Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

As the seventh chapter of Romans opens, Paul has several loose ends which he needs to tie up. In Romans 3:20, he had stated, “Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” In 5:20, he said, “Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound.” And in 6:14, he added, “for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace.” The seventh chapter of Romans is designed to deal with these three different principles which he had previously stated to tie these loose ends together. Verses 1-6 discuss how and why we are not under the law, verses 7;13 answers the question, “Is the law sinful?” and verses 14-25 show why the law cannot justify anyone. Hence, let us consider the different things that Paul was dealing with in this chapter.

We Are Delivered From The Law (7:1-6)

In these verses, Paul is showing that man is delivered from the law. He begins by stating that the law has dominion over a man so long as he lives (v. 1). To illustrate this point, Paul compared the manner in which man is bound by the law to his being bound by his marriage covenant (vs. 2-3). The partners in a marriage covenant are bound to each other so long as either shall live. However, when one mate dies, both are freed from the marriage covenant. With reference to the law, Paul is showing that we die to the law by the body of Christ (v. 4). We died with Christ (cf. 6:6-8). Having died to Christ, we are, therefore, loosed from the law and no longer bound by it.

To show that men are not bound by the law was especially important for Paul’s Jewish audience. They had been brought up with instruction that if a man departed from faithfulness to the law of Moses and aligned himself with some other religious law, he became a spiritual adulterer. Consequently, Paul is concerned to show that men are not spiritual adulterers whenever they depart from the Mosiacal law to be married to Christ. The reason for that is that we die to the law of Moses with Christ and, consequently, are freed from that law and have the right to be joined to Christ. Hence, we are delivered from the law to become married to Christ that we might bring forth fruit to God.

The Law Is Not Sinful (7:7-13)

Lest someone charge Paul with teaching that man’s problem is a sorry law, Paul shows that the problem lies in man and not in the law. The law revealed sin to us. Paul would not have known what sin was unless God revealed it to him. The law, therefore, made known to us what sin was. It was added because of transgressions (Gal. 3:19). It was given that we might have a knowledge of what sin was (Rom. 3:20). To illustrate this point, Paul used one of the commandments from the Ten Commandments, “Thou shalt not covet.”

We must not misunderstand Paul’s point. His point is not the following: because the commandment was given, man is therefore moved to want to do that which is forbidden. No one has wanted to commit murder because God said, “Thou shalt not kill;” no one has wanted to commit adultery because God said, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Rather, what has happened is that these lusts and desires that are in man are known to be sin by the revelation of God’s word. Paul had all of the desires for the forbidden things that characterize covetousness, but did not realize the sinfulness of these desires until the law said, “Thou shalt not covet.” Consequently, the purpose of the law was to reveal to man what sin. was.

However, the law left man dead in Sin is personified in these verses to show how it leaves man dead unto the law. The punishment for disobedience of the law was death (cf. Gen. 2:17; Rom. 6:23). In Gal. 3:10, Paul said, “Cursed is everyone that continued not in all things which were written in the book of the law to do them.” Because man is a sinner, he was left by the law under the curse of the law, under the penalty of death. Consequently, law, when considered by itself, left man condemned and doomed to hell.

However, the law in itself was good, though it made no provisions for the sinfulness of man. Verse 10 argues that the commandment was ordained to life. God, in the commandments, revealed to us the kind of life which we should live to have the best life here on the earth below and to live with God in heaven when we die. Hence, the commandment was designed to show us what was holy and just and good, but man violated the commandment and sin intruded on his life. This left man dead in his trespasses and sin. Hence, the problem was not that the law was bad but the problem was that man was a sinner.

The Law Left Man In Sin (7:14-24)

In this third section of Romans 7, Paul argues to show that the problem is with the sin which man commits and not with the law. Verse 14 states, “For we know that the law, is spiritual, but I am carnal sold under sin.” The problem is not that the law was a bad law, but that man is a sinful creature. There simply must be some provision made for sin in order for man to be saved.

In verses 15-24, Paul described the inner conflict which every man feels as he tries to obey the law of God. This passage is one with which each of us can easily identify. We have each been guilty of transgression of the law. Many times the things that we do, we do with the knowledge that what we are doing is wrcng; although with our mind we want to do what is right, the desires of our flesh win out over our minds and we end up committing the very thing that we condemn. Hence, with our minds we consent that the law is good but we go ahead and commit the horrible sinful act prohibited by the word of God.

Every man can testify that he has had the same experience which Paul has had. That good thing which he knows that he should do, he does not do and the bad thing which he condemns, he ends up doing. There have been times whenever we know that we ought to say a kind word to someone that we say something hateful and commit sin. Sometimes we say this even though we are trying to bite our tongue. We are provoked to the point that we no longer try to control our flesh and we do the thing which is condemned by God.

The problem with the law is that it had no provisions for the forgiveness of sin. The man who was going to be saved by law-keeping, had to keep the law perfectly. Hence, this Jew who rejected Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world was left with nothing but the perfect obedience to the law as a means for saving himself. The blood of bulls and goats could not atone for sin. He had rejected Jesus Christ, the real atonement for sin, so he would be left with a law that demanded perfect obedience. There was no one able to perfectly obey the law of God and so man was left with the problem of sin in his life. He said, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Hence, the law had no ability to sanctify. There was nothing in the law that made it possible to take care of the weaknesses of the flesh that were part of a man’s life.

No Condemnation In Christ (8:1-17)

What would be the solution to man’s problems? It is at this point that chapter 8 shows the deliverance that is available to man through Jesus Christ. In verses 1-16, Paul shows that the grace of God through Jesus Christ has done for man what the law could not do for him. Whereas, the law left man dead in his transpasses in sin, Paul said, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord that we have been delivered from the body of this death” (7:25). And thus, as he came to 8:1, he said, “There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” Why? Because an atonement had been made for sin. What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh of man, .God did through the sacrifice of His Son on Calvary, through the offering of His Son in behalf of the sins of mankind. God did what man could not do for himself. He made atonement for the sins of the world and, thus, in Christ through grace, we have provisions made for the sins of the world.

