Mastering the Book of Romans

Good morning, and welcome to the seminar. Two of the great complaints that I hear about me, Mr. Petty, said he couldn't talk as fast as I can. I can't be as animated as he is, so we get a great contrast here. At the college, we spend the entire...well, we would spend the entire year...we'd have a first semester and second semester on the epistles of Paul, and usually you'd spend at least, oh, 10 to 12 class meetings on the book of Romans. But we're going to master the book of Romans in one hour. We have in your hands an outline and a commentary by Ward. And one of the interesting things about it, we want to get a feel, first of all, for the book of Romans, and I doubt this is by design, but to some degree, the seven basic doctrines that are contained in Hebrews 6 outlines the book of Romans. So at the top of your handout there, you see a little chart, and you see the basic doctrines outlining the book of Romans. So the seven basic doctrines of Hebrews 6, repentance...so in Romans 1-3, Paul deals with repentance. The great summary statement...you might want to take your notes onto this handout. The great summary statement regarding repentance, Romans 3, 23, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And then faith...Paul addresses faith from Romans 3.25 through Romans 5. Then Romans 6 is what we call the baptism chapter, where Paul says that we have been raised in newness of life and that we must crucify the old man and keep him under the water. Chapters 7 and 8 deals with the law and the Holy Spirit. Chapter 7 telling us that the law is spiritual. And Chapter 8 also telling us that through the Spirit of God we can mortify the deeds of the flesh. Then Romans 9 through 11 deal with resurrection and judgment, that Israel is going to be grafted back in in Romans Chapter 11. And then Romans 12 through 16 deals with going on to perfection. Remember Romans 12.1 says, I beseech you that you become living sacrifices, which is your reasonable service. So you have a little feel there of how the book of Romans is structured. To me, the book of Romans is probably the second most important, maybe the most important book in the New Testament. I would say the Gospel of John revealing the nature of God in Christ. But the nature of God in Christ is also addressed in the book of Romans. If you look at Romans 1 and verse 1, the author, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, so there is no argument really about who wrote the book of Romans. The backdrop, the historical backdrop to the book of Romans. When Paul wrote Romans, the economic, social, moral, religious, and political conditions resembled modern-day America. Extensive trade in commerce. The Romans had built roads throughout the Empire. Of course, they had shipping on the Mediterranean. The freedom and individual rights had been extended to the masses in exchange for their loyalty to the Empire and to Caesar. Fun and frivolity pervaded the ruling class, extending down to the masses.

They were entertained by the circus maximus, where humans fought against wild beasts. And if the beast didn't kill them, oftentimes, then the Caesar would giveth thumbs down and they would be killed by the soldiers. So on the one hand, a hedonistic philosophy prevailed of, Let's eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may die. But on the other hand, the Romans were very superstitious. Sexual promiscuity dominated the upper class, and most of the Roman emperors were sexual perverts, either bisexual or homosexual. And Paul describes the depth of the depravity in Romans 1. And even though Rome was a superpower of the day, the emperors seemed to be continually waging war in order to beat down their enemies and extend their power, as Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar, brings out. Rome's religion was straight off the pages of raw paganism, and they celebrated various false deities. So now let's look, chapter by chapter. We have outlined for you a brief summary of each chapter. And one of the things that you should strive to do is be able to summarize each chapter without even having to look at any notes. I know that's quite a challenge. They say that the human mind is, has blank space, about 70 percent of the time, where you are either in la-la land, never land, or you're talking to yourself. So in talking to yourself, you could say, hey, let's master the book of Romans, chapter 1. What is that about? Well, in chapter 1, one of the things right up front, let's look at Romans 1 and verse 2, which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh. So the nature of God is addressed to some degree here, showing that Jesus Christ, according to the flesh, was from the seed of David and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. And as I pointed out in the sermon on the Sabbath, that resurrection is equated with being born, as it says in Revelation 1.5, that Jesus Christ is the first born from the dead.

So in chapter 1, Paul takes the Gentiles to task in saying that they have sinned and that they exchanged the knowledge of God for worshiping the Creator, and thus God gave them over to a reprobate mind. And then in chapter 2, he takes the Jews to task, telling us that they were given the law, but they have not kept the law. In the last part of Romans 2, we read this on the Sabbath as well. Look at verses 26 through 29.

