Heirs with Christ

Rom 8:12  So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 
Rom 8:13  for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 
Rom 8:14  For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 
Rom 8:15  For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 
Rom 8:16  The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 
Rom 8:17  and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. 

v12 – Because of this, we are debtors, but not to the flesh to live in obedience to it’s desires which are sins. We are debtors to God for what He did for us. That He died so we can be declared righteous. The fact that the Spirit of God dwells in us and leads in this new life in Christ. And because we are saved from death as a result of sin, and therefore can live a life pleasing to God. We are not under any obligation to the flesh and it’s corrupt passions. We are under obligation to God to live according to His ways.

v13 – If we live according to the flesh, then our only future is death. But if we live according to the Spirit we are doing away with our sin and will live. We see here that it is the Holy Spirit that rids our bodies of the evil doings of a sinful life. With His work, we can experience the resurrected life. It is not by our own strength because we cannot do this on our own. It requires the Spirit working in us and our subjection to Him to eliminate our old sinful ways.

v14 – This is a beautiful verse. For everyone who allows themselves to be led by the Spirit of God, who submits to Him are adopted into the family of God. Children of God is an intimate title given to those who follow His ways. We are not just Christians or followers of God, we are welcomed into His family and have all the privileges that are associated with this relationship. We are part of God’s family of whom God is our Father and protector. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,” John 1:12. It is important to understand that we really do not understand all that means, and neither does the world. “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.  Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.  And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” 1 John 3:1-3.

v15 – We are not slaves, but we are children by adoption. Therefore, we do not call Him master, but Abba! Father! We experience the feeling of affection, love and confidence which pertains to children; not the feelings of servitude and trembling that comes with slavery. This adoption is the accepting of us into His household and treating us as His own children. It is applied to Christians because God treats us as His children; receives us into this relationship even though prior to our salvation we were stranger and enemies. The word Abba is the Aramaic word for father. However, there is a very important distinction here. The Greek word for father can be used like our English word for father. This Aramaic word Abba has a far more intimate meaning, it is more like our word Daddy. Think about this. The very one we sinned against is now the one we can now call daddy.

v16 – This is an interesting verse to understand because this is a very personal thing between us and God. This involves those intimate times between us and God’s Spirit. It is that assurance a good loving parent gives their children. Also, just the fact He resides in us and we sense His presence is a witness from Him that we are children of God. This is not just a relationship like a stockbroker and client; it is one as a loving parent and their child. A parent who adopted us because He loved us and wants that relationship with us. And, through His Spirit, He reminds us in this intimate way that only we can truly understand.

v17 – Here is another very powerful statement. An heir is one who succeeds to an estate. First, Christ is the appointed heir. ” God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.” Hebrews 1:1-2. However, we are co-heirs with Christ. “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 25:34. And then in Revelation. “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.” Revelation 21:7. This is a very distinguished and humbling thing. For us to be co-heirs with the second person of the trinity.

Go Forward to Chapter 8 Part 3

Go Back to Chapter 8 Part 1

Life in the Spirit

Rom 8:1  Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 
Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 
Rom 8:3  For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 
Rom 8:4  so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 
Rom 8:5  For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 
Rom 8:6  For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 
Rom 8:7  because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 
Rom 8:8  and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 
Rom 8:9  However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 
Rom 8:10  If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 
Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 

v1 – If we have truly accepted Christ as Savior through His finished work on the cross, we will never face the prospect of eternal condemnation and ultimately eternal separation from God. “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:1-2. Putting it another way, if we have accepted Christ as savior through His death on the cross, our condemnation is eternally in the past. It does not reside in the present or future.

v2 – Why is there no condemnation? Paul answers in this verse. Because we are saved, the Spirit of God enters us and through Him, we are set free from the law of sin and the law of death. We are justified, declared righteous, therefore we no longer are under the law of sin or the law of death.

v3 – The law is good, but one thing it cannot do is reconciles us with the Father. The Law can show us our sin, the fact that we do sin. But that is as far as it goes. It cannot save us from our sins. ” For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:20. Jesus did not come to condemn the sinner, but the sin in the flesh. To declare it dead. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:16-17

v4 – Through His death, burial and resurrection, our guilt is pardoned because the penalty was paid by Jesus. His righteousness, by the complete adherence to the law, was something we could not do, therefore His righteousness is imputed upon us. However, only for those who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

vs5-8 – This is a very critical part of this section. Here we see a differentiation between those who walk according to the flesh and those who walk according to the Spirit. Those who walk according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, with no interest in the things of the Spirit. This will ultimately mean their death, probably in the sense of spiritual death in that they will be condemned to eternal punishment or ruin. Their mindset is hostile to God and thus they do not submit to Him but to their own flesh and it’s desires. They cannot please Him and not doubt have no intention of doing so. This is not so for those who walk after the Spirit. Their minds are set on the Spirit which results in life and peace. They desire to please Him and that is their mindset, thus resulting in eternal life. Our goal, as Christians is to please God, obey His will and subject everything to Him. If we walk after the flesh, this is not possible.

