross and our Faith in that Finished Work, and Faith which continues in that Finished Work from day-to-day [Lk. 9:23-24]).
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you (the sin nature will not have dominion over us if we as Believers continue to exercise Faith in the Cross of Christ; otherwise, the sin nature most definitely will have dominion over the Believer): for you are not under the Law (means that if we try to live this life by any type of law, no matter how good that law might be in its own right, we will conclude by the sin nature having dominion over us), but under Grace (the Grace of God flows to the Believer on an unending basis only as long as the Believer exercises Faith in Christ and what He did at the Cross; Grace is merely the Goodness of God exercised by and through the Holy Spirit, and given to undeserving Saints).
15 What then? (This presents Paul going back to the first question he asked in this Chapter.) shall we sin, because we are not under the Law, but under Grace? (If we think such a thing, then we’re completely misunderstanding Grace. The Grace of God gives us the liberty to live a Holy life, which we do through Faith in Christ and the Cross, and not license to sin as some think.) God forbid (every true Believer hates sin; so the idea of living under its dominion is abhorrent to say the least!).
16 Know you not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey (the Believer is either a slave to Christ, for that’s what the word “servant” means, or else a slave to sin, which he will be if he doesn’t keep his Faith in Christ and the Cross); whether of sin unto death (once again allow us to state the fact that if the Believer attempts to live for God by any method other than Faith in the Finished Work of Christ, the Believer will fail, no matter how hard he otherwise tries), or of obedience unto Righteousness? (The Believer is required to obey the Word of the Lord. He cannot do that within his own strength, but only by understanding that he receives all things through what Christ did at the Cross and his continued Faith in that Finished Work, even on a daily basis. Then the Holy Spirit, Who Alone can make us what we ought to be, can accomplish His work within our lives.)
17 But God be thanked, that you were the servants of sin (slaves to the sin nature, what we were before we were saved), but you have obeyed from the heart that form of Doctrine (Jesus Christ and Him Crucified; understanding that all things come to the Believer from God by the means of the Cross) which was delivered you (the Lord gave this “form of Doctrine” to Paul, and he gave it to us in his Epistles).
18 Being then made free from sin (being made free from the sin nature; it has no more power over the Believer, but only as we continue to look to the Cross), you became the servants of Righteousness (whereas you were formerly a slave to the sin nature, you are now a slave to Righteousness; if Faith is maintained in the Cross, there is a constant pull of the Believer toward Righteousness).
19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh (“the manner of men” pertains to the Fall, which has made the flesh weak; this speaks of our own personal strength and ability): for as you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness (which the Believer will do, if the object of his Faith is anything but the Cross) and to iniquity unto iniquity (without constant Faith in the Cross, the Believer’s situation regarding sin will get worse and worse); even so now yield your members servants to Righteousness unto Holiness (which, as repeatedly stated, can only be done through constant Faith in the Cross; understanding that it is by and through the Cross that we receive all things, and that the Holy Spirit, Who Alone can develop Righteousness and Holiness in our lives, works exclusively through the Cross).
20 For when you were the servants of sin (slaves to sin), you were free from Righteousness (speaking of our lives before conversion to Christ).
21 What fruit had you then in those things whereof you are now ashamed? (This means that absolutely nothing of any value can come out of the sinful experience. It is impossible for there to be any good fruit.) for the end of those things is death (if the Believer refuses to look to the Cross, but rather looks to something else regarding his Sanctification, domination by the sin nature is going to be the result, and spiritual death will be the conclusion; the Cross is the only answer for sin!).
22 But now (since coming to Christ) being made free from sin (set free from the sin nature), and become servants (slaves) to God (but this yoke is a light yoke [Mat. 11:28-30]), you have your fruit unto Holiness (which the Holy Spirit will bring about, providing the Cross is ever the Object of our Faith), and the end Everlasting Life (so the Believer has the choice of “death,” which is the end result of trusting something other than Christ and the Cross, or “Everlasting Life,” which is the result of trusting Christ and the Cross).