It is precisely at this point that some people have misunderstood the grace that is under the new covenant scriptures. The point is that the old covenant made no provisions for the weaknesses of man (it is understood that the old law without Jesus Christ demanded perfect lawkeeping); the covenant of grace makes provisions for those weaknesses in man which occur as Paul described in chapter 7. And yet, some misunderstand these scriptures by concluding that man can never so sin as to fall from grace. Other passages in the scriptures show that this is not true (cf. I Cor. 10:12; 2 Pet. 2:20-22; Rev. 2:4; 3:15-16, etc.). Others conclude afrom this passage that the grace of God is extended to man unconditionally. Some have the impression. that, because there is no condemnation in Christ, man is not responsible for the times when he commits the sins which he does not want to commit with his mind but commits anyway because of the weaknesses of his flesh. There are provisions made in the law of Christ for the forgiveness of these kinds of sins; those provisions are given to man conditionally. In the same way that one’s primary reception of grace is given to him conditionally, so are the provisions of forgiveness after becoming a Christian given to him conditionally. We need to understand that the forgiveness of sins that is available to the man who is overcome by the weakness of the flesh is given conditionally upon man’s willingness to turn from that sin, confess that sin, and ask God’s forgiveness. For the man who has this desire, there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus.

However, the person who is going to stand with no condemnation must be one that walks after the spirit. He cannot be one who minds the things of the flesh.

Characteristics of Those Who Walk After The Flesh	Characteristics of Those Who Walk After The Spirit
A. Mind the things of the flesh (8:5)	A. Mind the things of the spirt (8:5)
B. End up in death (8:6)	B. End up in life (8:6)
C. Are at enmity with God (8:7)	C. Are at peace with God (8:6)
D. Are not subject to the law of God	D. Have their mortal bodies quickened (8:11) so that they become debtors to righteousness (8:12)
E. Cannot please God	E. Please God

As we look at this chart which gives the characteristics of the two kinds of walks, we see what the nature of the one is who is not under condemnation. He is one that is doing his best to do the things revealed in the holy will of God. He is not one who is involved in sin, in the defense of sin and in refusing to confess what he is doing is sinful. Hence, a man who is involved in the sin, for example, of the use of mechanical instruments in worship and is one who refuses to acknowledge this as sin but instead defends it as righteousness and encourages others to be involved in this same sin, cannot be described as one who is walking after the spirit. He must be described as one who is walking after the flesh.

This passage, therefore, offers no hope for that man who is continually walking in the pathway of wickedness in direct disobedience to one of the commandments of God. The hope that this holds out is for the man who is walking after the spirit but who, on one occasion or another because of some weakness of the flesh or ignorance of his involves himself in sin. The grace provided for this man is that he can turn to God and ask for forgiveness and the blood of Jesus Christ will blot out his sin. The grace that is extended is grace to wash away’ the sin. No system of justification based on perfect law-keeping with a just pronouncement of death upon the disobeyer of that law could hold out such grace for man.

Those who are redeemed are sons of God (8:14-17). As sons of God they approach God with the spirit of sonship and not with the spirit of bondage, that is of fear. The slave cringes before his master. This is not the relationship that we have before God. We come before God calling upon Him as our Father. We have the spirit of sonship and not the spirit of bondage. Being sons of God, we are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. These are the blessed privileges available to man through grace, available to man through the shed blood of Jesus Christ and not available to the man who is walking under the law.

Reasons To Endure Suffering (8:18-30)

Having shown the glorious blessings available to man through Christ and unavailable to the one trying to be saved by law-keeping, Paul now moved to show that the redeemed are willing to suffer for Christ. He began by saying, “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” (v. 18). Having stated that, he showed that the person who is redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus is willing to endure whatever temptations and tribulations and persecutions there might be for him to suffer under the sun, that he might have the hope of glory in heaven.

To encourage man to endure this persecution, he shows that the whole creation itself is involved in suffering. Many of the things which Christians endure on this earth below are sufferings that are typical for all men and not merely for Christians. Even as non-Christians die of cancer, so also do Christians. Even as non-Christians die of heart diseases, so also do Christians. When famines hit, the Christians suffer right along beside the world. And so, in verses 19-22, Paul showed that the whole world is suffering in hope of something better later on.

Then, he moved to show that not only does the whole world, but even the elite of Christianity had to suffer. In verse 23, he said, “And not only they, (that is the whole creation) but ourselves also which have the first fruits of the spirit even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our bodies.” His point is that even the apostles and the firstborn of Christianity had to endure suffering. Consequently, we who are walking after the spirit today ought not to think it strange that we have to endure infirmities. What we must do is that we must continue to serve – to serve in hope of the glory that will be later revealed to us. Consequently, as we plod through the tribulations and persecutions of this life below, we plod in hope of a better life, a better reward than what we presently have, “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? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it” (8:24-25).

During this time that we are on this earth below, we have the Holy Spirit to help us with our infirmities. In verses 2627, Paul said, “Likewise, the spirit 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 and he that searcheth the heart knoweth what is the mind of the spirit because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” We ought, therefore, to endure suffering because we have the Holy Spirit helping us during these groanings. There have been times when each of us was suffering so much that he just could not put into words the things which he was feeling within his body. As he prayed to God at that time, the Spirit presented to God what he was needing and made intercession in his behalf. We have that hope for us.

We are willing to suffer because we know that all things work together for good to them that love the Lord (8:28). We are willing to suffer because we know that eventually God will glorify His saints (8:29-30).

Nothing Can Separate Us From God (8:29-40)

We also are aware in this life below that if we walk after the spirit that nothing can separate us from God. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” is the. question which Paul posed in verse 31. The very God who gave His Son for us will(give us everything that we need for salvation. When I come to the realization that God is working for the salvation of man and not for the damnation of man, I know that He will do everything He can to deliver us from sin and death. Furthermore, I know that if God is on my side, it matters not who is against me. If God has justified me, Satan cannot condemn me nor can anyone else lay a charge against me. The precious blood of Jesus has washed away every sin that I have committed and consequently, I stand before God completely acquitted of sin. Hence, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.

Paul said, in verses 35-39, the following:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, ,or famine or nakedness or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come. 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.

Hence, we see the blessed hope that the Christian has that is not available to the man outside of Christ. He is in the love of God and nothing, no person or no thing, can separate him from God’s love. The only way that he can get out of God’s love is to willfully turn his back on God, refuse to obey God, and turn to become a disciple of the devil. So long as he is walking in the spirit, turning to God and asking forgiveness for the sins which he commits when he commits them, he will stand in the love of God and have the hope of eternal salvation with Christ when he dies.