v9 – Paul then says, speaking to the Church at Rome, we are not in the flesh but in the Spirit. Then he places this stipulation. If indeed the Spirit of God dwells in us. This is true if we are under the direction and influence of the Holy Spirit and not under the corrupt desires and passions of the flesh. That we listen to Him and follow His ways. In essence, He is in us and we are spiritually minded. The next part of this verse is very important for us to understand, and is a very solemn warning. If the Spirit of God does not dwell in us, then we are not truly Christians. If we do not walk after the Spirit but after the flesh, then we were never born again and we have not submitted ourselves to His Lordship, which is the meaning of the words ‘we do not belong to Him’.

vs10-11 – However, if the Spirit of Christ is in us, then even though our body is dead because of sin, our spirit is alive because of His righteous which was declared upon us through justification. Our bodies are dying, there is no doubt about that. Doctors and scientists will confirm this. However, if we have Christ in us, we are alive regardless of what is happening to our bodies. And taking the next step, though our mortal bodies are dying, and for many already dead this is not a permanent condition. For the one who raised Jesus from the dead will do the same with our bodies as well. In this life, we are new creatures in the same body. At His coming, we will have new bodies as well.

Go Forward to Chapter 8 Part 2

The Law and Sin

Rom 7:7  What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.” 
Rom 7:8  But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. 
Rom 7:9  I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; 
Rom 7:10  and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; 
Rom 7:11  for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 
Rom 7:12  So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. 
Rom 7:13  Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful. 
Rom 7:14  For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. 
Rom 7:15  For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 
Rom 7:16  But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. 
Rom 7:17  So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 
Rom 7:18  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 
Rom 7:19  For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 
Rom 7:20  But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 
Rom 7:21  I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 
Rom 7:22  For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 
Rom 7:23  but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 
Rom 7:24  Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 
Rom 7:25  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. 

v7 – Paul is clearly saying here that the Law is not sin. And it is not. The Law is not sin, but it does excite our sinful nature which is of the flesh. He then stated that he would not have known sin if there was no law. As an example, he uses the tenth commandment, “You shall not Covet.” He would never have known about coveting if the Law never stated you shall not covet. We, during our unsaved days, did not like to follow laws. When we heard we were not allowed to do something, we suddenly wanted to do it. As a child I felt that way, but I feared my parents, and rarely did I participate, however, when I did, I did all I could to make sure they never found out.

v8 – If it be asked in what way the Law led to this, we may reply that the main idea here is that opposition to the desires and passions of wicked men only tends to make desires stronger. This is the case regarding sin in every form. An attempt to hold back from doing something we want to by denouncing it by laws and penalties tends to make us more desirable of it which otherwise would have been dormant in us if we had not known of it.

v9-11 – This is opposed to what he immediately adds respecting another state, When he had died. It is as though he had a particular peace; he thought himself secure, free from his conscience. It appears he esteemed himself righteous based on his works, esteeming himself to be blameless. Paul writes to the Philippians, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision;  for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” Philippians 3:1-7. He then says that which was to result in life, actually produced death.

v12 – He then sums up this section by declaring the Law and the commandments are indeed holy and righteous. It brought to our attention what was wrong.

v13 – Sin is the cause of death. Not the Law. It is not the fact that the act was called sin by the Law, it was the fact that knowing it was wrong, we were tempted and succumbed to the temptation which was the cause of our death. Because the command was given and what was aroused in our mind and will, sin was completely developed. It was no longer dormant in us, but it was exposed. The idea is that these dormant sins are brought to the surface to reveal our true nature. Man should be acquainted with his true nature and not allow himself to be deceived. It is part of God’s plan to develop these secret things in us to show us who we really are. Because only by knowing this will the sinner be induced to apply the remedy and strive to be saved.

