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Post by Admin on Apr 2, 2024 8:21:50 GMT -5
STUDIES IN ROMANS
By B.H. Carroll, D.D., LL.D.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD
of the
SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
- 1935 -
II. PAUL'S SALUTATION, THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER
Romans 1:1-17
The theme of this letter is found in Paul's own words: "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." This theme condensed is, The Gospel Plan of Salvation. But
some one asks, "Why not 'Righteousness of God' the theme?" Because this righteousness is only
the means to the great end -- "salvation."
I. THE SALUTATION (1:1-7)
We gather from the salutation the following things:
1. The writer: "Paul."
2. Those addressed: "To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints"; that is,
Christians.
3. The salutation itself: "Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus
Christ."
The writer is particularly described,
(1) in his status as a "servant of Jesus Christ,"
(2) in his office, as "called to be an apostle,"
(3) in his ordination, as "separated unto the gospel of God,"
(4) in the direct object of his work, as "for obedience to the faith among all nations,"
including the Romans themselves: "Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ,"
(5) in the ultimate reason for his work, as "for his name."His "gospel of God" is described,
(1) as "promised afore by his prophets,"
(2) as recorded "in the holy scriptures,"
(3) as "concerning his Son."
That Son is described thus:
(1) "made of the seed of David according to the flesh,"
(2) "And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the
resurrection from the dead,"
(3) as our MESSIAH and LORD,
(4) as the author of "grace and apostleship."
II. THE THANKSGIVING (1:8)
The ground of thanksgiving is thus expressed: "That your faith is spoken of throughout the
whole world."
This universal proclamation of the faith of the Roman Christians may be easily accounted for.
Rome was the world's capital and center of governmental unity. To it and from it, over the great
military roads and ship lines, were constant tides of travel and traffic, so that a whisper there
reached the boundaries of the empire. To Paul, at least, working along these roads or sailing over
these sea-courses there came continual news of the progress of the Gospel there. There were his
kindred, his converts, his acquaintances from many lands, with whom he had constant
communication.
III. THE PRAYER AND ITS REASon (1:9-15)
This prayer is thus expressed: ". . . if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous
journey by the will of God to come unto you." It is described:
1. As sincere: "God is my witness,"
2. As unceasing: "without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers," and so
forth.
3. The reasons for this prayer are:
(1) to impart some spiritual gift looking to their establishment,
(2) for mutual comfort in each other's faith,
(3) that he might have some fruit in them as in other Gentiles,
(4) because he was a debtor both to Greeks and Barbarians, wise and foolish,
(5) because he was ready to preach at Rome as well as elsewhere,
(6) he had been hindered in his purposes to visit them hitherto:
"For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming unto you" (15:22),
(7) he was not ashamed of the Gospel in any crowd.
4. The following conclusions may be drawn from this prayer:
(1) That he counted Rome in the sphere allotted to him.
(2) That on account of its central and political position as the world's
metropolis, its strategical importance as a radiating mission base surpassed all others.
(3) That the arch enemy of the Gospel understood this importance as well as Paul and, so far, had barred
him out of the field. Hence, the necessity for this prayer. Twice in this letter he refers to this
hindering of his purpose to come to them (1:13 and 15:22) and in I Thessalonians 2:18 we find
that Satan is the hinderer: "Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and
again; but Satan hindered us."
(4) We learn from Acts 23:11 that it was the LORD's will for him
to visit Rome according to this prayer, which says, "By the will of God": "And the night
following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of
me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome." Thus we see Satan and his emissaries
opposing Paul's approach to Rome, while Paul was longing and praying to get there; GOD's will
over-ruling Satan's will in answer to the prayer. And he prayed "if by any means," leaving that
also to GOD, and we learn that he went in bonds: "And when it was determined that we should
sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion
of Augustus' band" (Acts 27:1) and "For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you,
and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain" (Acts
28:20).
(5) This prayer with its reasons opens the way to a statement of the great theme of the
letter.
IV. THE THEME OF THE LETTER (1:16-17)
This theme involves the answer to these questions:
What is the Gospel, to whom addressed and on what terms, what its power, and what the
salvation into which it leads; how is it a power to this end, what the righteousness revealed, what
the meaning of "from faith to faith," and what the varied use of the quotation from Habakkuk.
The Gospel is the whole story of CHRIST's mediatorial work as PROPHET, SACRIFICE,
PRIEST, KING, LEADER, and JUDGE, addressed to the whole human race, whatever the
nationality, sex or social condition, on the terms of simple faith in JESUS as He is offered in the
Gospel, the power of which is GOD Himself; that is, GOD the HOLY SPIRIT. The salvation
unto which it leads consists generally in what it does for us, what it does in us, what it leads us
unto.
1. Salvation -- What It Does for Us
It provides for us justification, redemption and adoption.
(1) Justification is the declaration of a competent court that one tried before it is acquitted. In a
word it is the acquittal of a man at the bar of GOD. In this part of the letter Paul uses salvation in
the sense of justification. Man is saved when he is justified. Later we will find the word "saved"
used in a larger and completer sense. When I am justified before GOD, that delivers me from the
wrath to come. It delivers from the guilt of sin.
(2) Redemption is the buying back of what has been sold. Paul tells us in this letter about the
redemption of the soul, the buying back of the soul; later he tells about the redemption of this
earth on which man lives.
(3) Adoption, like the two words already used, is a legal term. We are not naturally children of
GOD; we get into the family of GOD by adoption. He adopts us into his family. Adoption is that
legal process by which one, not naturally a member of the family, becomes legally so. It confers
all the rights and blessings of actual sonship.
2. Salvation -- What It Does in Us
Let us look at salvation as done in us.
(1) As to the soul -- What are the processes? They are regeneration and sanctification. What is
regeneration? Regeneration is giving a holy disposition to the mind. The carnal mind is enmity
against GOD, not subject to His law, neither can be made subject to His law. Man in his natural
state hates GOD, hates truth, hates light. It is not sufficient that a man be redeemed from the
curse of the law, or the wrath of the law, and be acquitted. It is necessary that he have a mind in
harmony with GOD. That occurs in us; GOD begins a good work in us, and continues it to the
day of JESUS CHRIST. And that good work in us is expressed by regeneration and
sanctification. Regeneration gives us a holy disposition, but the remnants of the flesh are still
with us. Then sanctification commences and more and more conforms us to the image of JESUS
CHRIST, as we go on from strength to strength, from glory to glory, from faith to faith. That is
what it does in us; it regenerates and sanctifies us. The salvation in us, referring to the soul, is
consummated just as soon as the soul gets through its discipline and is freed from the body. On
the other side we see the spirits of the just made perfect. That is the end of the salvation as far as
the soul is concerned.
(2) As to the body -- But salvation takes hold of the other part of the man -- his body that lies
mouldering in the ground. GOD provided in the Garden of Eden for the immortality of the body.
When sin expelled the man and he had no longer access to that tree, his body, of course, began to
die. Salvation must save that body. That comes in the resurrection which he discusses in this
letter. In the resurrection these things take place:
First, the body is made alive, quickened.
Second, it is raised.
Third, it is glorified. And glorification means what? What these words say, "It is sown in
corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is
sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual
body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first
man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." That is the
entire man, is it not? I said it was the complete and everlasting deliverance of the entire man,
soul and body.
Then fourth, we must bring those two saved parts together. So CHRIST brings the spirits with
Him. He raises the dead, and the spirits go back into the old house, now renovated and glorified.
We have not yet come to the end. That is what is done for us, and what is done in us, but it is not
the deliverance unto that inheritance that is reserved in Heaven. That is Paul's idea of salvation
as it is presented in this letter, and it is never less than that.
3. Salvation -- What It Is Unto
It is unto something as well as from something. We have seen what GOD does for us: He
justifies, He redeems, He adopts. We have seen what GOD does in us: He regenerates and
sanctifies the soul and He raises the body in glory. Beyond this, He delivers us unto that
inheritance that is reserved in Heaven that the heart of man never conceived of -- the precious
things that GOD has in store for those that love Him. Salvation cannot mean less than that. We
cannot say that it is all of salvation, for the soul to be justified when the body is not saved; we
cannot say the body is saved until it is raised from the dead and glorified. We cannot say that we
are saved unto our inheritance until we get to it and enter into it.
Our salvation, therefore, may be spoken of as already accomplished: we have been saved: "Even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are
saved)" (Ephesians 2:5). It may be viewed as in process: we are being saved: "For the
preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is
the power of God" (I Corinthians 1:18). It may be thought of as future: we shall be saved:
"Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through
him" (Romans 5:9).
So salvation is a big thing. Let us define it.
Salvation is the final, complete and everlasting deliverance of the sinner's entire soul and body
from the guilt of sin, from the bondage of Satan, and the deliverance of man's habitat -- this old
world -- from the curse upon it.
QUESTIONS FOR STIMULATION AND REVIEW
1. What is the theme of this letter in Paul's own words?
2. What is the condensed theme?
3. What do we gather from the salutation?
4. How is his "gospel of God" described?
5. How is the Son described?
6. What is the ground of thanksgiving?
7. How may we account for the universal proclamation of the faith of the Roman Christians?
8. What is Paul's prayer here?
9. Why this prayer?
10. What the conclusions from this prayer?
11. Analyze the theme of this letter?
12. What then is the Gospel?
13. To whom addressed?
14. On what terms?
15. What the power of the gospel?
16. Of what does the salvation unto which it leads consist?
17. Define this salvation, and explain fully each of the aspects of salvation, defining also the
terms used.
LET US RETHINK THE CHAPTER
Theme, The Gospel Plan of Salvation
I. THE SALUTATION (1:1-7)
1. The writer, "Paul"
2. Those addressed -- all Christians in Rome
3. The salutation itself
II. THE THANKSGIVING (1:8)
III THE PRAYER AND ITS REASon (1:9-15)
1. Sincere
2. Unceasing
3. Reasons for it
4. Conclusions from it
IV. THE THEME OF THE LETTER (1:16-17)
1. Salvation -- What it does for us
(1) Provides justification
(2) Offers redemption
(3) Secures adoption
2. Salvation -- What it does in us
(1) As to the soul
a. Regenerates
b. Sanctifies
(2) As to the body
a. Raises
b. Glorifies
3. What it is unto
An inheritance, which is undefiled and that fadeth not away
~ end of chapter 2
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Post by Admin on Apr 2, 2024 8:28:56 GMT -5
STUDIES IN ROMANS
By B.H. Carroll, D.D., LL.D.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD
of the
SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
- 1935 -
III. THE UNIVERSAL NECESSITY OF SALVATION
(As Shown in the Case of the Gentiles)
Romans 1:18 to 2:16
Having considered in the preceding chapter the nature and meaning of salvation, we follow in
the next two chapters the Apostle's argument in showing the universal necessity of salvation. The
argument applies to the whole human race, to man as man. In this chapter we have the case of
the Gentiles.