23 For the wages of sin is death (speaks of spiritual death, which is separation from God); but the Gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord (as stated, all of this, without exception, comes to us by the means of what Christ did at the Cross, which demands that the Cross ever be the Object of our Faith, thus giving the Holy Spirit latitude to work within our lives and bring forth His Fruit).

CHAPTER 7
(A.D. 60)
THE LAW AND SIN

KNOW ye not, Brethren (Paul is speaking to Believers), (for I speak to them who know the Law,) (he is speaking of the Law of Moses, but it could refer to any type of religious Law) how that the Law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? (The Law has dominion as long as he tries to live by Law. Regrettably, not understanding the Cross regarding Sanctification, virtually the entirety of the Church is presently trying to live for God by means of the Law. Let the Believer understand that there are only two places he can be, Grace or Law. If he doesn’t understand the Cross as it refers to Sanctification, which is the only means of victory, he will automatically be under Law, which guarantees failure.)
2 For the woman which has an husband is bound by the Law to her husband so long as he lives (presents Paul using the analogy of the marriage bond); but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the Law of her husband (meaning that she is free to marry again).
3 So then if, while her husband lives, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress (in effect, the woman now has two husbands, at least in the Eyes of God; following this analogy, the Holy Spirit through Paul will give us a great truth; many Christians are living a life of spiritual adultery; they are married to Christ, but they are, in effect, serving another husband, “the Law”; it is quite an analogy!): but if her husband be dead (the Law is dead by virtue of Christ having fulfilled the Law in every respect), she is free from that Law (if the husband dies, the woman is free to marry and serve another; the Law of Moses, being satisfied in Christ, is now dead to the Believer and the Believer is free to serve Christ without the Law having any part or parcel in his life or living); so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man (presents the Believer as now married to Christ, and no longer under obligation to the Law).
4 Wherefore, my Brethren, you also are become dead to the Law (the Law is not dead per se, but we are dead to the Law because we are dead to its effects; this means that we are not to try to live for God by means of “Law,” whether the Law of Moses, or Laws made up by other men or of ourselves; we are to be dead to all Law) by the body of Christ (this refers to the Crucifixion of Christ, which satisfied the demands of the broken Law we could not satisfy; but Christ did it for us; having fulfilled the Law in every respect, the Christian is not obligated to Law in any fashion, only to Christ and what He did at the Cross); that you should be married to another (speaking of Christ), even to Him Who is raised from the dead (we are raised with Him in newness of life, and we should ever understand that Christ has met, does meet, and shall meet our every need; we look to Him exclusively, referring to what He did for us at the Cross), that we should bring forth fruit unto God (proper fruit can only be brought forth by the Believer constantly looking to the Cross; in fact, Christ must never be separated from the Work of the Cross; to do so is to produce “another Jesus” [II Cor. 11:4]).
5 For when we were in the flesh (can refer to the unsaved state or to the Believer who is attempting to overcome the powers of sin by his own efforts, i.e., “the flesh”), the motions of sins (denotes being under the power of the sin nature, and refers to the “passions of the sin nature”), which were by the Law (the effect of the Law is to reveal sin, which Law is designed to do whether it’s the Law of God or Laws made up of ourselves; that doesn’t mean its evil, for it isn’t; it just means that there is no victory in the Law, only the Revelation of sin and its penalty), did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death (when the Believer attempts to live for the Lord by means of Law, which regrettably most of the modern Church does, the end result is going to be sin and failure; in fact, it can be no other way; let us say it again! if the Believer doesn’t understand the Cross, as it refers to Sanctification, then the Believer is going to try to live for God by means of Law; the sadness is that most of the modern Church thinks it is under Grace, when in reality it is living under Law because of not understanding the Cross).