v14-15 – This does not mean that the Law is designed to control the spirit, on the contrary, it is a declaration that the evils we do are not caused by the Law, for the Law itself is good and meant for our good. It is man’s issue. The flesh is often described as the source of evil passions; the spirit as the source of purity due to the Holy Spirit. Paul then says he does not understand his actions. What he desires to do, what he approves of he does not do. However, that which I do not want to do; that which he disagrees with he does. I believe we all do this. Our new nature does not want to sin, but we do by giving into our flesh, allowing our desires to be fulfilled. Our desire in our minds and spirit is to serve God, and not to sin. The strength of natural passions may in unguarded moments overcome. For instance, a man who was an infidel before his conversion, and whose mind was filled with unbelief and blasphemy, will find the effect of his former habits of thinking that are lingering in the mind. The very passage of an impure thought through the mind leaves pollution behind. Paul wrote to the Galatians, “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” Galatians 5:17.

v16 – Summing up this thought, when we do those things we hate, we are agreeing with the law, thus confessing the Law to be good. Not for saving us, but for declaring that we hate what the Law says is bad.

v17-20 – This is obviously figurative language, for it is actually the man that sins when evil is committed. However, the apostle is making the distinction between sin and what he intends by the pronoun “I”. By the former he evidently means his corrupt nature. By the latter he refers to his renewed nature, his Christian principles. He does not approve or love it in his present state, but that it is the result of his native propensities. Every Christian can say that he does not choose to do evil but wishes to be perfect, but is lead astray by his corrupt passions. Dwelling in us is a strong expression denoting that sin had taken up its habitation in the mind. It has not been fully dislodged. This is the idea expressed by the phrase, “indwelling sin”.

v21 – And because of all that he wrote before, especially chapter 7, he finds the principle that when I want to do good, evil is present in me. John Wesley put it this way, ” I find then a law – An inward constraining power, flowing from the dictate of corrupt nature.”

v22-23 – The word translated delight (in the NASB ‘joyfully concur’) occurs no where else in the New Testament. It has the basic meaning ‘rejoiced with anyone’. It denotes a sensible pleasure in the heart. These were his feelings toward the Law of God. Paul struggled with this dichotomy. He delighted in the Law of God and endeavored to follow it, however, there was another law in his flesh that was in constant war with the first. Francis Schaeffer puts it this way, “Through Christ we have become justified before God.  His Word informs, calls, corrects and encourages us.  Yet in our body, we are still a part of a fallen world.  Legally, our problem of guilt before God has been resolved, but factually we are still waiting for the full redemption that will be ours only when Christ returns.  Till then, our battle with sin continues.  It is truly a ‘captivity’ to sin, and Paul longs for deliverance.”

v24 – This shows us that Paul did not see this battle with sin theoretical, but as a real conflict which he dealt with daily. And I believe we all see it the same way. Paul here cries out because this battle is agonizing to him. This is not the cry of someone who finally understood his lostness, but one from a living but tormented believer, weighed down under the weight of something not of himself, but which he longs to have removed from his renewed self. Also, this question is not stated as if there is no answer, but only to prepare the way for the only answer.

v25 – And this is his thankfulness for the grace and mercy of Jesus, the Son of God. Also, the last part of this verse is not saying we should stop warring against these sinful tendencies. On the contrary, we should continue because victory is ours though Jesus Christ. We may lose a battle here and there, we will win the war because His love and grace is sufficient.

Go Back to Chapter 6 Part 1

Released from the Law

Rom 7:1  Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? 
Rom 7:2  For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. 
Rom 7:3  So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man. 
Rom 7:4  Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 
Rom 7:5  For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. 
Rom 7:6  But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter. 

v1 – Paul is no doubt speaking to the Jewish members of the Roman church, because the law was not known or at least followed by the non-Jewish population. The Jews believed that obedience to the Law brought God’s favor. The idea is that death releases a man from the laws by which he was bound to in life. It is a general principle, relating to the laws of the land, the laws of a parent, the laws regarding a contract, etc. This general principle, Paul states, also applies to the Mosaic Law as well.

v2-3 – He uses an example of the Mosaic Law regarding a wife to her husband, and the consequences of the death of the husband.

v4 – Upon our accepting Christ, the connection between us and the Law is dissolved, so far as the scope of the apostle’s argument is concerned. He does not say that we are dead to it, or released from it as a rule of duty, or as a matter of obligation to obey it; for there neither is, nor can be. any such release, but we are dead to it as a way to justification and sanctification. It now comes a matter as to how we live our lives. “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?  Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?” Romans 6:1-3. We are now to live by the law as a way to show our love to Christ. Jesus said as such, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15. We have become free from law through the body of Christ. However, we are not free from the law so we can live unto ourselves; we are free so that we can be “married” to Jesus and so that we can bear fruit to God.