I. SIN IS UNIVERSAL
All men are guilty before GOD. They are all ungodly.
1. They are sinful in their nature -- They are unlike GOD and are therefore an offense to
GOD in their nature.
Originally man was made in GOD's image and likeness: "And God said, Let us make man in
our image, after our likeness" (Genesis 1:26). This original state of man shows his likeness, his
dominion and his commission. Men lost this image and likeness through sin; they are out of
harmony with the CREATOR. They need salvation, or deliverance.
2. They are sinful in their deeds -- Their deeds are evil, proceeding from the evil nature
within.
Their sin of deeds consists of both omission and commission. They have failed by way of
omission to exercise their dominion and to execute their commission. Not only have they thus
failed, they have actively done contrary to both. The wrath of GOD has been revealed from
Heaven against their sin of nature and of deed. This wrath is the assessed penalty of violated law.
3. Sin is lawlessness -- What is law?
We can never understand sin until we comprehend law. We cannot show that sin is universal
without developing an understanding of the law which sin violates. What then is law? In its last
analysis law is the intent or purpose of the CREATOR in bringing a being into existence. GOD's
intent in bringing man into existence is set forth in Genesis 1:26-31:
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle and over
all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created
man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he
them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and
replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the
fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said,
Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth,
and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that
creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and
it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And
the evening and the morning were the sixth day."
It is written indelibly in our nature. It inheres in the very constitution of our being. As a principle
it antedates any particular formal statute. Law does not become law through enactment or
legislation. Rather, law is expressed in enactments and statutes. Indeed, all statutes are but
expressions of antecedent, inherent, constitutional law. The multitude of statutes are but
expressions of the law principles in the constitution of nations and states.
Sin therefore is lawlessness, or any lack of conformity with law, whether in nature or in omission
or commission of deed. An omission of duty and a commission of sin are but symptoms or
expressions of a sinful nature. As our LORD said: "But those things which proceed out of the
mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed
evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies" (Matthew
15:18-19). As he again said: "Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of
thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt
tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a
corrupt tree bring forth good fruit" (Matthew 7:16-18). "Either make the tree good, and his
fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by his
fruit" (Matthew 12:33). That preacher therefore had no adequate conception of sin who defined
it as, "The wilful transgression of a known law." The greatest of all sin is a sin of nature. It is not
dependent in obligation on our knowledge.
4. Law Binds in Spite of Ignorance.
Paul says, "For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified." Both natural and
spiritual laws bind and have penalty notwithstanding our ignorance. The ignorance itself is sin,
or may be a result of sin. And transgression is only one overt act of sin. It is equally sin to fall
short of law or go beyond it, or to deflect from it. Righteousness is exact conformity with law.
With this conception of law, and of sin, the Apostle speaks of its penalty, the wrath of GOD -- a
wrath that is antecedent to its revelation. And yet this wrath is revealed.
II. GOD HAS GIVEN SUFFICIENT LIGHT
GOD did not leave men ignorant of sin and sin's penalty.
1. There are two books of this revelation: the book of nature in them, and the book of
nature outside them.
(1) GOD has planted knowledge in them -- "The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD,
searching all the inward parts of the belly" (Proverbs 20:27). As the natural eye is the lamp of
the body, so the spirit is JEHOVAH's lamp. "If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness,
how great is that darkness!" (Matthew 6:23). Man, therefore, by the very constitution of his
being, has a knowledge of GOD, law, sin, and penalty.
(2) GOD has revealed law and penalty, outside of man, in nature -- But the Apostle argues a
revelation of wrath outside of us and in the broad book of Nature. He says, "For the invisible
things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the
things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without
excuse" (1:20). His deity and His everlasting power are "clearly seen" in the universe which is
the work of His hands.
Yea, not only Nature, but Providence in Nature, as was said to Noah: "While the earth
remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and
night shall not cease" (Genesis 8:22). And reaffirmed by this Apostle: "Nevertheless he left not
himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from Heaven, and fruitful
seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness" (Acts 14:17). Thus all nature in us or
external to us, and GOD's marvelous providence, proclaim the knowledge of Him.
2. By way of summary, we show how the revelation of law is made both in us and in nature
outside of us --
(a) In the very constitution of our being, "The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord."
(b) In the operation of the conscience, either accusing or excusing.
(c) In the order of the material universe which discloses the deity and power of the CREATOR.
(d) In GOD's continual government of the universe by His providence evident in the recurring
seasons.
(e) In the appeal of all men to GOD's judgment for unrighted wrongs, and the invocation of His
wrath upon the wrong-doer.
(f) In the social order of men established everywhere, whatever the form of government, through
which men define and punish wrong.
(g) In the worship of all men everywhere in which by sacrifice in some form they seek to placate
the offended Deity and appease His wrath.
(h) In their very idolatries, by which they seek to lower the Deity to their own level and even
beneath their level, and in their veiling their pollutions under the cover of worship, they yet bear
testimony to His Deity and their amenability to His judgment.
3. This natural light is sufficient, but not efficient -- This internal light which GOD gives is
not a faint spark, but a great light. With every man in the world there is an internal sense of right
and wrong. Men may differ among themselves as to what particular thing is right or wrong, but
all have the sense of right and wrong. They are keenly alive to their rights and keenly sensitive to
their wrongs. But there can be no right and wrong without some law to prescribe the right and
prescribe the wrong. And there can be no law without a law-maker. And there can be no law
without penal sanctions; otherwise, it would be no more than advice. And there can be no
penalty without a judgment to declare it and a power to execute it. But every man knows that
even an exact justice is not meted out in this world -- that many times the innocent suffer and the
guilty triumph. Therefore, the conclusion comes like a conqueror, that there must be a judgment
to come and a wrath to come.
It is this knowledge or consciousness of future judgment and wrath that makes death frightful to
the evildoer. And it is this consciousness of amenability to GOD's future infallible judgment and
inexorable wrath that restrains crime more than the dread of all human law and judgment. So it is
demonstrated that there is in us a revelation of wrath against sin.
But men's lives showed that nature's light, whether external, internal or providential, has no
power to regenerate or sanctify, and no power to propitiate or justify. It could warn, alarm and
condemn, but it could not save. It was a sufficient, but it was not efficient.
4. Hence, a plan is needed which will have power unto salvation -- Here I want to show the
contrast between the light of nature and the light of the Gospel. Both are brilliant, but one of
them is sufficient and the other is efficient. In Psalm 19 we have this language:
"The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.
Day unto day uttereth speech,
and night unto night sheweth knowledge."
This is an abundance of light, and a sufficiency of light, but notice the contrast:
"The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple."
(Nature's light cannot help the fool).
Here it is the design of the Psalmist to put in contrast the light of nature and the light of GOD's
Word. In one of them the knowledge is sufficient; in the other the light is both sufficient and
efficient.
The last verse of chapter one affirms that there was sufficient knowledge so that GOD's
ordinance made such deeds as were enumerated worthy of death, and yet it declares that they
themselves willfully disobeyed and consented to disobedience in others. I ask the reader to note
particularly that it is very far from the Apostle's thought to belittle the light of nature. He boldly
avows its sufficiency, but in that it lacks efficiency there is necessity for another light which is
"the power of God unto salvation."
This revelation was sufficient to leave them without excuse because when they thus knew Him
as GOD they were guilty of these sins:
(a) They glorified Him not as GOD.
(b) Neither were thankful.
(c) Became vain in their reasonings (imaginations).
(d) Darkened their senseless (foolish) hearts.
(e) Professing to be wise, they became fools.
(f) Became idolators, changing the glory of the uncorruptible GOD into an image made like
corruptible man, birds, beasts, and creeping things.
III. MEN ARE "INEXCUSABLE"
Paul's discussion continues the argument as to the universality of sin, and the necessity for the
new and efficient revelation of Gospel light as follows: Having this sufficient natural light,
sinners are "inexcusable" because they, as individuals and as society, pass judgment on others,
not excusing them, and therein condemning themselves in all wrong-doing.
1. He starts out with the declaration in chapter 2:1 that whenever the individual man passes
judgment on a fellow man for alleged wrong-doing, and whenever organized society passes
judgment on a member of society, that proves that they are inexcusable if they do wrong, since
by their judgment they have established the principle of judgment. And in verse 2 he advances to
a new thought: "But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against
them which commit such things." What is that judgment of GOD that we know so confidently?
How do we know it? What is the knowledge? The knowledge there is the knowledge that comes
from nature. His argument demands that from the light of nature in us and outside of us we know
that GOD's judgment on such things as are enumerated in the first chapter is according to truth --
that the things there enumerated are wrong, and that when GOD punishes them the punishment is
just.
2. In verse 3 he asks this question: "And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which
do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?" On what
kind of reasoning shall a man who lives entirely apart from the Bible, and yet does claim light
enough to pass judgment on the wrong-doer, escape the judgment of GOD? If the wrong is done
to him by organized society, whether tribe or clan or nation or republic or a limited monarchy,
no matter what the government is, that government holds some things to be wrong and assesses
punishment worthy of death. "Now," he says, "do you suppose that you will escape the judgment
of GOD? You certainly cannot." We have no hope from such light as is in nature, because in
nature every violation of law receives a just recompense of reward -- every one, whether we
know the law of nature or not. If a man puts his hand into the fire, it will burn him. If he takes
poison, it will kill him. Confining our judgment to the law of nature, any hope that we may
indulge and with which we may solace ourselves, is foolish, since we cannot escape the
judgment of GOD.
3. He advances in the argument: "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and
forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to
repentance?" The thought here is that GOD doesn't punish every week -- that in the moral
government of the world a long time sometimes elapses between the commission of a crime and
its exposure, and in multitudes of cases exact justice is never rendered in this world. Paul asks
that question because of GOD's method of delay in His final punishment. What is the reason of
the delay? He says that it is from "the riches of his goodness and forbearance and
longsuffering." GOD is good; GOD is patient; GOD bears a long time before He strikes. "Now
are you going to despise that?" As the Apostle says "Not knowing that the goodness of God
leadeth thee to repentance."
There you get at the real reason of GOD's delay in punishing in his moral government. There
was no delay in the case of Adam. When he sinned, GOD made the inquisition. He called him to
His bar at once. Since that time why does He not do that? Because that very day grace
intervened, and man was put upon a grace probation, and the Gospel was preached that day in
that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head. And the throne of grace was set up
that day. On the east side of the Garden dwelt GOD with the cherubim to keep open the way to
the tree of life. This delay comes from His goodness, His forbearance, and His longsuffering and
the reason for that goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering was to give man, though guilty and
worthy of instant death, the opportunity to repent, not through anything in him, but through
grace.
