Introduction to Romans - Pr. FF Chong 2014
- Romans - some sections are directed to Jews and others to non-Jews
- Talks about Law-because some people were trying to bring in the concept that they had to keep the law to be saved
- Most difficult chapters to me is 7-11
- Law
- Election by grace
- ???Solemnity and almighty
- Many christians say we are saved by grace, so we don't have to go through baptism
- Special Terms
- "deeds of the law"
Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law isthe knowledge of sin.
- If you do the law, you will not be justified
- Do we need to do the law?
- Apparent Contradiction?
- We do not look at statement by itself, to see where Paul was coming from when he was talking from
- Argument by incorrect teachers: the thought that we need to believe in Jesus for salvation is not the right way, ONLY do the law for salvation, Put Christ aside, which is not right teaching
- "Law"
Rom 7:7
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”
- The "law" = 10 commandments
- The code of the law is the 10 commandment
- Deeds of law:
- refers the actions of the law
- the obedient deeds of 10 commandments cannot make you sinless
- To keep the commandment is required of us, but doing of it, does not cleanse us from sins
- Who can cleanse us from sin? Blood of Jesus
- "under grace"
- What does it mean in chapter 6?
- Are you under grace or under law now?
Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
- Sin has no dominion over you
- You are not under sin, you do not have sin
- If you are not baptized, then you are under dominion of the law
- Baptism is prescription by God for humanity to be free from sin
- If you are not baptized, then you are under the law, not under the grace
- It actually affects your entire being, because you are not in Christ, not baptized into Christ Jesus, you are not in light, you are in the world of darkness
- "longsuffering" of God
- One idea has been debated over many generations
Rom 9:22
What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction
- God is supreme god, he can choose to destroy or he can choose to wait
- Need to understand terms to describe God
- What does it mean "long suffering"?
- Being patient, enduring, suffer long
- What does it mean longsuffering on part of God?
- What does that tell you about God?
- Comments of participants: means He is so patient with the sins of man, so patient to react, still waiting, it is a position where you are ready and prepared to go through trials, consequence of a person
- Because they are talking about nature of God according to scripture
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
- When Bible says God is longsuffering, means he is giving us chances to be saved
- "righteousness which is of the law" versus "Righteousness which is of the faith"
- Rom 10:5-6
- Moses write about the righteousness of the law
- Those who keep the law, have to follow through to be made righteous by the law
- We know that all these cannot get rid of our sins, that is why Christ had to come
- Keep the law to attain the righteousness
- So the perfect one is the righteousness of faith, believe in Jesus, accept the word of Christ, we are made righteous
- One is by keeping the law, one is by believign in Jesus for justification/for salvation
Romans 1:16-17
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,[a] for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith."
- What is "gospel of Christ"? It is the power of God to salvation -- shown only to those who believe
- First to the Jews and then to the Gentiles
- If you accept the gospel, you will find that the gospel will save you
- If gospel preached to you, but you reject it, then gospel will not be salvation to you
- What is "Gospel reveal the righteousness of God"?
- Usually means whatever God does is true and right
- But not here - in context of Romans (there are things not mentioned in Old Testament scriptures)
Rom 3:21
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
- "Law and the Prophets" refers to the Old Testament
- Righteousness of God, revealed through Jesus, is to be given to those who believe
- When Christ has come, he is the one who is able to demonstrate the fulness of God's righteousness
- Those who believe will receive mercy
- Those who do not believe will receive judgment
- Two parts to this
3:23-24
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus
3:26
to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
- So God is correct to pass judgment because Jesus has come; so those who do not believe, God has right to judge; for those who believe, God has right to be merciful
Romans 1:1
- Given a choice, would you want to be called a "bondservant" or "apostle" of Jesus Christ?
- Many epistles are written with term bondservant
- Bondservant is a slave, which is under the servant
- Person has no say over all things he does or doing
- Paul says he is a bondservant of Jesus Christ
- In the church, I have been in Africa many years, people like to be called senior pastor, apostle, reverend here in Africa
- How many of us from the bottom of our heart would like to be called a "bondservant"
- We need to get this right, we are the bondservants, we are not leaders
- If we cannot humble ourselves to lower himself to the point of death, and in the form of man, to die on the Christ
- Bondservant comes from the heart, you feel truly you are a slave and you are unworthy
- This idea is scattered all over romans
- Previously you are slave of sin, now you are a slave of righteousness
- You have been transformed by domain of slavery of sin, to domain of light
- So we have been transformed to the slavery of righteousness
- This is very important in the chruch, how we should conduct ourselves
- Paul, called to be an apostle, did he call himself or called by God?
- When Jesus lowered himself to the point of death, then he raised to the right hand of God, means he was given equal power to God, the highest power of God (even though he was God himself)
- Would you prefer prestige of title of apostle? If that is the case, you are not bondservant
1 Cor 4:1-2
Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.
- Do we want to be called the servants of Christ?
