What I Noticed Today (Romans 4-7)
Romans 4
In verses 1-8, Paul presents an argument from the Old Testament examples of Abraham and David that God declares someone righteous based on their faith, not on their works.
In verses 1-4, Paul quoted Genesis 15:6, in which God declares Abraham righteous based on his faith.
In verses 5-8, Moses quotes Psalm 32:1-2, in which David says the man is blessed whom God declares righteous apart from works.
Note: Verse 1, “What then can we say” is the first of six instances of this phrase (1:1, 6:1, 7:7, 8:31, 9:14, 9:30), which Paul follows with a question and an answer.
In verses 9-12, Paul asks the question, is this blessing only for the circumcised (Jews) or also for the uncircumcised (Gentiles). Moses received the blessing of righteousness before he was circumcised. He received circumcision as a sign of the righteousness credited to him by faith. Therefore, while Abraham was the father of the nation of Israel, he is also an example to both the Jews and the Gentiles.
Note: Paul’s argument concludes that the Jews have no special position of righteousness before God because of their circumcision. Righteousness was credited to Abraham because of his faith before he was circumcised.
In verses 13-25, Paul now addresses the Jewish belief they had special standing before God because they had the Mosaic Law. In fact, Paul said righteousness comes through faith. All the Law produces is wrath because it establishes the basis for transgressions against God. Without the Law, there is no transgression.
Note: Paul is not saying that sin did not exist prior to the giving of the Mosaic Law, but that sin was not reckoned as a transgression apart from the Law.
Using Abraham as an example, Paul says, Abraham became the father of many nations on faith even though he considered his own body to be dead (since he was about 100 years old). Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness because he believed God had the power to do exactly what He had promised.
Paul says the promise of the kingdom of God comes by faith through the grace of God.
Note: Paul’s argument here is that if Jews could become heirs to the kingdom of God through the Law, then faith has no value whatsoever, and the promise of righteousness through faith is an empty promise.
As he concludes this argument, Paul says the same faith and promise exists for those who believe that Jesus was delivered up for our transgressions and raised for our justification.
Note: Paul is saying both Christ’s death and resurrection are central to our justification. Christ’s death on the cross and His shed blood paid for our sins, and His resurrection is proof that God accepted His Son’s sacrifice on our behalf.
Romans 5
In verses 1-5, Paul says that we have peace with God through Jesus Christ because we have been declared righteous through faith.
Note: Paul begins verse 1 with “Therefore,” which links this section back to the close of Romans 4.
Note: The phrases “we have peace with God” and “we rejoice in the hope” can both be written in a way that implies continuous action: “we can keep on enjoying peace with God,” and “we can keep on rejoicing in the hope.”
Not only do we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, but we also rejoice in our affliction, knowing that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope, and the hope of God will never disappoint because God’s love has been poured into our lives through the Holy Spirit.
In verses 6-11, Paul explains those who are declared righteous are reconciled to God.
God proved His love for us by giving us his Son, who died for us (literally “in our place”) just at the right time, while we were still sinners. Christ’s death on the cross reconciled us to God; His life saves us.
Note: Christ’s finished work on the cross accomplished three things: we were redeemed by God (Romans 3:24), Christ’s death was a propitiation (an atoning sacrifice, Romans 3:25), and we are reconciled to God (Romans 5:10-11).
In verses 12-21, Paul contrasts the death that came through Adam with the life that comes through Christ.
Note: Paul used four parallel examples to make his point (vv. 13-15, vv. 16-17, vv. 15-16 and, vv. 18-19).
Example 1. A parallel example of contrast. Sin entered the world through one man, Adam, and with sin came death. Death came to all men because sin spread to all men (Genesis 6:5-7).
However, the gift of Christ is not like the sin of Adam. The sin of Adam spread to all mankind, but the gift of God’s grace through Jesus Christ comes to many.
Note: The gift of God’s grace is available to all but not appropriated by all.
Example 2. A parallel example of the difference. From one sin came judgment resulting in condemnation, but from many sins came the gift.
Example 3. A parallel example of difference and kind (combining the previous two examples). Death reigns through one man because of sin. Righteousness reigns in life through one man, Jesus Christ.
Example 4. A concluding parallel example of contrast. Consequently, one trespass (sin) resulted in death (condemnation) for all men; one act of righteousness was justification that brought life for all men (Christ’s death on the cross).