IV. GOD IN MERCY DELAYS PUNISHMENT
The original penalty due to Adam's sin was suspended by the intervention of the Gospel of
JESUS CHRIST under a probation of grace. From that day all men, whether Jews or Gentiles,
have been freed from the immediate execution of that divine wrath. There have been earthly
judgments on wicked men, and chastisements on Christian men, but the full penalty of the wrath
of GOD has never yet been visited upon man. When a wicked man dies, he goes at once to hell,
but if that were counted full execution of the divine penalty, that man would not have to leave
hell to come and stand before the judgment of GOD. And if a Christian when he dies goes
immediately to Heaven, that is not to be considered the full salvation of that man. The reason is
that the body is not involved either in the case of the good man or the wicked man. When this
final wrath of GOD is visited upon man, it is visited upon both soul and body.
1. The first reason for the suspension of the penalty under a covenant of grace, is that this gives
space for repentance -- Peter and Paul both discuss that proposition. Paul discusses it here in the
chapter where he says, "Not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance."
Peter discusses it in his second letter where he says that we must construe the longsuffering of
GOD toward sinners to mean salvation.
2. The second reason is that neither a good man nor a bad man can thoroughly understand until
the Judgment Day the reasonableness of GOD's government and be constrained, whether
condemned or saved, to admit the righteousness of the sentence pronounced -- no man will
realize the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the exceeding richness of GOD's forbearance, nor the
fulness of GOD's grace in fixing the final decision until that day.
We know now only in part, but then we shall know as we are known. The wicked, as quick as a
flash of lightning, will see the exceeding sinfulness of all their past sins. In the case of every man
before his conversion he realizes that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately
wicked, who can know it? "I, the Lord." He is the only one. It is the easiest thing in the world for
a man, when he looks at his good qualities, to take a telescope and look through the little end of
it and see them more in number and larger in bulk than they really are. But he reverses that
telescope to look at his faults, and sees them infinitesimally few and small, and by the same
strange power by which he sees double in the first group, he sees his faults blend and become
fewer in number. He sees one star with the naked eye where there are two, and just a splash in
the milky way where there are ten thousand distinct worlds. By a kind of "hocus pocus" he takes
up his little handful of evil deeds and begins to apologize for them, and finally stands off and
says, with complacency, "Now, LORD, see my record. You can see how my good preponderates
over the evil." Right at that time comes the flashing of the supernal light of infinite holiness upon
the scales and presto! What a change! These good deeds that look so mountainous and
multitudinous begin to diminish in size and number and shrink and pulverize until they become
like fine dust. One breath of wrath blows them away like powder. On the other side, that little
infinitesimal group of evil begins to multiply and magnify and swell and tower and blacken until
it is a great mountain range, peak after peak, oozing with the putrid poison of that abominable
thing which GOD hates -- SIN.
So in a sense never before, all will then admit that by the deeds of the law no man can be
justified.
3. I want to add a third reason -- No man is competent to take account of the evil of his deeds or
the good of his deeds until he sees the end of their influence. It is impossible for a man to do
anything that terminates in himself, but it will surely touch everybody connected with him --
Father, mother, brother, sister, friend. Not only so, but after it has cast its gloom over all the
circle of those that are nearest to him, by ties of blood, there is that awful power of action and
reaction that carries it on till the judgment day.
If we drop a little pebble into a placid lake -- a stone no larger than the end of the finger -- by the
power of action and reaction the tiny ripples begin to radiate until they strike the utmost shores
of that lake. So time is the ocean into which our deeds are dropped, and the influence of our
deeds in their radiating wavelets in every direction never stops until it strikes the shores of
eternity. How then can any judgment inflicted now make that man see? Those that are in hell
today do not see it. Those in Heaven today do not see it.
It will take the light of the Judgment Day to bring out the full realization, and when that time
comes there will be one instantaneous and universal dropping upon the knees. Every knee shall
bow, all together -- all the lost in hell and all the saved in Heaven, and every tongue shall
confess.
When a man is just about to turn around under the "depart" of GOD's final condemnation of soul
and body and go into hell forever, before he goes he will say, "LORD GOD, in my
condemnation thou art just."
Judgment of man here upon this earth is based upon uncertain proof. How many times the most
notorious criminal is acquitted simply from the lack of legal evidence! There is moral conviction
in the minds of the judge and the jury that he is guilty, but the proof does not show it in a legal
way. In that day all evidence will be in hand, and the law construed and vindicated with even and
exact justice. There can be no suborning of testimony, no blindfolding the eyes of the judge with
a bribe, no reticence on the part of witnesses as to what they saw or heard. The evidence will be
complete, not only to GOD, but, as I have said, to man. If ever any Christian allows himself to
indulge in feelings of pride and thinks that in the partnership between him and GOD his "I" is a
capital letter and GOD is spelled with a small "g," it will not be that way up there.
He will know that his salvation is not of works, but from its incipiency in GOD's election to its
consummation in the glorification of his body, that athwart the whole long-extended golden
chain of salvation shall be written in the ineffaceable letters of eternal fire, "SALVATION IS OF
GRACE," and across the whole dark descending stairway to eternal hell, over every step of it, in
letters of fire, "MAN'S DAMNATION IS OF HIMSELF!"
V. "ACCORDING TO MY GOSPEL"
Now comes another strange thought -- that judgment in the last day will be, says Paul,
"according to my Gospel." The judgment of the heathen will be according to this gospel, and it
will be well for him, even if a lost soul, that he be judged according to this Gospel. There cannot
be a case of a lost man in which it should be better for him to be judged by somebody else than
JESUS. Here is a little baby that has never personally committed any sin. It dies one hour from
its birth without ever lisping its mother's name. It has inherited sinfulness of nature. It died, in
the sense of condemnation, when Adam sinned. To put it as an extreme case, let us call it a
heathen baby. Suppose he was not judged by the gospel. He would be forever lost. But the
Gospel points to another HEAD, JESUS CHRIST the Second ADAM. The death of JESUS
CHRIST avails for the salvation of that one whose condemnation is only on account of Adam's
sin and only on account of inherited depravity. If it were not for the Gospel, that child would
perish throughout eternity, because the law could not save him.
All the heathen children who die before they reach the years of personal accountability are
saved. Take the adult heathen. Even if he be lost, it is better for him that he be judged according
to the Gospel than merely according to the law of nature. There is never any mercy in the law of
nature. In the light of grace Paul, speaking of the heathen, says: "And the times of this
ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent." In
CHRIST He bears with the sins of the heathen in a way that the law could not bear. Let a baby
and a man stick their hands into the fire. The fire burns the baby who is ignorant the worst
because it is most tender.
But when JESUS judges the heathen, He judges them more kindly, because they lacked
knowledge, and though the man be lost forever, there are degrees in hell. Not all men who go to
hell will have the same extent to suffering. It is not like running all the sentences into one mold
so that they will all come out alike, as candles, in length and thickness; but according to light and
opportunity JESUS will judge. The servant that knows not his master's will and does it not, shall
be punished with few stripes. If there is one principle of the final judgment of JESUS CHRIST
that is transcendently above any other principle, it is this principle: that the judgment will be
rendered according to the light, the privilege, the opportunity.
Here the words of JESUS, "It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha
in the day of judgment, than for that city." Why? Because these had great light; those little
light. That is why it is a benefit to a lost man to be judged by JESUS CHRIST. That is one of the
sweetest thoughts that ever creeps into my mind -- that JESUS shall be my judge. No wonder
David, when GOD put the alternative before him, "Would you rather fall into the hands of your
enemies or into the hands of the living GOD," said, "LORD GOD, let me fall into thy hands. Do
not leave my chastisement to be assessed by men." I never think of GOD's judgment except with
satisfaction. Even when I am thinking about things I have done that are wrong, I am glad that
GOD is to be the JUDGE.
QUESTIONS FOR STIMULATION AND REVIEW
1. How does the argument for the universal necessity of salvation apply to the whole human
race?
2. What are the four arguments applied to the Gentiles?
3. What is ungodliness?
4. What is unrighteousness?
5. What is the consequent wrath of GOD?
6. What is law?
7. What other use of the term "law" in this letter?
8. What then is sin?
9. What is penalty?
10. How is the wrath of GOD revealed?
11. What must follow the fact of right and wrong?
12. When and why a judgment of wrath?
13. Why were the Gentiles left without excuse, and of what sins were they guilty?
14. What the consequences?
15. By way of review what have we found: (1) As to the theme of this letter? (2) As to the
ground of salvation? (3) As to the necessity for this salvation? (4) As to how this revelation of
wrath is made in us and out of us?
16. Having this light, why are sinners inexcusable? Explain, "But we are sure," and so forth,
verse 2.
17. What is GOD's method of punishment, verse 4?
18. What is the reason for the delay?
19. According to what?
20. What is each case?
21. What the extent of punishment?
22. What part does the light a man has play?
23. Why a judgment at the end of the world?
24. How is judgment to be by the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST? Illustrate.
25. What the transcendent principle of the judgment?
LET US RETHINK THE CHAPTER
I. SIN IS UNIVERSAL
1. All are sinful in nature
2. All are sinful in deeds.
3. Sin is lawlessness
4. Law binds in spite of ignorance
II. GOD HAS GIVEN SUFFICIENT LIGHT
1. Two books of revelation
(1) Within us
(2) Without us
2. How this revelation is made
3. This natural light is sufficient, but not efficient
4. Hence a plan with power is needed
III. MEN ARE "INEXCUSABLE"
1. By judging, men have established a principle of judgment
2. Cannot escape judgment of men, much less of GOD
3. Or, despisest thou GOD's goodness
IV. GOD IN MERCY DELAYS PUNISHMENT
1. Gives space for repentance
2. Man cannot understand until the Judgment Day
3. Must see the end of our deeds
V. "ACCORDING TO MY GOSPEL."
~ end of chapter 3 ~
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Post by Admin on Apr 2, 2024 8:30:09 GMT -5
STUDIES IN ROMANS
By B.H. Carroll, D.D., LL.D.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD
of the
SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
- 1935 -
IV. THE UNIVERSAL NECESSITY OF SALVATION (Concluded)
(As shown in Case of Jews)
Romans 2:17 to 4:25
Another point in chapter 2 is that under the law, being a Jew outwardly could not save a man.
The real Jew is one inwardly, and his circumcision is of the heart. He must be regenerated, and
the publication of the grace plan ran side by side with that law plan, even in the Old Testament.
I. GOD HAD BUT ONE PLAN OF SALVATION FROM THE BEGINNING
1. That leads to some questions:
(1) What advantage has the Jew? -- If, being naturally a Jew, and circumcised according to the
Jewish law, and keeping externally the ritual law, did not save him, as chapter 3 opens -- what
advantage then hath the Jew? The answer to that is that to the Jews were committed the oracles
of GOD, and they had a better chance of getting acquainted with the true plan of salvation.
(2) Then what if some of these Jews were without faith? -- That does not destroy the advantage;
they had the privilege and some availed themselves of it.