6 But now we are delivered from the Law (delivered from its just demands, meaning that Christ has paid its penalty), that being dead (dead to the Law by virtue of having died with Christ on the Cross) wherein we were held (we were once held down by the sin nature); that we should serve in newness of Spirit (refers to the Holy Spirit and not man’s spirit; the Believer has a completely new way of living, which is Faith in Christ and what He did at the Cross on our behalf; this guarantees perpetual victory), and not in the oldness of the letter (this refers to the Law of Moses; most modern Believers would argue that they aren’t living after the Law of Moses; but, as we have stated, the truth is if they do not understand the Cross as it refers to Sanctification, then in some way they’re still living under that old Law).

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST SIN

7 What shall we say then? (In Verses 1 through 6 of this Chapter, Paul has shown that the Believer is no longer under Law; in the remainder of the Chapter, he shows that a Believer putting himself under Law, thus failing to avail himself of the resources of Grace, is a defeated Christian.) Is the Law sin? God forbid (man’s condition is not caused by the Law of God, for the Law is Holy; rather it is exposed). No, I had not known sin, but by the Law (means that the Law of Moses defined what sin actually is, but gave no power to overcome sin): for I had not known lust, except the Law had said, You shall not covet (tells us that the desire for what is forbidden is the first conscious form of sin; this is the sin nature at work!).
8 But sin (the sin nature), taking occasion by the Commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence (“concupiscence” is “evil desire,” meaning, if the Believer attempts to live for God by means other than the Cross, he will be ruled by “evil desires”; and no matter how dedicated he might be otherwise, he will not be able to stop the process in that manner, with it getting worse and worse). For without the Law sin was dead (means that the Law of Moses fully exposed what was already in man’s heart; that’s one of the reasons God gave the Law).
9 For I was alive without the Law once (Paul is referring to himself personally and his conversion to Christ; the Law, he states, had nothing to do with that conversion; neither did it have anything to do with his life in Christ): but when the Commandment came (having just been saved, and not understanding the Cross of Christ, he tried to live for God by keeping the Commandments through his own strength and power; in his defense, no one else at that time understood the Cross; in fact, the meaning of the Cross, which is actually the meaning of the New Covenant, would be given to Paul), sin revived (the sin nature will always, without exception, revive under such circumstances, which results in failure), and I died (he was not meaning that he physically died, as would be obvious, but that he died to the Commandment; in other words, he failed to obey no matter how hard he tried; let all Believers understand that if the Apostle Paul couldn’t live for God in this manner, neither can you!).
10 And the Commandment, which was ordained to life (refers to the Ten Commandments), I found to be unto death (means that the Law revealed the sin, as it always does, and its wages which are death; in other words, there is no victory in trying to live by Law; we are to live by Faith, referring to Faith in Christ and the Cross).
11 For sin (the sin nature), taking occasion by the Commandment (in no way blames the Commandment, but that the Commandment actually did agitate the sin nature, and brought it to the fore, which it was designed to do), deceived me (Paul thought, now that he had accepted Christ, by that mere fact alone he could certainly obey the Lord in every respect; but he found he couldn’t, and neither can you, at least in that fashion), and by it slew me (despite all of his efforts to live for the Lord by means of Law-keeping, he failed; and again, I say, so will you!).
12 Wherefore the Law is Holy (points to the fact that it is God’s Revelation of Himself; the problem is not in the Law of God, the problem is in us), and the Commandment Holy, and just, and good (the Law is like a mirror which shows man what he is, but contains no power to change him).
13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid (once again, it is not the Law that is at fault, but rather the sin in man which is opposed to the Law). But sin (the sin nature), that it might appear sin (proclaims the Divine intention of the Law, namely that sin might show its true colors), working death in me by that which is good (the Law was good, and is good, but if one attempts to keep its moral precepts by means other than constant Faith in the Cross, the end result will be the “working of death” instead of life; all of this can be done, but only by Faith in Christ and the Cross); that sin (the sin nature) by the Commandment might become exceeding sinful (this greatly confuses the Believer; he is trying to live for God, and trying with all of his strength and might, but continually fails; he doesn’t understand why! the truth is that no one can live for God in this fashion; it is not God’s prescribed order; that order is the Cross).
