Gospel Pride of Romans includes Sin and Righteousness by Faith. NOTE: In the extended series on “Christian Fables, World Labels, and sound doctrine”, you could have forgotten that much of the sound doctrine comes from the book of Romans, of course as explained by other verses in the Bible, and that as part of the series on Romans, “Gospel Pride” is chosen as the gist on Romans. Ideally, we would love to exhibit and promote so much Gospel Pride from Romans, and much other sound doctrine in the Bible, that such pride would far out match any other prides in the world. This Bible session is in two major parts: (1) First the study of THE ENTRANCE OF SIN INTO THE WORLD of Romans 5:12-21, and (2) GOSPEL PRIDE, RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND FAITH, God’s cure of salvation for the offences and death and bondage caused by sin. It is society {the world} against the Word of God when it comes to the nature of sin, on both sides of initial salvation, and existence of sin. While sin is hardly in the vocabulary of the average world citizen, nor in the advice and thought patterns of the average secular psychologists, goodness for the most part, not in the sermons and teachings of the average church pulpit. To those who ignore, shun, and have little respect for the Bible as the Word of God, not only is sin a forbidden word, or even thought about, as Satan would like to have it, but also it is seldom recognized as rebellion against God. Even those who recognize themselves as in rebellion against God, there is seldom any recognition of the reality and nature of sin. The book of Romans would straighten us out of sin. First of all, according to Romans 3:23, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, which highlights the very basic meaning of the Greek word sin, “chet”, in the Bible as “error and failure”. How sin got into the wonderful world that God originally created is a subject for later in this session {all know the history of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden}, but Romans 5:12 does introduce the story of the entrance of sin from the perspective of the Creator with a subsequent original sin series of verses in Romans 5:12-21, and with the words--THE ENTRANCE OF SIN INTO THE WORLD PASSAGE, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world {see, here in the entrance of sin into the world}, and death through sin {unfortunately with the entrance of sin into the world came the entrance of the reality of death also}, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned....” (Romans 5:12-21) 18-1: Even as “offences” was a favorite word for sin in the teachings of Jesus, especially on bad shepherds who would offend, or sin against, little children by coming between them and Jesus, so also in THE ENTRANCE OF SIN INTO THE WORLD PASSAGE of Romans 5:12-21, sin turns into “offences” starting in the verse of Romans 5:15-- “But the free gift {that gift from God the Father in the giving of His Son on the cross for our sins is also a subject for later elaboration} is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift {of course Paul, or the word of God through Paul does mention some specifics of the free gift right here, as it is by the grace of Jesus in making Himself a sacrifice on the cross} by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.” (Romans 5:15) 1. Actually “transgression” come as a description of sin, immediately after sin and immediately before offences, and with transgressions we can start to appreciate sin as against God, and as rebellion against God. “Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses {for the first man Adam to the giving of the law and laws of God through Moses}, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.” (Romans 5:14) NOTE: Hopefully in these reading from Romans 5:12-12, THE ENTRANCE OF SIN INTO THE WORLD, you did not miss Romans 5:13, “{for until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law”} with the fact that God did not hold man and civilizations responsible for sin when there was no LAW, that is God did not impute to man and civilizations sin before they knew about the LAW. Arabs blew it when they copied many of the laws of God into the Koran, on matters like killing, raping, coveting, and destruction; for then they too by their knowledge of law became imputed as sinners. 2. While Paul is listing some of the differences between the sin of offence of Adam and other human sons of Adam, unfortunately even without the imputation by God for sin without the law, there was still death running in the blood stream of the human race from Adam to Moses, Adam to Abraham and Israel and the 12 Arab tribes of Ishmael through Abraham--”...death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned, according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam” (Romans 5:14). 