Paul concludes by saying the Law came to multiply the sin and where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more so that as sin reigned in death, grace will reign in righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Note: No matter how great man’s sin became, God’s grace increased even more!
Romans 6-8
God’s righteousness is revealed in sanctification.
Romans 6
In verses 1-4, Paul describes the basis for our sanctification by asking should we continue to sin so that grace might multiply. No, he says, how can someone who died to sin still live in sin.
Note: The aorist tense (past tense) for “died” indicates an action that occurred at a specific point. In this case, the Christian “died” to sin when he received salvation by accepting Christ.
Note: There was a time in church history when false teachers suggested we should sin more to receive more grace. This was a topic of some debate during the Reformation.
All who were baptized into Christ, Jesus, were also baptized into His death so that just as He was raised from death, so also we are raised to a new life.
In verses 5-14, Paul now describes the process of sanctification. First, the “old man” (or self) was crucified with Christ, so the power of sin over us is broken; we have been freed from sin.
Note: The perfect tense of “has been freed” indicates a continuing and ongoing action.
Because we know that Christ died to sin once for all, we to can consider ourselves dead to sin because we are alive in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, Paul concludes, do not let sin reign in your life. Sin no longer rules over you because you are no longer living under the Law but under grace.
In verses 15-23, Paul continues the theme of being dead to sin with an analogy; we are either slaves of sin or are slaves of righteousness.
A slave obeys his master. The end of a slave to sin is death, whereas the end of a slave to God is righteousness. Therefore, offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness, which leads to sanctification.
Note: Sanctification is the process of being made or becoming Holy. To be sanctified means to be Christ-like. We will never be wholly sanctified, or Christ-like, this side of heaven.
Note: Paul wrote that sin results in death three times in this one chapter (Romans 6:16, 21, and 23), but believers are free from sin (Romans 6:18, 22) and are slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:16, 18-19) because they are alive to God (Romans 6:11).
Romans 7
In verses 1-6, Paul uses an example from the law to illustrate the concept of being dead to sin.
Note: Verses 1-6 relate back to Romans 6:14. Paul digressed in Romans 6:15-23 to answer the question he raised in 6:15.
Note: Paul’s illustration is appropriate for both Jewish and Gentile believers because both would be familiar with either Mosaic Law regarding marriage, the Roman law regarding marriage, or both.
A woman whose husband dies is no longer bound under the law to him and is, therefore, free to remarry.
Similarly, believers had died to their “old self” and were now free to marry another (Jesus Christ) who was raised from the dead. Being released from the Law frees us to bear fruit for God through the Spirit.
In verses 7-13, Paul discusses the relationship between the Law and sin.
Note: In this section, Paul switches to the first-person singular, indicating his own personal experience.
Paul asks if the law sin and answers, of course not. He would not have known sin except for the law. The Law is not sinful; its purpose is to reveal sin (I would not have known sin apart from the Law). God intended the Law to bring Life, but sin deceives and brings death.
In verses 14-25, Paul transitions from the relationship between the Law and sin (vv. 7-13) to the relationship between the believer and sin.
Note: This passage (Romans 7:14-25) is perhaps the most difficult to understand and the one which is most controversial in the book of Romans. For the purpose of this study, the assumption is made that Paul is referring to himself specifically and in general to all believers and that he is regenerated (a believer after his conversion experience).
Paul confesses he does not understand what he does. He knows the law is spiritual, but he is made out of flesh, sold into sin’s power (v. 14). Paul’s conflict is between his old nature (old self) and his new nature in Christ. He knows the good he wants to do but finds himself still sinning. His inner self wages war inside him, so with my mind, I am a slave to God but in my flesh to the law of sin.
Note: Paul’s point is believers will continue to endure conflicts between their regenerated (new self) and their sin nature (old self).
Some thoughts for further consideration:
- Abraham and David were saved through faith, not works. Faith and God’s promise go together.
- Christ’s finished work on the cross accomplished three things: 1) God redeemed us. 2) Christ’s death was a propitiation (an atoning sacrifice for our sins). 3) We are reconciled to God
- The believer’s battle between the old sin nature and the new nature in Christ is real, but we can claim victory over our sin nature through the power of the Holy Spirit.
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