v5-6 – Not that these sinful passions were originated or created by the law; for a law does not originate evil propensities, and a holy law would not cause sinful passions; but they are excited or inflames by the Law, which forbids their indulgence. The enemy will take the Law and tempt us to get us to commit the sin. We who are Christians, delivered from it as a means of sanctification, as a bondage to which we were subjected, and which tended to produce pain and death. It does not mean that Christians are freed from it as a rule of duty. The idea is that “we were slain to the law by the body of Christ”; language which, though harsh to the ear, is designated and fitted to impress upon the reader the violence of the death of the cross, by which, as by a deadly wrench, we are “delivered from the law.”

Go Forward to Chapter 7 Part 2

Slaves to Righteousness

Rom 6:15  What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! 
Rom 6:16  Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? 
Rom 6:17  But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 
Rom 6:18  and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 
Rom 6:19  I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. 
Rom 6:20  For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 
Rom 6:21  Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. 
Rom 6:22  But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 
Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

v15 – Being under grace does not free us from obeying the law. However, instead of obeying because we have to, we should obey because we want to; it is who we now are. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15. ” But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” James 2:18. The way you follow His commandments show them the reality of your walk with Him.

v16 – He uses this example. To whom you give yourself up for servitude or obedience, you are a slave to whom you obey. The Greek word from which ‘slave’ is derived is ‘doulos’, which means “one who is subservient to, and entirely at the disposal of, his master; basically a slave. A bondservant is one who is voluntarily someone’s slave. In Exodus, we see the meaning of this term in reference to the law. “But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man, then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.” Exodus 21:5-6. The same with our Christian life. We voluntarily give ourselves as bondservants (doulos’) to, as the end of Exodus 21:6 says, to serve Christ permanently. Lastly, in the first verse of Romans 1, we read, “Paul, a bond-servant (doulos) of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.

V17-18 – But though we were slaves of sin, we became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which we were committed. This is not simply an outward only obedience. This is an obedience that is sincere and regarding total service. I like this phrase from Albert Barnes commentary on this verse. “No other obedience is genuine.” If we are only obedient because we are forced to, or it is what is expected even though not preferred, then it is not the obedience God is looking for. And having been freed from sin, we are slaves (again doulos) of righteousness.

v19 – The idea of ‘in human terms’ denotes ‘ in your vernacular’. (vernacular – the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a country or region) In other word, he spoke using an example they would understand. And he did this because of their lack of understanding of spiritual things. He is telling them that as you presented your members, as slaves, to sin and impurity which resulted in deeper lawlessness, now do the same as slaves to righteousness resulting in sanctification, which is holiness.

v20 – Because you were a slave of sin, you could not be a slave to righteousness therefore, you were free regarding righteousness.

v21-23 – So, he asks another question. While you were doing things which now, you are ashamed of because you are a new creature, what benefit did you derive? There was no benefit, since the outcome of practicing these things was death. Not much of a benefit. But now that we are free from sin, and are slaves of God, our benefit is holiness, and the final benefit is eternal life. The wages, or what you are owed, of sin is death. To continue serving sin results in you receiving you just earnings. However, if we give ourselves to God as slaves of righteousness, then their are no wages, but there is in incredibly wonderful free gift to all who are now slaves to righteousness, which is eternal life because of Christ. The free gift from God is infinitely superior to the earnings from sin.

Go Back to Chapter 6 Part 1

Death to Sin, Alive to God

Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 
Rom 6:2  May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 
Rom 6:3  Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 
Rom 6:4  Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 
Rom 6:5  For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 
Rom 6:6  knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 
Rom 6:7  for he who has died is freed from sin. 
Rom 6:8  Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 
Rom 6:9  knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 
Rom 6:10  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 
Rom 6:11  Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 
Rom 6:12  Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 
Rom 6:13  and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 
Rom 6:14  For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. 

