ROMANS

verse by verse
 Many of the basic thoughts used in this
study comes from the "Life Application Bible
Commentary" published by Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc. We have used their ideas liberally
with their permission. We alone assume
responsibility for the contents here, but we
appreciate Tyndale giving us permission to use
their materials.

The lesson outlines and notes in this booklet

were prepared by Tim McManigle of FBC
Missions. Special thanks to Lisa Grams for editing.

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Table of Contents

ROMANS: verse by verse

Chapter Page
1 3
2 22
3 32
4 55
5 66
6 84
7 104
8 122
9 154
10 172
11 183
12 201
13 232
14 241
15 253
16 267

Revision 4
2/12/16
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Romans Chapter 1

Introduction:
• The book of Romans appears to be a snapshot picture of
Christianity. Paul had never been to Rome, and
therefore had no first-hand knowledge of the spiritual
condition of the believers there. From verse 8, we
understand that he had heard about their faith, but he
was unsure of their maturity level.
• It appears from Romans 16:1 that Paul was writing this
epistle as an introductory letter for a lady by the name of
Phoebe. And not being sure of the spiritual condition of
those he was writing, and not desiring to build on another
man’s foundation (Romans 15:20), he went back to the
beginning to reveal unto them the whole counsel of God.

A. Overview
• Paul takes the better part of
five chapters to bring his readers
to Christ. He begins in chapters
1 through 3 by taking mankind
into an imaginary courtroom and
convicting them of their sin. He
concludes his case in Romans
3:10-11 with “None is
righteous, no not one; there is
none that understands, there
is none that seeks after God”.
• Chapter 4 is all about faith,
while chapter 5 introduces the
Grace of God (unmerited favor).
• The first thing that Paul wants to reveal to these new
believers is in Chapter 6 – The “old man” has been
crucified, we are no longer slaves to sin.
• The second truth that he wants to reveal is in Chapter 7 –
The “old man” has been crucified, we are no longer under
the law.
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• Chapter 8 is all about the Holy Spirit’s role.
• Chapters 9, 10, & 11 are parenthetical to the Jews; very
important, but let’s set them aside for now.
• From chapter 12 to the end is the practical section. How
to live the Christian life.
• Therefore, we could boil the book of Romans down to the
following;
1. Christ died for me. (Romans 1-5)
2. I died with Christ. (Romans 6&7)
3. The Spirit is in control. (Romans 8)
4. Now go live the life. (Romans 12-16)

B. Paul’s Greeting and Theme

Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be
an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2 (Which
he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy
scriptures,)

• Paul’s name stands alone here; no Timothy, Silas, or

other brother in this greeting as is often seen in many of
his other epistles. One reason could be that Paul
himself, is Christ’s apostle to the Gentiles. Acts 9:15;
Romans 2:16; 16:25
• “Servant” – Actually translated slave or bondservant. A
bondservant was a willing slave who had been given the
opportunity to be free, but chose to stay with his master.
Mark 10:42-45 It’s interesting to consider that for a
Roman Citizen to identify himself as a servant was
unthinkable; Paul could have introduced himself as a
Roman citizen, etc., but instead he prefers to call himself
a servant revealing his absolute devotion to Christ.
• “Called to be an apostle –Paul is one of few Christians
who could speak of being literally called by God. Jesus
audibly spoke to Paul on the Road to Damascus. Acts
9:3-9
• The word apostle means “sent one” (Acts 9:15).

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• “Separated/set apart” – Not only was Paul called, but
he was set apart. Galatians 1:15-16 Likewise as Paul
was called and set apart, John the Baptist, Moses,
Jacob, Samson, Samuel, and Jeremiah were separated
even before birth to an appointed calling.
• The sovereignty of God is seen at the very beginning of
this epistle. How well Paul carried out his high-calling is
made very clear in 2 Peter 3:15-16.
• Now as to this Gospel/good news of God, we see two
facts;
1. It is God’s good news – It was God who loved the
world – It was God who sent His Son.
2. In verse 2 His good news was promised through His
prophets in the Holy Scriptures. (Isaiah53:11)

Romans 1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord,

which was made of the seed of David according to the
flesh;
• After introducing the messenger (Paul himself), the
message (the gospel), and the source (God), Paul turns
to the subject of the message (His Son). “Concerning
His son”, specifically that He died for our sins according
to the scriptures, the evidence of that is that He was
buried, that He has been raised on the third day
according to the scriptures, and the evidence is that He
appeared to many witnesses. (1 Corinthians 15:1-8)
• As to His humanity, He was “made” (reference to His
human birth) a descendent of David Luke 3:23-31; 2
Timothy 2:8). The central focus of the gospel is Jesus
Christ, God’s Son, who was both human and divine.
Jesus was born in David’s line, of David’s Tribe (Judah);
keep in mind that King David was promised a kingdom
without end. In the birth of Jesus, the eternal King of
kings, that promise was fulfilled.

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Romans 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with
power, according to the spirit of
holiness, by the resurrection from the
dead:
• Here we have reference to Christ’s
deity; “declared to be the Son of
God”; and that declaration came with
power by his resurrection.
• “According to the spirit of holiness”;
this phrase completes a parallel
reference to Jesus’ duel nature.
Jesus was made a descendent of
David according to the flesh, and He
was declared Son of God according
to the spirit of holiness.
• Jesus was fully God, and fully man.
His entire life from His human
conception to His resurrection, was planned, promised,
and fulfilled by God.

Romans 1:5 By whom we have received grace and

apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all
nations, for his name:
• “Grace and apostleship” Grace must come before
service; Paul’s own words are probably the best
commentary here 1 Corinthians 15:9-10; 1 Timothy
1:16
• “Obedience to the faith” could be reworded as follows; to
bring about the obedience that comes from faith, or, faith
gives birth to obedience. To obey God’s good news is
simply to believe it. Paul ends this epistle with the same
phrase Romans 16:26.
• Paul went forth with a message concerning Christ, to be
believed by everybody, anybody, and anywhere. And all
was for Christ’s “name sake”. Most Christians believe
that the gospel was for our sake; not so 1 John 2:12.

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Romans 1:6 Among whom are ye also the called of
Jesus Christ:
• Christians are in union with Christ; called as of Him
Romans 8:39.

Romans 1:7a To all that be in Rome, beloved of God,

called to be saints:
• Although God loved the whole world, it is the saints who
are the “beloved of God”; loved by God. It’s interesting to
note that the unsaved are never named God’s “beloved”.
A man may love his neighbor or co-worker, but his wife
and children are his “beloved”.

Romans 1:7b Grace to you and peace from God our

Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Paul uses this same phrase in each of his epistles
following the initial greeting as does Peter. If we had
grace, unmerited favor/free gifts from God, as well as
peace, what more could we desire.
• Keep in mind that Paul ends each epistle with “the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all”, or something
quite similar. Romans 16:24; 1Corinthians 16:23, etc.
• God is made known to us as
“the God of all grace”, and the
position in which we are placed
is that of recipients of His
grace... The word favor is the
nearest Biblical synonym for the
word grace. Grace is favor, and
favor is grace, and it finds its
greatest triumph and glory in the
sphere of human helplessness.
Grace ceases to be grace if God
is compelled to withdraw it
because of human failure or sin.
In fact, grace cannot be
exercised where there is the
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 slightest degree of human merit to be recognized. God
cannot propose to do less in grace for one who is sinful
than He would have done had that one been less sinful.
The sin question has been set aside forever, and equal
favor/grace is extended to all that believe. Thus, grace
cannot be increased, or diminished.
• Romans 5:17 states, “Those who receive the abundance
of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life
through the one, Jesus Christ.”...This understanding of
God’s Grace is foundational to Christianity. Furthermore,
grace alone can free us, not only from the penalty of sin,
but also the power of sin...Romans 6:14 says; “For sin
shall not be master over you, for you are not under law,
but under grace.”
• Possibly, the greatest need in the church of Jesus Christ
today is a “grace awakening”. It is our desire, as you
study the following lessons that you would “grow in
grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ”. 2 Peter 3:18
• Words cannot express the blessedness of receiving
God’s grace/ unmerited favor; only those who are
appropriating this grace have peace.

Romans 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ

for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the
whole world.
• How many times have we heard a Christian described as
follows: I have heard how many people he has led to the
Lord; or, I have heard that he pastors a church of 5000;
or I have heard that he has published a number of
Christian books? Rarely, if ever, have I heard anyone
referred to as these Romans, “your faith is spoken of
throughout the whole world”.
• If the Christian life is nothing more than a walk of faith,
then why aren’t we recognizing the faith of believers?
Colossians 1:4; Ephesians 1:15; 1 Thessalonians 1:6-
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Romans 1: 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with
my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I
make mention of you always in my prayers;
• Paul here is telling his readers that he made unceasing
prayer for them, and he is calling God to witness as he
often did 2 Corinthians 1:23; Philippians 1:8; 1
Thessalonians 2:5, 10.
• “Whom I serve with my spirit”; Man is made up of
three parts, body, soul, and spirit 1 Thessalonians 5:23.
The constant witness of scripture is that man exists as a
spirit being, in a body, possessed by a soul.
• It’s interesting to consider Paul’s statement here; he did
not serve the lord through his soul (mind, will, emotions),
nor was his ministry geared toward man’s soul. His
appeal was never to the intellect of man, nor did he hold
inspirational meetings to arouse emotions, but rather he
served directly through his spirit which was indwelt by the
Holy Spirit, and the results were “that which is of the
Spirit”. (John 4:24) The spirit of his hearers was born
again, and the Spirit witnessed to their spirit. (Romans
8:16)

Romans 1:10 Making request, if by any means now at

length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of
God to come unto you.
• For a long time Paul had desired to visit Rome Romans
1:13; 15:22; Acts 19:21; 23:11. Here Paul expresses
his continued desire to go, but only if God wills. (James
4:13-15)

Romans 1:11 For I long to see you, that I may impart

unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be
established;

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• Knowing that the Lord could, through the wonderful
message of “grace” which was entrusted unto Paul,
“impart unto them some spiritual gift, for their
establishing”, was the root of his deep longing to come
to them. (Galatians 4:19)
• “Spiritual gift” does not refer to the gifts of the Spirit in
Rom. 12, but rather spiritual growth/maturity which would
come through Paul’s teaching of grace for the purpose of
establishing them in faith. Acts 16:5; 1 Thessalonians
3:1-2

Romans 1:12 That is, that I may be comforted

(encouraged) together with you by the mutual faith both
of you and me.
• Paul fully anticipated that both he and the Roman
Believers would be mutually encouraged by each other’s
faith. 1 Thessalonians 3:7-8
• Hebrews Chapter 11 is known as the faith chapter, and
what an encouragement it is to read; :By faith Abel; By
faith Enoch; By faith Noah; By faith Abraham; By faith
Sarah; By faith Isaac; By faith Jacob; By faith Joseph; By
faith Moses; By faith; Through faith; All the way through
the chapter and then we read in Chapter 12 verse 1
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so
great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight,
and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run
with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto
Jesus.”
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Romans 1: 13 Now I would not have you ignorant,
brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you,
(but was hindered until the
present time,) that I might
have some fruit among you
also, even as among other
Gentiles.
• His desire was that they
might know how he had
longed to be with them for
the purpose of seeing
some fruit Galatians 4:19)
such as he was finding everywhere he went among the
Gentiles.
• However, Paul had been hindered Romans 15:19-23;
Sometimes by Satan 1 Thessalonians 2:18, and at
others times by the Holy Spirit Himself Acts 16:7; But
always with God’s approval.

Romans 1:14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the

Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
• It’s interesting that there is no mention of the Jews here;
Acts 26:17-18; Galatians 2:9
• Greeks were those knowing the Greek language and
culture; barbarians were those not knowing Greek and
thus uncultured.
• Wise and unwise/foolish was more personal, and
probably not referring to just educated or uneducated.
• The words “I am debtor” refers to the trusted steward
(God’s messenger) of the message of “grace”, and Paul
was given this message to share; thus his comment “I am
debtor”. We are here seeing “less than the least of all
saints” willing “to become all things to all men to gain
some”. Why? It was “no longer I, but Christ” Galatians
2:20

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• Quite different from Moses’ attitude in Numbers 11:11-
15. The difference could be that Moses, beloved servant
of God, walked under law.

Romans 1:15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to

preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
• Rome was the center of the Gentile world; it was
crowded with educated men; great triumphal processions
flowed through its streets; Rome shook the world. Yet
here is Paul, utterly weak in himself, and with his thorn in
the flesh; yet ready/eager to go to Rome and to preach, -
what? A Christ who had been despised and crucified by
a Roman governor, and “everywhere spoken against”.
Acts 28:22
• “So, as much as in me is, I am ready “; what was the
secret of Paul’s devotion to Christ? Hear his own words;
“To me to live is Christ”; “By the grace of God I am what I
am”; “I labor, striving according to Christ’s working, who
worketh in me mightily”; “It’s God who works in me to will
and to do His good pleasure”.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of

Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every
one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the
Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from
faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
• It might be good to note the four “For’s” in these verses;
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: For it is
the power of God unto salvation: For therein is the
righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: And in
verse 18; For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven.
• “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ”: Here
we have Paul, willing and unashamed to go to Rome,
mistress of the world, with this astonishing message of a
crucified Nazarene, despised by Jews, and put to death
By Romans. (1 Cor. 1:18)
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• “For it is the power of God unto salvation”: This
second “for” gives the reason for Paul’s boldness. It is of
the utmost importance that any preacher or teacher of
the gospel truly believes that the simple story, Christ died
for our sins and was buried, on the third day He arose
from the grave and was seen, is the power of God to
save any and every lost sinner who believes. (1 Cor.
15:1-5)
• “To the Jew first, and also to the Greek”. In
expressing “to the Jew first”, Paul is not at all suggesting
an order of presenting the gospel in this dispensation.
He is simply recognizing the fact that to the Jew, who had
the law and God given privileges, the gospel offer had
first been presented, and then to the Gentiles. Romans
3:22; 10:12
• “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed
from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live
by faith”. Here Paul gives another reason why he was
not ashamed of the gospel; God could have come forth in
righteousness and doomed the entire Adamic race. It
would have been the “righteousness of God” unto
judgment, and would have been just. However, God who
is love, though holy and sin-hating, has chosen to act
toward us in righteousness, in a manner wherein all His
righteous claims against the sinner have been satisfied
upon a substitute, His own Son. .
• In this good news it is openly revealed that God is acting
in righteousness merely on the principle of faith. (“Faith
to faith – Faith from start to finish) We simply hear and
believe, and God declares us righteous.
• “The just (the justified ones – those who are declared
righteous) shall live by faith” (Faith from beginning to
end).

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C. The Condemnation of Heathen
Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of
men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
• Basically, what we will see in
the next couple of chapters is
Paul bringing man-kind into a
courtroom for the purpose of
condemning all. He first brings
in the “heathen” here in verse 18
to the end of the chapter. In
Chapter 2:1-16 the “moralist” is
condemned. Chapter 2:17- 3:9
the “religious man”; and finally in chapter 3:10-23 is the
condemnation of all men; “none are righteous, no not
one, none seek after God – all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God”.
• This is God’s attitude against all defiant sin - His wrath
comes down against all ungodliness (disregard of God)
and unrighteousness (wicked conduct) of men (much like
Sodom and Gomorrah – Genesis 19:24), who suppress
the truth. And what is the truth that they are
suppressing? We see in the following verses that it is
simply truth about God Himself.

Romans 1:19 Because that which may be known of God

is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them.
• God could have kept man in ignorance about Himself, but
he didn’t. Verses 19 & 20 give four characteristics of the
truth about God as revealed by God through nature.
1. It is plain and clearly seen.
2. It is understood so that anyone could ponder what he
sees and come to a conclusion.
3. It has been constant, ongoing, and changeless since
the creation of the world.
4. It reveals God’s eternal power and divine nature.

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• How could a loving God send anyone to hell, especially
someone who has never heard the Good News of Jesus
Christ? Paul makes very clear that in creation God has
revealed Himself plainly to all people. Acts 17:14; John
1:9

Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the

creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood
by the things that are made, even his eternal power and
Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
• The paradox cannot be missed; “the invisible things of
Him are clearly seen”. God created the world with
natural processes (cause and effect). In the same way
that observing a painting leads to the conclusion that
there is an artist, so to observe this tremendous creation
is to conclude that there is a supreme creator. Psalm
19:1-4; Acts 17:14 God has clearly revealed Himself
through creation so that man is without excuse. We
could say, “Creation is revelation.”
• Keep in mind that “morality dictates theology;” our moral
standards are always better than our behavior. If we
want to live an immoral, materialistic, drug infested,
alcoholic, deceptive lifestyle, then we must suppress the
truth about God. We’ve got to get God out of our lives in
order to live our own way.
• Napoleon on a warship in the Mediterranean on a star-lit
night, passed by a group of his officers who were
mocking at the idea of a God. He stopped and sweeping
his hand toward the stars said “Gentlemen, you must get
rid of those first”.
• Man’s denial of his own awareness of God, is what
leaves him without an excuse.

Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they

glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but
became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish
heart was darkened.
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• When Paul states that “men knew God”, he was not
referring to a knowledge that could save them, but rather
a knowledge that simply recognized God’s existence, and
if not suppressed would be nurtured by God Himself.
Hebrews 11:6
• Because men, who have a God-given awareness of God,
suppress that truth, thereby failing to glorify Him with
thankful hearts, they must resort to vain speculations and
reasonings to escape the thoughts of God. The result;
their hearts (souls – mind/will/emotions) become dark
(lose the little light it had), and wander blindly in a maze
of foolishness.
• An interesting scripture is Ephesians 4:17-19 which
describes a downward spiral of sin that begins with
walking in the vanity of our minds, and leads to our
understanding being darkened, then comes an alienation
from God (He is no part of our thinking or lives), and
continues on into callousness, and finally given over to
any and all sinful attitudes and actions. Psalm 106:13

Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they

became fools,
• Paul continues with his description of the inevitable result
of denying God, by stating that even though man’s heart
is darkened and his thinking is vain, many will still claim
to be wise.
• They sit at the feet of professors who breathe out spiritual
cyanide. They idolize the hog-sty doctrines of Freud, and
count themselves wise. They say God is not real, men
evolved from monkeys, morals are mere old habits, self-
enjoyment and self-indulgence is the path of wisdom. 1
Corinthians 1:19-29

Romans 1:23 And changed the glory of the

uncorruptible God into an image made like to
corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts,
and creeping things.
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 • Now comes the
high insult: having
rejected knowledge of
God, and unable to
escape the
consciousness that
He exists; men
changed their glory
(God) for the likeness
of an ox that eats
grass. Psalm 106:20
• Men first likened
God to man, but being
given over, they went
downward; a bird, four-footed beast, a reptile (Isaiah
40:18). Deities of human form prevailed in Greece;
Serpent worship was common in Chaldaea and Egypt
where the asp was sacred; Israel learned calf-worship
from Egypt’s sacred bull.

Romans 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to

uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to
dishonor their own bodies between themselves:
• “God gave them over” is repeated two more times in
verses 26 and 28. Basically God left those who spurned
Him to their own desires. Without His influence in their
lives, they degenerated into ruinous moral practices.
Psalm 81:11-12
• When man is without Divine restraint, the lusts of his
heart plunge him into ever deeper bodily vileness.
Leviticus 18:22

Romans 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie,

and worshipped and served the creature more than the
Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
• Just as people exchanged the glory of God for images,
they also traded the truth of what can be known about
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 God for a deliberate lie. That the creator God is the
infinite, sovereign, incorruptible God of the universe, is
the truth (1 Thessalonians 1:9); that any other image is
God, is the lie (Isaiah 44:20).
• Can anything be more foolish; to worship the created
thing rather than the creator.

Romans 1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile
affections: for even their women did change the natural
use into that which is against nature:
• For the second time we read that “God gave them over”,
and now unto shameful passions.
• God is not speaking of natural appetites of the body such
as adultery or harlotry, but rather he is describing
unnatural appetites in which all normal instincts are left
behind.
• Not only was shameful lust the result, but now God’s plan
for natural sexual relationships is corrupted, and replaced
with homosexuality.
• An interesting thought to ponder is; when the desire for
truth about God is rejected, other gods are raised up.
However, when the desire for God Himself is rejected,
other desires take control. Jude 10
• In Genesis 19:11 when the Lord struck blind the men of
the city who were trying to break down the door of Lot’s
house to have sexual relations with the two men/angels
that had been sent to Sodom, their lust was so strong
that blindness didn’t even stop them.
• An interesting side-note to consider is that homosexuality
has gone from a “sin”, to a “disease”, to a “problem”, to
“an alternative lifestyle”, to a “preferred lifestyle” in the
course of thirty years.

Romans 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the

natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one
toward another; men with men working that which is

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unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense
of their error which was meet.
• Homosexuality which is strictly forbidden in scripture
(Leviticus 18:22) was as widespread in Paul’s day as it
is in ours. He was actually writing this letter from Corinth,
a city famous for its deviant sexual behavior.
• “Receiving in themselves the due penalty for their
perversion”; sin carries with it consequences/penalty.
What a fearful account is here. A lost race plunging ever
deeper by their own desire, and receiving the due
penalty; shame, bondage, AIDS, etc.

Romans 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain

God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a
reprobate mind, to do those things which are not
convenient (proper);
• Here we have for the third time “God gave them over”;
this time it is to a settled state, a reprobate (depraved)
mind. As they saw fit to cast out the knowledge of God,
God gave them over to an outcast mind: to think
thoughts, to live lives, to carry out a multitude of behavior
that is not fitting for man, who was made in God’s image.
(Ephesians 5:4)
• Notice the progression in these verses; God gave them
over to “lust” then to “perversion” and finally to a
“reprobate mind”.

Romans 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness,

fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness;
full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity;
whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud,
boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to
parents, 31 Without understanding, covenant breakers,
without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

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• “Being filled with” suggest a state of being filled to the
point of overflowing, and not only so, but without restraint
or limits.
• Paul lists over twenty different attitudes and actions
which come from man once he has turned away from
God.
• Unrighteousness – Opposite of righteousness
• Fornication – To have unlawful sexual relations
• Wickedness – Sinister and vile
• Covetousness – Relentless urge to obtain more
• Maliciousness – Desire to injure
• Full of envy – Hate that arises against toward one that is
above us, or who possesses what we can’t have
• Murder – Taking the life of another
• Debate – Strife – Beating down in contention
• Deceit – Misled through lying
• Malignity – Taking all things in an evil sense – Deep
seated enmity
• Whisperers - Gossips
• Backbiters – Destroying another’s reputation (1 Peter
2:12)
• Haters of God – The mind of the flesh is enmity against
God (Romans 8:7)
• Despiteful – Attempt to shame another without mercy
• Proud – Inflated with
self-importance
• Boasters – Making
claims of superior
importance
• Inventors of evil
things – Finding new
ways of doing wrong
• Disobedient to
parents – Literally, not
able to be persuaded by
parents
20
• Without understanding – Unable to discern spiritual
and moral things
• Covenant breakers – Bound by no promise;
untrustworthy
• Without natural affection – Without affection for kindred
– Women who abort their babies
• Implacable – Not willing to cease hostilities - Unrelenting
• Unmerciful – Man’s inhumanity to man
• 2 Tim. 3:1-5

Romans 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that

they which commit such things are worthy of death, not
only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do
them.
• Here we are confronted with three terrible realities:
1. They have complete inner knowledge from God that
their ways deserve and must have divine
condemnation and judgment.
2. They persist in their practices despite the witness of
conscience
3. They not only commit the sins, but delight and
encourage it in others
• What a description of this world of sinners, this race
alienated from the life of God, at enmity with God, but in
an evil, hellish unity with other evil-doers.

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Romans Chapter 2

Introduction
• The second chapter of Romans focuses on those who do
not believe that the horrible things of the first chapter
pertain to them. This may possibly be the greatest
passage in all of scripture regarding God’s judgment
concerning His creatures. If God is “Judge of all”, and if
the whole world is to be brought under the judgment of
God (Romans 3:19), God will surely take great pains to
make known His course of action (how He will decide
and act), so that men may know beforehand what to
expect.

A. The Condemnation of the Moralist

Romans 2:1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man,
whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou
judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that
judgest doest the same things.
• Having painted the fate of the heathen
apart from God, Paul abruptly
switches his attention to a new
audience: the moral man. When
Paul’s letter was read in the Roman
Church, no doubt many heads
nodded in agreement when he
condemned idol worship, homosexual
practices, and violence. However,
what a surprise it must have been to
his listeners when he turned on them
and said, in effect, “You also have no
excuse. You’re just as bad. No one is good enough to
save him or herself”.

Romans 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is

according to truth against them which commit such
things.
22
• Paul wants to make it very clear to his readers that the
judgment of God is “according to truth” (Genesis 18:25).
The natural man is naturally blind to his own sin and
therefore unable to accept the judgment of God, unless
he is convicted and convinced by the Holy Spirit. John
16:8

Romans 2:3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest

them which do such things, and doest the same, that
thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
• Here we see God dealing with the foolish, deceitful heart
of man, who dreams that by merely judging others
(though he practices the same things) he shall escape
God’s judgment. Proverbs 11:21 Someone once said
“we hate our own faults when we see them in others”.
• In 1 John 1:6, 8, & 10, we see a progression of man’s
deception.
• Verse 6 – “If we say that we have fellowship with Him
and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth”. It
all begins by acting out a lie; pretending to be something
we’re not; we are deceiving others.
• Verse 8 – “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us”. We start out
with deceiving others, now we are deceiving ourselves;
we believe our own lie.
• Verse 10 “If we say that we have not sinned, we
make Him a liar, and His word is not in us”. We begin
with deceiving others, which leads to deceiving ourselves
and eventually trying to deceive God.

Romans 2: 4 Or despisest thou the riches of his

goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not
knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to
repentance?
• Notice the degrees of God’s kindness during the earth-
life of sinful man.

23
 1. God’s goodness in daily preserving, providing for, and
protecting him.
2. God’s goodness in not instantly annihilating the
proud, rebellious ingrate.
3. God’s goodness and forbearance being despised, His
longsuffering keeps waiting.
• Paul’s bottom-line point here is that God’s goodness and
longsuffering is for the purpose of leading them to
repentance (a change of mind about God) Psalm 86:5
• In Exodus 32, the Israelites under the temporary
leadership of Aaron, had made a golden calf to worship,
and now in Chapter 33 Moses went back up on the
mountain and God told him to depart with the people that
he had brought out of Egypt. God went on to say that
because of their stubbornness, He would not go with
them, but would send an angel. Ex. 33:1-3
• Later in the chapter, Moses told God “if Your presence
goes not with us’, we’re not going. Exodus 33:12-17.
Eventually the Lord agreed to go with them, and Moses
said to Him “show me Your glory”. God responded with “I
will make all My goodness pass before you”. Exodus
33:18-19a.
• It’s interesting to consider that God did not say “I will
make all my power, majesty, or holiness pass before
you’, but rather “I will make all my goodness to the weak,
sinful, and undeserving pass before you; all my grace
and mercy”. Exodus 34:6

Romans2:5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart

treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath
and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
• Paul here addresses the self-righteous who sits in
judgment of others not knowing that he is “laying up”,
during his prosperous earth-life, “treasures” of wrath
which will be revealed at the Great white Throne
Judgment when all the evil works of the lost will be
shown. Revelation 20:11-15
24
• Keep in mind if the goodness of God toward sinful man is
not leading him to repentance (change of mind), then
every day adds to the terrible “treasure” of indignation
which will burst the dam of God’s longsuffering in the
Great Day of Wrath. James 5:3
• Of course if one flees to Calvary, he will “not come into
judgment”. John 5:24

Romans 2:6 Who will render to every man according to

his deeds:
• When a case comes to trial
in a court of law, the judge and
jury listen to witnesses for the
purpose of discovering the
facts. Now God knows all the
facts about every one of
Adam’s race, and therefore the
Great White Throne Judgment
is based on facts, sinful man’s
works will show that
punishment is deserved.
Psalm 62:12; Jeremiah 32:19; Matthew 16:27;
Revelation 20:12; 22:12

Romans 2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well

doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal
life:
• “Patient continuance in well-doing” is not set forth as
the means for obtaining eternal life, but rather is a result
of the new life in Christ. Persistent endurance, which is a
fruit of faith, is a characteristic of a growing Christian.
(Hebrews 12:1; James 1:3; Colossians 1:11)
• Persistent, enduring faith in God’s way will be rewarded
with glory, honor, immortality, and eternal life. Jude 21

25
Romans 2:8 But unto them that are contentious, and do
not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,
indignation and wrath,
9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that
doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
• The best commentary here could be the examples of
those in scripture whose lives fit this scenario. Cain, who
was angry at God for accepting Abel’s sacrifice; Esau,
who despised his birthright and hated, to the end, the
people of God; a Pharaoh who said to Moses, “Who is
Jehovah that I should hearken unto His voice?” Saul
who, despised the word of Jehovah and sought to
destroy His elect king, David. Jehoiakim, wretched king
of Judah who cut and burned the prophecies of
Jeremiah. Scribes and Pharisees who rejected John’s
baptism of repentance and ultimately God’s offer of
eternal life. Sadducees, who “obeyed not the truth” by
ridiculing it; the world is filled with these kinds of people
today. Proverbs 19:3
• And what does God declare will befall such as these?
Wrath, indignation, tribulation, and anguish. John 3:36;
2 Thessalonians 2:12

Romans 2:10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every

man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the
Gentile:
• In contrast to verse 9, Paul is once again pointing to that
day when the righteous will be manifest. Then will be
seen in them that glory which they so desired; there will
be public honor; there will be everlasting peace. 1 Peter
1:7
• Paul’s main point is that God’s righteous judgment is not
based on who we are, where we came from, our
upbringing, or our intentions. The final questions will be,
did we believe what we knew?

26
Romans 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with
God.
• Among men, there is nothing but what James denounces
as “showing respect to persons”; all for the sake of
advantage. James 2:1-4
• The rich, the educated, the traveled, the cultured, the
prominent, the influential, the powerful, are all sought
after; however, the poor, ignorant, and weak are
despised. But not so with God.
• It is a comforting thought to every humble believer, that
there is an impartial One, who is no respecter of persons,
and sees not man as man sees. 1 Samuel 16:7;
Deuteronomy 10:17

Romans 2:12 For as many as have sinned without law

shall also perish without law: and as many as have
sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
• Gentiles will be judged on the basis of the knowledge that
was available to them. They will not be condemned for
failing to conform to a code of laws they knew nothing
about. They will not perish because they did not have
the Jewish law, but rather because they have sinned.
• Jews on the other hand will be judged for sinning against
the law which they knew well.
• There will be no respect of
persons; those “without the law”
who sin “shall perish”. Those who
sin under the law shall be judged
by the law.

Romans 2:13 (For not the hearers

of the law are just before God, but
the doers of the law shall be
justified.

27
• Paul appears to be offering righteousness by works or
law, but that is not so; he is simply indicating man’s
hopelessness. Paul is not saying “those who try their
best to obey the law are righteous
before God”; the obedience that
he describes is perfection which
is well beyond human reach.
• There is no form of
deceitfulness that is more
destructive than that of settling
into a false peace because of
merely having a head-knowledge
of God’s truth.
• Nor does God say in this
verse any will be justified by
“doing”, for he makes it very clear elsewhere in scripture
that none will be.

Romans 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the
law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these,
having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
• Some Gentiles who did not know anything about God’s
law, had a moral sensitivity of right and wrong, and lived
accordingly. Keep in mind that they are by their moral
sensitivity, not by their conduct, a law unto themselves.

Romans 2: 15 Which show the work of the law written in

their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and
their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing
one another;)
• All cultures and nations have a common recognition that
some things are right and others wrong. Paul is saying
here that Gentiles, who do not know God’s law, have an
inner moral consciousness that agrees with God’s law.
• He further explains that what the law does for the Jew,
the conscience does for the Gentile.

28
• Their conscience may accuse them at time, and at other
times excuse/defend them.

Romans 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the

secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
• In the coming “day”, all secret sins must come to light
and be judged by Jesus Christ. Acts 17:31; John 5:22,
27 The only way to truly judge a person is to judge the
secrets of the heart, conscience, and thoughts. Some
actions that appear good may be wrongfully motivated.
• In the end, God will judge and nothing will need to be
explained; His judgment is perfect, based on His perfect
knowledge of every action and motive.

B. The Condemnation of the Religious Man

Romans 2:17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest
in the law, and makest thy boast of God, 18 And
knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more
excellent, being instructed out of the law;
• From now until the end of the chapter, Paul takes into
court the Jew (the religious man). He shows that the
Jew/religious man “rested” on the law; he was proud of
having it; proud that the will of God had been revealed to
him; proud that he knew that will, and was therefore able
to determine what is best for all. Deuteronomy 4:8

Romans 2:19 And art confident that thou thyself art a

guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
20 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes,
which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the
law. 21 Thou therefore which teachest another,
teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man
should not steal, dost thou steal? 22 Thou that sayest a
man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit
adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit
sacrilege? 23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law,
through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? 24
29
For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles
through you, as it is written.
• He developed a confidence in himself as a guide, a
corrector of the foolish, a teacher, because in the law he
had a head-knowledge of the truth. But he didn’t apply it
to himself. 2 Timothy 3:5; Matthew 23:1 :33
• Therefore the name of God was blasphemed (Isaiah
52:5) among the Gentiles because of the selfishness,
pride, and covetousness of the Jews.

Romans 2:25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou

keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy
circumcision is made uncircumcision. 26 Therefore if
the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law,
shall not his uncircumcision be counted for
circumcision? 27 And shall not uncircumcision which
is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the
letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? 28 For
he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that
circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he
is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that
of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose
praise is not of men, but of God.
• Paul goes on to say that Jewish circumcision symbolized
the covenant/agreement
between God and the
descendents of Abraham
(Genesis 17:9-14). It was the
expression of Israel’s national
identity and was a requirement
for all Jewish men.
Circumcision was a physical
reminder to Jews of their
national heritage and privilege.
Many were confident that it
sealed their position with God.
But just as having the law did
30
 not make a person right before God, neither was
circumcision a cause for confidence.
• To be circumcised was only worthwhile if one obeyed the
law Galatians 5:3. To be circumcised and yet break
God’s law was no better than not being circumcised at
all. The futility of substituting the physical symbol for the
real thing was clear even in the Old Testament.
Deuteronomy 10:16
• What Paul is declaring here is that circumcision is a heart
matter for a real Jew. Jeremiah 4:4; Colossians 2:11

31
Romans Chapter 3

Outline of Chapter 3
• Verses 1-8 – The Jews had God’s Oracles, a great
advantage; their unfaithfulness proves, not hinders,
God’s just judgment
• Verses 9-20 – Fourteen-fold indictment from the Old
Testament Scriptures: All men, Jews and Gentiles,
brought in guilty before God, and so all mouths stopped.
• Verses 21-32 – Grace, however, for the guilty. God’s
righteousness by another way than law, through faith in
Jesus Christ.

A. The Jews’ Advantage

Romans 3:1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or
what profit is there of circumcision?
• At the end of Chapter 2, Paul had clearly stated that true
“Jewish-ness” is not a matter of heritage, but rather a
matter of one’s relationship with God, and true
circumcision is not on the body,
but on the heart.
• The response of the Jewish
people might well have been, “if
that’s true, then is there any
advantage in being a
circumcised Jew? Paul gives
his response.

Romans 3:2 Much every way:

chiefly, because that unto them
were committed the oracles of
God.
• Paul answers yes, there are advantages: The Jewish
Nation was entrusted with God’s laws (Deuteronomy
4:7-8), they were the race through whom the Messiah
came to earth (Isaiah 11:1-10), and were the
32
 beneficiaries of covenants with God Himself (Exodus
19:3-6)

Romans 3:3 For what if some did not believe? shall

their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? 4
God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as
it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy
sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
• So there was great advantage to being a Jew despite
their unfaithfulness. Jewish faithlessness could not annul
God’s faithfulness in carrying out those oracles, whether
of promise, prophecy, or judgment. Numbers 23:19
• God must be found true, though every man be false.
Because they have broken their word, shall God also
break His word? If God and every person were to
disagree, there still would not be any doubt about who is
right.
• The fact that many people are unfaithful by suppressing
the truth (1:18), exchanging the truth for a lie (1:25), and
rejecting the truth (2:8), does not change the fact of
God’s faithfulness.

Romans 3:5 But if our unrighteousness commend

(demonstrates) the righteousness of God, what shall we
say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I
speak as a man)
• Paul, understanding that people are usually more willing
to rationalize than repent, and that their minds will be
pondering ways to elude God’s righteous judgment, asks
this question:
• “If God’s faithfulness is not dependent upon my
faithfulness, then why should I be faithful? And if my
sinfulness makes God look good, then isn’t He doing
wrong to punish me”. Of course he gives his answers in
the following verses.

33
Romans 3:6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge
the world?
• Far be such a thought: If God should be unrighteous in
punishing a Jew, then how shall He judge the world?
The Judge of all the earth will do right (Psalm 9:8), and
He will judge the whole world. Acts 17:31

Romans 3:7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded

through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged
as a sinner?
• This is basically the same question as verse 5. Many
believe that God’s wrath contradicts His loving nature.
But God’s judgment is based on His character, not on
society’s idea of fairness. God is not accountable to
man’s notions of fair play; His personal moral uprightness
is the standard by which He judges.

Law of Fairness
(Wrong View)
There is a law of fairness
or justice that is higher and
more absolute than God.
God must act according to
that law in order to be fair.

God’s Justice
(Correct View)
God Himself is the
standard of justice. He
uses His power according
to His own moral
perfection. Therefore,
whatever He does is fair,
even if we don’t
understand or like it.

34
Romans 3:8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously
reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil,
that good may come? Whose damnation is just.

• (NIV) Why not say then, as we are slanderously reported

as saying; “let’s do evil that good may result”? “Slander”
against the gospel is still going on, and will go on until the
Lord comes. The paradox of justification without works,
lends itself to distortions as well as contradictions by
unbelievers.
• “Let us do evil that good may come” no doubt
represented the reports that were coming to Paul
everywhere he shared that obeying the law would not
bring salvation.
• He dismissed this wrong reasoning with these words;
“their condemnation is deserved”.

C. All People Stand Condemned Before a Holy God

Romans 3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in
no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and
Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
• “What then” in view of all that has been said from
chapter 2:17 to 3:8, “are we Jews superior”? Paul,
speaking as a Jew, in sympathy with the Jewish Nation,
but rejecting their boast of superiority, in view of the
indictment on the entire human race that began in
Chapter 1:18 and continues to Chapter 3:20, answers
that question; “Not at all”.
• Paul goes on to say that both Jews and Gentiles are all
“under sin” (Galatians 3:22). The term “all under sin”
implies that the entire human race has fallen from a good
estate into an evil one; Gentiles have no excuse (1:20),
and neither do Jews (2:1).

44
Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous,
no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there
is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out
of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there
is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13 Their throat is
an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used
deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose
mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet
are swift to shed blood: 16 Destruction and misery are
in their ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not
known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
• From seven Old Testament scriptures, Paul now makes it
very clear that the whole world is “under sin”. Beginning
with Psalm 14:2-3 which reads “Jehovah looked down
from heaven on the children of men”. The term “children
of men” is broader than just Jews, this then is a world-
wide indictment.
• As we mentioned before, Paul is bringing all of mankind
into a courtroom, and Judge God describes man’s
condition.
1. “There is none righteous…No not one”. (Psalm
14:1; 53:1; Ecclesiastes 7:20)
2. “There is none that understands”. Humanity by
nature “understands” nothing of God. Men think they
do, and write many books on the subject, but God’s
sentence remains: “There is none that understands”
3. “There is none that seeks after God”. When Adam
sinned and turned his back on a holy God, God had to
take the place of the seeker: “Adam, where are you?”
So it has ever been; “none seek after God”.
4. “They are all gone out of the way” (of God).
(Psalm 14:3; 53:3) To understand this, we must see
humanity as a fallen-race that has totally turned away
from God’s ways, as did Lucifer and his fallen angels.
All of man-kind is in this condition.
5. “They are together become unprofitable”. The
human race is useless to God. This word
45
 “unprofitable” was used by the Greeks for rotten fruit.
In Psalm 14:1 & 53:1 from which this is quoted, it is
translated “become filthy”.
6. “There is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
Corruption rather than holiness,
selfishness rather than
Godliness, cruelty rather than
kindness, is the way of fallen
man everywhere.
7. “Their throat is an open
sepulchre”. Doctors always
insist on looking down our
throats first when we are sick,
because the throat reveals our
state of health. Paul here is
describing unhidden,
unashamed, death, decay, and
moral stench.
8. “With their tongues they have
used deceit”. (From Psalm 5:9)
- The verb here implies a continual practice.
9. “The poison of asps is under their lips”. (Psalm
140:3) The fangs of a deadly snake lie, ordinarily,
folded back in its upper jaw until it strikes. When it
bites, those fangs inject venom into the wound; much
like people who strike out at others with their
venomous words.
10. “Mouths are full of cursing and bitterness”. (From
Psalm 10:7) – All that is necessary to prove this is to
listen.
11. “Their feet are swift to shed blood”. (From Isaiah
59:7) The shameful history of mankind is marked
with bloodstains from the atrocities committed by
those who freed themselves from God. There is
always talk of peace, but it is just that; talk.
12. “Destruction and misery are in their way”. (Isaiah
59:7) Again, another historic word picture of the
46
 human race. Those who loudly proclaim that the
human race is improving are blind deceivers; blind to
history. “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall be
the coming of the Son of Man”. (Genesis 6:11)
13. “And the way of peace have they not known”
(Isaiah 59:8) What God is revealing here is a terrible
thing; not even one unregenerate man knows, or is by
nature pursuing the path of peace. (Psalm 120:5-6)
14. “There is no fear of God before their eyes”.
(Psalm 36:1) The last is the worst of all, and does a
good job of explaining all the others. Someone once
said, “The seat of reverence is in the eyes”. The
natural man does not have that fear (awesome
respect) of God, which is the beginning of wisdom
(Psalm 111:10), and is connected with departing from
evil.