14 For we know that the Law is spiritual (refers to the fact that the Law is totally of God and from God): but I am carnal, sold under sin (refers to Adam’s Fall, which has affected all of mankind and for all time; this means that no one, even Spirit-filled Believers, can keep the Law of God if they attempt to do so outside of Faith in the Cross; in other words, it is all in Christ).
15 For that which I do (the failure) I allow not (should have been translated, “I understand not”; these are not the words of an unsaved man, as some claim, but rather a Believer who is trying and failing): for what I would, that do I not (refers to the obedience he wants to render to Christ, but rather fails; why? as Paul explained, the Believer is married to Christ, but is being unfaithful to Christ by spiritually cohabiting with the Law, which frustrates the Grace of God; that means the Holy Spirit will not help such a person, which guarantees failure [Gal. 2:21]); but what I hate, that do I (refers to sin in his life which he doesn’t want to do, and in fact hates, but finds himself unable to stop; unfortunately, due to the fact of not understanding the Cross as it refers to Sanctification, this is the plight of most modern Christians).
16 If then I do that which I would not (presents Paul doing something against his will; he doesn’t want to do it, and is trying not to do it, whatever it might be, but finds himself doing it anyway), I consent unto the Law that it is good (simply means that the Law of God is working as it is supposed to work; it defines sin, portraying the fact that the sin nature will rule in man’s heart if not addressed properly).
17 Now then it is no more I that do it (this has been misconstrued by many! it means, “I may be failing, but it’s not what I want to do”; no true Christian wants to sin because now the Divine Nature is in his life and it is supposed to rule, not the sin nature [II Pet. 1:4]), but sin (the sin nature) that dwells in me (despite the fact that some Preachers claim the sin nature is gone from the Christian, Paul here plainly says that the sin nature is still in the Christian; however, if our Faith remains constant in the Cross, the sin nature will be dormant, causing us no problem; otherwise, it will cause great problems; while the sin nature “dwells” in us, it is not to “rule” in us).
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing (speaks of man’s own ability, or rather the lack thereof in comparison to the Holy Spirit, at least when it comes to spiritual things): for to will is present with me (Paul is speaking here of his willpower; regrettably, most modern Christians are trying to live for God by means of willpower, thinking falsely that since they have come to Christ, they are now free to say “no” to sin; that is the wrong way to look at the situation; the Believer cannot live for God by the strength of willpower; while the will is definitely important, it alone is not enough; the Believer must exercise Faith in Christ and the Cross, and do so constantly; then he will have the ability and strength to say “yes” to Christ, which automatically says, “no” to the things of the world); but how to perform that which is good I find not (outside of the Cross, it is impossible to find a way to do good).
19 For the good that I would I do not (if I depend on self, and not the Cross): but the evil which I would not (don’t want to do), that I do (which is exactly what every Believer will do no matter how hard he tries to do otherwise, if he tries to live this life outside of the Cross [Gal. 2:20-21]).
20 Now if I do that I would not (which is exactly what will happen if the Believer tries to live this life outside of God’s Prescribed Order), it is no more I that do it, but sin (the sin nature) that dwells in me (this emphatically states that the Believer has a sin nature; in the original Greek Text, if it contains the definite article before the word “sin” which originally did read “the sin,” it is not speaking of acts of sin, but rather the sin nature or the evil nature; the idea is not getting rid of the sin nature, which actually cannot be done, but rather controlling it, which the Apostle has told us how to do in Rom., Chpts. 6 and 8; when the Trump sounds, we shall be changed and there will be no more sin nature [Rom. 8:23]).
