An overview of Romans – Simply True

Life is all about God and his Son (Rom. 1:1-17)

I’d like to spend some time thinking with you about the book of Romans. In my Bible, this occupies 21 pages. It started out as a letter written to a group of Christians in Rome, but they have gone on to have a profound effect on people ever since.

I plan to simply highlight the main points from each major section of the letter. Getting an overview like this can help with a more detailed read later on. So, here’s an appetizer, and I trust, an encouragement to know and be changed by the gospel it explains.

Understandably, Paul begins by introducing himself to the Church in Rome, and explaining his desire to visit them[i]. But this simple beginning tells us why we need to know this whole letter well. He is eager that the church has a real gospel—with God and his Son as the main actors.

When we consider churches, we may be thinking about their numbers, their age group, their music or their influence. Not Paul. He wants churches to love God and listen to him. He wants Christ and his gospel to be centre-stage.

God has broken into the comfortable arrangements we make for ourselves. He has things to tell us that we would never imagine and certainly couldn’t perform, but things that we desperately need.

As we read through this opening section, notice how God is the main actor in all that is happening.

It’s God’s gospel, or good news, that we need[ii]. He’s sent his Son to establish it[iii]. It’s his grace and peace we are needing[iv]. It’s him we need to thank[v], and his will we need to be doing[vi]. And especially, it’s God’s power that is going to change things[vii], and him that gets things right—in fact, gets us right[viii].

And then, God presents us with his Son. He’s put him in charge of everything[ix]. Everything God has said and done before has been leading to this. And he’s raised his Son from the terrible death we inflicted on him.

Through this powerful Son, people like Paul have received grace! He’s now happy to be the slave of Jesus—ready to carry out his every wish. And he’s been commissioned to take the message of this amazing kindness to the ends of the earth. God is on a mission to have people belonging to Jesus and to share in all he has accomplished.

Is this what your church is about—God’s good news, and the Son who makes it all work? Is this what we are about?

Saying ‘Yes’ to these questions is not a likely or natural answer. It happens because we’ve been called by God to belong to Jesus Christ[x]. We are hungry for God and for what he can do. And we know our life must be full of Christ to be in the flow of God’s grace and peace. That’s why knowing what is in this letter is important.

There’s no politics here! No wishful thinking. No doubt. Just God, his Son, and Paul, the man he has chosen to receive and to proclaim God’s grace.

But now, what about his desire to go to Rome?[xi] Or, we could ask, what about the expectation that this man may have something to say to ourselves, or to our church? Can we trust him? Should we believe him?

Here’s what he offers to encourage the Romans to receive his letter, and later, himself.

He knows about them already and he’s grateful for their witness in the Roman capital. He prays for them constantly. He wants to come because he knows he can help. He’s been commissioned by Jesus himself to do just this. He expects they will encourage him as he encourages them.

Notice how different this is from the unconverted Paul—or Saul of Tarsus as he was known. He had obtained letters from leaders in Jerusalem to travel to Syria and arrest Christians there and bring them back for trial. He was angry, ambitious and uncaring.

All that has changed. God is in his rightful place in Paul’s life. This has made him humble, warm and obedient. He’s believable. I hope you find him the same!

And lastly, Paul tells us his central message—or rather, God’s message.

It’s not just an attempt to be kind and helpful. It’s powerful, and saves us from perishing. How can this be so?

It’s because God is ready to pronounce as righteous anyone who trusts his good news about Jesus.

This changes everything. When we know God accepts us, the need to be special, or good, or right, or approved, fades away. We don’t have to parade our virtues or accomplishments. We can simply serve others. This is God’s power being let loose among us. I’m hoping you will join me in looking at this part of our Bible again. And I’m hoping our hearts will be set singing!

[i] Rom. 1:1-15

[ii] v. 1

[iii] v. 3

[iv] v. 7

[v] v. 8

[vi] v. 10

[vii] v. 16

[viii] v. 17

[ix] v. 3-5

[x] v. 6

[xi] Rom. 1:8-15

God is letting us know we matter to him (Rom. 1:18-32)

In this brief look at Romans, we’ve already seen Paul’s delight in and focus on God’s good news. God is showing us his righteousness. And he’s revealing it by declaring that those who trust him are also right—in his eyes. Given our constant desire to be ‘right’, it’s hard to imagine any news that could be better—but more about this later.

In the mean-time, there’s something else to say. Paul doesn’t forget his theme. He returns to it, in almost identical words, as soon as he can[i]. But he knows that we need to discover something else first.

Another revelation is happening at the same time. It’s God’s wrath. Our Creator is not content to let us go our own way. He’s not happy with us. And he wants us to know that we matter to him.

Now it may seem to be contradictory for God to reveal that he has a gift for us, but at the same time, to reveal that we are in trouble. But then, it makes perfect sense. You can’t give anyone something they don’t want. And they won’t want it if they think they already have it. And they may be offended if you offer them what they think they have.

So, if it’s good that God is revealing his righteousness, it’s also good that he is revealing his wrath. We need to know what we need.

Paul talks about Gentiles first—people who haven’t grown up knowing about God’s revelations in the Bible. Then he speaks to Jews who, for ages, have had the benefit of hearing what God has to say.

So, to the first group—to the world in general, here’s what Paul says[ii].

First, God is always revealing himself—to everyone. This is not offered as a proof. It’s a personal communication.

Everything we can see, including ourselves, is evidence—a never ending supply of it—that God is real and present and engaged. So, if we say he isn’t real, it’s because we’re choosing not to know him.

Second, those who reject God must elevate something else to take his place. We can’t exist without someone or something to look up to. So, we worship what is made, or something we make—anything but God himself. And something we can attempt to control.

Third, because we are disconnected from what is real, our thinking and affections become—over time—pointless and dark. God gives us up to the results of our choices [iii].

Paul lists a number of things that would have been clearly visible in the first century Roman world. He mentions impurity, passion and sexual license. Community life is rife with everything that makes it hard to live together—envy, deceit, malice, slander and boasting, for example.

Here’s where we need to read what Paul says carefully. What is provoking God to wrath is not, first of all, what people are doing but what they are believing. They’re living as though he doesn’t exist. Their behaviour is a consequence. It’s what God has given them up to—to awaken them to where their choice leads.

They think they have dismissed God, but what they are doing is happening because God has given them over to their own choices.

And of course, what Paul says about the first century world is happening in our communities as well. The evidence for God is abundant. And so is the evidence of what happens when we dismiss him as irrelevant.

Disbelief in the true God is a majority position in much or our world. So is the idea that we should be free to follow our own passions. And so is the belief that prosperity and happiness follow when we remove restraints.

But the generations that are abandoning faith in God in our communities are not growing richer, stronger or happier. And if we can see that this is happening, we are watching God revealing his wrath.