Paul tells us in those verses that a Jew is one who is one inwardly, and that circumcision is of the flesh or of the heart, and not, I'm sorry, of the heart, of the inward man, and not of the flesh. In Romans 3, the first part there, he talks about what advantage the Jews have over the rest of the peoples of the world. And it says, much in every way in that to them were committed the oracles of God. So the Jews were given the responsibility of preserving the Scriptures, but at the same time, the Jews began to boast in their knowledge in who they were and considered themselves superior to other people. But Paul then levels everyone and summarizes the whole thing in which I have already quoted. Notice now Romans 3.23. Romans 3.23. For all have sinned and come short by the glory of God. So in those first three chapters, in the first three chapters here through verse 23, if we summarize in paralleling the doctrines of Hebrew 6, all the peoples of the world are being called to repentance, being challenged to repent that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Do you know that the Christian religion is basically the only religion in the world that has a solution to the sin problem? Islam does not have a solution to the sin problem other than if you do enough good works and if you repeat the five pillars and do the five pillars of the Islamic faith, then you'll go to paradise and the men get 72 virgins. I've never heard what the women get, but I guess I'd be one of the virgins, but not very exciting. But Christianity is really the only religion that takes care of the sin problem in the sense that there is a sacrifice. And the next few verses here in Romans chapter 3 are very important. If you look also at the top of your handout, you'll see some key words there that we have put there.

Sin, repentance, sin is a transgression of the law. Repentance means after the knowledge of sin and after the conviction that you go the other way. Faith, faith is inextricably linked to obedience. Baptism, entering into that covenant, sacrifice with God in Christ, crucify the old man. And justification, of course, justification is one of the things I think that we need to spend some time on. Now, what I would like for you to do right now is to, if you have a blank sheet of paper, if you don't, you can just use a little...

The top, I want you to draw a line straight down the middle of a page. And then on this side, you would write, in your sins, and then on the other side, justified. How do you cross the line from being in your sins to being justified? And that's what Paul deals with from verse 24 to the end of chapter 3. And I really want to understand justification. When I'm doing baptismal counseling, there's very few people that can really explain justification. Justification, in one sense, literally means the scales are balanced and the debt has been paid. In Romans 3.24, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption, and some of these words, you really need to master these words.

Redemption means buying back power. Through the buying back power, He can buy us back from sin and death because He is counted worthy. That is, in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation. Propitiation means, in this case, He went in our stead. Instead of us having to go, He went through faith in His blood. And life is in the blood, so blood is used in the sense of He gave His life for us to declare His righteousness. And righteousness in this case means that He is faithful to His promise. A Messiah had been promised that would die for the sins of the world to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God to declare, I say at this time, His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of Him which believes in Jesus.

Now, the next several verses here is where the world really goes awry and hardly anyone understands it in the Christian world, the nominal Christian professing world, of how you get from in your sins on this side of the line to being justified on that side of the line. It is of faith. If you were to begin to perfectly obey the law of God, would that pay for sins that are passed and get you to the other side of the line? No, you could begin to perfectly obey God and it would not justify you.

On the other hand, faith and obedience are inextricably linked together. Can you just say, I believe in Jesus Christ that He died for our sins without repentance and go to the other side of the line? If you could, then Christ would be the minister of sin. Hold your place there and let's go to Galatians 2, verse 16, where Paul makes this very clear, Galatians 2, verse 16.

Galatians 2, 16, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, that is, you cannot do the works of the law in the sense of the animal sacrifices. And even if you kept the Ten Commandments perfectly from the point that you were convicted of your sins, that would not justify you. That would not move you to the other side of the line.

But by faith in Jesus Christ, most of the King James, the New King James, has faith in Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by faith in Christ, not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified, even perfectly keeping the commandments. However, you cannot be justified without repenting and keeping the spiritual law and faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

That's inextricably linked together. Let me say that again. Faith in Jesus Christ and repentance. Notice, but if while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners. We continue to break the law of God and not repent, as therefore Christ, the minister of sin, God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. So to get across that line to the side where you are justified, you do have to repent.