QUESTIONS

• Give an outline of chapter 7.
• How could a Jew be Joined to Christ without being guilty of spiritual adultery?
• God’s law reveals what is holy, lust and good, but why is it that the law alone cannot save us?
• If the works of our own life have been sinful how can we ever by freed from the condemnation of those sins?
• What are some false doctrines which men teach by misusing the expression “no condemnation . . . in Christ Jesus”?
• Contrast the attitudes of a man who walks after the flesh and one who walks after the Spirit, with reference to the sins he may commit.
• What is the difference between the spirit of bondage and the spirit of sonship?
• A Christian will not have to suffer disease, financial failure, or other tragedies in this life. Prove this true or false.
• What are some things that help a Christian to endure hardships?
• We must live in terror and anxiety every moment as to our salvation because the gospel offers no security. Prove this true or false.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 1, pp. 18-21
January 4, 1979

By S. Leonard Tyler

Romans six is a beautiful, clarifying and reassuring chapter. It is, to me, the pivotal chapter – where change takes place. Paul has reached the point in his discussion of salvation by grace through faith which seems to naturally demand clarifying. He has shown that salvation is provided by God’s grace for all and is extended to all through the gospel – but must be accepted by faith. To offset unnecessary quibbling, prevent misunderstanding and emphasize some very important truths, Paul explains some difficulties surrounding his teaching.

The teaching of justification by grace through faith has always challenged man. Questions flood the subject of God’s grace providing and man’s faith appropriating the soul’s salvation. Mr. Charles R. Erdman observes such questions and concludes:

The common fallacy in all these objections, and in most criticism of the doctrine of justification by faith, consists in the failure to understand what is meant by faith (An Exposition, The Epistle of Paul To The Romans, p. 77.)

Paul recognizes the importance of the truth and the fact that it can and must be understood, believed and obeyed to result in the saving of the soul. Hence, he calls attention to and openly discusses the issues involved.

“What Shall We Say Then?”

Does this inquiry merely connect with what has been said, or does it anticipate valid pondering, or has some critic challenged the apostle’s message? Regardless, and notwithstanding, the explanation is clear, forceful and positive. Paul has taught that God’s grace is sufficient to save all and “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:20). Questions about God’s vengeance (Rom. 3:5) and the doing of evil that good might come (Rom. 3:8) were also beclouding his message. He, however, was not one to whine and whisper, “I’m misunderstood and vilified, but I still love them,” and turn off as a “martyr”! Neither did he hide the true meaning in philosophical verbiage. He, recognizing the value and stability of God’s truth, arose to the occasion, confronted the questions and confounded the questioners by dealing positively with the problems (Jn. 8:31-32; 1 Pet. 1:22-25).

Shall We Continue In Sin, That Grace May Abound?”“

Paul quickly and emphatically replied, “God forbid” (other translations: “May it never be . . . Perish the thought . . . By no means! . . . What a ghastly thought! . . . No, no!”). The gospel is the same today and, if a similar question should be asked, “Will God’s brace extend to cover or forgive one who, ignorantly or otherwise, continues in sin?” “Perish the thought . . . By no means!” No way! Such is completely out of the bounds of faith. There is no basis for faith beyond the scope of God’s word; there can be no faith where there is no word to produce it (Rom. 10:17).

Jesus is the voice of God, the law Giver, Mediator, Advocate and Savior (Heb. 1:1; 2:3; James 4:12; 1 Tim. 2:5; 1 Jn. 2:1-2; 1 Tim. 4:10). He has spoken and His word will stand forever (Matt. 24:35; Ps. 119:89; Matt. 16:18-19). He is the Author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him (Heb. 5:9; Rom. 6:16) and will render the final judgment (Acts 17:31; Rev. 10:11-15; Jn. 5:28-29). Therefore, “See that you refuse not him that speaketh” (Heb. 12:25).

When Does One Die To Sin?

This is a very interesting approach to becoming a Christian. One must die to sin. Paul wrote, “How shall we, that are dead to sin (we who died to sin – ASV) live any longer therein?” Since his writing is applicable to all Christians, he places himself within its bounds. He said, “We who died to sin” (ASV). The Romans were dead to sin and Paul refreshed their memory to this fact. It was in the course of their acceptance of Jesus Christ that they died to sin. Thus, continuance in sin was diabolically opposed to their manner of life in Christ.

Does the apostle mean “dead in sin,” buried and raised, or “dead to sin,” buried and raised? Does he use “dead to sin” to circumscribe the whole action of conversion: died, buried and raised? Or, does he use the words “died, buried and raised” to specify definite action (steps) in conversion? There is no question about one being dead to God while practicing or living in sin (Eph. 2:2-1; Col. 2:13), but he is alive to (practicing) sin. One must stop loving and practicing (die to, in a figurative sense) sin before he can be forgiven. However, when one stops sinning, ceases to practice sin, the guilt of sin is still upon him. He is not dead to guilt. It must be forgiven. However, the practice must stop before forgiveness can be enjoyed.

If this be the meaning, and it surely looks applicable, then when does one “die” to sin, as used in this verse? When one understands and believes with all his heart that Jesus is the Son of God, it enables him to recognize the terribleness, sinfulness and damnableness of sin and conclude that forgiveness is in Christ. This conviction leads one to determine to stop sinning, forsake it, turn away from it (in a word, “die” to the love and practice of sin) and accept Jesus as both Lord and Christ. This is genuine repentance, which attitude must characterize every subject of baptism; it will lead to true action, obedience to Jesus from the heart, being buried in baptism and raised with Him a new creature. Moses E. Lard, in his Commentary On Romans, (pp. 195-196), stated:

We die to sin when we believe in Christ and repent of our sins. For the true conception of repentance is a determination to forsake sin, accompanied by the act. The best and only evidence we can give that we are truly dead to sin is our aversion to it, and cessation from it. None should be baptized till he has within himself a keen senge of this evidence. Baptism to one who is still alive to sin is as inconsistent as the literal burial of a man before he is dead. It is much to be feared that error is sometimes committed here.”

Paul proceeds with his discourse, “How shall we . . live any longer therein?” The argument advanced simply stated, “Since we died to sin, recognized it as sin and determined within our own heart never to sin any more, we turn to the Lord for forgiveness (being buried with Him in baptism and raised to a new life), direction and salvation. Therefore, no consideration should be given to the practice of sin.”

Furthermore, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? . . .buried with him be baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up. . .we also should walk in newness of life.” He impressed, “Are you not conscious (or, don’t you remember?) that we were baptized into Christ?” None questioned this truth, for it was upon this fact that they placed their claim to Christ.

Paul did not argue the meaning of baptism, baptize etc.; they understood that they were immersed, buried, submerged, for that is the meaning of the words used. It was upon the fact that they had been buried with Christ and shared in the benefits of His death, the very purpose for which He shed his blood, “for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:28). This being true, they were “buried with him by baptism into death”. No other form (save a burial) can so dramatically represent the ending of a life of sin and the beginning of a life of righteousness. Thus, “like as Christ was raised . . . by the glory of the Father,” we are to walk in newness of life. As he also told the Corinthians, “If any man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).

