Salvation by grace, not by merit, Romans 9:1-16

Paul has spent the first eight chapters of Romans detailing the need of salvation; because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  He has described the means of salvation; the righteous man shall live by faith.  And He has detailed the purpose of salvation; which is to bring many sons to glory by their adoption as sons of God.  And then in chapter 8, he summarized the process of salvation by saying in vs 29 and 30, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined [to become] conformed to the image of His Son, so that

Read More…

More than conquerors, Romans 8: 31-39

This is such an amazing passage of scripture, that it is really difficult to boil it down to just one principle or doctrine.  It really is the summary of Paul’s gospel or good news, up to this point.  In this passage he gives us a continuing string of assurances and blessings and benefits for those who have been saved. In this chapter he is actually presenting the various stages of our salvation, from justification to sanctification, to our glorification.  And this summary reaches it’s crescendo in these last verses which talk about the surety and guarantee of our salvation because

Read More…

Shaped by Suffering, Romans 8:28-31

Among Christians, verse 28 is probably one of the best known, most often quoted verses in the Bible.  But as is often the fact in such cases, it is probably misinterpreted more than it is understood correctly.  And so today I want to focus just on this verse and the two immediately following it, in hope that we can gain a correct understanding of this passage.  Because it is a tremendously important text.  It states a doctrine that undergirds our faith.  And so it’s important that we understand it.   Correct doctrine is important.  These truths of God’s word are

Read More…

Three groanings, Romans 8:18-27

Last week we looked at the blessings and benefits of what Paul described in vs 15 as adopted into the family of God, as a child of God. I would remind you that adoption as children of God is not a natural condition. Contrary to popular opinion, we are not naturally children of God, but Jesus said we were naturally children of our father the devil. Consequently we are all sinners and under the condemnation of death by natural birth. But for those who have believed in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, who have trusted in His substitutionary

Read More…

Children of God, Romans 8: 12-17

The point that I think Paul is making here is who is in control of your life.  He has made the case very clearly, starting in chapter 7, that there are two natures at war in your body; that which is flesh, and sinful, and that which is Spirit.  Paul uses the phrase or something like it again and again in this passage, a phrase like “of the Spirit,” “or by the Spirit,” or “led by the Spirit.”   Now the question arises what is meant by “in the Spirit?”  A lot of people get off track on this whole

Read More…

No Condemnation, Romans 8:1-11

In our study of Romans 7 over the last couple of weeks, we learned that Paul describes an inner  struggle that is going on in our life as a Christian.  He summarized that struggle in chapter 7 vs 25, “So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.”  This is the summary of the struggle that Paul describes in chapter 7. He said there are two laws or principles at work in him.  And this is the personal experience of Paul. 

Read More…

The struggle in sanctification, Romans 7:7-25

By the use of three different analogies in the previous passages, Paul has shown that to be a Christian there must be a change by death of the old man, and a new life in the new man.  He first showed that in chapter 5 starting in vs 15 as the old man, represented by Adam, needed to die, so that he might be resurrected to new life in Christ. The next analogy Paul used is found in chapter 6 starting in vs 16 which likens the old man in slavery to sin, and the death of that man which

Read More…

Sanctification by relationship, Romans 7:1-6

I would like to begin with a brief summary so far of what Paul has written to the Romans. The book of Romans is the Magna Carta of salvation. It’s kind of ironic, that most Christians think that salvation can be explained in a few sentences. Whereas, Paul writes 16 chapters in an epistle on the academic level of a dissertation for a Phd. All on the subject of salvation. We are entering our fifth month of studying this epistle, and we aren’t even half way through it yet. Now concerning this subject of salvation, you should remember as I’ve

Read More…

Slave or Free, Romans 6:15-23

As we continue in chapter 6 of Romans, we are considering the question hypothetically proposed by Paul in vs 1, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?”  The emphasis in that question is shall we continue in sin.  From this question which Paul answered with a resounding “NO” he establishes the principle that as a Christian, saved by grace, we cannot continue in sin.  We cannot live a lifestyle of sin.  We will not live in sin, even though it is true that as sin increases grace abounds all the more. 

Read More…

Dead to sin, alive in Christ, Romans 6:1-14

Have you ever let your imagination run wild and thought what it would be like to rob a bank and get away with it? No? I guess I am the only one with a criminal bent among us. But let’s just say I could guarantee that you would never get caught, could you imagine robbing a bank of millions of dollars? Well, such a prospect might be more tempting for some of us more so than for others, but I would hope that most of you would never do such a thing, even if you knew you could get away

Read More…