You do have to repent, and you have to exercise faith in Jesus Christ. The first two of the basic doctrines contained in Hebrews 6, repentance and faith. Repentance and faith can get you to the justified position. This is called, I call it, initial justification. Now, some people think that once you get to that side of the line and you're justified, it's like a snake on a rod that one minute you're justified, the next minute you're not justified, and like that. Once you're justified, you're justified. Now, to go back to the other side of the line, you commit the unpardonable sin. So on a daily, we want to walk in such a way before God that continually we walk in a continued justified position with the un-partenable sin.

God in Christ and faithful to His Word. But if you, maybe you sinned or sinned that today you didn't really, you didn't really know it. You didn't really understand, well, I sinned today, but before you go to sleep tonight, you did not confess that sin. You did not ask for forgiveness. And about five o'clock in the morning, we hope this doesn't happen, you die of a heart attack. Well, is that sin going to send you to piano fire where you're burned up? No. But the sins that you're conscious of, we need to daily come before God and repent and walk in a justified position. So you have continuing justification. You may go back to this side of the line by committing the unpardonable sin. I use the analogy of the I don't have one up here right now. Somewhat like a rubber band, you are, you have, we have the essence of God within us, the Spirit of God. And you could also use the analogy of a fetus with the placenta. And through this placenta, this fetus is being nourished.

And through God's Spirit and our relationship and connection with Him and this essence within us, we can be nourished and fed. And sometimes we stretch this placenta way out, or this rubber band, way out. Now, there is a point to where this connection can be severed, the unpardonable sin, and you are no longer justified. And when that happens, according to Hebrews 6, there is no way back. So many of us agonize over loved ones. I have loved ones very close to me that have seemingly departed from the faith, and they talk about praying, they talk about doing this and that and the other, in the sense with their relationship with God, they trample on the Sabbath. I think that's the main thing that they're doing, is trampling on the Sabbath. Of course, in essence, by their actions, saying that the law of God is not to be kept, just believe in God and Christ. And how far you can go before that placenta or that band, that connection is broken, God is the judge. So let's continue here, Verse 26, to declare, I say at this time, His righteousness, that He might be just, the justifier of Him who believes in Jesus. Where is boasting, then? It is excluded by what law of works? No, but by the law of faith. The simplest definition of faith that I know of, I know we go around, we quote the Hebrews 11.1 definition, faith is a substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.

There is substance in the fact that God is promised, God is promised, God is faithful, God who cannot lie. So we have that essence there, that substance there, the promises of God, and the evidence of things not seen. Well, God's spirit working within us, and helps us to do a lot of things. But to me, the simplest definition of faith is just simply to believe God and do what He says. That's what Abraham did when he was asked to sacrifice Isaac to believe God, do what He says. So if that is the case, to believe God and do what He says, faith and obedience are inextricably linked together, and the law of faith would include, the law of faith would include obedience. Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. So no amount of lawkeeping, whether it be the Mosaic law of ordinances and sacrifices contained therein, or even perfectly keeping the Ten Commandments, would not pay for sins that are passed. Is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the nations? Yes, or the nations also. See, He is one God, which shall justify the circumcision, the Jews by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith. See, the Gentiles had not been given. The oracles of God had not been committed to them, as we saw in the first part of Chapter 3. But even though the oracles of God were not committed to them, they could be brought into relationship with God in Christ and sins forgiven, even though they did not have the oracles of God to begin with.

Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid, yea, we establish the law.

How do we establish the law? I think someone mentioned this in a sermon already here. If the law of God were not in effect, then Jesus Christ dying for sins would be a farcical tragedy. Why would He die for sins? You know, the Protestant ministers, they preach, believe in Jesus, believe in Jesus, Jesus, and they'll say, Jesus died for your sins. There's not much of a call for repentance, but to accept Jesus as your Savior, accept Jesus as your Savior. Why do you need a Savior? Because the wages of sin is death, and the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. So, of those terms that we have there, hopefully we have explained, and I would challenge you to master, sin, repentance, faith. Sin, repentance, faith, and justification.

Now we go to chapter 4. The example of Abraham is used here, being the father of a faithful.