Consider also, “If we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection” (v. 5). In baptism, we are united with him in the likeness of his death and resurrection. (1) He died on the cross. We died to sin. (2) He was buried in Joseph’s new tomb. We are buried in baptism. (3) He was raised up by the glory (power) of the Father. We are raised up to a new life, “newness of life,” to live a righteous life (vs. 17-18).

We were united with Christ in the likeness of his death and resurrection in baptism. “Our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be put away” (destroyed, v. 6). “The old man” must be our former manner of living given up, sacrificed; it is not as some claim, our old sinful, innate nature from Adam, nor the Adamic sin. One cannot inherit sin, sin is committed (Ezek. 18:19, 20; 1 John 3:4; James 1:13-15), and fleshly lust is still present. The Christian must “buffet,” keep his body under subjection, “mortify (put to death) your members which are upon this earth. . .” (Col. 3:4). One must not yield his members to sin (v. 13) but unto righteousness. The “old man” sacrificed the “body of sin;” all our sins are forgiven in baptism. “Henceforth we should not serve sin,” live in or practice sin.

In verses 7-14, Paul enforces his arguments to abstain from every evil inclination and cling to every good thing. To be “dead to” and “freed from” sin is reason sufficient to cause one to shun the very appearance of evil. But more, “We died with Christ . . . we shall also live with him” (ASV). Since we were baptized (died, buried and raised) with Christ, we shall also live with him. No one giving consideration to Romans six can degrade baptism and its relationship to salvation or the importance of living a righteous life. We died with Christ to the world of sin and were raised with Him to a new life, a spiritual life, Therefore, we are to live consistently with the new directions, Christ’s teaching.

Again, since Christ is raised from the dead, death has no more power over Him. The death He died, He died once (for the sins of all) and now He lives unto God. So Christians are to live to the honor and glory of God, being dead to sin “but alive unto God in Christ Jesus” (v. 11). “Seek those things which are above” (Col. 3:1).

Paul now pleads, “Let not sin reign in your mortal bodies.” Sin must not reign like a king over you and dictate your physical life. You must refrain your fleshly appetite from the temptations of lustful passions. Do not practice any such doings. Christ is your Master and King; He must reign over and direct your life.

He deals a little more specifically by saying, “Neither yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God . . . and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” One must choose the manner of life to live: righteously of God or unrighteously of the world. “By their fruits, ye shall know them.” When one lives (v. 14) for Christ, he proves his freedom from sin. Sin does not dominate or rule his life. He has forgiveness in Christ, new directions for living, and should love every bit of it.

Another question in anticipation and to challenge their thinking. “What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace.” Does this mean one can sin freely at will and be forgiven? By no means! Neither can it mean that God has no law whatsoever to which man is subjected. “Sin is not imputed when there is no law” (Rom. 5:13). Sin is lawlessness, a transgression of law (1 Jn. 3:4). Therefore, we must look for the true meaning of the passage. God’s word does not contradict itself.

It must mean, then, that we are not under a law system which offers no pardon. This will not rule out the gospel because Paul called it, “The gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). It is God’s power unto salvation to all who believe (Rom. 1:16); it is the word of God’s grace and offers an inheritance (Acts 20:32), the grace of God that bringeth salvation teaching us (Tit. 2:11-12). Paul affirms that “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2). Bro. R.L. Whiteside explains, “This verse is a figure of speech in which the less is denied so as to emphasize the greater. We are not merely under law, but under grace” (A New Commentary On Paul’s Letter To The Saints At Rome, p. 137). John said, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (Jn. 1:17). Also, he wrote that one might not sin, but if he did, he had access unto the Father – he could be forgiven (1 Jn. 2:12). Certainly neither God, Christ, The Spirit, nor the gospel encourage or allow sin. Sin separates from God and brings death (Isa. 59:2; v. 23). Faith leads to God through Jesus for justification, salvation.

Paul next uses an old axiomatic truth, to confirm the absolute necessity of obedience to the Lord, “To whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey.” He introduces verse sixteen with “know ye not” (do you not know) to wake them up to this fundamental truth: whom ye obey, you are his servants. This impresses: (1) you have a choice; (2) force is not used; (3) you are accountable; (4) you are classified by your manner of life. Paul says, “You know this truth,” then he applies it to sin and righteousness and gives the consequences which follows: sin unto death, “the wages of sin is death” (ver. 23); obedience unto righteousness unto holiness and eternal life through Christ (ver. 23). This describes a manner of life, not just a weakness manifested nor just an emotional outburst of good.

Paul makes application of his teaching which is a crucial place in preaching. He first expressed, “But God be thanked.” God made all things possible and is the one to receive the glory. “That ye were the servants of sin,” is not the reason for thanks. However, the statement, “Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” (vs. 17-18) is reason enough to thank God. These were made free from sin when they “obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.” Note: (I) “From the heart,” prompted from a heart of faith; (2) “Obeyed,” acted upon command; (3) “that from of doctrine,” mould, pattern or model set forth in the doctrine. This does not specifically apply only to the baptismal form (death, burial and resurrection), but it certainly includes it. It means doctrinal pattern “which was delivered” – the gospel delivered it which these had fitted themselves into. This is not ritualistic nor formalistic action. It is more than that. It must come from the heart or else becomes vain and void. However, it mut also be true to the teaching. This is faith made perfect by works seasoned with love (James 2:22; Gal. 5:6).

It was through the obedience of the doctrinal form delivered that these were made “free from sin.” This is Paul’s proposition and I can understand it. Another thing, when one “obeys from his heart,” as taught here, he will receive forgiveness of sins, justification, and become a servant of righteousness.

Verse 19 simply speaks in a manner so man can understand. Because of the “infirmity of your flesh” (weakness) manifested to become negligent or careless in your endeavors as Christ’s servant, you should keep in mind that, as you gave your whole being unto uncleanness and iniquity in your former life, even so now yield your members unto righteousness. The thought is, when you were servants of sin, you had nothing to do with righteousness, even so now, have nothing to do with sin but “hunger and thirst after righteousness” (Matt. 5:6).

Consider the final consequences: when you lived in sin, what did you gain? Those things promise only death, nothing beyond – nothing gained. “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

What more can be said except “Amen”?