And, interestingly, if we choose to live without God, we have to congratulate each other for choosing our own life-style. Everyone has an inbuilt need to be acknowledged as right. So, because we don’t know the righteousness of God, we have to create an approval of our own. Only this can explain the constant stream of ‘virtue signaling’ that we are hearing.

We’ve come to the end of this first section. But next, there’s a section, three times as long, to show that we are all in the same predicament. Paul talks to those who believe in God.

For Paul’s first century world, this is Jews. For us, it is ourselves who go to churches, read Bibles and say prayers. I hope you stay with this! Paul will show that God’s wrath, rather than being ‘revealed’, is being ‘stored up’[iv].

If we don’t understand ourselves or our predicament, we may not understand the message God wants us to understand—that real righteousness always comes to us as a gift.

I hope you are encouraged by all this. God is not content to stand by and see what happens. He’s revealing himself—to everybody.

[i] Rom. 1:17; 3:21

[ii] Rom. 1:18-32

[iii] Vv. 24, 26, 28

[iv] Rom. 2:5

God is everyone’s Judge (Romans 2:1—3:20)

We’re taking a quick overview of Paul’s letter to the Romans. Here’s the third in the series—looking at Romans 2:1—3:20.

Paul has shown us that those who reject any knowledge of God, are under his wrath.

But Paul now speaks to people who do believe in God—in his case, Jews. They also need a Saviour. They have the same problem as those who don’t believe in God. In this case, God’s wrath may not be immediately evident, but it is being ‘stored up’ against them[i].

Paul loves these fellow Jews[ii]. And when he finally gets to Rome, he wastes no time in going to speak to them[iii]. He writes this letter to prepare the way for his visit. Many Jews at this time imagine they are living under God’s blessing, but, in fact, if they don’t know Jesus Christ as Saviour, they are living under the threat of God’s wrath.

We may be asking ourselves if we really need to be concerned with a problem that belongs in the first century. Perhaps we should skip this section and go straight to chapter 3 verse 21 where Paul picks up his theme again.

But this is to misunderstand out situation. Paul spends three times as long to show that Jews need a new righteousness as he does in making the same point about Gentiles. Believers in God take more persuading than pagans!

Jews are the people who have been given God’s revelation—the law[iv]. They know ‘the riches of God’s kindness’[v]. They have been circumcised, the sign that they belong to God by covenant[vi]. They are very different to Gentiles because they have the benefit of God’s word. And, because of the restraining effect of what they know, they are not being given up to their sins in the same way that Gentiles are—not yet.

But Paul is saying that Jews do the same things as Gentiles—a point that Gentiles have been noticing[vii]. So, Jews will be judged, just as Gentiles are being judged[viii].

If people say they believe in God, their faith is meant to be something real, not a performance. But, in fact, these first century Jews are ‘under sin’[ix]. They have become slaves of what they do—as Jesus has already taught[x]. They have put to one side his call for them to respond to God’s kindness and live as his people. They feel free to live as they please.

In the midst of all this, these Jews are proud of their faith and their heritage. They boast about belonging to God and boast about having God’s law[xi]. Here’s the problem. They are proud. They are the centre of their own religion. They are trying to produce a righteousness of their own. God knows this is impossible and is offering a better way, but the Jews are too concentrated on themselves to give up what they see as their right.

They are like the Gentiles they look down on, and so, are subject to the same wrath. The wrath may not yet be evident, but it is being ‘stored up’[xii]. This is no idle threat. The judgement that is going to fall on Jerusalem has already been enough to bring Jesus to tears as he looked over the city[xiii].

So, what about us? Are there similarities between us and the Jews of Paul’s time? Do we have God’s revelation—the gospel? Have we been baptized and recognised as a member of God’s people? Do we know God is kind and forgiving? Do we know how to be good and to keep ourselves out of trouble?

This may look good, but if this is all we have, it is not a righteousness made in heaven. Our faith is meant to be an inward work of God, produced by the Holy Spirit[xiv]. It is meant to be life-changing. Is this what God has done in our lives? I hope it is.

But then, if we are, in fact, living to please our idols, secretly immoral or harbouring hatred against our neighbors, ought we not to fear God’s wrath?

Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount, does the same as Paul does here. He shows that his fellow Jews are far from keeping God’s commands and are in danger of hell fire[xv].

In the same way that Gentiles can see through the hypocrisy of Jews in the first century[xvi], our neighbours and family can see through our hypocrisy. They know when we love the same things that they love and fear the same things that they fear.

And, in the same way that unbelievers resist what they know about God, it can also be true that we who are identified as God’s people, in fact, live with ‘no fear of God before our eyes’[xvii].

Paul is not trying to be nasty. He’s not merely trying to get our attention with accusations. He’s telling us the sober truth. Everyone has a problem with sin. Everyone. So, everyone has a problem with God’s wrath[xviii].

We may not be feeling this uncertainty, but if we are not sharing with Paul in the relief and joy of God’s gift of righteousness, it can only mean that we are trying to process our moral uncertainty without the benefit of his gift.

We live in a deeply moralistic society. Our tendency is to believe that the good we do should be noticed and rewarded. This can affect us so that we get huffy if our good works are not noticed or appreciated. Why this insecurity? It’s because we are still relying on a righteousness we perform rather than a righteousness God gives.

We need to bring this insecurity out into the open. God is angry with acts of sin, and with sinners who do these things. Believing that we are keeping ahead of our bad deeds with our good deeds is not covering our wound.

It’s not just our sin that’s giving us problems. It’s not just our conscience. It’s what God plans to do about our sin that makes us uneasy.

Paul has pulled the cover off the problem we have so that we can appreciate why the gospel is so necessary and so good. We are being offered a righteousness we can never produce. But it is only useful if we cease boasting about ourselves and come to God in humility and thankful faith.

David is a good example of where we need to be as those who believe in God. He commits a nasty sin. He knows he has no excuse for what he has done. He’s in trouble. But he knows that God is gracious and may be approached for mercy.

So, David asks God to forgive him. But here’s why he confesses his sin. ‘…so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgement’[xix]. He’s saying that God is right to be angry with him.

Everything we do matters to God. That’s why sin is serious. And that’s why there needs to be righteousness that God gives. Apart from that we won’t be able to ‘stand in the judgement’[xx].

What follows now in this letter of Romans is how God equips us to stand in his presence, humbled, justified, and unashamed.