Romans 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the

law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that
every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may
become guilty before God.
• Back in verse 9, Paul clearly applies the passage through
verse 18 to both Jew
and Gentile, as “all
under sin”. However,
now he turns directly to
those who had the law.
• Men’s mouths keep
talking of their own
goodness or of other’s
badness, or both. But
the moral history of
mankind beginning in
chapter 1 and ending with the fourteen statements
concerning the entire guilty human race, with the double
conviction of the Jews as not only sinners but also

47
 transgressors of the very law they gloried in – All this
stops men’s vain mouths. Ezekiel 16:63
• For they are all brought into the presence of their Judge,
and the sentence of guilty is upon them all. Not to
execute the penalty upon them, but that they may be
silent while God their Judge announces that He has
already dealt with the world’s sin problem through His
Son Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there

shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is
the knowledge of sin.
• Now Paul declares what the law can and cannot do.
“First, no one shall be declared righteous in God’s sight
by works of the law (doing right)”. (Galatians 2:16) And
second, the purpose of God’s law is rather to make
known to men their sin, and therefore, their need of
salvation which the law cannot supply. Romans 3:28;
7:7

Christ took our punishment: We now come to the

unfolding of God’s salvation plan.

D. Justification by Faith in Christ Alone

Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without
the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and
the prophets;
• In this revelation of God’s righteousness, law is left out;
righteousness is on another principle than our doing right.
Now the most common error in setting forth God’s
righteousness, is to allow law at least some place. Men
can’t seem to get over the reasoning that if God once
demanded human-righteousness, He must be bound by it
forever.
• However, the present dispensation proceeds on an
altogether different principle; there has been a
disannulling (setting aside) of the old Jewish legal system
48
 (Hebrews 7:18). Because of its weakness and
unprofitableness (the law made nothing perfect), the law
was set aside. It had served its purpose, to make the
trespass abound (Romans 5:20a).
• “The righteousness of God” refers to the fact that God
sent His son to “suffer for sins”, the just for the unjust, to
put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Romans 1:17
• “Being witnessed by the law and the prophets”. By the
law in its sacrificial offerings, and by the prophets in
direct statements. Jeremiah 23:6; Psalm 71:2; Isaiah
53:11; 1Peter 1:10

Romans 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is

by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that
believe: for there is no difference:
• If it were man’s righteousness, it would be through
something that man accomplished; but it is “God’s
righteousness”, apart from our right doing which is law-
keeping.
• We read the words “which is by faith in (concerning)
Jesus Christ”; immediately people rush to thinking of
Christ’s merits becoming theirs, so that they are then in a
righteous state. This is not God’s plan.
• We see on Romans 4:5, that God accounts righteous the
believing ungodly, not those who are being changed and
then counted righteous. The believing ungodly are to be
reckoned righteous, while they are still ungodly.
• Justification is God reckoning a man righteous who has
no righteousness, because God is operating on another
basis, the work of Christ.
• “For there is no difference (distinction)”. No distinction
between Jew and Greek; it is applicable to anyone.
(Colossians 3:11) These words should be joined to
verse 23.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God;
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• Paul has made it clear thus far, that there is no difference
between Jew and Gentile when
it comes to the final judgment.
Everyone has sinned, and
therefore no one can share in
the “glory of God” because of
their sinfulness. Galatians
3:22a
• The term “glory of God” refers to
the wonderful, indescribable
presence of God Himself. Paul
is correct, because of our sin,
we all fall short; inability to stand
before Him, or in His glorious, holy presence.
• Another thought is, those now justified by faith in Christ,
“rejoice in hope of the glory of God”; meaning the state of
being glorified together with Christ.
• It is in and through Christ alone, that sinners ruined in
Adam, and daily falling short of the glory of God, find
redemption from Sin’s guilt and deliverance from it’s
power.

Romans 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through

the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
• We now come to the greatest single verse in the entire
Bible on the matter of justification by grace through faith.
• God, having brought the whole world into His court-room
and pronounced all guilty (vs. 19) “under sin”, now
exhibits His love and grace toward the guilty.
• The word “justified” does not mean to make one holy or
righteous, but rather to declare one righteous.
Justification is not a change by God in us, but a change
of our relation to God.
• “By His grace”; we get our word charity from the Greek
word translated grace. “The word favor is the nearest
Biblical synonym for the word grace. Grace is favor, and

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 favor is grace, and it finds its greatest triumph and glory
in the sphere of human helplessness. Grace ceases to
be grace if God is compelled to withdraw it because of
human failure or sin. In fact, grace cannot be exercised
where there is the slightest degree of human merit to be
recognized.
• “God cannot propose to do less in grace for one who is
sinful than He would have done had that one been less
sinful. The sin question has been set aside forever, and
equal favor/grace is extended to all who believe. Thus,
grace cannot be increased, nor diminished.” L.S. Chafer

• A Few Words About Grace by William Newell

The Proper Attitude of Man Under Grace:
1. To believe, and to consent to be loved while
unworthy, is the great secret.
2. To expect to be blessed, though realizing more and
more lack of worth.
3. To be disappointed with yourself, is to have believed
in yourself.
4. The lack of Divine blessing, comes from unbelief, and
not from failure of devotion.
• “Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”.
The word “redemption” refers to deliverance from the
wrath of a holy God and the merited penalty of sin,
through the price which was paid in full (death of Christ).
Ephesians 1:7

Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a

propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his
righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,
through the forbearance of God;
• In this verse, Paul appears to be looking back to the
whole history of human sin before it was judged at the
cross. A holy God letting sin pass for thousands of years
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 from Adam to Christ. God had been righteous in passing
over human sin, both in pardoning the Abels, Enochs,
and Noahs, whom he knew as believing Him. And not
only so, He was righteous in tolerating His enemies,
because He purposed both to send Christ to become the
propitiation (substitute/atonement) for the whole world,
and He would also deal, in due time, in righteous
judgment with those rejecting His goodness.
• In describing how God provided us with undeserved
righteousness, Paul alludes to the sacrificial system in
the Old Testament. (Leviticus 17:11) Only now, the life
offered as a sacrifice is not an animal, but Christ. God
removed our punishment through the perfect
sacrifice/substitute Jesus Christ, a sacrifice that involved
His death, the shedding of His blood.
• “Through faith in His blood”. Of course the blood
mentioned here is the blood of Christ. Thinking back
again to Leviticus 17:11; “Life is in the blood and I have
given blood to make atonement for your souls”. Only the
blood of Christ can be the effective
atonement/payment/propitiation for our sins. It is faith
that humbly accepts what has been done on our behalf.
(Romans 5:9)

Romans 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his

righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of
him which believeth in Jesus.
• God maintains His righteous
character by providing Christ as the
perfect sacrifice for sin. While His
full justice demanded full payment
for sin, He also provided the full
payment for those who put their trust
in Jesus Christ.
• God is just, and His answer for
dealing with sin always has been death. The only
solution to humanity’s dilemma, that is death because of
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 sin, was given by God in the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ.
• Both in verse 25 and 26, our part (faith/believe) is clearly
set forth as what appropriates the work of Christ, and we
are declared righteous and able to stand in the presence
of almighty God by virtue of faith in what Christ has done.

Romans 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By

what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
• It is plain all through this chapter, that Paul has the
religious position and opposition of the Jews in mind.
Boasting was excluded at the moment when the law of
faith (the gospel) was brought in.
• In view of this new gospel-revelation of the finished work
of Christ, who did the entire work for us on Calvary and
that by God’s appointment, everything is seen to be of
God and nothing of man.
• Therefore, even the Jews to whom the law had been
given, had their mouths stopped, because there was no
work done by man, and no ground for boasting.
• “By the law of faith”. Law in this instance is rule or
plan. This law or principle of faith, applies not only to our
justification, but to every aspect of the believer’s life
thereafter. “The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by
faith in the Son of God” Galatians 2:20

Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is

justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
• No amount of human achievement or progress in
personal development will close the gap between God’s
moral perfection and our imperfect daily performance.
Galatians 2:16
• This verse is not a conclusion arrived at, but a reason
given why boasting is excluded.

Romans 3:29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not

also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
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• The Jews cannot deny that Gentiles can also receive
God’s saving grace.
• God shall justify Jewish believers through simple faith
(and not by keeping Moses’ law), and the Gentiles
through their faith (apart from His giving them the law).

Romans 3:30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify

the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through
faith.
• (Deuteronomy 6:4) If God really is the one and only
God, then He is God of all His creation, and justifies
(declares righteous) both Jews and Gentiles through faith
in Him. The question of justification will not be settled
according to those who have or have not been
circumcised, but rather by their faith.

Romans 3:31 Do we then make void the law through

faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
• Paul envisions the Jewish critic raising this last question;
“does faith wipe out the law”? Paul’s answer; “God
forbid”! In fact, only by faith in Christ can we fulfill the
righteous requirements of the law. Romans 8:4
• Romans 6:23 – “The wages of sin is death”: Paul
preached Christ crucified. Christ died for our sins, and
tasted death for every man. Israel, who was under the
law, Christ redeemed from the curse of the law, by being
made a curse for them. Therefore, the cross established
the law; for the full penalty of all that was against God’s
holiness, His righteousness, His truth, was forever met.

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Romans Chapter 4

Introduction
• Paul had already made mention that “a righteousness
from God, apart from law, has been made known, to
which the law and the prophets testify”. (Romans 3:21)
Now he continues to show the Jews from their own
scriptures that a person is justified by faith and not by
works. Abraham is Paul’s first example; if he can make a
convincing case for Abraham’s justification by faith, the
Jews might be more open to considering the claims of
the gospel. After all, if the ancestral father of the Jewish
nation did not attempt to earn his way into God’s favor,
neither should his offspring. Paul wanted his fellow Jews
to discover what he and their father Abraham had
discovered; justification comes by faith.

A. Abraham justified by faith alone

Romans 4:1 What shall we say then that Abraham our
father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found.
• The Jews especially gloried in Abraham and David, but
whatever Abraham obtained, scripture forbade the
thought that he could boast before God, because he
simply believed what God told him. (Genesis 15:6)

Romans 4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he

hath whereof to
glory; but not before
God.
• If Abraham was
accepted by God
because of what he
did, then he would
have something to
boast about. This
was the traditional
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 religious pride that Paul expected from the Jews. Many
Jews saw Abraham as justified by his work of obedience
to God’s command in sacrificing Isaac. They believed
that he had every reason to boast.
• However, Paul knocks down that argument by saying
“but not before God”. There can be no boasting about
anything before God.

Romans 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham

believed God, and it was counted unto him for
righteousness.
• To underscore his point, Paul quotes from Gen. 15:6.
• Having given the human answer in verse 2, Paul now
introduces God’s answer. It’s interesting to consider that
many Jewish teachers interpreted this Old Testament
verse to refer to Abraham’s faithfulness to God’s
covenants. Paul however puts this verse in a new light;
Abraham’s works or obedience were not credited as
righteousness, but rather his faith, which ultimately
produces obedience and good works, was credited as
righteousness.
• Abraham merely believed that God told the truth; there
was no effort here. Abraham’s faith was not an act, but
rather an attitude.
• Paul uses the word “counted/credited” to describe how
God treats human faith. God credited righteousness to
Abraham’s account.

Romans 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not

reckoned of grace, but of debt.
• “To him who works”: To a man who works for wages,
the wages are owed as a debt; that is a simple principle
that applies to most everything except salvation. No one
ever received God’s righteousness by doing right, as
strange as that may seem. Romans 11:6

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Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth
on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted
for righteousness.
• “But to him who works not”: But to him who, seeing
his guilt and inability ceases totally from all efforts to
obtain God’s favor by his own doings, self denying, or
even his prayers. Act. 13:39
• “But believes on him that justifies the ungodly”;
Notice that scripture does not say that God justifies the
praying man, or the diligent Bible reader, or the dedicated
church member, but rather the ungodly. We might say,
God can’t do that; God can’t declare a man righteous if
he really is ungodly.
• Keep in mind that God can and does reckon to such a
one who ceases trying to make himself acceptable to
God, and relies totally on God, the glorious benefit of
Christ’s death and resurrection.
• We are all ungodly; and when we place our faith in the
God who is in the business of declaring righteous the
ungodly who trust Him just as they are – then we are
justified, considered righteous by God.

B. David justified by faith also

Romans 4:6 Even as David also describeth the
blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth
righteousness without works,
• It’s interesting in this chapter who Paul uses as examples
of men of faith; Abraham who was a picture of
righteousness to the Jews, and David the most well
known sinner.
• Paul here quotes from Psalm 32, a Psalm of David, to
develop his explanation of how God credits
righteousness apart from works. “Oh the blessedness
of the man”; what man? The man whose sins are
forgiven.

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Romans 4:7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities
are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Psalm 32:1-2
• “Forgiven”, is God going
forth to embrace the sinner
as the prodigal son was
embraced by his father.
• “Covered”, is a reference
to Old Testament sins that
could never be taken away,
only covered. In those
sacrifices, there is a
remembrance made, not a removal. (Hebrews 10:3, 11)
• If David could proclaim, “blessed are they whose sins are
covered’, out of God’s sight but not removed, even more
should we rejoice to know that Christ put away sin by the
sacrifice of Himself. (Hebrews 9:26)

Romans 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will

not impute sin.
• The third element that David describes in “righteousness
without works” is the purpose of God, never to bring up
again the sin of the “blessed man”.
• High offenses were David’s indeed, adultery and murder,
but they were forgiven, covered, and not “reckoned”
against David.

C. Justification apart from ordinances and rituals

Romans 4:9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the
circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also?
For we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for
righteousness.

Romans 4:10 How was it then reckoned? When he was

in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in
circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
• Now Paul reveals that even Divine ordinances have
nothing to do with righteousness. The Jews relied upon
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 and boasted in the outward mark of circumcision, which
God gave to Abraham in Genesis 17. They were
forgetting that God had counted Abraham righteous,
apart from circumcision, some fifteen years before in
Genesis 15:6.
• Even so, baptism today is an outward sign that we are
Christ’s, but how terrible is the delusion that baptism, in
itself, amounts to anything before God. Neither baptism,
nor the Lord’s Supper, has power to give any standing
before a righteous God.

Romans 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision,

a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet
being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all
them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that
righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
• Abraham’s circumcision sealed the righteous standing he
already had with God because of his faith. (Genesis
17:10-11) Abraham’s circumcision was a seal and a
sign.
• It was in order to become “the father of all them that
believe” that Abraham received the sign of circumcision;
that is, he would have become the father of
uncircumcised believers apart from his own circumcision,
for he himself believed while uncircumcised. Faith then
precedes and supersedes circumcision.

Romans 4:12 And the father of circumcision to them

who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk
in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he
had being yet uncircumcised.
• Abraham is father of the uncircumcised believers
because he was uncircumcised when he was considered
righteous: He is the father of circumcised believers, not
because of Jewish heritage, but because they both had
faith in God.

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• The Jews were to remember that circumcision was a
sign, not a substitute for faith.
• “Walk in the steps of faith”; Follow in the footsteps of faith
that Abraham had before he was circumcised.

D. Justification by faith in God’s promise alone

Romans 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir
of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed,
through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
• What promise? “Abram believed God (Genesis 15:6),
and what he believed was God’s promise that he would
be “heir of the world”. (Genesis 12:2-3)

Romans 4:14 For if they which are of the law be heirs,

faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:
• If living by the law makes the Jews the only heirs of
God’s promises, then Abraham’s faith and God’s
promises are worthless. Galatians 3:18

Romans 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath

(punishment for sin): for where no law is, there is no
transgression.
• If the law does not bring righteousness, then why does it
exist? “The law brings wrath”. The law’s function is to
reveal sinfulness and to impose penalties on those who
transgress it. (Romans 3:20)
• However, if there is no law, neither is there violation. If
we approach an intersection with no “stop sign” and we
proceed through the intersection, we have not violated
the since there was no law. However, when that “stop
sign” goes up and we fly through the intersection without
stopping, now there is a violation.

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Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by
grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the
seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also
which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us
all,
• What God gives by grace, can only be accepted by faith.
The promise given to Abraham that he and his offspring
would inherit the world (Romans 4:13), refers to his
spiritual offspring, those who walk by faith. Romans 9:8
• “Father of us all”; Abraham is the father of all who come
to God in faith, whether they be Jew or Gentile.

Romans 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father

of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even
God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things
which be not as though they were.
• The words “Abraham, who is the father of us all” in verse
16 are actually connected to “before him whom he
believed” in verse 17.
• The promise that God had given to Abraham was that he
would be the father of many nations (Genesis 17:2-4),
and that the entire world would be blessed through him.
(Genesis 12:3)
• This promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who was from
Abraham’s line.
• Paul points out that the promise to Abraham to be the
“father of many nations” extends far beyond Israel to all
the nations of the world.
• “The God who gives life to the dead and calls things that
are not as though they were”. Paul’s words may seem
awkward to us, but they were very familiar to the Jews.
Paul’s explanation of the God in whom Abraham trusted
is consistent with how the Jews had always understood
God. God is creator; the giver and sustainer of life; He
can bring the dead back to life; and can bring into
existence what previously did not exist. (Deuteronomy
32:39; 1 Corinthians 1:28)
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• For God to extend to a man the complete value of
Christ’s atoning work and “reckon” him positionally
justified and glorified in His sight, although not so
conditionally, is beyond our human understanding.

Romans 4:18 Who against hope believed in hope, that

he might become the father of many nations, according
to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
• From here until the end of the chapter, we have the God-
glorifying path of faith exemplified in Abraham. He kept
on in hope (confident expectation), believing contrary to
all human hope. Genesis 15:5
• This is the essence of faith, that it reckons as God does;
giving life, not to the feeble, but to the dead – to those
who cannot be helped, or patched up, but to those who
are absolutely hopeless.
• That God should call the things that are not as being, is
what faith rejoices in. Only God can do that; and
Abraham becomes for us a shining example of this.

Romans 4:19 And being not weak in faith, he

considered not his own body now dead, when he was
about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of
Sarah's womb:
• His own body as in a dead condition – He knew it to be
so – And therefore was hopeless in himself. Moreover,
Abraham knew Sarah was “past age” and unable to bear
a child. He had before him then, himself as dead, and
the “deadness of Sarah’s womb”.
• But he also had before him the promise of God; “thou
shalt become a father of many nations”. Hebrews 11:11

Romans 4:20 He staggered not at the promise of God

through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to
God;
• It was clearly a question of God and His ability to carry
out what He had promised. Abraham, therefore believed
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 God (Gen. 15:5-6), and wavered not through unbelief,
but became inwardly strengthened through faith, giving
glory to God.
• We find in Genesis 17:17 that Abraham not only
considered the deadness of his body, but also brought up
the question before the Lord. “Shall a child be born unto
him who is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is
ninety years old, bear?” God answered with a definite
promise and Abraham thereafter, setting God’s promise
before him, refused to have his faith weakened by any
thought of himself or Sarah.
• Abraham’s unwavering faith apparently affected a
doubting Sarah (Genesis 18:12, 13, 15) in such a way
that she also came to realize that God is faithful. It’s
interesting to consider, that initially Abraham also
laughed (Genesis 17:16-19);
thus, both Abraham and
Sarah thought this thing too
good to be true, but God in
faithfulness brought it to
pass.
• And we know the happy
laughter into which Sarah
eventually entered. (Genesis
21:5-7) Keep in mind that
God named the child to be
born to Abraham and Sarah,
Isaac, which means laughter,
and every time they spoke his name Isaac, it was a
reminder of how gracious God had been to them.

Romans 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he

had promised, he was able also to perform.
• Surrounded by a society fully immersed in paganism,
where gods came by the dozens and were subject to
human manipulation, Abraham dared to trust a God he
could not control.
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• It’s interesting to consider that exercised faith increases;
Abraham’s life was marked by mistakes, sin, and failure,
but he consistently trusted God and his faith was
strengthened by the obstacles he faced, his life becoming
an example of faith in action.

Romans 4:22 And therefore it was imputed (credited) to

him for righteousness.
• We are not told that Abraham was reckoned
righteous because he forsook his own land and was
brought to the land of Canaan, nor because he built
altars to Jehovah and worshipped Him, nor because
he had such great courage to slaughter kings and
deliver Lot; all these things occurred before the
amazing scene of Gen. 15, where God proposed to
him something totally impossible except to God
Himself.
• Abraham was reckoned righteous when he believed
in God, and His word, to bring about, concerning
Abraham, something that could not humanly be.

E. Justification imputed to all that believe on Him who

raised up Jesus
Romans 4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone,
that it was imputed to him; 24 But for us also, to whom
it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up
Jesus our Lord from the dead;
• What a wonderful revelation this is for we believers; that
we, like Abraham, have righteousness reckoned to us,
and that the story in Genesis was “written for our sake”.
• However, we must remember that God’s methods
regarding faith are always the same. Abraham’s faith
was tested and tried, we must also expect our path of
faith to be similar.
• Note two things here in verse 24; first it is upon God we
believe, the same God who was in the opening chapters

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 of Romans bringing all of us under His judgment, is here
believed on. (John 12:44)
• But second, it is upon Him as having raised Jesus from
the dead that we believe on Him. It is not merely on God
who sent Jesus to be our propitiation for our sins, but it is
upon the God who has proven the truth of Jesus’ last
words “it is finished”, by raising Him from the dead. Acts
13:30

Romans 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and

was raised again for our justification (our right
standing).
• Because of our trespasses, Jesus was delivered up by a
holy God to bear our sin, with it’s guilt and penalty, even
to the point of God forsaking His own son; for he must
otherwise forsake us forever. His smiting our substitute
rather than smiting us: “He was bruised for our iniquities”.
• “And was raised again for our justification”.
Remembering we are not justified until we believe; but
also that Christ’s resurrection was not merely to prove
that we had been justified, but the noun construction of
the sentence indicates “the act of justifying”, which clearly
shows that Christ’s resurrection was for the purpose of
justifying us.

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Romans Chapter 5

Introduction
• This great chapter falls into two parts. In the first eleven
verses, we have the results of justification by faith [peace
with God (vs. 1), a standing in grace (vs. 2a), sure hope
of coming glory (vs. 2b), present patience (vs.3), and joy
in God (vs.11)]. As well as one of the clearest
statements in the Bible of the pure love and grace of God
in giving Christ for us sinners (vs. 8).
• In the second part, verses 12 through 21, God goes all
the way back to the beginning of human sin, to Adam as
our representative head, whose sin became
condemnation and death for all of us. And then shows us
Christ, as the other representative man, who brought us
justification and life by His act of death on the cross.
• The emphasis in this section will be upon the fact that the
act of the representative (Adam or Christ), and not of the
one represented (you and I), brought the result to pass.

A. The results of justification by faith

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
• Literally “therefore having been declared righteousness
on the principle of faith”; the moment we believed, God
declared us righteous never to change His mind, it shall
be forever.
• As a believer, we could quote this verse as follows;
“Having been declared righteous on the principle of faith,
we have the following results: chapter 3 Christ is our
propitiation (substitute), chapter 4 He was raised for our
justification, Chapter 5 we have peace with God, a
standing in grace, and the hope of coming glory.
• “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ”. In verses 6, 8, and 10, we are told that the
natural man is ungodly, a sinner, and an enemy of God,
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 however through our Lord Jesus Christ we were
reconciled (2 Corinthians 5:18), brought from the place
of an enemy to the place of a friend. We have made
peace with God – God was so totally satisfied with
Christ’s sacrifice that he will eternally remain so; never
taking up the judgment of our sin again.
• All claims against us were met when Christ “made peace”
for us by the blood of His cross. Isaiah 32:17
• This peace with God, must not be confused with “peace
from God” (Rom. 1:7), or the “peace of God” in
(Philippians 4:7).

Romans 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into

this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the
glory of God.
• Now we come to the second
benefit of being justified by faith;
through Christ, in Whom we have
believed, there has been given to
the justified “access” into a
wonderful standing in Divine favor.
1 Peter 5:12 Being in Christ, we
have extended to us the very
grace/favor in which Christ Himself
stands. Ephesians1:4; 2 Peter
1:3; Romans 8:17; Colossians
2:10
• It is a place of Divine favor given to every believer the
moment we believe. (Romans 6:14b) It is a wonderful
discovery to find how fully God is for us, in Christ.
• ‘We rejoice in hope of the glory of God”. This is the
future of every believer; to enter into a glorified state,
glorified together with Christ. (Romans 8:17) It is not
merely to behold Christ’s glory, but to enter into it.
(Colossians 3:4; John 17:22)

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Romans 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in
tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh
patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience,
hope:
• So now we find that not only do all believers look back to
peace made with God at the cross, and presently to a
God smiling upon us in favor, and forward to our coming
glorification with Christ, but we are also able to
glory/exult/triumph in any and all tribulation that has been
appointed to us. Acts 14:22; 1 Thessalonians 3:3; 1
Peter 5:10
• The word tribulation here means pressure, difficulties,
and Paul had them. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9; 6:4-10;
11:24-30)
• The Divine process is as follows; God brings us into
tribulation, graciously supplying with it hope (a
confidence that God is in control, that this is for our own
good, and that He will see us through in His time).
• Trials and tribulations are like the pressure put on carbon
to produce a diamond, or like the wind buffeting a great
oak on a hillside which will cause the tree to thrust its
roots deeper into the ground. Likewise our God-
orchestrated trials and tribulations will result in patient
endurance, which will deepen character (His character),
and ultimately produces hope (confident expectation).
(James 1:2-4)
• “An abundant supply of
herring may be found near
one of England’s coasts.
When brought to shore to
be sold, the fishermen
found that they became
flabby and flavorless. By
installing tanks on their
fishing vessels and thus
keeping the herring alive
until sold, their problem
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 was largely solved. But one ingenious fisherman
devised a means of keeping them in perfect condition.
Everyone rushed to buy his herring first. Finally, he let
it out. In each of his numerous large tanks filled with
herring, he put a catfish or two. Now, catfish chase
the herring and eat them. They were welcome to a
few for their service, for the herring kept fleeing for
their lives and retained their vitality and flavor.
• “Has God put a spiritual catfish in your circumstances
to keep you moving toward Him; a catfish that is
wearing the life out of you, your natural life, so that
you will know what it is to live His life, Christ’s own life
lived in you? Oh, thank God for the catfish in your life!
If you do, that will be the occasion for your becoming
strong and usable and a glory to His name. “in
everything give thanks; for this -is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians
5:18).
• Actually, the real catfish lives within each of us - there
is “something fishy” all right - none other than the “old
man.” As he is dealt with by the Cross, there will be
freedom to grow in the midst of any and all
circumstances. We’ll speak of this in detail in chapter
6.
• “A weakness be it bodily or otherwise is sometimes
allowed to continue in order that there may be
dependence, and when there is dependence, the
weakness becomes a gain; the grit - the trying thing - is
superseded by a pearl.” -- J.B. Stoney

Romans 5:5 And (our state of) hope does not make us
ashamed; because God’s love (for us) is shed abroad in
our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
• Furthermore, no matter how much the world or worldly
Christians may avoid or rebuke us, this hopefulness is
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 not “put to shame” (Philippians 1:20) because there is
the inward consciousness of God’s love being poured out
in our hearts through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
(Galatians 4:6)
• Paul now begins to explain this “love of God” which is
sheer grace (“for God so loved the world that He gave”).
(Ephesians 3:17-19) First of all, the indwelling Holy Spirit
given freely to all believers, sheds abroad in our hearts
this love of God. Then in the following verses, we see
different stages of our sinfulness, each connected in a
peculiar way with God’s love.

Romans 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in

due time Christ died for the ungodly.
• The fact of man’s total moral inability is stated here in the
gentlest possible terms. It is a moral and spiritual
bankruptcy, as well as of power to be or do good. Yet
into a scene of helplessness like this, God sends His son;
for what? To die for the “ungodly”
• No return or response is demanded, it is total grace – for
the ungodly; this is definitely God’s love shed abroad.

Romans 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one

die: yet peradventure for a
good man some would even
dare to die.
• Paul proceeds with his
praise concerning God’s love.
The highest expression of
human love is when someone
gives his or her life so that
another might live. (John
15:13)
• People are able to
understand sacrificial love,

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 even though it is rarely practiced. This kind of sacrificial
act is almost never unconditional or undeserved; people
do not readily die for their enemies.

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us,

in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
• But God’s love stands in stark contrast to even the
deepest expression of human love. (Ephesians 5:2) It
was while we were still sinning; while we were rebellious
and despicable, that Christ died for us so that we could
come to God, find peace with Him, and become heirs of
His promises.
• Christ did not die so that we could be made lovable; He
died because God already loved us and wanted to bring
us to Himself.

Romans 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his

blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
• God has done the harder thing; He will also do the easier
thing. He had Christ die for us while we were yet sinners
and enemies; “much more’ will He see that we, being
now believers and declared/counted righteous
(positionally), shall be saved from the coming wrath
through Him (Christ).
• Notice that blood is the justifying ground of our being
accounted righteous; and that instead of our being
uncertain of preservation from the wrath which is coming
at the last judgment, the fact that Christ died for us while
we were still sinners should give us a calm security. (1
Thessalonians 1:10)

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• I want to take a few moments at this point to emphasize
the above comment regarding the blood.
• In the first half of Romans 1 to 8, twice we see the
reference to the blood of Christ. As we look a bit deeper,
we see that the blood deals with what we have done, (our
sins). Let’s briefly look at the blood and its value to us in
dealing with our sins. (Romans 3:23-25; 5:8-9)
• The blood is primarily for God. When sin occurs, it
causes death (separation). (Romans 6:23; Is 59:1-2)
The blood is for “atonement” (payment, satisfaction, or
reconciliation). (Leviticus 17:11) We need forgiveness
for the sins we have committed, and they are forgiven,
not because God overlooks what we have done but
because He sees the blood. The blood then is primarily
for God. If we want to understand the value of the blood,
then we must see the value God puts on it. (I John 1:7;
Hebrews 9:22) All throughout the Old Testament the
word “blood” is used in connection with the idea of
atonement, and it is used in this way over 100 times.
• In the Old Testament there was a day that had great
bearing on the matter of the people’s sins, and that day
was the Day of Atonement. On that day, no one could
enter the tabernacle itself except the high priest. It was
he alone who took the blood and, going into “the most
Holy Place,” sprinkled it there to make atonement for the
people. You see, the high priest was a type of Christ.
(Hebrews 9:11-12) We must remember that God is the
one who demands that the blood be presented in order to
satisfy His own righteousness, and it is He who says;
“when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” (Exodus
12:23) THE BLOOD OF CHRIST WHOLLY SATISFIES
GOD.

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• The blood must also satisfy us. It has therefore a second
value, and that is toward man. When sin occurs it brings
with it a sense of guilt, and the blood cleanses our
consciences. (Hebrews 10:22) This verse can be
confusing. Let’s look carefully at what it says; it does not
say that the blood of Jesus cleanses our hearts. We are
told in (Jeremiah 17:9) that the heart is desperately
wicked, and in (Ezekiel 36:26) that God does more than
cleanse it, He gives us new hearts. Nowhere in Scripture
does it say that the blood cleanses our hearts. The
cleansing work of the blood here in Heb. 10 refers to the
heart, but it is in relation to the conscience. “Having our
hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.”
• The blood is also valuable to us regarding Satan and his
accusations. (Revelation 12:10) Since God sees all of
our sins and can forgive them on the basis of the blood,
what ground of accusation has Satan? He can accuse
us if he wants, but what good will that do? (Romans
8:31-39)
• Remember Satan not only accuses us before God, but
he also accuses us in our own conscience. He points to
our sins and tries to convict us with them, and if we
accept his accusations, down we go. Now the reason
why we so readily accept his accusations is that we are
still hoping to have some righteousness of our own; our
expectations are centered on us. (Psalm 62:5)
• We must learn to put no confidence in the flesh.
(Philippians 3:3) We shouldn’t be shocked if we sin, for
the very nature of the flesh is to sin. It is because we
have not come to realize how helpless we are that we still
have some expectation in ourselves, in our flesh. (John
6:63); (Mark 14:38) There is nothing more helpless and
hopeless than a man living in guilt because such a man
is not trusting in the blood. The blood speaks in our
favor, but just like Eve in the Garden of Eden, we are
listening to Satan; and we the accused, end up siding
with the accuser. We should always answer Satan’s
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 accusations with the blood. Yes, we are sinful, but praise
God, the blood cleanses us from every sin. God looks
upon the blood and Satan has no more ground of attack.
Our faith in the blood silences his charges. (Revelation
12:10, 11)
• When we trust in the blood, our conscience is at once
cleared and our sense of guilt removed.
• A Scripture that has meant so much to so many is (I
Timothy 1:17-19). The Phillip’s translation of the Bible
translates these verses this way: “Sending Timothy out to
battle armed only with faith and a good conscience.”
Faith and a good conscience are interdependent of each
other. As soon as we find our conscience is uneasy, our
faith leaks away and immediately we can no longer face
God. Guilt weakens our faith, but the walk of faith
produces a good conscience. In order for us to keep
walking with the Lord, walking with a clear conscience,
we must know the value of the blood. Our basis of
approach must always be the blood of Christ. God’s
acceptance of that blood is the ground upon which we
may enter; and there is no other. (Hebrews 10:19, 22)

________TIME BACK IN_________

Romans 5:10 For if when we were enemies, we were

reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more,
being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
• Now “enemies” is a much stronger word than “ungodly”
or “sinners”; it involves a personal alienation and
animosity. (Romans 8:7 – What a condition to be in)
• And yet, while we were going about avoiding and hating
God, that same God was having His Son Jesus meet all
the Divine claims against us by His death on Calvary.
Ponder this; “while we were enemies” He did this. God
required no change of our hateful attitude before he sent
His Son.

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• “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that God loved
us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (substitute) for
our sins”. Grace, amazing grace – unasked, undesired,
and of course, undeserved – Divine kindness.
• Let’s stop a moment and consider the four “much
mores” in this chapter. Two are in this first section, and
two are in the second. First we have the two “much
mores” of future safety in verses 9 and 10, then the two
“much mores” of grace’s abundance in verses 15 and 17.

Back to verse 10, Much more, being reconciled, we

shall be saved by his life.
• Let’s return again to our original thought regarding the
four “much mores”. Again, here in verse 10, as in verse
9, God has done the harder thing – delivering Christ to
death for the purpose of reconciling us to Himself. (2
Corinthians 5:18) He will certainly, “much more”, do the
lesser thing and see that we share Christ’s risen life
forever; beginning right now.
• Keep in mind that the word “saved” has a past, present,
and future tense. Regarding the present, the Amplified
version of the Bible actually translates this portion of
scripture in this way; “daily delivered from sin’s dominion
by His life”. (This will more fully come out in chapters six
through eight where the Spirit produces that life of Christ
as a “law of life”.
• Looking with a future focus;
“saved by His life” evidently
looks forward to the coming Day
of Judgment referred to in verse
9 as the coming wrath, and
which our Lord has told us we
shall not come. (John 5:24)

Romans 5:11 And not only so,

but we also joy in God through
our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom
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we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).
• And now Paul closes up this section with a high note of
exultation. He says “we joy/exult in God”. What a
change; three chapters back, we were sitting in the
Divine Judge’s courtroom guilty, our mouths stopped,
and all our works rejected. Now through our Lord Jesus
Christ, and His work for us, we are rejoicing in Him
because we have now been reconciled to God; this is
what “His grace” can do.

Paul now reveals God’s plan, The “reign of grace”

through Christ. (Rom. 5:12-21)
• When we come to Romans 5:12, a new view of our
salvation appears. Two men, Adam and Christ, with their
distinct representative consequences are before us. It is
no longer what we have done (our sins), but rather the
one trespass of Adam that is in view. And it is the work
of Christ, His righteous act of death, with its effect of
justification for us.
• So now we look back to the act that set us down as
sinners, instead of to our own deeds; and to the act that
declares us righteous, apart from our own work.
• The key word in this passage is “one”, which is used 14
times and as follows: “one man, the one, one trespass,
one man’s disobedience, one act of righteousness, the
obedience of the one”
• Two men – Adam and Christ
• Two acts – One trespass – One righteous act
• Two results – Adam, condemnation, guilt, death – Christ,
justification, life, kingship
• Two kings – Sin, reigning through death – Grace,
reigning through righteousness
• Two abundances – Grace and the gift of righteousness
• Two contrasted states – Condemned men, slaves of
death by Adam – Justified men, reigning in life by Christ
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B. Sin and death entered the world through Adam
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into
the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon
all men, for that all have sinned:
• This whole plan of salvation by Christ’s work, not ours,
which we have been considering in chapters three
through five, gives rise to the “wherefore” which
introduces this verse.
• “Therefore”, [this plan of salvation by a single Redeemer],
is on the same principle as when through one man
(Adam), sin entered the world; and with it, it’s wages,
death.
• Paul proceeds to emphasize this point; that is by one
man, death passed to all men, because when Adam
sinned, we all sinned. It was a representative act.
• Please note that the King James mistranslates “all
sinned” as “all have sinned”. The point is, that we were
all in Adam, therefore when he acted we all acted; “all
sinned”.
• All human beings have two things in common; all sinned,
and all will die. Ezekiel 18:4

Romans 5:13 For until the law sin was in the world: but
sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even
over them that had not sinned after the similitude of
Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was
to come.
• Now comes the remarkable statement that although sin
was in the world during the first 2500 years from Adam to
Moses, it is not put to account when there is no law. We
could paraphrase it in this way; “sin is not put to the
account of the sinner when there is no law forbidding it”.
We must remember that;
1. Sin was in the world between Adam and Moses

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 2. According to Romans 1, man had rejected light and
were without excuse, though they were without law.
Keep in mind that God’s definition of sin is not
transgression of the law, but rather refusal to be
controlled – self-willed.
3. Man had a conscience which bore witness, either
accusing or excusing man.
4. God’s judgments such as the flood, Sodom, the
destruction of the Canaanites, followed the “filling up
of the cup of iniquity” at such times; for men were
trampling on their own consciences.
5. The sins between Adam and Moses did not bring
about the sentence of death upon humanity. For
these people, though they sinned, had not sinned
after the likeness of Adam’s transgression, which was
a willful violation of a direct command from a revealed
God (Adam had a law).
6. We must therefore regard the human race under a
sentence of death that they did not bring upon
themselves. “Death reigned from Adam to Moses
(verse 14).
• Unlike Adam, and unlike Israel after the law was given to
Moses, those who lived between the two had no Divine
law, the breaking of which would be a direct
transgression with a penalty of death. Nevertheless,
“death reigned”, even over them.
• If we look around in our world today, we see the same
truth; babies that know nothing of right and wrong die.
Every tombstone should remind us of the universal effect
of that sin of Adam, for it was through that only, that
“death passed to all men”.
• We see then that from Adam to Moses “death reigned” as
king, because Adam’s sin had involved his whole race..
• “Who is the figure of Him who was to come”. Here Adam
is declared a type of Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:22,47,49)
To discover that we are no longer connected with that
first Adam in which we were born, but rather with the
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 risen Christ, will become more clear in chapters six to
eight, but Paul lays the foundation here.

C. Righteousness and life entered the world through

Christ
Romans 5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the free
gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead,
much more the grace of God, and the
gift by grace, which is by one man,
Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto
many.
• The gift from God through Christ
(justification) has a greater, but
opposite effect than the trespass of
Adam and its consequences. Yet in
each case, the act of one affected the
lives of many. Because of Adam’s sin, death entered the
human race, and since then all people have died (with
the exception of Enoch and Elijah).
• We must believe that that the free gift will finally be seen
to be as far beyond the results of the trespass, as God
and Christ are greater than Adam.

Romans 5:16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is

the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation,
but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
• What Paul is communicating is that out of Adam’s one sin
came judgment, but out of the many trespasses that were
laid upon Christ on our behalf, came not judgment, but a
righteous act.

Romans 5:17 For if by

one man's offence death
reigned by one; much
more they which receive
abundance of grace and
of the gift of
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righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
• Here we see two kingdoms. First, the kingdom of death,
and we see it on every tombstone in every cemetery all
over this world. Surely death has reigned through Adam.
• Second; for the fourth time in this chapter, Paul uses the
words “much more”, applying them to those who accept
the abundance of His grace and of His gift of
righteousness, saying these shall reign in this life.
• Look closely at the words of Paul, “reigning in life”. Here
is a kingdom before which all the world is dust; and who
are the kings? Believers, those whose faith has
“received the abundance of grace and the gift of
righteousness”, shall reign through Jesus Christ. And the
reign has already, in this life, begun, because we are in
Christ, the mighty Victor.
• Let’s trust the Lord for nothing less than a Christian life
that can be summed up as “he reigned in life through
Jesus Christ”.

Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one

judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so
by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all
men unto justification of life.
• It’s interesting that Paul uses the expression “the many”
in verses 15 and 19, but here in verse 18, he changes to
“all men”; absolutely all human beings were condemned
when Adam sinned.
• God had the right to have a judgment day of our entire
race in Eden in our head, Adam; and he did so.
Furthermore, he knew that creatures would always fail;
there is no sufficiency in the creature, only in the Creator.
• It was in love that He held that judgment day in Eden. In
love He judged us, condemned us, in our representative
head, Adam, that He might justify us in the work and
person of the other representative head, Jesus Christ.
(Colossians 1:12; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

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• Simply spoken, Adam’s sin brought condemnation on the
human race, while Christ’s sinless sacrifice, or as Paul
writes, His “one act of righteousness” opens the way for
“justification that brings life”.