QUESTIONS

• What does “what shall we say then?” refer to?
• What does it mean “to continue in sin that grace may abound”?
• Think about “dead to sin” or “died in sin.” How is “dead” used? When does one “die” to sin?
• What is genuine repentance?
• Why did not Paul argue the meaning of “baptism”?
• Give at least three of Paul’s reasons for forsaking sin and living righteously.
• How are we united with Christ in baptism? What course of life shall one live who was so united with Christ?
• What is our “old man” and “body of sin”? When does one become alive, to walk in newness of life?
• What is meant by “not under law, but under grace”?
• How does “whom you obey, you are his servant” clarify the need of obedience to Christ?
• When did these Romans live in iniquity? When in righteousness?
• Give the results of each life.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 1, pp. 15-18
January 4, 1978

By Robert F. Turner

The righteousness of God through faith has been presented in the first four chapters of Paul’s letter to the Romans, and man’s individual responsibility for his sin, for his condemnation, and for his response to Christ has been emphasized. Now Paul sums up this thesis in two ways: (1) the “straight” prosaic condensing of matters found in verses one through eleven; and (2) a dramatic presentation of Adam and Christ in what might be called, “The Great Contrast,” verses twelve through twenty-one. You are urged to restudy the earlier chapters, for these summations state the same truths that have already been argued at length. Any questionable problem of the “Great Contrast” should be interpreted so as to conform to the previous material, and not used as a basis for reinterpretation of previous chapters.

“Therefore being justified by faith-” rather than by “law.” It has been established that all have sinned, hence none can claim “freedom from guilty” on the basis of law (cf. Gal. 3:10-12). “Faith” is used in the sense of trust, and the contrast is not between believing that Jesus is Christ and the works of faith, but between trusting in Christ for forgiveness and trusting in ones self to obey law perfectly, so as to need no forgiveness. God is just in condemning all (being no respecter of person, and rendering to every man according to his deeds); but Jesus Christ has satisfied both the justice and the mercy of God by dying on our behalf. We are justified (our sins being forgiven, we are pronounced “free of guilt”) if we individually demonstrate our faith, as did Abraham. (We must “believe . . . and diligently seek” – Heb. 11:6).

It is Christ’s self-sacrifice that appeases the judicial wrath of God. Hence, our “peace with God” is through Him, the object of our faith. God’s mercy, and gift of love, is available unto all; but we individually “have access” to this grace and its hope as we individually trust in Him. (Note: Christ is the means, forgiveness is the operation, and faith is the condition upon. which the individual is blessed.) (Background and vv. 1-2.)

With such hope in Christ, we can rejoice in tribulations also, for patience (endurance, for His sake) produces further approval on God’s part; and this, in its turn results again in hope. The Holy Spirit’s testimony to God’s love is by no means purely subjective. It is further explained by reference to the unselfish sacrifice of Christ for us, even while we were yet sinners (vs. 3-8).

Verses nine and ten are a rewording of the conclusion stated in chapter four, verse twenty-five. Christ was delivered for our offenses, raised again for our justification; we are justified by His blood, save through Him; reconciled by His death, saved by His life. In each case there was death, then life – the resurrected lie of Christ. It is pure fantasy to imagine that the “life” of verse ten refers to His perfect life before death, which is supposedly “imputed” to us. The Hebrew letter repeatedly puts the death and life of Christ, in this order, as the means of our redemption. It is in His resurrected life that Christ is our King, High Priest, Advocate, Mediator, etc. “Wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25, emphasis mine). Man is reconciled to God through the death and resurrected life of Jesus Christ our Lord. (v. 11)

The sordid story of man’s sin has been told (1:18 3:18); proving the inadequacy of law alone to produce righteousness (3:19-23; see 7:10-24 and 8:3); and we have been told that all who manifest complete faith (trust) in Christ are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (3:24 – 4:25). This has been summarized in the first eleven verses of chapter five, with emphasis upon God’s love, and the blessings that love brings. to unworthy man. But Paul does not stop here. The awfulness of sin, and the magnitude of God’s grace is such that he again summarizes what has been said: this time by a dramatic presentation of the contrast in Adam and Christ. They appear upon the stage of inspiration in five sequences, each showing the overwhelming superiority of God’s grace to sin and its consequences. What Adam introduced, Christ countered and always victoriously. The details (complicated wording) of some scenes will continue to pose problems, but the message and conclusion of the drama is unmistakable. Keep this concept in mind as we study the script.

Verse twelve is the key to what follows, and must be carefully considered. “Therefore-” showing continued summation; “as through one man (Adam) sin entered into the world . . . .” The “as” anticipates a counterpart – the contrast with Christ which will be made in verse fifteen. Through (did) Adam, sin entered or was introduced into the world. Compare 2 John 7, where the gnostic deceivers “entered into the world.” Adam’s sin no more made (immediately) the people of the world sinners, than the gnostics made (immediately) early Christians to apostatize. Nor is the universal “death” of this verse the immediate consequence ~of Adam’s sin. Adam introduced sin into the world, but Adam did not produce the death. Death came through (dia) sin. Look carefully at the Greek text. It is “did one man, sin” but it is “did sin, death.” Adam was separated from God, (spiritual death) because, _Adam sinned. “And so . .” (hontos, in this manner; see Rom. 11:26) “death passed unto all men” (a reference to the degenerate condition of mankind, as shown in chapters one through three) “for that all sinned.” Each one’s sin is the ground (causative) for his spiritual death; thus individual responsibility is declared in the initial arguments, in the first summation, and in this preface to the dramatic summation: “The Great Contrast.” It is therefore to be understood in the interpretation of that which is to follow. Note: “all have sinned” (pastes harmartos) both here and in Romans 3:23.

“For” (v. 13) relates what follows to verse twelve. Before the Law of Moses sin was in the world, and death reigned because of sin (v. 14). This death is sin-related (spiritual), not flesh-related (physical). But no positive, codified law existed in the period under consideration. Therefore, (I) the sin of the period was not like Adam’s (it would have been identical if inherited) and (2) this is a repeat reference to the sins of Gentiles who violated their moral sense of “ought” (2:14-15) and stood justly condemned. In this summary, as in the initial presentation, Paul shows that both Jews (with codified law) and Gentiles (with no codified law) were sinners.

The first of the five contrasts (v. 15) was begun in verse twelve with “as through one man.” Now, “Not as the trespass, so also is the free gift;” contrasting the offense against heaven, with the charisma (free gift) of heaven. Individual responsibility, established in verse twelve, must prevail in this verse as well; so that one ignores the immediate context if he separates the later from the first part of the contrast. The many die – by participating in the offense against heaven; and the many live – only to the extent they participate (trust) in the free gift. The effect is secondary in this scene; emphasis being given to that which brings about spiritual death and life. The antagonistic spirit of the sinner (all sin is “against God,” Gen. 20:6; 39:9; 2 Sam. 12:13; Psm. 51:4; Lu. 15:21) is countered by the abounding grace of God.

