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Author: Will

Romans 6:6 – A Servant’s Choice

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Will

knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

Truth to Learn

We are no longer slaves of sin. We don’t have to submit to it.

Behind the Words

The word translated “old” is palaios, which is an adjective of time, meaning “in the past, long ago, or that which is old.”

Meaning Explained

Paul starts off this verse talking about “the old man.” What he is talking about is our sin nature, which we have inherited from Adam. You may recall what he said back in verse 19 of the previous chapter: ”For as through one man's disobedience many were made sinners.” The reason we were made sinners is because we inherited the sin nature from our father Adam. Paul refers to this sin nature as “the old man,” and he tells us here that our sin nature was crucified with Christ.

He talks about this old man in a couple of other places in the New Testament as well, and in each case admonishes us to put off the old man.

that you put off, concerning your former behaviour, the old man which is being corrupted according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, (Ephesians 4:22-23)

Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his practices, and have put on the new man which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, (Colossians 3:9-10)

From these passages it is clear that Paul uses the expression “the old man” to indicate our sin nature, which was corrupted by the lusts and inclinations toward evil that existed in each one of us before we were saved.

Paul tells us that this sin nature was crucified with Christ so that the body of sin might be destroyed. There has been much debate over what exactly is being referred to by the expression “body of sin” but I believe that it is simply a personification of our sin nature just as “the old man” is. And, if our old man was crucified with Christ, then he died just as Christ died. If our old man is dead then we can no longer be a slave to him. We are free from him!

Before we were saved, we were slaves to sin because of our sin nature. As slaves to sin we did not have a choice of whether we sinned or not. Now that we are saved, however, we are no longer slaves to the old man and we are free to live without being controlled by sin. In other words, before we were saved we had no choice but to sin. Now that we are saved we can choose to sin or not to sin. And even though we do continue to sin, we have that choice and Paul tells that we should not serve sin any more.

Application

If you are a Christian you have the choice to either serve your sin nature (the old man) or God. You cannot serve two masters. You must choose one or the other.

So … who are you serving today?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 6:5 – My Fellow Sprouts

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Will

For if we have been joined together in the likeness of His death, so also will we be in the likeness of His resurrection,

Truth to Learn

Christian actions should bear a resemblance to Jesus Christ.

Behind the Words

“We have been” is translated from ginomai, which means “to begin to be” or “to come into existence.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense. The perfect tense in Greek expresses a past completed action with a resultant state of being, but the emphasis is on the resultant state of being. So the emphasis here is on the fact that, because we began to be together with Him in the past we are now joined together with Jesus Christ in form and action.

The word translated “united together” is an interesting word. It is the Greek word sumfutos, which is a compound word made up of sun, meaning “together” and a form of phuō, meaning “to germinate, to sprout, or to spring up,” as a plant springs up from the ground. It implies not only a unity of form but a unity of action as well. This expression is representative of a field of grain in which the seeds have all been sown at the same time and have sprung up together, but it is also used of other common experiences. Here it means that we are intimately connected or joined together in form and action with Christ.

Meaning Explained

In this verse Paul declares that if we were joined with Christ in death (by identifying with his death) then we shall also be joined with him in His resurrection. It may seem strange that Paul would use an expression that means “spring up together” as a likeness to death. However, Jesus said this regarding his own death:

Truly, truly, I say to you, If the grain of wheat that falls into the earth does not die, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. (John 12:24)

So Paul is saying that we have been intimately joined together with Christ in our planting (Christ’s death and our identification with that death) and, therefore, it is perfectly natural to assume that we will grow up together with a strong resemblance of each other. That’s why Paul says that “so also will we be in the likeness of His resurrection.”

The Apostle John said this about our resurrection body:

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it was not yet been revealed what we will be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. (1John 3:2)

Some day we will have a resurrected body just like Jesus has now! But Paul is not referring to the body here as John is in his letter. Paul is telling us that because we have been planted together with Christ, portrayed by baptism, we should resemble Him even now, not physically but behaviorally. In fact, the very name “Christian” that we carry with such pride and joy means “one who is like Christ.”