21 I find then a Law (does not refer in this case to the Law of Moses, but rather to the “Law of sin and death” [Rom. 8:2]), that, when I would do good, evil (the evil nature) is present with me (the idea is that the sin nature is always going to be with the Believer; there is no hint in the Greek that its stay is temporary, at least until the Trump sounds; we can successfully address the sin nature in only one way, and that is by Faith in Christ and the Cross, which Paul will detail in the next Chapter).
22 For I delight in the Law of God (refers to the moral Law of God ensconced in the Ten Commandments) after the inward man (refers to the spirit and soul of man which has now been regenerated):
23 But I see another Law in my members (the Law of sin and death desiring to use my physical body as an instrument of unrighteousness), warring against the Law of my mind (this is the Law of desire and willpower), and bringing me into captivity to the Law of sin (the Law of sin and death) which is in my members (which will function through my members, and make me a slave to the Law of sin and death; this will happen to the most consecrated Christian if that Christian doesn’t constantly exercise Faith in Christ and the Cross, understanding that it is through the Cross that all powers of darkness were defeated [Col. 2:14-15]).
24 O wretched man that I am! (Any Believer who attempts to live for God outside of God’s Prescribed Order, which is “Jesus Christ and Him Crucified,” will in fact live a wretched and miserable existence. This life can only be lived in one way, and that way is the Cross.) Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (The minute he cries “Who,” he finds the path to Victory, for he is now calling upon a Person for help, and that Person is Christ; actually, the Greek Text is masculine, indicating a Person).
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord (presents Paul revealing the answer to his own question; Deliverance comes through Jesus Christ and Christ Alone, and more particularly what Jesus did at Calvary and the Resurrection). So then with the mind I myself serve the Law of God (the “will” is the trigger, but it within itself can do nothing unless the gun is loaded with explosive power; that Power is the Cross); but with the flesh the Law of sin (if the Believer resorts to the “flesh,” [i.e., “self-will, self-effort, religious effort”] which refers to his own ability outside of Christ and the Cross, he will not serve the Law of God, but rather the Law of sin).

CHAPTER 8
(A.D. 60)
LIFE IN THE SPIRIT

THERE is therefore now no condemnation (guilt) to them which are in Christ Jesus (refers back to Rom. 6:3-5 and our being Baptized into His Death, which speaks of the Crucifixion), who walk not after the flesh (depending on one’s personal strength and ability or great religious efforts in order to overcome sin), but after the Spirit (the Holy Spirit works exclusively within the legal confines of the Finished Work of Christ; our Faith in that Finished Work, i.e., “the Cross,” guarantees the help of the Holy Spirit, which guarantees Victory).
2 For the Law (that which we are about to give is a Law of God, devised by the Godhead in eternity past [I Pet. 1:18-20]; this Law, in fact, is “God’s Prescribed Order of Victory”) of the Spirit (Holy Spirit, i.e., “the way the Spirit works”) of Life (all life comes from Christ, but through the Holy Spirit [Jn. 16:13-14]) in Christ Jesus (any time Paul uses this term or one of its derivatives, he is, without fail, referring to what Christ did at the Cross, which makes this “life” possible) has made me free (given me total Victory) from the Law of sin and death (these are the two most powerful Laws in the Universe; the “Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus” alone is stronger than the “Law of Sin and Death”; this means that if the Believer attempts to live for God by any manner other than Faith in Christ and the Cross, he is doomed to failure).