The next contrast (v. 16) is that of the judicial sentence or decrees of God. Condemnation is contrasted with the decree for “an act of righteousness” (see footnote, A.S.) i.e., Christ on the Cross, as God’s plan for justification. Again, upon first reading it is easy to conclude that this justification is that of the sinners, considered subjectively. But the drama has not come to that yet. The means of justification is under consideration here. One man’s offense brought about the judgment “Condemnation;” and foreknowledge of the “many offenses” which would follow brought about the decree or award of a Savior. “God so loved the world that He gave . . . .” And it was the “many offenses” for which Christ would die – not one offense that would be “imputed” to the many.

In verse seventeen, the third contrast is death versus life; perhaps more accurately, the death and the life, considered abstractly. One sin of Adam introduced sin (abstractly) into the world, and “death through sin” (v. 12). But Christ “brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10). With Adam’s sin “The Death” began its dominion over its subjects; but Christ is Life (Jn. 1:4; 14:6 and all who receive Him will reign in Life through Him. Death reigned in the first instance, but we may be more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. The future tense of “shall reign” (in Christ) contemplates ultimate glory (cf. 8:17, 21). “The Life” far exceeds “the Death” to which mankind has been subjected.

In the next contrast (v. 18), both the condemnation and the justification are universal; the first because “all have sinned,” and the second because the “one act of righteousness” (A.S., referring to Christ’s crucifixion) is the universal remedy for sin, available to “whosoever will.” Contrast is found in the terrible end of sin, and the marvelous and embodied in the righteous act of Christ on behalf of the world (See Rom. 6:23).

And the last contrast (v. 19) concerns the subjective and practical results of the two categories. Adam’s way was one of disobedience, while Christ’s way was that of obedience. “The many” (hoi po11ol, masses). who are caught up in the way of Adam are “made (constituted) sinners,” and “the many” who submit to the way of Christ will be “made (constituted) righteous.” Again, the future tense is used (cf. v. 17) regarding the righteous. Expositor’s Greek Testament comments, “It is because Paul conceives of this justification as conditioned in the case of each of the polloi by faith, and as in process of taking place in one after another that he uses the future.” If the last contrast seems anticlimactic it may:b .that Paul sees the application yet in process. Also, he had At to make a climactic summary outside the Adam-Christ contrasts, which binds this part of his letter to that which has gone before. The Adam-Christ contrasts, now ended, were dramatic illustrations in the midst of Paul’s arguments on Law versus Grace, so he now returns to that theme with a summary that reads almost like a doxology.

“The law entered” (v. 20) or came between that Abrahamic period of justification by faith (Ch. 4:) and the Christian dispensation – between the promise and its fulfillment (Gal. 3:16-f). Why? “That the offense might abound” i.e., be the more apparent (3:19-20; 7:13). Man sinned in the absence of a codified law, but specific, positive precepts clearly identified the transgression and emphasized the futility of seeking justification via law. It also made graphic the need for forgiveness (cf. “to bring us to Christ” Gal. 3:24). “But where sin abounded, grace did abound more exceedingly: that, as sin reigned in death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (v. 21).

In Romans And Corinthians

Throughout these comments on Romans Five we have considered the “death” of this text to be spiritual separation from God. We believe the context, including Paul’s closing statement, warrants that interpretation. But there are two Adam-Christ contrasts in Paul’s writings, and that of the Corinthian letter (t Cor. 15) is so clearly physical that a brief comparative study is in order. An Adam-Christ contrast or comparison in different letters, and on different subjects, does not warrant mixing the points or their application.

In Corinthians, the context is physical death and physical resurrection, from first to last. But in Romans the context is salvation from sin, and the only references to resurrection (1:5 and 4:17) are in relation to the soulredemption theme. In Corinthians, Adam represents mortal man: a natural body (v. 44) of the earth (v. 47, 49) with flesh and blood (v. 50). These things are not sinful within themselves, but would have been inherited from Adam had he never sinned (Gen. 2:7). Adam was to reproduce (Gen. 1:28), eat physical foods (Gen. 1:29), had natural appetites and desires (Gen. 2:9; 3:6), before the first sin. To partake of Adam’s nature as set forth in the Corinthians letter simply meant to be mortal. True, as a consequence of Adam’s sin we are separated from the “tree of life” which maintained life in Eden; hence, we die. But the Corinthian letter makes no reference to this, nor is it a part of the lesson there.

But the Roman letter deals with Adam as the first sinner, hence representative of sinful man. Here, to partake of Adam’s nature means to rebel against God, to be disobedient. As Adam was the primordial “father” of sin, Christ is the “Author of eternal salvation” (Heb. 5:9). The Romans and the Corinthian Adam-Christ comparison or contrasts are not only in different parks; they are distinctly different ball games. One partakes of Adam’s physical or mortal nature through no choice of his own, and can do nothing about it. But Paul makes it clear in Romans that to partake of the spirit of Adam is a responsible sin, for which we must give account.

In Corinthians, Christ is held forth as our hope for release from the bondage of physical death; but in Romans spiritual death is under consideration, and it is contrasted with eternal life in Christ Jesus.

QUESTIONS

• What characters are discussed in the Great Contrast?
• What is the “life” of verse 103 Prove your answer.
• What two things have broken into or entered the world against God’s original will and what impact have they had on humanity?
• What is contrasted inverse 15 and what does this have to do with free moral agancy or personal responsibility?
• What two decrees of God are contrasted inverse 16 and what is the ground or cause of each?
• What is contrasted in verse 17?
• If the last part of verse 19 means that the personal obedience of Christ is imputed to us, then by parallel the first part must mean what?
• By the obedience of Christ in death, God makes or declares men.
• Why did the law enter and how did this help in bringing men to obey the gospel?
• In what ways is 1 Cor. 15 like Romans 5, and in what ways unlike?

Truth Magazine XXIII: 1, pp. 12-15
January 4, 1979

By Ron Halbrook

The theme of Romans is “the gospel of Christ” as “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth . . . . For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (1:16-17). The letter is a polemic against Jewish Christians who taught that once a Gentile obeyed the gospel of Christ, he must then be circumcised and keep the law of Moses. Because Paul affirmed the all-sufficiency of faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, he has been called the great Apostle of faith and Romans the great epistle of faith. The fourth chapter helps to unfold the theme by showing that to the sinner who “believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (v. 5).