Romans 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many

were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall
many be made righteous.
• The word sinner, which we all are, is brought to our
attention here in this verse. It is important to notice how
it is introduced; a sinner is a sinner because he was born
a sinner, not because he commits sins. We could say it
another way: the teaching
of Romans is not that we
are sinners because we
commit sins, but that we
sin because we are born
sinners.
• Verse 19 makes it real
clear that our bondage to
sin and self came by birth;
therefore deliverance from
sin and self comes only by
death. We’ll speak more
about this in chapter 6.
• A similar statement as in
verse 18. The whole emphasis of verses 12 to 19 is
upon the fact that the effect, whether in the case of Adam
or Christ, was produced by a representative head acting
apart from any action of those affected.
• The lesson of this passage is, that just as we have Christ
only as our righteousness, we have Adam as sin and
death to us. Adam’s response to temptation was “my will
be done”. But Christ’s prayer to God was “Thy will be
done” (Luke 22:42)

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Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence
might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much
more abound:
• “Law entered alongside”; that the act of law breaking
might increase. Romans 7:5
• After sin had been there 2500 years, the law came
alongside, that self-confident Israel might see God’s
standard, and promising to obey it, fail; and thus know sin
in order that grace might overflow. That where sin had
reigned, grace might reign.
• “Where sin abounded, grace overflowed”, for such is
always the result of the work of the cross; there is always
an abundance of grace to overcome any and all sin.
Paul who had been Christ’s great enemy, “the chief of
sinner”, declares himself to be the great example of
grace and mercy. (1 Timothy 1:16; 1 Corinthians
15:10)

Romans 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even

so might grace reign through righteousness unto
eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
• This verse reveals God’s great plan; that grace should
have a kingdom where death once had it’s kingdom, and
that of course through righteousness by Jesus Christ.
• Grace was not an addition to God’s plan; Grace was a
part of God’s plan from the beginning. God extended
grace to Adam and Eve; He extended grace to the
patriarchs; and He extended grace to the nation of Israel.
He gave the law through Moses, not to replace His grace,
but to reveal man’s need for grace. Law was temporary,
but grace is eternal.
• However, law made man’s sins increase (Romans 7:5),
so God’s grace increased even more. God’s grace was
more than adequate to overcome man’s sins. Even
though sin and death appear to be reigning in this world,
in reality God’s grace is reigning through the
righteousness of Christ.
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• Keep in mind the question of justification is still before us
in chapter 5, and not until chapter 6 is our “old man”
brought in.

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Romans Chapter 6

Introduction
• The first 8 chapters of Romans is rather interesting; the 5
½ chapters from 1:1 to 5:11 form the first half of these 8
chapters, and the 3 ½ chapters from 5:12 to 8:31 the
second half. A careful study will show us that the subject
matter of the 2 halves is not the same. For example, in
the first section we find the plural word “sins” being used.
Romans 3:25; 4:7 In the 2nd section, this is changed and
the singular word “sin” is used again and again. Romans
5:12,13 & 20-21; 6:1-2 & 6
• In the 1st section, it is a question of the sins we have
committed, but in the last half the focus is on sin as a
principle, or law, or power working in us. Romans 7:20.
• For sure we need forgiveness
for our sins, but we also desperately
need deliverance from the power of
sin. When we first come to know
Christ we’re kind of oblivious to all
this, but eventually we begin to
realize that there is something
wrong, a power that draws us to sin
and when that power is activated
we commit sins. We may confess and receive
forgiveness, but then we sin again; and life goes on in a
vicious circle sinning and being forgiven and then sinning
again. We appreciate the fact of God’s forgiveness, (I
John 1:9) but we need something more than that; we
need deliverance.
• In these first 8 chapters of Romans we are presented
with 2 aspects of our salvation, forgiveness of our sins
and deliverance from sin’s power. In this 2nd half, a new
idea is introduced; in chapter 6, verse 6, we are said to
have been ‘crucified with Christ.”

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• Now remember, the blood can wash away our sins, but it
cannot wash away our sin nature; we need the cross to
crucify us. The blood deals with the sins, but the cross
deals with the sinner.
• Remember Paul’s description of the Christian life in
Galatians 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ and it is no
longer I who lives, but Christ.” It is only the life of Christ,
only what He does in and through us that produces fruit
in our lives. Inside each of us is a self-centered sin
nature, the flesh, an inward desire to do wrong.
• And in Romans 5:19 it was very clear that our bondage
to sin and self came by birth; therefore deliverance from
sin and self comes only by death. The Lord’s way of
victory over sin and self is not through suppressing self-
centered desires, nor through confession of sins; God’s
way of victory is through crucifixion. Deliverance is only
through death. Romans 6:1-14

A. Deliverance from the power of sin through: Knowing

that we have been crucified and raised
with Christ
Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue
in sin, that grace may abound?
• Paul here addresses the issue of abusing grace. The
message of simple grace, apart from any works, seems
impossible to both the natural man and carnal Christian,
because “if where sins abound grace overflows; then the
more sin, the more grace”.
• Also, the uninstructed believer is afraid, for he says: “If
we are in a reign of pure grace, what will control our evil
tendencies? We actually fear freedom. Put us under
rules for holy living, and we can get along”.
• Another novel thought is that many professing Christians
welcome the “abounding grace” doctrine because of the
freedom they think it gives to cast aside Christian
conduct, and live any way they want. Galatians 5:13; 1
Peter 2:16 We live in a world marked by increased
85
 tolerance, and being surrounded by sinful behavior
increases the tendency to justify sin.

Romans 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to
sin, live any longer therein?
• Shall we continue in sin? ”God forbid”…
• Paul is not making a plea here for Christians to stop living
unto sin, but rather asking how is it possible for we, who
have died to sin’s power, continue to live in it?
• All Christians have died (past tense), not for sin but to sin
(to its power).
• This does not mean that all Christians have discovered or
walk in the path of victory over sin, for in this second
verse, Paul is really answering the question of verse 1;
that grace abounding enables any and all Christians to
continue right on in the old self-life.
• It is evident that Paul is not speaking here of some state
that we are in, but rather a positional fact that occurred in
the past, at the cross; and it was upon this truth that
Paul’s whole life hung.

Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were

baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
• Paul could have said it in this
way; “don’t you know that at
salvation, you were placed
into Christ, therefore when
He went to the cross, you
went to the cross; you were
placed into His death.
Colossians 3:3
• Paul was also declaring here
that in our water baptism, we
should be able to see the
picture of our spiritual
baptism; believer’s water baptism, is a physical picture of
this key spiritual truth. It appears that Paul could have
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 been wondering if they did not realize the significance of
that baptism; that it was an outward showing of their
identification with a crucified and buried Lord. (Galatians
2:20)

Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by

baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we
also should walk in newness of life.
• At salvation, we are placed into Christ (1 Corinthians
1:30a). When Christ went to the cross, we went to the
cross. When He went to the grave, we went to the grave;
when He came out of the grave and ascended to take up
His position at the right hand of the Father, we were
positionally raised and ascended with Him. Colossians
2:12; 1 Corinthians 6:14
• The word baptism here means identification; therefore we
could read this verse in this way: “we are buried with Him
by identification into death, that as Christ was raised from
the dead, by the Father’s glorious power, so we also
should walk about in newness of life”.
• God’s way of deliverance for a race of incurables, is
to put us away in the cross of His Son, and then to
make a new beginning by re-creating us in union with
Him.
• “Even so we also should walk in newness of life”;
The literal translation of the word “walk” is seen in 1
Peter 5:8 (walking about). Keep in mind that it is Christ
who is raised from the dead, and it was not back into the
old flesh and blood earthly life that He came. Because of
our union with Christ, as He was raised, so also we are
raised to walk about in “newness of life”. 2 Corinthians
5:17; Galatians 6:15
• One more thought regarding the word “life”; this does not
refer to a manner of living, but rather a “new kind of life”.
We are one with this Risen Christ; positionally abiding
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 above, while conditionally walking in newness of life while
in this world.
• Through water baptism, we proclaim our identity with
Christ as dead, buried, and the old past ended. Keep in
mind it is not through the ordinance of water baptism that
we are set free from sin’s power, for the act of baptism
merely proclaimed what was already positionally true.

Romans 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the

likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of
his resurrection:
• This verse could be paraphrased as follows: If we
actually became united with Him through identification
and have shared the reality of His death, we shall also
share the reality of the likeness of His resurrection.
Ephesians 2:6
• When Paul declares that we are united with Him in the
“likeness of His resurrection”, he refers to “walking about
in newness of life” in Christ today.
• To be joined in life with the Risen Christ, and moment by
moment, day by day, share in His death is a wonderful
truth to rest in, but now to, by faith, walk in the
blessedness of His heavenly “newness” of resurrection
life. (Philippians 1:21; Galatians 2:20)
• “Victory is the believer’s right, as sure as the air he
breathes. However, he must understand the conditions.
He must see himself crucified with Christ, dead, buried,
raised and made to sit in heavenly places with his Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. Without this, he will go down to
defeat in spite of all his efforts and prayers. With this
position, he is more than a conqueror.” F. J. Hugel

Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified

with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that
henceforth we should not serve sin.
• The word knowing here is to understand completely; note
that the concept of being crucified is beyond our human
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 intellect. It can only be spiritually understood, not
intellectually understood.
• “Our old man”; represents all that we naturally were –
desires, lusts, ambitions, etc.
• “Our old man is crucified with Him”; here is the very
opposite of the teaching of false Christianity about a holy
life. For the legalists encourage/challenge us to crucify
ourselves, “die out” to this and to that. But God says “our
old man”, all that we were in Adam, has already been
dealt with by our co-crucifixion with Christ. And the
words “with Him” reveal that it was done back at the
cross. Colossians 2:11
• Christ died unto sin, and all believers shared that death
and died with Him, and are now, therefore, dead unto sin
(unto sin’s power). Our relationship to sin is the same as
Christ’s. Our part is to believe, knowing ourselves to be
in Christ, and reckoning ourselves dead to sin no matter
how great or strong sin may appear. (John 6:28-29)
• Often times we hear Christians beseeching God for what
He says has already been done. Our old man has been
crucified with Christ; our part is to walk in faith of these
words. We are in Christ, and our relationship to sin is His
relationship to sin.
• Christ died once; once for all unto sin. He is not dying
continually. We are told to reckon ourselves dead; in that
death of Christ. We are not told to do our own dying, but
to reckon by simple faith that in His death I died; and to
be conformed unto His death. But to be conformed to a
death which is already a fact, is not doing my own dying;
reckoning ourselves dead in Christ’s death is rather
simple.
• “That the body of sin might be destroyed, that
henceforth we should not serve sin”. The word for
destroyed actually means rendered powerless.
Therefore since our “old man” has been positionally
crucified with Christ, the “body of sin” (which could refer
to the power of sin), has been rendered powerless by the
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 Holy Spirit, and now we find ourselves progressively
delivered from sin’s bondage.
• If the difference between “Christ dying for us” and “our
dying with Christ” has not been recognized
acknowledged and counted upon, it may safely be
affirmed that the old man is still the dominating factor in
life.
• We do not have to crucify the “old man” that was done in
Christ’s death on the cross; nor do we have to annul the
“body (power) of sin”, that is done by the Holy Spirit.
• "At the Cross the old man was crucified and buried.
When I plant my feet on that fact and say, 'No, as for me,
I stand in the Lord Jesus as my life,' its governing power
is broken. It is not annihilated or eradicated, but it has
lost its throne. It is a greater testimony to the power of the
Father to let that thing be in us and give us dominion over
it, than to eradicate it to begin with. We want to get clear
in our minds that the Father does not mean to improve
the old man on the one hand, nor to remove it on the
other. The fact that it does not go away or get better does
not mean that we are not growing." -N.D.

Romans 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

• How wonderful to know that we have been “freed from
sin” itself. Not only has it lost all right and power over us,
but we are declared righteous from the
thing; we are standing with God, in
Christ, away from the penalty and
power of sin.
• Our realization of this truth may be
small, our faith may be weak, but the
fact remains.
• “Fruit springs out of death. Self-
centeredness is always barren and
solitary. The way of victory is the way of the cross. The
Christian names that are honored in history are the
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 names that stand over graves where the old man was
buried long before the body died.”

Romans 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe

that we shall also live with him:
• Here it is taken for granted that we died with Christ,
that our “old man” was crucified with Him, and we
go on to the expectation of a glorious life in Christ.
2 Cor. 5:14-16
• “I have the life of the One in whom I died. (Christ,
who is my life – Col. 3:4) I am not a bit dead myself.
‘Holiness by faith’ people say I am dead; but that is
not true. Others talk about dead to nature. Another
novel notion that has come out is, that I must apply
the death of Christ to get power over sin. All are
wrong. The truth is, I have died with Him, and now I
am in His life”. J.B. Stoney
• The future tense is used here, because the life with Him,
though begun here at salvation, is not here completed.
• And now the reason for the assurance that we shall keep
on sharing the risen life of Christ is given in this next
verse 9.

Romans 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the

dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over
him.
• We Know both, that our present participation in Christ’s
risen life will continue, as well as our freedom from sin’s
penalty and power, in view of the fact that we know that
Christ has been irrevocably raised.
• Sin never had dominion over Him, and death could have
had no dominion over Him except that our sin was
transferred to Him. Death therefore, “the wages of sin”,
had a brief dominion, but now that is ended forever; and
we are in Him, also forever. Revelation 1:18
• Therefore, death with it’s dominion is for the believer
forever passed away. (John 8:51)
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Romans 6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once:
but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
• Christ is seen dying to sin here, not for it. In 2
Corinthians 5:21, God declares, “Him who knew no sin,
God made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become
the righteousness of God in Him”. Christ is made to be
what we were, that we might become, in Him, what He is.
• What a day that was when Christ, made to be sin itself,
died to it, and was forever done with it. So that now He
lives unto God forever.

B. Deliverance from the power of sin through:

reckoning it to be so and yielding ourselves to God
Romans 6:11 Likewise (because of the facts of the
preceding verse) reckon ye also yourselves to be dead
indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus
Christ our Lord
• This eleventh verse now becomes a necessity; God must
say to us: Because of the facts of the preceding verses,
do you also reckon (count on/rely on) yourselves dead,
indeed, to sin, but living to God in Christ Jesus? Our
relationship to sin is the same as Christ’s, because we
are in Him.
• Let’s drop back a moment and focus on our death with
Christ again. As we mentioned before, many Christians
have a hard time with this. The same holy Scripture that
says He died for us, Romans 5:8, also says that we died
with Christ, Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:8. Here is
something to think about: if I believe in the death of
Jesus, then I can
believe in my own
death just as surely
as I believe in His.
Let’s ask this
question: Why do we
believe that Jesus
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 died? Because the Word of God says so.
• Here is something else to give some thought to: when
Jesus was crucified, two thieves were crucified at the
same time. We don’t doubt that they were crucified.
Why? Because the Scriptures say so. We believe in the
death of the Lord Jesus, and we believe in the death of
the two thieves, what about our own death? Again,
Galatians 2:20. Christ died, and that is a fact. We were
in Christ when He died; the self that we hate is on the
cross in Christ, and we that are dead are free from sin.
Romans 6:7
• God’s way of deliverance is altogether different from
man’s way. Man’s way is to try and suppress sin by
seeking to overcome it, but God’s way is to remove the
sinner. Many Christians pray for God to make them
stronger to overcome sin, but this is not God’s way.
God’s way of delivering us from sin is not to make us
stronger and stronger, but by making us weaker and
weaker. (2 Corinthians 12:9, 10; Isaiah 40:29) God
sets us free from the dominion of sin not by strengthening
our old man, but by crucifying him.
• Just a word of caution here: many Christians, when they
begin to understand their union with Christ, try to place
the emphasis on reckoning as though that were the
starting point. God’s Word makes it very clear that
“knowing” (to understand completely) is to precede
“reckoning.” The sequence is most important. Many of
us try to reckon without knowing; we have not first had a
Spirit-given revelation of the fact, yet we try to reckon and
soon we are frustrated with the results. When temptation
comes we begin to reckon furiously, “I am dead, I am
dead!” But in the very act of reckoning we lose our
temper, and say, “It doesn’t work, Romans 6:11 is no
good.” We must come to realize that verse 11 is of no
use without verse 6. The secret of reckoning is
revelation. We must have a revelation from God.
Matthew 16:13-15; Ephesians 1:17
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• Remember the day when we saw clearly that Christ died
for us; we all should be equally clear as to the time when
we saw that we died with Christ, and then reckon it so.
God tells us to reckon ourselves dead, not that through
the process of reckoning we may become dead, but
because we are dead. Notice the repeated statements in
chapter 6 of our actual identification with the death of
Christ. Verses 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,11,13 and also Colossians
2:20; & 3:1-3.
• It is obvious from Paul’s Epistles that his whole life hung
on this fact. Galatians 2;20--He was crucified with
Christ. It is imperative that we know this; there is no
other way to be set free from sin’s power...to turn back in
unbelief from the Biblical truth that we died with Christ, is
to turn back to what? To the weary, hopeless struggle of
a burdensome, fruitless life filled with guilt, frustration and
defeat. Romans, chapter 6 is the basis for a life of
holiness; an interesting verse to ponder is John 8:32--sin
enslaves, but a walk of faith brings freedom.

Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal

body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
• Note the following;
1. The power of sin is present within and ready to
influence and control man’s soul (mind, will,
emotions).
2. Keeping in mind that the soul is the gadget that God
has given man to control his “mortal body.”
3. Notice when God says, “let not sin reign”, man’s will is
addressed.
4. Notice also the important word “therefore”, which
looks back to the first part of chapter 6 in which our
death with Christ unto sin has been known, and
believed, and our relationship to sin is now the same
as Christ’s.

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 5. We reckon ourselves dead because we participated in
Christ’s death. Therefore we are able to refuse sin’s
dominion. Philippians 2:13 We owe sin nothing.
We are dead to it;

Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as

instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield
yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the
dead, and your members as instruments of
righteousness unto God.
• The key word here is “yield” or “present,” and we find it
used 5 times in verses 13, 16 and 19.
• Many have taken this word “yield/present” to imply
consecration (which means to “dedicate for God’s use”),
so naturally many believe Paul to be saying here that we
are to dedicate ourselves to the Lord for His service,
which is nothing more than man’s effort. Before we can
get a clear understanding of Biblical consecration, it will
be necessary for us to look at our position of
sanctification. To be sanctified means to be set apart for
God’s possession and use. (Genesis 2:3; John 17:17,
19)
• It is encouraging to know that our sanctification happens
at salvation and is the will and work of God. (I
Corinthians 1:2; I Thessalonians 5:23, 24; 4:3)
Remember that our definition for consecration (to
dedicate for God’s use) implies some action on our part.
However, as we have mentioned many times during
these studies, our responsibility is to believe...therefore,
Biblical consecration is simply a fruit of faith--it is a
natural response to our faith, our trust, our dependence
in our sanctification. Consecration does not call on us to
do anything but to rest in our sanctification. Positionally
we are sanctified (set apart for God’s possession and
use) and as we rest in that position, the Holy Spirit gives
us the power and desire for consecration (to dedicate our
lives for God’s use).
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• There is a divine order here in Romans 6. 1. KNOW--vs
6; 2. RECKON--vs 11; 3. YIELD--vs 13. Knowing is the
first step in Romans 6. Just as we must have knowledge
of Christ’s crucifixion for our justification, we must also
have knowledge of our co-crucifixion for our
sanctification.
Reckoning is a
natural response to
true Biblical
knowledge, but it is
essential to pass
through reckoning
in order to gain
entrance to life in
the Spirit. Yielding
is the
consummation of the divine order, and is not an effort for
the believer in the Romans 6 pattern, but rather is simply
a natural response. Paul reminds his readers later in the
book of Romans of the importance of this final step: “I
beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God,
that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
(Romans 12:1)
• The subject of consecration is misunderstood by many
believers--often times we hear a message like this:
“Jesus gave His all for you, now the least you can do is
give your all for Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:14, 15) We are
exhorted and pressured to consecrate, or dedicate, or
surrender, or commit our lives to Christ on the basis of
our love and gratitude for what He has done for us. I can
assure you that our love and gratitude cannot supply the
power to live the Christian life (this again is self-effort),
nor can more prayer supply the power; as indispensable
as prayer is, it is not enough.
• The key to Biblical consecration, yielding, presenting is
not I; nor the love that I can muster, nor the prayers that I
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 can pray---It is not I, but CHRIST. (Galatians 2:20;
Philippians 1:21; 2:13)
• So many of us well meaning Christians seek to
consecrate, dedicate, surrender and commit to God what
He has totally rejected--SELF. Our thinking is if we seek
the Lord hard enough and pray, our old man will become
spiritual and thus useful in His service. We must
understand that the “self life” is un-improvable. Our
natural thinking and the modern teaching of consecration
which asks us to commit our lives to Christ through self
effort, bypasses the death sentence.
• A good example for us is the life of Peter. In John
13:36-37, Peter vowed that he would lay down his life for
Jesus’ sake. Notice the Lord’s response in verse 38.
Turning to Luke 22:54-62 we see how far Peter’s self
confident commitment carried him. An interesting
Scripture is John 21:12-17. What we see in these
Scriptures regarding the life of Peter is that Jesus did not
give the charge to Peter to “feed His sheep” on hearing
his self confident statement “I will lay down my life for
you” but rather He gave it after Peter had failed to keep
his vow and wept bitterly in the streets of Jerusalem. It
came only at the END OF SELF.
• True, acceptable, Biblical consecration is most clearly
shown here in Romans 6:13. This is the key statement
in all of Scripture regarding this subject. “AS THOSE
THAT ARE ALIVE FROM THE DEAD.” Paul is saying for
us to present ourselves unto God as those who are alive
from the dead. Remember Romans 6:7, “he that is
dead, is freed from sin.” Nothing from the old creation
can be consecrated, yielded, or presented, but only that
which has passed through death to resurrection.
• When we KNOW (understand completely) and reckon,
presenting/yielding ourselves to Him just naturally follows
(Philippians 2:13).

C. Deliverance from the power of sin through:

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Knowing and reckoning that we are no longer under law
but under grace
Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you:
for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
• Notice the outcome of all this: sin will no longer have
dominion or power over us. And the reason why sin will
not have power over us is because we are not under law
(law is man working for God) but under grace (grace is
God working for man). Law begins by asking the
question, “what must man do?” and grace begins by
asking the question, “What has God done?”
• Not under law means that we are delivered from trying to
“be good” to gain God’s acceptance. (Galatians 3:10-
14) Only when we believe that our history in Adam, with
all its responsibilities and demands to produce
righteousness, ended at the cross, will we find ourselves
completely free to enjoy these words – UNDER GRACE.
Not behaving, but believing is God’s way; behaving is
actually a product of believing.
• “The word favor is the nearest Biblical synonym for the
word grace. Grace is favor, and favor is grace, and it
finds it’s greatest triumph and glory in the sphere of
human helplessness. Grace ceases to be grace if God is
compelled to withdraw it because of human failure or sin.
In fact, grace cannot be exercised where there is the
slightest degree of human merit to be recognized.
• A Few Words About Grace:
By William Newell
The Proper Attitude of Man Under Grace:
1. To believe, and to consent to be loved while
unworthy, is the great secret.
2. To expect to be blessed, though realizing more and more
lack of worth.
3. To be disappointed with yourself, is to have believed in
yourself.
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4. To be proud, is to be blind! For we have no standing
before God, in ourselves.
5.The lack of Divine blessing, therefore, comes from
unbelief, and not from failure of devotion.

Romans 6:15 What then? Shall we sin,

because we are not under the law, but
under grace? God forbid.
• Here Paul sends out another warning
against abusing grace. He reveals that
those who commit sins are actually in
bondage to it. (John 8:34)
• The two questions in chapter six are very
similar: “Shall we continue in sin, that
grace may abound”? – (Verse 1); and
“shall we sin, because we are not
under the law, but under grace”?
(verse 15) Each question considers
man’s desire to declare his independence
from God, which is always our great temptation.
• The answer to the first question is, we are in the Risen
Christ, and we shared His death, therefore our relation to
sin is broken forever; we “walk in newness of life”. The
answer to the second question is in verse 16.

Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield

yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to
whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of
obedience unto righteousness?
• The answer to the second question is: God has set
believers free for the purpose of serving Himself. The
only other master is sin; bondage to sin/serving sin. John
8:34 However, we know from verse 14 that we are not
under law, but under grace.
• Many people, who are in bondage to the guilt of sin, do
not realize that they are also in bondage to the

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 power/strength of sin. Sin brought to fallen man the
inability to do anything but sin (Genesis 6:5). The
strength of sin is just as real as the guilt of sin. Despite
all kinds of warnings, men continue to sin and to be in
bondage.
• However, there is another obedience; unto
righteousness. And the whole thing turns on the words
“to whom ye yield/present yourselves as servants”.
Although we cannot free ourselves, or change our
spiritual condition, the great fact that we are responsible
human beings is plainly written here. God, who would
have all men to be saved, and to walk free from sin, is
always waiting for man to present himself, to Him.
• Let’s remember that “obedience unto righteousness”
could be reworded in this way; “obedience which
produces righteousness and is actually a product of
faith”. (Rom. 1:5)

Romans 6:17 But God be thanked, that ye were the

servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that
form of doctrine (the cross) which was delivered you.
• Now, our becoming
“obedient from the heart”
to the message of the
cross involves a work of
God far beyond human
explanation. From the
North, South, East, and
West, men, women and
children come, “obeying
from the heart” this
impossible news; of
peace by the blood of His
cross, as well as freedom from the power of sin though
our co-crucifixion with Christ.
• The phrase “which was delivered you”, could be more
appropriately translated “that form of doctrine unto which
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 you were delivered over”. Example – The Israelites were
delivered over to Moses and the law. It was not only that
Moses delivered the law to them, but they themselves,
were delivered unto a legal system/dispensation.
• The Jews knew they were under the law, they had been
handed over to it; to it’s demands. Likewise, we
believers are delivered/handed over by God to a form of
teaching; that our guilt is put away on the cross, and that
we now share the risen life of Christ, and are positioned
before God as risen ones.

Romans 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became

the servants of righteousness.
• This becoming “obedient from the heart” by the blood of
the cross brings with it our position of co-crucifixion with
Christ and freedom from sin’s power to be enjoyed in this
life. And we see this mighty work of grace in the willing
servants (bond-servant) who are pouring out their lives in
all lands, to all limits.
• It is interesting to note that here in this verse is the first
mention, in this sixth chapter, of “experience” (set free
from sin, and servants of righteousness), and is a direct
result of our co-crucifixion with Christ. These believers
had received the good news of their salvation, and now
through knowing the old man had been crucified, and
reckoning it so, found themselves thereby “set free from
sin” and “servants of righteousness”. Galatians 5:1

Romans 6:19 I speak after the manner of men because

of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have
yielded your members servants to
uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity;
even so now yield your members servants
to righteousness unto holiness.
• Paul here explains why he is using the term
“bondservant” throughout this passage; he
declares the “infirmity of our flesh” to be
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 such that we are either in “bond-service” to sin or to God.
• Paul speaks in human terms; “after the manner of men”,
and says that we are naturally impotent and are either
slaves to sin or slaves to God. The natural man as well
as the carnal Christian hates this, boasting of his
independence and self-sufficiency in the realms of
intelligence, wealth, government, etc. But it is all a
delusion.
• We must see that we are either serving sin or serving
God. (1 John 5:19)

Romans 6:20For when ye were the servants of sin, ye

were free from righteousness. 21 What fruit had ye
then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for
the end of those things is death.
• And in those former evil days, we had been free in regard
to righteousness. We were totally given over to iniquity,
and those were fruitless days of which we were now
ashamed. Free and fruitless, seeking the pleasures and
treasures of sin, steadily down a path which led to death.
(James 1:14-15)

Romans 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and
become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto
holiness, and the end everlasting life.
• Now, having been freed from the master called, Sin. In
addition, are brought into a willing bond-service to God.
There is not only the daily fruit which our co-crucifixion
with Christ produces, but there is a consciousness that
every day brings us one day closer to an eternity with
Him. Which we already possess, but the full enjoyment of
which is the end of our present pilgrimage.
• Our service to God is no longer one of seeking to perform
for God’s acceptance (law), but a willingness such as
Christ expressed toward His Father in Psalm 40:8.

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Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift
of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
• For sin, which many have served for so long, is a terrible
paymaster; (sin’s wages are death), appointed so by
God. Romans 5:12 What a hideous employer; what a
horrid service; what hellish wages. Yet sin is the chosen
master of all without Christ. Of sin’s flock it is written;
“death shall be their shepherd”. (Psalm 49:14)
• However, Christ has come in, into death, for us. What a
gift (grace)! Sins borne, pardoned, gone, and more. A
welcome in heaven, and more; life granted to a lost soul
dead in sin, and more; eternal life to last as long as God
it’s giver, and more; sharing the love and acceptance of
the Father in Christ, His Son. God’s grace gift.
• It’s interesting that God keeps the contrast before us
even at the end of this chapter, between what is earned,
and what is given. But it must be finally said here, while
death is earned wages, eternal life is a free gift.
(Ephesians 2:8-9)
• One more thought; note the sphere of this eternal life; “in
Christ Jesus our Lord”.

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Romans Chapter 7

Introduction
• Here we have a chapter divided into two sections; (1)
Verses 1 through 6; and (2) Verses 7 through 25. Both of
which are prone to be misunderstood and misapplied.
• In the first section, God shows how those who were
placed by Him under law were released from that relation
by sharing in the death of Christ; so that, joined to a risen
Christ, they are set free.
• In the second section, we have Paul describing his
struggle under the law, as a converted Israelite, before
he knew that in Christ, he was dead to the law. “I was
alive apart from the law once”. It is the struggle of one
that is born again, and “delights in the law of God,”
seeking to compel the flesh to obey God’s law.
• Romans 7 is a chapter that many think to be almost
unnecessary--some have said that the chapter is in the
wrong place; they would have put it between the 5th and
6th chapters, because after chapter 6 all should be
perfect. Their thinking is that if chapter 6 is the basis for
the life of holiness, then why is Paul struggling in chapter
7 verses 15-24?
• Others have tried to explain away chapter 7 by saying
that Paul is speaking of his life before salvation and his
frustration as a Jew trying to keep the law. Some of what
he describes in verses 15-24
does not sound like it should
be a Christian experience;
however, many Christians do
experience it. It appears
where many of us make our
mistake in understanding
chapter 7 is the failure to see
that chapter 6 is dealing with
freedom from sin, whereas,
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 chapter 7 deals with something totally different; freedom
from the law. (Notice all the references to sin in Romans
6:1-2, and the references to the law in Romans 7:1-2).
• Romans 7 is a picture of a believer who is extremely self-
centered and operating in the power of the flesh. Notice
that from verse 7 to the end of the chapter, the personal
pronouns, “I”, “me”, “my”, “myself”, are used 47 times; a
very real picture of a self-centered, defeated Christian,
who eventually will find himself launched into the
experience of Romans 7:15-24 and will not know why. A
similar scripture can be found in Psalm 42 where “I”,
“me”, “my” are used 36 time; another picture of a self-
occupied, but not self-satisfied frustrated Christian.
• Here is something for us to think about: our death with
Christ in Romans 6 is adequate to cover all of our need,
however, the big problem is that we don’t fully
understand Romans 6:14b: “you are not under the law,
but under grace.”
• It would almost appear that Romans 7 was written to
explain Paul’s statement in 6:14. Grace implies that God
does something for us; Law demands that we do
something for God. But what does Paul say? “We’re not
under the law,” which means that we don’t have to work
for God, and he goes on to say, “But we are under grace”
meaning that we should be running on God’s power, not
our own.
• The problem in chapter 7 is that man, in the flesh,
(remember all the me, myself, my, and I’s) is trying to do
something for God. As soon as we try to please or work
for God through our own effort, we place ourselves under
the law and the experience of Romans 7:15-24 is ours.
Keep in mind as we study through this chapter that the
law is not bad; Romans 7:12. The commands of the law
are righteous, but the person upon whom the commands
are made is unrighteous. Romans 7:5, 14, 18.
• Here is something for us to ponder: If we are left alone,
we seem to be pretty nice people. However, it is when
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 commands are given to us that our sinfulness comes to
light. The commands are all right, but we are not. We
have this flesh in us, this evil power, this inward desire to
do wrong. When a holy law is applied to a sinful man, his
sinfulness comes out in full display. Again Romans 7:5.
This is the reason for the law; had it not been for the law,
we would have never known how sinful and weak we
really are. Romans 7:7. It is interesting that the more
we try to keep the law, the more we fail, and the deeper
we get into Romans 7 until we see our hopelessness.
(Romans 7:24) We could probably say that God never
gave us the law to keep; He gave us the law to break, so
we could see our sinfulness. (Romans 5:20)

A. Identifying with Christ’s death frees us from the law’s

dominion
Romans 7:1 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them
that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over
a man as long as he liveth? 2 For the woman which
hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so
long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is
loosed from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while
her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she
shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be
dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no
adulteress, though she be married to another man.
• As we mentioned before, It would almost appear that
Romans 7 was written to explain Paul’s statement in
6:14. Now let’s go back to Romans 6—Through our
sharing in Christ’s death, God delivered us from sin.

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 (Romans 6:14) Now in
Romans 7—Paul reveals that
in the same way that we were
delivered from sin’s power in
chapter 6 (our sharing in
Christ’s death), God will also
deliver us from the law. (Romans 7:6a)
• In Romans 6, the relationship between sin and the sinner
is that of master to slave. (Romans 6:16) Here in
Romans 7, the relationship between the law and the
sinner is that of husband and wife. (Romans 7:1-3)
• Notice that there is only one woman, but two men; one
her husband who represents the law, and one she would
like to be her husband, who will represent grace. The
woman is in a very difficult position, for she can only be
wife of one, and unfortunately she is married to the less
desirable one (the law). Don’t misunderstand--she is
married to a good man, but he makes such high
demands upon her that she can’t carry them out;
therefore, the woman is in great distress. If only she was
married to the other man (grace), all would be well. She
wants to marry him, but her husband is still alive; what
can she do? 1 Corinthians 7:39
• Now remember, husband #1 represents the law; man #2
represents grace; and the woman represents us. We
probably need to stop a moment and clarify this: husband
#1 (the law) requires much, but offers no help in carrying
out the requirements. Man #2 (grace/the Lord) requires
just as much, in fact, more; (Matthew 5:21-22; 27-28;
43-44) The big difference is that what grace/the Lord
requires, He Himself carries out. The law makes
demands and leaves us helpless to carry them out,
whereas Christ fulfills in us the very demands He makes.
(Matthew 5:17; Romans 8:4)
• No wonder this woman wants to be freed from her
husband that she can marry the other man; but her only
hope of release is through the death of her first husband.
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 But there is no possibility that he will die. (Matthew 5:18)
The law will continue throughout eternity. How can she
ever marry the second man if her first husband will never
die? There is only one other way out--she must die; if
she dies the marriage relationship is dissolved, and that
is exactly God’s way of delivering us from the law.

Romans 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are

become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye
should be married to another, even to him who is raised
from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
• In this verse we see that in fact it is the woman/us who
dies. The great lesson that each of us must grasp is that
those in Christ, whether Jew or Gentile, are not under law
but under grace (unmerited Divine favor).
• If we were to compare the first 6 verses of chapter 6 with
the first 6 verses of chapter 7, we would see that chapter
6 teaches that we died with Christ and we are now dead
to sin. The same principle operates in our deliverance
from the law as our deliverance from sin--if I am trusting
in myself, then I must meet the demands of the law, but if
I die, the law has lost its claim on me.
• Remember Galatians 2:20--We are crucified with Christ.
And here in verse 4a--We are made dead to the law
through the body of Christ. (God speaks here of
identification with Christ, where all believers are brought
to the end of themselves through the cross, so that our
former relation to sin, law, and the world is ended.)
• At salvation, God Himself placed us into the body of
Christ, so that when He went to the cross, we did also;
when He went into the grave, so did we. (I Corinthians
1:30a) It’s interesting to note that both concerning
Christ’s death for us, and our death with Christ, Christ’s
body is mentioned. (1 Peter 2:24)
• One more thing to think about: Jesus did not remain in
the grave, on the third day, He arose and since we are
placed in Him, so did we. A great lesson to learn here
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 lies in what we call the two Christ’s. First there is the
“body of Christ” and our old man crucified with Him: Our
history in Adam is ended before God. Second, “Christ
raised from the dead”: It is this latter Christ to whom we
are now united. Therefore through the body of Christ,
we are “dead to the law” but through the resurrected
Jesus we are “alive to God.”
• The last phrase in verse 4 tells us God’s purpose in all
this--”that we should bring forth fruit unto God.” It is only
those who see themselves to have died with Christ and
now joined to a risen Christ in glory that will bring forth
fruit unto God.
• It is a glorious day when a believer sees himself only in
the risen Christ; dead, buried, and risen.

Romans 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions

(sinful impulses) of sins, which were by the law, did
work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
• In this one verse is seen the whole of the struggle
detailed by Paul in the latter part of this chapter. “When
we were in the flesh”; It does not say in the body for we
are all in that. Being in the body has no moral
significance, but the words are “in the flesh”; the
condition of those not saved. (Romans 8:8-9) This does
describe a moral condition; absence of life, absence of
the Holy Spirit, and controlled by the fallen nature.
• “The sinful passions that were aroused by the law”;
To those in the flesh controlled by the sin nature through
a body dead to God, legal restraint was impossible and
intolerable. As we shall see in the last part of the
chapter, sin was there but tranquil, until the law came
demanding obedience. Then came the arousings (or
passions) of sins; sins of all sort. Romans 6:21;
Galatians 5:19-21
• “Did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto
death”. Even in the last part of the chapter, in Paul’s
great struggle after he is saved, we find a law of sin in his
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 members. A law against which he is powerless and
would have engulfed him in hopelessness, had it not
been for the revelation of deliverance in Christ.
• Here in verse 5, where an unsaved man is in view, “fruit
unto death” is brought forth by those “arousings of sin”
which came through the law.

Romans 7:6 But now we are delivered from the law, that
being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve
in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
• The word translated “delivered or annulled” actually,
means, “put out of business”. In chapter 6 we read that
“our old man was crucified with Him in order that the
body of sin might be annulled”; put out of business.
Therefore it is written here in chapter 7 that we have
been delivered from the law; the law has been put out of
business, having died unto it.
• The law which once held us now has nothing to do with
us, for we have been put out of the law’s domain where it
once operated.
• “So that we serve”. The gospel has such wonderful
paradoxes. In verse 4, having died we bear fruit; and
here, having been delivered, we serve. It’s interesting
that the more we sense our complete freedom from the
law, the more we will desire to serve God in our love-
filled being.
• Before we have an understanding that we have died to
the whole legal sphere, it’s “I thought I ought to”; now it is
“I delight to do”. Delighting to do the will of God “in
newness of the spirit, and not
in the oldness of the letter”.

Paul’s great struggle

• Before beginning our study on
this great struggle of Paul’s,
let’s get it firmly settled in our
minds that Paul is not
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 referring to pardon here, but rather deliverance; “Who
shall deliver me from this body of death?” The whole
question is concerning indwelling sin as a power, and not
sins committed.
• Keep in mind that while the indwelling Holy Spirit is the
Christian’s sole power against the flesh, He is not known
in this struggle; but it Paul himself against the flesh, with
the law prescribing a holy walk, but furnishing no power
for it.
• Therefore, this conflict of Paul’s, instead of being an
example, is a warning for us to keep out of it by means of
God’s plan that He reveals through the words; “you are
not under law, but grace”.
• But now we will probably adopt one of two courses.
Either we will read of and avoid the great struggle Paul
had under law trying to make his flesh obedient through
the law, or we will take the second course which seems
to be followed by most Christians, and that is to go
through practically the same struggle as Paul until we
experientially discover for ourselves what he found.
• However, if we are able to believe, simply believe that we
died positionally with Christ, we will enter into the blessed
state of deliverance that belongs to all who know both,
that they died and are in Christ, and the struggle will be
avoided. Rather, there will be a walk of faith, both in
Christ’s work, and the Holy Spirit’s indwelling power.
• If we can learn from Paul’s struggle in this seventh
chapter all that he desires to teach us, of the fact that we
cannot be what we would like because of the incurable
evil of our flesh (of the sin that dwells within us). In
addition, that deliverance is through faith in our death
with Christ unto sin’s power and all the “I must” claims of
the law, it will be well with our soul.
• But if we fail to learn what Paul is teaching here, we shall
not only fail of deliverance from sin’s power, but we will
soon be sinking to the doctrine that we must expect to go
on sinning and getting forgiveness “till we die”: Which is
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 of course putting our own death in the place of
Christ’s death.

B. The law’s powerlessness to produce obedience;

Sin’s advantage because of the law

Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? is the law sin?

God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for
I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou
shalt not covet.
• After telling us in the first section of this chapter that we
are made dead to the law and delivered from it, Paul,
knowing that the enemies of grace would accuse him
thus; “You say we died to the law, therefore you classify
the law with sin”. “God forbid” is Paul’s answer, “I had
not known sin, but by the law”. In other words,
forbidding a thing to one who cannot abstain from that
thing, is a way to make him know his helplessness.
(Romans 3:20b)
• “For I had not known lust, except the law had said,
Thou shalt not covet”. The direct reference in this word
“covet/desire” is to Deuteronomy 5:21, where the real
meaning of this word forbade the reaching out in heart for
anything but God Himself, and that any other desire is
sin.
• It would be well for all legalists who seek either
righteousness or holiness through the law, to hear the
law; “Thou shalt not covet”.