[i] Rom. 2:5

[ii] Rom. 9:1-3

[iii] Acts 28:16-17

[iv] Rom. 3:2

[v] Rom. 2:4; Exod. 34:6

[vi] Rom. 2:25

[vii] Rom. 2:1, 21-24

[viii] Rom. 2:5-11

[ix] Rom. 3:9

[x] John 8:33-37

[xi] Rom. 2:17, 23

[xii] Rom. 2:5

[xiii] Luke 19:41-44

[xiv] Rom. 2:28-29

[xv] Matt. 5:21-26

[xvi] Rom. 2:24

[xvii] Rom. 3:18

[xviii] Rom. 3:9, 19

[xix] Psa. 51:4; quoted by Paul in his argument in Rom. 3:4

[xx] Psa. 1:5

How God can call us righteous (Romans 3:21-31)

In this overview of Paul’s letter to the Romans, we return to what has become the motive for all that Paul does. God is revealing his gift of righteousness[i].

But here, he says it has been revealed. It’s not a human idea—an ideology. It’s been accomplished by God, through Christ, and all this before it is announced to us. God has sent Jesus to change how things stand between him and us.

As we’ve noticed, the human race is in trouble. God’s wrath is already working out in our history. Or, it is being stored up because our good deeds are a cover rather than an expression of who we are. But Paul is eager to tell us about God’s salvation—salvation from his wrath. He’s eager to see us reconciled to God.

Paul uses three words, well known in his world, to describe what God accomplishes for us through Jesus—particularly through his death and resurrection. And with each word, we are taken a little deeper into what has happened.

First, we are ‘justified by God’s grace as a gift’.

To be justified, in the way Paul uses this word, is to hear a judge declare in court that we are righteous. No charge remains against us.

On judgement day at the end of history, everyone will have to answer to their Maker[ii]. But here, that final judgement is being announced in advance. The Judge of all the earth says we are righteous!

Paul calls this God’s righteousness because that’s where it comes from. But it’s an announcement about us. He’s giving a status of righteous to us who trust his Son[iii]. And it’s a kindness being shown to us, not what we deserve.

All of this is being given to us because of our Lord Jesus. He is the one who does everything he is asked to do. He is the one who knows we need a saviour. God looks at his Son and all that he does for us, and is satisfied. He loves his Son for doing all that he has asked[iv].

But God also looks at us who are trusting his Son and are looking to him for our righteousness—and he finds nothing in us to condemn. In God’s presence, we are righteous.

Only an authoritative judgement like this can persuade us to give up our hollow boasting about our goodness. But there is more. This announcement is more than words.

Paul’s second word is redemption.

This is what would happen in a slave market. If someone pays for a slave and sets him free, he is said to be redeemed. It’s also what happens when Moses leads Israel out of slavery in Egypt and into freedom in their own land.

Paul says we have redemption that comes to us in Christ Jesus.

You may recall Jesus saying that he had come to offer himself as a ransom for many[v]. A ransom is the price paid to buy and release a slave. If we are to be set free, it must happen because of what happens to Jesus first. He buys our redemption with his blood[vi].

Everyone who sins is a slave. It’s easy to see that we can become slaves to bad habits. But there’s more to our slavery than that. We carry our failures with us—as guilt. And our accuser has evidence that we belong to him—and he reminds us of it. We lose our nerve[vii].

The world then seems a more attractive home for us than the Father we’ve offended. And, all the while, God’s judgement, and death, loom over us. We are far from free. And then, we get so accustomed to suppressing all this that we don’t really see what redemption is until God shows it to us.

Are we living freely, graciously and boldly? Or are we imagining our freedom and timidly serving ourselves? My eager prayer is that all of us will see the graciousness of God in giving us his Son for this purpose. And that we will receive his redemption as a gift!

The third word Paul uses is propitiation or sacrifice of atonement. This is what happens when a Jewish priest offers up a sacrificial lamb or other animal as a sin offering.

The order prescribed for Israel’s sin offerings is very helpful. The worshipper places their hands on an animal’s head and confesses their sins. They then kill the animal and offer it to God on an altar. The imagery could not be clearer. The one who bears the sin is the one who should die. But here, God says, your sins are transferred to the animal, and it dies in your place.

But now, God presents Jesus to the whole world as a propitiation[viii]. Until this point, God has effectively been passing over sins—awaiting, of course, this coming of his Son.

In our case, Jesus is our sacrificial Lamb[ix]. He diverts God’s wrath from us by bearing it himself.

Only this can explain the awful death Jesus dies. In the same way that God gives godless people up to the consequences of their sins[x], he gives up his Son to the sins of the whole world, and to the wrath that rightly falls on such evil[xi].

God does not fix us up by sweeping our godlessness under his carpet—like a worrisome remnant of dirt. Rather, he shows us what he means by righteousness, not by ignoring our hostility to him, but by exposing its vileness and providing an atoning sacrifice.

Here is the love that has been shown to us. Our sins are lifted from us, and the shame of them, and the penalty they deserve. And when Jesus has borne them, and the Father receives his offering, there is no sin or shame or penalty remaining towards ourselves[xii].

So, to sum up, being justified is not just God making out we’re lovable when we are not. Redemption is not just God setting us free because he’s strong enough to do so. There’s a price to pay. And propitiation is not just cleaning us up so there’s nothing objectionable in us anymore. It’s Jesus bearing our sins in his body, bearing God’s curse on that sin.

When Jesus is about to die, he asks for some water, and then says, ‘It is finished!’[xiii] This may be the loud cry that Mark reports[xiv]. Jesus wants us to know that we have been accounted for, that we are free to live truly, and that we are called righteous by God.

Notice that in these eleven verses we are looking at, Paul talks about faith or believing nine times. He doesn’t just want to tell us about Jesus. He wants us to trust him.

If we want God’s righteousness, we’ll need to trust in him and rely on the redemption Christ has accomplished. We need this to be clear because we defend our own righteousness with everything we’ve got—vainly, of course, because we have to go on doing it.

But Paul has shown how comprehensive and final this God-righteousness is. But he’s got one more bubble to burst. He still has some Jewish readers who boast in God and the law. They need to learn from Abraham how to live by what God promises rather than what they can perform.

[i] Rom. 1:17

[ii] Rom. 2:5

[iii] ‘Justify’ is the verbal form of ‘righteousness’—dikaio and dikaiosune.

[iv] John 10:17

[v] Matt. 20:28

[vi] Rom. 5:9

[vii] Prov. 28:1

[viii] 1 John 2:2

[ix] John 1:29

[x] Rom. 1:24, 26, 28

[xi] Rom. 4:25; 8:32

[xii] Heb. 9:14, 26; 10:5-14, 22

[xiii] John 19:30

[xiv] Mark 15:36-37

Righteous—only by faith (Romans 4)

We’ve been following Paul’s explanation of the gospel in his letter to the Romans. He loves the gospel and knows that it’s powerful to save everyone who believes.

