Romans (4)
Notes
Transcript
Walking Free
Walking Free
Paul has been presenting an argument through the first seven chapters of Romans, much like an attorney in a court case. First, he presents the evidence of guilt on all mankind. Then he tells us how Jesus, through his infinite mercy and amazing grace dropped the charges. Then he goes on to tell us that that grace and mercy results in righteousness and justification through faith alone. He uses the example of Abraham to demonstrate that righteousness does not come through our own actions or even our obedience. Righteousness is something God puts on us, He places the righteousness of Jesus on us the moment we hear the gospel and respond in faith.
Chapter 6 tells us about the death that occurs when we accept Christ. The old man, the old life, died with Christ and was buried with him. When the devil tries to bring up your past, when he tries to pull you back into old ways and old habits, you can look him in the eye and say, “They don’t live here anymore. The old man is dead.” The death of the old man is the beginning of sanctification. You are made righteous, you are justified before God. Those are complete and done but you are being sanctified. Sanctification is a lifelong process of becoming more like Christ.
Chapter 7 talks bout the duality of mankind. Paul has taken us on a journey from guilt to grace to sanctification. Chapter 6 begins the new life as a believer who has put their faith in Christ. The sin nature is gone, the old man is dead and you have been made a new creation in Christ Jesus. However, chapter 7 shows there is still a struggle that takes place. Romans 7 demonstrates that even though we are made new, we still have to contend with the fleshly body in which we live. When Paul describes the struggle in Romans 7, he says, “I do not understand why I keep doing the same things. The things I want to do, I do not do but do the things I hate. Although I want to do good, evil is always right there with me.” Why is that? It is because until we die we cannot escape this flesh. The flesh desires things that are not of God.” He goes on to say, “In my inner being, I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.”
That is why chapter 8 is so important. He spends a whole chapter after talking about the death of the old man to describe how weak the flesh is to point us to the solution to conquering the flesh in chapter 8.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.
And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.
And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Therefore - go back to the end of Romans 7. Romans 7:24–25 “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”
I am dragging around this dead body. How can I ever free myself from this struggle? THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD!!!
Now, knowing that Christ has set us free from death, he can declare, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Condemnation - katakrima - to be found guilty and punished, death penalty.
Romans 6 - through one man, Adam, condemnation, or the death penalty, came to all men. The penalty for being found guilty for sin is death.
But for those who are hidden in Christ Jesus, there is no more penalty. There is no punishment. Jesus Christ took the punishment on the cross. He died for you and he died as you to take the punishment you and I deserve.
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
A righteous judge could not punish two people for the crime only one committed. Since God has laid the punishment on the back of Jesus Christ, He cannot righteously punish you for the same crime.
Stop thinking God is looking to punish you every time you mess up. Anytime something goes wrong in your life, stop thinking God is paying you back for something. He already punished his son. If He punishes you also, then Jesus died for nothing.
Set you free from the law of sin and death - the law of sin and death states, “The wages of sin is death.” The just punishment of sin is death but the Spirit has set you free from that law.
Romans 8:3 “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,”
Knowing the law in your mind was never enough to become righteous. Remember, Paul is speaking to both Jewish converts who had lived their lives trying to keep the law of God and Gentile believers who had never even heard the law.
the heart of the problem lies with what the law was never designed to do. The law is a mirror. It shows you what is messed up but the mirror can’t fix you.
Paul is showing us the weakness of the flesh. In our own strength and abilities, we could never meet God’s righteous requirements. It is not simply difficult to become righteous through your own strength, it is impossible. That is why we need the Holy Spirit living inside of us.
Romans 8:5 begins the contrast between two ways of life. One, a life oriented toward God, and the other a life lived according to fleshly desires.
The issue is not that a person of the Spirit might sometimes succumb to fleshly temptation. Rather, the issue is that a person either had God’s Spirit in them, hence lived a life oriented toward God, or a person had nothing more than themselves to depend on, hence could live only according to the flesh.
Romans 8:9 “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.”
If you belong to Christ, you are not obligated to surrender to the flesh. You have the Holy Spirit living in you who will guide you into all truth.
How do I know if i have the Spirit of Christ? Do you feel a certain way when you know you have sinned? When you sin, do you immediately recognize it? Has your life changed since you said you believed? Do you still treat people the same? Are you still able to listen to the same things, watch the same things, drink the same things, and feel nothing, or do you feel something inside that lets you know it is not right? Do you have a desire for the things of God?
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
adoption - Roman culture was a means to secure lineage and to pass on authority and power. When an emperor adopted a son, they became the legal heir with full rights to all the emperor owned.
All of the authority of Jesus was conferred to us through our adoption. That is why we can go to the Father, “In the name of Jesus Christ.” We do not go in our own name but we go to him in the name that is above every name.
That is why when we command demons to flee, or lay hands on the sick, we do so “In the name of Jesus.” We are not just invoking his name but declaring that we are coming in the full power and authority of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit has sealed us. This is like a king sending out someone to conduct kingdom business. They send with them a letter bearing the seal of the King. That seal carried the full weight and authority of the King.
Abba - Aramaic - not translated, same word Paul wrote. Same word Jesus used when speaking of His Father. It is a sign of intimacy. Your Father is not some far away God that cannot be reached in your time of need or does not care about what you are going through. The Greek, “pater”, is the word translated father. It is not as personal.
We can go to the Father the same way Jesus went to Him. We can have that same relationship with him that Jesus had.
Cry - “kratzomen” - to scream - Sometimes it is not just a simple cry. Sometimes we need to scream. “God, help me!!!”, “Abba, help me!!!”
heirs and joint heirs - all that belongs to Christ belongs to us.