Application

If we are going to bear His name, then we need to bear His resemblance, acting like Him as well! Lord, help me to so resemble Jesus Christ that people around me will see Him in all that I do.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 6:4 – Raised to New Life

Posted on January 9, 2018 by Will

Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so also we should walk in newness of life.

Truth to Learn

Because of Christ’s resurrection we should live differently.

Behind the Words

The words “we were buried with” are from the Greek word sunthaptō, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and thaptō, meaning “to bury.” In the New Testament this word only appears here and in Colossians 2:12. In both instances it refers to us being buried together with Christ in, or through, baptism.

“Raised” is from egeirō, which literally means “to arouse” or “to cause to rise.” It means to awaken someone from sleep, whether it be restful slumber or death itself.

The word translated “newness” is kainotēs, which is derived from kainos, meaning “new.” Kainotēs refers to a renewal, not simply an experience similar to the past, but a qualitatively different one. Hence, here it refers to a newness of life that has a different quality from the previous life that we had without Christ.

Meaning Explained

For Christians, baptism is a public declaration that a person has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is not part of the salvation process; it happens after salvation. This current verse and those that follow describe a mode of baptism referred to as “immersion.” Though this is the mode of baptism that most closely identifies us with the death and resurrection of Christ, it is not the only form of baptism used by Christians today. For the sake of discussion in these verses, however, we will assume that Paul is talking about baptism by immersion.

Baptism involves the baptizer laying the person being baptized backwards into the water until he or she is completely submerged. Paul says that this person was, “buried with him (Christ) through baptism into death.” The person being baptized is then raised back up and allowed to stand. Paul says, “that just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, so also we should walk in newness of life.”

What Paul means is that as we were laid back in the water we were identifying ourselves with Christ’s death. We were demonstrating that we died with Christ. When we were raised back up, we were identifying with the resurrection of Christ, entering into a new kind of life, that is, eternal life. And Paul says, since we were raised from the dead, we should now walk in this new kind of life. This new life is to be qualitatively different from our former life. It is not to be characterized by sin because, as he said in verse two, we died to sin.

Application

Let me ask you, my Christian friend, “Does the kind of life you are living now differ significantly from the kind of life you lived before you were saved?” It should!

Are you walking in this new kind of life in a manner that is worthy of Jesus Christ, the One you have identified with?

If you were arrested today for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? I certainly hope so!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 6:3 – Baptized to Death

Posted on January 8, 2018 by Will

Or do you not know that all who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

Truth to Learn

We don’t have to let sin control us. We can have the victory!

Behind the Words

The word “baptized” is translated from baptidzo. It’s easy to see that the Greek word and the English word are nearly identical. This is what is known as a transliteration. A transliteration is when a word in one language is carried over directly into another language. This Greek word means “to immerse, to place into, to dunk, or to wet completely.” For this reason alone, it is reasonable to believe that immersion is the form of baptism that was followed by the early church.

Meaning Explained

This verse and the following are an amplification of what was said in the previous verse. Paul just told us that we died to sin. What does he mean by that? When we were baptized into Jesus Christ we were baptized into his death.

Some people interpret this as saying that we were “placed into the body of Christ.” The only problem with this is that this verse doesn’t say we were baptized into the body of Christ, rather that we were baptized into Christ.

I believe that Paul is talking about “believers’ baptism,” that act in which we were immersed in water (or sprinkled with water, or had water poured on us). This believers’ baptism does not in any way save us. As Paul has told us in the earlier chapters of this book, we are saved by believing in God’s promise and by God subsequently declaring us righteous; not because we did something (like get baptized) but because we believed his message. Well, if this baptism doesn’t save us, then what does it do? It is a public proclamation of our identification with Jesus Christ. It is a proclamation that we have died to sin, and it no longer rules over us, He does.