But he also knows the things that get added to it and prevent it from being what it is. In his day, he is speaking to Jews who can’t see that Jesus has fulfilled their Old Testament. If they hang onto this, they will miss the liberation Jesus has come to bring.

But it’s vital to know we are justified by faith. Nothing else can make us right with God, so, it’s important to know what can compromise it.

Paul has already told us that Jews have turned their privileges into something they can use for their own glory. Jews have become proud of their law, and their God[i].

And they’ve actually had to change what the Old Testament teaches to make it more palatable to the desire to get some credit for living well. Some of their literature teaches that Abraham was justified by his good behaviour[ii].

This is not just an ancient problem. A picture Bible book we read to our children when they were young, introduced the story of Abraham by saying, ‘Abraham was a good man, so God blessed him.’ That’s a heresy! He started life as an idolator.[iii] God blessed him because he believed God’s promise.

We all need to ask if we are watering down God’s good news. We know that we must come to him humbly—trusting his Son. But we’d also like God to acknowledge our righteousness. We’re not really sure about it being a gift.

So, Paul takes the Jews back to the story of Abraham and asks, ‘What grounds does Abraham have for boasting?’[iv] He’s helping us all because we all share in this desire for self-glory.

In fact, the story of Abraham shows that he has been an ungodly man. His works have not been pleasing to God. He has been like David whose lawless deeds are forgiven and his sins covered, whose sins the Lord will not count[v].

Abraham shows the way for us all. He is father of everyone who believes that God gives generously to undeserving people[vi].

Paul picks out two important markers of being a Jew—circumcision, and having the law of God. These were gifts of God—through Abraham, and then through Moses. But Israel has focused on these things as something they can do. They want to be the reason for receiving God’s favour.

But that can’t happen—not before God. Rather, God comes to Abraham. He promises him a blessing, a new land and a new future—reaching out to all his family and to the whole world[vii]. All this happens before he’s circumcised and before the law is given.

Abraham believes God. And God says, ‘I reckon you to be righteous[viii].’

That’s where our life begins too. The God of glory reveals himself to us in the face of Christ[ix]. He promises to give us eternal life. We believe in him. We don’t offer him our past or promise him our future. We see we are helpless and know this is our one chance to be right with God. And God passes his judgement on us—‘You are righteous.’

The Jewish rite of circumcision, in Abraham’s history, has no part in this blessing. It’s a sign, given later, pointing back to the day when God called him righteous, and forwards to the call to live by God’s word. But a sign doesn’t do anything but point. Without the reality it’s nothing.

But now, Israel is wanting to make much of circumcision. It’s something they can see. It’s something they can codify and control. It can be a social marker of those who are accepted and those who are not. And Paul says, ‘That’s not right’.

In our case, baptism is the sign that God gives to each Christian believer.

Our baptism is God saying, ‘You belong to me. All that my Son has achieved is yours. And I want you to live by my word.’

But us sinners have a way of forgetting the reality of unseen things. We’d rather focus on things we can see and control. We forget the joy of being forgiven, and of hearing God call us righteous. We begin again to think and act as though we must deserve what we get from God.

And then, instead of being grateful for God’s sign of baptism, we presume on it. It’s something we’ve done. We’ve arrived. And instead of our behaviour being grateful faith, seeking to be like Jesus, it’s a work of our own ego[x]. We’re looking for applause. Or we want to be proud of ourselves.

And then, just as God gave Israel his law, he has written his law on our hearts. This happens when we know we are forgiven[xi].

But what if we begin to notice how much better our life is as a Christian? What if we compare ourselves with others whose lives are falling apart?

Can we hear Paul speaking to us across the centuries? He wants his fellow Jews to understand the riches of Christ. And us Christians too. He wants us to live as humble recipients of mercy.

God has given life to us who were dead[xii]. He gives righteousness, peace and joy to people who have nothing to offer[xiii]. Nothing at all.

Because Abraham starts, and continues, to believe what God promises to him, and because he gives glory to God and doesn’t take it for himself, he grows strong in faith. He begins by believing that God justifies sinners, and he finishes the same way[xiv].

Walking by faith like this is like walking on a narrow mountain track. Our nature suggests that we wander sideways—to think about gaining favour for ourselves. But a step sideways can lead to a large fall.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is nothing less than the love of God encountering our abysmal failure. And when God justifies or vindicates Jesus[xv] by raising him from the dead, he also justifies us who are trusting in him. All that the Father gives to Jesus, Jesus now shares with us. This is the way we began our Christian life. Let’s grow strong in this faith—to the very end.

[i] Rom. 2:17, 23

[ii] You can look up the pre-Christian Jewish books 1 Maccabees 2:52 or Sirach 44:19-21 at https://biblia.com/bible/nrsv/1-maccabees/2/51-52 and https://bible.usccb.org/bible/sirach/44 .

[iii] Josh. 24:2

[iv] Rom. 4:4

[v] Rom. 4:5, 7

[vi] Rom. 4:11-12

[vii] Gen. 12:1-3

[viii] Gen. 12:1-3; 15:6

[ix] 2 Cor. 4:6

[x] Gal. 3:1-3

[xi] Jer. 31:31-34

[xii] Rom. 4:17

[xiii] Rom. 14:17

[xiv] Rom. 4:5, 22

[xv] 1 Tim. 3:16

[i] Rom. 2:17, 23

[ii] You can look up the pre-Christian Jewish books 1 Maccabees 2:52 or Sirach 44:19-21 at https://biblia.com/bible/nrsv/1-maccabees/2/51-52 and https://bible.usccb.org/bible/sirach/44 .

[iii] Rom. 4:4

[iv] Rom. 4:5, 7

[v] Rom. 4:11-12

[vi] Gen. 12:1-3

[vii] Gen. 12:1-3; 15:6

[viii] 2 Cor. 4:6

[ix] Gal. 3:1-3

[x] Jer. 31:31-34

[xi] Rom. 4:17

[xii] Rom. 14:17

[xiii] Rom. 4:5, 22

[xiv] 1 Tim. 3:16

Christians—not better, but better off (Romans 5:1-11)

No-one should doubt that righteousness is a major concern for everyone. In simple terms, we all want to be right. A child is indignant if its idea of right is crossed. Old men and women want to be sure their legacy is rightly recorded. From cradle to grave, righteousness is high on our agenda.

But here, in Romans, God is saying to us, ‘You can only be right by trusting in me—in my Son’. All our protests that we are right are husks flying in the wind. We are subject to God’s judgement. And Paul is bringing this to light so we have opportunity to get things truly right. Or rather, for God to get things truly right.

Paul describes two things in this chapter. First, the astonishing benefits that are given to believers in Christ (vv. 1-11). Second, the astonishing Christ who creates these benefits (vv. 12-21). We’ll just look at the first of these at the moment.