And let's show a relationship here between Hebrews 11 and 1. Faith is a substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Let's take the case of Abraham. We'll pick it up here in verse 20, in verse 18, Romans 4.18. Speaking of Abraham, who against hope believed in hope that he might become the father of many nations according to that which was spoken, so shall your seed be. In the case of Abraham, he had this great promise made to him that through his seed on the cross, he had a promise made to him that through his seed, all the nations of the earth would be blessed and that he would have a son. You remember that time went by, Abraham and Sarah did not have a son, and so Sarah said, well, what about going into my handmaid Hagar, have a son by him? Maybe that's the way God wanted to work it out. Of course, that's working out according to the Bible. Abraham did that, and they had the son. You know the story of the dispute and Ishmael being sent away. So in the case of Abraham, what was the substance hoped for? The substance hoped for was the birth of Isaac. What is the number one thing that you hope for in your life? What is the number one thing? Of course, we should be able to do that.

We've had in a sermon, seek you first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. First priority. So the number one thing we hope for is to be like God, to become as God is, to have the character, the righteousness, be as God is. So the substance of things hoped for, in this case here, Abraham is hoping for the birth of Isaac, who against hope, what does it mean against hope? The hope of this world. If you just look at it from a worldly point of view, Abraham was about 99 years old. Sarah was past childbearing age, and she even laughed when she said she was going to, when the angel said, or actually it was Yahweh, the one who became Christ, said, you're going to have a son. So against hope, believed in hope. What hope? The hope, the promise that is in God. And that is the beginning element of faith. What is the first article of faith? I want someone to raise their hand and tell me what is the first article of faith. Where does it all begin? And if you don't have this, you don't have anything. Mark? Pardon? Absolutely. The first article of faith is Hebrews 11.6, which says, those who would come to God must, first of all, believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. See, there's that element of faith. The first article of faith is to believe that God exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. So once again, verse 18, who against hope believed in hope that He might become the father of many nations according to that which was spoken, so shall your seed be. And being not weak in faith, in other words, He believed God. He considered not His own body now dead. Against hope, He believed in hope. Well, I'm not too old because God has said it is possible. Considered His own body didn't consider His body now dead when He was about 100 years old, neither the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what He had promised He was able to perform, the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. And therefore it was reckoned, this word imputed when worldwide was doing His work, and He was doing their heresy, in which they still continue in. I hate the term our former association.

Just call it what it is. When worldwide was doing that, the leadership, this word imputed, they began to say, well, Christ did it for you, and thus it is imputed to you. And so by Him doing it, it's imputed to you, and therefore you have it. The word imputed can also mean to reckon to one's account. It's put on the positive side of the scales of balance. It was imputed to Him for righteousness. See, if Abraham hadn't obeyed, just the promise would have never gotten Him. So what happened? Abraham being strong in faith and giving glory to God, fully persuaded that what He had promised, He was able also to perform. So what happened?

He and Sarah came together. They were able to conceive, and Isaac was born. Substance of things hoped for, evidence of things not seen. The Holy Spirit of God moved, making it possible for Abraham, who was about 100 years old, and Sarah, who was passed away of women, to conceive, and a child was born. It was a miracle! So in our lives, what is the substance that we're hoping for? To become as God is, seeking His kingdom and His righteousness.

Now, notice verse 23. This is the key. Now it was not written for His sake alone that it was imputed to Him, but it for us also to whom it shall be imputed, reckoned to our account, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses, was raised again for our justification, therefore being justified by faith, which we've talked about, that faith is inextricably linked to obedience, and through repentance, obedience, and faith, we can be justified. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The book of Romans contains the blueprint for world peace, for individual conversion, and it's also the true road map to world peace. The nations of the world will never have peace until they look on Him whom they pierced, and at the beginning of the millennium, that's going to take place and continue, whom also we have access by faith into this grace. Now, grace, oftentimes in the church, let's focus on that word for just a moment. The Greek word for grace is charis, C-H-A-R-I-S. Charis means divine, divine favor, and there are many aspects to divine favor. Generally, we just parrot grace, free, unmerited part in the sin. Grace, free, unmerited part in the sin. Grace is much more than that. Grace has to do with divine favor. Through divine favor, through God's love, mercy, He's extended to us His great plan of salvation, and it is by grace that we can enter into this relationship because He has so favored humankind through His love, wanting to share who He is and what He is with us. Whom also we have access by faith into this grace, divine favor, wherein we stand. Now, that divine favor includes that Jesus Christ died for our sins and we can have our sins forgiven and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we now the next three verses give you a succinct summary of what you go through, your part, and then God's part in you developing, and we call it, I need to develop character. Character is spiritual character is a spiritual creation.