The first three chapters of Romans read like a legal brief, convicting all mankind of sin. Those who did not retain God in their minds but who turned to idolatry and immorality, had been cast off by God for their sins (1:18-32). Those who received and retained the oracles of God condemned the other nations, but were self-condemned because they were guilty of the same sins (2:1-3:20). Standing before God, the perfect and impartial Judge, all men were condemned because all had sinned (2:2, 12; 3:9, 19, 23). Jew and Gentile, alike needed the salvation which is in Jesus Christ by faith.

The conviction of sin is followed by a summary statement which reiterates the theme and sets the stage to further develop the theme (3:21-31). Since all have sinned, all have hope of justification only by the grace of God “through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” A redemption is a deliverance or liberation obtained by payment of a ransom; the death of Jesus is the ransom price and, thus, “the ground of the whole remedial system . . . . The ransom is the meritorious means of the justification, or the valuable consideration which procures it . . . . Now when this blood is offered and accepted, when it takes effect as a ransom, which it does when we believe in, and obey Christ, then we are released from sin; and the sin is forgiven” (Moses E. Lard, Romans, pp. 116-18). Before turning to emphasis upon the condition of faith for justification, Paul emphasizes the only ground of merit upon which the gift is offered: the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ! Man’s helpless condition in sin and God’s matchless gift in Christ exclude all grounds of boasting. A perfect record in keeping the deeds of the law would establish, not exclude, boasting. Since all have sinned, boasting is to be excluded by a gift through “the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (vv. 27-28). Chapter four is a detailed defense of this conclusion.

Faith Counted for Righteousness: “What Abraham Hath Found” (Vv.. 1-8)

Abraham, father of the Jews, himself confirmed Paul’s argument. What had Abraham learned about justification before God? He found as all men find that his own works were sinful, that he had no record of perfection to offer God, and therefore that he was ungodly under the law of God. Finding himself in sin, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (v. 3).

The first eight verses picture God as though he were keeping a ledger or book of accounting. What He sees, this He reckons, counts, or imputes. That is, He marks down on the ledger “sin,” charging the debt to a man; this man has worked sin and the account thus shows him to be “ungodly:” God does not mark down the sin of one man onto the account of another man. Sin is put down to the account of the sinner himself and to no one else (cf. Ezek. 18). If a man never sinned, his ledger would be always clean and thus the account would show him to be innocent, just, righteous. If our works are all perfectly just, “the reward” must be given by right of a debt on God’s part; we could then boast of our doing. “What is owed as a debt cannot be reckoned as a favor” (Vine’s Dictionary of New Testament Words, III, p. 258). Reckon, count, or impute does not mean transfer. God does not juggle the accounts, marking down one man’s sin or righteousness on the account of. another. He marks down what He sees.

Abraham worked sin and was ungodly, so could not offer his own record of perfection nor demand the reward (3:23; 4:2, 4-5). The only way God could put down righteousness to the account of a sinner is by forgiving the sin, thus giving a gift of grace or unmerited favor. Such a favor could be bestowed universally and unconditionally upon all men, or conditionally and, therefore, only upon those meeting the condition. Abraham found that God justifies the ungodly by grace, upon the condition of faith. What must God see and record in order for His ledger to show us being innocent, just or righteous? Faith is regarded and recorded for righteousness (vv. 3, 5)! Upon the meritorious ground of the death of Jesus Christ, God records faith and the account shows righteous, just, innocent. The chart below illustrates what happens when the ransom price is applied to our need:

David learned the same lesson and exclaimed the blessedness, the wholeness, the happiness of the man who receives this gift:

Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

Though Paul does not discuss the nature of faith in the first few verses of Romans 4, his quotation of David from Psalm 32 reminds us that the nature of saving faith is an obedient faith. David’s exclamation followed upon his meeting the condition for forgiveness, the condition of an obedient faith expressed in the confession of sin and prayer for forgiveness (Psa. 32:1-5). In like manner, the faith of Abraham was an obedient faith from the first moment that we learn anything about his faith (see Gen. 12:1-4; cf. Heb. 11:8 – “by faith Abraham . . . obeyed”). Abraham, before the law of Moses, and David, under the law, both learned that not their record of perfection but rather their faith was “counted for righteousness.” The sinner throws himself upon the mercy of the court and obtains forgiveness upon the condition of obedient faith.

Faith Counted for Righteousness: “Upon the Uncircumcision Also” (Vv. 9-15)

Since certain Jewish Christians insisted that Gentile Christians be circumcised, Paul asked whether the blessing of forgiveness came “upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also?” The case of Abraham is conclusive. “Faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness” when he himself was still “in uncircumcision” (vv. 9-10). The statement, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness,” is a quotation from Genesis 15:6 and circumcision was not commanded until some time later in Genesis 17. When he did receive circumcision, it was a sign that God already recognized and approved his faith. Thus, God sealed Abraham as the father of all “who also walk in the steps of that faith,” whether they be uncircumcised Gentiles or circumcised Jews (vv. 11-12). To walk in those steps is “to believe what God says, and by reason of so believing, to do what he says . . . . They were being led away from the truth into a judaistic concept of their duty . . . . To keep the law and practice circumcision in order to be saved is not walking in those steps” (Bryan Vinson, Sr., Paul’s Letter to the Saints at Rome, p. 80). Neither can we walk in those faithful steps by keeping the commandments of men and by perverting the truth of God with human innovations.

The promise of salvation came not to Abraham through the law of Moses, but came before that law and through a “righteousness of faith” exemplified in Abraham (v. 13). (f the promised inheritance is “of the law, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect” (w. 14-15). Righteousness or salvation cannot be of the law, for “the law worketh wrath.” The law could make men conscious of sin (“for where no law is, there is no transgression”), but the law could not remove the sin. Paul’s conclusion that justification must be by faith, and that this justification is for us today, follows.

Faith Counted for Righteousness: “For Us Also” (Vv.16-25)

Paul concludes that the promise, then, indeed is “of faith, that it might be by grace.” This makes Abraham truly “the father of us all” truly “a father of many nations” spiritually (vv. 16-17). The very faith by which Abraham was justified before circumcision was the same faith which made him “the father of many nations” in the flesh (Gen. 12:1-2; 17:5). How embarrassing for Judaising teachers that Paul should make the fleshly seed in which they took pride dependent upon the continuity of a faith which justified Abraham before circumcision! He believed that god would multiply his seed; Abraham “against hope believed in hope” when in his old age he received the promise of a son. by the same faith excercised before the covenant of circumcision, Abraham later discounted the fleshly limitations which seemed to preclude the birth of this son (vv. 18-20). Abraham “had to decide whether to believe God against nature, or believe nature against God” (Lard, p. 148). He was “fully persuaded” that what God has promised, “he was able also to perform” (v. 21). All this transpired before and without the law of Moses.