(3) Does that not make the grace of GOD of none effect? -- In other words, if GOD is glorified
by the condemnation of unbelievers, how then shall the man be held responsible? His answer is,
"God forbid," for if that were true, how could GOD judge the world? That supposition destroys
the character of GOD in His judgment capacity. If GOD were the author of sin and constrained
men by an extraneous power to sin, He could not be a judge. All who hold the Calvinistic
interpretation of grace must give fair weight to that statement. Whenever GOD does judge a
man, His judgment will be absolutely fair.
A party of preachers were discussing election and predestination. I asked the question, "Do you
believe in election and predestination?" The answer was, "Yes." "Are you ever hindered by what
you believe about election in preaching a universal Gospel? If you have any embarrassment
there, it shows that you have in some way a wrong view of the doctrine of election and
predestination." A young preacher of my county went to the wall on that thing. It made him
practically quit preaching, because he said that he had no Gospel except for the sheep. I showed
him how, in emphasizing one truth according to his construction of that truth, he was
emphatically denying another truth of GOD.
(4) That brings up another question: If the loss of the sinner accrues to the glory of GOD, why
should he be judged as a sinner? -- A supposition is made. Under that view, would it not be well
to say, "Let us do evil, that good may come"? There were some slanderous reports that such
was Paul's teaching. He utterly disavows such teaching or that any fair construction of what he
preached tended that way.
2. We come now to his conclusion of the necessity of the Gospel plan of salvation -- He bases it
upon the fact that under the law of nature, providence and conscience, under the law of Sinai,
under any form of law, the whole world is guilty.
There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none that understandeth,
There is none that seeketh after God;
They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable.
So apart from the Gospel plan of salvation there is universal condemnation.
3. We come to his next conclusion, 3:13-18, that man's depravity is total -- "Total" refers to all
the parts, and not to degrees. He enumerates the parts to show the totality. that does not mean
that every man is as wicked in degree as he can be, but that every part is so depraved that
without the Gospel plan of salvation he cannot be saved:
Their throat is an open sepulchre;
With their tongues they have used deceit:
The poison of asps is under their lips:
Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
Their feet are swift to shed blood;
Destruction and misery are in their ways;
And the way of peace have they not known:
There is no fear of GOD before their eyes.
4. With mankind universally guilty, and every member totally depraved, we get another
conclusion -- that whatever things the law says, it says to those under the law -- No matter
whether the law of conscience, the law of nature, or the moral law of Moses, those under the law
must be judged by the law. That being so, he sums up his conclusion thus: "By the deeds of the
law shall no flesh be justified in his sight."
II. THE GOSPEL PLAN OF SALVATION
That brings us to consider the Gospel plan of salvation which extends from verse 21 of this
chapter to the end of chapter 8, and covers four points -- justification, regeneration,
sanctification, and glorification. For the present we will discuss that part called justification.
1. It is of faith, not of merit -- He commences by stating that while there is no righteousness by
the law, there is a righteousness apart from the law; and this way of salvation apart from the law
is witnessed by the law itself and by the prophets. He further says that this righteousness is
presented to both Jew and Gentile without any distinction, and that this always has been the way
from the beginning of the world to the present time. If GOD has seemed to discriminate in favor
of the Jews, He looked toward the Gentiles through the Jews, and if He now seems partial to the
Gentiles against the Jews, He is looking toward the restoration of the Jews. This righteousness is
presented to all men on the same condition, faith, and this righteousness presented by faith is of
grace. Man does not merit it, either Jew or Gentile -- it is free.
It is the hardest thing in the world to convince a sinner that salvation comes from no merit of his,
and that faith is simply the hand that receives. Throughout all the length of the great chain of
salvation it is presented without discrimination as to merit or race, color, sex, or previous
condition of servitude.
2. We come now to the ground of it -- That ground is redemption through CHRIST. To redeem
means to buy back, as we have already seen. It implies that one was sold and lost. It must be a
buying back, and it would not be of grace if we did the buying back. It is a redemption through
JESUS CHRIST. He is the REDEEMER -- the one who buys back. The meritorious ground
consists in His expiation reaching us through His mediation. He stands between the sinner and
GOD and touches both. The first part of His mediation is the payment of the purchase price. He
could not, in paying the purchase price, stand for GOD unless GOD set Him forth as a
propitiation. He could not touch man unless He Himself, in one sense, was a man, and
voluntarily took the position. The effectiveness of the propitiation depends upon the faith of the
one to receive JESUS. That covers all past sins. When we accept JESUS we are acquitted
forever, never again coming into condemnation. I said that that "covers past sins." We must
understand this. But CHRIST's death avails meritoriously once for all for all the sins of a man,
past, present and future.
In the methods of grace there is a difference in application between sins before justification and
sins after justification. The ground is one, before and after. But the HOLY SPIRIT applies
differently. When we accept JESUS by faith as He is offered in the Gospel, we at once and
forever enter into justification, redemption of soul and adoption into GOD's family, and are
regenerated. We are no longer aliens and enemies, but children and friends of GOD. GOD's
grace, therefore, deals with us as children. Our sins, therefore, are the sins of children. We reach
forgiveness of them through the intercessions of our HIGH PRIEST and the pleadings of our
ADVOCATE (see Hebrews 9:15-26; 7:25; I John 2:1). We may be conscious of complete peace
when justified (Romans 5:1), but our consciences condemn us for sins after justification, and
peace comes for these offenses through confession, through faith, through intercession, through
the application of the same cleansing blood by the HOLY SPIRIT.
3. "From Faith to Faith"
So in us regeneration is once for all, but this good work commenced in us is continued through
sanctification with its continual application of the merits of CHRIST's death. Therefore, our
theme says, "From faith to faith." Not only justified by faith, but living by faith after
justification through every step of sanctification. We do not introduce any new meritorious
ground. That is sufficient for all, but it is applied differently. Justification takes place in Heaven.
It is GOD that justifies. The ground of the justification is the expiation of CHRIST. The means
by which we receive the justification is the HOLY SPIRIT's part in regeneration which is called
"cleansing." Regeneration consists of two elements, at least -- cleansing and renewing. But the
very moment that one believes in CHRIST, the HOLY SPIRIT applies the blood of CHRIST to
his heart and he is cleansed from the defilement of sin. At the same time the HOLY SPIRIT does
another thing. He renews the mind. He changes that carnal mind which is enmity toward GOD.
Few preachers ever explain thoroughly that passage in Ezekiel: "Then will I sprinkle clean water
upon you, and ye shall be clean... I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will
give you an heart of flesh." There is the cleansing and the renewing. JESUS says, "Born of
water and of the Spirit." There are no articles in the Greek. It is one birth. In Titus we find the
same idea: He saved us "by the washing of regeneration," the first idea, and the "renewing of
the Holy Ghost," the second idea.
4. This method of justification enables GOD to remain just in justifying a guilty man -- If we
could not find a plan by which GOD's justice would remain, then we could find no plan of
justification. How do we understand that to be done upon this principle of substitution? J.M.
Pendleton, in his discussion of this subject based upon a passage in the letter to Philemon,
explains it. Paul says, "If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account."
Now Philemon can be just in the remission of the debt of Onesimus, because he has provided for
the payment of that debt through Paul; so CHRIST promised to come and pay our debt and the
payment is reckoned to the man that accepts CHRIST, thus showing how remission of sins in the
case of Old Testament saints precedes the actual payment, or expiation, by CHRIST. GOD
charged Abraham's debts to CHRIST, and CHRIST promised to pay them when He should come
into the world. Abraham was acquitted right then. So far as GOD was concerned, the debt was
not expiated until CHRIST actually came and died. In our case, expiation precedes the faith in it.
He expiated my sins on the cross before I was born. There came a time when the plan of
salvation by that expiation was presented to me, and I received it, and then remission took place.
5. This plan of salvation by faith not only justifies GOD, but absolutely excludes any boasting
upon the part of the man -- If the man had paid the debt himself, he could claim to be the cause
of this justification. But since he did not contribute one iota to the payment of the debt, there is
no possible ground for him to boast. This plan brings out GOD's impartial relation both to Jew
and Gentile, since both are admitted upon equal terms.
This brings us to an objection that has been raised. If GOD acquits the man without his having
paid the penalty of the law, does not that make the law void? His answer is an emphatic denial. It
not only does not make the law void, but it establishes the law. How? The law is honored in that
the Substitute obeys it and dies in suffering its penalties. Further, by the fact that this plan takes
this man saved by grace and gives him, through regeneration, a mind to obey the law, through it
may be done imperfectly, and then through sanctification enables him to obey the law perfectly.
It fulfils all of its penal sanctions through the One who redeems and through the HOLY SPIRIT's
work in the one that is redeemed. When I get to Heaven I will be a perfect keeper of the law in
mind and in act. We can easily see the distinction between a mere pardon of human courts,
which may be really contrary to law, and a pardon which magnifies and makes the law
honorable. So we see that GOD can be just and the justifier of the ungodly.
III. FINAL PROOF THAT GOD'S PLAN OF SALVATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE
SAME
In his argument to prove that GOD's plan of salvation has always been the same, Paul illustrates
it by striking Old Testament cases that would appeal to the Jewish mind.
1. One of these is Abraham's conversion which is recorded in Genesis 15 -- Up to that time
Abraham was not a saved man, though he was a called man and had some general belief in GOD.
At that time he was justified, and he was justified by faith, and righteousness was imputed to
him; it was not his own. That was before he was circumcised, and it deprived him of all merit,
and made him the Father of all who should come after him in the spiritual line. He proves this by
the promise to Abraham and his seed, and shows that that seed refers, not to his carnal
descendants, but to the spiritual descendant, JESUS CHRIST. Then he goes on to show that as
Isaac, through whom the descent flowed, was born, not in a natural manner, but after a
supernatural manner, so we are born after a supernatural manner. He then takes up the further
idea that that was the only way in the world to make the promises sure to all the seed.
2. The other illustration is the witness of David -- David was their favorite king. His songs
constituted their ritual in the temple of worship. He testifies precisely the same thing: "Blessed is
he whose... sin is covered;" that is, through propitiation. Blessed is the man to whom GOD
imputeth no transgression. He takes these two witnesses, Abraham and David, and establishes
his case. He shows that the results of justification are present peace, joy and glory; "Therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God."
Take the thief on the cross. He had no time to get down and reform his life. He was a dying
sinner, and some plan of salvation was needed which would be as quick as lightning in its
operation. Suppose a man is on a plank in the deep and about to be washed away into the watery
depths. He cannot go back and correct the evils that he has done and justify himself by
restitution. If salvation is to be sure to him, it must work in a minute. That is a great
characteristic of it.
QUESTIONS FOR STIMULATION AND REVIEW
1. What judgment is referred to in Romans 2:6, and what the proof?
2. What advantage had the Jew?
3. Did all Jews avail themselves of this advantage?
4. Does that not make the grace of GOD of none effect? Why?
5. Does the doctrine of election hinder the preaching of a universal Gospel? Why?
6. If the loss of the sinner accrues to the glory of GOD, why should he be judged as a sinner?
7. What is Paul's conclusion as to the necessity of the Gospel plan of salvation? Upon what does
he base it?