3 For what the Law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh (those under Law had only their willpower, which is woefully insufficient; so despite how hard they tried, they were unable to keep the Law then, and the same inability persists presently; any person who tries to live for God by a system of laws is doomed to failure, because the Holy Spirit will not function in that capacity), God sending his own Son (refers to man’s helpless condition, unable to save himself and unable to keep even a simple Law and, therefore, in dire need of a Saviour) in the likeness of sinful flesh (this means that Christ was really human, conformed in appearance to flesh which is characterized by sin, but yet sinless), and for sin (to atone for sin, to destroy its power, and to save and Sanctify its victims), condemned sin in the flesh (destroyed the power of sin by giving His Perfect Body as a Sacrifice for sin, which made it possible for sin to be defeated in our flesh; it was all through the Cross):
4 That the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us (the Law finding its full accomplishment in us can only be done by Faith in Christ, and what Christ has done for us at the Cross), who walk not after the flesh (not after our own strength and ability), but after the Spirit (the word “walk” refers to the manner in which we order our life; when we place our Faith in Christ and the Cross, understanding that all things come from God to us by means of the Cross, ever making it the Object of our Faith, the Holy Spirit can then work mightily within us, bringing about the Fruit of the Spirit; that is what “walking after the Spirit” actually means!).
5 For they who are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh (refers to Believers trying to live for the Lord by means other than Faith in the Cross of Christ); but they who are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit (those who place their Faith in Christ and the Cross, do so exclusively; they are doing what the Spirit desires, which alone can bring Victory).

CONTRAST

6 For to be carnally minded is death (this doesn’t refer to watching too much Television, as some think, but rather to trying to live for God outside of His Prescribed Order; the results will be sin and separation from God); but to be Spiritually minded is life and peace (God’s Prescribed Order is the Cross; this demands our constant Faith in that Finished Work, which is the Way of the Holy Spirit).
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God (once again, this refers to attempting to live for God by means other than the Cross, which places one “against God”): for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be (in its simplest form means that what is being done, whatever it may be, is not in God’s prescribed order, which is the Cross).
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God (refers to the Believer attempting to live his Christian Life by means other than Faith in Christ and the Cross).
9 But you are not in the flesh (in one sense of the word is asking the question, “since you are now a Believer and no longer depending on the flesh, why are you resorting to the flesh?”), but in the Spirit (as a Believer, you now have the privilege of being led and empowered by the Holy Spirit; however, He will do such for us only on the premise of our Faith in the Finished Work of Christ), if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you (if you are truly saved). Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His (Paul is saying that the work of the Spirit in our lives is made possible by what Christ did at Calvary, and the Resurrection).
10 And if Christ be in you (He is in you through the Power and Person of the Spirit [Gal. 2:20]), the body is dead because of sin (means that the physical body has been rendered helpless because of the Fall; consequently, the Believer trying to overcome by willpower presents a fruitless task); but the Spirit is life because of Righteousness (only the Holy Spirit can make us what we ought to be, which means we cannot do it ourselves; once again, He performs all that He does within the confines of the Finished Work of Christ).
11 But if the Spirit (Holy Spirit) of Him (from God) who raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you (and He definitely does), He who raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies (give us power in our mortal bodies that we might live a victorious life) by His Spirit Who dwells in you (we have the same power in us, through the Spirit, that raised Christ from the dead, and is available to us only on the premise of the Cross and our Faith in that Sacrifice).
12 Therefore, Brethren (means that Paul is addressing Believers), we are debtors (refers to what we owe Jesus Christ for what He has done for us on the Cross), not to the flesh (we do not owe anything to our own ability, meaning that such cannot save us or give us victory), to live after the flesh (“living after the flesh” pertains to our works, which God can never accept, and which can never bring us victory, but rather defeat).
13 For if ye live after the flesh (after your own strength and ability, which is outside of God’s Prescribed Order), you shall die (you will not be able to live a victorious, Christian life): but if you through the Spirit (by the Power of the Holy Spirit) do mortify the deeds of the body (which the Holy Spirit Alone can do), you shall live (shall walk in victory; but once again, even at the risk of being overly repetitive, we must never forget that the Spirit works totally and completely within the confines of the Cross of Christ; this means that we must ever make the Cross the Object of our Faith, giving Him latitude to work).

DELIVERANCE

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God (the Spirit will always lead us to the Cross), they are the sons of God (we live as sons of God, which refers to total victory within every respect of our lives; if the sin nature is dominating a person, he certainly isn’t living as a son of God).