So, what are the benefits that come to us because we are justified by faith?

First, we don’t have to fight the idea of there being a God we must answer to[i]. We don’t have to spend our life avoiding God. Rather, we know him and are at peace with him.

Behind all the crises we have in this life there hangs the nagging thought that we don’t deserve anything better. We’re always uneasy. But then, knowing we are justified changes everything. He’s not counting our sins against us. He’s deciding how to bless us. We are at peace with God because he’s at peace with us.

This doesn’t mean we always feel peaceful. There’s lots of circumstances and thoughts that can make us uneasy. But we are starting from having a secure place in the Father’s affections.

Second, we have constant access to God’s grace.

Every day, we are needing forgiveness, direction, strength and courage. And we can find that the Lord is gracious—every day. He’s not calculating or tardy. So, it’s a relief and a pleasure to come to him. Jesus is our way of access to all that the Father is eager to provide.

Third, we exult, or have joy, or boast because of the promise that we will share God’s glory. We have seen God’s glory in Christ and what he has done. But now, we are told that we will share in being like him—glorious,[ii] and participate in the glory of the new heavens and earth.

This word translated ‘rejoice’ has recurred four times already in this letter, and been translated as ‘boasting’. Without Christ, our exulting has been false—because it’s all been based on us. But now, it’s based on Christ and looking forward to the world God is making. So, our exulting is real. Our hubris is replaced with humility.

Fourth, this confidence is so substantial, that our troubles take on a different character. Without justification, we had been seeing them as threats to our ego. Now, they help us learn patience.

If we’re honest, we know that impatience exposes our selfishness. Now, we’ve got a chance to change—to develop some character[iii].

We’re learning to hope in what God has promised—to actually live by faith. This is what Paul raised when he first started talking about justification[iv]. We begin with faith, and this faith must grow to encompass the widening circles of our life.

Fifth, none of this fails! While life, and other people, and the devil suggest we give up, God’s love—poured into our hears by the Holy Spirit—keeps us looking to the peace we have, and our access to grace, and to Jesus himself. We’re really exulting! And it’s all flowing from the fact that we are loved by God.

Let’s dwell on this love—as Paul now does.

Why does God love us? It’s got nothing to do with our nature or performance. In fact, we’ve been weak—unable to get up and be who God called us to be. We’ve been ungodly—thinking about ourselves instead of him. We’ve been sinners—missing what God expects of us all the time. We’ve actually been God’s enemies. And all this time, he’s been loving us!

If we don’t understand this, we haven’t been hearing what Paul is saying. God is good—to people who are not! He’s giving us everything we need. We now have a life filled with his Spirit—with his loving.

So, move over! Let it happen! Keep yourselves in the love of God![v]

Perhaps we can imagine being present when Jesus is nailed to his cross. We hear him say, ‘Father forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.’ Here is love—overflowing! And the gospel Paul preaches in this letter shows that what Jesus said then is now being said to us.

The death of Jesus, and his resurrection, have secured our justification. We’re all set up to rejoice, not just in our experience of salvation, but in God himself.

As Paul will say later, God’s reign is all about righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit[vi]. This is not natural. It’s not explainable. It’s from God who loves us. It springs up within us. It’s real and it’s eternal. And, as we must now see, it’s all because of one man. And it’s for everybody. His grace, his giving and his obedience dwarf anything else that’s ever happened.

[i] This may well be the major reason why people refuse to believe in God.

[ii] This will arise later in chapter 8, verses 23-25; also 1 Cor. 15:59

[iii] In a similar way, James tells us to let patience have its full effect—James 1:4

[iv] Rom. 1:17

[v] Jude 21

[vi] Rom. 14;17.

[i] This may well be the major reason why people refuse to believe in God.

[ii] This will arise later in chapter 8, verses 23-25; also 1 Cor. 15:59

[iii] In a similar way, James tells us to let patience have its full effect—James 1:4

[iv] Rom. 1:17

[v] Jude 21

[vi] Rom. 14:17

God’s story (Rom. 5:12-21)

Paul has told us how privileged Christians are[i]. And now, in case we think these privileges are for a select few, he tells us they are for ‘the many’. God is doing nothing less than recreating the human race—making a people who can know and enjoy him. And the sole reason for this is ‘one man’—Jesus Christ.

We could say that this is the story of the world—God’s narrative. Paul himself has been travelling widely and seeing the power of his message work out among many peoples. It’s no longer limited to Jews.

We all need this big picture because, in one way or another, we try to make sense of what we see and experience. And there is no lack of human stories—religions or ideologies—on offer.

But other stories cannot offer a solution to the pain and disfunction we live with. What we need is not new ideas. We need a redeemer.

God’s story starts with Adam—the beginning of the human race. But it moves quickly to Jesus Christ because our human journey will never make sense without him.

Adam’s story[ii] may seem to be so long ago as to be irrelevant, but what this man does at the beginning of our history explains and describes exactly where we are now. It’s our story.

God’s sets up a garden for Adam, a place where he may know God and share in looking after the creation.

But Adam tries to write God out of the story. He sins, disobeys or transgresses God’s command. So, God condemns what he has done. And death is decreed. He won’t live forever.

But God is not only dealing with Adam. He’s looking at humanity. Adam’s sin is not just his. It’s ours. We could say that when Adam asserts his independence from God and his word, we all feel proud of him. We break out in applause. We all belong to Adam, regardless of our nationality or religion.

Adam has no-one to blame. He’s surrounded with perfection. Not like us. We have lots of people and situations to blame. But God shows us that in a perfect situation, this is the choice we make.

We may protest, but the facts are in front of us—and Paul has spoken about them already. We all sin. We all know God condemns us. And we all die. We’re not in charge after all! Sin is. And guilt is. And death is[iii]. Can anyone argue with this?

But this is not God’s idea of a human race! He has made Adam in his image, but has always purposed to bring his creation to completion through his Son—coming among us as a man.

We’ve heard that Christ died for our sins. We’ve heard that he’s been raised for our justification, but now, we need to see how comprehensive all this is. It’s for ‘many’, even for ‘all men’—that is, ‘all’ without distinction[iv]. We could be anybody from anywhere or any circumstance.

If the choice and deed of Adam has been catastrophic, the choice and deed of Jesus Christ is nothing less than a new creation. So, let’s look at the contrasts Paul makes between what we have in Adam and what we have in Christ.

Under Adam, we are focused on what’s gone wrong. We’re always asking who’s to blame—a natural reaction when we know we’re being condemned by God. And we are always living under a shroud of death[v]. Nothing we do can have any permanence. With nothing more in our narrative than this, our living and societies tend towards helplessness and hopelessness.