18-2: Oh my, there is so much encouraging in the entrance of sin passage of Romans 5:12-12, so much positive and filled with hope even though Paul primarily in that passage has accepted the responsibility under God of doing what many ministers today will not do, make the nature and consequences of sin evident. NOTE: Even as people refuse to think about death and sin unless forced to by a terminal illness or sudden death of a friend of loved one, so the ministers follow suite speaking in worship as little as possible about both! 1. The first ray of hope and encouragement comes in Romans 5:13 that the men and civilizations before the giving of THE LAW through Moses were not held responsible in the sight of God for their sins. In other words, no imputation of sin responsibility by God. It is much like how in the sight of God, children, before the age of accountability, are not imputed sin. 2. Oh my, the hope and the encouragement and the promise of blessings and salvation in Romans 5:14, at the end of death, sinned, and transgression with “THE TYPE OF HIM WHO IS TO COME”, the Lord Jesus Christ who had already come just before Paul, and in ascended form Who appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus and converted him, but in the narrative between Adam and Moses and Moses and the lineage of David had not yet come to earth the first time as He did in the first century. 3. Digging through the discouraging but real facts of sin and death in this PASSAGE, we are also reminded of more hope with elaborations on the differences between “THE FREE GIFT” of God, Christ, and grace, of Romans 5:15--(1) it is different from the original and inherited offence or sin of Adam. (2) granted it is true that by the offences of the one man Adam all humanity died and became subject to the reality of death, but this is overshadowed by the more “abounding” grace and free gift of God by “the One Man, Jesus Christ”. {You may have thought that the sin of Adam abounded too much, spreading out to all humanity; but that is nothing as compared with the abounding grace of God, for God was ready with the free gift of Jesus!} NOTE: Yes, that is the correct wording of Romans 5:15, Jesus is the One Man, a type like Adam of all manhood, as well as being the only begotten Son of God; and for more on this subject, please read online and/or download from www.biblecombibleman.com/RomansBibleBackground.html . 18-3: More hope in Romans 5:16, with another way the free gift through Adam of sin is unlike the free gift of God through Christ, that difference is the same as the difference between “condemnation” and “justification”. “And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” (Romans 5:16-18) NOTE: I feel sorry for you enamored with the KJV of 1611 as if the Bible was originally written in the King James English of 1611, and ignore so many other good translations, forgetting that the word of God is dynamic and speaks more than what you want to hear in all versions; however here in Romans 5:16-18, the truth is much clear and easier to understand in the New King James Version. 1. Clearly Paul and God thru Paul continue with the differences between the gift from Adam and the gift by grace of the One Man Jesus Christ, “And the gift is not like that came through the one who sinned...” (5:16a) Notice the difference, the gift from the one man, one spelled with a little “o”, and “the One Man Jesus Christ” where the One is spelled with a capital “O”. 2. “For the judgment which came from one offence resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offences resulted in justification.” (5:16b) a. Notice all statements of Bible facts of salvation are with respect to God: it is God who imputes or does not impute sin; it is God who condemns for sin or offences’ and it is God the Father that justifies; and it is the judgment of God, not any man no matter how wise, that is the ultimate criterion for the fate of all His creatures, Arabs, Jews, and Gentiles. “For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9) b. Did you get the subtle contrast between “one offense” and “many offences”, more on the abundance and abounding grace of God. Even as the judgment of God came on all men because it got in the blood stream of the human race through Adam, all due to just one man and once offence; the act of justification by God the Father and through the gift of the atonement of Christ for MANY OFFENCS let to the justification that is much greater than the offence! {Do I hear an Amen across the world and internet?} 18-4: Romans 5:17, God given capability to REIGN in life, that is reigning during life on earth over death itself, a continuing contrast between the gift from Adam and the gift for the One Man Jesus Christ wherein death comes from the first and victory, or reigning even during life on earth, from death comes from the One Jesus Christ. {Did I hear another AMEN?