By identifying with Jesus through baptism, we identify with both his death and his resurrection. The current verse talks about the first half of this. When we were baptized, we were baptized into (identified with) his death; therefore, with Christ we have died to sin and do not have to let it control us.

There is some comfort to be taken in this passage of scripture. The mere fact that Paul is arguing so strongly regarding sinfulness after salvation is proof in itself that we do not stop sinning when we get saved. If that were the case, Paul would simply tell these Roman Christians (and us) that the presence of sin indicates the lack of salvation. But he does not say that!

You will recall that Paul started this line of reasoning because there were some who claimed that we could sin all we want because it only makes the grace of God appear greater. It is clear from Paul’s argument that we have a choice to live a life characterized by sin or not. We will always sin because we have a sin nature, but we don’t have to let sin run our lives. We can control it through the power of the Holy Spirit. What Paul is teaching us through this section of the book of Romans is how to control our sin nature instead of letting it control us.

Application

We all battle the lusts of our sin nature, which are inflamed by this world system we live in. But, we don’t have to let sin control us. Let us all pray that the Holy Spirit of God will give us victory over our sin nature, and in return let’s give God the glory and praise that He deserves.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 6:2 – Sin? No Way!

Posted on January 5, 2018 by Will

Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

Truth to Learn

Our lives should no longer be characterized by sinfulness.

Behind the Words

“Certainly not!” is a familiar expression with Paul. It is translated from the Greek words mē genoito. Mē is a particle of negation, meaning “not.” Genoito is a form of ginomai, meaning “to begin to be” or “to cause to come into existence.” In this expression it is used in the very rare optative mood (there are fewer than 70 examples of the optative mood in the entire New Testament). A literal translation of these two words is “May it not be!” In today’s vernacular we might say “No way!”

“Died” is from the verb apothnēskō, which is made up of apo, meaning “from” or “away from” and thnēskō, meaning “to die.” Hence, apothnēskō means “to die away from” or “to die off.”

We have talked before about the fact that Greek is an inflected language. That is, the form of a word indicates how it is used in a sentence. We see some of this in English. For instance “I” is a subject and “me” is an indirect object. The word translated “sin” is in the form of an indirect object. Hence, it could be interpreted as “in sin,” “to sin,” or “by sin.” Paul has already taught us that we are dead “in sin” and “by sin.” Now he is teaching us that we are also dead “to” or “with respect to” sin.

Meaning Explained

This verse is a direct response to the previous one: “Should we continue in sin so that grace may abound?” Paul’s response is, “No way!” He is proclaiming that we should never even consider continuing our sinful ways just so that God’s grace will increase. Paul carries this even further by asking, “How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” In other words, if we have, indeed, died with respect to sin, how can we possibly live with respect to sin any longer?

In order to understand this better, it might be helpful to understand what the concept of death really means. We think of death simply as “absence of life,” whereas in reality it means, “separation from life.” By looking at it this way, perhaps you can understand what Paul is saying. We who have been separated from sin (because God has cast our sins as far from us as the east is from the west) cannot possibly be continually in its presence anymore.

Before we were saved, we had no choice but to continually live in a sinful manner. After all, we were controlled by our sin nature. But, because our sins have been paid for and our sin nature has been crucified with Christ, we now have a choice as to how we live.

Application

Paul says we have an obligation to stay away from a life of sinfulness because God has declared us righteous. We also should be motivated by an intense sense of gratitude to God for wiping out our sin debt, which should cause us to want to live an obedient life that will testify to God’s grace!

So I ask you, “How do you want to live; in sinful selfishness or in grateful obedience?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 6:1 – Don’t Stay in Sin

Posted on January 4, 2018 by Will

What shall we say then? Should we continue in sin that grace may abound?

Truth to Learn

Salvation does not mean we have a free pass to sin all we want.

