ROMANS SIX BAPTISED INTO CHRIST

1 WHAT SHALL we say [to all this]? Are we to remain in sin in order that God’s grace (favor and mercy) may multiply and overflow? Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer?

In chapter five we were shown how God’s grace kept us safe inspite of our sin and it’s growing strength. But now we are asked if we should continue in sin so that grace may abound. He answers his own question by saying

‘How can we who died to sin live in it any longer, Well, when did we die to sin? 

Are you ignorant of the fact that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

Here we have the idea presented to us that we can be ‘immersed’ (the literal meaning of ‘baptismo’  the original Greek word rendered baptized in most English translations of the bible. Try substituting immersed for baptize or baptized every time you see baptize or baptized in scripture. You will soon begin to get a more accurate visualization of what’s really being said.

So, the sentence is more accurately read ‘Are you ignorant of the fact that all of us who have been immersed (soaked) into Christ Jesus were immersed (as well as soaked) into His death?’

The idea that God intended to combine Christ and His believer was first suggested to me in the Gospel of John chapter six verse fifty six: Quoting Jesus:

“He who feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood dwells continually in Me, and I [in like manner dwell continually] in him.”

Now, no one expects Jesus to climb into your body and you to climb into His Body

In order to understand this correctly we need to realize some things about who we are. Most importantly we need to understand that we are not a natural people having a spiritual experience- Rather- We are a spiritual people having a natural experience.

Let me say that again: We are not a natural people having a spiritual experience. We are a Spiritual people having a natural experience.

Consider this scripture:

So it is evident that it was essential that He be made like His brethren in every respect, in order that He might become a merciful (sympathetic) and faithful High Priest in the things related to God, to make atonement and propitiation for the people’s sins. Heb 2:17 amp

So it is evident that it was essential that He be made like His brethren in every respect, 

He was made like His brethren (that’s you and I) in every respect. 

Just as He was a Spiritual being who was born to a natural mother who built a natural body for Him- like Him the essence of who we are is not in our natural nature. We also put on flesh (provided and built by our mother) to cause us to be able to relate through our five senses to the created universe around us.

Like Jesus our true nature lies in our spirit. Jesus was the true Word of God (a Spirit) before anything was created (Jn 1:1) and whose father on earth was God Himself. Thereby the fallen nature of Adam which is passed on through the father was not passed on to Jesus. 

Our spirit was born dead as it was completely locked in the death of our flesh inherited from Adam. The moment we became born again God quickened our spirit with the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ in our spirit. At the same time our spirit joined the Spirit of Christ until now we are seated with Him at the right hand of the Father.

This granted us a new nature. Most of our life is now involved in the death of our Adamic flesh so that the new life of our spirit can be King.

Consider this scripture

17 But the person who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him. 1st Corth 6:17

Since we are in Christ and Christ is in us, all that He experienced we also experienced- (I want you to simply read the following scriptures – you’ll  understand- )

We were buried therefore with Him by the baptism (immersion) into His death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious [power] of the Father, so we too might [habitually] live and behave in newness of life. 

For if we have become one with Him by sharing a death like His, we shall also be one with Him in sharing His resurrection by a new life lived for God.  

We know that our old unrenewed self was nailed to the cross with Him in order that [our] body [which is the instrument] of sin might be made ineffective and inactive for evil, that we might no longer be the slaves of sin. For when a man dies, he is freed loosed, delivered from the power of sin among men. 

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

Because we know that Christ (the Anointed One), being once raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him.

For by the death He died, He died to sin [ending His relation to it] once for all; and the life that He lives, He is living to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him].

Even so consider yourselves also dead to sin and your relation to it broken, but alive to God [living in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus.

Let not sin therefore rule as king in your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies, to make you yield to its cravings and be subject to its lusts and evil passions.

Do not continue offering or yielding your bodily members and faculties to sin as instruments (tools) of wickedness. But offer and yield yourselves to God as though you have been raised from the dead to perpetual life, and your bodily members and faculties to God, presenting them as implements of righteousness.