Romans 7:8 But sin, taking occasion by the

commandment, wrought in me all manner of
concupiscence (lust/coveting). For without the law sin
was dead.
• That indwelling sin which was in Paul’s members, left
there by God, had no means of making itself known to
Paul except through a law that became a Divine
commandment. Romans 4:15 Then when God revealed
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 to Paul His holy law, together with the demand on his
conscience to fulfill it, then came sin’s chance; Paul had
no strength.
• What Paul saw was that “the strength of sin is the law” (1
Corinthians 15:56b); sin proved itself stronger than
Paul, through the commandment.
• “Produced in me coveting of every kind”; this
discovery that desire is sin, is not confined to the tenth
commandment “thou shalt not covet”, but extends itself
throughout the whole law.
• “For apart from law, sin is dead”. Sin like a coiled
serpent is in the old nature, but cannot get at man’s
conscience to condemn it, apart from the law; it is
dormant, dead. Every impulse of the flesh/old nature is
sin.
• Consider again coveting; who can know that this natural
desire is sin, until the law says to the conscience “thou
shalt not covet”. Keep in mind that this command not to
covet does not remove the covetousness, but rather calls
attention to it; and in forbidding it, immediately puts into
conflict the new nature with the old (power of sin).
• Now, however renewed the human will may be, power
against sin does not reside in the human will.
Furthermore, human strength is not God’s way to
overcome sin; that power resides always and only in the
indwelling Holy Spirit.

Romans 7:9 For I was alive without the law once: but
when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I
found to be unto death.
• The words “alive apart from the law once”, do not refer
to Paul’s life before salvation; it was not “the
commandment” that came to save him, it was Jesus
Christ in absolute grace, who appeared to him on the
road to Damascus. These words “apart from the law”

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 indicate a state of no connection with the law; justification
was on grounds where law could not come.
• Therefore, what Paul is referring to here is not life before
salvation, but rather that crisis described by so many
godly saints; discovering the state of carnality within. (1
Corinthians 3:3a)
• To Paul, converted, but still thinking himself under law,
God uses “the law”, by letting it command him to be and
do. This Paul undertakes, not knowing of the sin dwelling
in his members. So sin sprang to life with the result that
“I died”; it is the death to all hope in himself, in his flesh.
Galatians 2:19-20

Romans 7:11 For sin (power of sin), taking occasion by

the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.
• It’s interesting that God was not “beguiling/tricking” Paul
by commanding what He knew Paul could not fulfill, but
rather He permitted sin to
“trick” Paul by leading him to
rely on his own power to
obey, that Paul might discover
powerlessness and finally
despair of delivering himself.
• “And by it slew me”; that
is killed off all his hopes in
himself, in his “flesh”. We all
know how many honest
resolutions are made by
earnest Christians to be better Christians, to quit this sin
or that bad habit; and what failure and despair is the
result of relying on our own strength.
• But to Paul, this failure was terrible; for there was the law,
the Law of Moses given by God, under which he had
been brought up and constantly instructed. And now it
not only doesn’t help him, but it becomes the very means
by which sin attacks and slays him. All hope in himself
lies dead.
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Romans 7:12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the
commandment holy, and just, and good.
• Although it was the instrument used to kill him so to
speak, Paul could not speak against the law. 1 Timothy
1:8 The law is holy because it reflects the character and
will of God Himself, who is holy. Here is the mark of a
true saint; he upholds God, and condemns himself.

Romans 7:13 Was then that which is good made 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.
• Now Paul answers the further question: “Did then that
which is good become death unto me”. And again,
his answer is “God forbid”; it was indwelling sin that
brought death to me, using that which was good (the
law).
• Through the commandment, sin was shown to be sin,
and the more Paul became aware of new and fresh
commands of the law, the more intense and desperate
became indwelling sin’s opposition to it; it became
“exceedingly sinful”.

C. The believer’s inner conflict and eventual defeat

described
Paul’s great struggle continued
• In general we might say that in verses 14 to 17, the
emphasis is upon practicing what is hated; that is the
inability to overcome sin in the flesh. While in verses 18
to 21, the emphasis is on the failure to do the desired
good; the inability on account of the flesh, to do right.
Thus the double failure of a “born again Christian” either
to overcome evil or do good.

Romans 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I

am carnal, sold under sin.
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• “The law is spiritual” may include;
1. Given to man by God/Holy Spirit.
2. Can only be spiritually understood.
3. Spiritual in a moral sense.
• “But I am carnal”: Paul speaks of himself here as he is
by nature; not unsaved, but a Christian not delivered from
the power of the flesh. (1 Corinthians 3:1)
• “Sold under sin”; is what the new convert does not
know. Forgiven, justified, he knows himself to be, but
now to find an evil nature within of which he had no idea
existed, is often a very frustrating and bitter experience.

Romans 7:15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I

would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
• It would be good for us to remember throughout this
struggle that it is not a description by the apostle Paul of
an experience that he was having when he wrote this
epistle, but rather an experience that all Christians will
have before they know about indwelling sin, or that they
have died to sin, died to the law which gives sin it’s
power; and also does not know the Holy Spirit as an
indwelling presence and power against sin.
• God let Paul have this experience, and now he writes
about it so that we can know the facts about the
wretchedness of our old selves; and our powerlessness,
though born again, to deliver ourselves from the “law of
sin” in our members.
• Therefore Paul declares that in this struggle he found
himself doing the very things that he did not want to do,
and the things that he wanted to do, he was not able to
do. Basically he was “living out” a manner of life that was
not his real choice; for he says, “not what I am desiring,
that I am practicing”. Galatians 5:17

Romans 7:16 If then I do that which I would not, I

consent unto the law that it is good.

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• Now he goes a step further by saying, “But if what I am
not desiring, I am practicing, I am consenting unto
the law that it is right”. The wicked does what he
wants and condemns God’s law if it interferes with him,
but Paul declares that “I have just discovered that I am
not at all opposing the law, but am agreeing that it is
right”.
• Paul, forgiven but undelivered cries, “the law is right”,
however, I am far from following it.

Romans 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin

that dwelleth in me.
• “No longer I”; now that is a wonderful discovery for any
Christian; that there is a hateful power that dwells within,
which seems like one’s own self, but is really “our old
man”.
• These are amazing and daring truths that are being
brought out for the first time in scripture; since I am doing
what I do not desire, there must be another evil principle
working within me. For it is not me that is working out all
this evil, but an unwelcome, hateful tyrant which dwells in
me.

Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,)

dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me;
but how to perform that which is good I find not.
• Here is the man who wrote in Philippians “If anyone has
a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more”; and he
gave seven facts that he could boast in. Phil. 3:4-6 But
now, we find him saying, not only “in me dwells no good
thing”, but also “I can desire, but cannot do”.
• This great double lesson must be learned by all
Christians; 1. There is no good thing in our flesh, 2. We
cannot do the good we desire to do. (Philippians 3:3;
Genesis 8:21)
• Here is a quote by Watchman nee that seems rather
appropriate;
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“On the one hand, we believe that we deserve only to die
and that we are dead in transgressions already. But on the
other hand, we think that as long as there is breath in our
mouths, we can still be of
some use to God. We think
that we have failed because
we have not been strong
enough in our determination
and that we will overcome if
we do better the next
time……We think that we
have failed because we are
not watchful and that we will
be able to stand up to temptation if we are watchful the next
time……We think that we have failed because we have not
rejected temptation and that we will overcome if we reject
temptation the next time…..We think that we have failed this
time because we have not prayed enough and that we will
overcome if we pray more and harder the next time.
Look at what we are doing…
God has crucified us on the cross and told us that we are
dead. However, we have not seen that we are dead, nor
have we acknowledged nor believed that we are dead. For
the most part, we are hoping that the flame that has been
extinguished will flicker again if we give it enough
fanning…(This is why we are fanning all the time).
Let’s face it, God has lost hope in us; and we must also lose
hope in ourselves….
When we lose hope in ourselves, we will see that ‘It is no
longer I.”

Romans 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the
evil which I would not, that I do.
• This verse is not and should not be the normal Christian
experience, even though many Christians do experience

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 it. However this may describe our Christian lives if we
have not learned God’s way of faith.

Romans 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I

that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
• Paul here repeats his words from verse 17, that it is no
longer “I”, but indwelling sin that is working out this hatred
life of defeat.

Romans 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do

good, evil is present with me.
• He now states as a conclusion, what he has
experientially discovered; “evil is present with me”. It
is the denial of this fact that has wrecked many lives; evil
will be present in us until the Lord takes us home.

Romans 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the

inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members,
warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me
into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
• Here we find delight, discernment, and defeat.
• First “delight in God’s law in the inner man” (Psalm
1:2); thus revealing himself as regenerate throughout this
struggle. 2 Corinthians 4:16 No unsaved man would
say, “it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me”
because he is not conscious of a moral power which is
not himself, for he has but one nature, the flesh.
• Second discernment; “I see a different law in my
members”. It is the ignorance or unwillingness to
recognize and own this “different law” (this enmity toward
God) in our members that causes so much misery and
lack of spiritual growth. As long as we fail to recognize
indwelling sin, we are far from deliverance. It’s
interesting that in the law of leper-cleansing (Leviticus
13), if a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, or
even a white rising, he was unclean. But if the leprosy
break abroad and cover all the skin, the priest shall
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 pronounce him clean
(Leviticus 13:12-13). It’s
significant that at the
conclusion of the Sermon on
the Mount (Luke 5:12-13), we
find Christ healing a leper,
who the physician Luke
describes as “full of leprosy”.
It is because people do not
recognize their “all badness”
that they do not find Christ to be their all in all.
• Third defeat; “I see another law in my members,
warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me
into captivity to the law of sin”. There is war going on
inside of each Christian (Galatians 5:17; 1 Pet. 2:11)
and there is no strength or power in ourselves against
“the law of sin which is in my members”. God has left us
as dependent on Christ’s work for our deliverance and for
our forgiveness. It is totally because we died with Him at
the cross to sin as well as to the whole legal principle,
that sin’s power, for those in Christ, is broken.

Romans 7:24 O wretched man that I am! Who shall

deliver me from the body of this death?
• Notice that all self-hope has ceased. It is not how shall I
deliver myself, or even how shall I be delivered? But it is
a frantic appeal for a deliverer; “Who shall deliver me”?
• “The body of death’ - what a description of the body;
unredeemed, unchanged, under the law of sin in all it’s
members. No matter what the “delight” of the quickened
human spirit regarding the things of God, to dwell
undelivered in such a body is to find it a “body of death”.

Romans 7:25 I thank God (for deliverance) through Jesus

Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the
law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

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• The battle ends with a shout of victory; the winners know
who really won.
• The answer to Paul’s question, “who shall deliver me”, is
found in our identification with Christ in His death; “I
thank God (for deliverance) through Jesus Christ our
Lord”.
• Paul was not delivered by Christ, but through Him, not by
anything that Christ would do for him at that time, but
through the revelation of the fact that he had died,
positionally, with Christ at the cross to this wretched
indwelling sin as well as to the law which gave sin its
power.
• And now the conclusion: “So then, with the mind I
myself serve the law of God”; (The real renewed mind
subject to God’s law), “But with the flesh the law of
sin”. Paul saw it at last, and bowed to it; that all he was
by nature/by the flesh was irrevocably committed to sin.
So he gave up to see himself totally in Christ, who now
lived in him, and to walk not by the law, but by the Spirit
only; in whose power alone the Christian life is to be
lived.
• Now we move to chapter 8, the victory chapter, which is
all about the Holy Spirit.

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Romans Chapter 8

Introduction
• We have now come to that great chapter 8 in the book of
Romans which has often been referred to as the “Victory
Chapter.” It comes after the work of Christ. After His
atoning blood has put the believer’s sins away. After he
has seen that he died with Christ to sin’s power as well
as to the legal responsibility he had in Adam. After the
words “sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are
not under law, but under grace”. Finally after the
hopeless struggle of the flesh, shown to be incurably bad,
and that there is a blessed deliverance which gives
freedom through our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Romans 8 is all about the work of the Holy Spirit; up until
this time, the Holy Spirit has only been mentioned one
time in Romans 5:5, but here in chapter 8 it is mentioned
19 times.
• Romans 8 is God’s remedy for man’s dilemma. It is life
in Christ lived in the Spirit. It is ruled by grace and lived
by faith.
• The answer to “living a victorious Christian life rests with
the Holy Spirit. It is not a question of our ability or effort,
but of the absolute faithfulness of the Spirit of God. CAN
WE TRUST HIM? We’ll answer that question in chapter
8.

A. Deliverance through the indwelling Spirit of Christ;

Contrast with the weakness of the law and the flesh
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to
them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit.
• “Therefore” looks back to the struggle of Chapter Seven,
and the thankful shout of verse 25.
• At first glance, it would appear that Paul is speaking of
our justification by the blood of Christ, and that is
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 definitely seen here.
However, there are two kinds
of condemnation: 1)
Condemnation before God; 2)
Condemnation before
ourselves.
• What Paul may be saying
here is that there is also NO
SELF-CONDEMNATION to
those who are in (abiding in)
Christ Jesus. The words “in Christ Jesus” express that
glorious position in Christ risen where God has placed
every believer, where condemnation is not, and cannot
be.
• Remember the Bible has one interpretation and many
applications--there is no condemnation; whether it be
condemnation before God, or self condemnation...and
why is that? Our answer is found in vs 2;

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ

Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
• Because the Spirit acts as a law of life delivering us from
the law of sin and death: therefore, there is no
condemnation. The subject here is no longer Christ’s
work for us, but rather the Spirit’s work in us.
• Without the Spirit within as a law of life, there would be
nothing but condemnation; for the new believer has no
power within himself
against a life of perpetual
bondage to the flesh apart
from the Holy Spirit.
• The law of the Spirit of life
in Christ Jesus is stronger
than the law of sin and
death.
• Let’s give some thought to
this. 1) What is the
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 difference between sin and the law of sin, or between
death and the law of death? A law is simply something
that happens over and over again, and each time it
happens, it happens the same way. 2) Take for instance
the law of gravity. If I drop my Bible and it falls to the
floor - that is the effect of gravity. However, if I drop it in
India, Mexico, Kenya, and Thailand, and it always falls to
the floor in the same way, then that is the law of gravity.
• Now let’s consider the law of sin and death: if someone
comes to me and makes a cutting remark and
immediately I become angry and bitter toward that
person - that is the effects of sin. But if different people
make unkind remarks and it consistently produces the
same angry and bitter response, we can now declare that
is a law of sin. Like the law of gravity, it is something that
always happens the same way.
• Let’s add this little side note: when the Bible is dropped, it
just naturally falls to the floor without any help from
anyone; the law of sin and death is like that. (Romans
7:23)
• The law of sin just naturally happens in us because we
are born with a sin nature. The question now becomes,
how can we be set free from the law of sin and death?
• Let’s look again at the law of gravity. Can we overcome
the law of gravity? Yes. All we must do is place our
hand under the Bible; there is a higher law here, the law
of life.
• In just the same way, God delivers us from one law by
introducing another. The law of sin and death is there all
the time, but God has put another more powerful law in
effect; the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Read
verse 2 again. Notice it is a law of life in Christ. The
resurrection life that triumphed over sin and death.
(Ephesians 1:18-20; Philippians 3:10)
• Now as to “the law of sin and death”, the latter part of
chapter seven made abundantly clear what that was; the

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 power of sin working within our unredeemed bodies
against which even the renewed will is powerless.
• Now another “law” has come in, “the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus”. Not only does the believer have life
in the risen Christ, but to him has been given the Holy
Spirit as the power of that life who makes the deliverance
of Romans 7:24 a reality. Of course the deliverance is
through Christ, for it is Christ’s own risen life that we
believers now share.
• Day after day, week after week, month after month, year
after year, in the newest convert as well as the oldest
saint, the Holy Spirit gives freedom from the law of sin
and death.
• Consider now Colossians 2:6, “as you have received
Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk you in Him.” How did we
receive Him? First we came to the end of our efforts to
try and save ourselves, then we gained a little knowledge
that Jesus had died for us, we believed that truth and
received God’s grace, eternal life. In the same way we
must come to the end of our efforts to overcome the law
of sin and death, and rather depend on the indwelling
Holy Spirit; we will then find His new LAW OF LIFE
overcoming that old law of sin and death. 2 Corinthians
3:6

Romans 8:3 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: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be
fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit.
• God accomplished the thing the law could not do. The
law was powerless on account of the flesh. The law,
holy, just, and good, could command; but the flesh was
not subject to it, and could not be.
• The flesh is weak; therefore we cannot fulfill the law in
the power of the flesh (self-effort). Now because of our
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 inability and because the law must be fulfilled in us but
we have no power to carry it out, God did a thing that the
law could not do. The thing that God did was to “send
His Son in the likeness of sinful man”. Jesus Christ took
on human form; this likeness was not merely in
appearance, He was completely human (John 1:14),
with the same desires that yield to sin, but He never
sinned. (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:14-
16) Jesus Christ took on humanity in order to be our sin
offering.
• Because Christ was sinless, His death paid the “death
sentence” for all of mankind, setting us free from sin’s
power; “He condemned sin in the flesh”, although it has
not yet been removed.
• Throughout the Old Testament and Psalms, we find that
there is under the law, an almost constant striving and
groaning after righteousness; seen but not experienced
because the law consisted of outward actions to be
fulfilled by man. The law furnished no power.
• Now in Romans 8:4, we see three things: First, this
righteous state; second, that it was not fulfilled by us;
third, it is fulfilled in us as we “walk according to the
Spirit”.
• God has not only condemned sin, but He has also
provided the Holy Spirit to indwell us and give us the
ability to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17). How is He going
to fulfill it? Verse 4 tells us, as we “walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit.”
• To “walk after” implies subjection, yieldedness, speaks of
control. Therefore, walking after the flesh means that I
am yielded to, in subjection, and under the control of the
flesh. However, to walk after the Spirit means that I am
yielded to, in subjection and under the control of the
Spirit. (Galatians 5:16;
Ephesians 5:18-21)
• The work on the cross was perfect
and far reaching indeed. Not only
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 did Jesus put away our guilt before God by His blood, but
there our old man was crucified with Him: Sin was
condemned as having any connection with human flesh.

Romans 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the
things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the
things of the Spirit.
• The word “mind” here does not have reference to the
intellect, but rather to it’s natural disposition. We find two
classes; first, “those according to the flesh” which
includes the unsaved (Ephesians 2:3); second, those
according to the Spirit” who are God’s true children
complete with an indwelling Holy Spirit.
• All these “after the flesh” do mind the things of the flesh.
The word “mind here, means to give attention to. They
cherish, desire, are occupied with, absorbed in, talk of,
think of, the things of the flesh. In other words, they are
occupied with the flesh’s things--lust, greed, laziness,
pride, envy, anger, etc.
• However, there are those who are after the Spirit. The
Amplified version uses the word “controlled”, minds the
Spirit’s things; such as salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Word, praise and worship, prayer, the fellowship of
the saints, love, joy, peace, etc.
• True that many Christians fall short in some of these
areas, but do mind the things of the Spirit to some
degree; however, there are those who will have nothing
of them, and the reason is shown in the next verse.

Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to

be spiritually minded is life and peace.
• Paul immediately gives the reason for the difference in
verse 5. The amplified version actually translates verse
6 this way; “For the mindset of the flesh is death, but the
mindset of the Spirit, life and peace.” which puts a whole
other light on it. New American Standard translation is

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 “the mindset on the flesh is death”. (I Corinthians 2:12-
14)
• Notice that Paul does not say “to be spiritually minded is
life and peace”, as if it were a state of being in which a
believer comes, but rather he says “the mind of the Spirit
is life and peace”. In neither case does God speak of
people, but of the flesh and of the Spirit.
• We could say that if we are “according to the Spirit”, we
have been born of God and have received an indwelling
Comforter, whose whole mind, disposition, and manner
of life within us is “life and peace”. This “life” which the
Spirit supplies is the life of the Risen Christ, and this
“peace” is that of Christ.

Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against

God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither
indeed can be.
• Probably no script more completely shows
the wretched condition of natural man in
the flesh (an enemy of God). Romans
5:10 makes it clear that we were
reconciled to God while enemies, but that
reconciliation did not in any way, change
the nature of the flesh. On the contrary,
we were transferred by death with Christ,
into the Risen Christ; the flesh remaining
unchanged.
• Our condition while in the flesh is as lost
by nature as that of the demons, for nothing worse could
be said of them than that they are enemies of God and
are not able to be subject to His law. It is very clear from
Scripture that God has given the flesh up, and nothing
short of God’s grace and mercy has redeemed a human
being.

Romans 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot

please God.
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• This is God’s great announcement concerning all
mankind who are out of Christ. Those in the flesh, even
if like Cain, would worship God but coming in their own
way (the flesh’s way), which God cannot and will not
accept.
• What a horrible situation, in a position forever displeasing
to the One from Whom all blessings flow; such are all not
born of God.

Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit,
if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any
man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
• Here is the mark of a true Christian; the Spirit of God
dwells in him. If he is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, he is no
longer positioned in the flesh, but rather is an entirely
different kind of being, positioned “in the Spirit”.
• The Spirit now becomes the realm in which the believer
lives; like water to a fish, or air to a bird, vital, supplying,
protecting, etc. “Dwelleth in you”, is a word that is used
five times to communicate the idea of the Spirit making
His home within every redeemed one.
• “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is
none of his.” When Paul here says “none of His”, he is
speaking in an absolute way of those who are Christ’s
and those who are not. Those who are Christ’s either
have, or will have the Spirit.
• Another thought to ponder is that the Spirit here is
referred to as the “Spirit of Christ”. He is called thus
because Christ promised and sent Him. (John 15:26
and 16:7)

Romans 8:10 And if Christ be in you, (though) the body

is dead because of sin; but (yet) the Spirit is life because
of (Christ’s) righteousness.
• Here in this tenth verse we have the answer to Christ’s
prayer in John 17:21-22. “I pray….that they all may be
one; even as Thou, Father, are in Me, and I in Thee, that
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 they also may be in us;…..that they may be one, even as
we are one”.
• “Christ in us”; (2 Corinthians 13:5). It might be good at
this point to consider the 2 phrases, ”In Christ” and
“Christ in you.”
• The moment we trust Christ as our Savior, we step out of
life in Adam and enter into life in Christ, (I Corinthians
1:30). The term, “In Christ,” is the key to the whole New
Testament; it, or its equivalent is used 130 times. These
two words are probably the most important ever written to
describe the relationship between Christians and Christ.
To be “In Christ” determines our position, privileges, and
possessions. To be “In Christ” is to be where He is, to be
what He is, and to possess what He has. Where is He?
He’s in the heavenlies. Where does that leave us? In
the heavenlies. (Philippians 3:20). It is God’s desire for
us to begin to live in heaven, now. (Colossians 3:1,2)
• To be in Christ is to is to be what He is, (I John 4:17).
• To be in Christ is to possess what He has, (Romans
8:17 & 32). We should be living like spiritual millionaires
so that others will desire our spiritual wealth, but instead
we live like spiritual paupers. How so?
Millionaire--love, joy peace. Pauper--
anger, depression, frustration.
• Thus was the one part of our Lord’s
intercession answered; we are “in
Christ”.
• The other part of the great mystery is
now before us in this tenth verse; the
Spirit can make Christ present “in us”.
(1 Corinthians 13:18; 2 Corinthians
13:5; Galatians 2:20) Notice the progression in the
Galatians verse. First, I have been crucified; and then
Christ lives in me. The death of self must precede the
Christ life. The real Christian life is to possess the life of
Christ in such a way that we can say with Paul, “to me to
live is Christ.” (Philippians 1:21). The real Christian life
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 is to have Jesus Christ filling our mind, will and emotions
in such a way that my will is His will and my emotions are
coming from Him. (John 17:26 I Corinthians 1:30, 31)
• It is Jesus Christ filling my life until I have no life apart
from Him. (Colossians 3:4). “Christ in you” was the
heart of Paul’s message to the churches and He made it
very clear in all his teaching and preaching. (Colossians
1:27) Paul had one goal and that was to see Christ
formed in every believer (Galatians 4:19). The Christian
life (The Christ Life) can be defined in these two simple
phrases:
1. In Christ...
2. Christ in you...
• What God has really done through all this is to bring
Christ and the Christian into oneness in such a way that
Christ is both in the heavenlies and on earth and the
Christian is both on earth and in the heavenlies. Christ in
the heavenlies is the invisible part of the Christian while
the Christian on earth is the visible part of Christ. In
other words, we Christians are to bring Christ down from
heaven to earth that men may see who He is and what
He can do in a human life. (2 Corinthians 4:10).
• Back to Romans 8:10. There is a double fact stated
here.
3. The body is dead--our bodies are under the curse and
not redeemed; they are dead toward God because of
sin. (Romans 6:23)
4. However, the (our) spirit is alive toward God because
of Christ’s righteousness that has been given to us.
(2 Corinthians 5:21)

Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up

Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up
Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal
bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
• The mortal body is the subject here. Although our bodies
are dead to God on account of sin, the Spirit will give life
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 to these dead to God mortal (subject to physical death)
bodies, so that not only are we able to present the
members of our bodies to God as instruments of
righteousness (Rom. 6:13), but also one day, at Christ’s
return, they will be as alive to God as our redeemed
spirits now are.
• “Mortal” and “immortal” in scripture always refers to the
body. It is this “mortal” which will “put on immortality”
when Christ comes. (I Corinthians 15:35-54 2
Corinthians 5:1-4)
• “Who shall deliver me”? That question of Chapter 7 is
answered here in Chapter 8. Not only from guilt by the
shed blood of Christ, but also from the “law of sin” in our
members. But further, now we find that God, by the same
indwelling Spirit, will bring our dead to God and subject to
death mortal bodies, to share that life in Christ that our
spirits now have.
• The following quote from A.W.Tozer is helpful:
“The body is mere matter, and as the Bible says, fades
as a leaf. When we are about sixteen, we are prone to
think that our strong, healthy bodies will last forever.
When we are about twice sixteen, we begin to worry a
little about the body. When we are about four times
sixteen, we are willing to admit the truth – the physical
body has no continuing life of its own.
For that reason I can never get mad at the human
body as some people do, blaming the body for
everything. Read the Bible and you will find it never
blames the human body for anything: it is only the
tabernacle in which the human being lives.
The body is completely amoral – it is neither good or
bad. It has no moral quality attached to it. It is simply a
dwelling place.
A man buys an automobile and gets behind the wheel
and with purpose drives over someone he does not like
and kills him. Do we blame the automobile and hold it
responsible?
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 Of course we do not. The automobile as an object is
completely amoral. It is the man who gets behind the
wheel and guides it who for the moment gives some
moral quality to it.
The fact that a good man drives an automobile and
guides it so that it takes him to church to worship is a
good thing. The same automobile might be driven by an
evil man taking him to his companions in a gambling den
– but the car itself is neither good nor bad. It is the man
who is driving the car who makes it what he wants it to be
for the moment.
So with the human body, it is the humble and helpless
servant of the man who lives within it.
You live in that body of yours, and you cannot
properly blame your body for anything. Your body is
what you make it to be. Your body is not a responsible
being. It is guiltless and without blame.
Now, when a man is converted by the grace of God,
regenerated, he does not get a new body; so he may
look exactly the same to his neighbors, but they will
recognize that a new man is living inside, and that the
direction of the life has been taken over by a new driver.
A neighbor is sure to say: “Isn’t that Mr. Jones who
lives across the street? He was always on the way to the
saloon and took up the whole sidewalk when he came
back. Now he goes the other way toward the church and
he has a Bible under his arm. I am sure it is the same
old Jones. I recognize him.”
The soul is the essential part of the man. It is the
endless part of man. When the soul is converted to God,
the old body begins to live a better life but it is still the
same body, which will dissolve and go back to dust as
soon as the soul withdraws.
Let’s use the illustration of what happens to a house
when the residents move out and leave it unoccupied.
Did you ever go out into the country and see an old,
shabby house in which no one has lived for a long time?
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 Such an untended dwelling always goes to rot
and ruin. We maintain our houses from day to day because
we live in them. That is a poor illustration of a glorious fact –
that as long as the soul is the tenant the body remains alive.
It is when the soul withdraws that the doctors must come
and pronounce that the body is dead.
With the understanding that God has given us, we
have to agree that the physical body is the least essential
part of the man. Some scientist has called the body “a
concatenation of atoms,” just a group of atoms and
molecules that have gotten together for a while.
A man is more than likely to put a hat on the top of his
body and walk down the street with a little strut, and say,
“What a big boy am I!” But the truth is that he is just a
walking concatenation of atoms and that is all.
The truth is that the soul of man is the essential part.
Just as soon as the soul decides to wing away there will
not be anything there for you to put your hat on. The
body will decay and depart.
It is in the soul that our memory lodges and memory
can either be a treasure or a terror to a man. To be
suddenly called upon to remember the deeds done in the
body would be a pleasure to some men but a terror to
others.
Likewise with intelligence and moral perception, moral
responsibility and everlastingness, hope of heaven and
endless peace – all of these repose in the human soul.
My friend, you do have a soul and it is the essential
part of you. It is that which speaks when you say “I.”
It is that which prays when you say, “Oh God, come to
me!”
It is that of which Jesus spoke when He said, “Father,
into Your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). It is the
essential part of man.” A.W. Tozer

Romans 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to

the flesh, to live after the flesh.
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• Therefore, has all the great truth in mind from 6:1 to this
verse. Identified with Christ, our old man crucified with
Him, and our connection with Adam broken by death,
made to share in His newness of life, the Spirit of life is
caused to dwell in us by His mighty power, setting us free
from the law of sin and death, because all rights of sin as
connected with flesh were cancelled at the cross. Finally,
although our bodies are dead to God, yet the Spirit of
Him who raised Jesus from the dead, will make our
bodies also alive toward Him when Christ returns.
• Now, “we are debtors” to God, to Christ and to the
indwelling Holy Spirit. Yes, we are indeed debtors, but
not to the flesh.

Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die:

but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the
body, ye shall live.
• 13a — This great warning shows how those who have a
knowledge of the truth may yet be walking in the flesh
which involves refusing the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:2;
Colossians 1:23) Death here refers to eternal death in
Romans 6:21, 23. (Galatians 6:8; Jude 12; Hebrews
6:4-6)
• 13b — The flesh/sin nature shows itself through the
vehicle of the body; God’s Spirit dwells in us for the
purpose of putting to death the misdeeds of the body,
which originate in the flesh, comes through the soul, and
manifests itself in evil behavior (misdeeds of the body).
A holy life without a controlled body is impossible.
• The misdeeds of the body, which stem from the flesh, are
naturally selfish, because the body is not redeemed.
Even the lawful needs and desires of the body become
sinful and full of death if the flesh is ruling the body. In
Romans 6:11-12, we read, “Count yourselves dead to
sin”; and therefore “let not sin reign in your mortal body
that you should obey the desires of it (the body)”.

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• A holy life is to be lived by us. (1 Thessalonians 4:7)
Not that we have any power; we have none. But God’s
Spirit dwells within us for the purpose of putting to death
the deeds of the body. Self control is one of that sweet
cluster called “the fruit of the Spirit”. (Galatians 5:22)

B. Believers made children of God and co-heirs with

Christ
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of
God, they are the sons of God.
• The term “led by the Spirit” does not refer to service or
guidance, but rather to control by the spirit, of those born
of the spirit, and living in and by the spirit.
• Keep in mind that “sons” refers to
“adult sons”, and Paul declares here
that, true sons of God are those who
are led/controlled by the spirit.

Romans 8:15 For ye have not received

the spirit of bondage again to fear; but
ye have received the Spirit of adoption,
whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
• Israel received a spirit of bondage
when they were placed under the law;
how sad it is that the majority of
Christians consider themselves to be under the law, and
therefore under bondage. In this way, they are much like
the world, which sees Christ as a tough taskmaster; the
result of a spirit of bondage is fear.
• A spirit of fear and bondage is as much out of place now
as if one were afraid to face God at the rapture. 2
Timothy 1:7
• “But ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby
we cry, Abba, Father.” Galatians 4:5-6

Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our

spirit, that we are the children of God:
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• Human philosophy and science knows nothing about the
human spirit or Holy Spirit. It’s interesting that God in this
passage does not acknowledge or address the human
intellect, but rather the spirit (The Spirit itself beareth
witness with our spirit).
• A child of God knows; and the Holy Spirit keeps
witnessing, not through the mind, but directly with the
spirit (God-consciousness), that he is a born-one of God.
• The spirit goes beyond the realm of human
consciousness, therefore assurance of our salvation is
not gained through our senses (soul).
• Along with this assurance that we are indeed God’s child,
the indwelling Spirit forever witnesses to this fact,
enabling us/moving us to cry “Abba Father”.

Romans 8:17 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.
• “If born ones, then heirs”. Heirship is from relationship;
therefore, if a man is really a child of God by birth, he
becomes an heir of God, and joint-heir with His Son.
This is a fact of overwhelming magnitude; it is said of no
angel, cherub, or seraph, that they are heirs of God.
• Believers must meditate deeply on this fact; “I, a guilty,
lost, wretched child of Adam, am born of God, therefore I
am one of His heirs”. All that He is and all that He has is
ours at salvation.
• “if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also
glorified together”. The question is; who are to be
glorified with Christ when He comes? The answer; all the
saints will share Christ’s glory. (John 17:24) The
following scriptures leave no room for a partial rapture; (2
Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Corinthians 15:23; Colossians
3:4; 1 John 3:2)
• Now the Greek word for “suffer with” is used just one
other time in the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 12:26;

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 “if one member suffer, all the members suffer with it”.
Note that “suffering with” is not a voluntary matter, but
one necessitated by the relationship. If someone steps
on my foot, my whole body reacts; so it is with Christ and
His members.
• Therefore, being a joint-heir with Jesus, as well as a
member of His body, all believers will just naturally share
in the sufferings that every member of a living Christ will
suffer in this fallen world.

C. Future deliverance from death and suffering

Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed in us.
• (Hebrews 11:35-38). Tortured, mockings and
scourgings, bonds and imprisonment, sawn asunder,
tempted, slain with the sword, went about in sheepskins
and goatskins, destitute, afflicted, evil treated, wandering
through the earth; in spite of these earthly horrors, the
glory that shall be revealed will swallow up these brief
troubles so that they will not be remembered when Christ
returns.
• In view of the glory to be revealed in and through the
church, the sufferings which God has ordained for all
believers, no matter how difficult, will seem as nothing. 2
Corinthians 4:17

Romans 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the

creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of
God.
• The world knows
nothing of this verse.

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 Evolutionists tell their story of where the world came from
and where it will end up, but here God tells unto what
creation is coming...all of creation is waiting in
expectation for the unveiling of the sons of God. The
word “revealing” here means a removal of covering.
Presently, we saints are wrapped up in a common brown
wrapping paper of flesh which looks like other folks. But
the whole creation eagerly awaits for our unveiling at
Christ’s coming, because we are one with Him, and will
be glorified with Him at His coming. 1 John 3:2

Romans 8:20 For the creature (creation) was made

subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who
hath subjected the same in hope,
• Here God looks back to the garden and to Adam’s sin
(Genesis 3:17, 18); “Cursed is the ground for thy sake…
Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth”. Here we see God
subjecting the whole creation to “vanity”. The book of
Ecclesiastes dwells long on this “vanity”; “putting forth the
tender leaves of hope”, only to have the “sudden frost” of
disease and death end earthly hope.
• Hope lies ahead for creation, because the millennium is
coming and after that, a new heaven and earth.

Romans 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be

delivered from the bondage of corruption into the
glorious liberty of the children of God.
• It is interesting that although we, who are in Christ, are
new creatures, yet God has left our bodies as the link
with the present “groaning” creation. This bondage of
corruption is all around us. Every decaying carcass of
earthly creatures speaks of the “bondage of corruption.”
Man’s sin has caused ruin all throughout creation; decay,
disease, suffering, death, and destruction everywhere.
• Paul tells us in Galatians 5:1, that we already have
liberty/freedom in Christ; the liberty of grace. However,
“the glorious liberty of the children of God” awaits Christ’s
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 Second Coming. Into that glorious liberty, creation,
which has shared “the bondage of corruption”, will be
brought along with us,
• Contrast the state of creation today with that of the
Millennial Kingdom in (Isaiah 11:6-9).

Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation

groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
• This world’s doctors, oceanographers, geologists,
scientists, come face to face with death every day, with
every sick patient, in every crushed ocean shell, every
rotten log, but never seem to even get a glimpse of the
bondage of corruption in which all creation is groaning;
but rather they speak of progress and evolution.
• One poet wrote these words: “The larks on the wing, the
snails on the thorn, God’s in His heaven, all’s well with
the world.” How far from understanding many people
are; to think of writing, “all’s well” in a world where all are
dying...no evolution, no progression; just the opposite.
• Ever since Adam’s sin, the curse lies on all the earth.
The earth and the creatures are away from God,
consequently “groaning” and “travailing” are everywhere.
But travailing, though painful, looks forward to a birth.
• “Until now”; No “evolution”, no “progress” until Christ
comes with the “liberty of the glory”.

Romans 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also,

which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we
ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the
adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
• It’s interesting that the Christian is the connection
between “groaning creation” and God. He is redeemed
positionally/heavenly, but his body is unredeemed
conditionally/earthly. Yet the Holy Spirit, as the firstfruit
of that coming bodily redemption dwells in him.
• We could picture it like this: one who belongs in heaven,
yet kept in a body which groans with groaning creation (2
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 Corinthians 5:1-2), yet in all this he experiences the
goodness of God. For dwelling in Him, is God Himself, in
the person of the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort until
the body is redeemed.
• Our position is as follows; A recipient of grace, in Christ,
sharing in His risen life, delivered from sin’s power and
law and all worldly things. On the other hand, not yet
partaker of glory, (though expecting and awaiting it), but
kept in an unredeemed body, not fitted yet for heaven,
and in which the longing Spirit, knowing the He Himself is
fit to be a “partaker of the saints in light”, can only groan.
• God began with man’s body in Eden, and He will end
with redeeming our bodies.

Romans 8:24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that

is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he
yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for that we see not,
then do we with patience wait for it.
• We could define “hope” as “confident expectation”.
“Confidently expecting” something better. The very fact
that we have not seen it as of yet, produces within us that
grace which is so precious to God; patient endurance;
hope. Patiently waiting for the coming “liberty of the glory
of the children of God”. Hebrews 11:1

D. The Holy Spirit’s intercession and intervention for

believers
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our
infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as
we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us
with groanings which cannot be uttered.
• Many Christians attempt to flatter God and those
listening, as well as themselves with beautiful and
eloquent prayers. Not so with those who are walking in
the Spirit, for they will have a deep sense of need and
inability.

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• We know that Christ makes intercession for us at the
right hand of God; but here, the Spirit, who knows our
every need, is making intercession within us.
• The Spirit, knowing all this, groans— what a word! How
shallow is our understanding and appreciation. Notice
that He intercedes with groanings that cannot be uttered.
Ephesians 6:18; Jude 20
• “Which cannot be uttered”; It would seem that here are
needs which our minds know nothing and words cannot
describe.

Romans 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth

what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh
intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
• It is God the Father here that is “searching the hearts” to
know what is in the mind of the indwelling Holy Spirit, to
know what the Spirit groans for, in order that He may
supply it. For in the plan of salvation, God the Father is
the Source, Christ the Channel, and the Spirit the Agent.
• We know not how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit
makes intercession for us “according to God”. According
to His nature of which we are partakers; according to our
need which He discerns; according to our dangers which
He foresees; according to all the desires He has toward
us.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together

for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to his purpose.
• “To them that love God”; It all comes down to this
question, have we believed as guilty lost sinners, that
Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay our sin penalty? Is
that our only hope? If so, 1 John 4:16 becomes true;
“We know and have believed the love which God hath to
us”, and verse 19 follows: “We love, because He first
loved us”. We cannot work up love for God; but His
redeeming love for us, believed in, becomes the cause
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 and spring of our love. (2 Corinthians 14a; Ephesians
3:17-19)
• If we have a godly old grandmother whom we know really
loves us; we will “go the extra mile”, we will do anything
for her because we know how much she loves us. The
same is true with Christ, when we begin to comprehend
the love He has for us, we will reciprocate that love.
• “All things work together for good” to all believing lovers
of God. When we begin to reflect on all that the Lord has
created around us as well as everything that He
permits/orchestrates in our lives, to bring about “good” in,
through, and for us, there is a growing confidence and
peace that “all things truly are working together for our
good”. God indeed does have our best interest at heart.
(Ephesians 1:11)
• “For good”; bright things and dark things, happy or sad
things, bitter or sweet things, times of prosperity or times
of adversity 2 Corinthians 4:17; when the Shunammite,
with her one child lying at home dead answered Elisha’s
question “is it well with the child?” “It is well”. (2 Kings
4:26) One Christian writer explained verse 28 in this
way, “A soft pillow for a tired heart.”
• “To them that are called according to His purpose”.
We come once again, face to face, with Divine Sovereign
election where we find those that love God are further
defined as those that are “called”, not invited, according
to His purpose 2 Timothy 1:9. God is infinite, man is
dust; if God had a purpose, a definite intention, it will
come to pass, for He has limitless resources. As David
says, “all things are thy servants”.
• From here to the end of the chapter, it’s all God, and He
promises to use everything, good or bad, to bring about
His “good” purpose and “good” plan for us. (2 Timothy
1:9; Ephesians 3:11) And what is His purpose and
plan? (Verse 29)

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Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son,
that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
• “For whom He did foreknow”. This “for” looks back at the
word “purpose” and opens out His purpose for those He
“foreknew” (God’s foreknowledge refers to a Divine pre-
acquaintance).
• “Foreknowledge” is first, then the marking out a destiny
befitting those foreknown ones. “He
also did predestinate/foreordain”
believers to reach a particular goal.
That goal is to change all believers into
the “image of His Son” – nothing
lacking, nothing short, like Christ –
God's purpose in all of our lives is to
mold us into the image of Christ.
Galatians 4:19
• Let’s go back to the beginning, back to
the Garden, to see God’s original
purpose. In Genesis 1:26 we read;
"And God said, let us make man in our
image, after our likeness"…And so
Adam, the head of the human race, was
made in the image of God. Genesis 1:27
• Now the big question is…What was that image? The
most logical answer would be, a physical body. However
John 4:24 says, "God is Spirit" and spirits don't have
physical bodies. Therefore, the image of God must be
seen in something else. (The soul) Our soul is our mind,
will and emotions.
• Give some thought to this; we have a mind like God's.
• It’s interesting to consider that we don't know everything
that God knows, but because we have a mind like Him,
He can teach us. It is the same with our children. They
don't know all we know, but because they have a mind
like ours, we can teach them.

