Year 2, Week 45, Day 5 Bible Reading Observations

Year 2, Week 45, Day 5

I have a brief observation for today’s reading of Romans 5-7.

Today’s reading continues Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome. Romans, the longest of Paul’s letters, is a systematic explanation of the Gospel. Romans 5 completes the second segment (begun in 3:21) of Paul’s explanation of the Gospel as he completes the section focused on justification: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Peace with God orients a believer’s relationship with God, for he has been moved out of the realm of death in Adam and into the realm of life in Christ: “For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17). Romans 6, which begins of new segment of Paul’s explanation of the Gospel as it focuses on a believer’s sanctification, highlights the new life and power at work in a believer’s life: “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:17-18). Romans 7 continues the matter of sanctification by wrestling with the relationship between sin and the Law: “What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness” (Romans 7:7-8). But now, in Christ, a believer is released from the enslaving effects of the Law: "But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code” (Romans 7:6). Therefore, released so as to be freed for service to God.

One of the things that struck me from today’s reading is how Paul explains that the gracious work of justification does not embolden a reckless life of sinfulness: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1). Paul asks this question rhetorically to head off any misunderstanding from what he has previously explained. Being declared righteous in the sight of God is received through faith apart from works: “And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness” (Romans 4:5). The justifying work of God’s grace far exceeds the condemning effects of sin: “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 6:20b). If these truths are how a sinner is declared righteous before God—by grace through faith—then does it really matter if a believer sins? In fact, since grace exceeds sin, wouldn’t more sin simply stimulate more grace? Paul anticipates how his statements about justification would be distorted.

Therefore, Paul issues a strong response followed by a quick explanation: “By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:2). Paul joins to his presentation of justification by presenting an additional element that believer’s received in Christ. Christ, who died in place of sinners, is just one aspect of God’s saving activity accomplished in His Son. Not only did Christ die on behalf of His people; His people died with Christ. What Paul does next is to explain how union with Christ, in His death and resurrection, is the starting point of exploring the implications of sanctifying grace. Whereas justifying grace is the instantaneous declaration of legal righteousness that believers receive, sanctifying grace is the incremental development of applied righteousness that believers also receive. Those whom Christ died for and those who died with Christ are one and the same. Paul roots the reality of sanctifying grace in the reality of union with Christ: "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4). By virtue of union with Christ, believers are now dead to sin and by virtue of union with Christ, believers are now alive to God. Thus, believers are no longer mastered by sin, but are now, in fact, enabled to live a life responsive to the Lord. Sin’s power is broken. Believer’s are now alive to God.

As Paul introduces the believer’s union with Christ in His death and resurrection as the basis for living the life that God calls His people to live, Paul inserts a couple of vital commands (actually, only the second explicit command in Romans): “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). In being joined to Jesus, believers are dead to sin and alive to God. Paul’s command is to regard themselves as dead to sin and alive to God. Basically this imperative is directing believers to count on the fact of their union with Christ to be the very fact that they base their Christian growth and service upon. What immediately follows is two back to back commands: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness” (Romans 6:12-13). As believers remember their union with Christ, they are to stop allowing sin to dominate their lives and therefore they are to refrain from offering themselves in service to unrighteousness. Since believers are now alive in Christ, believers are to offer themselves in service to righteousness.

What struck you in today’s reading? What questions were prompted from today’s reading?

Pastor Joe