Abraham’s faith was reckoned “to him for righteousness,” making him the father of all who are justified by faith – even of all in the gospel age.

Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification (vv. 23-25).

Justification by faith is for us also!” To the sinner who “believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (v. 5). But Paul ends where he began this section of Romans: upon the only ground of merit for this marvellous gift. Jesus died as the sacrifice for sins and arose that as High Priest he might bear the blood into the Holy of Holies. Salvation by faith is truly of grace. “Oh to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be! Let thy goodness like a fetter bind my wandering heart to thee.”

Faith Counted for Righteousness: An Abused Doctrine

There are still religious groups today which refuse to accept what the Spirit taught through Paul, and who abuse justification by faith in an effort to make it fit their own doctrines. The doctrine of the Armstrong’s, Seventh-Day Adventists, and other Sabbatarians binds certain parts of the law of Moses. They separate Moses’ law into “moral” and “ceremonial,” keeping the former and rejecting the latter, in an effort to escape the law of animal sacrifices while retaining the law of the Sabbath. This does not break the identity of modern Sabbatarians with ancient Judaisers. There is no evidence that the Judaisers of Paul’s day required animal sacrifices. The common identity is in selecting certain parts of the Old Law to bind today. All such efforts undermine the all-sufficiency of justification by faith in Christ. Abraham was justified before and without the Sabbath law just as certainly as before and without the circumcision law. Such laws have nothing to do with justification by faith in Christ today because He has neither revealed nor required them within “the law of faith.” All those who attempt to defend polygamy, instrumental music in worship, infant baptism, or any other practice by an appeal to the Old Law abuse the all sufficiency of justification in Christ.

The term count, reckon, or impute has been abused. Some people insist that it implies the transfer of sin and righteousness from the account of one person to that of another. Calvinism argues that God transfers the sin of Adam to the account of every man, transfers the sin of every man to the account of Christ, and transfers the righteousness or obedience of Christ to the account of a penitent sinner. There is nothing at all about any transaction of transfer in Romans 4. God puts down righteousness to our account, on the condition of faith. The basis for this gift is forgiveness through the blood of Christ (3:25).

It was Abraham’s faith and “not the righteousness of God, nor the righteousness of Christ” which was marked down to him. “Indeed, the position that Christ’s righteousness, whether the attribute or the righteousness of perfect obedience, is ever imputed to human beings, is without even the semblance of countenance from the Bible” (Lard, p. 129). When Abraham complied with the condition of faith, “God, on the basis of the ransom which is in Christ, counted his belief to him, not instead of, nor as equivalent to, a life of perfect obedience; but that, by means of it, as a condition, he might attain to justification, or release from sin” (Lard, p. 138). Faith is the condition for merciful pardon and has nothing to do with a transfer or juggling of accounts.

It is also taught that when God does “not impute sin” (v. 8), He takes no account of the sin which we practice. This error grows out of the doctrine of transfers: God imputes or marks down (transfers) the perfect obedience of Christ to the account of the sinner, and consequently sees nothing but obedience even where there is disobedience. God marks down sin when we sin; to “not impute” is to forgive (v. 7). The doctrine of transfers creates a realm of unconditional and automatic grace in which sin practiced is never marked down at all. Romans 4 teaches that God imputes or marks down all sins; upon the condition of faith, He mercifully forgives them, clearing the ledger, and marks down righteousness.

Romans 3:21-4:25 does not teach the denominational doctrine of salvation by faith alone, or salvation at the point of faith before and without any other act of obedience. The passage establishes the essentiality of faith, with very little attention to the obedience of faith elsewhere discussed (1:5; ch. 6; 16:26). Where 3:28 says “justified by faith,” “Luther made his famous translation, ‘we are justified by faith only,’ which daring act gave rise to that doctrine” (Lard, p. 123). Paul again and again says “by faith” but never once “by belief only, thereby excluding other condition” (Lard, p. 131). The nature of saving faith is obedient faith. That does not mean we will never err or sin, but it means we are always humble and penitent for’ sin, willing to put it away, ready to implore divine forgiveness, and anxious to forsake our error that we may return to the divine standard of truth. This was the character of Abraham – not a character of perfection, but one of faithfulness.

The character of saving faith is obedient faith. Baptism in water for the remission of sins is justification by faith in the gospel age. The principle and purpose of faith declared in Romans 4:3 (faith counted “for – eis righteousness”) is identical to the call issued in Acts 2:38 (repent and be baptized “for – eis – remission of sins”). That which moves a sinner to obey the gospel and lay hold on eternal life is faith. Faith is the motivating power, and thus faith saves. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” In the absence of faith, there can be no salvation because no motivation to sumit, obey, and accept the gospel. He that believeth not shall be damned” (Mk. 16:16). Romans 4 shows “that works without faith would not justify,” and James 2 shows “that faith without works would not justify” (R.L. Whiteside, Romans, p. 95). Also, “the principle of justification is the same, whether the justification be that of the saint or the sinner. In both cases, it is by belief with other acts; and in neither case by belief without those acts” (Lard, p. 131). Saving faith is obedient faith.

Speaking where the Bible speaks, being silent where it is, we have a wonderful message to preach. It is the solution to man’s greatest problem! When the ungodly obeys the gospel of Christ, “his faith is counted for righteousness” by the grace of God.

QUESTIONS

• How does chapter 4 reflect the great theme of Romans?
• What is a “redemption” and what place does it have in the gospel plan?
• Read Ezekiel 18 and explain how it helps us to understand what God imputes to a person’s record (Rom. 4:1-8).
• On what ground of merit can God record our faith unto righteousness?
• Was Abraham justified by faith before he was circumcised? Prove your answer.
• Was Abraham justified by faith before and without any other act of obedience? Prove your answer.
• What are some practices which men attempt to justify today on the same principle used by ancient Judaisers?
• Denominational theories see transfer from one account to another in the Bible word “imputation;” what three transfers are claimed?
• How does the denominational doctrine of transfer create a realm of unconditional or automatic grace?
• Discuss the nature or character of saving faith.

Truth Magazine XXIII: 1, pp. 9-12
January 4, 1979