Now, if we could just get this point. See, spiritual character is a spiritual, it's spiritual. It's a spiritual creation. Remember 2 Corinthians 5, verses 17 and 18 talks about us becoming a new creation. Old things are passed away. You're a new creation. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. A new creation. How do we have that holy righteous character?

Can we just discipline ourselves? You know, Paul in Colossians talks about will worship.

There were Greeks who embraced asceticism. One Greek lived in a barrel. One Greek lived in a barrel. He did it all in a barrel. He ate, he drank, and he did all of it in a barrel. He didn't get out. That's how disciplined he was. Would that save him? No, it wouldn't save him. But can you be undisciplined? No, you have to be disciplined. But discipline alone will not get you there. So this formula, three verses here. And I'm going to go back to the Bible. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations knowing that tribulation works patience. And patience experience. Now patience is not just passively sitting and doing nothing.

You know, there's a controversy, and even I'm sure there are some ministers in the church who would say, no, that's not the way it is. I know that Dr. Hay and I had a little debate going back in two with regard to the order of the canon when it comes to the epistles.

And some argue that the general epistles should precede Paul's epistles. So you get James chapter 1, verses 3 and 4. It says, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into different trials or tribulations. So you have a new person who comes along, and you open the book of James, and you say, here's where we're going to be. And count it all joy when you fall into great trials or tribulations. What are you talking about? I mean, he hasn't even maybe not even been really convicted of his sins, not to understand what repentance is, not to understand how you're justified, what faith is, what baptism means. And you say, oh, count it all joy when you fall into different trials. The general epistles are really focused on going on to perfection, going on to maturity. The ABCs of conversion, the ABCs of conversion, are contained in Paul's epistles, and especially the book of Romans. And if you get the book of Romans wrong, you're going to get it all wrong. And we really need to master the book of Romans. James continues there in James 1. He says, But let patience have her perfect work, that you be whole, entire, wanting nothing. How can that be? You see, if you, when you fall into the trial, you respond to that trial as God has given instruction, trusting Him in faith for deliverance. You're at peace. Whole, entire, wanting nothing. You're at peace.

Wanting nothing. So Paul says in this summary here, knowing that tribulation works patience.

You know that God is faithful who is promised. And patience works experience. Now that word experience in the Greek is dokime, and it literally means proof or testing. As you're in this trial and you're bearing it patiently, you're being tested. You're being tried. And then in the face of that, experience works hope. You have this hope. Against the hope of this world, you have hope because you know that God who is promised is faithful. And hope makes us not ashamed. You know, sometimes I wonder, and especially in recent years, in the early days of the church, I had quite the conversations with my mother and my brother with regard to some of the things we were doing. Oh, we're not eating pork because, you know, pork has all of these bad things in it. It's not been properly digested. You know that story. And we're not eating shellfish for the same reason. And we are trying to do everything we can to eat right so that we don't have many of the diseases that come upon people because of the way they eat. And then we would talk about other points of keeping the Sabbath and keeping the Holy Days and those kind of things and how much God would bless us for our obedience. So in the course of my forty years in the church, we have been I'm sure there's another trial out there that I ain't had. But I don't know what it is.

I'm sure God knows and He might bring it on, but I pray He doesn't. But then I say, you know, I'm sure they look at me and say, well, what good did all that do? You know, almost invariably, we go to a restaurant and we even go to a Mexican restaurant. What did my brother order? He ordered shrimp. I know they have shrimp tacos or whatever now. So it makes us not ashamed, even though we're going through whatever we're going through and the world and relatives and friends could look at us and say, well, you know, look what that dumb religion got them. Makes us not ashamed because the love of God, see the very righteousness character, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by self-discipline. Now it was by the Holy Spirit, by the Holy Spirit, which is given unto us. So what are the main things?