v1-2 – We start here with the idea of Dead to Sin and Alive in Christ. He starts out with a rhetorical question, that being ‘Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?’ Francis Schaeffer in his book, “The Finished Work of Christ” said in His comment on Romans 6:1, ‘Because we are saved only on the basis of Christ’s finished work, without any works on our part, does that mean we should just continue in sin?’ This is a great way of saying it. He then answers his own question in verse 2. And He starts with a very unambiguous and absolute denial. “God Forbid!” When we accepted the forgiveness offered by Christ through His death, burial and resurrection, at which point we died to sin, how can we still live in it? Our sins were dealt with on the cross and we are to obey the commands of Christ. James said, “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” James 2:17. In other words, if you have the faith and belief to truly accept Christ, you will truly live it as well. Now, the idea that we can continue in sin after salvation is the basic idea behind Antinomianism. It comes from the Greek meaning “lawless”. It is a pejorative term for the teaching that Christians are not under any obligation to obey the laws of ethics and morality. It is the exact opposite of legalism. The ethical and moral laws are not to be followed for salvation, but need to be followed to show our love of Christ. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:15.

v3-4 – It is important to understand that when we were saved, we were baptized with Him by the Spirit into His death. Our old man died. Our old nature died. We are now under no obligation to obey the old man. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17. But it does not end there. Because just as Christ was raised from the dead, we can now walk in newness of life. In other words, the new man we have become is who we now are. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20.

v5 – Paul brings out a very good argument here. If we are united with Him in the likeness of His death, then certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection. Someday, we will be raised physically from the dead. New bodies when He returns. However, this is not just something for the future. It means something for the present as well. As we saw in verse 4, we will walk in newness of life.

v6-8 – Paul now lays out five components regarding what he had stated in the previous passages. First, our old self was crucified with Christ; our old man died. So that, secondly, our body of sin might be done away with, in other words, destroyed. It will no longer have any power over us because, so that thirdly, we will no longer be slaves to sin as we once were. We no longer have to obey it, for the one who was bound as a slave, the old man, no longer lives. This means that, fourth, we are freed from sin. And fifth, if we have died with Christ, we know we will also live with Him.

v9 – When Jesus died and rose from the dead, that was the end of death as far as He was concerned. He is the Son of God, He came and gave His life for us. He did not deserve death, but He freely gave His life for our sins, to pay the penalty.

v10 – Of course He never sinned, He was perfect in all ways. So, why the words, ‘He died to sin?’ He never sinned, however, He was tempted. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15. The enemy had it in for Him, and wanted Him to fail in His mission. However, though he tempted Him just as we are, He never succumbed to it as we have.

v11 – So, as He died to sin, or for Him the temptation of sin, we must also consider ourselves dead to sin. And because we accepted Christ and the work He did on the cross, we are now alive to God, just as He is. Not because of anything we did, but because of all He did. Now, if we are honest with ourselves, we cry out ‘How is this possible?’. And the answer is through Christ. We are not called to live our life to God by ourselves, but through Christ.

v12 – Therefore, based on everything he said earlier, we must not let sin reign in us, to obey it’s lusts. We must be watchful that we do not go back to our old master, sin, and obey it’s calling. Let’s look back at verse 6 again. “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” Romans 6:6. There is a difference between not being perfect in this present life and letting sin rule your life.  What Paul is saying is that we are not to let sin rule over our body. There will be times we fall, but the idea is the practice of sin. He uses the analogy of a slave and his master to make the point that a slave obeys his master because he belongs to him. Slaves have no will of their own. They are literally in bondage to their masters. When sin is our master, we are unable to resist it. But, by the power of Christ to overcome the power of sin, “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness”

v13 – The word ‘instruments’ is the Greek word for “arms used in warfare, weapons”.  The idea here is that we do not yield ourselves as “arms of unrighteousness” to sin, in service to sin”, but yield ourselves and our members as “arms or weapons of righteousness” to God in service to Him.

v14 – Sin shall not be master over us if we live in and to Him, for we are not under law, but under grace. To be “under the law” is, first, to be under its claim to entire obedience; and so, next under its curse for the breach of these. And as all power to obey can reach the sinner only through Grace, of which the law knows nothing, it follows that to be “under the law” is, finally, to be shut up under an inability to keep it, and consequently to be the helpless slave of sin. On the other hand, to be “under grace,” is to be under the glorious canopy and saving effects of that “grace which reigns through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”  The curse of the law has been completely lifted from us ; they are made “the righteousness of God in Him”; and they are “alive unto God through Jesus Christ.” So that, as when they were “under the law,” Sin could not but have dominion over them, so now that they are “under grace,” Sin cannot but be subdued under them. If before, Sin triumphed, Grace will now be more than conqueror.