15 For you have not received the spirit of bondage (to try to live after a system of works and laws will only succeed in placing one in “bondage”) again to fear (such living creates a perpetual climate of fear in the heart of such a Believer); but you have received the Spirit of Adoption (the Holy Spirit has adopted us into the Family of God), whereby we cry, Abba, Father (the Holy Spirit enables the Child of God to call God “Father,” which is done so because of Jesus Christ).
16 The Spirit itself (Himself) bears witness with our spirit (means that He is constantly speaking and witnessing certain things to us), that we are the Children of God (meaning that we are such now, and should enjoy all the privileges of such; we can do so if we will understand that all these privileges come to us from God, by the means of the Cross):
17 And if children (Children of God), then heirs (a privilege); heirs of God (the highest enrichment of all), and joint-heirs with Christ (everything that belongs to Christ belongs to us through the Cross, which was done for us); if so be that we suffer with Him (doesn’t pertain to mere suffering, but rather suffering “with Him,” referring to His suffering at the Cross which brought us total victory), that we may be also glorified together (He has been glorified, and we shall be glorified; all made possible by the Cross).
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time (speaks of the world and its condition because of the Fall) are not worthy to be compared with the glory (the glory of the coming future time will bear no relation to the misery of this present time) which shall be revealed in us (our glory will be a reflective glory, coming from Christ).
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature (should have been translated, “for the earnest expectation of the Creation”) waits for the manifestation of the sons of God (pertains to the coming Resurrection of Life).
20 For the creature (Creation) was made subject to vanity (Adam’s Fall signaled the fall of Creation), not willingly (the Creation did not sin, even as such cannot sin, but became subject to the result of sin which is death), but by reason of Him Who has subjected the same in Hope (speaks of God as the One Who passed sentence because of Adam’s Fall, but at the same time gave us a “Hope”; that “Hope” is Christ, Who will rectify all things),
21 Because the creature (Creation) itself also shall be delivered (presents this “Hope” as effecting that Deliverance, which He did by the Cross) from the bondage of corruption (speaks of mortality, i.e., “death”) into the glorious liberty of the Children of God (when man fell, Creation fell! when man shall be delivered, Creation will be delivered as well, and is expressed in the word “also”).
22 For we know that the whole Creation (everything has been affected by Satan’s rebellion and Adam’s Fall) groans and travails in pain together until now (refers to the common longing of the elements of the Creation to be brought back to their original perfection).
23 And not only they (the Creation, and all it entails), but ourselves also (refers to Believers), which have the Firstfruits of the Spirit (even though Jesus addressed every single thing lost in the Fall at the Cross, we only have a part of that possession now, with the balance coming at the Resurrection), even we ourselves groan within ourselves (proclaims the obvious fact that all Jesus paid for in the Atonement has not yet been fully realized), waiting for the Adoption (should be translated, “waiting for the fulfillment of the process, which Adoption into the Family of God guarantees”), to wit, the Redemption of our body (the glorifying of our physical body that will take place at the Resurrection).
24 For we are saved by hope (means that the greater part of our Salvation is yet future): but hope that is seen is not hope (proclaims in another way the great Truth that all Salvation affords is not yet given unto the Believer): for what a man sees, why does he yet hope for? (In effect, this bluntly tells us that what is coming is so far beyond that which is here at the present, as to be no comparison.)
25 But if we hope for that we see not (plainly tells us that more, much more, is coming), then do we with patience wait for it (proclaims the certitude of its coming, because the Holy Spirit has promised it would).
26 Likewise the Spirit (Holy Spirit) also helps our infirmities (the help given to us by the Holy Spirit is made possible in its entirety by and through what Jesus did at the Cross): for we know not what we should pray for as we ought (signals the significance of prayer, but also that without the Holy Spirit, all is to no avail): but the Spirit itself (Himself) makes intercession for us (He petitions or intercedes on our behalf) with groanings which cannot be uttered (not groanings on the part of the Holy Spirit, but rather on our part, which pertains to that which comes from the heart and cannot properly be put into words).