The substance of things hoped for to become as God is. The evidence of things not seen. So the substance of things hoped for in faith, we believe God who is faithful, who has promised, God who cannot lie. He who would come to God must first of all believe that He is, that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. And then when tribulation comes, the testing and all the things that go with it, we have hope. And hope makes us not ashamed because in this process, God is refining us and the dross is being refined. And we're in the crucible of life. But God's Spirit is working within us. He who has begun a good work in us will continue it until that day. And the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us. You want to talk about developing character. You might use that term, but Holy Righteous Character cannot be developed. You cannot have that apart from the Holy Spirit. And as you actively participate, then God's Spirit is at work.

Now we go to Romans 6. Romans 6 addresses baptism, that we are buried with Christ in baptism, that we are then to live the resurrected life. There's also a great lesson here that ties in with Romans 7 and 8 and 6. If I were to draw a line across here, this is the baptismal water line. Beneath this line, I'm going to draw a stick man. This is a stick man under the baptismal waters. In baptism, we are buried with Christ under the water. Now, we are raised in the newness of life, and this new man is supposed to keep this guy under the water for the rest of the time. This guy is going to try to get up. This new mind is going to say, nope, you're going to stay there. Nope, can't get up there. Nope, can't get up there. The challenge is, the new mind, the mind of the Spirit, keeps this old man buried. Or, use the term, crucified. The old man is dead, and we're dead to sin. And the new mind is saying, we're going to keep you down. And Paul says, to whom you yield your self servants to obey his servants you are. That's in chapter 6. Then you go to chapter 7, and the first part of chapter 7 tells you that the law identifies sin. Now, one of the great parts about Romans 7, I would tie Psalm 19 verses 7 and 8 with Romans 7, 10 through 14. In Romans, I'm sorry, in Psalm 19, it's either verse 7 or 8, it says, the law is perfect, converting the soul. Now, if something is perfect, and if the law is spiritual, how can it be done away with? And in fact, Paul in no way tells you that the law is done away with. So in the first nine verses of Romans 7, he tells us that the law identifies sin, and we pick it up in Romans 7, 10. And the commandment which was ordained to life. Now, the commandment does not give life, but it helps to sustain life. He found it to be unto death. Why did he find it to be unto death? Because the wages of sin is death. Now, the law helps sustain life if you don't break it. But if you break it, then the death penalty is on you, and all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So the reason the commandment was found unto death was because of verse 11. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. How did the law slay him? Because the wages of sin is death, Romans 6, 23. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, and just and good.

The commandment is holy. Now, let's identify holy and sacred things. Holy things have God's active presence within them. Holy things have God's active presence within them. Holy things can be called holy because God's active presence was in it. Moses came to a point and he turned and looked and saw the burning bush. God said, take off your shoes because the ground you stand on is holy, because God's active presence was on that ground. Sacred things point to a higher reality. We talk about singing sacred songs. We praise God. We point to a higher reality. So the law is holy. It has God's active presence within it. The law is holy.

Was that then which is good, may death unto me God forbid but sin, that it might appear sin working death in me by that which is good, that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. The law is holy. It's good. And it's spiritual. There is no question. God's active presence is within it. And if it were not for the law, there would be no sin as he says. And if the law were not there and sin were not present, why did Christ die? The argument that the law is done away with is one of the most nonsensical arguments in all of Christendom. It is so filled with fallacies. It is amazing that people can be tripped up on it with it, but Satan is very clever. The next several verses Paul explains the struggle that goes on with the old man and the new man. And here is another very important understanding. If we go back to our awful diagram, but anyhow, this old man being under the waterline and trying to get up, the old man, the flesh, is going to always be there. Always. Now somehow, I think we get the idea that this old man is somehow going to be transformed into something much better. That this is a remaking of this. Now God's Spirit, His essence comes into us, and we are raised to newness of life, and we have a new mind, the mind of the Spirit, to rule over this old man. Many times we get discouraged on our conversion journey in that many of the same struggles we had before we were baptized, we still have today.

I fight many of the same things I fought before I was ever baptized. You know, Paul in this Romans 7 has this verse, you know, I am carnal, soul to understand. I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. So there is this battle, verse 24, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death. How do I escape this torment?