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• We also have a will like God's; we can make decisions as
God also makes decisions.
• Finally, we have emotions like God; the Bible speaks of
God having, joy, sorrow, anger and love, all of which are
emotions that we humans have.
• However, at the fall, man's soul became self centered
rather than God centered; therefore, rather than being
dependent on God we become independent, and in this
condition we see that Adam brought forth a sinful,
ungodly, self centered race of people born spiritually
dead in trespasses and sins. Genesis 5:3, and this is
exactly how we come into the world, spiritually dead.
Ephesians 2:1
• However, Hebrews 1:1-3 -Colossians 1:14,15; (Jesus
Christ is the image of the invisible God) Finally, after
thousands of years, here is the image of God back on the
earth in the person of Jesus Christ.
• An interesting question to consider; what is the image of
God? What does it look like when we have it on? The
image of God/Christ is one of death...Dying to self.
Philippians 3:10, Philippians 2:5-8
• Picture in your mind the perfect Christian. What does he
look like? He is patient, kind, doesn't seek his own, not
inflated with self importance, not easily provoked, bears
all things, endures all things. Again, Luke 9:23. What
does it take to be patient with an unreasonable person?
It takes dying to self. What does it take to be kind to
someone who we feel doesn't deserve our kindness,
etc.? Dying to self. John 12:24; 1Corinthians 15:36;
2Corinthians 7:3 - Notice Paul says, "you are in our
hearts to die and live". Die and live, this is contrary to
nature.
• It is always live first then die, but not for we Christians,
we must die in order to live. This is the principle of death
and resurrection, and can only take place at the
cross....Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20.

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• It is interesting to note that Jesus' life produced little or no
fruit; oh, He healed a few people, and fed 5,000 and
4,000, but it was His death that gives us eternal life. If
we are to become like Jesus, if we are to be molded into
His image, if we are to become fruitful disciples of Christ,
then we must deny, or die to self.
• “Predestined to be conformed to the image of his
Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brethren”. Even before He created the world He
determined this: “That He might be the first born.” In
Christ, like Christ, this is the highest place that God can
give His creation. God puts us there; and of Christ it is
written, “He is not ashamed to call them brethren”
because we are “all of one with Christ”. (Hebrews 2;11)
This is grace, not to bless us only by Jesus, but to bless
us with Him.

Romans 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them

he also called: and whom he called, them he also
justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
• Simply put, even before God created the world, before
we were born because He would have never chosen us
afterward, God determined that He would mold us. So
He called us by the Gospel to come as sinners and trust
in our Redeemer.
• Since we are considering God’s unfolding of His
“purpose” of verse 28, we must give some thought to
“called” from God’s side. “Calling is that determination by
God, of the realm and mode of life for those whom He
foreknew and predestined.
• So “whom He called,
them He also justified”
(declared righteous).
God does not here speak
of “justification’ by faith,
which this epistle is filled
with. Now we know that
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 only those who believe are justified; yet in God’s
counsels, all His elect already before Him are counted
righteous (justified).
• He didn’t stop there, “Them He also glorified.” This is the
end of this amazing series of truth – Glorified”. So we
saints go on to a glory for God foreknew us in Christ; and
it is in this glorified Christ that God chose us long ago,
before the foundations of the world. And so we saints go
on to a glory already true of us by the word of God -
Glorified body/ free from sin and death/everything that
Jesus has and is, is ours.

E. The love and grace of God poured out on His

children
Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If
God be for us, who can be against us?
• Paul now arrives at the mountain top of Christianity here
in verse 31 — This appears to be a questioning word as
well as a triumphant word. “What shall we say to these
things that have just been said from foreknowledge to
glorification?” To doubt them is to deny them.
• What will we say to these things? Let’s say with Paul;
God is for us. We are expected to have heard,
understood, and believed everything written thus far in
Romans: the conclusion — “God is for us”; the Creator
of the universe, the Upholder of all things, the Redeemer
God Himself, “for us”.
• Now comes the challenge: “Who is against us”? Paul
knew, as no others have ever known, the persecuting
energy of the haters of the Gospel, who stood ready to
seize him. Yet he challenges all; “who can be against
us?”

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Romans 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but
delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him
also freely give us all things?
• This is the
God who is
for us; and
this is the
proof. God
has poured
out His
love,
opened to
us His
heart, He
has spared
not, given His best (His own Son, His only Son, His well-
beloved Son), His all, even Christ; now with Him all
things come.
• Ah, how wretched we are, even in our own sight; guilty,
miserable, defiled, powerless, worthless – For us all.
• “Delivered Him up”; We saw this same word in
Romans 4:25 – “delivered up for our trespasses”. We
know why, but unto what? Mocking, spitting, scourging,
crucifying by men; and to the horrible cup of wrath for our
sins at God’s hand – infinitely more appalling than
anything by the hand of man. Yet, God spared not – His
own Son – but delivered Him up – for us all.
• “How shall he not with him also freely give us all
things?” He has spared not, given us His best, His all –
even Christ. Now with Him, all things come. All the gifts
or blessings that God may give to us, now or hereafter,
are nothing compared to Christ.
• “All things”; It will greatly please the Father for us to
come before His throne of Grace saying; “You did not
spare your son, but gave Him for me, therefore…….” Let
all things be all things.

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Romans 8:33 Who shall lay anything to the charge of
God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
• This passage is addressed to God’s elect, who boldly
challenge any and every foe concerning any possible
charge laid against them before God.
• It is not that we are without fault, we know that. But “God
is for us”. The emphasis is on God! He is the Judge and
we are His elect; He has declared His elect (those of faith
in Jesus) righteous, so who can condemn? Shall anyone
stand before God’s high court and condemn “whom He
has justified”? Isaiah 50:8
• Satan may accuse us, but the day of our condemnation is
gone forever, and God will take our part.

Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ

that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at
the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for
us.
• There is no crucifix here, no dead Christ, but rather one
raised, and at the right hand of God; not merely there in a
place of honor and power, but occupied for our benefit.
• God is for us (verse 31); the indwelling Spirit is making
intercession for us (verse 26); and now here in verse 34
Christ is making intercession for us. What a salvation in
which all three persons of the Trinity are constantly
occupied on our behalf.

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of

Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or
famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
• No enemy, no lack, no guilt, no condemnation and now
no separation. The word “who” here obviously refers to
God’s enemy, Satan, and
then Paul begins to
enumerate things and the
first mention is of
tribulation:
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• Satan has never succeeded in separating one saint from
the love of Christ by tribulation. (I Thessalonians 1:6 &
3:3; John 16:33)
• Nor has he been able to separate any through distress —
it means a narrow, cramped place where one is in
anguish...so distress, however terrible, cannot separate
us from Christ’s love. (John 15:20; Acts 23:11)
• Famine comes next--12 times in the New Testament
famine is mentioned. Does it affect the saints? Paul
makes these statements in (Philippians 4:12; 2
Corinthians 11:27) Famine? Yes! But not to separate
us from the love of Christ. We may be hungry in this
Christ-rejecting world, and yet loved by our Lord.
• Nakedness—(I Corinthians 4:11), or peril— 8 times in
one verse—(2 Corinthians 11:26) Paul uses the word
peril. Or sword--the first use of this word is connected
with Jesus Himself (Matthew 26:47; Hebrews 11:37).
• And what about the saints? Even in the hour of death by
the sword, Christ was there; they were not separated
from His love.

Romans 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed

all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the
slaughter. Psalm 44:22
• Here is an accurate description of God’s saints. Killed
and sheep for the slaughter all the day (of grace) long,
this is the real state of real saints: we are Christ’s: killed
and slaughter sheep (2 Corinthians 4:10, 11).
• Let the church turn away from the false dreams of
“peace”. The saints are “sheep for the slaughter”. We
must name ourselves among them, and cease
contending for our rights in a world that has cast out
Christ.
• Our motto could be “I am Christ’s; a sheep for slaughter”.

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Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than
conquerors through him that loved us.
• Isn’t this Bible something awesome? Here we are sheep
for slaughter, naming ourselves more than conquerors. 2
Corinthians 2:14; 1 Corinthians 15:57
• Notice that it is altogether through Him
that we are conquerors, not through man’s
effort. It is a confidence that this infinite
and therefore limitless Divine grace is
granted to us for any and all emergencies.
• We know that verse 39 declares that it
is “the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus”; from which nothing can separate
us.

Romans 8:38 For I am persuaded, that

neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come 39 Nor
height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of
God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that
justifieth.
• “For I am persuaded”; before we look at the last two
verses of this eighth chapter of Romans, it might be good
to consider the word “persuaded”, for it seems to be the
basis for Paul’s triumph as he goes shouting up the
mountain heights of Christian faith. “Persuaded is a
heart-word, and the difference between knowing a truth
and being heart-persuaded of it, is brought out in
Romans 14:14. (Confident, heart-satisfied, persuasion)
• And so Paul says “I am persuaded”; of course the very
thing that he was persuaded about and the emphasis
here, is that nothing can separate us from the love of
God. Not even death which all fear (Hebrews 2:14, 15).

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• Nor can the circumstances of life separate us from the
love of God. Nor can angels, whether good or fallen
separate us from the love of God.
• Nor can Principalities — we know from (Ephesians 1:21
& 6:12) that there are levels of unseen authorities, but
none of them can separate us from the love of God.
• Nor things present, nor things to come: nothing today or
tomorrow can separate us.
• Nor powers, the word “power” here apparently has
reference to spiritism and magic (Acts 8:10). Speaking
of Simon the magician, “This man is that power of God.”
Bewitchment, sorcery, mystic spells are cast upon the
unsaved, but it is a sad fact that many Christians are
afraid of Friday the 13th, going under a ladder, breaking a
mirror, or seeing a black cat. Where is God in all that?
He is not. None of these powers can separate us from
the love of God.
• Nor height nor depth--astronomers would frighten us with
the vastness of our universe. But Jesus passed through
all the heavens and sits on the right hand of God. No
height and no depth can separate us from God’s love in
Christ.
• Nor any other created thing (including you or I) separate
us from “the love of God”. There, that should put to rest
all of our fears. Notice that this love of God is in Christ
Jesus, our Lord (John 17:26).
• Romans 8 is the full appropriation of God’s remedy for
man’s dilemma. It is life in Christ lived in the spirit; it is
ruled by grace and lived by faith alone. The difference
and victory of Romans 8 is the Spirit, not the presence of
the Spirit, but the absolute rule of the Spirit.

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153
Romans Chapter 9

Introduction
• Romans chapters nine through eleven appears to be a
parenthetical portion of scripture in the book of Romans,
where Paul turns aside to the explanation of God’s
present dealing with Israel. God had committed Himself
to bless this nation, and now due to their unbelief, they
are nationally set aside.
• This setting aside of Israel is also a parenthesis in time.
God is making a visit to the Gentiles to “take out of them
a people for His name” (Acts 15:14), after which our Lord
Himself will return and build again the tabernacle of
David in Jerusalem.
• Romans nine through eleven becomes an essential part
of Christian doctrine in this respect; that while these
chapters do not reveal our salvation or our place in
Christ, as do the first eight chapters, yet they unfold to us
our place in God’s plans as well as National Israel’s place
• A key thought here is, if nothing can separate us, then
what about the Jews.

A. Paul’s love for his own people, the Jews; The

covenant promises & blessings
Romans 9:1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my
conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in
my heart. 3 For I could wish that myself were accursed
from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to
the flesh:
• Paul’s constant yearning
pain for the unbelieving
Israelites, his brethren and
kinsmen; a yearning so great
that he calls the Holy Spirit to
bear witness of the fact that
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 he would go so far as to be lost himself, if it meant that
they could be saved.
• Moses similarly prayed; “If thou wilt not forgive them, blot
me, I pray thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast
written”. (Exodus 32:32-33)
• It’s interesting that thousands of grace-hating Jews in
Paul’s day followed him around from place to place,
declaring that he was one who had denied the faith of his
fathers, and that he was bitter against his own race.
They spread the report that Paul “taught all men
everywhere against Israel and the law and the temple”
(Acts 21:28).
• How Christ-like was the love of Paul toward the
unbelieving Israelites who were reviling him; even to the
point of being willing to be lost for their sake.

Romans 9:4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the

adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the
giving of the law, and the service of God, and the
promises;
5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the
flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever.
Amen.
• Here Paul rehearses eight matters which belonged to
Israel in spite of all their unfaithfulness, and made them
different before God from all other nations. Deut. 7:6
• The Divine national adoption – Let all the nations,
British, American, French, German, etc. understand that
God’s election of Israel as His chosen nation is absolute
and eternal, as He says in Is, 66:22, “As the new
heavens and new earth shall remain before me, so shall
your seed and your name (Israel) remain.” (Exodus
4:22; Deuteronomy 7:6; Amos 3:2)
• The glory – We know how God’s presence accompanied
Israel as a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night
through the sea and through the wilderness, and then
filled the tabernacle. No other nation has had or will have
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 God’s presence like this. (Exodus 25:8, 21, 22; 2
Chronicles 5:13-14)
• The covenants – Gentiles
have nothing actively to do with
covenants. In Genesis 15,
God made a covenant with
Abraham and gave to his
earthly descendants the token
of circumcision. In Genesis
22, God confirmed the promise
to Abraham’s seed, which is
Christ (Galatians 3:16). With
David God made an earthly
kingdom-covenant (2 Samuel
7:13), as we find Gabriel
announcing to Mary in Luke 1:32-33. God says that He
will make a new covenant in the future with the house of
Israel and the house of Judah (Jeremiah 31:31-34;
Ezekiel 36:24-27).
• The custodianship of the law – It was a great thing to
be entrusted with God’s holy law, as we saw in Romans
3:2. Every writer of scripture, with the possible exception
of Luke, was an Israelite. No other nation has ever been
directly spoken to, as a nation, by God; except to be
warned as were Egypt (by Moses) and Nineveh (by
Jonah).
• The sanctuary-service – Religious ordinances
prescribed to Israel by God in connection with the
tabernacle-worship, which will be resumed in the
Millennium, as we read in the last nine chapters of
Ezekiel. Keep in mind that such outward form-worship
belongs to the nation of Israel, and not to Christianity. To
introduce it into Christianity is to return to paganism
(Galatians 4:9-10).
• The promises – God’s salvation-promises were lodged
in Abraham; His kingdom-promises in David. No
promises were made to Gentile nations as such, for the
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 gospel is not a promise, but the announcement of a fact
to be believed, and is not preached to nations but rather
to individuals.
• Whose are the fathers – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are
directly referred to; our hearts include Moses, Samuel,
David, and the prophets when we think of Israel and
remember the “fathers”. Although we have no
connection with Israel, we do have a vital connection with
Abraham, as his “children”.
• And of whom is Christ as to the flesh – who is over
all, God blessed unto the ages! Amen – In Romans
1:3, God’s Son is said to be “born of the seed of David
according to the flesh”; in John 1:14, we read “The Word
became flesh”; in Matthew 1:1 it is, “The book of the
generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of
Abraham”. Now this is a great honor for Israel; our Lord,
“the mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6), is, according to the flesh,
an Israelite who is over all (1 Corinthians 15:27;
Colossians 1:16-17). Jesus Christ is indeed “over all,
and God blessed forever”.
• Paul now rests in the sovereignty of God, accomplishing
three things. First, he defends himself as well as all of
us, against the charge of teaching that God had been
unfaithful in His promises toward Israel. Second, he
shows that Israel’s own scriptures had foretold their
temporary rejection, and the salvation of the Gentiles.
Finally, he declares the great future blessing which will
come to Israel in God’s sovereign mercy.

Romans 9:6 Not as though the word of God hath taken

none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of
Israel:
• Paul here refers to those great promises God had made
to Abraham, then to Isaac, then to Jacob; of blessing to
their descendants, announcing Himself as God of Israel,
giving them by oath the land of Palestine, placing in

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 David’s line the promise of perpetual royalty, prophesying
a glorious future for Israel.
• Paul’s explanation, for it looked as if these Divine
promises had failed, was that “not all that are of Israel,
are really Israel before God”.

Romans 9:7 Neither, because they are the seed of

Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy
seed be called.
• Jesus said in John 8, “If you were Abraham’s children
you would do the works of Abraham” (John 8:39); “If
God were your Father, you would love Me” (John 8:42).
To consider religious privilege as spirituality is delusion.
The real sons of Abraham are defined in Gal. 3:7
• However, Paul’s point here is not that Abraham’s real
children are those who believe, but rather that God’s
sovereign election/His calling, lies behind it all. As God
said to Abraham concerning Ishmael; “Nay, but Sarah
your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his
name Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with Him.
(Genesis 17:19-21; Galatians 4:23) Also Genesis
21:12; this is Divine sovereign action, and now Paul
explains it.

Romans 9:8 That is, They which are the children of the
flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children
of the promise are counted for the seed.
• What does Paul mean by “the children of the promise are
counted for seed”? Paul is not speaking here of man’s
believing a promise and therefore being written down as
one of God’s children; but rather the focus here is on God
and His promise that characterizes the existence of all
the real children of God. Paul expounds on this in the
next verse.

Romans 9:9 For this is the word of promise, At this time

will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.
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• The quotation is from Genesis 18:10. Keep in mind that
Isaac the coming child did not believe the promise in
order to be born, but rather God promised Isaac to
Abraham and kept His promise by a miracle.
• When Isaac was born, we could then say that he was a
child of “promise” a “promised” child in God’s sovereign
will.

Romans 9:10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also
had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11 (For
the children being not yet born, neither having done any
good or evil, that the purpose of God according to
election might stand, not of works, but of him that
calleth;)
• In the former verses it is brought out that Isaac was a
child of promise, born through miraculous means. In the
passage before us, the sovereign purpose of God
according to election, is seen extending beyond birth to
the condition and affairs of the promised child.
• “The elder shall serve the younger” is not only a
prophesy that Jacob would inherit the Divine blessing,
but looks far into the future to the days of Christ
(Numbers 24:17-18).

Romans 9:12 It was said unto her (by God), The elder
shall serve the younger. 13 As it is written, Jacob have I
loved, but Esau have I hated. Deuteronomy 21:15
• Keeping in
mind that all men
are sinners,
therefore we
should allow God
to retreat into His
own sovereignty,
to act as He will.
We may say that
Esau proved
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 himself unworthy of the covenant blessing by rejecting
his God-given birthright. This however is seen to be a
rather shallow view as the prophecy of their future was
told to their mother while the children were yet in her
womb, “not having done anything good or bad”.
• We have already seen and believed in Romans that
righteousness is not of works, but of Divine grace;
uncaused by us. Now we must see and believe that
God’s purpose according to election is likewise not of
human works; that is to say that the favor of God to the
children of promise (to those whom He has given to
Christ) is not obtained by their response to God’s grace,
but rather their response to God’s grace is because they
have been given to Christ.
• The doctrine of election presents problems, which are
insolvable by the human mind. Divine election is not
limited only to God choosing who will receive eternal life;
because we see it everywhere in the universe. There is
variety in everything God created. There are
classifications among the angels. One star is bigger and
brighter than another star. Men are not born of the same
race with the same advantages, nor with the same
abilities.
• Let’s add this also--man’s will has no part in any of this.
Men do not choose their race or their life conditions, such
as where they are born, rich or poor, healthy or sick,
position of honor or dishonor.
• However, it is very important to remember that God’s
attitude toward every human being is one of compassion
and love. Give some thought to this: Divine election and
God’s love cannot be reconciled within our human
understanding, and furthermore, It is so important that we
give God the first consideration.
• Any system of religious thought, which suggests that God
is limited by man’s thoughts, prayers, or actions is just
plain foolishness. The order of truth is seen in the first
phrase of the Bible--”In the beginning God.” It is God
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 who planned, He executed and it is He who will do His
good pleasure. (Psalm 115:3; 135:6)
• The true system of Biblical thought begins with God and
man is conformed to the plan and purpose of his Creator,
not the other way around.

B. The sovereignty and mercy of God

Romans 9:14 What shall we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15 For he saith
to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I will have
compassion.
• We must remember the circumstances surrounding
God’s response to Moses in order to see the
righteousness of God’s sovereignty in mercy.
• There had been the “golden calf” situation at Sinai; Israel
had “changed their glory for the likeness of an ox that
eats grass”. God speaks these words to Moses, “Let me
alone that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I
may consume them” (Exodus 32:10). Moses pleads for
the people and the next day offers, if God will not forgive
them, to be himself blotted out of God’s book (Exodus
32:32). Forty days and forty nights this devoted man lay
on his face interceding for Israel, and God showed favor
to Moses and finally extends it to all the people.
• It is in this connection and under these circumstances,
and in response to the personal request of Moses; “Show
me, I pray thee, thy glory”, that Jehovah says; “I will
make all my goodness pass before thee, and will
proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; and I will be
gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy
on whom I will show mercy” (Exodus 33:18-19)
• Now who can find fault with that? Unless Jehovah shows
mercy, Israel must all, righteously, perish. There was no
resource left in man; God either comes out to man with
mercy or it’s over.

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Romans 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of
him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.
• Perhaps no statement in all of scripture so completely
brings man to the end as this sixteenth verse. Man
thinks that he can “will” his way into heaven, and “decide”
or “choose” God; but that is clearly against Paul’s
teaching here; good intentions are not the key to unlock
the door to eternal life, it’s not because we want it.
• Others imagine that their efforts are building an invisible
ladder to heaven, not knowing that service, family,
position, reputation, good works, etc., hold no sway with
God and are utterly rejected as the source of salvation,
which is declared to be “God who shows mercy”.
• Human responsibility is not at all set aside here; man
ought to will and run, but the issue at hand is that we are
sinners and there is no possibility that we either “can do”
or “will do”, unless God comes forth to us in sovereign
mercy.

Romans 9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh,

Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I
might show my power in thee, and that my name might
be declared throughout all the earth. 18 Therefore hath
he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he
will he hardeneth.
• Now in most of the teaching
regarding Pharaoh, the
emphasis is on his words in
Exodus 5:2, “Who is Jehovah
that I should hearken unto His
voice to let Israel go? I know
not Jehovah, and moreover I
will not let Israel go”.
• However, we must go back to Exodus 4:2 when Jehovah
said to Moses; “When you go back into Egypt, see that
you do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put
in your hand, but I will harden (literary make strong) his
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 heart and he will not let the people go.” Also consider
Exodus 7:3-4.
• Now it is not right to make God the author of Pharaoh’s
stubbornness, nor is it right to insist that if God be a God
of love, He must save everybody. Exodus 7:13-14
record Pharaoh’s attitude after the first “wonder” as well
as God’s report of Pharaoh’s heart-condition; for God
sees the heart. “And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and
he hearkened not unto them, as Jehovah had spoken.”
And Jehovah said unto Moses, ‘Pharaoh’s heart is
heavy.’”
• The Hebrew word translated “heavy” or “hard” here, is
frequently used to mean “weighs down” as in Exodus
17:12; 1 Kings 12:10; Isaiah 1:4. Basically, we can see
that Pharaoh’s heart was left by God simply in it’s natural
state; heavy with iniquity. Unlike David, he had never felt
the weight of his sin (Psalm 38:4 – same word heavy).
• God had a perfect right to allow Pharaoh to remain,
where we all would remain apart from God’s sovereign
mercy, in a disobedient, God defying attitude; “Who is
Jehovah that I should obey Him”?
• Pharaoh fulfilled the Divine counsels. The plagues that
his rebellion brought on and his overthrow at the Red
Sea are spoken of throughout the Bible (Exodus 15:14;
1 Samuel 4:7-8). Jehovah’s name was “published
abroad in all the earth” through this unbelieving rebel
Pharaoh, just as He said.
• This explains “He hardeneth”, however there is no soft
explanation for the twice repeated “whom He will’ here.
(Psalm 115:3; 135:6)

Romans 9:19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he
yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
• In His infinite wisdom and knowledge God reads with
unerring accuracy the human heart: “Man looks on the
outward appearance, but Jehovah looks on the heart”.
Man says, “If I’m not one of God’s elect, an object of His
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 mercy, then I cannot do right and He should not blame
me”. Job 9:12
• God commands men that they should all, everywhere
repent. God’s commands are God’s enablings, and if
man responds to Him, he will be saved. No man will be
able to say on that Day of Judgment that he was unable
to come because he was not of the elect; for that will not
be true. The reason man refused to come will be his love
for sin, not his non-election.
• God says “whosoever will”, the door is open to all; God
means “whomsoever;” And that is the word for all
sinners, not “election, which is God’s business not man’s

Romans 9:20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest
against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that
formed it, Why hast thou
made me thus?
• The final point of Paul’s
argument; “But who are
you O man, to talk back
to God.” (NIV) “Woe unto
him that strives with His
Maker” (Isaiah 45:9;
29:16) A “thing”, even a
“formed thing”, owing it’s
very existence to it’s
Creator; the proper creature attitude should be one of
faith, not questioning.

Romans 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of
the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and
another unto dishonour?
• We must know that God will always act righteously; and
we are not His judges. God, the sovereign Creator, has
a right from the same lump of human clay to make one
part a vessel unto honor, another unto dishonor.
(Jeremiah 18:3-6)
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• No godly person challenges that right, but rather bows to
it. What would the ability to create be worth, if it were
under the dictation of that which is to be created?

Romans 9:22 What if God, willing to show his wrath,

and to make his power known, endured with much
longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
• “What if God” – The greatness of the Creator, and the
nothingness of the creature.
• Here we find:
1. Certain were “fitted for destruction”; it is not said
that God fitted them. (Romans 2:4-5)
2. “Endured with much longsuffering”. (2 Peter 3:15)
This longsuffering is the enduring on earth of
ungrateful rebels by a God who is surrounded in
Heaven by the glad, obedient host of light.
3. They thus became “vessels of wrath”; those in and
through whom God publicly and justly displayed His
righteous anger against sin and godlessness as a
warning to all.
4. Thus these came to that “destruction” unto which
their sin had “fitted” them. Keeping in mind that this
destruction is not eradication of the being, but rather
the final withdrawal of all mercy and longsuffering, as
well as the eternal infliction of Divine punishment
upon the bodies of the condemned.
5. “To make His power known”; God’s hatred of sin is
absolute, and this visitation of punishment upon the
lost will be God’s public exhibition of His holy wrath as
well as His power. His power is infinite, and these will
be compelled to be an example of it.

Romans 9:23 And that he might make known the riches

of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore
prepared unto glory,
• Though it is God’s wrath and power that are to be made
known in the “vessels of wrath”, He does not use the
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 word “glory” in connection with the condemnation of the
wicked. “As I live saith Jehovah, I have no pleasure in
the death of wicked” (Ezekiel 33:11). God will not exult
over the lost. John 13:21
• We must always remember that God is love from past
eternity, now and forever; so that it is written, “He delights
in mercy” (Micah 7:18), and “It is of the Lord’s mercies
that we are not consumed” (Lamentations 3:22).
However, when God speaks here of the “vessels of
mercy”, it is immediately made clear that He “afore
prepared them unto glory”, that is for entering into His
own glory (Romans 5:2), and they will show forth His
glory throughout all eternity. So He speaks in Ephesians
2:4-7 of His being “rich in mercy”.
• Take note of this word “afore”. There will come a day
when we shall enter, through His mercy, into that glory
unto which God “afore” appointed us, and for which He
“afore” prepared us, through the work of Christ for us. All
was “afore” arranged by God.

C. God adds Gentiles to spiritual Israel through faith in

His grace
Romans 9:24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the
Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
• No one can miss in Paul, the awareness that he is God’s;
not by his choice, but God’s own choice, eternally settled
and uncaused by Paul.
• Paul declares that there are “vessels of mercy” called
from both the Jews and Gentiles.

Romans 9:25 As he saith also in Hosea, I will call them

my people, which were not my people; and her beloved,
which was not beloved.
• Paul here in a most remarkable way, takes from the
prophet (Hosea 2:22), a passage that refers to Israel.
Peter quoting the same verse says, “Ye are an elect
race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, who in time were
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 no people, but now are the people of God” (1 Pet. 2:9-
10). Here we see the remnant according to the election
of grace.

Romans 9:26 And it shall come to pass, that in the

place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my
people; there shall they be called the children of the
living God. Hosea 1:10
• Another quote from Hosea 1:10; however, here the
reference is to the Gentiles which Paul had mentioned in
verse 24. No Gentile nation has ever been called a
“people of God”, nor are the Gentiles today called such.
However in the Millennium Acts 15:16-17.
• God’s infinite grace takes up those who were once called
“dogs” by our Lord, as compared with the “children” of
Israel, and gives them a “heavenly calling”.

Romans 9:27 Isaiah also crieth concerning Israel,

Though the number of the children of Israel be as the
sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:
• Here Paul takes another prophet, Isaiah, and quotes
again from two passages, and the later one first. This
27th verse is from Is. 10:22, and makes it very clear that
only the remnant will be left, for as Isaiah says “a
destruction is determined”. (Ezekiel 20:33-38)

Romans 9:28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short
in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord
make upon the earth.
• The ways of God. He waits long, He is silent, and then
suddenly executes His plans and purposes. Thus it was
at the flood, and the destruction of Sodom, and afterward
the Canaanites.
• God is now letting matters run on, both among the
Gentiles as well as Israel, this will one day be changed,
and “a short work will the Lord make upon the earth”.
Most of the natural children of Israel will be cut off, and
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 only the elect remnant will be saved and share in the
Millennial Kingdom.

Romans 9:29 And as Isaiah said before, Except the Lord

of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom,
and been made like unto Gomorrah.
• Israel might object to the doctrine of “the remnant”, “the
election of grace” by God, but the quotation here from
Isaiah 1:9 shows that if God had not intervened in
sovereign grace, they all “would have been as Sodom,
and been made like Gomorrah.”
• It is sovereign goodness that saves any Israelite, just as
it is sovereign goodness that saves any Gentile.
• Opposition to Divine
elective mercy arises
from ignorance of, or
blindness to, the total
sinfulness and lost-
ness of mankind; all
would go to Hell unless
God in His mercy
intervened.

Romans 9:30 What shall we say then? That the

Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have
attained to righteousness, even the righteousness
which is of faith. 31 But Israel, which followed after the
law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of
righteousness. 32 Wherefore? Because they sought it
not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For
they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 33 As it is
written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock
of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be
ashamed.
• This is a remarkable passage. Remember in Acts 13,
the Gentiles were deep in the sin described in Chapters
one and two, occupied with superstition and idolatry, no
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 seeking after righteousness before a holy God, and then
comes Paul and Barnabas preaching, and the whole city
is gathered together to hear the Word of God. Acts
13:43-49)
• What we have here is good news for bad men; men who
had never read the Old Testament Scriptures, nor
“pursued after righteousness”. However, hearing the
gospel and believing, they walked right into
righteousness by faith, past the Jews who had been
pursuing after a law that should give them
righteousness.
• It’s interesting to note that we are not told that even the
Jews were pursuing righteousness, but rather after a law
by which, through their self-efforts, they hoped to attain
righteousness.
• Unlike the Gentile sinners, the Jews could not simply
believe the good news of a “God of Grace”, even though
their own law would have convicted them if they had
really heard it. So here they were, pursuing after a law
whose requirements they could not meet, but glorying in
the potential self-exultation of the process. (A dream)
• They did not arrive at that law, it was always just ahead;
out of reach. Living in a self-righteous conceit, thinking
that one-day they would attain God’s acceptance of their
works, the need for God’s mercy or simple trust in Him
never entered their minds.
• So when Christ came saying “transfer your trust from
yourselves to me, Moses gave you the law, but none of
you keep the law”. They turned in fury and slew the
Righteous One.
• So Christ, the meek and lowly One, who went about
doing them good, who healed them, loved them, and
finally died for them,
became to them a
“Stone of Stumbling”.
He offended all the
claims of the Jews; He
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 offended all their false claims of righteousness; He
offended the leaders of Israel by exposing their sin; He
offended the hopes of an immediate, carnal earthly
kingdom; In short, He offended the nation by
overthrowing its whole superstructure of works.
• However, there were those that believed on Him; the
“poor of the flock”; and they “shall not be put to shame.”

God’s sovereignty in Salvation

• Man was lost and could not save himself.
• He was guilty; none could pardon but the God that he
had sinned against.
• He was by nature a “child of wrath”, not deserving
good.
• He was allied with God’s enemy, and had a mind at
enmity with God.
• He knew he was doing things worthy of death, and
not only persisted, but was in approval with those of
like practice.
• Therefore, if any move be made toward man’s
salvation, it must come from God.
• God being God knew beforehand that the attitude of
every man would be one of opposition.
• Since any real response to those overtures must
come from God’s Grace, He must elect to overcome
man’s resistance.
• To say that God is unable to overcome man’s
resistance is to limit His power.
• But to say that God is unwilling to have certain ones
saved is to deny His word.
• When we consider election, we must remove our
thoughts totally from this world.

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Romans Chapter 10

A. Paul’s compassion and prayer for Israel

Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to
God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
• “Brethren”; Here Paul addresses all saints concerning
his “heart’s desire” to see the salvation of national Israel.
As he often did, Paul puts his desire into a prayer to God;
where all spiritual longings should end.

B. Israel’s unbelief and ignorant religious zeal cited as

reason for spiritual blindness; The simplicity of faith in
Christ explained
Romans 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a
zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
• Zeal must not be mistaken for knowledge in spiritual
things (John 16:2), and here Paul
declares that national Israel had a zeal
for God, however there was no
knowledge of Him and His ways in that
zeal.
• I heard a man describe this verse as
“Racetrack Christianity;” there is a lot of
activity but no advance. We just keep
going around, and around and get
nowhere. Racetrack Christianity leads to
one thing--burned out, beat down,
faithless and fruitless Christians with no
power in their lives to carry on.
(Galatians 4:8-10)

Romans 10:3 For they being ignorant

of God's righteousness, and going about to establish
their own righteousness, have not submitted
themselves unto the righteousness of God.
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• Here is the Jew with God’s own Book, the Old Testament
Scriptures in his hand, and blind to that Scripture’s
revelation of his guilty, lost state before God. The Jews
were in a terrible situation in two ways:
• First, They were ignorant of the one great, vital fact that
all sinners must know; That righteousness is a free gift of
the grace of God. The expression “ignorant of God’s
righteousness does not mean that the Jewish People
were ignorant of the attributes of God, such as holiness
and righteousness. But the righteousness of which they
were ignorant was that while God Himself was just, He
was also the “justifier of the ungodly” of all who believed
on Jesus. (Ephesians 1:4; Romans 3:21-22)
• Second that the law was meant only to reveal their
sinfulness and need for the gift of righteousness from
God. As was pointed out in Chapter 9, the Jews had
concluded that their possession of the law gave them a
right standing with God.
• It was necessary that the law dispensation was unfruitful,
“making nothing perfect”, because it neither imparted life,
nor gave strength to fulfill its demands. (Hebrews 7:18;
8:13)
• The law was not designed to bring about self-
righteousness, or self-hope, but rather self-despair. The
law revealed to a man his need for a savior. Christ
Himself is the righteousness of God; when He died,
bearing the sin of the world, the law’s demand for human
righteousness was over, ended. Christ has now been
“made of God unto us righteousness”.
• But it is not easy for a self-righteous person to subject
himself unto God’s righteousness, for God justifies the
ungodly; justification is a gift for beggars, the only hope
for the guilty and lost. The Jews, ignorant of God’s gift of
righteousness, utterly refused to subject themselves, and
went about to establish their own righteousness.
(Proverbs 16:25; Hebrews 10:29)

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Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to every one that believeth.
• When Christ died, He bore for Israel the “curse of the
law”, for they and they alone were under the law. Christ
having died, all the claims of the law against that nation,
which had been placed under law, were completely met
and ended. Matthew 5:17
• To Him that believes, whether Jew or Gentile, Christ,
dead, buried, and risen is the end of law for
righteousness. Romans 7:6 tells us that “we are
delivered from the law”. The law has nothing to do with
us in regards to righteousness. (Philippians 3:9)
• The words “Christ is the end of the law”, cannot mean
that Christ is the fulfillment of what the law required. The
law required obedience to precepts, or death for
disobedience. Christ died! Many say that before He
died, He kept the law perfectly; if so, then why should He
die? If the claims of the law were met in Christ’s earthly
obedience, and if that earthly life of obedience is
reckoned to those who believe, then the “curse of the
law” has been removed by “law-keeping”. Why did Christ
die?
• Now this idea of Christ keeping the law for us is incorrect.
Paul tells us plainly how the curse of the law was
removed; Christ redeemed us from the “curse of the law”
having become a curse for us Galatians 3:13. And how
He became a curse is seen in Deuteronomy 21:23.
• There was no law given which could make alive,
otherwise righteousness would have been by it. The
gospel does not begin for any sinner, Jew or Gentile, until
the cross; “I delivered unto you first of all, that Christ died
for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3).
• It is because reformed theology has kept us Gentiles
under the law, if not as a means of righteousness, then
as a “rule of life”, that all the trouble has arisen. The law
is no more a rule of life than it is a means of
righteousness. Walking in the Spirit has taken the place
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 of walking by ordinances, and we are not “under law”, but
“under grace”.

Romans 10:5 For Moses describeth the righteousness

which is of the law, That the man which doeth those
things shall live by them.
• Paul now takes us into a great contrast between the way
of the law, and the way of faith, and he begins by
quoting Leviticus 18:5; “Ye shall keep my statutes and
ordinances, which if a man do he shall live by them; I am
Jehovah”.
• Why would God make such a statement if no one was to
obtain life by the law? The answer is two-fold; first
Galatians 3:21 – God never placed in the law the power
to give life. Second, the law is called a ministration of
death and condemnation (2 Corinthians 3:7-9); It was
never intended that people should gain hope by it, but
rather they should despair and be driven to cast
themselves upon God’s mercy as did David in Psalm 51.

Romans 10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith

speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall
ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from
above: 7 Or, Who shall descend into the
deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again
from the dead.) 8 But what saith it? The
word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and
in thy heart: that is, the word of faith,
which we preach;
• Paul here quotes from Deuteronomy
30:11-14; words from Moses own mouth
which he spoke to Israel concerning the law,
and which Paul here applies to faith in Christ.
• Moses, who had been with Israel for 40
years and had been their mediator in
bringing the law down from Mt. Sinai, is
about to die, leaving them with only the law. What will be
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 the reaction of the people when Moses goes up to the top
of the Mountain and dies, and God buries him? It will be
this: Moses is dead, and all we have left are these written
words. Who will go up to heaven for us now, and come
down, and make us hear this law in the same way our
fathers heard it, that we may do it? Or let’s find some
wonderful teacher like Moses, beyond the sea who can
make us hear it, that we may do it.
• Now Moses’ answer to all this was “the word is nigh unto
thee; in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayest do
it.” That is the written words of the law that the people
knew: they could repeat it, they were told to teach it
diligently unto their children, and to hide it in their heart
that they might not sin. It was all very simple indeed.
• But the great point that Moses makes with Israel is that
they had the law in simple plain words; they needed no
sign as that had already been done at Sinai. But the
great difficulty in the human heart is subjection to God’s
word; remember how the Jews in Jesus’ day kept asking
to be shown a sign from heaven.
• Now Paul knows the human heart to be the same today
as in the days of Moses, so he lifts out of Deuteronomy
Moses words about the law, and applies them to faith in
Christ.
• The righteousness which is of faith (instead of asking a
sign) saith thus, ”Say not in thy heart who shall ascend
into heaven to bring Christ down unto me”? Then further,
after proclaiming that Christ had been sent already, and
had borne their iniquities according to prophesy, and that
He had died; there would come the question in the
Jewish heart: Who shall go down into the abyss and
Bring Him up from the dead, that I may see Him and
therefore believe on Him?
• Now answering all these questions came the “simple
word of faith” preached by Paul, This expression “the
word of faith” involves the whole story of the gospel.
That Jesus was the Christ that He came, died for sin,
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 was buried and raised, and that He was seen by many
witnesses (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth

the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
• Paul speaks, then in these verses as if addressing a
Jewish hearer: “if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” It is
assumed that the whole gospel has been preached to
this hearer, and the question now is he really persuaded
that this Risen Jesus was the Messiah and Lord over all;
and is he willing to confess Him before men?
• “With thy mouth”; during Jesus’ earthly ministry among
the Jews, many believed on Him, but because of the
Pharisees they did not confess Him lest they should be
put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory of men
more than the glory of God. (John 12:42-43)
• Then does this Jewish hearer believe in his heart that
“God raised Jesus from the dead”? No matter how
persuaded a Jew might be of the birth, life, ministry, and
death of Jesus, there remains to believe in one’s heart,
that God had raised Him from the power and domain of
death, which was the “wages of sin”. (Romans 6:23)

Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto

righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation.
• The explanation is, that with the heart one believes unto
righteousness; while with the mouth (confession) the faith
of the heart is revealed, resulting in salvation.
• James 2:14 - 18 may help clear up some confusion.
“What does it profit my brethren, though a man says he
hath faith, and hath not works; can that faith save him?
Note that it does not say that the man has faith, but
rather that he “says” he has faith.
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• James continues in verse 17, “faith if it has not works is
dead, being alone”; and then verse 18 “I will show you
my faith by my works (which could include confession).
In other words, if you want to know what I believe, watch
my life, if I really believe, it will come out.