8. What is Paul's conclusion as to man's depravity? What is the meaning of total depravity? How
is it set forth in this passage?
9. What then is his summary of the whole matter?
10. What is the theme of Romans 3:21 to 8:39? What four phases of the subject are thus treated?
11. Is there a righteousness by the law? What is the relation of the law to righteousness? To
whom is this righteousness offered?
12. How do you explain GOD's partiality toward the Jews first and then toward the Gentiles?
13. What are the terms of this righteousness? What its source?
14. What is redemption? What does it imply?
15. What is the meritorious ground of our justification? Upon what does the effectiveness of it
depend?
16. What is the difference in the application to sins before justification and to sins after
justification?
17. How does this method of justification by faith enable GOD to remain just and at the same
time justify a guilty man?
18. How does this plan of salvation exclude boasting?
19. What objection is raised to this method of justification? What the answer to it?
20. What is the distinction between a mere pardon of human courts and this method of pardon?
21. How does Paul prove that the plan of salvation has always been the same?
LET US RETHINK THE CHAPTER
I. GOD HAD BUT ONE PLAN OF SALVATION FROM THE BEGINNING
1. That leads to some questions:
(1) What advantage had the Jew?
(2) What if some Jews disbelieved?
(3) Is not the grace of GOD thus made of none effect?
(4) Why should the sinner be judged as one?
2. The necessity of the Gospel plan
3. Man's depravity is total
4. The law speaks to those under the law
II. THE GOSPEL PLAN OF SALVATION
1. It is of faith, not merit
2. We consider the ground of it
3. "From faith to faith"
4. Enables GOD to remain just in justifying the guilty
5. Excludes boasting
III.FINAL PROOF THAT GOD'S PLAN HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE SAME
1. Illustrated in Abraham
2. Re-enforced by David
~ end of chapter 4
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Post by Admin on Apr 2, 2024 8:33:02 GMT -5
STUDIES IN ROMANS
By B.H. Carroll, D.D., LL.D.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD
of the
SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
- 1935 -
V. THE GOSPEL PLAN OF SALVATION
Romans 5:1-21
The first paragraph, 1-11, of this chapter is but an elaboration, or conclusion, of the line of
argument in chapters 3 and 4. There are two leading thoughts in this paragraph: (1) GOD's
method of induction into the grace of salvation. (2) The happy estate of the justified.
I. METHOD OF INDUCTION
This method is expressed thus: "Therefore being justified by faith . . . though our Lord Jesus
Christ; By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand." A vital question
is here answered -- "How do we get into CHRIST, in whom are all the blessings of salvation,
each in its order?" The corresponding doctrine to our getting into CHRIST is getting CHRIST
into us to complete the union with Him as expressed by Himself: "I in you . . . ye abide in me"
(John 15:4). The names of these two doctrines are --
(1) Justification through faith, or we into CHRIST
(2) Regeneration through faith, or CHRIST in us.
Elsewhere the doctrine of "Christ in us" through regeneration is presented thus: "Forasmuch as
ye are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but
with the Spirit of the living God: not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart" (II
Corinthians 3:3). "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined
in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ" (II Corinthians 4:6). "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the
glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory"
(Colossians 1:27).
The proof that the method of this induction is also by faith is given by CHRIST. When
Nicodemus asked as to the method of regeneration, CHRIST answered, "And as Moses lifted up
the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:14-15). "Whosoever believeth
that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also
that is begotten of him" (I John 5:1).
"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to
them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13). "For ye are all the children of God by
faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:26).
II. THE HAPPY ESTATE OF THE JUSTIFIED
1. The justified truly have peace legally in GOD's eyes as soon as they are justified. So one may
be justified in fact sometime before he realizes the peace to which justification entitles, as the
experience of many Christians shows. It is GOD's purpose that we should realize it, and the
sooner the better. To affirm that our subjective perception of an external act is necessarily
simultaneous with the act is to limit the existence of things to our knowledge of things. So we
may express the understanding of the text by saying that it is both an affirmation: "We have
peace"; that is, justification now entitles to peace, but we need to lay hold of it. The fallacy of the
affirmation consists of confounding justification, which is GOD's act, with subjective peace,
which is our experience. Objective peace, legal peace, necessarily accompanies justification, but
it may not be subjective. The battle of New Orleans was fought after the treaty of peace was
signed, because Sir Edward Packenham and General Jackson did not know a treaty of peace had
been agreed upon.
2. I will name in order all the elements of the happy estate of the justified:
(1) Peace with GOD.
(2) Joy in hope of the glory of GOD
(3) Joy in tribulation, because of the fruits which follow.
(4) The gift of the HOLY SPIRIT
(5) The love of GOD shed abroad in our hearts, by that given SPIRIT
(6) The assurance that the justified shall be saved from the wrath to come, because:
(a) If reconciled, when enemies, much more will He continue salvation to friends.
(b) If reconciled through His death, much more will He alive deliver us from future wrath.
(7) Joy in GOD the Father, through whose Son we receive the reconciliation.
III. THE JUSTIFIED ARE SURE OF SALVATION
By a new line of argument the Apostle conveys assurance of salvation to the justified.
1. An argument based on our seminal relations to the two Adams -- This great doctrine is
expressed thus: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and
so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (5:12). "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. For as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous" (5:18-
19). If we combine the several thoughts into one great text we have this: By one offense of one
man, condemnation came upon all men. So by one act of righteousness of one Man, justification
unto eternal life comes upon all men who by one exercise of faith lay hold on him who wrought
the one act of righteousness.
2. This text startlingly offends and confounds the reasonings of the carnal mind which says:
(1) One may not be justly condemned for the offense of somebody else, but only for his own
offense; nor justified by the righteousness of somebody else, but by his own righteousness.
(2) Condemnation must come from all offenses, not just one; and justification must be based on
all acts of righteousness, not just one.
(3) To base a man's condemnation or justification on the act of another destroys personal
responsibility.
(4) The doctrine of imputing one man's guilt to a Substitute tends to demoralization, in that the
real sinner will sin the more, not being personally amenable to penalty.
(5) The doctrine of pardoning a guilty man because another is righteous turns loose a criminal on
society.
(6) The whole of it violates that ancient law of the Bible itself: Thou shalt justify the innocent
and condemn the guilty.
If the Gospel plan of salvation, fairly interpreted, does destroy personal responsibility, does tend
to demoralize society, does encourage to sin the more, does turn criminals loose on society, does
not tend to make its subjects personally better, it is then the doctrine of the devil and should be
hated and resisted by all who respect justice and deprecate iniquity. But the seminal idea of
condemnation and justification grows out of relations to two respective heads, and it results from
varieties in creation, thus:
(a) GOD created a definite number of angels, just so many at the start, never any more or less, a
company, not a family, incapable of propagation, being sexless, without ancestry or posterity,
without brother or sister or other ties of consanguinity, each complete in himself, and hence no
angel could be condemned or justified for another's act. The act of every angel terminates in
himself. Therefore, there can be no salvation for a sinning angel. And hence our Saviour "took
not on him the nature of angels."
(b) But GOD also created a different order of beings, at the start just one man, having potentially
in himself an entire race -- a countless multitude to be developed from him. And in propagating
the race he transmitted his own nature, and through heredity his children inherited that nature.
No act of any human being arises altogether from himself or can possibly terminate in himself.
In considering heredity, Oliver Wendell Holmes has said, "Man is an omnibus in which all his
ancestors ride." Moreover, man was created to be a social being, from which fact arises the
necessity of human government whether in legislative, judicial or executive power. The mind
can conceive of only one human being whose act would terminate in himself, and under the
following conditions alone: He must be without ancestry, without capacity of posterity, without
kindred in any degree, without relation to society, living alone on an island surrounded by an
ocean whose waves touched no other shore from which society might come. How much more the
head in whom potentially and legally was the race could not do an act that would terminate in
himself!
(c) The creature cannot deny GOD's sovereign right to create this variety of moral beings, angels
and man.
(d) Nature does not exempt children from the penalty of heredity.
(e) Human law neither exempts children from legal responsibility of parents nor acquits
criminals because of hereditary predispositions.
The context bases the condemnation of all men on the ground that all sinned in Adam, the head,
and so having sinned in him they all died in him. The context, "And so death passed upon all
men" (even those who had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression) is the distinct
proof of our proposition. Only one person ever sinned the sin of Adam and that was Adam
himself, the head of the race. Now as proof that his posterity sinned after the similitude of his
sin; that is, they sinned not as the head of a race, but from depravity -- an inherited depravity.
Adam did not have that inherited depravity. GOD made him upright.
Whenever I commit a sin, I do not commit that sin from the standpoint of Adam, but I commit it
on account of an evil nature inherited from Adam, and that sin is not after the similitude of
Adam's transgression. Moreover, if I commit a sin, the race is not held responsible for my sin,
because I am not the head of the race. The race does not stand or fall in me. Thus there are two
particulars in which sins which we commit are not after the similitude of Adam's sin, and yet,
says the Apostle, with his inexorable logic, ". . . even over them that had not sinned after the
similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." The law was
executed on every one of them; they died. Sin condemns on the ground of the solidarity of the
law, the unity of the law. "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one
point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10).
Human law in this respect conforms to divine law. If a man be law-abiding fifty years and then
commits one capital offense, his previous righteousness avails him nothing. Nor does it avail that
he was innocent of all other offenses. If a man were before a court charged with murder, he
would derive no benefit by proving that he had not been guilty of theft. If he were guilty on the
score of murder, his life is forfeited. That is on account of the solidarity of the law. Nor does it
avail a man anything in a human court that he was tempted from without. So Adam vainly
pleaded, "The woman... gave me of the tree, and I did eat."
IV. THE SEMINAL IDEA OF SALVATION (5:12-21)
1. The one offense committed by the first Adam was his violation of that test, or prohibition,
"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day
that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:17). Adam was told that he was not
to eat of the tree of death, nor was he to experimentally know the difference between good and
evil. In other words, he was an anti-prohibitionist. The law commenced with an absolute
prohibition, and it did not avail Adam a thing to plead personal liberty. Race responsibility rested
on Adam alone. It could not possibly have rested on Eve, because she was a descendant of
Adam, just as much as we are. GOD created just one man, and in that man was the whole human
race, including Eve. Later he took a part of the man and made a woman, and the meaning of the
word "woman" is "derived from man." When Adam saw her, he said, "Isshah," woman, which
literally means derived from man. As she got both her soul and body from the man, being his
descendant, it was impossible that the race responsibility should rest on her.
If Eve alone had sinned, the race would not have perished. She would have perished, but not the
race. The race was in Adam. GOD could have derived another woman from him like that one. He
had the potentiality in him of all women as well as all men. Some error has arisen from holding
Eve responsible, such as the error of pointing the finger at the woman and saying, "You did it!"