- Or the stewards of the mysteries of God? that God has directly revealed his secrets to you, no one else knows about this except of you, feeling in you
- Again you find here again, let man so consider us, as servants of Christ--this is the foundation of our servitude, for anyone to have significant role in the church, must have foundation of servant of Church
- Then whatever title you have, it will crush you if you do not have this as a foundation
- Always remember that was servants of God, we are slaves, servants, build on the foundation that we be the servant
- "Separated to the gospel of God"
- Meaning that he has been solely chosen for the work of the gospel
- When you look at the sequence there, he is a servant and also an apostle, because duty assigned him is huge one, so he has to separate himself especially for gospel
- This is not only for full time workers like myself, It is more than that
- Means that your heart, mind, character, behavior, must be in line with the gospel
- If I am a full time worker, dedicated to the work of God, but my character or behavior is not in line with the gospel preached, then I have not fully aligned to the gospel of God
- Likewise, If today, I have chosen to believe and be baptized in the TJC gospel, then my mind is completely surrendered to this gospel, in tune with this gospel
- You will find workers those who are not separated in the gospel, because whatever they do is not solely for the gospel but for private motives
- "the gospel of God" - "which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures"
- Most people think gospel is only NT scriptures
- The NT scriptures has its roots in the OT scriptures
- Gal 3 says God preached the gospel to Abraham, the promise of coming of Christ came with Abraham
Gen 12:1-3
Now the Lord had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
- Through Abraham's line, we shall be blessed. How can we receive blessing of Abraham today?
- Through beileving in Christ
- When you are baptized, you are baptized into Christ
- Christ came from the line of Abraham
- Gospel of God has roots in OT scriptures, which was promised through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the OT prophets
- Christian conference, they tie in with current affairs of the world, this prophecy is related to Obama, some say Margaret Thatcher, but this is not the correct way
- You have to know the prophecies of OT scriptures, what is the key message of the prophets
- Preached through the Holy Spirit
1 Peter 1:9-12
9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us[b] they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.
- Prophet - spent much time inquiring and searching in to the grace we have received; inquiring concerning things of salvation
- Also the church also
- It came about from suffering of Christ and the glories that would follow
- This gospel was preached to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven
- Whatever is preached, though done by man, the actual preacher is the Holy Spirit!
- Man in TJC is NOT the dominant factor. The dominant factor is the Holy Spirit.
- So baptism, HS must be there. So sacraments, HS must be there.
- Jesus is the son, beginning of the gospel,
- When you study the OT scriptures, this is the line you should take, trust the bible is not about current affairs or the politics right now; it is about salvation; this is the line of thinking we should adopt when we study the Bible, otherwise, there is no common ground
- Jesus Christ, fully man, fully God
Romans 1:3-4 "concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
- Two parts to this
- God had to come in the flesh, born of the seed of David, Flesh refers to humanity
- Declared son of God according to the Holy Spirit
- When Jesus Christ was on the earth, he wasfully man and fully God, this is the confusing point about One True God
- Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know
- So Jesus was a MAN but he was also GOD, according to the spirit of Holiness
- Fullness of God is in son according to Paul, that is why he is son and also God
- God was given a body when he came into world, so when cut, blood will flowed down
Hebrews 10:5
Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:
“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me.
- Verse 4 "declared to be son of God"
- John 10:33, 36
The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”
do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
- Jews considered that Jesus is a blasphemer because he claims to be son of God, meaning he is God in the flesh. Rom 1:4, according to the spirit of Holiness, he is called the "son of God" this is a title that has been given by the Holy Spirit; he has come in the flesh, in the form of human being
- Verse 4 "by the resurrection of the dead"
- Second confirmation - the resurrection of the dead (not just confirmation by HS)
- When Jesus claims he is son of God, it is proved by his resurrection
- According to the Bible, who raised him from the dead?
Rom 8:11
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.
1 Cor 15:52-53
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1 Peter 1:21
who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Who --> God who is spirit
It is god who raises us when he comes again, because HS has raised Christ, so this is the model that we follow, this same process
1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us[a]to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,
It is God who raises us when he comes again, Through Him we have received grace and apostleship
Rom 6:9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.
Dies no more, he has overcome sin and death, so he dies no more, if we have been raised through baptism, and keep ourselves in Christ Jesus, then we will die no more, then when we die, it will only be sleep, we shall die no more, if you stray from God, then we shall die
- Jesus is God confirmation
- Through the Holy Spirit
- Through the resurrection from the dead
- Verse 5 "through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name"
- Compare verse 1 and verse 5, Paul was called apostle because he separated his life, so he lives in line with gospel
- We have received grace and apostleship
- A person cannot be called a apostle, if he has not been saved by grace
- Today you see many apostle in other churches, but they are not in grace, so can they be true apostle? Cannot
- Apostle is for the obedience to the faith, duty to submit to comamnds of Lord, to bring people to the obedience of God.
- We want today the people we preach to --> to obey the gospel, submit to the gospel, when we preach to them.
- Verse 6 "among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ"
- Today we belong to christ bcause we have been called by Christ
- This calling is not just coming to church
- Extend to point of conversion, even to the point you die
- Not shouted out to call you
- But calling is bringing you in to the fold of the Lord
- Verse 7 "called to be saints"
- We can only be beloved of God, if we remain to be the saints of God
- OT scripture is very good in this
- The chosen people according to Exodus, they are people, special people, above all others, speical treasure
- They sin against God, they became the enemy of God, instead of the beloved of God
- If we today do not keep ourselves in the Lord, do not keep saints of God, even though we are children of God, we can become his enemies
James 4:4 Adulterers and[b] adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
- (practice what world does, adopt ideas of world and putting into your life)
Phil 3:18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
- Cut off past beliefs otherwise we become enemies of God, then you will end up being enemy of God
- Today, we are the children, friends of God, so that we ensure that we have no part with our old life or old believes