For you ARE the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Just behave as who you have become- The righteousness of God ‘in Christ Jesus’

For sin shall not [any longer] exert dominion over you, since now you are not under Law [as slaves], but under grace [as subjects of God’s favor and mercy].
What then [are we to conclude]?

Shall we sin because we live not under Law but under God’s favor and mercy?

Certainly not!

Do you not know that if you continually surrender yourselves to anyone to do his will, you are the slaves of him whom you obey, whether that be to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience which leads to righteousness (right doing and right standing with God)?

But thank God, though you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient with all your heart to the standard of teaching in which you were instructed and to which you were committed.

And having been set free from sin, you have become the servants of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in thought, purpose, and action). 

I am speaking in familiar human terms because of your natural limitations. For as you yielded your bodily members and faculties as servants to impurity and ever increasing lawlessness, so now yield your bodily members and faculties once for all as servants to righteousness right being and doing which leads to sanctification.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

But then what benefit (return) did you get from the things of which you are now ashamed? [None] for the end of those things is death.

But now since you have been set free from sin and have become the slaves of God, you have your present reward in holiness and its end is eternal life.

For the wages which sin pays is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord. 

ROMANS FIVE PART TWO

This is the second and last part of Romans 5. Paul is giving us a view through God’s eye of what has happened to get mankind into the situation we find ourselves in. And the way out.

Therefore, as sin came into the world through one man, and death as the result of sin, so death spread to all men, [no one being able to stop it or to escape its power] because all men sinned., sin entered the world  

Because of the fall of Adam, sin entered the world and as a result of sin, death. A death (like an infection) spread till it infected all men, and all men were powerless to stop it or escape it’s power. And because all men sinned, sin and death were in the world. We were all infected with sin in the womb. And death became every man’s destiny.

[To be sure] sin was in the world before ever the Law was given, but sin is not charged to men’s account where there is no law [to transgress]. Yet death held sway from Adam to Moses [the Lawgiver], even over those who did not themselves transgress [a positive command] as Adam did. Adam was a type (prefigure) of the One Who was to come.

This all occurred long before the law was given. In fact, during the period between Adam and Moses, no law existed. And men are not charged with any transgression of any sin where there is no law to transgress. And since no law was broken, no sin existed. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses even over those who did not transgress as Adam did. _Adam is a true type and prefigure of Christ who was always to come. (We may get into this before this post is finished).

But God’s free gift is not at all to be compared to the trespass [His grace is out of all proportion to the fall of man]. For if many died through one man’s falling away (his lapse, his offense), much more profusely did God’s grace and the free gift [that comes] through the undeserved favor for us from the one Man Jesus Christ abound and overflow to and for [the benefit of] many. Nor is the free gift at all to be compared to the effect of that one [man’s] sin.

It is evident that God;s free gift of Righteousness through Christ Jesus is way out of proportion to the fall of man. For if many died through the one man falling away, much more profusely did God’s grace and the free gift that comes through the undeserved favor of the one man Jesus Christ abound and overflow to and for the benefit of many, The free gift in is not to be compared to the effect of that one man’s sin.

For the sentence [following the trespass] of one [man] brought condemnation, whereas the free gift [following] many transgressions brings justification (an act of righteousness). For if because of one man’s trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, Much more surely will those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

For all of us were sentenced to death because of the sin of the one man Adam, but the free gift following our many transgressions brought justification (an act of righteousness). For just as by one man’s disobedience (failing to hear, heedlessness, and carelessness) the many were constituted sinners, so by one Man’s obedience the many will be constituted righteous (made acceptable to God, brought into right standing with Him) reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

Well then, as one man’s trespass [one man’s false step and falling away led] to condemnation for all men, so one Man’s act of righteousness [leads] to acquittal and right standing with God and life for all men. For just as by one man’s disobedience (failing to hear, heedlessness, and carelessness) the many were constituted sinners, so by one Man’s obedience the many will be constituted righteous (made acceptable to God, brought into right standing with Him).