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord, so then with the mind I myself serve the law of God. The new man serves the law of God. The new man is obedient and thus keeps that old man down. But with the flesh, the law of sin. You just can't eliminate the fact that sin is subject, I mean, the old man is subject to sin and death, and it abides by the law of vanity. Ever present is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life. And in addition to that, the influence of Satan. It's always there. But it can be, that is, that mind of the flesh ruled over. Now, verse 1 of chapter 8 is my favorite verse in the whole Bible. I think if it had not been or is not for this verse, I should have given up a long time ago. Really, there shouldn't be a chapter break. There is therefore now no condemnation, no judgment to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. How do you walk after the Spirit?

The words I speak, John 6, 63, if you don't know that, shame on you. John 6, 63, the flesh profits nothing. It is the Spirit that makes life. The words I speak, their Spirit and their life. See, I can have the mind of the Spirit and know the mind of the Spirit by hiding the word of God, by studying the word of God, and it's imprinted on my mind. And thus, I have within me the mind of the Spirit and, as it were, a new conscience, a new knowing within. And that mind is a mind that is to be obeyed, the mind of the Spirit. Now, even with that, as we know, we may sin. And we go before the throne of God.

It says in 1 John, if you sin, you come before God, you confess your sins, he's faithful and just to forgive you of all unrighteousness. And we have that great advocate, the parakletos, Jesus Christ, who intercedes on our behalf. Now, so let's read this aid again. There's therefore now no judgment to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk after the flesh, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. So those things that Paul talks about in chapter 7 that plagues him, he doesn't say, okay, I give in to sin because there's the law of sin in the flesh. He says, no, I serve God with the mind of the Spirit. Verse 2. Now, if we could understand these next three, four verses. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus had made me free from the law of sin and death.

How? By the fact that that is the mind that you obey. And so sin and death no longer hold sway. That old man is below the water line, crucified. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh. God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. How did he condemn sin in the flesh? He showed that it was possible for you to live in the flesh and not sin. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us. See, where is to fulfill the righteousness of the law who walked not after the flesh, but after the Spirit? And it is possible. If it were not possible, once again, it's why are we here? And then he concludes this with verse 13. For if we live after the flesh, we shall die. I mean, if you let that old man rule you, you'll die. But if we, through the Spirit, put to death, mortify the deeds of the body, we shall live. Then Paul talks about how those who are led by the spirit are not the only ones. Paul talks about how those who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God.

Verse 17 is probably my second favorite scripture in the whole Bible, Romans 8-17, because once again this gets into the nature of God and who we shall be in resurrection. And sometimes we read over that first part, and if children then heirs, heirs of God. Sometimes we read over that heirs of God. In other words, we inherit who God is in the sense that we will be glorious, radiant spirit beings on the spirit plane. And if children then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with Him that we may be also glorified together. Then Paul again comforts us in this chapter by telling us that all things, verse 28, work together for the good of those who love God and call according to His purpose. And then he enumerates several things that cannot separate us from the love of God. There's only one thing that separates us from the love of God, and that is self. And I'm going to be talking about some of that in the sermon on Friday. Then in chapters 9 and 10 and 11, Paul talks about how the Gentiles can be a part of the Israel of God, and in chapter 11 that Israel, that blindness in part has happened to Israel to the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled, and then Israel will be grafted back into the natural olive tree. One of the verses in Romans 11, Romans 11, here's a great verse sometimes, many times in classes, I'm going to ask the question, well, why did Israel have to be blinded? And why did God do it this way? And why did God do it that way? This verse here summarizes to a large degree why God does things the way He does things. Romans 11, 33, O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor, or who has been first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto Him again. For of Him and through Him and to Him all things are all things to whom be glory forever. Amen.

So we go back now to verse 32. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all.

Why does God do things the way He does things so that He might have mercy on all? Some of it we don't understand, but as He says, who has been His counselor? Now the last chapters 12 through 16 deal with going on to perfection, becoming living sacrifices. And these chapters, to a large degree, tell you how to do that, going on to perfection. So in your handout you'll have the summary of each chapter, and you'll have this overview of how the basic doctrines, to some degree, outlines the book of Romans. And we have highlighted some of the key points here this morning. Thank you very much for your attention.