Go Forward to Chapter 6 Part 2

Death in Adam, Life in Christ

Rom 5:12  Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— 
Rom 5:13  for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 
Rom 5:14  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 
Rom 5:15  But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. 
Rom 5:16  The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. 
Rom 5:17  For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. 
Rom 5:18  So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 
Rom 5:19  For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. 
Rom 5:20  The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 
Rom 5:21  so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

v12 – Up to this point when discussing our need for a savior, he had not mentioned Adam, the first man, and the one through whom sin was introduced into the world. Now, many people, including some Christians, do not believe that Adam and Eve were real people. They tend to think of this story as a myth or allegory. Paul never thought this way. He is very definitive in stating that through one man sin entered the world, and because of this, death as well. He does not mention his name in this verse, but in verse 14 he does. Jesus also believed the creation of Adam and Eve as the first people was not a myth. “And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, and said, ‘FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH’?  So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” Mat 19:4-6 So, just as through one man, Adam, sin entered the world, and because of this sin, death also came through this sin. If man had not sinned, he would not have died. However, sin carries with it death and this death was passed through mankind because all men have sinned. “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Rom 3:23 Death passes to all who sin because “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.“

v13-14 – All men sinned. Sin was in the world before the law was given. This is very apparent. Look at Adam and Eve as well as the pre-flood society. Even immediately after the flood there was sin. However, since there is no law, sin was not imputed to men. Imputed here means not laid to their charge. In other words, their sin was not laid to their charge. Sin here is the violation of a divine law in thought or in deed. So, if there was no law given at this time and there was sin, there had to be another law. Let us look at what Paul said in chapter 2. This is in reference to the Gentiles who were not under the law, so it fits here as well. “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,” Rom 2:14-15. There is a law written in our hearts. This is the law they were under and they disobeyed that law and thus were sinners. Death reigned from Adam to Moses, therefore the law that was broken before the Mosaic Law was the law written on their hearts. Lastly, Paul says that Adam was a type of the one to come. What I believe is meant here is that since by Adam’s transgression all men died, by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead all men shall be made alive. “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” 1 Cor 15:22.

v15-17 – There are two historical acts stated in these verses. First, by the historical act of Adam, all mankind became sinners and ultimately died. And second, by the historical act of Jesus, all mankind who are lost can be raised up. We look at so many things in history, such as walking on the moon or the fall of Rome. However, their impact pales in comparison to the two mentioned above. For walking on the moon and the fall of Rome have a transient affect on our lives. However, what Christ did through His death, burial and resurrection has an eternal affect. So lets look at the three comparisons found in these verses. First, the free gift is not like the transgression. By the one man’s transgression many died. Transgression is sin or misdeed. However, by one man’s death through grace, many received new life. The difference is all die -vs- many live. In the next verse says, the free gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned, specifically condemnation. By one transgression judgement arose and many were condemned, however, the free gift came on account of many transgressions resulting in justification. The difference is one transgression – condemnation, one free gift – justification. And lastly, by the transgression of one death reigned through the act of Adam, and by the grace of one, God, the gift of righteousness reigns through the act of Jesus. The difference is death reigned due to the act of Adam – the gift of righteousness reigned due to the act of Jesus.

v18-19 – Putting it succinctly, one sin brought condemnation, one act of righteousness brought justification. This is the clearest distinction between Adam and Christ. And the last comparison, By one man’s sin, all became sinners and by one man’s obedience many will be made / declared righteous.

v20-21 – What Paul is saying is that when the Law came, man became aware of their sin. And when they became aware of what was sin, it increased. This is what the Law is for. “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.” Rom 3:20. Paul says in a later chapter, “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET. But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.” Rom 7:7-11. Also according to these verses, the Law also brought to the surface desires for doing that which the Law said not to do. Therefore, focusing on the comparisons again, as sin reigned in death, grace would reign through righteousness resulting in eternal life through Christ.

Go Back to Chapter 5 Part 1

Peace with God Through Faith

Rom 5:1  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 
Rom 5:2  through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 
Rom 5:3  And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 
Rom 5:4  and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 
Rom 5:5  and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 
Rom 5:6  For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 
Rom 5:7  For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 
Rom 5:8  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 
Rom 5:9  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 
Rom 5:10  For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 
Rom 5:11  And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. 

v1 – Paul sums up what he previously said with this verse. Paul here is referring to true Christians when he uses the term ‘we’. He is saying the result of being justified by faith is peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, justification is to declare or pronounce one to be righteous. This justification has nothing to do with our works, but everything to do with His grace. We are no longer enemies of God because of our sinful ways, but we are at peace because we now called righteous because of what Jesus did and our accepting this work instead of attempting to attain it on our own.