Romans 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever

believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
• Now as always, when dealing with the
Jews, Paul turns to their scriptures and
quotes eight times from the Old
Testament in this chapter; thirty times
in chapters 9 through 11.
• The quote here in this eleventh verse
is from Isaiah 28:16, and was also
quoted in the last verse of chapter
nine. The Jews should have been able to see from the
words “whosoever believes”, that simple faith in their
Messiah was God’s way, and that the message meant
“whosoever”.
• The word “ashamed” or “put to shame” is in the Hebrew
“to flee from fear”. Those who have exercised simple
faith in Christ, and abide in Him, shall have boldness and
not be ashamed before others, as well as at His coming.
(1 John 2:28; 4:17)

Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between the

Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich
unto all that call upon him.
• This “whosoever” message is further developed here in
verse 12, where we see the familiar words “no distinction
between Jew and Greek”.
• It is a great day when a human heart turns to this Savior
who is Lord of all, for he immediately finds Him “rich unto
all”. Ephesians 1:7

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Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name
of the Lord shall be saved. Act. 2:21
• (Joel 2:32) – Who could miss the meaning of this simple
message? First, salvation is promised; second, it is a “be
saved”, not “save yourself”; third, it is the Lord who is to
do it; fourth, He does it for those “who call upon His
name”; fifth, He does it for whosoever, for anybody.
• Note that Paul is writing to Jews, using Old Testament
texts; however, his great gospel message of the cross
goes far beyond the Old Testament. Paul did not mean
that his gospel was “call upon the name of the Lord”, his
gospel was Christ died for our sins, and He was raised;
hear and believe.

Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom

they have not believed? and how shall they believe in
him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they
hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach,
except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are
the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and
bring glad tidings of good things!
• Paul now takes these two “whosoever” verses, and from
them answers the Jew who not only relied on his law-
keeping rather than simple faith to save him, but also
denied that either Paul or any of the apostles had any
right to proclaim salvation by a simple message that left
out the law and Judaism.
• If salvation were to come unto
them that “call on the name of
the Lord” argues Paul, calling
is impossible to one who has not
believed on the Lord; and
believing is impossible to one
who has not heard the
message about the Lord; and
hearing is impossible unless

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 someone comes preaching the message; and preaching
is impossible except the messenger is Divinely sent.
• And Paul ends it with Isaiah 52:7; “How beautiful are the
feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring
glad tidings of good things!” Moses law was not glad
tidings, but a ministration of death and condemnation.
“The law works wrath”, but the gospel “glad tidings”;
Good things!
• And God, who knows, calls “beautiful” the feet that carry
such news. Paul now, with a rather saddened heart,
goes back to the record of Israel’s refusing the glad
tidings.

Romans 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel.
For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
• Astonishing thing; refusing good news. Men seem to
love “good news” about everything other than the gospel.
Paul mourns along with Isaiah (53:1); “Lord, who hath
believed our report?” Hebrews 4:2; John 12:38
• Probably men’s unbelief is the greatest burden for those
who “carry the good news”. It is recorded for us in
Scripture. For example, Moses in Numbers 16:3,
Ezekiel in Ezekiel 20:49, Amos in Amos 7:10-13. It was
Jeremiah who was told, “As for the word that thou hast
spoken unto us in the name of Jehovah, we will not
hearken unto thee.” (Jeremiah 44:16-19) Hear the
“weeping prophet” tell of his trouble. (Jeremiah 13:15-
17)
• And then too, we have the words of Jesus in Matthew
13:15. And He prophesied that His preachers would find
“wayside hearers,” rocky-ground hearers,” “thorny-ground
hearers”, and then in one out of four, a “good-ground
hearer”.

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and

hearing by the word of God.

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• We could say it this way; So faith is from a report, but the
report through the word of Christ. Faith indeed, does
come from a report, a message; and Christ accompanies
this preached message (John 5:25). It is a “quickened”
word that creates living faith.
• Christ must speak His word to the dead soul, saying
“live”. However in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, we see that
while “God was indeed in Christ reconciling the world
unto Himself;” He has “committed to us the message of
reconciliation”. So that God is entreating by us; we
beseech on behalf of Christ, “be ye reconciled to God.”
• Faith does indeed come by hearing; let’s not imagine
men will be saved in any other way. (Acts 11:14; 1
Corinthians 1:21)
• Note also that “faith cometh;” if one hears with a willing
heart, the “good news” of the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ, faith will come; man does not have to do a
thing but hear.

Romans 10:18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes

verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their
words unto the ends of the world.
• But Paul goes on to mourn: But I say did Israel not hear?
Yes truly, and then he makes a quotation from Psalm
19:4; “their sound went into all the earth, and their words
unto the ends of the world.”

Romans 10:19 But I say, Did not Israel know? First

Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that
are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.
• Paul continues; “Did Israel not know? Concerning this
“whosoever plan”, this “believing plan”, this calling upon
the Lord’s name and being saved? Did they not know
about this warning by their own Scriptures that if they
were unfaithful, God would extend His mercy to the
Gentiles?

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• And then he calls Moses to witness (Deuteronomy
32:21); “I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are
no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.”
• “That which is no nation”, compared with the
marvelous place and privilege of the nation of Israel. It
could be said of every other people, “it is no nation”,
because they are void of understanding of the things of
God.
• “I will anger you”: God seeks to provoke Israel to
jealousy, for they can be reached in no other way.

Romans 10:20 But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was

found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest
unto them that asked not after me.
• Now finally Paul calls Isaiah again to the witness stand,
and Isaiah gives a double testimony: “I was found of
them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto
them that asked not after me.” Isaiah 65:1

Romans 10:21 But to Israel he saith, All day long I have

stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and
gainsaying people.
• Isaiah becomes mournful as to Israel’s disobedient and
obstinate attitude. (Isaiah 65:2) “All day long I have
stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and
gainsaying people.”
• What love, what pleading, what patience; it is God
Himself, the Creator Who is here seen spreading out His
hands toward a disobedient people that denied their
prophets as well as their own Messiah.
• It should astonish us, and warn us, that the human heart
should treat God in such a way.

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Romans Chapter 11

A. God’s grace displayed though a believing Jewish

remnant
Romans 11:1 I say then, Hath God cast away his
people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the
seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
• Here Paul rejects with horror the thought that God had
finally grown tired of Israel’s constant disobedience and
had abandoned “cast off” His people.
• Paul responds, “God forbid”; and then adds that he
himself is proof, having received salvation as an Israelite
of the seed of Abraham, a Benjaminite, and not one of
the ten tribes which separated from Judah.
• Paul was a full-blooded Jew who had even gone so far
as to persecute Christians; surely if God was going to
reject someone, Paul would have been a good choice.
Philippians 3:5-6

Romans 11:2 God hath not cast away his people which
he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of
Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against
Israel, saying,
• Paul now defines the Israel that is not rejected; “God’s
people whom He foreknew”. He is not speaking of
knowing about them or their affairs, but of the fact that to
them only had He made Himself known, because they
were foreknown of Him; that is, acquainted with before
their earthly history began.
• God did not reject His people in the days of Moses, nor in
the days of the prophets, and He is not rejecting them
now. Regardless of Israel’s unfaithfulness, God is
always faithful to His people.

Romans 11:3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and

digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they
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seek my life. 4 But what
saith the answer of God unto
him? I have reserved to
myself seven thousand men,
who have not bowed the
knee to the image of Baal.
• Again, Paul lets the
Scriptures “speak”; here we
find Israel’s greatest
prophet pleading against Israel. Because they had killed
Jehovah’s prophets and destroyed His altars, Elijah
believed himself to be left alone and that they were
seeking his life.
• However, God’s reply to him was quite shocking; He had
left for Himself a “remnant” (7000) who had refused Baal-
worship. Here is divine sovereignty illustrated; the nation
is apostate under Jezebel and Ahab, Baal’s prophets
numbered in the hundreds, and Elijah had fled the land
back to Horeb where the law was given. Now comes the
revelation that Divine, sovereign, intervention has been
timely, ample, definite, and perfect. God has preserved
7000. Rom. 9:27

Romans 11:5 Even so then at this present time also

there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
• Even so, says Paul, at this present time there is a
remnant (of Israelites) being preserved by God, even
though the nation has crucified their messiah, and
rejected the spirit’s working through the apostles; an
infinitely worse situation than Ahab’s Baal worship.
• Only sovereign grace will do here; so it is a “remnant
according to the election of grace.” Every saved Israelite
has abandoned His “Israelitish” hopes, and believed on
Christ as a common sinner; of course only a few, a
remnant.

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Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of
works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of
works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no
more work.
• Here is perhaps the most direct and absolute contrast in
Scripture of two principles: Grace is a free gift/unmerited
favor and is shown by God’ sovereign choice, while
works is man seeking to present to God a human basis
for blessing. The two principles are totally opposed.
(Galatians 2;15,16, and 21)
• If God’s grace in choosing us depended on our works or
obedience to the law, it would not be grace; “For it is by
grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not
of yourselves, it is a gift from God, not by works, so that
no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
• Jews who struggled to gain God’s acceptance by good
works and obeying the law have lost the grace of God.
Salvation is never on the basis of works (Deuteronomy
9:4-5), it is always by God’s merciful choice, Therefore,
Jews who believe in Christ are not denying their faith or
their heritage.

B. Spiritual hardening & blindness: the judgment for

Israel’s unbelief
Romans 11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that
which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it,
and the rest were blinded
• Here then, in this chapter, is the height of Divine
sovereignty: not only electing those who will be saved,
but even deciding the very time when they should come
on the scene of world history.
• “Israel after the flesh’ nationally, was in search of
righteousness, that was their very business in the
preservation and application of the law. But that was not
the way of righteousness. Romans 10:3 So the nation
obtained not righteousness, but the election obtained it,

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 and, as to the rest? God’s answer, they were
blinded/hardened. 2 Corinthians 3:14
• Remember chapter nine, and don’t reply against God; but
note how and why they were hardened.

Romans 11: 8 (According as it is written, God hath

given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should
not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this
day.
• Paul now quotes from Isaiah 29:10; The process of this
spiritual hardening is revealed in Israel as nowhere else;
repeated resistance to God will yield an actual inability to
respond, which the bible describes
as a hardened heart. Ephesians
4:17-19
• Israel’s present misinterpretation of
their Scriptures and refusal to accept
Christ as their Messiah, is a
continuation of their tendency to
misunderstand God’s plans and
purposes for them. (Proverbs 29:1;
Zechariah. 7:11-13; Matthew 13:11-15)

Romans 11:9 And David saith, Let their table be made a

snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a
recompense unto them:
• Quote from Psalm 69:22: The “table” of the Israelite was
connected by Jehovah with Himself. Certain things the
Israelite could eat, others not; because he was one of a
holy nation. But the Israelite quickly began to trust, not in
Jehovah, but in his manner of eating, as did Peter: (Act.
10:14) Without faith, their table of privilege became a
snare. (Romans 14:22-23)

Romans 11:10 Let their eyes be darkened that they may

not see, and bow down their back alway.

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• As to the Nation Israel these words are spoken, and it will
remain this way until that future day described in
Zechariah. 12:10, when God “pours upon them the Spirit
of grace and they look unto Him whom they have
pierced.
• At the Lord’s coming, and not until that day when Israel
sees “the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven” (Matthew
24:30), which will be that “looking upon Him whom they
pierced” of Zechariah 12, will they have faith.
• Thomas in John 20, “would not believe except he see in
Christ’s hands the print of the nails”, is a type of the
coming conversion of Israel.

C. Israel’s rejection of God’s grace becomes opportunity

of salvation for Gentiles; Warnings to those who
would repeat Israel’s sin of pride and unbelief

Romans 11:11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they

should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall
salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them
to jealousy.
• Some, both Jews and Gentiles, are offended and turn
away forever, but not the nation of Israel. “God forbid!”
We are about to see in this chapter, God’s future
salvation for the nation of Israel.
• But here, Paul declares that Israel’s fall made salvation
available to the Gentiles, and this was to provoke them to
jealousy that they might be saved. Acts 13:46; 18:6
• God’s blessing to Gentiles causes the self-righteous, self-
satisfied Jew to awake, and aroused a deep jealousy
(“We’ve lost favor with God, and now they have what we
ought to have”).

Romans 11:12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of

the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the
Gentiles; how much more their fulness?

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 • Before they fell, if a Gentile
wanted to know the true God,
he must journey up to
Jerusalem three times each
year; and even then, he could
not worship directly.
• Contrast this with the day of
Pentecost, when “every man
heard, in his own tongue in
which he was born, the
wonderful works of God.” Sometime later, Paul goes
freely, apart from law and religion, to all Gentiles.
• We see Ephesus, and Corinth, and then Rome, and the
whole world “rich,” because of Israel’s fall. Wherever we
are, we can call on the Lord, and walk by the Spirit, and
witness a free salvation to all and any who will listen and
believe.
• No going up to Jerusalem to keep feasts and worship
Jehovah afar off, but drawing nigh unto God in Heaven
through the blood of Christ, at any time, any place, under
any circumstances.
• How much Israel lost in refusing Christ’s “day of
visitation” to them; how he wept over that. (Luke 19:41-
44)
• However, if this blessing be so great for the world, with
Israel “fallen”, how much more, when the time of
restoration to fullness for Israel is come.

Romans 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as

I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them
which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
• “I speak to you that are Gentiles”; there were many
Jewish saints at Rome, but chapters 9 through 11, are
fitted for Gentile instruction in a rather peculiar way.
Consider these words: “inasmuch as I am the apostle of
the Gentiles, I magnify mine office (Acts 9:15): If by any
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 means I may provoke to emulation them which are my
flesh, and might save some of them.
• I boast before the Jews of God’s working among the
Gentiles, and of His saving them.
• And why do I magnify my Gentile ministry? To provoke
my fellow-Jews to jealousy; of an inward peace that they
don’t have, that they might desire it.

Romans 11:15 For if the casting away of them be the

reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of
them be, but life from the dead?
• As long as God had fellowship with Israel on the basis of
the old legal system, Gentiles were out of His direct
favor, unless they became Jewish proselytes. Upon
Israel’s rejection of their Messiah and not until then (for
Christ came first to Israel Matthew 10:5), could God
“reconcile” the world to Himself. (2 Corinthians 5:19)
• “What shall the receiving of them be, but life from the
dead?” It will indeed be “life from the dead”. For this
world has never seen what shall then be seen; “the earth
shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters
cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9).
• Not even in Eden, before man’s sin, was that seen; and
all this awaits the “receiving” of God’s earthly people,
elect Israel.

Romans 11:16 For if the firstfruit be

holy, the lump is also holy: and if the
root be holy, so are the branches.
• Paul believed that Israel’s refusal to
accept Christ was temporary, and
one day the nation will be brought
back to God. He explains this
through two illustrations;
• In Numbers 15:20, Moses had
instructed Israel about their offerings
to the Lord. After entering the
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 Promised Land, they were to show their gratitude to God
for the bounty of food by presenting a portion of the food
(a cake from the first of your ground meal) to the Lord as
an offering. If the first part of the dough (firstfruit) offered
is holy, then the whole batch is holy.
• The second illustration is a tree; the root is obviously the
first part of a tree, and it will form the character of the
branches. Abraham’s faith was like the root, and the
Jewish people the natural branches.
• In the Old Testament, God only required token gifts; the
gift represented the whole. Paul extends the principle to
cover the fate of his people. If the “firstfruit” (the dough),
the remnant of Jews who since Abraham had lived by
faith, were called holy by God, then there is still hope for
the whole lump. If the root (the tree of justification by
faith) is holy, then any branch attached will also be holy
• It’s interesting that in the first illustration, the part affects
the whole; in the second, the whole affects the part.

Romans 11:17 And if some of the branches be broken

off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in
among them, and with them partakest of the root and
fatness of the olive tree;
• This simply means that we, as Gentiles, have been set in
the place of blessing from Abraham. It does not mean
that all Gentiles are in the body of Christ, because Paul is
not here speaking of that body; but of Gentiles as having
been put into the place of God’s blessing where Israel
once stood.
• The words “some of the branches” does not mean that
any whole tribe of Israel will be wholly lost; for all twelve
tribes appear in Ezekiel, in the millennial kingdom

Romans 11:18 Boast not against the branches. But if

thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
• It is not you that bears the root, but the root bears you.
How few of us Gentile believers understand that we are
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 beneficiaries of those promises
which God gave to Abraham, as
a root of promise; all of these
promises, we inherit in Christ.
This is illustrated in Galatians
3:7, 14.
• There is a very real danger, as
Paul comments here, that we
Gentiles glory over the Jewish
branches, and forget that “we bear no the root, but the
root bears us.”

Romans 11:19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were

broken off, that I might be grafted in.
• “Thou wilt say then” declares the general attitude and
conduct of Christians throughout the so called “Christian
centuries”: “Branches were broken off, that I might be
grafted in”.
• The despising of the Jews, and the persecuting of them
by Christendom, is one of the great atrocities in history.

Romans 11:20 Well; because of unbelief they were

broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-
minded, but fear:
• The correct attitude for Gentiles is here written by Paul;
“because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou
standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear.” In
other words, it was not the Gentiles lofty position over
that of the Jews, but rather the Jew’s unbelief that
caused them to be broken off.
• The Gentile “stands” by his faith, not by his superiority to
the Jews.
• “High-mindedness” is contrary to fear, the root being
humility (being conscious of unworthiness). And why
fear? Verse 21 tells us;

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Romans 11:21 For if God spared not the natural
branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
• God spared not the natural branch, neither will He spare
you Gentile; if you walk in self-importance, pride, and
high-mindedness.

Romans 11:22 Behold therefore the goodness and

severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward
thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness:
otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
• This is a rather interesting Scripture; it calls the Gentile
world to behold the “goodness” as well as it is opposite
the “severity” of God.
• “Toward them that fell, severity…” In spite of the fact that
they had the privilege of having Jehovah’s Temple
among them, and the former faithfulness of the nation,
Israel fell into self-righteous pride and rejection of their
Messiah. Toward such, “severity”. (Matthew 23:37-38)
• God now says to the Gentiles; “but toward thee,
goodness, if thou continue in his goodness:” Now
what is the goodness referred to here? When the Jews
had rejected and crucified their Messiah, the Risen Lord
said “go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to the
whole creation” (Mark 16:15). “Ye shall be my
witnesses, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and
Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts
1:8).
• So the Holy Spirit
having been given at
Pentecost, Peter is
sent to the house of
a Gentile, Cornelius,
who believes. Then
Barnabas and Saul,
Silas and Timothy,
and the rest, go on
to the Gentiles,
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 turning the world upside down with the gospel of grace.
• No need for a religion now, they had Christ. No need for
a temple, they the assembly, were “the temple of God”.
No need for rituals, they now had the Holy Spirit, and
they worshipped by Him instead of forms. No need of a
special priesthood; all believers were priests and drew
near unto God by the shed blood of Christ. No need of
seeking merit; they were in Christ, already accepted in
Him.
• Now this was God’s goodness toward Gentile believers.
There was a complete change in the relationship of
Gentiles toward God; they were put into the place of
privilege and opportunity of Divine blessing; God’s
goodness was extended to them.
• If one had wanted to instruct a Gentile in Old Testament
times, he would say; “God is the God of Israel, therefore
you must go up to Jerusalem and keep the feasts
according to the law”. If one should go to a Gentile in the
coming Millennium, the same instruction would be
necessary for all the nations must go up to Jerusalem by
their representative to worship (Zechariah 14:16-18)
• But now? No. An Ambassador for Christ says anywhere
to even the worst heathen, “Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and you shall be saved”. This is the Divine
Goodness.
• The question now becomes; have the Gentiles continued
in that goodness? If not, then God’s severity must be
shown to them as it was shown to Israel; “thou shalt be
cut off.”
• Let’s look at the record: First, in sending out the gospel –
After nearly 2000 years, much o0f the human race knows
nothing of Christ.
• Then regarding salvation by grace through faith apart
from law and ordinances – Instead, we see good
character preached as the way of acceptance.
• We see “idolatry” in both Greek and Roman cathedrals.

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• We see great State Churches, and professing Christians
divided into denominations, each with it’s own program.
(1 Corinthians 1:12-13; 3:2-4)
• Instead of continuing in God’s goodness, Gentile
“Christendom” has set up the “Christian religion”, and has
settled down upon earth as if the church belonged here,
and as if Christ might not come at any moment.

Romans 11:23 And they also, if they abide not still in

unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them
in again.
• We know from a multitude of prophecies that Israel will
not continue in unbelief. (Zechariah 12:10; 13:8-9)

Romans 11:24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree
which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to
nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall
these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into
their own olive tree?
• In the process of grafting we select a shoot of a fruit-
bearing limb of a desirable tree, and opening the bark of
an inferior tree of the same species, we insert the shoot.
Then the inferior tree supplies sap to this good shoot
which goes on to bear it’s own good variety of fruit, and
not that of the inferior tree.
This is nature.
• God has done just the
opposite in taking us
Gentiles, who God says are
“by nature a wild olive tree”,
and grafted us into the good
olive tree to “partake of the
root and fatness” of the tree
of Divine blessing; of the
promises given to Abraham
and to his seed.

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• Therefore, instead of the natural process of the shoot’s
producing it’s own quality of fruit, we produce that “fruit
unto God” which belongs to the good olive tree.
• Now if this, contrary to nature, process has been done by
God, “how much more shall the natural branches (Israel)
be grafted back into their own olive tree.”
• The whole issue in Romans 9 through 11 is the setting
aside of Israel’s place for the present dispensation, and
place the Gentiles in the place of direct Divine blessing
which was once enjoyed by Israel.

Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should

be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in
your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to
Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
• Note first that in saying “brethren”, Paul is speaking now
to the saints, who still may have a tendency to become
“puffed up”; therefore a mystery/secret is revealed for the
purpose of protecting us from Gentile pride (“lest ye
should be wise in your own eyes”).
• Note: there is a definite “fullness” of Gentiles; the very
number only God knows. “To come in” is to be saved;
this word “fullness” is not spoken as to privilege, but
rather to election.
• In order for the Gentiles to come in, a sovereign
“blinding/hardening” has befallen national Israel.
• Any talk of national Israel’s turning to the Lord until the
Gentile fullness be come in, is vain.
• Israel’s “blinding/hardening” is in part; for some, “the
remnant” according to the “election of grace” are now
being saved. Luke 21:24

Romans 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is

written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and
shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is

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my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their
sins.
• This is the real, elect, spared nation of the future.
(Daniel 12:1; Isaiah 4:3)
• The salvation of national Israel was impossible except for
pure grace. God had given them the law which was
necessary to reveal sin; but they failed. Now comes in
the “fullness of the Gentiles” by grace; and so after that,
and on the same basis of grace as the Gentiles, all Israel
shall be saved.
• And now, once again, Paul quotes from the Old
Testament prophecies: “as it is written, There shall
come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away
ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant
unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” For the
first and only time, Paul speaks of the Second Coming of
Christ. Here are three aspects of Christ’s Second
Coming; 1. For the rapture of the church; 2. For the
judgment of the nations; 3. For the deliverance of Israel.
Isaiah 59;20
• Many Christians, who are informed about the rapture of
the church, and the judgment of the Lord upon the
nations shortly after the rapture, when He comes on
down to earth are apt to under emphasize the fact that
He comes to earth for the deliverance of His people
Israel.
• Habakkuk 3 is a picture of the remnant of Israel, who put
their trust in Jehovah amid the overwhelming difficulties
of the “Great Tribulation”.
• “this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take
away their sins.” It will no longer be a conditional
covenant as at Sinai, but one of grace; from Me.
Blessing will not depend on man’s obedience, but on
sovereign mercy, at last extended to a whole spared
nation. (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Romans 11:28-29)

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Romans 11:28 As concerning the gospel, they are
enemies for your sakes: but as
touching the election, they are beloved
for the fathers' sakes.
• We should remember two things
always when we meet an Israelite:
First, “As concerning the gospel,
they are enemies for your sakes:”
In order for God to bring the gospel to
the Gentiles, He had to set the Jews
aside, as if they were His enemies for
rejecting the gospel.
• Second, “as touching the election,
they are beloved for the fathers'
sakes (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob).”
As far as God’s election is concerned,
Israel is loved by God because of His
covenants with the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob).

Romans 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are

without repentance.
• These words should be a source of endless joy for all
believers. We can trust a God who refuses to allow the
idolatrous wickedness and utter failure of Israel to alter
His determination to bless them.
• The “gifts” mentioned in Romans 9:4-5, and the “calling”
is that Israel is a holy nation unto God Himself.

Romans 11:30 For as ye in times past have not believed

God, yet have now obtained mercy through their
unbelief: 31 Even so have these also now not believed,
that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 32
For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he
might have mercy upon all.
• God brings in the principle upon which He will bless
Israel when He makes His New Covenant with them at
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 Christ’s Second Coming. It seems that we Gentiles are
to be to Israel an example of Divine mercy, by which at
last they will see and understand the “heart of mercy” of
their God. (Luke 1:78)
• Our Gentile history is summed up in the words
“disobedient to God”. Our present position in the words,
“have obtained mercy by their (Israel’s) disobedience.
And now national Israel has been more disobedient than
even the Gentiles; disobedient to the law, to God’s
warning prophets, to His son their Messiah who they
crucified; to the witness of the Spirit through Stephen and
the apostles.
• However, at last they will “obtain mercy”; mercy first to
us, and by and by to Israel. It is not only that God has
dealt with us in grace (unmerited favor – getting what we
don’t deserve), but that He has shown mercy when all
was hopeless.
• We may venture to say that it is only in those who learn
to regard themselves as the objects of the Divine mercy
(uncaused Divine compassion - not getting what we
deserve).

Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the

wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are
his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
• Now Paul bursts forth into praise concerning the ways of
God; in view of His mercies.
• The poverty, the shallowness of this world; whether it’s
philosophy, it’s science, it’s poetry,
or it’s religion, all is vanity. As Paul
says, “the wisdom of this world is
foolishness with God”. (1
Corinthians 3:19-20)

Romans 11:34 For who hath

known the mind of the Lord? or
who hath been his counsellor?
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Isaiah 40:13
• No one can know the mind of God until He chooses to
reveal it. A rather interesting quote from Wm. Kelly; “May
we hold fast truth in subjection to His Spirit, desiring the
good of all believers, let them be where they may, and
not anxious to bring them out or in one moment sooner
than God gives them to know His mind.” Wm. Kelly
• We are, as we see in verse 25, ignorant of God’s
mysteries; and we have no way of understanding except
He is pleased to reveal His mind. (Ephesians 1:9) “His
name shall be called “wonderful counselor (Isaiah 9:6).

Romans 11:35 Or who hath first given to him, and it

shall be recompensed unto him again?
• How beautifully this puts us in our place. “What hast thou
that thou didst not receive? And if thou hast received it,
why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?” (1
Corinthians 4:7)
• Men love to think of themselves, as “creators”; but man
has created nothing. He is the user, for a period of time,
of this present creation of God.
• Man loves to boast of his inventions, of his creations, of
his greatness or progress; but then one day the
undertaker comes along and hauls him off.
• Yes, says Paul, if someone has supplied something to
God, God will quickly reward him; He will never be in
debt to His creatures. Job 35:7

Romans 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him,

are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
• “Of Him”; God, the one great Cause and Source. John
1:3; 1 Corinthians 8:6
• “Through Him”; God as the mighty Worker who without
creature-assistance brings into realization, one by one,
all His counsels.

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• “And to Him”; God as the right and proper and
necessary object and end; for it would not be right for a
created being to be made the end or object of the glory of
the creator.
• “Are all things”; The sun, moon, stars, light, earth,
atmosphere, trees, animals, man, and the list goes on
and on and on; In this all Christians rejoice.
• “To Him be glory forever”; What a prospect for a
redeemed sinner. In the ages to come; ages of worship
without end when all glory will be given to God; and the
word of eager, glad heart-consent ends it all. Amen.
Revelation 1:6

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Romans Chapter 12

A. The Christian’s walk, spiritual gifts and ministry

(Application of doctrine)
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service.
• “I beseech you therefore, brethren”; Paul had
authority from Christ to command us, as he said to
Philemon: “Though I have all boldness in Christ to enjoin
(order) thee that which is befitting, yet for love’s sake, I
rather beseech”.
• Notice what Paul states will move us to hearken to the
great appeal for our devotion to God, which opens this
section of Romans and calls for our response to all that
has been taught in previous chapters.
• “By the mercies of God”; It might be good to bring to
mind some of the mercies of which Paul speaks:
“Justification” declared righteous; “Identification” Dead to
sin, the law, and now in Christ; “Under grace, not law”
Law begins by asking the question what must man do,
grace begins by asking what has Christ done; “The
indwelling Spirit” No condemnation, freedom from law
and sin; “Divine election” Our final conformity to Christ’s
image, God’s settled purpose; “Coming glory” Beyond
any comparison with present suffering; “No separation
possible” Secure in Christ; “Confidence in God’s
faithfulness” Confirmed by His revealed plans for national
Israel.
• “Present your bodies”; We might have expected Paul
to say “yield your spirits”, but instead he says “bodies”. If
a man should present his body for service, willingly, it
would include all the man. In the case of a slave, his
master owns his body.

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• We are besought by God who
made and owns us and Christ
whose we are, to present our
bodies, that is willingly to do so.
God might have said, “come
serve me, it’s your duty”. That
would be law. Instead, grace is
reigning over us, and in us; and
Paul says, “I beseech you,
present your bodies.”
• By faith in God’s mercies, we find a heart desire to do so;
for there is great drawing power in the knowledge that
someone loves us, and has given us such great mercies.
(2 Corinthians 5:14a)
• “A living sacrifice”; This is in contrast with those slain
offerings Israel brought to God. God’s service is
freedom, not slavery; it is life, not death.
• “Holy acceptable unto God”; We remember that God
said of Israel’s offerings; “whatsoever touches the altar
shall be holy” (Exodus 29:37), keeping in mind that the
altar in the Old Testament is a picture of the cross. That
any creature should be able to offer what could “please”
the infinite Creator, is unbelievable; but that such
wretched, fallen ones as we should do so, is a marvel of
which only the gracious God Himself knows the depth.
• However, we do know that everything that touches the
cross (1 Corinthians 1:18; 2:1-2), shall be holy.
• “Which is your spiritual service”; This is all that God
can reasonably require/expect of us; “present your
bodies”. Christ has come,
propitiation/substitution/payment has been made; Christ
has been raised, the Holy Spirit has indwelt us, and
“spiritual service” is now possible. And by faith,
presenting our bodies to God is the way into it.

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but

be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye
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may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God.
• “Be not conformed to this world:”
This present age, Paul calls “evil” in Gal.
1:4. Here we have the “cosmos” or
world-system, which is built on Satanic
principles such as greed, materialism,
immorality, power, self-exultation, etc.
• John writes, “We are of God, and the
whole world (world system) lies in the evil
one.” We read in James 4:4, that
friendship with the world is spiritual
adultery.
• In Genesis 4, we are told that “Cain
went out from the presence of Jehovah and built a city”,
which became filled with inventions, music, arts, etc.; its
whole end being to forget God; to get along without Him.
And ever since, Satan has developed this fatal world-
system, with it’s philosophy (man’s understanding), it’s
science (seeking to eliminate God), it’s government (man
exulting himself), it’s amusements (purpose to blot out
reality from the mind), and it’s religion (to soothe man’s
conscience and fear of judgment).
• “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind:”
So Paul asks the saints not to be conformed/fashioned
after this Satanic world system, but rather be transformed
(this word is used of Christ in Matthew 17:2 –
“transfigured”; His countenance was altered from the
lowly despised One to appear as He will appear at His
return to earth).
• Now to be “transformed” or “transfigured” into the image
of Christ is available for the “dead to self” surrendered
believer in the midst of this present evil world. (2
Corinthians 3:18)
• It’s interesting to ponder the fact that Satan and the
world-system know how to present tremendous

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 temptation to believers to be drawn and conformed to this
world-system; but how are we transformed?
• The answer “by the renewing of your mind”. Here again
the emphasis and dependence is on the Holy Spirit.
(Titus 3:5) The “soul” is the object of this “renewing”
which includes the mind with it’s thoughts, imaginations,
and memory that are so untamed naturally under the
influence and control of the sinful flesh, which must be
held in the place of death by the Holy Spirit, so that He
then can be the influential and controlling one.
• Man, we remember, became a “living soul” after his body
had been formed, and he had been given a spirit, by
God’s direct in-breathing. (Genesis 2:7) Man’s spirit,
which is that part of man that communicates with God
and perceives things directly apart from the process of
thought, dwelt in his body, but the body could not
respond to the world which Adam was placed into; nor
could his spirit do so directly. The “soul-life” with its
mind, will, emotions and five senses (sight, hearing,
feeling, smell, and taste), put man in touch with creation.
• The whole mind (entire sphere of conscious life for the
child of God), must become the object of the Holy Spirit’s
renewing and come under the Spirit’s control.
(Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10)
• “Renewing of your mind”; the Holy Spirit’s work to bring
“every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”.
(2 Corinthians 10:5)
• “that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” This word
“prove” has the idea of “finding out by experience” what is
well pleasing to the Lord. The “will of God” here could
be translated “what is willed by God”.
• Many, many times we Christians either desire to know, or
are asked how one can know the will of God. It seems to
be a major concern for Christians everywhere.
• Unfortunately, the motive for knowing God’s will is most
often self-centered and therefore hinders the individual
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 from ever finding it. James 4:1-3. (Notice the problem
here is a self-focus)
• The problem actually started way back, before the
creation of the world, when Lucifer turned from God’s will.
(Isaiah 14:12-14) Interesting Script. - Proverbs16:5, 18
And now Isaiah 14:15
• Carrying this thought over to man, the whole sin issue
began when man also turned from God’s will to do his
own will. (Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-6) Notice verse 5 ”You
shall be like God”
• A thought to consider is that, although Lucifer and man
failed to fulfill God’s will, Christ did not. (Hebrews10:7;
John 6:38) A couple of interesting verses to ponder are
John 17:18 & John 20:21; Just as Jesus was sent into
the world to do the will of the Father, likewise, we are
sent into the world to do the will of the Son.
• Andrew Murray quote - “God’s reason or object in the
redemption of man was to restore him to do God’s will.
(Ephesians 2:10). It was for this that Christ died; He
gave up His own will to do the will of the Father. He died
to do God’s will”.
• So, if John 17:18, John 20:21, and Andrew Murray are
correct, we’re saved to do God’s will.
• However, for many Christians, it’s difficult to know what
His will is, and for others, it seems impossible to carry
out.
• Why? Basically, it all boils down to this, the thing that
man loves the most is himself.
• What man wants more than anything else is to have his
own way and to enjoy himself.
• So here in Romans12:1,2 there appears to be a God-
given formula/a 4 step process, for knowing His will.
1. Verse 1 – “By the mercies of God present your body
to God as a living sacrifice; Knowing God’s will
demands total surrender of Man’s will which can only

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 take place at the cross where the old man was
crucified.
2. Verse 2 –“Be not conformed to this world”; Don’t try to
work it out the world’s way.
3. Verse 2 – “Be transformed by the renewing of your
mind”. The whole mind (entire sphere of conscious
life for the child of God), must become the object of
the Holy Spirit’s renewing and come under the Spirit’s
control. (Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10)
4. Verse 2 - That you may prove/know what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect will of God.
• Proverbs 3:5,6 Appears to be a parallel passage.
John 15:7, also sheds some light. If we abide in
Him/Similar thought to presenting ourselves in Romans
12:1, or trusting in the Lord with all of our heart in
Proverbs 3:5. His word (indwelling Christ) abiding in us,
certainly could be seen as the renewing of our minds in
Romans 12:2. The outcome is that we can ask whatever
we want, and it will be done for us. How so? The
progression of thought here is; If I am abiding in Him, and
His word is abiding in me, then my will would be His will,
therefore, I can ask whatever I want, and it will be done.
• “Good, acceptable, perfect”; Good for us, acceptable
to God (Ephesians 5:10, 17), and which being itself
perfect, leads to our perfecting as Epaphras prayed.
(Colossians 4:12)

Romans 12:3 For I say, through

the grace given unto me, to every
man that is among you, not to
think of himself more highly than
he ought to think; but to think
soberly, according as God hath
dealt to every man the measure of
faith.

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• It’s rather interesting that this command, not to have a
higher opinion of oneself than we ought to have, is the
opening exhortation of all which follow.
• Overestimation of one’s importance among Christians is
a fundamental temptation (Romans 3:27; 11:18, 20),
and has no place in a believer’s life. This is especially
significant in light of Paul’s teaching up to this point in
Romans; the Jews are not better than the Gentiles, nor
are the Gentiles better than the Jews, rather all are
dependent on God’s mercy, thus there is no room for
inflated importance.
• God has granted to each believer a certain allotment or
“measure” of faith, with which to serve Him. The concept
of “measure” is described further in Romans 12:6 where
Paul uses the terminology “different gifts, according to
the grace given to us.”
• It is God Himself, not you or I, that gives out the
“measure of faith”, and it’s only the one who comes into a
personal discernment of God’s special will through
surrender to Him, who will come to a sober “estimate” of
his own place.
• This great verse is now followed by it’s explanation:

Romans 12:4 For as we have many members in one

body, and all members have not the same office: 5 So
we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one
members one of another.
• Here is Paul’s first mention of the great doctrine of the
Body of Christ. Replacing the national identity that had
once set apart God’s people, Paul gives a new picture of
the identity of God’s
redeemed people. We
are like a body with many
parts (eyes, ears, fingers,
toes, muscles, tendons,
etc.). These members
however function in unity;
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 Each member is a member of all the others; All our
members have differing functions.
• Even so with us in Christ; Just as our physical bodies are
composed of many parts, so the “body of Christ” is made
up of many believers who all perform different, yet vital
functions. Every member of the body has a God-given
(Ephesians 2:10) purpose, and when it is not being
carried out, the body suffers.
• And as our physical bodies cannot be taken apart, so
each believer (member) in the body of Christ, belongs to
all the others; everyone working together enables the
body to function properly. (1 Corinthians 12:12-27)
• The body does not exist to serve the members, but the
Lord Jesus Christ; nor is the body dependent on one or
two of its members to direct it, but on the Head, Jesus
Christ.
• As sinners, we naturally tend toward individualized
religion; we are extremely opinionated which results in
division and lack of unity, so it is only through
acknowledging and depending on Christ that we can
function in unity. Only in Christ is there basis for unity
that transcends differences.

Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to

the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us
prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
• For each believer there is some particular motivational
“gift” to be freely given (grace) by the already indwelling
Spirit, for the purpose of making each believer a benefit
to the Body of Christ. To each one is given the
manifestation of the spirit to profit (the whole body).
(1Corinthians 12:7)
• The various gifts are bestowed by the Spirit for
“ministration” to the Lord Jesus, and the “working” is by
God Himself. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
• For the receiving and using of these gifts, there is the
necessary element of faith, which is bestowed by God in
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 accordance with the gift given each one. The bestowal
by God is called “the grace that is given to us”.
Ephesians 4:7
• The outward church today is Laodicean, “wretched, poor,
miserable, blind, and naked,” and knows it not. And the
Philadelphian remnant have only “a little strength.” Let’s
be honest, we have substituted the mighty working of the
Holy Spirit among us, for the “soulical” (Intellectual,
emotional, appealing to the will) training of men. The real
truth is, our powerlessness is because of unbelief.
• “Whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the
proportion of faith;” Paul’s exhortation, as we shall see,
is here devoted to the believer’s exercising any gift
“according to the proportion” of his God-given faith in the
exercise of it; not over-estimating himself.
• According to these verses, it appears that there are 7
motivational gifts;
1. Prophecy
2. Ministry/serving
3. Teaching
4. Exhortation
5. Giving
6. Administration/Organizing
7. Mercy

• We may have several ministerial gifts, but only one

motivational gift. However, as we grow spiritually, we will
begin to take on the characteristics of the other gifts. It
might be good to consider the characteristics of each of
the motivational gifts, and who it is in Scripture that best
illustrates that gift.

