Grace Reigns! 3

A Continuing Study of Romans 5:20-21

See the original post for all the questions we will look at in this study...

“20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:20–21, ESV)  

Today we look at the manner that sin reigned in death in order to understand the comparison that Paul is wanting us to see.  There must be something in this reigning that teaches us about the way grace reigns through righteousness.  Grace abounded over the increasing sin to accomplish this "reigning" so let's understand the reigning and then look at the "abounding" to accomplish it later.

So the question...

1. How was sin reigning in death?

Some scripture to help us see the manner in which sin was reigning in death...

“12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.” (Romans 5:12–14, ESV)   

“8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.” (Romans 7:8–11, ESV) 

“19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.” (Romans 7:19–23, ESV)

“5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.” (Romans 7:5, ESV)

The passages in Romans above give us the picture that sin existed first and it brought death by the power of the law's condemnation.  Then this spiritual death spread to all of us because we are untied with Adam by birth into the human race.  We did not start with spiritual life and freedom like Adam did and our sin is only our own since we are not the head of humanity.  This is how our sinning is different than Adam's.  Adam fell but we just continue in the fallen state.  We have been in bondage to a will that is bent on sin since we were in the womb.  We all walk in our choices and are responsible for them but we suffer from the way sin works in us automatically and drives our choices.  Notice how Paul makes the point that now when he sins it is not him (his heart and his true desire) that sins, but it is this old nature that still resides within him battling against his mind.  We once served sin unwittingly as our master due to this death that was in our soul.  Our actions showed the fruit of this abiding death that was the source of our sin.  So some categories to understand how this sin reigns in death-

• Sin was responsible for the death
• Death guarantees the continued sinning
• The disobedience comes as a fruit of death (automatic- not requiring my effort)
• Sin battles against me through this death in my body

So then, what does this teach me about the reigning of grace through righteousness and why "through" instead of "in"?  

This will be for next time..

1. What doe this mean in relation to grace reigning through righteousness?
2. Why does sin reign in and grace reigns through?

Soli Deo Gloria!

God Isn't Hiring Dish Washers

Reflection on Matthew 23:25-26

A quick break from Romans thanks to some thoughts from today's daily reading.  In declaring the seven woes of the pharisees, Jesus makes a wonderful reference to the new covenant and our true and only hope of righteousness...

   “25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.” (Matthew 23:25–26, ESV)

We discussed Thursday that our only hope before God is the righteousness of Christ, not our own.  Even our faith is not the substance of righteousness but merely the access to it by union with Christ.  Here we see the pharisees have not yet learned this and they rely on their own righteousness.

Jesus makes clear in John chapter 6 what is required for of us and it is not that we clean up our behavior and make ourselves worthy of God's favor...

“54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:54, ESV)

This is the cup and the plate we must partake in.   We need Christ and we need his cleansing blood to justify us before God.  We need not only his broken body that took our guilt and shame but his risen and glorified body whereby he offers to save us by his life and delivers newness of life to our souls that we might walk and live as those brought from death to life!

“9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:9–10, ESV)

“4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4, ESV)

So I take from Jesus' teaching here in Matthew 23:25-26 that he refers to the body or the person of the pharisee as the cup and plate.  We can only see cleansing of our hearts by the work of God, not our own work.  We cannot simply white knuckle it and clean up our life while not surrendering to Jesus and not embracing Him in person.  Religion and rules do nothing for us except possibly impress others. Jesus is the substance and the need of our hearts.

Let us eat and drink to our fill and let us be cleansed by the only righteousness that is true.  Let God grant us the righteousness of the Son by our union with him.  Let us abide in Jesus and be transformed by his power and not try to do it ourselves.  The end of self improvement is death...God is not hiring dishwashers.  Remember that the only wages we can earn with God is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We either worship God with our hunger and thirst or we dishonor him with it.  For what do we thirst?  Let us put down the dishtowel and pick up our bible with bended knee.  The only way we can get clean dishes is by dining heartily!  We must come and seek the wine to be poured into our dirty cup and the bread to be broken upon our filthy dish.  Let us dine upon Christ for true righteousness because the Christian life is not a struggle for holiness but a daily fight for joy in Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Grace Reigns! 1 & 2

A Study of Romans 5:20-21

See the original post for all the questions that we will look at regarding this passage...

“20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:20–21, ESV)

Today I looked at the first two questions.

1. In what way does the law "increase the trespass"?

Looking at Romans chapter 7 it appears that the law increases the trespass in a few ways.  First, it makes us know what sin is.  It shows us that we have the capacity to sin and it can even arouse in us greater desire to chase it in rebellion.  Second it makes sin clearly wrong and evil.  When sin is made known to be in opposition to the living God of all creation we know that it is not something minor but it is a gigantic problem and it is infinitely evil.  Thirdly it empowered the enemy with a weapon of condemnation and a point of departure to tempt us with.  The law brought a conscious ability to break the law and this was exploited by Satan.

“5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.” (Romans 7:5, ESV) 

“8 ... For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.” (Romans 7:8b–11, ESV)   

“13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.” (Romans 7:13, ESV)

2. What kind of "increase" of sin is this?

So this increase in sin is not ultimately something coming at me from the outside but it is sin within me being realized and activated.  External influences, such as the law, play a role in the increase but sin was a powerless capacity lying in wait within Adam even before the law was delivered.  