Behind the Words

The expression “What shall we say then?” is called a debater’s phrase. This is a Rabbinical way of teaching which Paul no doubt learned under the teaching of Gamaliel (see Acts 22:3). The process involves the teacher asking a question like this, then encouraging debate before the giving the answer.

The word here translated “continue” is the Greek word epimenō which is a compound word made up of epi, meaning “upon, over, in, or at” and meno, which means “to stay or remain.” Hence, this word means “to remain or stay longer in or at something.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has, at length, just demonstrated that as a result of Adam’s sin, we are all sinners condemned to death and we are not justified by performing any works of obedience. He also said that the presence of the Law does not serve to make us more righteous; instead, it brings our sinfulness more into the light of revelation, making us appear even more sinful. Also, he has shown us that when we believe God’s promises (in our case, that Jesus Christ died to pay for our sins and rose again from the dead), God chooses, by His grace, to declare us righteous (wiping out any and all of our sins past, present, and future).

Do you remember the point he made back in Romans 5:11?

And not only that, but we also are rejoicing in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

We rejoice and God is glorified when we are declared righteous by His grace. And in Romans 5:20 he said:

And law entered that the offense might increase. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much much more,

A quite natural reaction for a Jewish Christian living in Rome would be, “Well, if all of my sins have been paid for and that glorifies God, and the more I sin the more that grace is demonstrated, then I can sin all I want. Then, God receives even more glory for it, and I will still be found righteous!” This is the point that Paul is now going to argue against.

As is typical of Paul, he states the anticipated objection very plainly, “Should we continue in sin that grace may abound?”

What Paul is really asking is, “Should we continue to live a sinful, ungodly life like we did before we were saved so that God will receive even more glory for forgiving us as an even worse sinner than we already are?”

As you will see in the next verse, his response is an emphatic, “No way!”

Application

One of the misconceptions of believing in eternal security (once you are saved you can’t ever lose your salvation) is this notion that we can now sin all we want without repercussion. Eternal security is clearly taught in the Bible, especially by Paul. But he just as clearly argues against giving sin a free reign because we have died to sin.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 5:21 – Eternal – Death or Life

Posted on January 3, 2018 by Will

so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Truth to Learn

Even though we were ruled over by sin in the past, God’s grace will reign over us because of the righteousness that He imputes to us when we submit to Him as our Lord.

Behind the Words

The words “reigned” and “might reign” are translated from basileuō, meaning “to reign” or “to be king” as we saw back in verse fourteen. The verb forms in this verse are very telling. “Reigned” is in the aorist, active, indicative indicating a past action occurring at a point in time. Hence, it could be translated as “began to reign” or “reigned” as we have it in this translation. However, “might reign” is an aorist, active, subjunctive, which implies something that is not necessarily occurring at the moment but that might occur in the future.

“Eternal” is translated from the Greek word aiōnios, which is from aiōn, meaning “an age” or “a long period of time.” Hence, aiōnios means “perpetual, everlasting, or eternal.

The word translated “Lord” is kurios, which comes from the noun kuros, meaning “might or power.” The word kurios means “one who is supreme in authority or power, a master, or an owner.” When we refer to Jesus Christ as our Lord we are saying that he is our owner, the one who has supreme authority over all that we do, and that we have submitted our will to His.

Meaning Explained

Paul now ties-up the entire chapter in this one verse. Previously Paul taught us that the Law came in to make the presence of sin much more evident. It was the spotlight that made sin undeniable. And he said that where sin was more apparent, grace was even more so. That is, as the knowledge of sin became greater, the recognition of the immenseness of the grace became even greater. To use a military analogy, the greater and more powerful the enemy, the greater is the reputation of the army that conquers that enemy.