PROPHECY – Because the written word is complete, a

modern day prophet has a high ministry indeed, though a bit
different compared to the early prophets; such a one’s
ministry was only profitable when speaking in the spirit, and
in proportion to his faith. Thus it is today with the prophet
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who is used of the Lord to protect the flock from false
teachers. Peter probably best illustrates the gift of prophecy:
A. Positive characteristics:
• A prophet needs to express his thoughts and ideas
verbally, especially when matters of right and wrong are
involved. (In the gospels, Peter spoke more and
eventually became the spokesman for the early church.
Acts 2:14; 3:12; 4:8; 11:4)
• Prophets tend to make quick judgments on what they see
and hear, and are quick to speak. (In the gospels, Peter
spoke more than any other disciple. Matthew 14:28;
15:15; 16:16,33;
17:4; 19:27; John 6:38; 13:6)
• Prophets seem to be able to sense when someone is not
what they appear to be, and tend to react harshly to any
form of deception or dishonesty. (Peter must have
sensed deception in Ananias and Sapphira since he was
prompted to question them about it. Acts 5:3-10)
• Prophets tend to cut off those who sin so that justice will
be done and others warned. (Peter desired to cut off his
offenders and asked Jesus how often he would have to
forgive them. Matthew 18:21)
• Prophets openly admit their own faults and failures and
expect the same from others. (When Christ appeared to
the disciples, Peter fell to his knees and said, "Depart
from me, for I am a sinful man." Luke 5:8)
• Prophets are loyal to truth even if it means destroying
relationships. (When Jesus asked the disciples if they
were also going to leave Him, Peter replied that he would
stay because He had the words of eternal life. John
6:67-69)
• Prophets are willing and even eager to suffer when it
comes to standing for truth. (Peter rejoiced that he was
counted worthy to suffer shame for Jesus when he was
beaten for obeying God rather than men. Acts 5:29-42)

B. Negative characteristics:
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 • When prophets see sin,
they often denounce it so
strongly that it appears
"overkill" to others, and
expect immediate repentance
regardless of whether the
rebuke was given in love or
accurate.
• Some prophets find it very difficult to separate the sin
from the sinner, and tend to reject both.
• Many prophet’s harsh judgments are not only for others,
but also for themselves, therefore they are extremely self
critical.
• Because prophets tend to make quick decisions, they
can be very impulsive and also vacillate between
extremes. (At first Peter refused to allow Jesus to wash
his feet; then he asked Him to wash his whole body.
John 13:6-10)
• When correcting others, prophets find themselves being
painfully direct and often hurtful.
• Prophets find themselves dividing everything into two
classes - right or wrong.

Romans 12:7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering:

or he that teacheth, on teaching
SERVING - It’s interesting that the Lord inserts
ministering/serving between prophesying and teaching. (1
Corinthians 16:15) Timothy best illustrates the gift of
serving:
A. Positive characteristics:
• Those with the gift of service
seem to be able to see physical
needs that appear to be
insignificant to others. (Notice
what Paul said about Timothy; "I
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 have no man like-minded, who will naturally care for your
state. Philippians 2:20)
• A servant takes great joy in knowing that through his
service, he is bringing peace of mind to another person.
(Timothy served Paul as a "son with the father" so that he
could carry out his ministry. Philippians 2:22)
• A minister to the saints, often sees the importance of the
task that needs doing, and will gladly use personal
assets of time, money and strength.
• Servers have an amazing ability to find out and
remember special interests, such as favorite foods or
activities of those they serve.
• When serving others, those with the gift of service desire
clear direction and have a great desire to know that their
service is appreciated. (Paul gave Timothy more praise
and precise instructions than any other assistant.) - Most
servers prefer working with someone, rather than working
for someone.
• The tasks that attract servants most are immediate
needs; many tend to get frustrated with long-range,
continuous tasks, which seem to have no visible progress
or end. (Paul urged Timothy to endure. 2Timothy 2:3)
• Going the "extra mile" is easy for those with the gift of
serving.
• In an effort to complete tasks, servants often find
themselves avoiding committees and what appears to me
to be "red tape."

B. Negative characteristics:
• Occasionally the tasks which those with the gift of service
see appear to be more important to the servant than to
the one being served, therefore, at times they are viewed
as pushy and intrusive.
• Servants often find themselves neglecting their own
home, family and personal responsibilities to serve
others.

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• If those with the gift of serving are not depending on the
Lord, they may easily feel misused and judge others who
walk past obvious needs, assuming that others see what
they see and react in anger.
• A servant could possible stand in God's way by meeting
the needs of those whom God is chastening. (Had a
server met the physical needs of the prodigal son while
he was in the pig sty, it could have hindered his return.
Luke 5:11-31)

TEACHING - Luke is probably the best Biblical illustration of

the gift of teaching.
A. Positive characteristics of the gift of teaching:
• When teachers hear important statements, they most
often desire to verify them. The motivation is to verify
that the statements are true. (Luke wrote his gospel to
Theophilus, "That thou might know the certainty of those
things wherein thou hast been instructed." Luke 1:4)
• Many teachers assume that others want to know their
qualifications, therefore they often include them before
speaking. (Luke began his gospel by affirming that he
was an eyewitness and that he "had perfect
understanding of all things from the very first." Luke
1:2,3)
• Teachers tend to use accepted works of recognized
authorities to further confirm statements made by others.
(Luke praised the Bereans for daily checking out Paul's
statements against the O.T.
Scriptures. Acts 17:11)
• Teachers feel more
comfortable when material is
laid out in an orderly
sequence (Luke emphasized
the chronological order of his
gospel when he explained
that his approach was "to
write unto thee in order."
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 Luke 1:3)
• Many teachers seem to have a greater delight in
researching facts than in teaching them, and tend to give
as many facts and visuals as possible when teaching.
(Luke’s gospel is the longest of the four and emphasizes
the completeness of his account. Acts 1:1)
• Teachers also enjoy giving details which are not noticed
or mentioned by others. (Luke described more events,
conversations, physical conditions and detailed more
names, titles, cities, and dates than any other gospel
writer.
• Teachers are concerned that truth be presented in
balance, and recognize the danger of using personal
experience as a foundation for truth. Teachers desire to
go from scripture to experience, rather than experience to
scripture.
• Teachers are basically loyal to mentors or schools as
long as any truth remains. (Luke
demonstrated amazing loyalty to Paul and his message
in prison, even after others had left him. "Only
Luke is with me." 2Timothy 4:11)

B. Negative characteristics of the gift of teaching:

• Because of the thoroughness in checking out facts, it is
easy for a teacher to become prideful and communicate
the attitude that "it isn't right until I check it out."
• Teachers are known to over-
emphasize credentials and courses
and discount the practical wisdom
of those whom they consider
uneducated. It can be rather easy
for a teacher to concentrate on
intellectual knowledge rather than
spiritual perception.
• In the flesh, teachers can easily
give the impression that they are

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 the only source of truth, and that their gift is the more
important gift.
• The use of a Scripture verse out of context tends to
irritate teachers.

Romans 12:8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he

that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth,
with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with
cheerfulness.

EXHORTATION – The gift of exhortation is distinct from that

of teaching; Exhortation appeals to the will, whereas
teaching to the mind. Paul in scripture best illustrates the
motivational gift of exhortation.
A. Positive characteristics:
• Exhorters are motivated by seeing spiritual growth in
practical living, and they are willing to become personally
involved to see this achieved. (Paul declared that "He
worked night and day to present every man mature in
Christ Jesus. Colossians 1:28 - also his statement in
Galatians 4:19
• Those with the gift of exhortation seem to be able to
discern spiritual maturity in others, and enjoy giving
encouragement to those who are growing and teachable.
(Paul saw the Corinthians as spiritual infants and
"therefore could not speak unto them as unto spiritual,
but as unto carnal." 1Corinthians 3:1)
• Exhorters seem to have the ability to visualize spiritual
achievement for another Christian, and enjoy helping
them work out practical steps of action to achieve it.
(Paul told Timothy to flee youthful lusts, to avoid foolish
questions, and to follow righteousness with a pure heart.
2Timothy 2:22,23)
• An exhorter often uses examples from the lives of others
to help Christians see the potential for daily victory. (Paul
used the testimony of one church to motivate another,

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 and also his own life experience to illustrate God's grace.
2Corinthians 9:2 and 1Timothy 1:15)
• An exhorter most often explains truth with logical
reasoning in order to motivate people. (Paul reasoned
with the Jews, the Greeks, King Agrippa, and others.
Acts 18:4; 26:28)
• Exhorters are aware that guilt is a great hindrance to
spiritual growth, so they often find themselves addressing
this problem. (Paul told Timothy that his chief weapon
was faith and a clear conscience. 1Timothy 1:19)
• The exhorter's message is often topical, and a great
emphasis is placed on the will of God.

B. Negative characteristics:
• The willingness of exhorters to give whatever time is
necessary to help others grow spiritually often interferes
with family time and personal responsibilities which can
cause resentment.
• Exhorters often jump into new projects without finishing
existing ones.
• Exhorters tend to avoid heavy doctrinal teaching which
does not have immediate practical application. The result
could be an imbalance which will eventually show up as
doctrinal error.
• Those with the gift of exhortation often visualize long-
range goals for people which tend to frustrates those who
are looking for immediate solutions to the problems of
life.
• Some exhorters tend to lose hope with those who do not
respond to the steps of action which have been given.

• GIVING – The literal meaning of

giving is “sharing one’s substance
with others”; and the manner of
such giving is to be without

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 reluctance, for “God loves a cheerful giver (2
Corinthians 9:7). Matthew probably best illustrates the
motivational gift of giving:
A. Positive characteristics:
• Those with the gift of giving have the ability to discern
wise investments; the motive being to use the assets of
time, money and possessions to advance the work of the
Lord.
• Givers desire continuous reassurance that their decisions
are in God's will whether they have little or much to give.
(Paul shares how the Macedonians "first gave
themselves to the Lord, and then unto us by the will of
God. 2Corinthians 8:5)
• A giver has the God-given ability to discern value which
motivates him to want to give quality gifts. (Matthew
recorded more details than any other gospel writer the
gifts given to Christ. He is the only one who mentioned
“the treasures” brought by the Magi; he also described
Mary’s ointment as “precious,” and Joseph’s tomb as
“new.” Matthew2:11; 26:6-11; 27:57-60)
• Givers are able to discern needs when it is not obvious to
others.
• Because givers look to the Lord for direction in giving, so
they desire recipients to look to the Lord for provision.
Also they have great joy in giving quietly and
anonymously. (Matthew is the only gospel writer to
emphasize secret giving. Matthew 6:1-4)
• Givers understand the destructiveness of the love of
money, and are aware that many to whom they are giving
have not learned this, therefore they look for ways of
giving which avoid dependency, laziness or
extravagance.
• Those with the gift of giving are frugal, resourceful and
content with the basics.

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• Givers manage their finances well, and react to pressure
appeals, and rather look for financial needs that others
overlook.

B. Negative characteristics:
• A giver desires to see his gifts used wisely; therefore he
prefers to buy a good quality item, rather than giving the
money for it.
• Givers tend to be more frugal with family members and
fail to show the same delight in meeting their needs;
therefore, at times they react to the givers generosity.
• Givers are often misjudged because of the importance
they place on finances.

ADMINISTRATION - Nehemiah is probably the best Biblical

illustration:
A. Positive characteristics of the gift of
administration/organizing:
• When an organizer is given a project, he is able to picture
the completed task and what it will take to accomplish it.
(When Nehemiah was given his
great task of removing the "great
affliction and reproach of God's
people in Jerusalem," he
immediately visualized the need to
rebuild the wall. Nehemiah 1:2,3)
• Administrators delegate whenever
and wherever possible, but know
when and where they cannot.
(Nehemiah delegated the building
of the walls, but he retained
responsibility for dealing with the
enemies. Nehemiah 4:13)
• Godly administrators are faithful to complete the task at
hand, and are willing to endure much opposition to their
leadership. (Nehemiah responded to persistent

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 opposition from both outside enemies and fellow workers.
Nehemiah 4:8-18)
• Administrators have the ability to take seemingly
impossible tasks and break them down to into achievable
goals. (Nehemiah took the huge task of rebuilding the
wall of Jerusalem and broke it down into smaller sections
which each family or group was able to complete.
Nehemiah 3:1-32)
• Organizers notice small details which others tend to
overlook that are necessary for the proper completion of
the task, and also, they seem to be able to remove
themselves from outside distractions in order to focus on
the ultimate goal. (Nehemiah did not get involved in the
actual building; however, he removed obstacles such as
financial pressures which would have hindered the
workers. Nehemiah 5:1-13)
• One of the organizers greatest joys in life is to see
everything come together. It does not matter if others
appreciate the job as long as he knows it was
accomplished according to the plans laid out.
• Administrators enjoy motivating others to do a particular
job.

B. The negative characteristics of the gift of administration:

• When administrators make suggestions that are not
followed, they tend to react or become discouraged.
• Organizers then to cause disharmony by showing
favoritism to individuals who are especially important in
obtaining their goals.

MERCY – Showing mercy is the responsibility of those to

whom God has shown mercy. John probably best illustrates
the motivational gift of mercy:
A. Positive characteristics:

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• Those with the gift of mercy
find themselves being loyal to
friends, even to the point of
reacting harshly to those who
attack them. (When the
Apostle John watched the
Samaritans reject Jesus
whom he loved, he wanted to
call down fire from heaven to
consume them. Luke 9:54)
• The nature of those with the
gift of mercy seems to require
close friendships, and the need for mutual commitment,
which is often reaffirmed. (John enjoyed such a
relationship with Jesus. He not only was closer to Christ
than the others, but he referred to himself as the “disciple
whom Jesus loved.” John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7,20)
• Through the gift of mercy, one is able to sense which
individuals are hurting, and to share the pain with them.
(John wrote his first epistle to give joy, fellowship, hope,
and confidence
and to cast out fear and torment. 1John 1:3-4; 3:2-3;
4:18; 5:13-14)
• The merciful one finds it very hard to be firm, not wanting
to offend anyone; therefore, he must always keep in mind
that the greater hurt/pain will occur if he fails to be
decisive. (When John was faced with denying Christ, he
demonstrated a boldness and decisiveness, which
caused the Sadducees to marvel. Acts 4:13)
• Because of mercy’s ability to sense genuine love, it
makes a person more vulnerable to deeper and more
frequent hurts from those who fail to demonstrate sincere
love. (John used the word “Love” more than any other
disciple in his gospel and epistles.)
• Because of the mercy’s sensitivity and understanding of
people who are going through mental and emotional
distress, many that are hurting are drawn to him, and
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 confide in him. (When Christ was hanging on the cross,
he transferred responsibility for His grieving mother to
John. John 19:26,27)
• It’s interesting that a person with the gift of exhortation
will try to help a person find benefit from his hurt,
whereas those with the gift of mercy tend to want to
remove the source of the hurt. (The message of John’s
first epistle was for Christians to stop hurting and hating
each other. 1John 3:11,15)
• Those with the gift of mercy often find themselves
needing physical closeness in order to be reassured of
acceptance. (John sought out the closest place to Christ
at the Last Supper and leaned upon the Lord. His need
for closeness may also have prompted his request to sit
next to Christ in glory. Mark 10:35-37)
• The statement that opposites attract is certainly true with
the motivational gifts. Those with the gift of mercy seem
to be attracted to those with the gift of prophecy. The
firm Truth of the prophet is thus balanced with the gentle
love of the person with the gift of Mercy. (John spent
more time with Peter than with any other disciple. Luke
22:8; Acts 3:1-11; 4:13-19; 8:14)

B. Negative characteristics:
• Those with the gift of mercy must be careful to spiritually
discern why different ones are suffering. It is easy for me
to give sympathy and encouragement to those who are
suffering as a direct result of being out of the will of God.
• When placed in the position of leadership, the mercy
tends to avoid disciplinary action when needed.
• The sensitive feelings of those with the gift of mercy often
causes them to base decisions on emotions rather than
Biblical principles to the extreme where they could even
reject Biblical doctrine which seems harsh to them.
• In the flesh, the merciful one finds himself reacting to the
idea that God allows good people to suffer, and at times
bitterness toward God sets in.
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• When those with the gift of mercy encounter people who
are insensitive to the feelings of others, the mercy tends
to retreat and cut off fellowship rather than help the
insensitive person.

B. Christian principles governing relationships within

and without the church
Romans 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor
that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
• “Let love be without hypocrisy;” The basis for all
interpersonal relationships is love; Biblical love (1
Corinthians 13:4-7). True Biblical love is self-less,
esteeming others better than oneself (Philippians 2:3-4).
• All gifts, which are exercised in the body, are unprofitable
without love (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
• Sincere, Biblical love is genuine, without deceit or
hypocrisy, and is the love, which Christ speaks of in
(John 13:34-35). Many people/Christians pretend to
love; they are trained to speak kindly, and avoid hurting
feelings, and appear to take an interest in others. We
may even be skilled in pretending to feel moved over the
needs and disappointments of others. But Christ’s love
in us goes far beyond politeness, and will manifest itself
in the giving of self (time, finances, and personal
involvement).
• “Abhor that which is evil;” This is impossible until one
comes to the first verse in this chapter in surrender to
God. (Psalm 97:10a) To be a good Christian, one must
become a good hater of evil.
• “Cleave to that which is good;” Discerning and holding
fast to that which is good; (Philippians 4:8)
• The whole of this verse could be translated as follows;
“Your love must be genuine, hating what is evil, clinging
to what is good.” This principle is practiced when we
abhor evil acts, while having compassion toward those
who are doing them. Amos 5:15a

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Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with
brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
• Of course all Christians “love the brethren” which is a
sign of spiritual life (1 John 3:14); but to be “kindly
affectioned”, how few are. “Be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God also
in Christ forgave you.”
• “In honor preferring one another;” only by grace
through faith. Actually to “prefer” from your heart other
believers before yourself; to be glad when others are
honored above you.

Romans 12:11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit;

serving the Lord;
• “Not slothful in business:” These words really have no
reference to worldly business, but rather to spiritual
laziness. The doctrine of “grace” is often misunderstood,
and carnal believers settle down into a spiritual
slothfulness.
• “Fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.” (Revelation 3:15)
This word ‘fervent,” means ardent or burning; it is the
opposite of cold or unemotional. The Amplified version
actually translates it in this way; “Be aglow, burning with
the Spirit, serving the Lord.”

Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation;

continuing instant in prayer;
• “Rejoicing in hope;”
Our hope (confident
expectation) is all bound
up with “looking unto
Jesus”; Looking unto
Jesus only, always, and
nothing else.
• “Patient in
tribulation;” Patience in
trial is the path to our
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 perfecting, therefore James encourages us by saying we
should count “manifold trials to be all joy”, because the
testing of our faith produces endurance and ultimately
maturity. (Colossians 1:11)
• “Devoted to prayer;” Ten will attend Bible study, and
one hundred Sunday Morning service, to two or three
who “in prayer steadfastly continue.” 1 Thessalonians
5:17 (Pray without ceasing); Colossians 4:2 (Continue
in prayer); Ephesians 6:18 (Praying always); Romans
12:12 (Devoted to prayer); Acts 6:4 (Give ourselves
continually to prayer); Luke 18:1 (Men ought always to
pray); Psalm 55:16-17 (Pray morning, noon, and night).
• Pray continually/Pray at all times/Pray morning, noon and
night. What does He want from us? Does He want us to
be monks on a mountaintop who never eat or sleep?
• It might be helpful to stop a moment and define prayer.
What is it?
• We could spend many hours looking up definitions of
prayer, and to be quite honest, we’ll probably find that
most are rather shallow. For example - Webster’s
Dictionary defines it this way: To beg, or implore; to
address God; a form of worship. Other definitions are
equally as confusing and vague.
• Of all the definitions, John Darby seems to help us see
the true meaning of prayer. (Paraphrased) – “Prayer is
the great means by which we are practically kept in
awareness of the Father’s presence. It is the proper
expression of our weakness to the Father and of our
confidence in His love and care day by day and
evermore. Prayer is confessing our constant need of
dependence upon Him.”
• It would appear that true Biblical prayer is not an action,
but rather a life which maintains a dependence on Him at
all times. Thus 1 Thessalonians 5:17 makes sense.
Our minds must be saturated by and with Him. Prayer is
not an exercise, it’s life lived occupied with Him.

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Romans 12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints;
given to hospitality.
• To make another’s needs our own as to relieve them.
(Galatians 6:2) When the Holy Spirit took possession of
the early church, “not one of them claimed that anything
belonging to him was his own, but all things were
common property to them;” with the result that “neither
was there among them any that lacked.”
• This reveals some basic principles surrounding Christian
giving; holding all in stewardship to the Lord, ready to be
ministered, as He shall direct. However, it’s interesting
that Paul, in his epistles that give the “Constitution” of the
church of God, does not direct those who are rich in this
world’s goods to “sell all that they have”. 1 Timothy 6:17-
18 should be considered as Divine protection against the
terrible “community of good” of socialism and
communism, because the Bible teaches the rights of
personal, private property which is the foundation
principle of giving.
• “Given to hospitality;” here the word for hospitality is
literally “love to strangers,” and the translation “given to”
is not strong enough. This word is frequently translated
“pursuing” which is the literal meaning.
• “Given to hospitality” then means far more than being
willing to entertain those who call on you; it indicates
going after or pursuing the business of making our
homes “stranger inns.” Hebrews 6:10; 13:2
• Of course it is taken
for granted in all this
that we are
appropriating the cross
where the “old man” has
been crucified (Romans
6:6), and therefore are
presenting our bodies to
God according to the
opening verses of this
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 chapter. As a result we are enabled to walk in His
revealed will, by the indwelling Holy Spirit, as those could
not who were under the law.

Romans 12:14 Bless them which persecute you: bless,

and curse not.
• Here is a verse that needs no comment in view of
Christ’s words in (Luke 6:27-28); and of course we have
His example in Scripture.

Romans 12:15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and

weep with them that weep.
• This Scripture takes us out of ourselves; the literal
meaning is “rejoice with rejoicing ones, and weep with
weeping ones.” Blessed is he who, like the Lord at
Lazarus’ grave, can enter into others’ sorrow, even with
tears.
• It is not altogether rare that we encounter self-
surrendered Christians who utterly fail in the area of
sympathy. Unfortunately the person, who witnesses for
God, quite often is not one to whom the mourner would
go for tears and prayer in his bereavement, or the child
for a sincere human smile.

Romans 12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another.

Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low
estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
• “Be of the same mind one toward another,” Aiming at the
same object for another as for one’s self; having the
same concern for the temporal and spiritual welfare of
others as for one’s own. (Philippians 2:4)
• ” Mind not high things, but condescend to (associate
with) men of low estate.” “High things” are a continual
temptation, striving by means of the Christian
brotherhood to associate with those who, by their gifts or
fortune, occupy a higher position, resulting in a proud and
exclusive spirit. (James 2:1-9)
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• It seems that all the saints filled with the Spirit have found
themselves among the lowly of this earth. There is not,
and never has been, a real assembly of God, made up of
wealthy upper-class people only. “Not many mighty, not
many noble are called.”
• The gospel of Christ is the only real leveler of us all; the
rich must come where the poor are to hear the gospel.
Beware of any “religious” movement cultivating the rich.
• “Be not wise in your own conceits (eyes).” This
expression of being “wise in one’s own eyes” occurs five
times in the old Testament, as well as twice here in
Romans; seven in all. Solomon says “there is more hope
for a fool than for him.” (Proverbs 3:7; 26:5, 12, 16;
28:11; Romans 11:25)
• The self-conceited are not among those who are
“weeping with those that weep.”

Romans 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil.

Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
• “Render to no man evil for evil;” The world, flesh, and the
devil all hate God’s saints, and will do them all permitted
evil. If evil has been done to you, don’t lay it up against
the doer. Some believers are rather thoughtless, and
some jealous, some envious, some even spiteful;
however, we must, by God grace, put far away the
expectation of “getting even” with anyone. (Colossians
3:13)
• “Provide things honest in the sight of all men.” The idea
here is to take careful forethought for such a course of
Christian behavior as will commend itself to all; whether
Christian or not.

Romans 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you,

live peaceably with all men.
• Paul himself did cause trouble everywhere he went, as
did Jesus who said, “think not that I came to send peace
on the earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword.”
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 However, neither Paul nor Jesus
were ever the selfish cause of
trouble.
• It is not always possible for a
Christian to be at peace with all
men, but he can be a peace-lover;
a peace-liver; and often a peace-
maker among men. (James 3:18)

Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved,

avenge not yourselves, but
rather give place unto wrath: for
it is written, Vengeance is mine; I
will repay, saith the Lord.
• Believers are here seen tempted to bring about by their
own hand the righting of matters which belongs to God
only. The motto of Scotland is “No one treads on me
unpunished,” and applies to man in the flesh throughout
the world.

"VENGEANCE, JUSTICE, OR GRACE"

• Most times in this world, we think that we just have two
choices. Either vengeance or justice...We often pride
ourselves on not "getting even" (vengeance), because
we know that vengeance is not the way for Christians.
However, we do have "our rights" you know (justice). It
seems in the world today, we only have two options;
either vengeance or justice.
• If someone does something to me, I immediately want to
get them back. Matthew 26:52 This is a very pagan,
uncivilized way to live which many of us seem to be
going back to today; taking the law into our own
hands. Often times, this is a lose/lose situation - One is
dead and the ends up on death row. Romans 12:19
• Moving from vengeance to a second option, justice…In
America today, most of us pride ourselves on having "our
rights”. We really enjoy blaming someone else, you
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 know how that goes; blame shifting goes all the way back
to the Garden. Genesis 3:9-12
• When something goes wrong, we may not want to get
even, but we sure do know whose fault it is...If something
is missing, we immediately think we know who took it. In
the Old Testament, on the Day of Atonement, the blame
was transferred to a "scapegoat"... Leviticus 16:8-10.
We often use that term today in our justice system
"scapegoat", however, it's a win-lose situation. One wins
and one loses; the idea is for the right one to
win...However, in the book of Habakkuk, it speaks of
justice being perverted. Habakkuk 1:4
• So now, many times, the good guys get punished, and
the bad guys go free, it becomes, not a matter of right
and wrong, but who has the best lawyer. In most law
schools today, right and wrong are not the major issue,
but rather, can you win the case...And he who wins the
case, pockets the money... Now granted, this is a little
better than vengeance because it's a win/lose situation,
rather than lose/lose...
• How do we get to a win/win situation? There is only
one way and that is through "grace"... When we move
up to grace, we find that the key word is "forgive", while
the key phrase for vengeance is "get even", and the
main word for justice is "blame". And instead of
lose/lose or win/lose, there is now potential for
win/win... However, the cost is death, death to self...All
rights are set aside, whether they be scales of justice, or
swords of vengeance, because vindication is left to the
Lord...Isaiah 54:17. It's coming to the cross/to the throne
of grace naked and unashamed, no accusations or
thoughts of getting even...You see, grace gives a third
option, rather than "vengeance" or "blame", by God's
grace, we can now "forgive"...
• I heard a story sometime back of a Christian dentist who
sent the following note to those patients who had failed to
pay their bill after a period of six months: "
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• "It has now been six months since you have paid on your
bill, and I'm very sorry that the situation has come up in
your life that you have been unable to do so. But I
understand what it is to incur a debt and know that
sometimes it is hard or even impossible to repay it. I had
that situation in my own life a while back. (The dentist
explained how he had had a debt with the Lord and how
He had paid it for him.) So, in remembrance of the debt I
owed and was freed from once, I want to free you from
the debt you owe to me, and from now on there is a zero
balance on your account. But I still want you to come for
further treatment in the future. I'll welcome you back
anytime."
• Let’s not seek to steal from God that which is rightfully
His; vengeance (dealing out just dessert for evil actions).
(Hebrews 10:30; Deuteronomy 32:35) God’s
vengeance requires infinite knowledge of conditions, of
motives, of results upon others, which God, the righteous
Judge alone possesses. 1 Thessalonians 4:6; 2
Thessalonians 1:6; Hebrews 10:30; Proverbs 20:22; 1
Peter 2:23

Romans 12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed

him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou
shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
• Specific directions for active love
toward an enemy; As Jesus said
elsewhere, “bless them that
persecute you, pray for them that
despitefully use you.”
• This promise is rather interesting;
that in a deed of kindness toward
an enemy, we shall “heap coals of
fire upon his head.” But
remember, we are asked to step
aside from self-avenging, and
“give place” to God’s coming
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 vengeance; of course we continue loving our enemies
and praying for them, hoping they may repent.
(Proverbs 25:21-22)
• Nevertheless, we know in our hearts that many will
refuse Divine mercy, and go on to that day of vengeance
(Psalm 140:10; 11:6). The knowledge and
remembrance by the saints of the coming doom of the
wicked, is both an incentive and strong motive for loving
and praying for them. (2 Corinthians 2:15-16)
• It is a fearful thought that in our kindness to enemies;
enemies of the Lord and of ourselves for the gospel’s
sake; we may be increasing their doom,

Romans 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome

evil with good.
• This plan of setting forth a positive path of “good” before
the saints, rather than a negative “thou shalt not,” is the
way of God in grace. (Ephesians 4:28) – It’s not merely
stop stealing, but begin giving.
• Paul comes full circle back to his point of verse 9; to hate
evil is to overcome it with good. Merely to stop doing
wrong will finally make a monk out of us; doing good will
put us in Paul’s company.

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Romans Chapter 13

A. The Christian’s relationship to government and

authorities
Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher
powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers
that be are ordained of God.
• “Every soul”
here means
every believer,
as this epistle is
written to
believers
(Romans 1:1-
8), and “the
authorities in
power” are the
civil authorities
ordained of
God, into whose
hands the Lord
has committed
human
government.
• To be ‘in subjection” to the higher powers, means to
render them their due respect and obedience according
to verse 7; “tribute to whom tribute, etc.” There is a great
need in this day and age to emphasize to all Christians
Paul’s exhortation here, because lawlessness (the spirit
of refusing control) as well as contempt for authority is
upon us like a flood.
• Now since God’s saints know that lawlessness and
violence, lust and covetousness are characteristic of this
time, how needful that we all consider these instructions
concerning magistrates which are put in place, “ordained
of God.” John 19:1; Proverbs 8:15
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• Never mind if they are bad ones, the word still stands;
“there is no power but of God.” Remember that Jesus
suffered under Pontius Pilate, one of the worst Roman
Governors Judea ever had; and Paul under Nero, the
worst Roman Emperor; and neither Jesus nor His
Apostle denied or reviled the “authority.”
• The authority is called a “servant of God to us for good”
verse 4; and those exercising this authority are called
“ministers of God” for good. “He (the authority set up by
God) is a minister of God bearing a sword, an avenger
for wrath to him that doeth evil;” a sword with the death
penalty wrapped up in it, to be exercised when
necessary. God said to Noah when He placed
governmental authority into human hands, “whoso sheds
man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed.”
• God established human government, and then appointed
certain men to administer it. Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13, 14

Romans 13:2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power,

resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall
receive to themselves damnation.
• It is only in spiritual matters, “things that are God’s,” that
to “obey God rather than men” is our directive. But as to
earthly things, we are subject to the powers that God has
put in place or ordained, and “should not resist them”.
• Those who resist God-given authority will bring on
themselves guilt and Divine chastening. The Christian,
above all men, should be in quiet subjection to God’s
authority structure.

Romans 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good works,

but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power?
do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the
same:
• This is the general rule; every believer should be
praiseworthy in the eyes of rulers. However, we know
that there is much opposition to the gospel; unjust
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 accusations and persecution against God’s people. Also,
the will of God may so will that some may suffer for well-
doing. (1 Peter 3:17)
• Keep in mind that “authorities in power” includes every
form of governing power, monarchical, aristocratic,
republican, etc. An interesting thought is that if a
revolution should overthrow one form and set up another,
the Christians duty is plain; “those that exist are ordained
of God.”

Romans 13:4 For he is the minister of God to thee for

good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he
beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of
God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth
evil.
• There are people in every community who live in
constant terror of government because of their evil-doing.
Paul’s comments are directed toward seeing human
government as a control on blatant evil-doing. People
can become so prone to evil, so completely out of
control, that they will only be brought to accountability by
sheer power.
• When properly used, force shown by good human
government prevents tyranny, maintains justice, protects
those who do right (Romans 13:3), and brings
punishment on the wrong-doer.
• However, there are those Christian “grace abusers” who
would say that human government has no authority over
a real Christian. To them Peter
writes, “let none of you suffer as a
murderer, or an evil-doer, or as a
meddler in other man’s matters,”
showing that Christians have no
God-given protection from human
law.

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Romans 13:5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not
only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
• Believers are to be in subjection, not only to avoid earthly
governmental punishment, but because of a loving
conscience toward God; knowing that in being subject,
they are doing right, as well as avoiding trouble.

Romans 13:6 For for this cause pay ye tribute (taxes)

also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually
upon this very thing.
• “God’s minister;” The Lord uses this same word in
Heb. 1:14 regarding the angels, calling them “ministering
spirits”; and also concerning the “ministering” of the Old
Testament priests in Hebrews 10:11.
• In these days of restlessness against restraint and
rebellion against authority, we must remember that the
authorities are ministers of God; not at all in spiritual
things, but none the less God’s own ministers in
governmental things.
• It is on this account that those governed pay
tribute/taxes; for these ministers of government must be
supported.

Romans 13:7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute

to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to
whom fear; honour to whom honour.
• It’s interesting that taxes are mentioned first; how great
the temptation to avoid paying taxes. Next “tribute” is
generally a tax paid by subjects to a ruling nation (Luke
20:22); while custom is a tax on us, or duty on our goods
by our own nation. We must remember that even
customs are due by God’s appointment.
• “Fear to whom fear;” “Fear does not here refer to terror,
but rather an awe or respect for those in whose hands
God has placed governmental authority; whether police,
magistrates, judges, governors, presidents, or kings.

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• “Honor to whom honor;” Honor is our attitude of
reverence for those having authority over us. Peter says
it so well I 1 Peter 2:17.

B. Love governs the relationships of true Christians

Romans 13:8 Owe no man anything, but to love one
another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
• Love must remain the root of all our actions; no other law
is needed. (Matthew 22:36-40) Pay all other debts; be
indebted in the matter of love alone.
• So Paul continues: “For he that loveth another hath
fulfilled the law.” It’s interesting to note that it is love and
not law-doing which is the fullness of law. The one who
loves has (without being under it) manifested what the
law sought.

Romans 13:9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery,

Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not
bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be
any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in
this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour:
therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
• Love has, from the principle of grace, zealously brought
no ill to others. Love therefore is shown to be the
“fullness (not the fulfilling) of the law.” It is only those not
under law that are free to love others.
• It might be good to consider that it is love and not
righteousness which is the active principle of Christianity;
furthermore, one loving is manifesting righteousness.
Therefore, only those not under law show it’s fullness.
• Remember the believer is a “new creation” and is to walk
by an infinitely higher “rule of life” (Galatians 5:15-16),
and not by the law.

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Romans 13:11 And that,
knowing the time, that
now it is high time to
awake out of sleep: for
now is our salvation
nearer than when we
believed.
• The hope of Christ’s
coming is often used
by the apostles in
exhorting believers to a holy walk in love. This verse sets
before us the tendency of many Christians to sink down
(as did the ten virgins) into slumber and sleep; into a
spiritual stupor.
• Believers are to “know the season;” Jesus sternly
rebuked the Jews of His day for their ignorance
concerning “the time.” (Luke 12:54-57)
• If the Jews even then were called by the Lord
“hypocrites” for applying their God-given discernment to
the signs of the weather, and neglecting to apply it to
spiritual things, and so going on blindly to judgment.
How much more this should arouse us who have so
much more greater light and knowledge, in view of
Christ’s death and resurrection as well as the indwelling
Holy Spirit, and the certainty of our Lord’s coming, and
our uncertainty as to the day and hour?

Romans 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand:

let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let
us put on the armour of light.
• As long as Jesus was on earth, He was the light of the
world (Jn. 9:5). Since He is gone, it is spiritual night. But
He now says, “Ye (believers) are seen as lights in the
world, holding forth the word of life” (Philippians 2:15-
16).

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 • Of course it was night for the
human race from the moment
Adam sinned, but our Lord’s
coming brought a brief day; a
“day of visitation,” and of actual
blessing for those who received
Him. His return to earth is
spoken of as “the Sun of
Righteousness arising with
healing in His wings,” when it will
again be day.
• It is so encouraging to “know”
that “the night is far spent, the day is at hand.” The word
translated “at hand” is from the verb to “draw nigh” as in
Matthew 21:1. The writer to the Hebrews uses it in
Hebrews 10:25; “So much the more as ye see the day
approaching”, and it is the same word in 1 Peter 4:7; “the
end of all things is at hand (drawing nigh).”
• No matter what others say about the Second Coming of
Christ, the apostles and the early church lived in the
expectation of it.
• “Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness.” In
Ephesians 5, after speaking of the “sons of
disobedience,” Paul writes, “Be not ye therefore
partakers with them, for ye once were darkness, but are
now light in the Lord; walk as children of light.”
• The works of darkness are to be “cast off;” and since our
old man was crucified with Christ, the Holy Spirit now
gives us the power and desire to put them away.
(Philippians 2:13)
• “And let us put on the armor of light.” We all know how
approaching automobile lights often blind us, in Luke
11:33-36, Jesus says: “If therefore the whole body be full
of light, having no part dark, it shall be wholly full of light,
as when the lamp with it’s bright shining shall give thee
light.” This is the redeemed one, filled with light,

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 “armored with light”, the light of Jesus Christ. (1 John
1:7a)
• A blaze of light is harder to approach than swords or
bullets; “armored with light.”

Romans 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not

in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and
wantonness, not in strife and envying.
• Men wait for the darkness to do their evil deeds John
3:19; but our night is past, for we are all “children of the
light and of the day” 1 Thessalonians 5:5. Let us do
only what is fitting for the light and for the day which our
Lord will one day usher in
• The multitude of drunkenness, of modern “night parties”
are in view here. How we need the warning to keep clear
of these things in this hour when the time of “the iniquity
of the end” is drawing night. (Ezekiel 21:25, 29)
• “Not in chambering and wantonness.” The word
translated “chambering” is generally rendered
“lasciviousness” (lustfulness), while “wantonness” points
to an abandoned sensuality. These sins are closely
connected with the preceding (reveling and
drunkenness), and often caused by them.
• “Not in strife and envying;” Brawls, troubles, hatreds
and jealousies follow this train of self-indulgent sins. (1
Corinthians 3:3; 5:8; Colossians 3:8; Philippians 2:3)

Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and

make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts
thereof.
• All true believers have, positionally, “put on the Lord
Jesus Christ” (Galatians 3:27) who is our life. Our Father
intends us to know and understand that He has already
provided, in Christ who is our life, everything required for
our Christian life both in time and eternity. He is patiently
teaching us to have no faith in the old man (self), and to
exercise all of our faith in the new Man (Christ).
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• We are told to do in faith what our Father has already
done in fact. At the cross, He freed us from the reign of
sin and self; in the resurrection, He united us to the risen
Lord Jesus. By faith in the work of the cross, the old man
is put off; by faith in our heavenly position in Christ, the
new man is put on.
• Here again we see how the truth of being dead with
Christ is brought in as deliverance from all fleshly
strongholds. By considering the old man to have been
crucified at Calvary, he is "put off" daily (Rom. 6:11a). By
considering ourselves as newly created in the risen Lord
Jesus, we "put on" the new man (Rom. 6:11b). As we
escape self's reign of death, we enter into Christ's reign
of life.
• “Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ” is, therefore, our
path (the Way), not only prescribed, but also very
attainable. For we are in Him and that “new man which
has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth”
belongs now to us.
• “Make not provision for the flesh.” The word
provision here is literally ‘forethought.” It communicates
the attitude of mind that we used to have toward the
flesh, secretly desiring to gratify it; if not immediately, yet
some time soon.
• “To fulfill its desires” The flesh has endless lusts and
desires, all clamoring for indulgence; such as our natural
self-sparing slothfulness, there are all the forms of self-
pleasing, self-esteem, love of praise, man-fearing, flattery
of others for selfish ends, pride, impatience, empty
conceit, and a thousand other “desires of the flesh,” for
which no provision is to be made.
• Often we can see beforehand and turn away from
circumstances that would give the flesh an advantage to
indulge itself; but it is only by putting on the Lord Jesus
Christ that we shall find ourselves able and willing to
refuse any provision for the flesh. Galatians 3:27

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Romans Chapter 14

Introduction
• Paul in this fourteenth chapter as well as the following
chapter, directs his instruction mainly to the “strong” who
can bear it, while indirectly showing the condition of the
“weak”. To have faith before God secretly, hiding it from
the weaker brother for his sake until he is stronger, is not
easy; it requires walking in love, which is always costly
for the one loving.

A. Love and faith take precedence over Christian liberty

Romans 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye,
but not to doubtful disputations (not for the purpose of
passing judgment on his opinions) .
• We are to receive and welcome into our fellowship
believers less instructed or weaker in faith than
ourselves. Keeping in mind that these people have true
faith, they have Christ, but because of traditional or legal
teaching, or through not grasping the fact of their death
with Christ and their present and eternal union with Him,
or perhaps through self accusation, etc. they are “weak”.
Isaiah 35:3-4a
• He is to be received; but not to decide for him what he is
to believe, Only the Holy Spirit can direct him. He may
be taught the Word, however, and God will bring him
along in His time. He must not be forced; if he has faith,
though it be but weak faith, he is among us not by our
action, but by Christ’s. (1 Corinthians 12:18)
• Where faith in Christ in the least degree is found, we
should be delighted and welcome such believers. Not all
believers have the same knowledge, or the same
freedom from tradition, or the same strength of
appropriating grace.

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 Romans 14:2 For one believeth that he
may eat all things: another, who is
weak, eateth herbs.
• Here Paul illustrates the strength and
weakness of faith in a way that not only
the Jewish believers of his day, but also
people today understand.
• “Faith to eat all things.” Though certain
meat had been forbidden to an Israelite, and may still be
regarded as an improper food by many, yet the strong
believer remembers how the Lord Himself “made all
meats clean” (Mark 7:19). And how Peter, insisting on
regarding “all manner of four-footed beasts and creeping
things and birds as “common and unclean,” heard God
say three times, “what God has cleansed make not thou
common” (Acts 10:11-16).
• “To eat all things;” At man’s creation, God gave him
“green herbs” and the fruit of “trees yielding seed.” After
the flood, God gave man “every moving thing that liveth”
to be food for him (Gen. 9:3). Today. All these foods are
for us; herbs, fruits, meat of all kinds (Act. 10:12); Paul
also commands Timothy to “use a little wine for thy
stomach’s sake, and his often infirmities.”
• Christian freedom takes no account of former restrictions
of either food or drink, except for the weaker brother’s
sake. “All things are clean” covers all things, and the
only restricting thought is of the “weak” brother who does
not see this.
• “But he that is weak eats
herbs” The vegetarian, if
controlled by his conscience is
a “weak” brother. There are
those who esteem themselves
strong by abstaining from
eating meat, although God
says meats were created to be

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 received with thanksgiving by those who believe and
know the truth. (1 Timothy 4:3-5)
• To make distinctions of meats where God has set aside
such distinctions is a sad weakness.