But then Law came in, [only] to expand and increase the trespass [making it more apparent and exciting opposition]. But where sin increased and abounded, grace (God’s unmerited favor) has surpassed it and increased the more and superabounded,

The purpose and reason for the law was only to make what was sin more apparent. God’s grace and unmerited favor abounded as sin increased and has surpassed the presence of sin until grace superabounded.

So that, [just] as sin has reigned in death, [so] grace (His unearned and undeserved favor) might reign also through righteousness (right standing with God) which issues in eternal life through Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) our Lord.

God’s love for us has made sure tha just as sin reigned in death His free grace might reign in us which issues in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We are truly blessed and all praise belongs to God, our Father, and His Son Jesus Christ

ROMANS FIVE

My last post on Romans 5 was published by accident (I hadn’t finished it). Here is the correct post.

This is beautiful-

1 THEREFORE, SINCE we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith,

One of the hardest things for a believer who has been born again to get is the concept that God has declared every born again believer righteous (in complete right standing with God} without works at all required. This is one of Satans main places of attack. He will send thoughts into your mind of self condemnation making the believe feel very insecure at times. This will come with much pressure designed to force the believer to feel he must do something, or perhaps sacrifice something or another. The believer must keep in mind that this righteous from God is totality free and any attempt to add to it by your own efforts will let God know that you haven’t understood and negate it. No matter what throws into your mind or otherwise is designed to divert you from truth and should be ignored. Confess to God what you were thinking and ask for forgiveness as quick as possible. It will help you to quote out loud to yourself ‘I am the righteousness of Christ’ as many times a day as you can manage untill you convince yourself to have faith. You will get much opposition. Believing you have obtained the righteousness of Jesus is a believer’s first step-

let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

This righteous which is yours for free has reconciled you back to God. And we have a peace now that is ours with God for us to live in. To hold and to enjoy through Jesus Christ our  Lord. He is on your side now so thank Him often, no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. Do what you should do but then turn it all (your circumstances) over to God who is now your Father. Talk to Him about everything and He will let you know what He wants. But mostly, just sit back and watch Him work out what you need.

Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God. John 10:9; John 14:6; 1Cor 15:1; Eph 2:18; Eph 3:12; Heb 3:6; Heb 10:19;

Through Jesus we have our access by faith into God’s grace, that is, God’s freely given favor in which we firmly and safely stand. Let us live a life of rejoicing now with our hope in experiencing and enjoying the glory of God. Ask Him for His favor every morning with thanksgiving.

Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and4 tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of ] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.

Let us be full of joy now with triumph in troubles and suffer with joy because we are aware that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance with fortitude brings and develops mature character with approved faith and tried integrity. This sort of character produces habitual joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. Remember, all things are now from Him, so tell Him you trust Him often, no matter what. Don’t fret- you are in a love that will take you years to begin to understand. But, you can count on it- but keep your faith up.

While we were yet in weakness [powerless to help ourselves], at the fitting time Christ died for (in behalf of) the ungodly.  Now it is an extraordinary thing for one to give his life even for an upright man, though perhaps for a noble and lovable and generous benefactor someone might even dare to die. But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.

Yes! This actually happened… for you! So take Him up on His love for you. It’s amazing!

Therefore, since we are now justified (acquitted, made righteous, and brought into right relationship with God) by Christ’s blood, how much more [certain is it that] we shall be saved by Him from the indignation and wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more [certain], now that we are reconciled, that we shall be saved (daily delivered from sin’s dominion) through His [resurrection] life. Not only so, but we also rejoice and exultingly glory in God [in His love and perfection] through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom we have now received and enjoy [our] reconciliation.  

It is impossible for me to say enough about His love. He will keep all His promises. You will be filled with joy when you realize-

 

I will finish this chapter next- and soon- God bless everyone with His love.