In stark contrast to this, under Jesus Christ, we have received new life. We’ve received a free gift[vi]. The change in perspective couldn’t be greater. We’re not obsessed with what we deserve. We’ve been treated with grace. And this new life is plentiful—it doesn’t run out like bank balances or government budgets.

And this gift of God is righteousness—that is, we are standing with dignity before God in heaven, and standing up boldly for God in the world.

Adam has seen to it that we start of as sinners. ‘Made sinners’ is what Paul says. But Jesus sees to it that we start off as righteous. Again, we’ve been ‘made righteous’. There’s no social evolution here. No gradual reform. It’s not being progressive. It’s nothing less than a new creation.

And Paul anticipates the day when we will ‘reign in life’. We’ll actually be everything that God had in mind in creating the human race. As Isaiah tells us, God will make a feast for all people, he will swallow up the shroud of death that lies over all peoples and will wipe away our tears. With a hope like this we are ready to live!

Paul has mentioned the law of Moses at the beginning and end of this passage. Where does this fit in God’s narrative? It certainly doesn’t set anyone free. Rather, it increases the amount of sinning we do and are aware of.

On the other hand, under Christ, what’s increasing is the abundant flow of God’s grace.

So, finally, who or what is in charge of the world we envisage? Will sin be the shape of the future? Will guilt be the main driver? Will death write the last chapter? No! No! And no!

Rather, grace is in charge. We’re free of our shame. And the end is assured—eternal life.

Any other story than this one is a fairy tale.

[i] Rom. 5:1-11

[ii] Gen. 2—3

[iii] Heb. 2:14-15

[iv] Vv. 15, 18, 19

[v] Isa. 25:6-9

[vi] v. 15

Dead to sin, alive to God (Rom. 6:1-14)

Paul has told us that God’s kindness has dwarfed the whole sorry business that started with Adam sinning.

And now, in the light of this abundant grace, he shows how we may live to his glory.

In fact, Paul must respond to some who doubt, or scorn, the good news he has announced because they cannot believe or do not want to rely on God’s amazing grace.

And he does so by answering two questions.

Here’s the first of them. Shall we just let loose and do as we please, given that God is so kind (vv. 1-14)?

Some are actually arguing that Paul is teaching this[i]. If all the goodness belongs to God—and it does—why not let God take all the glory. There’s no point in our trying to be good.

I’ve included references in the following text to make it easier to locate where Paul makes each point.

We’ve heard that Jesus dies for our sins and rises for our justification. This continues to be the starting point for all that we think and do. But we also need to know the goal God has in doing this for us.

There are three purpose statements in this passage. First, God’s kindness to us is not so we can go on sinning (v. 1). Second, it’s so we can live a new life (v. 4). And third, it’s so our old life can be disabled (v. 6).

But first, everything here depends on what happens to Jesus.

Far from merely looking at Christ as a spectacle, or perhaps appreciating him as a benefactor, we have been included in his dying and rising, and in what those events have accomplished. When we say we believe in Christ, usually expressed in baptism, we’re accepting that our new life doesn’t start with us. It starts with what happens to him—and happens to us who are in him.

But Paul is now telling us how this death and resurrection with Christ impacts on our daily living. Jesus doesn’t just die for our sins. He dies to sin (v. 10). We need to know what this means.

Obviously, Jesus doesn’t die to sinning because he never sinned. But when he dies, he so fully exhausts what sin and condemnation and death can do to sinners, that he’s died to anything more it can do to him. He’s died to the dominion of sin.

Think about this a little more. Jesus said before his death, and concerning those who came to arrest him, ‘But this is your hour, and the power of darkness’.[ii] Jesus is engaging, not only sin’s penalty but it’s power to enslave and to kill. And when he says ‘It is finished’[iii], all of this is included in what is finished.

This is important for us because we’ve been united with Christ in ‘a death like his’ (v. 5). Sin can’t do anything more to him. So, it follows that it can’t do anything more to us either! But how can this be? Sin—as we see what it offers, and feel its tug, still seems to have plenty of influence on us.

It certainly doesn’t mean we have no temptations, no inner tendencies to do wrong, no failures. But God’s purpose is to disable our propensity to sinning (v. 6). Paul calls it ‘our body of sin…being brought to nothing’. We’ve been joined to Christ’s crucifixion specifically to bring this slavery to an end[iv].

This almost seems to be too ambitious! But Paul explains how this happens. Someone who’s died is ‘set free from sin’.[v] This should actually read ‘is justified’ from sin’.[vi] The freedom comes because God calls us righteous. We are clean. We are not being condemned anymore. This is the freedom Paul speaks about.

It helps if we think about the opposite of this. Consider the effect that personal failures have on our will to please God. Satan accuses us continually. He knows the effectiveness of guilt to keep us from doing good. Think of the sapping of energy when our conscience tells us we are compromised and contaminated. What can we do to lift our game?

But then, if Christ has stood, or hung, where we compromised and soiled sinners belong, and been raised from the dead, he can rightly call us righteous. And if we, united with him, have been through death and resurrection, we, with him, can live with a clear conscience.[vii] And someone who has been cleansed like this wants to stay that way and please his or her wonderful Benefactor. We don’t work towards getting a clear conscience. We start with one. And while we look to Christ and not to ourselves, we remain with one.

And so, with King David, we may have felt God’s heavy hand on us as sinners,[viii] and longed to know the joy of his salvation. But God forgives our sin, and upholds us with a willing spirit.[ix] Or, like Isaiah when God cleansed him, we can say, ‘Here am I Lord. Send me!’[x] Or, like the forgiven Peter, we can say, ‘You know that I love you’.[xi]

Paul also says that we are united with Christ in his resurrection (v. 4). Jesus now has a human life (not his eternal relationship to the Father) that is renewed—after bearing our sins.

He rises to live to God. Of course, he has always lived to God, but we couldn’t share in that—as though we could merely copy his example. He’s living to God now after bearing our sins. He’s been where we were before God—condemned and under sin’s dominion. And now he’s alive to God. Death has lost its power over him.

And we’ve been raised up too. We can act and choose and think in the Father’s presence, as Jesus did in his life among us, and particularly, as he does now. We’ve been equipped to live as the righteous people he created us to be!

And we can be sure that if we are included in what he has done by dying for us, we will most certainly ~~will~~ share in being physically raised from the dead as he was (v. 5).

So much for death being in charge of history! Sin, and condemnation, and the threat of death crippled our living (as Paul has shown in his previous section[xii]). But not now! We’re ready to live.

Paul tells us to do three things so that we don’t waste these privileges. They belong together and help us live in the blessing we’ve just considered. Here they are.

We must regard our life the way God is regarding it. We must breathe this new air deeply. We should notice what is controlling our thinking. We should give up our introspection, or living by our own piety, and start with ourselves where God has placed us—in Christ.