The text says, "By one man's offense" and not by one offense of one woman. That Eve sinned
there is no doubt; she was in the transgression. To the contrary, history shows that GOD
connects salvation with the woman, and not damnation. He said that the Seed of the woman shall
bruise the serpent's head. There we have the promise of grace. And he could not have said the
seed of the man, for, if one be the seed of a man, he inherits the man's fallen nature.
2. This fact has a mighty bearing on the Second Adam -- When the Second Adam came, the first
and virtually essential proof was that a woman was his mother, but no man was His Father --
GOD was His Father. If a man had been His Father, He would Himself have been under
condemnation through a depraved nature. Mary could not understand the announcement that she
should become the mother of a Saviour who would be the "Son of God," since she had not yet
married, until the angel exclaimed: "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy
Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore
also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).
Hence, whoever denies our LORD's birth of a virgin and that he was sired by the MOST HIGH
denies the whole plan of salvation and is both the arch liar of the world and anti-Christ. The
essential deity of our LORD and His incarnation constitute the bed-rock of salvation. It is the
first, most vital, most fundamental truth. No man who rejects it can be a Christian or should be
received as a Christian for one moment. (See John 1:1, 14; I John 4:1-3; Philippians 2:6-8; I
Timothy 3:16.)
But this question comes up, "Did not JESUS derive his human nature, through heredity, from his
mother; since she was a descendant of fallen Adam, how could her Son escape a depraved
nature?" This is a pertinent question and a very old one. It so baffled Romanist theologians that
they invented and issued under papal infallibility the decree of "The Immaculate Conception,"
meaning not only that JESUS was born sinless, but that Mary herself was born sinless, which of
course only pushes back the difficulty one degree. Their invention was purely gratuitous. There
is nothing in the case to call for a sinless mother. Depravity resides in the soul. The soul comes,
not from the one who conceives, but from the one who begets. This is the very essence of the
teaching in the passage cited from Luke. The sinlessness of the nature of JESUS is expressly
ascribed to the Sire: "That holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of
God." And it is the very heat of Paul's entire biological, or seminal, idea of salvation; that is, life
from a seed. The seed is in the sire. The first Adam's seed is unholy; the Second Adam's seed is
holy. Hence, the necessity of the SPIRIT birth. So is our LORD's teaching in John 3:36; 8:44;
and I John 3:9, and the parable of the Tares with its explanation, Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, and
especially I Peter 1:23: "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by
the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." The propriety of salvation by the Second
Adam lies in the fact that we were lost through the first Adam. All the criticism against
substitutionary, or vicarious, salvation comes from a disregard of this truth.
3. CHRIST met all the law requirements as follows:
(1) By holiness of nature -- starting holy.
(2) By obeying all its precepts.
(3) By fulfilling its types.
(4) By paying its penalty.
The value of the first three items is that they qualified Him to do the fourth. If He had been either
unholy in nature or defective in obedience, He would have been amenable to the penalty for
Himself. But having holiness in His own nature and His perfect obedience exempting Him from
penalty on His own account, He could be the sinner's Substitute in death and judgment: "For he
hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin: that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him" (II Corinthians 5:21). ". . . ye were... redeemed . . . with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (I Peter 1:18-19). If He answered not
to the types, He could not be the MESSIAH.
CHRIST's one act of righteousness, which is the sole ground of our justification, is His vicarious
death on the cross. No one ought to preach at all -- having no Gospel message -- if he does not
comprehend this with absolute definiteness. If we attribute our justification to CHRIST's
holiness, or to His perceptive obedience, or to His Sermon on the Mount, or to His miracles, or
to His Kingly or Priestly reign in Heaven, where He is now, or if we locate that one act of
righteousness anywhere in the world except in one place and in one particular deed, we ought
not to preach.
The one act of righteousness -- the sole meritorious ground of justification -- is our LORD's
vicarious death on the cross, suffering the death penalty of divine law against sin.
This death was a real sacrifice and propitiation Godward, so satisfying the law's penal sanctions
in our behalf as to make it just for GOD to justify the ungodly. Our LORD's incarnation, with all
His work antecedent to the cross, was but preparatory to it, and all His succeeding work
consequential. His exaltation to the throne in Heaven, His priestly intercession, and His coming
judgment flowing from His obedience "unto death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians
2:8-9).
V. THE PARTICULAR PROOF OF THIS ONE ACT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM
BOTH TESTAMENTS IS AS FOLLOWS
1. Proof from the Old Testament
(1) The establishment of the throne of grace, immediately after man's expulsion from paradise,
where GOD dwelt between the cherubim, east of the Garden of Eden, as a Shechinah, or
Swordflame, to keep open the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24) and was there acceptably
approached only through the blood of an innocent and substitutionary sacrifice (Genesis 4:3-4;
compare Revelation 7:14; 22:14), which mercy-seat between the cherubim was to be approached
through sacrificial blood, just as described in that part of the Mosaic Law prescribing the way of
the sinner's approach to GOD (Exodus 25:17-22).
(2) In the four most marvelous types:
a. The Passover-lamb whose blood availed when JEHOVAH saw it (Exodus 12:13, 23) showing
that the blood propitiated GOD-ward. (See I Corinthians 5:7).
b. In the kid on the great Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16) which shows that the expiatory blood
must be sprinkled on the mercy-seat between the cherubim as the basis of atonement.
c. In the red heifer, burned without the camp, and whose ashes, liquefied with water, became a
portable means of purification (Numbers 19:2-6, 9, 17-18 with Hebrews 9:13), representing that
first and cleansing element of regeneration in which the HOLY SPIRIT applies CHRIST's blood.
(See Psalm 51:2, 7; Ezekiel 36:25; John 3:5 [born of water and SPIRIT]; Ephesians 5:26; Titus
3:5.)
d. The brazen serpent, fused in fire and then elevated to be seen, which shows that the expiatory
passion, a fiery suffering, must be lifted up in preaching, as the object of faith and means of
healing, Numbers 21:9, explained in John 3:14-16; 12:23-33; Gal. 3:1.
(3) In such striking passages as Isaiah 53:4-11 -- Compare the Messianic prayer: "Deliver my
soul from the sword" (Psalm 22:20), with the divine response, "Awake, O sword, against my
shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts" (Zechariah 13:7a),
and hear the sufferer's outcry: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1
and Matthew 27:45-46). When these passages are compared with Isaiah 53:5-10, Romans 3:25;
II Corinthians 5:21 and I Peter 2:24, it cannot be reasonably questioned that He died under the
sentence of GOD's law against sin, and that this death was propitiatory toward GOD and
vicarious toward man, and is the one act of righteousness through which our justification comes.
2. Proof from the New Testament
Some of the New Testament passages, including several already given, our LORD's own words
in instituting the Memorial Service: "This is my body which is given for you . . . This cup is
the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you . . . which is shed for many" (Luke
22:19-20; Mark 14:24). (We need to add only Romans 3:25; I Corinthians 1:30; 5:7; I Peter
1:18-19; 2:24 and Hebrews 10:4-14).
The combined text, "One exercise of faith," means that unlike sanctification, justification is not
progressive, but is one instantaneous act; GOD justifies, and our laying hold of it is a simple
definite transaction. One moment we are not justified; in the next moment we are justified. One
look at the brazen serpent brought healing. Zacchaeus went up the tree lost, and came down
saved. The dying thief at one moment was lost, and the next heard the words: "Today shalt thou
be with me in Paradise." At midnight the lost jailer was trembling; just after that he was
rejoicing, believing in GOD with all his house. There is no appreciable time element in the
transition from condemnation to justification.
Considering CHRIST as a gift, how long does it take to receive Him?
Considering Him as a promise, how long to trust?
Considering CHRIST as the custodian of an imperilled soul, how long to commit it to Him?
Considering the union between CHRIST and the sinner as an espousal (II Corinthians 11:2), how
long to say: "I take Him?"
As a marriage between man and woman is a definite transaction, consummated when he says, "I
take her to be my lawful wife," and when she says, "I take him to be my lawful husband," so by
one exercise of faith we take CHRIST as our LORD. But as sanctification is progressive, we go
on in that from faith to faith. But justification through faith in a Substitute does not turn loose a
criminal on society. If it be meant a criminal in deed, it is not true, because to the last farthing
the law claim has been met in the payment of the surety. In other words, the law has been fully
satisfied. If it be meant in spirit, it is not true, for every justified man is regenerated. A new heart
to love GOD and man has been given, a holy disposition imparted, loving righteousness and
hating iniquity. A spirit of obedience, new and right motives of gratitude and love are at work,
and motive determines very largely the moral quality of action. In other words, the justified man
is also a new creature.
It secures in the new creature the only basis of true morality.
Morality is conformity with moral law. Immorality is non-conformity with moral law. The first
and great commandment of moral law is supreme love toward GOD, and the second is love to
thy neighbor as thyself. No unregenerate man can make a step in either direction any more than a
bad tree can produce good fruit, for "the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." The unregenerate is self-centered; the
regenerate, Christ-centered. The justified man, being regenerate, will be necessarily a better man
personally and practically than he was before in every relation of life -- better in the family,
better in society and better in the state. A claim to justification without improvement in these
directions is necessarily a false claim.
The writer in 2:17 has already introduced the word "law" in a special sense when discussing the
case of the Jew as contradistinguished from other nations. And this is the sense of his word
"law" when he says, "For until the law sin was in the world." Law, to a Jew, meant the Sinaitic
law.
But the Apostle is proving that law did not originate at Sinai, in any sense except for one nation,
as was evident from sin and death anterior to it. First, there was primal law inherent in GOD's
intent in creating moral beings, and in the very constitution of their being, and in all their
relations. And this law, even to Adam in innocence, found statutory expression in the law of
labor, the law of marriage and in the law of the Sabbath, as well as in the particular prohibition
concerning the tree of death.
VI. THE INTERVENTION OF THE GRACE COVENANT
Immediately after Adam's fall and expulsion from Paradise came the intervention of the grace
covenant with its law of sacrifices, symbolically showing the way of a sinner's approach to GOD
through vicarious expiation. There were preachers and prophets of grace before the Flood, as
well as the convicting and regenerating SPIRIT. All these expressions of law passed over the
Flood with Noah, with several express additions to the statutory law both civil and criminal.
Death proved sin, and sin proved law, before we come to Sinai. Adam was under law. Adam
sinned and death reigned over him. Adam's descendants down to Moses died. Therefore, they
had sinned, and therefore were under the law. But their sin was not like Adam's in several
particulars: (1) They did not sin as the head of a race. (2) They did not sin from a standpoint of
innocence and holiness, but from an inherited depravity. (3) They sinned under a grace covenant
which Adam had not in Paradise. This last particular is here emphasized, where grace in
justification is contrasted with the condemnation through Adam's one offense.