} “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one {one man’s offence and death to all humanity}, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)” (Romans 5:17) 1. Again the contrast of Adam and the one man’s offence of getting sin into the human race, the entrance of sin into the world, if you would, with that from the One, Jesus Christ, receiving for those who believe, (1) an abundance of grace, and (2) the gift of righteousness, and (3) the reigning over death in this life. 2. You will notice that sort of a new term is introduced here, at least new in the Romans 5:12-21 entrance of sin into the world passage, for it is written about “the gift of righteousness”; and you should observe immediately that righteousness is a gift, like other gifts from God and through Christ are free. 18-5: Righteousness is not new to Romans however, being mentioned 14 times in Romans before 5:17, and 21 times after 5:17 with the inclusion of 5:17. One may say as the righteousness of God progresses in Romans so progresses the salvation plan of God in Romans, thus some like Dr Wolber of Ouachita Baptist called the theme of Romans, “The Righteousness of God”. 1. One might quickly respond, which is mentioned first in the book of Romans, sin or righteousness? Well “sin” as error of failure, or transgression and offences, chet in other words, is first mentioned in Romans 3:9, while righteousness, as rightness and justice, the Greek word “teased” is first mentioned in Romans 1:17. 2. Righteousness in Romans 1:17 needs to be reviewed in term of Gospel Pride, the theme of Romans chosen for this Bible series of support in Romans for Christian Fables, more a contrast or background between the fables, labels, and sound doctrine of the series, Romans with eschatology on Israel providing much of the sound doctrine That means Romans 16 and 17. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” (Romans 1:16,17) 18-6: A Gospel Pride outline of Romans, like a textual outline of Romans 1: 16,17, takes the emphasis off ourselves and puts it on God the Father, the power of God, the righteousness of God--imputed and actually inward, the salvation of God and for God--”The Glory of God in the Christian Calling”, and of course Jesus, the Son of God! NOTE: This outline has to be brief, and will be the outline of the next Bible session from Romans, since the sin problem or the magnitude of offences against God, less on the AIC of Christian life, but still a struggle as Paul testified to in Romans with words like: (1) that which I would not do, I do, and that which I would do, I can not; and (2) who shall deliver me from the body of this death. In other words, victory over sin and the bondage to sins do not come easy, and one reason Paul admonished to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” Some of the struggle is attitude and awareness on certain Bible scriptures as in Romans. Let it be said right now and up front that one of the biggest Christian fables every generated by both the spirit that lusteth to sin of humanity and the devices of Satan is that some achieve sinless perfect in this life. There is a declared perfection and righteousness, but it is not complete until Christ comes again, and we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is. --- preview of coming attractions, gospel pride outline for next session--- I. Gospel Pride is in the Bible-revealed Gospel of Christ. 1. Many gospels, really Christian fables, are offered to the world today like the gospel of prosperity, the reformed gospel of Mormonism that added works back to grace for salvation, the gospel of the religion of the seared conscience, and so on and on. 2. Paul expressed the Gospel of Christ as originally delivered, and which with any deviations from that original placed a curse on the Balaks and Balaams of the Gospel of Christ. It is impossible to resist a quote here of I Corinthians 15:1-9. “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” ( I Corinthians 15:1-9) 3. Gospel pride emphasis helps to take away from Christians the most practiced lust of the triad of lusts, the pride of life is constantly justified and rationalized among Christians and church members where a measure of victory has already been achieved on the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes {I John 2:15-17). II. Gospel Pride is expressed in Galatians 6:14 execs as “forbid that we should glory in any thing but in the preaching of the cross”, and has two major aspect in Romans. 1. We are not ashamed of the Gospel, which is to say on the positive side that the only justifiable pride that is permitted in the Christian life is Gospel pride, alias “I am not ashamed of the gospel, or good news, of Christ. 2. As we put our trust, faith, and confidence in the promises of the Bible from God, God “will not allow us to be ashamed who trust in Him” (Romans10:11). III. The Gospel not only tells about the God provided provisions of sufficient power to go all the way through the salvation of regeneration, sanctification, and glorification; but also IS the power of God to go all the way in salvation, “...it is the power of God unto salvation...” 1. Up front, like Paul does in Romans 1:4, that power all the way to salvation only has a basis in the death and resurrection of Christ. “And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead...” (Romans 1:4) 2. Power in the regeneration of human nature with the new birth whereby the spirit of God and Christ take up residence in the human heart. 