We must say no—over and over again— to temptations we used to give way to. Problems don’t go away by meditating, or just knowing things. Sometimes we just have to say ‘No!’ We should tell sin that it’s not in charge. There’s no negotiation here. No hesitation. We might be surprised how powerful our ‘No’ is! It’s backed by all that Christ has won for us.

And we must say ‘Yes’ to God and his will—over and over again—to exercise the new freedom we’ve received. We’re not meant to be overfed consumers. This new life is built for action. We used to be the living dead! But we’re alive to God now.

And just in case we’ve forgotten, we’re not under law’s condemnation, or congratulations! Everything is under the reign of God’s grace. And our humble beginnings are a delight to our heavenly Father.

A sceptics question has yielded a rich feast. Next time, we’ll look at a second objection people have raised about the reign of God’s grace. And we’ll learn how to live as God’s joyful slaves!

[i] Rom. 3:8

[ii] Luke 22:53

[iii] John 19:30

[iv] Jesus has said that whoever sins becomes a slave of his sin (John 8:34).

[v] V. 7

[vi] Every other time Paul uses this word, this is what he means.

[vii] Heb. 9:14

[viii] Psa. 32:4

[ix] Psa. 51:12

[x] Isa. 6:7-8

[xi] John 21:17

[xii] Rom. 5:17, 21

God’s Happy Slaves (Romans 6:15-24)

We’re discovering what it means to live in the amazingly generous life that God provides for us in his Son. For some, this raises questions. In particular, how seriously does a Christian need to regard sin in his or her life?[i]

In the previous section, Paul showed us that God has placed us wholly in Christ and in what he has accomplished[ii]. And he does this so we are able to live an entirely new life, and so our sinful propensities may be disabled.[iii]

And now, Paul asks the question again. ‘Are we free to sin?’

He has just said we’re not ruled by law. God’s law is no longer in a position to condemn us. Does this mean we can sin without consequences? If there’s no road rules, can we just do whatever we like?

As with the first question, Paul responds with some horror. ‘May this never be!’ Such a thought would cancel belief in a good God, or human responsibility or a moral universe. Unfortunately, much of the world embraces these ideas. And the results are clear. Total chaos.

Rather, we are shown what it means to be under the control of grace! This is what Paul knows personally, and he’s seen it work out in the lives of many new believers.

And every converted person knows it too. ‘Don’t you know…’ Paul says. Sin had enslaved us. Now, righteousness—that is, justification—rules us. We have a new master.

Is this the truth we know? Not just forgiveness—a life wiped clean of every impurity, but righteousness—God’s final judgement revealed in advance. If we understand this, we can’t live without it. We are ‘slaves’ to this new identity.

Paul knows that slavery isn’t really what Christian faith is like, but it’s like it in the ways he describes. And he’s happy to identify himself as Christ’s slave at the beginning of his letter.

And here’s what undergirds this. When the gospel is preached, we become obedient from the heart to what we are hearing.

We don’t just give assent to an idea. To believe it is to obey it. That’s why Paul talks about ‘the obedience of faith’ later on.[iv] The gospel itself brings about this obedient faith.

Paul uses an unusual phrase to describe how the gospel comes to us. It’s a ‘standard of teaching’. It’s not just another lesson to learn. It’s God, speaking—to us. The word suggest that it’s imprinted on us. God knows how to speak to those he calls. When he forgives our sins, he writes his law on our hearts. He gives us a new heart.[v]

And we are ‘entrusted to’ it. In other words, God doesn’t trust us to believe his gospel. He entrusts us to his gospel and the gospel does the job he wants it to.

This gospel teaching leads us to righteousness. And in this context, righteousness is God’s gift[vi]. We are justified. But, as anyone who is justified knows, it’s liberating to be clean and at peace with God. Righteousness is a good way to be. We want righteousness.

Here’s Paul’s opportunity to show that the news of God’s goodness is precisely the way he brings us to living well—to be his happy slaves.[vii] He’s led us out of sin, not freed us up to enjoy it.

So now, we need to choose which master we will serve—sin or righteousness. There’s no real freedom that isn’t related to an authority. We make this decision when we believe in Christ, but it’s a decision affirmed with each new day—to present ourselves to God for his service. This is what Jesus did as God’s suffering Servant.[viii]

In one sense, knowing what to do when sin is pressing for attention is simple. Run from it! Joseph is a good example.[ix] But we’ve got more resources than just running. We have powerful reasons for our choices. And there’s a wonderful reward.

Sin, contrary to entertainment promotions, is not nice! It comes with an agenda of its own—and we are its victims. We used to give ourselves to thoughts and deeds that God says are wrong. Paul gave us a list of them earlier in his letter.[x]

We had an illusion of freedom because we felt free of any external demand. But sin has a destination in view. It wants us dead. Or, more accurately, he—Satan, wants us dead.

And sin pays wages. In other words, we get what we deserve.

Now, contrast this with being obedient. We give ourselves to Christ who loves us. We trust him and are pronounced righteous. And righteousness becomes the desire of our whole being. Jesus teaches us that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled—filled with righteousness.[xi]

So—and here is the only command in this passage—give all you’ve got to this ‘standard of teaching’![xii] It will lead you on to sanctification—that is, actually living as one devoted to God. You’ll increasingly want and be doing God’s will on earth, just as it is in heaven.

And then, you won’t get what you deserve! Who would want to live with this hanging over their head? Rather, you will receive a gift. Eternal life—in Jesus Christ our Lord.

So, living under the reign of God’s grace is not a free ride into irresponsibility. Neither is it an impossible journey of committing and recommitting ourselves to obey an unrelenting law. It’s trusting and enjoying and living in the amazingly generous decision of God to receive us as his righteous people. We’re happy to be his slaves. It’s here that we’ve found freedom.

[i] Rom. 6:1, 15

[ii] Rom. 6:1-14

[iii] Rom. 6:4, 6

[iv] Rom. 16:26

[v] Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:25-28

[vi] V. 16

[vii] Being Christ’s slave is the way Paul introduces himself in this letter.

[viii] Isa. 50:4

[ix] Gen. 39:6-12

[x] Rom. 1:22-32

[xi] Matt. 5:6

[xii] V. 19

‘Dead to the law’. What does this mean? (Rom. 7)

We’ve been looking at the new freedoms Christ has won for us in his death and resurrection. He’s saved us from the death we deserve, and we now have eternal life (Romans 5). And he’s saved us from the sin we were mastered by, so that we are no longer burdened with its guilt or control (Romans 6).

But what about being released from God’s law? In the seventh chapter of Romans, this is what Paul now turns to. If we are going to live for God, it’s vital that we are no longer under the power of his law.

