20250302 - James Womble - The Ultimate Means of Grace

Introduction

Romans 9:1–5 KJV 1900

1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: 4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

What a Means of Grace; God has given to us in the Christ.

What a means of Grace that God has giving to his people whereby they are fully redeemed in Christ Jesus. The redeemed no longer face the wrath of God because the Christ has come to take the wrath of God upon himself. We are not saved from our sins. We are saved from the wrath of God and it is our sin that has incurred that wrath wrath upon everyone.

The Flesh

We talked last time about what flesh means as it is used here.

It mean a blood relationship. In other words, Christ Jesus was not a special person in that he had no direct link to people, which have made him ilegitament.

He has a blood lineage that can be traced all the way back to Adam, both legally and by blood relations

You will remember Joseph was the legal heir to the throne of David, through David’s first born son, by adoption.

Joseph had to adopt Jesus into his family because Jesus was not truly his son but by adoption he was the first born of Joseph and Mary.

He was the royal heir to the throne of David through Mary.

Having blood relations all the way back to Adam, there is no reason for any one to think that he would not be anything other than sinful.

The Christ Came

But when the God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit chose the Son to be the one who would also be the Christ, the sinful flesh was anointed by God the Son and it was healed of its sinful nature.

You see, the Christ means the “anointed one” and in the meaning of anoint or anointed is it was done by rubbing on for the purpose of healing.

Notice as well, the Christ came.

It is very important to note that the Christ came.

The Scriptures teaches us that all this happened before the foundation of the world.

1 Peter 1:17–21 KJV 1900

17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: 18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

What that means is, there were no outside influences to prompt God to redeem man in this way.

It was solely God’s will and nothing else because there was nothing else.

There was no earth, sun, stars, or universe. It was God’s will before any of that.

Because it was God’s even before the foundation of the and it was thousands of years after Adam that Christ the Son of God came in the flesh as the God-man to this earth to complete God’s will.

Just as Christ Jesus came to do the Father’s will, we too are to be about doing God’s will

Who is over all

It is important for us to understand what this means because it will help to navigate what is coming in the next three chapters.

This speaks of sovereignty. Just as God the Father is sovereign. So it Christ Jesus sovereign.

Deuteronomy 10:14 KJV 1900

14 Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.

The God of Israel is the God of the universe and in Israel all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:3)

This term is theologically rich in the NT in that it focuses on the personal God and personal salvation.

All creation is God’s work and all creatures depend upon Him.

Acts 17:25–31 KJV 1900

25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. 30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

He commands all men everywhere to repent for the purpose of restoration of fellowship with him as the goal.

Christ Jesus being the creator of all and God over all is not just a New Testament concept.

Psalm 8:6 KJV 1900

6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet:

Proverbs begins talking about the wisdom of God in creation but a secondary theme is the wisdom of God bringing fellowship back to him and by the time you get to the end of the chapter you realize the Proverb is all about Christ Jesus.

He is illustrating the wisdom in salvation and do so before the world every was.

The redeemer is about restoration of fellowship between Himself and man

Proverbs 8:22–36 KJV 1900

22 The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old. 23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Or ever the earth was. 24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth: 26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the highest part of the dust of the world. 27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: When he set a compass upon the face of the depth: 28 When he established the clouds above: When he strengthened the fountains of the deep: 29 When he gave to the sea his decree, That the waters should not pass his commandment: When he appointed the foundations of the earth: 30 Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: And I was daily his delight, Rejoicing always before him; 31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; And my delights were with the sons of men. 32 Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: For blessed are they that keep my ways. 33 Hear instruction, and be wise, And refuse it not. 34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors. 35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, And shall obtain favour of the Lord. 36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: All they that hate me love death.

The Christ is over all things even the salvation of men.

Colossians 1:15–17 KJV 1900

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Do you want to know what looks like? Look to Jesus.

He holds all things together.

Colossians 1:18–21 KJV 1900

18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. 21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

This is what is meant when Paul says Christ is over all.

He is the Saviour of all who turn in repentance faith to Him.

You can call upon Him right where you are right now. Do it today. Do it now. Before it is to late.

Who is God

Some say this statement here is the most talked about verse in all of Scripture.

The reason is that it talks about the divinity of Christ.

There are translations of the Bible, that breaks this verse up so that this statement is pointing to God the Father as if Christ is not or is lesser than God.

The translator let his person theology drive the translation of the Word rather than letting the Word drive his translation.

Those scholars are very precise linguist but they do not believe in the trinity nor the divinity of Christ.

I tell you this to beware which translation you choose some of them blatant in the denial and other are more subtle in that they will put alternate translations in the margin to plant the seed of doubt in the mind of the reader.

Amen

Amen is Paul’s affirmation of what he has just written.

Application

Paul is expressing his great anxiety over his countrymen who reject the Christ and that they will be forever under the wrath of God.

Do you have the same anxiety over those you know who not in Christ?

If you do not know Christ as a personal God who can save you fro the wrath to come, Turn in repentance from your sin to faith in Jesus Christ.