Posts

Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?

  Good morning. Remember that Paul just asked how shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? If we are dead, how can we still live in sin? What happens when someone dies? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. We weren’t just dead and buried. If that were the case, you might as well just shoot us as soon as we get saved. Speaking of the children of Israel when they left Egypt; “He brought us out to bring us in”. God did not just deliver them from the slavery in Egypt; He brought them into the land of promise that they might live for Him. Just like they received their liberty back then, we Americans received our liberty in 1776. As Christians, we received our liberty from sin when we made Jesus Lord of our lives. Just like they were...
Post a Comment
Read more

Where sin increased, Grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so Grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

  Good morning. We saw last time that the law came in so that the transgression would increase. God wasn’t trying to catch more people and send them to the bad place. He was setting a standard so that man cannot say “I have lived a good life and deserve to go to heaven“, without any justification. Now He could say, you have not lived according to My standard. Where sin increased, Grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so Grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? No way dude! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Since man no longer had to do works to be justified, that gave rise to the prospect of what is known as “greasy grace“. I can do whatever I want, because I’ve got my fire insurance. Besides, the more sin I do, the more God will have to exert His grace - it will abound. If we have died to sin, we shouldn’t be tempted...
Post a Comment
Read more

For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ

  Good morning. Paul continues with the thought: for if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Talk about unintended consequences. What Adam did, did not affect just him; it affected all humans for all eternity. So then through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. In this case it was intended consequences. Jesus intended that His one act would bring justification to all those who believe. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. Why did God use Moses to give the people of Israel the law? The law came in so that the transgression would increase. Until the law was given, there was no way for man to measure how he stoo...
Post a Comment
Read more

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

  Good morning. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned - for until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed [ascribe (something, especially something undesirable) as being done, caused, or possessed by someone] when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. As a human, our inheritance is death because of Adam. That is true whether or not we sinned like he did. Even today as Christians, that still applies to us. But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the One man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. What Adam did, gave us death. What Jesus did, gave us life! We didn’t do anything to deserve death – we didn’t do anything ...
Post a Comment
Read more

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

  Good morning. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. I have said several times that everything happened at just the right time; everything had to be in place for Jesus to come. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. We do see today where people give their lives trying to protect others in shooting situations. In a lot of cases, they don’t even know whether the people they are saving are good or bad. But God knew that we were bad. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Thankfully we did not have to get good enough for Him to die for us - we couldn’t. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. This is what I was talking about before: notice that it says we were justified by His blood; not through His resurrection. For if while we were enemies we w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

  Good morning. OK so we have been justified – now what? Having been justified by faith (not works), we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Having peace with God is a big deal. (that is not the same thing as having the peace of God). Through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations. Now wait a minute Paul! I get that we exult in hope of the glory of God, but exulting in our tribulations??? Why: knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance. Isn’t that kind of like praying for patience, and then getting situations in which you need to be patient? What does perseverance bring about – proven character; and proven character, hope; 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. Do we have to go through all of that? Can’t we just get ou...
Post a Comment
Read more

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, who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.

  Good morning. So Abraham believed God, even though the circumstances appeared to be against it happening. What was the result – therefore it was credited to him as righteousness. It wasn’t a true indwelling righteousness as we experience; that only comes through a relationship with Jesus. Now not for his (Abraham’s) sake only was it written that it was credited to him, 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, who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification. The king James uses the word ”for” in both cases where this says “because of”. That is sometimes interpreted as: Jesus was raised in order to obtain our justification; i.e. we would not be justified, if He had not been raised. I believe it should be interpreted as: He was delivered over as a result of our transgressions, and was raised as a result of our justification. I believe that what foll...
Post a Comment
Read more