v2 – By Jesus Christ the way is opened for us to obtain the favor of God. It is only through His death, burial and resurrection that we have received access. It was only through Christ that we could even approach God, and then continue in this loving relationship with Him. We are not brought to God to discuss a relationship, but to remain with Him, to be in His family, and to walk in His light. All through faith in Christ, not through our works.

v3 – We see rejoicing as the product of something good happening. And so it is. However, not only is this due to prosperity and good health, but also in trials and suffering. And the reason for this is that trials and suffering, with the help of Christ, produces endurance or patience. Sinners are made angry when these things happen, and they are troubled by it. They do not have the loving God to console and comfort them. However, Christians see God’s handiwork in it. They have confidence in God that He is all wise and good, who has determined that it was necessary for the Christian to go through it. It is a way that He kind of weans us from the ways of the world through the patience it produces.

v4 – Then, when we are patient in trials, this produces character (or experience in the trial). The idea here is that they have proven their attitude and strength through troubling times. It shows the person who he is with the purpose of showing his authenticity. Trials are many times sent for this purpose. It is part of the sanctification process, which is the process of becoming like Christ. Then, this character produces hope. This shows that Christianity is genuine, unquestionably from God. They help us to understand that we are of another world, and that this world cannot affect who we now are in Christ. Hebrews says the following, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Heb 11:1. In the Hebrew, hope is that which we know is coming. It is not what we wish for. So character assures us that what is promised by God will come to pass.

v5 – And because we go through the trials we do, and we have shown our faith to be genuine, we have this hope because we trust God. We have trusted Him through the trials, therefore we trust Him in the certainty of His promises for us. And this hope does not put us to shame, in fact we glory in it. God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, and this love assures us that we are safe in Him and can trust Him in his promises to us.

v6 – Therefore, how can we now doubt God’s love? For when our strength was low and we did not follow the ways of God, Jesus the Christ came to die for our sins. Again, we could no nothing regarding this, it took God declaring us righteous because of our trust and faith in Christ. He died for us while we were yet sinners.

v7 – In essence, what he is saying is that for good and righteous men few if any would die for. In those days, one who is good is one who, not because of God’s grace but his own ways, were charitable and gave liberally to those in need. He was one who bountifully gave to the poor and needy. He was not righteous by God’s grace, but was righteous in his own eyes. Paul is saying that people would scarcely die for a self-righteous person, but maybe for one who gave much to the poor and needy.

v8 – However, Christ came and died for His enemies. Those who were against Him. This is true love. Man tends to love only those who are close to him. God loves all, including those who are against Him. He did for us what we are not willing to do.

v9 – Since we, true Christians who have been declared righteous by God through the shed blood of Christ, we shall also be saved from His wrath. He does not hold our sins against us. The penalty has been paid and we have been reconciled to God.

v10 – Now expanding on verse 9, if we were reconciled to God through Christ’s death, through justification because Jesus paid the penalty, then through His life we are saved. We died with Christ for reconciliation with God, and we were resurrected with Christ to enjoy the new life he gives us. We died with Him and we were resurrected with Him. This begins the thought of us being new creatures in Christ. John says something similar. “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.” John 14:19.

v11 – And beyond all this, we can rejoice because we are now not separated from God anymore. We are no longer enemies but we are His friends and family. We can go to Him anytime and He will be there for us. We have full access to the Father because of the death, burial and resurrection that we have accepted as payment for the penalty we owed due to our sins. This is what is meant by atonement.

Go Forward to Chapter 5 Part 2

The Righteousness of God Through Faith

Rom 3:21  But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 
Rom 3:22  even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 
Rom 3:23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 
Rom 3:24  being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 
Rom 3:25  whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 
Rom 3:26  for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 
Rom 3:27  Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 
Rom 3:28  For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. 
Rom 3:29  Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 
Rom 3:30  since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. 
Rom 3:31  Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law. 

v21 -22 – Paul now declares that we are not justified by the law, but by the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He does not dismiss the Law, it simply is not part of the justification process. This is shown in the story of Abram where it says, “Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” Gen 15:6. Paul speaks of this in chapter 4 as well. “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.  For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Rom 4:2-3.  It is through faith in Jesus Christ and His death, burial and resurrection. And this is for all believers. There is no difference between peoples, nationalities, or any other distinctions.