This passage in Romans 5 shows that Israel's sin existed before the law was given by Moses and points out how our sin is different than Adam's.  Adam had the choice to not sin because he was spiritually alive and good.  Adam was also a representative of all mankind and his sin was granted to us by inheritance.  Today we are born without an ability to not sin (you bust be born again) since death reigns over all.  So the law that Moses delivered pointed to something that was already there and really brought condemnation and warning.  Our sin has power over us even when we don't recognize it as sin!

   “12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.” (Romans 5:12–14, ESV)

Yes this seems like a downer message about sin and its reign in our lives but there is great benefit here.  Paul is establishing one side of a comparison that will blow us away in the rest of the study.  Even so, we can honestly reflect on the sinfulness of sin and own up to the fact that it is in us and that we are responsible for it.  We need confession and repentance.  Praise God for his grace that we will see reigns in us who are in Christ Jesus!  A starting point of acknowledging our need is a good place.  The Lord looks upon those and takes residence with those who are humble and contrite and who tremble at his Word (cf. Isaiah 66:1-2).

Soli Deo Gloria! 

Grace Reigns!

A Study of Romans 5:20-21

Paul closes the fifth chapter of his letter to the Romans with this statement about grace...

“20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:20–21, ESV)

Chapter five was about life in Christ and how we have peace with God through faith in this Christ.  Remember that the letter originally was not broken into chapters but the translators did this to help us.  Paul seems to conclude this topic, or maybe transition into the next topic (chapter six), with a comparison of sin and grace.

Let's look at this passage and give it some study in order to really get something from it rather than just say, "Hmmm, interesting".  I have come up with some questions of my own here that I plan to answer over the next week or so and I will post my references and answers as I work toward a conclusion on the whole passage.

I may not answer these questions in order and I may not come up with definitive answers to each one either.  Anyhow, let's dig in and chew this passage for the insight and meaning that it holds for us.   Post your thoughts and comments as you study this if you like- may we be encouraged by one another's faith!

Questions-

• In what way does the law "increase the trespass"?
• What kind of "increase" of sin is this?
• How is it that grace reigns?
• What is the relationship between grace and righteousness?
• Which kind of righteousness does he speak of (active or passive)?
• In what manner does grace (through righteousness) lead to eternal life?
• What is the role of "Through Jesus Christ" in this reigning?
• How does the comparison to how sin reigns in death impact this reigning of grace?
• Why does sin reign "in" something but grace reigns "through" something?
• Why does sin simply have an end point (death) and grace has something (righteousness) between it and eternal life?
• What is the main point or principle or doctrine or takeaway from this passage?

Soli Deo Gloria! 

Where is My Mind?

A reflection on Romans 8:5-6

Paul showed us that we have a war raging and its all abouit where we put our mind.  Here he explains that we must put our minds on the things of the Spirit if we hope to survive the battle.

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. " (Romans 8:5-6, ESV)

So my first concern each day cannot be what the day holds or what is on my calendar or what problems I have to solve or who I need to speak to or see...my first concern each day needs to be setting my mind on Jesus.  My first concern each day needs to be renewing my mind in the Word of God and engaging in the battle.

There is no survival apart from this...

Soli Deo Gloria!

Do We See?

A reflection on Romans 7:14-25

Paul draws an amazing picture of the christian experience in this passage.  We have two natures.  The law of sin in our body constantly wages war against the law of God in our minds.  Do we see it?  

   “14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” (Romans 7:14–25, ESV)

Paul sees it and the new creature who has spiritual life sees it.  The war rages every day!  Do we see it or are we failing to renew our minds and failing to see it?  It is definitely there so if are not aware of it, the enemy is winning.  Even as christians we can still be captive to this law if we do not renew our minds and set our minds on the Spirit rather than on the flesh.  We need this active renewal every day because there is no rest to the war that our sin nature wages against our new man.  We must engage in this battle if we hope to walk this life in a transformed and Spirit empowered manner.  Indeed we must if we are to confirm our election and remain faithful until the end.  If we are in Christ we will indeed walk according to the Spirit.  Paul will expound on this in Chapter 8.  

We must die and be freed from our captivity to the law of sin and death in order to now experience this battle of life.  This life is a fight for faith whereby we must renew our minds daily and maintain awareness of the evil lying close at hand in our members.  We cannot be complacent and think that we can just cruise along.  If we are complacent and are cruising along then the flesh is winning and we are deceived.  We need transformation and this only comes from renewal of the mind so that it is set on Christ and not on the world.  Paul concludes the chapter simply stating that we serve the law of God with our minds but the law of sin with our flesh.  If we fail to engage our mind for Christ then our flesh will default us into captivity to the law of sin.  This is a lead into the need to set our minds on the Spirit and not on the flesh.  To set our minds on things above and not on the things of the world.  We can walk victorious if we do so.  If we do not then we will serve sin still.

Our reading and meditation on the Word of God is not to check a box but to know the heart of God and to survive the battle!  We must wage war with a rock solid hope in the victory already won by Christ.

   “56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:56–58, ESV)

Soli Deo Gloria!