What can this mean? It actually sounds wrong.

The answer comes in three parts. This isn’t so much because the subject is complex. It’s because we are!

Knowing what God says about right and wrong does some strange things to us. We can be proud of what we know, or depend on it, even while breaking it—as Paul has said the Jews did.[i] Or, we can resent and react to it, and even blame it—as everyone does if they are not at peace with God.[ii] And then, even when we are reconciled to God and love his law, our behaviour seems to have a will of its own so that we struggle with what God wants of us.

Each of these issues is addressed in this passage.

First, those who depend on the law should understand what Christ has done for them, and to them[iii].

Our obligation to law as a regime[iv] has needed to die—and has died, because we are included in Christ’s dying and rising. Paul’s ‘don’t you know’ highlights our tendency to miss this point.

Paul uses marriage as an illustration. It lasts as long as both parties are alive. But not after that. So, Paul argues, if we have died—with Christ—our earlier ‘marriage’ to law is finished. We can’t have Christ and still be ‘married’ to law.

Jews should have understood this—not just the illustration of marriage but what it refers to. Jesus comes among them and shows that they have not been keeping the law they are so fond of. And he is establishing a new regime. But they don’t understand this—or won’t. And they murder Jesus for standing between them and their law.

But it’s not just Jews who have this problem. All of us can elevate our culture and practices—even our Christian culture and practices—to an absolute. We become legalists who judge everything and everyone by our standard. We’re starting with what comes from God—his law—but actually living by what comes from us—our ‘flesh’.[v]

We need to see that Christ has died for our sins. Yes! But we also need to see that he has died to release us from ourselves and our proud notion that we may be able to please God by fulfilling some code of behaviour.

The tragedy of being under the law in this way is not just that it bypasses Christ’s work on the cross, but that it doesn’t yield any fruit for God. It’s sterile. It arouses our flesh, not subdues it.[vi] It imprisons us. And it ends in death, not life. In plain terms, we’re either going to accept we are dead to law because we’re trusting Christ, or, accept the death penalty ourselves!

We need to look again at what Jesus has done on the cross—to release us from this bondage! And need to see that the Spirit now conveys to us all the liberty and joy that will fulfil the law!

Second, those who blame the law, or dismiss it, don’t yet understand themselves.

Can we blame the law for our problems? Imagine arguing that God gets it wrong when he announces his requirements from Mount Sinai! It’s certainly the mindset of our present world—restrictions cause reaction, so don’t make any restrictions!

But, of course, we all have problems with law. Our problem is that we don’t get to write it! Or change it! Or avoid it! We want to be in charge.

But God’s law defines what sin is, and what righteousness is. And especially, as Paul says here, it includes not only what we are to do but what we want—‘you shall not covet what is your neighbour’s’. To covet is simply to long for all the other things prohibited by the other commands.

The law is not bad because it condemns us. It awakens us to what we really are. We all tend to think what we do is good—until forced to admit our faults. And law does this work. It reveals the worst in us.

This is personal, and, for the first time since the start of the letter, Paul refers to himself. This business of law is not an academic matter.

Does Paul have a particular crisis in mind? Of course, we don’t know. But we know that Paul feels this point personally. He’s speaking about the past, when he isn’t a Christian.

He wants the law to approve him—like the rich young ruler who comes to Jesus[vii]. But God says, ‘Don’t covet’. A law like this can’t approve him. It condemns him. Is this the crisis that Jesus refers to when he says to Saul of Tarsus outside Damascus, ‘It is hard for you…’ (Acts).

But God’s law is not the problem. It’s holy, righteous and good. Rather, the problem is our sin—sin so deep that it ends in death. This is what we need to see—that sin really is sinful. It is ‘sinful beyond measure’. When we do wrong, God is offended.

It’s hard to convey how necessary this point is. We are inclined to think well of ourselves, even while confessing our sins. And the sadness of this is, not just that we can’t see who we truly are, but that we don’t know how much we need Jesus.

Third, those who love the law will always be in a battle.

Paul speaks to us personally again, but now, in the present tense. He speaks to us as one Christian to another.

And this is how we can now think about the law. It’s ‘spiritual’—suggesting that it’s from God, that we can’t get our hands on it and that it does what God wants it to do. It’s good. And, with all our heart, it’s what we want to do.[viii]

But where has this understanding and this desire come from? It’s the new heart God has given us, as he told Jeremiah[ix]. It’s the new covenant that Jesus enacted by the spilling of his blood.[x] The law has been written on our hearts—not just on stone tablets.[xi] We know God. And love him. And in loving him, we want to do his will.

A law that’s above us—as something to reach, kills us[xii]. On the other hand, a law that’s written on our hearts and a Spirit that’s given to dwell in us produces fruit. And this fruit breaks no law.[xiii]

But then, how shall we understand our wrong desires and lapses? These suggest we are ‘sold under sin’ (v. 14), that, in fact we are still slaves and not free at all (v. 23). It makes us feel wretched (v. 24).

Notice how Paul uses ‘I’ in this passage. He says ‘I’ do what ‘I’ don’t want to do. Is he a hopelessly divided personality? Far from it. There is an ‘I’ in Christ, but also, an ‘I’ described as flesh constantly asserting itself. But he, and we, are always one person. The difference is a difference of relation—we know and respond to God, but we also know and respond to the world that has rejected God.

It’s the actions of this latter ‘I’ that are troubling. Sin is close (v. 21) but it’s not our ‘inner being’ (v. 22).

Paul feels this so strongly that he says it is not ‘I’ who do the wrong. It’s sin in me. He’s learned that the ‘I’ who is in Christ is secure. He can look on wrong done as something apart from his real person. His identity is secure. His behavior is the problem.

Anyone who thinks they have conquered their propensity to sin is deceiving themselves. On the other hand, everyone who trusts in Christ has a security more powerful than the greatest of failures. We will endure. And we will be ‘delivered from this body of death’.

This subject continues when we come to look at the next chapter. But we’ve come to some conclusions. First, God’s dos and don’ts are good. We can be thankful for them. And second, we are not good, and we need to run to Christ. And third, we can’t fudge our way through life by pretending we are innocent and harmless. We have to struggle.

[i] Rom 2:23

[ii] Rom. 7:5

[iii] Vv. 1-6

[iv] A governance that can approve or condemn us.

[v] Gal. 3:3-14

[vi] As in 2:17-24

[vii] Mark 10:17-20

[viii] Some think this section describes a pre-Christian experience, but the affirmations about the law suggest that this is a person who loves God and is part of his new covenant.

[ix] Jer. 31:31-34

[x] Luke 22:20

[xi] 2 Cor. 3:6-8

[xii] Cf. Deut. 30:11-14

[xiii] Gal. 5:22-23