The church was the intended audience...

[convicted1]

An little expose' of Romans 5....



Romans 5:1-5....

--Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Paul has already laid the groundwork how we have access to the Father, which is 'by grace through faith', as he wrote to the church of Ephesus(2:9). He even stated we are justified by 'faith in His blood'(Rom. 3:25). This is why it's so important to understand that faith is a gift of God. If it was inherent within man to exercise whenever he chooses to, then he has justified himself, seeing that God has chosen to justify the heathen(nations) by faith (Gal. 3:8). Then you can read the pronouns such as we, us, and our, which addresses the believers at Rome and subsequently us, all the redeemed.


Romans 5:6-11....

--For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Again, notice the pronouns we, us, our, &c. By Christ dying for the ungodly, it wasn't everyone He tasted death for. It was the church, which Eph. 5:25 plainly states as biblical fact. Christ died to atone for the sins of the church, His bride, His chosen, His sheep, and He was resurrected for them as well. The church is the intended audience.


Romans 5:12-14....

--Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

Paul is showing that by the deed of one, all were made sinners, Adam, the first Adam, being their representative. He then tells how that even though from Adam to Moses there was no Law, but yet, death still reigned. How is that possible, if there is no sin/trangression where there is no Law?(Rom. 4:15) For the wages of sin is death(Rom. 6:23), so then how could they have tasted death if there was no Law given Adam-------->Moses? This shows that Adam's sins made us sinners, too. Read of David and Bathsheba's son that died. What sin did he commit to deserve death if he hadn't already sinned in Adam? God told Nathan to tell David that his son would die for what David did. That's federal headship right there. For those who lived from Adam------->Moses and died, Adam's sins had to be imputed unto them.


Romans 5:15-21....

--But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Here some may think Paul presented a conundrum of sorts. Not so! This is where careful study truly needs to take place. Paul is showing the two Adams, Adam and Jesus Christ, as representatives of their people. Adam, the first Adam, is the federal head of all living, and Christ is the Federal Head of all the church(Eph, 1:22 & 5:23 & Col. 1:18). All were accounted as sinners by the deeds of the first Adam. All the church is considered righteous by the deeds of the last Adam, Jesus Christ. Pay careful notice to 'even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life'. So if 'all men' referred to everybody who was ever conceived, then in this instance, everybody would be saved. Seeing that it was God who resurrected Christ from the grave for our justification(Rom. 4:25). Paul didn't present any conundrum whatsoever, he was contrasting the works, the deeds, of the two Adams, Adam and Jesus Christ. Again, the church was the intended audience....

 

[convicted1]

An expose' of Romans 9....

Having done an expose' of Romans 5, I want to jump to chapter 9....

Paul addressed what was necessary in chapters 6-8 such as Law vs. Grace in chapter 6, and how we now live under Grace and not the Law. Then in chapter 7, he addressed how we serve the law of sin via the flesh and the Law of God with the mind and the warfare that we fight against sin in our lives. Then in chapter 8, he addresses who it is that has access to the Father, those chosen from the foundation of the world. All of this leads up to chapter 9 and how he shows that the chosen, the sheep, the elect, the church, isn't solely from Israel, but both Israel(Jew) and Greek/Gentile....


Romans 9:1-5.....

--I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: 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; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

Paul was struggling with the unbelief of his brethern in the flesh, the Jews. He lamented much like Moses did when Moses said to blot out his name and place them in that Book. He was showing that the Jews had been given the Law, the promises contained in them, adoption, service to God, etc. Yet, the Law was not sufficient. They could have kept Law...I say this hypothetically...and still die(d) lost.Why? If they kept it, they did it themselves, and that is not of Grace, but rather, works. Jesus told the 'rich, young ruler' he lacked one thing, and when He exposed that fault to him...he loved his wealth over anything else, he walked away sorrowful.


Romans 9:6-10....

--Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;

Here Paul is separating true Israel, the church in the wilderness(Acts 7:38), from the nation of Israel. Abraham was the father of many nations, yet it was his seed, Isaac, that had the promise. In Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, you can see them as 'types' of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. It wasn't the seed of Abraham, because Abraham also had a son, Ishmael, with Hagar, but the seed of Isaac that had the promises. We got the promises of Christ when He atoned our sins for us. True Isarel in the OT days received these promises of Isaac in the same way the NT church, get the promises of God through Christ.


Romans 9:11-18......

--(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth; ) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

Here is the quintessential example of election at work in the hands of the Almighty. Even before Jacob and Esau had done anything whatsoever, He chose Jacob. Through nothing meritous on Jacob's behalf, He chose Jacob and left Esau in his already fallen state. Paul then delves into the book of Exodus and God's dealings with Pharoah. Pharoah, an already fallen creature, was raised up to his exalted status so that His power would be shown in him. As Paul stated, God has mercy and hardens others as He so pleases. Oh, how thankful I am to have that mercy of His. It is God that has mercy and nothing that man brings to the table that garners man's salvation.

Romans 9:19-21....

-- Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

Here Paul is telling the Roman church, and subsequently us, that we have no right to question His motives...Romans 8:28 should suffice us in this matter. If God saves 1, 1,000, 1,000,000, 1,000,000,000,000, or ZERO, He is still Holy, Just, Good, Love, Glory, Majesty and anyother adjective that displays Him in His Goodness. God was not obligated to call any of us before He created this universe, yet in His mercy, grace and love, He chose a # that NO MAN can #!! Talk about a merciful God we serve!!


Romans 9:22-26....

--What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.

Here Paul is expanding God's election in that it also included the Gentiles, too. The Gentiles were considered dogs, and the Jews had a distain for us, the Gentiles. Even David referred to Goliath as an 'uncircumiced Philistine', and not in a positive fashion, either. But in Christ, there is no more male nor female, Jew nor Greek...Gal. 3:28 & Col. 3:11, but both are one in Christ Jesus, their Shepherd....


Romans 9:26-29....

--Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.

Here Paul is showing the purpose of God's elect throughout all time...to keep the world from turning completely and utterly wicked. It is the remnant, the elect of God, that keeps this world from people completely and utterly wicked, ruthless, violent, turbulent, &c. If not for the believers this world would not be able to sustain itself, imo. The remnant, the elect, are here to worship and glorify God and to be a witness to the lost...

Romans 9:30-33....

--What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

The Jews though that by being born a Jew, they were already part of the Covenant that God made with Abraham, who was their father. They wanted nothing to do with Jesus whatsoever. He came as to establish the Grace Covenant, a Covenant of Grace. In this Grace Covenant, there is no place for works. In the Law, they worked. They had to keep/observe it, or else suffer dire consequences. Not so with the Covenant of Grace that Christ established upon His works of the cross.

So, in all of this, the church is the intended audience...