Paul now makes the final comparison. On the one hand, sin has reigned unbeatable in the past, producing death. From 2 Thessalonians we know that this death is everlasting:

… and on those who are not obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These will be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)

But in the final showdown, grace will defeat the enemy. It will reign over death and through righteousness (imputed by that grace) it will produce in us eternal life. This grace which allows righteousness to be imputed to us is only made possible through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Application

Thank you, Heavenly Father for helping me see my sinfulness and for your gracious gift, the blood of your only begotten son that paid for my sins. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the promise of eternal life rather than the eternal punishment that I deserve. Truly, you are worthy of my worship and my praise! You are my Owner, my Master, and my Lord, and I willingly submit my will to yours. Amen.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 5:20 – More Than Plenty

Posted on January 2, 2018 by Will

And law entered that the offense might increase. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much much more,

Truth to Learn

God’s grace easily covers the glaring presence of our sin.

Behind the Words

The word translated “entered” is the Greek word pareiserchomai. This is a double compound word made up of para, meaning “alongside,” eis, meaning “into,” and erchomai, which means “to come or to go.” Hence, it means “to come in alongside.”

“Abound” is from the word pleonadzō, which means “to make more or to increase.”

The words “abounded much more” are translated from the Greek word huperperisseuō, which is a compound of huper (or hyper), meaning “over or above” and perisseuō, meaning “to be in excess or to superabound.” Hence hyperperisseuō means “to be more than in excess,” that is, “to more than superabound” or abounded much much more.

Meaning Explained

In these two final verses in the fifth chapter of Romans, Paul seems to anticipate an objection that might be raised against the argument he has been making. The objection would be, “If sin was already in the world and man was already condemned, then what purpose did the Law serve?” That is the question that Paul is going to answer here.

From the word that Paul used we can see that the Law came in alongside. You see, God did not deliver the Law as something new or to replace something else. It was delivered to stand alongside the sin guilt that already existed in man.

The real question is, “Why?” According to Paul, the Law was delivered so that the offense might “abound” or “increase.” Did it actually create more sin? No, it simply made it more obvious. It’s like turning-on a light in a dirty, dusty room. With the light off, the filth is there but it can’t be seen. When the light is turned on, the dirt and dust become obvious and undeniable. That was the purpose of the Law, to make our sinfulness obvious.

The greatest news in this verse, is that where sin was in abundance as a result of having had the light turned on, the grace of God did not simply more abound, it more than superabounded. When God bestows His grace to us, it is not just barely enough to cover our sin guilt, it is way more than enough. There is no question that it is more than sufficient. It was necessary for us to see our sinfulness in the light of God’s presence so that we could not deny it and so that God’s grace would be even more evident when He saved us from that sinfulness.

Once again, we see that God did not leave us out in the dark but provided us a way to freely come into the light!

Application

Anyone who has honestly faced the fact of their own sinfulness knows that they are not just a little bit of a sinner. We know how great our own personal sinfulness really is. But God’s grace is more than enough to cover all of our filthy sinfulness. Praise God!

And law entered that the offense might increase. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much much more,

Truth to Learn

God’s grace easily covers the glaring presence of our sin.

Behind the Words

“Abound” is from the word pleonadzō, which means “to make more or to increase.”

Meaning Explained

Once again, we see that God did not leave us out in the dark but provided us a way to freely come into the light!

Application

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 5:18, 19 – Summing it Up

Posted on December 29, 2017 by Will

Therefore, as through one offense condemnation came to all men, so also through one righteous act, justification of life comes to all men. For as through one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one man's obedience many will be made righteous.

Truth to Learn

We all deserve God’s wrath, but we can be saved from it by believing in the death of Jesus Christ as payment for us.

Behind the Words

This verse starts off with “Therefore” which is a translation of the Greek words ara oun. These two words form what in Greek is called an “inferential conjunction,” implying that the following is a summary of that which preceded it. Hence, these two verses are a summarization of what Paul has already said several different ways in the previous verses.

Meaning Explained

These verses are a summary statement of what Paul has been saying since verse twelve. He has stated this almost repeatedly since then, so we won’t belabor it further.