27 And He Who searches the hearts (God the Father) knows what is the Mind of the Spirit (what the Spirit wants done, and not what we want done), because He (Holy Spirit) makes intercession for the Saints according to the Will of God (the overriding goal of the Spirit is to carry out the Will of God in our lives, not our personal wills; in other words, the Spirit is not a glorified bellhop).

CONQUERORS

28 And we know that all things work together for good (but only if certain conditions are met) to them who love God (the first condition), to them who are the called according to His purpose (this means it’s “His Purpose, and not ours,” which is the second condition; otherwise, all things will not work together for our good).
29 For whom He (God) did foreknow (God’s foreknowledge), He also did predestinate to be conformed to the Image of His Son (it is never the person that is predestined, but rather the Plan), that He (Jesus) might be the firstborn among many Brethren (doesn’t mean that Jesus was Born-Again as a sinner, as some teach, but rather that He is the Father of the Salvation Plan, having paid the price on the Cross, which made it all possible).
30 Moreover whom He (God) did predestinate (to be conformed to the Image of His Son), them He also called (without that “Call,” man cannot be saved; sadly, many refuse the “Call” [Prov. 1:24-33]): and whom He called, them He also justified (those who responded faithfully to the Call): and whom He justified, them He also glorified (shall glorify at the Resurrection; Justification guarantees it will be done).
31 What shall we then say to these things? (This refers to the suffering presently endured [Vss. 17-18] in comparison to “the Glory which shall be revealed in us.”) If God be for us (should have been translated, “since God is for us”), who can be against us? (It is who can be against us that will really matter.)
32 He Who spared not His Own Son (concerns the Great Gift of God, i.e., the Lord Jesus Christ), but delivered Him up for us all (the Cross), how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (We can have all things that pertain to Life and Godliness, which Jesus paid for at the Cross, providing our Faith is ever in Christ and the Cross [II Pet. 1:3-7].)
33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? (In effect, means, “Who shall pronounce those guilty whom God pronounces Righteous?”) It is God who justifies (it is God Who sets the rules for Justification, not man).
34 Who is he who condemns? (No man has the right to condemn God’s Justification Plan.) It is Christ Who died (if one condemns a Believer who is trusting Christ solely for Justification and Sanctification, he is at the same time condemning Christ and His Death on the Cross), yea rather, Who is risen again (the Resurrection ratified the fact that Jesus was the Perfect Sacrifice, and that God accepted Him as such), Who is even at the Right Hand of God (refers to the exaltation of Christ), Who also makes intercession for us (at the Right Hand of God, showing that His Sacrifice has been accepted, which guarantees intercession for us).
35 Who shall separate us from the Love of Christ? (This speaks of the Love of Christ for the Believer, instead of the Believer’s Love for Christ.) shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (We are protected against all outside influence, but not from ourselves. If a person so desires, he can separate himself from the Love of Christ by rejecting the Cross.)
36 As it is written (Ps. 44:22), For Your sake we are killed all the day long (the world has always been opposed to Christ and what He did at the Cross; regrettably, so is most of the Church); we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter (the way the world looks at us; in their eyes, we are fit only for slaughter).
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors (it is a Holy arrogance of Victory and the Might of Christ) through Him Who loved us (He loved us enough to give His Life on the Cross, which alone makes us “more than conquerors”).
38 For I am persuaded (the Apostle has faced the things of which He now speaks), that neither death, nor life, nor Angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the Love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (this Love of God extended to us is made possible solely by Christ, and what He has done for us at the Cross; once again, this is God’s Love for us, which never wavers because we are “in Christ Jesus”).

Tags: bible commentary: forgiven and justified