If then the Sinaitic code did not originate law, what was its purpose? "Moreover the law
entered, that the offence might abound" (Romans 5:20). This purpose of the law will be
considered more elaborately later. Just here it is sufficient to say that the Sinaitic code under
three great departments, or heads, is the most marvelous and elaborate expression of law known
to history. Its three heads or constituent elements, as we learn in the Old Testament are --
1. The Decalogue, or moral law, or GOD and the normal man.
2. The law of the altar, or GOD and the sinner, or the sinner's symbolic way of approach to
GOD, including a place to find Him, a means of propitiating Him, times to approach Him, and an
elaborate ritual of service.
3. The judgments, or GOD and the State, in every variety of municipal, civil and criminal law.
So broad, so deep, so high, so minute, so comprehensive is this code, so bright is its light, that
every trespass in thought, word and deed is not only made manifest, but is made to abound, in
order that where sin abounded, grace would abound exceedingly.
QUESTIONS FOR STIMULATION AND REVIEW
1. What part of chapter 5 is but an elaboration, or conclusion, of the line of argument started in
chapters 3 and 4?
2. What vital question is here answered?
3. What is the corresponding doctrine to our getting into CHRIST?
4. What are the names of these two doctrines?
5. How elsewhere is the doctrine of "CHRIST in us" through regeneration presented?
6. What is the proof that the method of this induction is also by faith?
7. What is the fallacy of affirming that subjective peace is simultaneous with justification?
Illustrate.
8. What, in order, are the elements of the happy estate of the justified?
9. By what new line of argument in 5:12-21 does the Apostle convey assurance of salvation to
the justified?
10. How does this text startlingly offend and confound the reasonings of the carnal mind?
11. On what ground does the context base the condemnation of all men?
12. What is the meaning of the context, "and so death passed upon all men," and so forth?
13. On what ground does sin condemn, and what the proof?
14. How does human law in this respect conform to divine law?
15. What was the one offense committed by the first Adam?
16. On whom did race responsibility rest -- Adam or Eve, or both, and why?
17. If only Eve sinned, what would have been the result?
18. What error has since arisen from holding Eve responsible?
19. What bearing has this fact on the Second Adam?
20. How could JESUS, being born of a depraved woman, escape depraved nature?
21. What is CHRIST's one act of righteousness, which is the ground of our justification?
22. What particular proof of this one act of righteousness from both Testaments?
23. How is it that justification through faith in a Substitute does not turn loose a criminal on
society?
24. Explain the parenthetic statement in 5:13-17.
25. What are the three constituent elements of the Sinaitic law?
LET US RETHINK THE CHAPTER
I. METHOD OF INDUCTION
1. Justification through faith, or we into CHRIST.
2. Regeneration through faith, or CHRIST into us.
II. THE HAPPY ESTATE OF THE JUSTIFIED
1. "We have," "Let us have"
2. Some things included in this happy estate
III. THE JUSTIFIED ARE SURE OF SALVATION
1. Argument based on relations to the two Adams
2. Offends the carnal mind
IV. THE SEMINAL IDEA OF SALVATION
1. Sin came through Adam
2. This has bearing on the Second Adam
3. How CHRIST met all requirements
V. THE PROOF FROM BOTH TESTAMENTS
1. From the Old Testament
2. From the New Testament
VI. THE INTERVENTION OF THE GRACE COVENANT
1. The Decalogue
2. The law of the altar
3. The judgments
~ end of chapter 5 ~
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Post by Admin on Apr 2, 2024 8:34:36 GMT -5
STUDIES IN ROMANS
By B.H. Carroll, D.D., LL.D.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD
of the
SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
- 1935 -
VI. SALVATION IN US
WHAT SALVATION DOES FOR OUR SOULS AND OUR BODIES
Romans 6:1 to 8:39
We have considered hitherto in this letter what salvation has done for us in redemption,
justification and adoption. We have now before us in 6:1 to 8:39 what salvation does in us in
regeneration and glorification of our bodies.
Two questions properly introduce this section. In 3:21 he says, "But now the righteousness of
God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets." In view of
this, in 6:1 he asks, "What shall we say then?"
I. SHALL WE CONTINUE IN SIN, THAT GRACE MAY ABOUND?
1. The Question Fully Stated
The meaning is this: Does salvation by grace through faith in a debt-paying Substitute encourage
to more sin because the sinner does not himself pay the penalty, and thus by more sin give
greater scope to superabounding grace? Or, does imputation of the penalty of sin in a Substitute
make void the law to the sinner personally? Or does GOD's justification of the sinner, through
faith, instead of his personal obedience, turn loose a defiled criminal on society eager to commit
more crime because his future offenses, like his past offences, will be charged to the Substitute?
These are pertinent questions of practical importance and if, indeed, this be the legitimate result
of the Gospel plan of salvation, it is worthy of rejection by all who love justice.
While we have already considered this matter somewhat, let us restate a reply embodying the
substance of this section. The reply is briefly as follows:
2. Whom GOD justifies them He also regenerates and sanctifies in soul and raises and glorifies
in body.
(1) In the first element of regeneration -- the application of the blood of CHRIST by the HOLY
SPIRIT. The sinner is cleansed from the defilement of sin. (See Psalm 51:2, 7; Ezekiel 36:25;
Titus 3:5, first clause, "the washing of regeneration"; "born of water" (John 3:5). See also
Revelation 7:14 and 22:14. So that the justified man is not turned loose a defiled criminal on
society.
(2) In the second element of regeneration the justified sinner is delivered from the love of sin by
his renewed nature, Psalm 51:10; Ezekiel 36:26; John 3:3, 5-6 "born again... born... of the
Spirit"; Titus 3:5, second clause, "and renewing of the Holy Ghost." So that the regenerate
man has the spirit of obedience (Ezekiel 36:27; Titus 2:11-14; 3:8). And while the obedience of
the regenerate is imperfect, yet through sanctification, when it is consummated, the regenerate in
soul is qualified to perfect obedience (Philippians 1:6; 3:12-14; II Corinthians 3:17-18). And
when the body is raised and glorified, then this justified sinner has become personally, in soul
and body, as holy and obedient as JESUS Himself (I John 3:2; Psalm 17:15), all of which is
pictorially set forth in our baptism (Romans 6:4-5; Colossians 2:12). So that faith not only does
not make void the law to us personally, but is the only way by which we shall be made able to
keep the law personally, and not only does not encourage to sin, but furnishes the only motives
by which practically we cease from sin.
3. The doctrine of baptism as bearing upon this point set forth in 6:1-11 is this: A justified and
regenerate man is commanded to be baptized.
Baptism symbolizes the burial of a dead man -- dead to his old life -- his cleansing from the sins
of the old life, and his resurrection to a new life.
CHRIST died on the cross for our sins once for all. Being dead, he was buried, raised to a new
life and exalted to a royal and priestly throne. All this, in the beginning of his public ministry,
was prefigured in his own baptism. As he died for our sins, paying the law penalty, so we in
regeneration become dead to law claims because we died to sin in his death. Being dead to the
old life, we should be buried. This is represented in our baptism: "Buried... in baptism." But in
regeneration we are not only slain, but made alive, or quickened. The living should not abide in
the grave; therefore, in our baptism there is also a symbol of our resurrection. Regeneration not
only slays and makes alive, but cleanses; therefore, in our baptism we are symbolically cleansed
from sin, as was said to Paul. "Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins." So that not only
both elements of regeneration, cleansing and renewal of soul are set forth pictorially in our
baptism, but also the coming resurrection and glorification of our bodies.
4. In 6:7 we have this language: "For he that is dead is freed from sin." That means that there
are two ways in which one can satisfy the law and meet all of its claims. He can either do it by
perfectly obeying the law, or he can do it by meeting the penalty of the law. Therefore, it says,
"for he that is dead is freed from sin." It is just like an ordinary debt. If one pays the debt, he is
justified from the claim. If a man commits an offense and the law's decision is that he suffer the
penalty of two years in the penitentiary, and he serves the two years in the penitentiary, he is
justified in the eyes of the law. The law cannot take him up and try him again. While the
disobedience of the law is not justified in obedience, he has paid the full penalty. Now to make
the application of that: CHRIST died for our sins; we died in His death, just as we died in Adam
and came under condemnation for it. Now when we die with CHRIST, that death on the cross
justifies us from sin. That is what it means.
The next point is the argument from the meaning of the declaration that he that is dead is
justified from sin. That argument is presented in verses 12 and 13, and the reason for it is given
in verse 14. Let us look at those verses. If we be dead to sin, we should not let sin reign in our
mortal body that we should obey the lusts thereof. Neither present our members unto sin as
instruments of unrighteousness, but present ourselves unto GOD as alive from the dead, and our
members as instruments of righteousness unto GOD. The reason assigned is, "For sin shall not
have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." In other words, "It
is true that you did not pay that law claim, but your Substitute paid it, and that puts you from
under the law of condemnation. Now if you set out to pay, you set out to pay unto grace. The
spirit of obedience in you is not of fear, but of love to Him that died for you." That is what is
called being under grace in a matter of obedience and not under law.
5. What is the force of the question, "Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but
under grace?" In other words, "Because my obedience is not a condition of my salvation, shall I
therefore sin?" That is the thought, and his argument against that is this: "God forbid. Know ye
not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey;
whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" If a man presents himself unto
grace as the principle of obedience, then it is not a life and death matter, but it is a matter of love
and gratitude. It is on a different principle entirely. And in a very elaborate way he continues the
argument down to verse 23: "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Let us now explain the contrast in 6:23 and give the argument. Here he contrasts two things, (1)
the wages; this is a matter of law -- wages; (2) over against that stands gift -- free gift. That is not
a matter of wages. The wages of sin is death -- that is the penalty -- but now the free gift is
eternal life. It is impossible to put his meaning any plainer than these words put it: "Are you
expecting to be saved on the ground of earning your salvation as wages, or are you expecting to
be saved through the free gift of GOD unto eternal life?" That is the thought.
6. Let us see the force of the illustration in 7:2: "For the woman which hath an husband is
bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is
loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to
another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband be dead, she is free from
that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man." The force of
that as an illustration of the married life is: "What therefore God hath joined together, let not
man put asunder." The obligation of a wife to a husband, and their fidelity to each other, is a
matter of law growing out of the relation that holds them together. So long as a husband lives
and a wife lives, neither one of them can be free to marry except in a certain case, and that
exception is discussed elsewhere. He is just discussing the general principles here. Now apply
that illustration: "The law holds you to absolute fidelity in obedience just as the law holds the
woman bound to her husband, and the husband to his wife. If you died with CHRIST, you are
dead to that law, and therefore you can enter into another relation. You are espoused to CHRIST.
The law that binds you now is the law of that espousal to CHRIST, and that is the law of
freedom; not like the other, it is a matter of grace." That is the force of that statement.