3. Power in sanctification where the power of God is at work in the human heart and spirit for more Christlikeness. 4. Power in glorification, that we can actually be like Him when we see Him in person at the second Coming. IV. Believe and Faith in Romans, in Gospel Pride, and in the salvation of God. V. The power of God all the way to full salvation is revealed from faith to faith, that is from initial faith to continuing faith, and you can see that clearly and in a personal manner in Galatians 2:20. The “revelation” here, as often in the Bible, is a revelation in history and in actual lives as Christians learn to live FROM FAITH TO FAITH. VI. The righteousness of God, of God Himself, of imputed righteousness, and the only way to achieve real actual righteousness is revealed in the Gospel, and the power of the Gospel. VII. With a notice that justification by faith has always been the way of the Bible, OT and NT, Paul quotes from Habakkuk 2:4, “The just shall live by faith”, Paul launches Gospel Pride on the “just and justifier” of Romans 3:26, how God could remain just and righteous and holy and still out of grace, and through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ on the cross for the atonement, be the great Justifier of salvation. -------------------------------------- 18-7: We must end where we started with Romans 5:12-21, THE ENTRANCE OF SIN INTO THE WORLD PASSAGE, and complete it with Romans 5:19-21 not previously completed in the expository study of this session, Romans 5:19-21, the entrance of LAW before the entrance of SIN, the entrance of abounding grace to more than match, really to go well beyond, the offences against God, and finally the entrance of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 1. Romans 5:19, a final contrast in the passage between the disobedience {yes, still another word for sin, offences, error and failure, all in the passage} of the little “one man” and the Big One Man, the Lord Jesus Christ. “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19) NOTE: I hope you see that contrast that with the One New Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, humanity had a new start as to what humanity of manhood or Man could mean. “But as many as received Him to them gave He power to become sons of God, which were born not of flesh or of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12) 2. Romans 5:20, ENTRANCE of Law to abound, or make evident the realities o sin, in imputation of sin to all men, Jew or Gentile or Arab, in order that the grace of God might abound even more and greater. NOTE: Humanity through the ages of the history of Christianity has devised many Christian fables and world labels to first of all, prevent the law of God from abounding the offences of sin, and then secondly in desperation to come between, with religion and religions and denominations and professionalism, come between God and that abounding grace Woe to any man or organization that offends either any child or child of faith in getting between them and the great God the Universe though the Lord Jesus Christ. It would be better for him and his organization to have a millstone placed about himself for hanging then be cast into the very depth of the ocean! 3. A summary of the entrance of sin and offences passage of Romans 5:12-21 in Romans 5:21 from the reign of sin all the way to death, to the reign of righteousness to eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. Did I hear another AMEN over the internet. “That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:21) NOTE: What progress in only 10 verses of Romans 5:12-21 on salvation beginning with the original disobedience of Adam and Eve to eternal life in the Lord Jesus Christ, not only over 7000 years worth of human history, but also eternity, before God created the world and as He chose us before this foundation of the earth, to the coming, death, resurrection, and second coming of Christ for eternal salvation. You might call it as Christian scholars have done in writing on the salvation of God, “From Eternity to Eternity”. As usual you can download and then save and/or view a PDF copy of this Bible session, "Romans Sin"; and please do as you know there is so much to the richness of the wisdom of God in Romans, requiring many footnotes, that you need to get the full benefits of the study. You know it is, every time you read or study it there is more to see! Also to assist in thorough research and study on Romans, "Romans Bible Background" is provided with the 3 relevant and free PDFs for download: Righteousness of God, Son of God/Son of Man, and version 1c of the LCC, the OT according to the NT. |
Do you think ISIS is trying to replace the Jews and the Roman Empire of Jesus' day in the crucifixion of innocents? This boy shown in the photo hung for hours in the hot sun, and this is a mild image compared to many others from ISIS. |