Romans 14:3 Let not him that eateth despise him that
eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him
that eateth: for God hath received him.
• This applies not to eating only, but to any other things
that weaker Christian brothers and sisters have
“scruples” about. He that is strong in the freedom of faith
is directed not to ridicule or scorn, but rather walk with
the weaker brethren.
• “And let him that eats not judge him that eats.” The
weaker brother is now exhorted not to “judge” the
stronger. It’s interesting to note that in the case of the
stronger, we read the words, “for God hath received him.”
• For sure, God has received the weaker brother also;
however, it is more difficult for us to believe in our hearts
that God approves of a man of wide Christian liberty,
than to believe that God approves a man of many
conscientious scruples.
• Yet the man of strong faith is pleasing the Lord (Hebrews
11:6), whereas the man of trembling conscience is not.

Romans 14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man's

servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea,
he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him
stand.
• Paul writes this verse regarding the judging, whether
open or secret, of Christ’s stronger servants by the
weaker; thus he is encouraging Christian freedom.
• The thought here is that Christ is Head of God’s house,
and all believers are servants of Christ. Let no one judge
a servant of another, before whom we shall all one day
stand. Therefore, no matter what are our failures, or the
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 attitude of others toward us, the fact remains that our
Lord “hath power to make us stand” before Him, Who is
our only Judge.

Romans 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above

another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every
man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
• Here Paul takes up the “day” question. A question that
continues to be a problem today. Often times we hear
Christians ask, “is not the Lord’s day above others?” The
answer is no, not in itself as a holy day, in the sense that
the Sabbath was and will be to Israel.
• Paul clarifies this in Colossians 2:16 “let no man judge
in respect to Sabbath days.” (Galatians 4:10) The
thought here is that we died with Christ unto earthly
religious things, and must not now “observe” them.
• The weak brother, still influenced in his conscience by
legal considerations, holds the first day of the week as
sacred. The strong believer regards every day alike.
Each day is an opportunity for him to be filled with the
Spirit and in “everything by word or deed give thanks
unto God the Father through Him.”
• “Let each man be fully persuaded in his own mind.”
Moses could have never made that statement. The law
allowed no freedom of action in such things, because the
essence of the law was bondage. Conscience was
judged beforehand by the letter of the law; conduct was
prescribed. When a man gathered sticks on the
Sabbath, he was stoned. Not so now.
• Not being under the law, but in the Risen Christ under
God’s eternal favor, we have entered into an amazing
sphere of holy freedom in which each of us are exhorted
to be fully assured in his own heart and mind, and walk
as Christ’s free men.

Romans 14:6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it

unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the
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 Lord he doth not
regard it. He that
eateth, eateth to
the Lord, for he
giveth God thanks;
and he that eateth
not, to the Lord he
eateth not, and
giveth God thanks.
• The word Lord is
used four times in
this verse. What is it that makes a dish of food holy, or a
day holy? It is the fact that we relate it to the Lord. The
person who treats a special day as “holy” does so “unto
the Lord;” the person who treats every day as sacred,
does so “unto the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 10:31
• The Christian who eats meat gives thanks “unto the
Lord;” and the Christian who abstains from meat abstains
“unto the Lord.” To be fully persuaded, or assured, one’s
own mind is to do what we do for the Lord’s sake, not
based on tradition or one’s own preference.

Romans 14:7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no

man dieth to himself. 8 For whether we live, we live
unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord:
whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. 9
For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived,
that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
• The argument of these verses is that each one of us is
living or dying absolutely “unto the Lord,” we belong to
Christ. He created us, bought us with the price of His
own blood, and has set us apart for His possession and
use; we belong to Him alone, we are not our own. 2
Corinthians 5:15

Romans 14:10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or

why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all
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stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is
written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to
me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12 So then
every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
• It is a matter of rewards for service, and not salvation that
is in question here. In 1 Corinthians 3:13-15, we see
that “if any man’s work shall abide he shall receive a
reward; if any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer
loss; but he himself shall be saved.” (2 Corinthians
5:10)
• The emphasis here in verse 12 is that each gives an
account concerning himself, not of others; and to God,
not to man.

Romans 14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another

any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a
stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's
way.
• Here Paul explains that it is ourselves, which we are to
judge, not our brother; and it is our responsibility to see
that we do nothing that hinders a person or causes them
to stumble.
• A “stumbling block” is something in us that grieves a
weaker brother; “an occasion of falling” is something that
we may freely do, but which another, who does the
same, may act against his own conscience and therefore
sin. Literally the word means “snare” or “trap”. 1
Corinthians 8:9

Romans 14:14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord

Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him
that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is
unclean.
• Paul here states his own knowledge and liberty, which is
our pattern. Note that knowledge of Christian freedom
comes first, and then heart and conscience persuasion
comes after. To such a one, nothing is unclean of itself.
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• It is only to those whose lack of true knowledge or
weakness of conscience holds a thing to be unclean, or
as we say “wrong,” that it is so. 1 Corinthians 8:7; Titus
1:15 The conscience cannot be commanded; it must be
persuaded by the Holy Spirit, in Christ.

Romans 14:15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy

meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him
with thy meat, for whom Christ died.
• Before us lies the terrible fact that the destruction of one
who is called a brother lies within the power of our liberty,
if it causes him to stumble.
• This does not touch the security of those truly born of
God, and “sealed to the day of redemption.” God says
even of the carnal Corinthians that “God was faithful,
through whom they were called, who would confirm them
to the end” (1 Corinthians 1:8-9).
• But some are spoken of in scripture as in danger of
perdition; they are saved only if they “continue steadfast
in the faith.” God gives us a gospel to be believed. (1
Corinthians 15:2; Colossians 1:23)

Romans 14:16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of

(literally blasphemed):
• “Good” here refers to the use of Christian liberty by those
who are strong of faith, which is indeed good and
pleasing to God in itself; but in the use of which one must
be careful that it be not judged and evil spoken of by the
weaker brethren.
• We must always have the weaker in mind. You may
have very blessed freedom in Christ, and that is good;
however, watch in using your freedom, lest someone not
having your freedom calls your ways evil.

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and

drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy
Ghost.
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 • In saying “the kingdom
of God is not eating and
drinking,” Paul sweeps the
entire Christian platform
clear of the rubbish of all
the traditions of men.
Men used to bow, for
example, to the Popes “no
meat on Fridays,” but all such things have nothing
whatever to do with the “Kingdom of God.” The Kingdom
of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
• Since the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, believers are
said to be in the spirit, no longer in the flesh; therefore,
the earthly regulations of meats and days no longer
pertain. 1 Corinthians 8:8
• Note that the words here are righteousness in the Holy
Spirit; joy in the Holy Spirit. We cannot too strongly
emphasize this fact; that “the kingdom of God” now, is
altogether in the Spirit. This leaves forms and
ceremonies, days and seasons, unclean meats and clean
meats, totally out of the picture. Such things are not
Christian; they are Jewish or pagan now.

Romans 14:18 For he that in these things serveth Christ

is acceptable to God, and approved of men. 2
Corinthians 8:21
• “He that in these things serves Christ;” The words ‘in
these things,” refers to the state of righteousness of life,
peace of heart, and joy in the Lord which those walking in
the Spirit manifest or display. And the word “serving
Christ” clearly reveals that verse 17 has reference to our
practical walk, not to our standing in Christ.
• One who walks in this way, is “acceptable (well pleasing)
to God and approved of men.” (John 12:26) Keep in
mind that nothing which man does, through his own
strength, pleases God. However, since the coming of the

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 Holy Spirit, righteousness, peace,
and joy in the Holy Spirit is that
service of Christ which delights
God.
• “And approved of men;” Men
will not always admit it, but
believers who walk righteously in
Divine peace and joy, find the
approval of men even though they
may be persecuted for their faith. Don’t confuse one who
walks in this way, righteously in peace and joy, with mere
religious professors, who men despise.

Romans 14:19 Let us therefore follow after the things

which make for peace, and things wherewith one may
edify another.
• The word “pursue” is a strong word, which generally
means to “follow hard after,” as in hunting. (Romans
12:13b “given to hospitality;” Philippians 3:14 “press
toward the mark;” 1 Peter 3:11 “seek peace and
pursue it.” – All the same word)
• So let us pursue the things of peace (Psalm 34:14) and
of helping others. Pursuing peace is the negative side;
refusing to engage in selfish conduct. Pursuing “edifying
things”, in other words, discerning the needs of others
and “building up” where there is a need is the positive
side.(Ephesians 4:29)

Romans 14:20 For meat destroy not the work of God.

All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who
eateth with offence.
• Let us be concerned for our brothers and sisters in
Christ. “The work of God” refers to the operation of the
Spirit of God within the soul of weaker believers, the
growth which the grace of God has begun, as well as the
edification by fellow Christians to build them up, or the

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 selfish refusal to walk in love which could ultimately pull
them down.
• We find many people stumbling at the inconsistent,
hypocritical Christianity of professing believers. Note
what Paul writes; (1 Corinthians 9:19; 10:24, 33)
• “All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man
who eateth with offence.” All meat, all food is indeed
(in itself) clean (Acts 10:15), but to him that eats with a
bad conscience, everything is evil.
• God plainly states, concerning those who “command to
abstain from meats,” that such are “giving heed to
seducing spirits, and doctrines of demons” because He
Himself created meats to be “received with thanksgiving
by them that believe and know the truth” (1 Timothy 4:1-
5).
• However, if one has not the assurance in his own
conscience freely to obey the “command” of God, let him
not violate his conscience; but rather wait humbly upon
God to strengthen him through his Word and the Spirit,
ultimately bringing him into true Christian liberty.
Otherwise his eating and drinking is not with
“thanksgiving,” but in mere self-indulgence.

Romans 14:21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to

drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother
stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
• “Stumbleth, or is offended,
or is made weak.” It has
been said that in each of these
three things, the effect is less
than in the preceding one,
which greatly strengthens the
exhortation.
• First, don’t cause your brother,
by the use of your liberty in any
conduct of yours, to have his
fatal fall. Second, do not even
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 obstruct his Christian course by doing what might act as
a snare to your brother, inducing him to act beyond his
conscience. Third, do not use your liberty in any way to
discourage or weaken your brother who may see you do
something that he is not yet strong enough to follow you.
• So let us wait for one another in the spiritual life, being
conformed to his weakness for the present, and conform
your walk to his, lest he remain weak.

Romans 14:22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before

God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that
thing which he alloweth.
• The man whom Paul declares “happy” is he who can eat
what he pleases, and drink what he pleases, without any
qualms of conscience to condemn him while he does so.
• The word translated “allows,” or “permits,” or “approves,”
is literally “puts to the test.” The picture is of a man
having before him a question of conscience (of days,
meats, etc.), whose decisions in the use of his liberty are
such that he does not go beyond his knowledge and
persuasion in the Lord (verse 14). However, often times,
one has in his mind that he is free in such a matter, but
he finds that his conscience checks him, and he begins
to judge himself if he continues on.
• To the strong believer Paul speaks this word; “Have you
faith, have it to yourself before God.” In other words
content to not publicly use that great liberty/freedom of
faith into which God has led you.
• It is a blessing to have faith; it is yet more blessed to
have that faith “before God”, when using the freedom
might perplex another.

Romans 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat,

because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of
faith is sin.
• Of course the word “damned” or “condemned” is not the
real meaning here; but what is meant is the state of
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 conscious self-condemnation into which one falls who
goes beyond his faith in exercising his liberty.
• Paul’s definition of “sin” here as “what is not of faith” is
rather interesting. It refers to anything and everything in
our lives concerning which our conscience is not at rest,
in which we do not have faith to proceed, and therefore
cannot walk with God.

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Romans Chapter 15

A. Love and faith take precedence over Christian liberty

(continued)
• These first seven verses should have closed out the
preceding chapter as they continue and close out the
subject addressed there.

Romans 15:1 We then that are strong ought to bear the

infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
• Paul here teaches us gladly to bear, to take as our own,
these infirmities. (Galatians 6:2) Jesus set the example
for us, for even after they had forsaken Him in the
Garden of Gethsemane, in the upper room the Risen
Jesus appeared to them with, “peace be unto you;” never
a mention of their failure.
• It is through God’s grace that we are able to respond in
the same way as Christ and die to ourselves and bear
the infirmities of others; to excuse their weaknesses; and
to endure for them anything and everything so that Christ
might be manifested in us.
• The strong and free must become servant of the weak,
as Paul the “servant of all.” (Mark 10:42-45)

Romans 15:2 Let every one of us please his neighbour

for his good to edification.
• Paul is not here speaking of man-pleasing in the way of
selfishly seeking man’s favor. (Galatians 1:10)
• This exhortation to please our neighbor “for his benefit
unto edifying” (Romans 14:19) indicates a sensitivity and
care for the needs of others; laying aside our own
preferences, and pleasing others in every way that will in
the end benefit them spiritually. (1 Corinthians 10:32 to
11:1)

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 Romans 15:3 For even
Christ pleased not himself;
but, as it is written, The
reproaches of them that
reproached thee fell on me.
• Jesus Christ never looked
after Himself; from early
morning until late at night, and
often long into the night, He was occupied in ministry to
others. The multitudes discovered that here was One
whose business was to give of His time, His love, His
wisdom, His healing, His providing food, and all this was
proof that they could count on the absolute absence of
“self-pleasing” in Him.
• Paul here quotes from the sixty ninth Psalm which is the
great reproach Psalm, “The reproaches of them that
reproached thee fell on me.” How difficult was the path
of Jesus in a sinful, selfish, God-hating world; yet it is
written of Him, “He pleased not Himself.”

Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written

aforetime were written for our learning, that we through
patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
• “For whatsoever things were written aforetime was
written for our learning;” The Old Testament was not
written about us, but we can learn from it. Also consider
1 Corinthians 10:6, 11.
• Paul uses four rather interesting words here; “learning”,
“patience”, comfort of the scriptures”, and “hope”.
“Learning” is heart knowledge; “Every one who has heard
from the Father, and has learned, come unto me (John
6:45).”
• Patience” follows, for through knowing God, we can wait
for Him to work. Next is “comfort of the scriptures.” We
have all seen those saints who are struggling with rather
difficult circumstances in life, poor health, financial
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 disaster, tremendous pain, grieving over the death of a
loved one, and complete lack of understanding by other
professing Christians: yet comforted by pouring over the
scriptures. (2 Corinthians 13:11)
• Finally “hope,” hearts happy and hopeful, despite it all.
We can step from any earthly misery into heavenly
peace, comfort, and hope. (Romans 5:3-4)

Romans 15:5 Now the God of patience and consolation

grant you to be likeminded one toward another
according to Christ Jesus: 6 That ye may with one
mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
• Paul asks here that the same God who gave “endurance”
and “comfort of the scriptures” to the Old Testament
saints as well as the apostles, may grant that we may be
“like-minded” and loving brethren (1 Peter 3:8).
• This Spirit-produced unity and care for one another is
one of the greatest needs among believers today. New
“movements,” new “educational programs,” great “fund-
raisers;” what are these worth, while Christians are
divided in mind. (John 13:35)
• People generally make one of two mistakes concerning
Christian unity. First, that there must be absolute
unanimity of opinion regarding all points of doctrine; the
desire of Paul in saying “the God of patience and
consolation grant you
to be likeminded one
toward another
according to Christ
Jesus,” does not have
reference to opinions or
views of doctrines, but
does have reference to
gracious, loving
attitudes; for God is not
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 spoken of here as the God of wisdom and knowledge,
but rather “the God of patience and comfort. It is God
working through these “graces” toward the saints that will
enable us to be “of one mind together according to Christ
Jesus.”
• The second mistake we Christians tend to make
regarding unity is that there must be external unity of all
so-called “Christian bodies” or outside organizations.
There is a great cry in Christian circles today, that doesn’t
appear to be coming from God, for all professing
Christians to “get together” and form themselves into one
big charitable unity
• Meanwhile the real saints are being drawn more and
more by His Word into the true fellowship of the Holy
Spirit which is a sign that God is granting Paul’s desire
that believers may “with one mouth glorify the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
• When the Spirit of God is freely operating among a group
of believers, the eyes of all are toward Christ Jesus
(John 15:26; 16:13, 14), then what naturally follows is a
sensitivity, and patient desire to comfort one another.

Romans 15:7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as

Christ also received us to the glory of God.
• Strong and weak believers alike are here exhorted to
receive one another, “for God’s glory.” This not only
includes formal welcoming of other believers into our
fellowships, but also the exercising of sensitive love
toward one another; which is all done with a view “to the
glory of God.” “For Christ received us to that end.”
(John 6:37, 38)
• It is Christ’s delight to welcome sinners, for that “glorifies
God,” and there is joy in heaven over it. Let there be the
same joy in our churches over our Christian love and
receiving one another; for it glorifies God.

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B. The unity of the believers in Christ, whether Jew or
Gentile
Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister
of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the
promises made unto the fathers: 9a And that the
Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy;
• Here Paul defines the earthly ministry of Christ; He was a
“minister (He didn’t come to be ministered unto - Luke
10:45) of the circumcision.” That is, He came “unto His
own,” (Matthew 15:24; 10:5, 6) fulfilling, “confirming” the
Divine promises of the Old Testament to the nation of
Israel.
• What was this “ministry of the circumcision” meant to
accomplish? Paul says, it was for the sake of God’s
truth, God’s faithfulness, “to fulfill the promises that had
been given to the fathers;” Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It
was on God’s behalf, to show that when God makes
commitments, and promises, He never forgets, but
always fulfills them. He had promised a Messiah to
Israel, and He sent the Messiah.”
• But God had no promises to “the Gentiles.”
Consequently, upon Israel’s rejection of their Messiah,
mercy flowed out to us Gentiles; and for this, we glorify
God, for that is the purpose of this mercy.

Romans 15:9b As it is written,

For this cause I will confess to
thee among the Gentiles, and
sing unto thy name.
• This quotation is from Psalm
18:49, and it is worth noting that
Christ Himself is the one who is
celebrating Jehovah’s work, and
giving praise “among the
Gentiles.”

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Romans 15:10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles,
with his people.
• “Rejoice ye Gentiles with His people.” In Scripture,
“His people” are always Israel; and for awhile, as we find
in the book of Acts, the Gentiles were “rejoicing with His
people.”

Romans 15:11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye

Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.
• This passage calls for direct praise from the Gentiles,
with no distinct notice taken of Israel. Psalm 117:1

Romans 15:12 And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a

root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the
Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust (hope).
• There is a looking forward to the Millennial reign in this
quotation from Isaiah 11:10; Gentiles, thank God, may
now freely “hope” and look to Him who will rule and reign
over all the earth during the Millennium. All nations at
that time will be directly dependant upon the Lord
enthroned in the Millennial Temple at Jerusalem.
• Paul states in 2 Timothy 2:8, “Remember Jesus Christ,
risen from the dead, of the seed of David, according to
my gospel.” Rarely do Christians connect their Savior
with David. We remember Romans 1:4, but not
Romans 1:3, and we tend to forget His royal earthly
claims.

Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy
and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope,
through the power of the Holy Ghost.
• “The God of hope;” Hope looks forward with confident
expectation forever and ever. Here God speaks as the
“God of hope;” and He wants us “filled with joy as well as
peace” so as to be “abounding in hope through the power
of the Holy Spirit.”

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• Now if God is the God of hope, then
a dejected, depressed, discouraged
saint of His is yielding to a spirit
directly contrary to His will; which is
for each of us to “abound in hope.”
• It is God Himself alone, who can “fill
us with joy and peace”, making us to
abound in hope.
• It is by the “power of the indwelling
Spirit” that we are to “abound in
hope.” Some people are naturally
gloomy worriers, while other are
more jovial and peaceful; but the joy
and peace which we believers are to
abound does not in any way flow
from nature, but from the direct in-working energy of the
Holy Spirit.
• Many times in scripture, we see God, God, God, then our
little part (faith), then more God. This is one of those
places. It’s all God, but sandwiched in between are
these little words “in believing.” It is only in a believing
heart that these blessed results are brought about. (John
6:28, 29)
• Romans 15:13 is the highest Christian experience
revealed in the book of Romans. Deeper things will be
elsewhere revealed such as, the “indwelling Christ” in
Ephesians 3:14-21. But as Jude tells us, we must “build
up ourselves on our most holy faith.” Paul declares that
the “law” which prevails in this dispensation is a “law of
faith” (Romans 3:27); and that the obedience into which
we are called is the “obedience of faith Romans 1:5;
16:26).
• It is the will of God that all believers be “filled with joy and
peace in believing,” so that we may “abound in hope
through the power of the Holy Spirit;” and we will find that
a daily life “filled with all joy and peace in believing,

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• abounding in hope,” is the normal state for everyone who
is in Christ.

Romans 15:14 And I myself also am persuaded of you,

my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with
all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
• Although Paul had never been to Rome, he heard of their
faith (Romans 1:8) and spiritual condition.

C. Paul’s ministry and itinerary report

Romans 15:15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the
more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in
mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God,
16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the
Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering
up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified
by the Holy Ghost.
• And now Paul is reminding these Roman Christians of
this great special “grace” that had been given him by
God; the Gospel of God. Paul was always aware that he
was not merely another “apostle”, but Christ’s chosen
vessel to the Gentiles. (Galatians 2:7, 9) God laid us
Gentiles upon this man as He laid Israel upon Moses.
Moses complained of the burden (Numbers 11:11-15),
but Paul never complained (2 Corinthians 11:28-29).
• It was Paul who “most gladly would spend and be spent”
for our souls (2 Corinthians 12:15). Paul it was who
longed “for fruit in us,” and “prayed with agonizing for as
many as had not seen his face” (Colossians 1:2). So as
God hearkened to Moses regarding wretched Israel at
Sinai (Exodus 32:7-14), may we not believe that God
remembers the prayers for the Gentiles of this devoted
servant Paul.
• It is evident from verse 16 that apart from this “Grace
Gospel” of Paul’s, the “offering up of the Gentiles” could
not be “acceptable” by God. For Israel had had a law
with forms and ordinances; the Gentiles had nothing; and
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 to them, who had nothing, Paul’s “Grace Gospel” came,
asking nothing, and giving everything.
• It is also evident that this acceptance of the Gentiles
involved the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. This
began at Cornelius’ house in Acts ten; “the Holy Spirit fell
on all them that heard the Word.”
• “The offering up of the Gentiles” must cease when the
church is raptured and the gospel which Paul preached
has ended its ministry. The Gentiles then are
immediately, as before, far away, unclean; Israel forgiven
and restored becomes the priestly nation unto which the
nations must turn to for the knowledge of the true God.
Today the nations do not have to come as “crawling
things licking the dust before Jehovah’s glory,” as they
will do in the Millennium.
• Words fail us to express the glorious privilege we have
today of approaching God through the means of the shed
blood of Christ in this amazing free gospel, which will
cease instantly upon the rapture of the church. Then the
Gentiles will no longer be under the blessing which has
been theirs during the present gospel dispensation
through the Apostle Paul.
• In Paul’s ministry of the gospel, he offered up the
Gentiles by which God made them “acceptable”; and
upon believing, “sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” In view of
this astonishing ministry of Paul, it is no wonder that he
writes boldly to the Christians in Rome, although he had
not been there.

Romans 15:17 I have therefore whereof I may glory

through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to
God.
• The word “therefore” refers us to that peculiar ministry of
verse 16 just described; “I have therefore my glorying in
Christ Jesus in things pertaining to God.” How different
from Moses was the ministry of Paul. Moses operated
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 under God, beneath the eye of all nations, and leading
Israel in the wilderness by a marvelous, continuous
miracle for forty years; with God defending him publicly
even to opening the earth to swallow those who opposed
him. There is something outwardly magnificent about
Moses’ whole life and ministry.
• Not so with Paul. He shared the place of earthly rejection
and despising, that his Lord had; his great desire was to
be “conformed to His death.” (Philippians 3:10)
Therefore it requires spiritual discernment to see Paul’s
place and ministry. Many times Paul makes statements
like that of this present verse, insisting that his boasting
was pertaining to what God is and has done.
• Here then is the “least of the apostles” to whom God has
given the greatest place of all; not only a ministry of being
an “apostle to the Gentiles” (Romans 11:13), “a teacher
of the Gentiles in faith and truth” (1 Timothy 2:7), but
also the official presentation of the Gentiles to God –
“offering them up.”
• No wonder Paul has “a glorying in Christ Jesus” in these
things. There was no outward pillar of cloud and fire, no
visible temple or formal worship; but just as God
committed Israel to Moses hands, so did God give this
ministry to the Gentiles to Paul. This now explains the
verse to follow:

Romans 15:18 For I will not dare to speak of any of

those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to
make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,
• Paul is making clear that there was a great difference
between his ministry, and the wonderful work of God at
Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost and thereafter (Acts
2 to 12) by the twelve apostles, whose ministry was to
the Jews; of which twelve, Paul was not (1 Corinthians
15:5)

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• He will speak only of what Christ has done through him,
through preaching, and through the presence and power
of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:19 Through mighty signs and wonders, by

the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem,
and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the
gospel of Christ.
• What a tireless love-laborer was Paul. Illyricum, also
known as Dalmatia (2 Timothy 4:10), was the next
province to Italy and was a Roman territory on the
Adriatic Sea between present day Italy and Greece. It
covered much the same territory as Yugoslavia today.
• Through this entire region, Paul had “fully preached the
gospel of Christ;” insomuch that verse 23 informs us that
he had “no more place for me in these regions.”

Romans 15:20 Yea, so have I strived to preach the

gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build
upon another man's foundation: 21 But as it is written,
To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they
that have not heard shall understand. 22 For which
cause also I have been much hindered from coming to
you.
• “Hindered” – These many ministry opportunities from
Jerusalem to Illyricum had “hindered” Paul from seeing
Christians at Rome as he longed to do. (1
Thessalonians 2:18)
• “These many times” shows how often the Roman
Christians were on his mind and in his desire. And now
the awesome statement in the next verse:

Romans 15:23 But now having no more place in these

parts, and having a great desire these many years to
come unto you;
• “But now having no further place for me in these
regions;” (NSB) Everybody converted? No. All the
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 saints established and perfected? No. Yet there was
this God-given desire to go on and on and on taking this
message of grace to “the regions beyond.”
• Let us cease rebuking men for failing to come to hear the
gospel, instead of our carrying the “glad tidings” to them.

Romans 15:24 Whensoever I take my journey into

Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my
journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by
you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company.
• Conybeare’s rendering is “after I have in some measure
satisfied my desire for your company,” or “I must to some
extent at least have my fill of your company.”
• Paul also hopes, not only to see these Christians at
Rome, but to be “brought on my way (to Spain) by you;”
Paul’s desire was that the believers in Rome would assist
him (encourage and help financially with the trip) as he
continued on to Spain.

Romans 15:25 But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister

unto the saints. 26 For it hath pleased them of
Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for
the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.
• Paul now reveals his purpose for his visit to Jerusalem; to
carry a love-gift to the saints there, which is brought out
in a general way in Acts 24:17. It was a deliberate act of
love on the part of the Gentile saints; it is called a special
“grace” from God at least six
times in 2 Corinthians eight and
nine.
• Here then we have the original
order of “foreign missions.” The
grace of God so abounds in the
hearts of those in the unreached
lands when they hear the
gospel, that they joyfully insist, amidst persecution and
poverty, on sending to those from whom the gospel first
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 came to them, a ministry of money in grateful love. 2
Corinthians 8:1-5)

Romans 15:27 It hath pleased them verily; and their

debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made
partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to
minister unto them in carnal things.
• Here is the reason for our ministry toward Jewish
Christians; we have been made partakers of their
“spiritual things.” We are their debtors; therefore we
should be ready to “minister” to them as we are able. (1
Corinthians 9:11)

Romans 15:28 When therefore I have performed this,

and have sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you
into Spain.
• It’s interesting to note Paul’s confidence of the success of
his ministry; also that giving is regarded as the proper
“fruit” which “seals” to other believers the reality of our
faith. (2 Corinthians 9:13)

Romans 15:29 And I am sure that, when I come unto

you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the
gospel of Christ.
• This verse should silence those who claim that Paul was
below his apostolic calling in this journey to Jerusalem.
He knew that when he should come, it would be in the
“fullness of the blessing of Christ.”

Romans 15:30 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the

Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit,
that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God
for me; 31 That I may be delivered from them that do
not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have
for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints; 32 That I
may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may
with you be refreshed.
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• Here Paul makes the greatest
appeal for the prayers of the
saints to be found in all his
epistles. True Biblical prayer is
acknowledging our weakness to
the Father, and confessing our
constant need of dependence
upon Him.” Paul knew how weak
he really was, and if his divinely
guided journey to Jerusalem was
to be successful, it had to come
from God.
• First, Paul was well aware of the
Jew’s hatred toward him as the
minister of grace to the Gentiles (1 Thessalonians 2:16-
16).
• Second, there was the natural prejudice and pride, even
on the part of Jewish Christians, to accept for their poor
an offering from the hands of the Gentiles.
• Third, there was the constant willingness on the part of
the Roman Governors to gain favor with the Jews by
yielding to their demands in matters of religion.
• All these difficulties and more had to be overcome; and
by what means? By God’s appointed way, through
prayer (dependence on Him).
• Therefore Paul asks the Christians at Rome to pray; and
God answered these prayers, by patiently waiting; for
Paul was imprisoned at Caesarea two years, and came
as a prisoner to Rome, suffering shipwreck on the way.
Yet in due time, God answered.

Romans 15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all.

Amen.
• This beautiful benediction shows how fully at peace was
Paul’s heart, how fully in God’s will he was, and also
revealed his overflowing love for the saints.
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Romans Chapter 16

This sixteenth chapter is by far the most extensive and

intimate outpouring of the heart of Paul toward the saints
whom he loved.

A. Paul’s personal introductions and greetings

Romans 16:1 I commend unto you Phoebe our sister,
which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: 2
That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and
that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need
of you: for she hath been a succourer (helper) of many,
and of myself also.
• Phoebe was a servant of the assembly in
Cenchrea, which was an eastern seaport town
about nine miles from Corinth. She, it was who
would carry this great epistle to Rome where she
apparently had business.
• Not only were the saints to receive her in the
Lord, but they were asked by Paul to assist her in
her affairs, in any way that they may find her
needing help; because “she herself has been a
helper of many and of mine own self.”

Romans 16:3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila my

helpers in Christ Jesus: 4 Who have for my
life laid down their own necks: unto whom not
only I give thanks, but also all the churches of
the Gentiles.
• Priscilla with her husband Aquila had worked with Paul
(Acts 18:1-3), went with Paul to Ephesus (Acts 18:19),
and helped better explain the gospel to Apollos (Acts
18:26).
• Paul certainly appreciated these friends and fellow-
laborers, even explaining to the others that they had
risked their lives for him. Paul was certainly grateful that
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 they had saved his life, and the Gentile church would
also be grateful that Paul’s life had been spared.

Romans 16:5 Likewise greet the church that is in their

house. Salute my well beloved Epaenetus, who is the
firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ. (1 Cor. 15, 19)
• There was also an assembly of saints which gathered in
the house Priscilla and Aquila(1 Cor. 16:19).
• Epaenetus; whoever this man was, Paul refers to him as
“my dear friend,” has the legacy of being the first convert
in Asia.
• The personal greetings that follow (twenty-six in all), were
to people who were Romans and Greeks, Jews and
Gentiles, men and women, prisoners and prominent
citizens. The church’s base was broad; it crossed
cultural, social, intellectual and economic lines.

Romans 16:6 Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour

on us.
• Mary is a Jewish name. “Much labor” would refer to her
ministry on behalf of the saints. 1 Timothy 5:10

Romans 16:7 Salute Andronicus and Junia, my

kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note
among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
• From Verse 21, we learn that three others of Paul’s
kinsmen were with him at Corinth when he wrote
Romans. Another kinsman mentioned in Scripture (Acts
23:16-22).
• “Who were in Christ before me.” It’s interesting to
consider that these two relatives (Adronicus and Junia)
may have been used of the Lord to goad or prepare the
heart of Paul for his meeting with Christ on the road to
Damascus in Acts 9.

Romans 16:8 Greet Amplias my beloved in the Lord.

• Probably a convert of Paul’s own, who was dear to him.
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Romans 16:9 Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ, and
Stachys my beloved.
• Paul had a special “love for the saints” (Colossians 1:4)
which manifested itself through his remembering
personal names.

Romans 16:10 Salute Apelles approved in Christ. Salute

them which are of Aristobulus' household.
• “Salute Apelles approved in Christ;” Here is a tried
and true saint.
• This “Aristobulus” could have been a grandson of Herod
the Great.

Romans 16:11 Salute Herodion my kinsman. Greet them

that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the
Lord.
• “Herodion my relative;” was probably a Jew, and a
relative by tribe, not family.
• Perhaps some in Narcissus’s household were not
believers, because Paul specifies his greeting to those
who are. This person has been identified as Tiberius
Claudius Narcissus, a wealthy and powerful man during
the reigns of emperors Tiberius and Claudius; but he was
executed under Nero.

Romans 16:12 Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who

labour in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which
laboured much in the Lord.
• Tryphena and Tryphosa were perhaps sisters, and from
their names appear to be female slaves; Paul sends
them a special greeting.

Romans 16:13 Salute Rufus chosen in the Lord, and his

mother and mine.
• Perhaps the Rufus of Mark 15:21, the son of Simon of
Cyrene, who bore our Lord’s cross.
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• “And his mother and mine;” What a great privilege this
unnamed woman had that she be regarded by Paul as a
mother to him.

Romans 16:14 Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas,

Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with
them.
• Here we have five brethren greeted by name, as well as
those who are with them.

Romans 16:15 Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and

his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are
with them.
• It’s rather interesting that Paul, with all his burden and
care for all the churches, could remember all these
beloved individuals.

Romans 16:16 Salute one another with an holy kiss. The

churches of Christ salute you.
• The simplicity and warmth of early
Christians cannot be brushed
aside by the colder hearts and
more formal and reserved
manners of our day. “Behold, how
these Christians love one
another.”
• And now the roll of names is over;
this list of friendships that will last
throughout eternity.

B. Paul’s final instructions, warning and

encouragement
Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them
which cause divisions and offences contrary to the
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doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 18 For
they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but
their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches
deceive the hearts of the simple.
• Already in Rome, we find men who are causing divisions
among the saints. It seems unbelievable that such an
unearthly wonder as the love and unity of the saints in
Christ should be hated and attacked by the enemies of
God. But so it is, and Paul writes, “I beseech you
brethren, mark such ones.” Philippians 3:2;
Colossians 2:8
• If anyone was known to be causing selfish divisions, or
had been an occasion for stumbling, “contrary to the
doctrine, which they had learned from Paul,” their only
path was to turn away from them. (2 Thessalonians
3:6; Titus 3:10; 2 John 10)
• Such evil workers were not “serving our Lord Christ, but
their own belly.” (Philippians 3:19) What a terrible
spiritual condition; to be among those filled with love
toward the Lord Jesus, and toward one another as fellow-
members of His Body, and yet be bent on selfishness.
(Philippians 3:18-20)
• Just as in Eden, God did not prevent the serpent from
tempting Eve, “beguiling her in his craftiness,” so God
does not forcibly prevent false teachers, division makers,
evil workers, from coming among His saints. Colossians
2:4
• But He does warn His saints, and make a way of escape.
(1 Corinthians 10:13)

Romans 16:19 For your obedience is come abroad unto

all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I
would have you wise unto that which is good, and
simple concerning evil.
• Everywhere throughout the Roman world, the simple
wholehearted faith and love of the Christians at Rome
was talked of (Romans 1:8).
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• However, Paul expresses his concern; “yet I would have
you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning
evil.” Here is a God-given safe path for all believers,
“wise unto that which is good.” (Philippians 4:8)
• But the other side; “simple unto that which is evil.”
“Simple” here literally means “unmixed;” not becoming
mixed up with all that the “false teachers” have to offer.
Paul says in 1 Cor. 13:5 “love thinks no evil;” literally,
takes no account of evil. Evil is all around us, but the
true believer who is abiding in Christ, is kept in sweet
innocence toward it. Mad dogs are shot; infectious
diseases are quarantined; but evil teachers who would
divide and draw away the saints with teaching contrary to
the doctrine of Christ, are everywhere tolerated.

Romans 16:20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan

under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you. Amen. (Verse 24)
• The same word here translated “bruise” is used of
Christ’s breaking the nations in Revelation 2:27. Note
further that it will be “under the feet of His saints” that
God will do this bruising; and note finally that it will be
done “shortly.”
• This is to be held fast to, by faith, despite all the seeming
delays and apparent Satanic victories. Meanwhile, it
should be extremely encouraging to know that the great
foe of God, flees before the saints on earth today who
submit to God, and “resist him steadfast in the faith.”
(James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:9)
• Satan’s ruin began in heaven
(Ezekiel 28) where he was the
anointed cherub, but his heart
became proud because of his
beauty, and he was cast out of the
Mountain of God. However, he still
has ability to accuse the saints
before God (Revelation 12:10),
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 and is permitted the freedom of certain heavenly regions
as a heavenly being (Eph. 6:12); yet he will be cast down
to earth after the church’s rapture. In his rage, therefore,
he will inaugurate the Great Tribulation to obliterate
God’s nation Israel, from the earth.
• Upon Christ’s coming down to earth with His saints,
Satan will be cast into the abyss at the center of the earth
for one thousand years – The Millennium (Revelation
20). At the end of The Millennium, he will be released for
a season and will lead the last great warfare against God
and His people. Then he is cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone to be tormented forever (Romans 20:10).
• Then comes the benediction; “The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.” It is as the Head, from
whom all the Body is supported and nourished, that
Christ constantly supplies grace to all believers.

C. Paul sends greetings from those who were with him

Romans 16:21 Timotheus my workfellow, and Lucius,
and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you.
• Now comes the greetings to the Christians at Rome from
Paul’s fellow-workers.
• “Timotheus my work-fellow salutes you.” (Philippians
2:19-22)
• “Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, kinsmen of Paul’s.” Lucius
was perhaps the Lucius of Cyrene of Acts 13:1; Jason
the one who had received Paul in Acts 17:5-9; while
Sosipater is in all liklihood Sosipater, the son of Pyrrhus
of Berea. These being relatives of Paul, were probably
Jewish Christians.

Romans 16:22 I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute

you in the Lord.
• Then we have a direct comment from Tertius, who
transcribed this epistle for Paul.

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Romans 16:23 Gaius mine host, and of the whole
church, saluteth you. Erastus the chamberlain of the city
saluteth you, and Quartus a brother.
• Next that gracious and generous hearted believer, who
kept open house for the whole church of God, and was at
present entertaining Paul. This was the Gaius of 1
Corinthians 1:14 whom Paul himself had baptized.
• Erastus the city treasurer is next named, obviously a man
of community influence, along with Quartus, merely
introduced as a brother; from these men go forth warm
greetings to the Christians in Rome.
• These friendly loving greetings, both to the Christians at
Rome, and from the Christians gathered around Paul in
Corinth, brings joy to our hearts as we see the unity in
Christ; one Body, one band of pilgrims in the dark and
dreary desert of this world.
• However, what a reminder to us, as we see the sad
divisions, jealousies, contentions, earthly mindedness,
and loss of the great truths of this wonderful epistle to the
Romans; that our sin has been put away forever by the
one sacrifice of Christ, and that we died with Him and
have been raised into newness of life with Him, and are
no longer of this world

D. Paul’s benediction
Romans 16:24 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with you all. Amen.
• There is no verse 24 in most modern translations
because it is not found in the most trusted Greek
manuscripts. It is a scribal addition repeating the words
of 16:20.

Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish

you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus
Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which
was kept secret since the world began, 26 But now is
made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets,
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according to the commandment of the everlasting God,
made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: 27
To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for
ever. Amen.
• It is not generally recognized that in verses 25 to 27,
preparation is made by Paul for the unfolding, in his later
epistles, of that great secret of God called “the mystery,”
which was hidden for ages (Colossians 1:26); the
special revelator of which is Paul himself. It is interesting
to see that in the words “to establish you” of verse 25,
Paul refers to truth beyond that which the Romans
already knew.
• The word translated “establish” is used about ten times in
the New Testament referring to a settled, stable spiritual
condition. (Luke 22:32) It includes not only a knowledge
of the truth, and a settled persuasion in Christ of that
truth, but also obedience through the power of the Holy
Spirit, to that truth.
• When Paul speaks to them of “my gospel, and of the
preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of
the mystery,” he is referring to the story of the
astonishing intervention of a grace that not only pardoned
and justified, but made believing sinners partakers in
Christ of the very glory of God Himself. (Colossians
1:26-27)
• “Now I commend you to Him that is able to establish
you…To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ; to
whom be the glory unto the ages.” It is to Him the
glory comes, through Jesus Christ; this is the constant
message of scripture. Furthermore, Paul at the
beginning declares this gospel to be the gospel of God
concerning His Son, and as previously noted throughout
the epistle, God is the initiator – setting forth Christ as a
propitiation (substitute). He is the God “not only of the
Jews, but of Gentiles also, seeing that God is one.”
• “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ.” “It is God that justifies.”
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