v23 – And why no distinctions? Because all have sinned and come short of God’s glory. And this is not just the past, but the present as well. For all HAVE sinned, and FALL SHORT. We have sinned, sin, and will sin. That is why salvation by works is impossible. It is through the grace of God, through faith.

v24 – Justification (to be declared righteous) is a free gift. We cannot be righteous, therefore we are freely justified by what Christ did. Nothing, absolutely nothing we have done. All we can do is trust God and believe that He paid the price for us.

v25 – God presented Christ to the world to be a propitiation (covering). In the Old Testament, the ‘mercy seat’ was placed over the Ark of the Covenant. They would meet with God at the Mercy Seat, and not under it, which contained the Law. Christ’s death, burial and resurrection covers our sins with the righteousness of Christ, and we ourselves our declared righteous even though we have sinned. But, as the verse says, God has passed over our sins previously committed through His precious grace when we, in faith, accept the work of Christ.

v26 – This was done in order to show Him as the just God that He is, but also the gracious God that He is. To simply forgive is not enough. He does not simply close His eyes to our sin, but deals with it. The penalty for that sin must be paid. This is the public display of the work God did. We could never pay that penalty. However, there was one who could, and that was Christ. He can now fully justify anyone who believes in the finished work of Christ.

v27 – Salvation is therefore a work totally separate from mankind. And because of this fact, there is no basis by which we can boast. If we could do anything toward our justification and salvation, we could shout it from the mountaintops. However, we cannot. This is 100% a God thing. It would be a payment for works done rather than a gift to us.

v28 – We are justified by faith in the finished work of Christ. It has nothing to do with keeping the Law, it has nothing to do with mechanical obedience.

v29-30 – Here Paul is now summing up this thought. Both the Jews and the Gentiles are saved in the same way. The Gentiles are guilty of sin (Rom 1:18-2:16) and the Jew is guilty of sin (Rom 2:17 – 3:8). And, he has shown that the solution to both is justification through faith. Faith in His son.

v31 – The law, by way of faith, is not nullified but established. In other words, it was not ignored. He did not simply pardon us, but paid the penalty the law required instead of requiring it of us. And because He was perfectly sinless, He had not penalty to pay, it was ours and ours alone. If we believe that Christ came to pay the penalty we truly owed, then we owe it no more. This is a beautiful concept. The penalty needed to be paid, we could not, but the one who could, did.

Go Back to Chapter 3 Part 2

No One is Righteous

Rom 3:9  What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 
Rom 3:10  as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; 
Rom 3:11  THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; 
Rom 3:12  ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.” 
Rom 3:13  “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,” “THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”; 
Rom 3:14  “WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”; 
Rom 3:15  “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, 
Rom 3:16  DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, 
Rom 3:17  AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.” 
Rom 3:18  “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.” 
Rom 3:19  Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; 
Rom 3:20  because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. 

v9-12 – Paul here is equating the Jews and the Gentiles regarding their position with God. He states, and rightfully so, that both Jews and Gentiles are under sin. He then quotes David from the Old Testament, “For the choir director. A Psalm of David. The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good.  The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God. Psa 14:3  They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.” Psa 14:1-3. And “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God,” They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; There is no one who does good.  God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there is anyone who understands, Who seeks after God.  Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.” This is not simply His opinion. This is what God’s Word says. This is what the Old Testament, the Bible and Holy Book of the Jews said.

v13-18 – He continues quoting from the Old Testament, pointing to both the Jews and Gentiles. “There is nothing reliable in what they say; Their inward part is destruction itself. Their throat is an open grave; They flatter with their tongue.”  Psa 5:9. “They sharpen their tongues as a serpent; Poison of a viper is under their lips.” Psa 140:3. “His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness.” Psa 10:7 “For their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood.” Pro 1:16. “Their feet run to evil, And they hasten to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, Devastation and destruction are in their highways.  They do not know the way of peace, And there is no justice in their tracks; They have made their paths crooked, Whoever treads on them does not know peace.” Isa 59:7-9. And finally, “Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes.” Psa 36:1. This is a horrible picture of mankind, but unfortunately accurate. We should not attempt to water down this image. We all think and act this way at times.

v19-20 – Paul here is summing up his argument and his case against the Jewish people. However, he has broadened his discussion to include all people because neither are keeping the law, whether it be the Mosaic law or the law written on the heart, that being the Gentiles. “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.” Rom 2:14-16. He then ends this section by declaring that no one is justified by the law. The Law cannot justify you or save you, it can only show you your need for justification and salvation.

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