However, let’s do our own quick summary of Paul’s letter so far to put this all into context. He started out by declaring that God is evident to all men, but because some refused to recognize God for who He is, He gave them up to a depraved mind so as to not only do ungodly things but also to approve of others who do the same thing.

In chapter two he showed that God judges impartially, and to those who do well He will give eternal life, but to those who are self-seeking and unrighteous He will show His wrath. He also began his argument that circumcision of the flesh and obedience to the Law do not produce righteousness.

In chapter three he went on to show that in spite of circumcision, the Jews are no better than Gentiles because, as it has been written, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” We are all sinners deserving of God’s wrath. He continues by saying that the righteousness of God has been revealed, and it is the righteousness that only comes from faith in Jesus Christ.

In chapter four Paul cited Abraham as an example. He showed that Abraham was justified by faith when he believed God’s promise and his faith was credited to him for righteousness. Then, Paul went on to point out that Abraham was declared righteous years before he was circumcised. Obedience came after righteousness-producing faith, not the other way around.

Now in this chapter he points out that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, the Godly for the ungodly. And he said that we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Because just as the sin of one man (Adam) caused us all to be sinners (and now there is none righteous, no not one), so the righteous act of one man (Jesus) results in righteousness (justification) being available to all men. By Adam’s disobedience all were made sinners and by Jesus’ obedience many (those who believe) will be made righteous.

Application

In spite of all your good intentions and good deeds, God says that you are unrighteous and deserving of His wrath. But, by believing in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ as payment for your sins, He will declare you to be righteous. Do you believe?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 5:17 – A Reigning Gift

Posted on December 28, 2017 by Will

For if by one offence death reigned through one man, much more those who are receiving an abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through one man, Jesus Christ.

Truth to Learn

We will reign with Christ because of what He has done for us.

Behind the Words

“Offence” is from the word paraptōma, which we saw a couple verses back meaning “a falling by the wayside.”

“Death” is a word we haven’t looked at yet. It is from the Greek word thanatos, which is based on the verb thaneskō, meaning “to die.” Thanatos is actually an adjective in form but it is a noun in usage. It is used to refer to physical death (the death of our physical bodies) as well as spiritual death (exclusion from the presence and favor of God). The base meaning of this word implies separation. Regarding physical death it is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body. With respect to spiritual death is the separation of the spirit from the presence and favor of God.

The word “receiving” is translated from the Greek word lambanō, meaning “to take, to accept, or to receive.” It is expressed here as a participle (who are receiving). We are continually receiving the abundance of God’s grace.

The word translated “abundance” is perisseia, which is based on the verb perisseuō, which we also saw a couple of verses back. Perisseia roughly means “more than enough” or “an overflowing.”

Meaning Explained

Paul now combines and summarizes the previous two verses in a single statement. He starts off with, “For if by one offense death reigned through one.” This is another first class conditional phrase as we saw two verses back, so we can read it as, “For since by one offense death reigned through one (man).” Paul says death has reigned as a result of one offense by one man.

The next phrase starts out with “much more.” In other words, this phrase is of even greater impact than the previous phrase. This phrase, “those who are receiving an abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness,” is talking about those of us who have been saved by grace through faith.

He now makes a play on words in the midst of this very difficult passage. In the first part of this verse, Paul talked about death reigning over all of mankind as a result of sin. Now he says that we who are saved will reign in life; that is, in heaven we will reign with Christ in a state of eternal life. And that reign of ours, with Christ, will be as a result of one man, Jesus Christ.

Now let’s read this entire verse: “For since by one offense death reigned through one man, much more those who are receiving an abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through one man, Jesus Christ.”

Application

Death reigns over us because of what Adam did, and no matter how much good we try to do, we cannot earn our way out of it. Our eternal reign with Christ, however, is God’s overflowing gift to us because of what Jesus Christ has done for us.

In God's service, for His glory,