II. IS THE LAW SIN? (7:12)
Then in 7:7, "Is the law sin?" That is an important question and he answers it. Some things in
connection with it have already been answered, and in answering it particularly I will take the
following position.
1. The law is not sin -- It is holy, it is just, it is good. What, then, is the relation of the law to sin?
He says here that it gives the knowledge of sin: "I had not known sin, but by the law." If people
were living according to different standards, every man being a judge in his own case, what A
would think to be right B would think to be wrong, and vice verse. People would think
conflicting things, and as long as a man held himself to be judge of what was right and what was
wrong he would not feel that he was a sinner. So the real standard, not a sliding scale, is put
down among all the varying ideas of right and wrong. What is the object? It is to reveal the lack
of conformity to the law: "I had not known sin, but by the law."
2. The law provokes to sin -- He says, "But sin, taking occasion by the commandment,
wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead." If children
were forbidden to climb telephone poles, they would all desire to climb them, and they might
never think of it if they were not forbidden. So the law was designed to show just what inherent
nature will bring out. A snake is very pretty at certain times, and one may think that the enmity
between him and the human race is hardly justifiable, but let him give a snake the opportunity to
develop just what is in him, and then he will have a different opinion. Who would have supposed
that it was in human nature to do the things done in the French Revolution? Man is a good sort of
creature; he would not impale a body on a bayonet; he would not burn a woman at the stake; he
would not put her fingers in a thumb-screw; he would not put a man on the rack and torture him;
but nobody knows the evil that is in human nature until it has a chance to show what is in it. The
law brings all that out.
3. Hence, the object of the law is to make sin appear to sin, and to be exceeding sinful -- to make
it seem what it is, and not just a peccadillo, or a misdemeanor, but an exceedingly vile, ghastly
and hateful thing.
4. Then the object of the law is to work death: "Sin, taking occasion by the commandment,
deceived me, and by it slew me." The death there referred to is the death in one's own mind. It
means conviction that one is lost -- that is the death he is talking about. For he explains
immediately, where he says, "I was alive without the law once"; that is, he felt like he was all
right, but when the commandment came he saw that he was a dead man -- under condemnation
of death. And that is one of the works of the HOLY SPIRIT bringing about conviction, making a
man see that he is a sinner, making him feel that he is a sinner, that he is exceeding sinful.
And we may distrust any kind of preaching that is dry-eyed, that has no godly sorrow, that has
no repentance. If one thinks that he is a very little sinner, then a very little Saviour is needed. We
depreciate our Saviour just to the extent that we extenuate our sin.
III. THE CONFLICT OF THE TWO NATURES (7:15-25)
The next passage is also of real importance (7:15-25). There is only one important question on it:
"Is the experience there related the experience of a converted man, or of an unconverted man?" If
one wants to see how men dissent on it, let him read his commentaries.
1. The Conflict Stated. Let us see some of the points: "For that which I do I allow not (the
word "allow" is used in the sense of "approve"): for what I would, that do I not; but what I
hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. ... For the good that I would
I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more
I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is
present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man." The point is this: If
the mind of the flesh -- the carnal mind -- is enmity against GOD, if it is not subject to the law of
GOD, and neither indeed can be, then how can that mind "delight in the law of God after the
inward man?" How can he approve that which is good? From verse 16 to the end of chapter 7,
he discusses a certain imperfection attending the regenerate state.
2. The experience of every regenerate man will corroborate this: "I know a certain thing is right;
I am ashamed to say I did not do it; I know a certain thing is wrong, and I approve the law that
makes it wrong, and I am ashamed to say I have done that very thing." And if there is one thing
that disturbs the Christian and troubles him, it is to find a law in his members warring against the
law of his mind. That is expressed here: "O Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me
from the body of this death?" That expression of Paul's has been (and I think rightly) supposed
to refer to an ancient penalty inflicted on a man that had committed a certain offense. He was
chained to a dead body, and he had to carry that dead body with him everywhere he went. He
alive, that body dead, he would want a pure atmosphere to inhale, and that body would be
exhaling the stench of corruption. It was a miserable condition: "Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death?"
3. One of the great French preachers preached on that subject before Louis XIV -- We find a
reference to it in Strong's "Systematic Theology." He was talking about the two "I's"; "For that
which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not: but what I hate, that do I." The
French preacher was pointing out the two men in a man, and how they fought against each other,
and the king interrupted him in his sermon and said, "Ah, I know those two men." The preacher
pointed at him and said, "Sire, it is somewhat to know them, but, your majesty, one or the other
of them must die." It isn't enough just to know them; one or the other of them is going to
ultimately triumph.
What is the meaning of 8:4: "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Here is the fulfillment in us. It is not imputed
righteousness that is being discussed here; that is, justification. But it is the object of
regeneration and sanctification to make a personal righteousness. The object of regeneration and
sanctification is that in us the law might be fulfilled as well as for us in the death of CHRIST.
That is the meaning of the passage, and it is one of the profoundest gratifications to me that my
salvation does not stop at justification. I am glad to think that the law has no claims on me, but I
could not be happy, being only justified and loving sin. I not only want to be delivered from sin
but from the love of sin in regeneration, and the dominion of sin in sanctification.
4. The Apostle describes the two minds in 8:5-8: "For they that are after the flesh do mind the
things of the flesh." Here "flesh" does not mean the body. The flesh does not mean the tissues
and the blood. That would constitute only a physical man. What he means by the flesh is the
carnal mind. Now he is discussing the two. He continues: "but they that are after the Spirit the
things of the Spirit." There are the two minds: "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be
spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it
is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh
cannot please God." It is just like trying to wash away the soul's sins in water.
We might take the sinner up and hold him under Niagara Falls and let it pour on him for ten
thousand years and we could never wash away the soul's sins. It was impossible for the blood of
bullocks to take away sin. It is impossible for the water of baptism to take away sin. This carnal
mind cannot be made into a Christian. We can whitewash it, and there are many preachers that
do that sort of business. It may be outwardly beautiful, like a tomb, but inwardly it is full of
rottenness and dead men's bones.
IV. SALVATION THORUGH REGENERATION AND ADOPTION
We now continue the discussion of salvation through regeneration and adoption. Regeneration is
a change of mind. The carnal mind cannot be made into a Christian, hence there must be a
change. Is the change simply using the old mind, but modifying it, or is it a change like this: A
woman puts her baby in the cradle at night and the next morning there was another baby in the
cradle which she called the changeling? That was not any imitation of the baby that was in there
before. Just so we waste our time if we try to make a Christian out of the carnal mind. We cannot
do it. That is why regeneration is called a creation, which is to make something out of nothing --
not out of a material having already existed.
What Paul is expressing here is that we may take the fallen nature of man which he has inherited
from Adam and commence an educational process in the cradle, and continue it up to the adult
stage and get a very respectable church member, but not a saved person.
Education has no creative power at all. A man may be very proper in his behavior; he may pay
the preacher; he may go to Sunday school; he may do everything in the world that will enable
him to appear to be a Christian, and yet not be a Christian. There must be a breaking up of the
fallow ground. As JESUS said to Nicodemus, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God."
1. Regeneration Is a Change Wrought by the HOLY SPIRIT
The conclusion reached by the Apostle in this argument is in verse 11: "But if the Spirit of him
that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead
shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." Now the question,
Who shall deliver me from the body of this death, this evil mind, this evil body? It comes
through CHRIST, but it is CHRIST working through the SPIRIT. It is the HOLY SPIRIT that
made CHRIST's body alive; it is the HOLY SPIRIT that will make our bodies alive at the
Resurrection; it is the HOLY SPIRIT that will glorify these bodies, and when they come out they
will be spiritual bodies and not carnal bodies.
There is a test presented in verse 14: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are
the sons of God." Who are GOD's children? Those that have the SPIRIT -- those that are led by
the SPIRIT. We are regenerated by the SPIRIT, and under the guidance of that SPIRIT we turn
away from sin. If we fall we try to fall toward Heaven, and get up and try again. There is a sense
of wanting to get nearer and nearer to GOD. We want to know whether we are Christians. Here
is the test: We are led by the SPIRIT of GOD.
2. Regeneration Is Accompanied by Adoption
That brings us to the word, "adoption." What is adoption? Etymologically it is that legal process
by which one, not a member of a family naturally, is legally made a member of it and an heir.
(1) There are three kinds of adoption which the Apostle discusses in this letter: a. National
adoption, Romans 9:3b, 4a: "My kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to
whom pertaineth the adoption." Many times in the Old Testament, Israel is called GOD's son,
the nation as a nation being His particular people. b. The adoption of the soul of the justified
man, Romans 8:15: ". . . ye have received the Spirit of adoption." c. The adoption of our
bodies when they are redeemed from the grave and glorified, Romans 8:23: "Waiting for the
adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."
(2) The fact of our adoption is certified to us in Romans 8:15-16: "For ye have not received the
spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we
cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children
of God." That is a matter of our subjective experience. As in the case of justification there must
be a difference of time between the fact of our justification and our realization of its privileges,
so there must be and indeed often is a difference in time between the fact of our adoption and our
realization in experience that we are adopted. The cry, "Abba, Father," means that in our
experience a filial feeling toward GOD comes into the heart. Antecedent to this when we thought
of GOD, he seemed to us to be distant and dreadful, but when through the HOLY SPIRIT given
unto us came this conscious realization that GOD is a Father, it drove out all fear.
We do not feel ourselves under bondage to law, but we have the sense in our hearts of being
GOD's children, and as a little child readily approaches a parent in expectation of either help or
comfort, we have this feeling toward our Heavenly Father. It is one of the sweetest experiences
of the Christian life. There is no distinction of meaning between the Spirit of adoption and the
SPIRIT's bearing witness with our spirit that we are the children of GOD, or if there is a
distinction it is not appreciable in our consciousness, since it is the SPIRIT that bestows that
filial feeling.
3. Adoption Includes the Earth as Well as Man
In a vivid way the Apostle represents the earth, man's habitat, as entering sympathetically into
man's longing for his complete restoration to GOD's favor through adoption, Romans 8:20-23:
"For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath
subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered form the
bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that
the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they,
but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within
ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of the body," The meaning of
which is that this earth was made for man; to him was given dominion over it, but when he
sinned the earth was cursed.
In the language of the Scriptures, "Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat
of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou
shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread." In Isaiah 55:12-
13 we have this vivid imagery following conversion: " . . . the mountains and the hills shall
break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the
myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not
be cut off." In other words, the joy that is in the heart of the Christian constitutes a medium of
rose-color through which all creation seems to him more beautiful than it was before. The birds
sing sweeter, the flowers exhale a sweeter perfume, the stars shine brighter, all of which is a
sign, or forecast, of the redemption of the earth from the curse when man's redemption is
complete. This curse as originally pronounced upon the earth was not through any fault of
creation, as our text says: ". . . subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath
subjected the same in hope." And very impressive and vivid is the imagery that the groaning of
the earth is as travail, waiting to be redeemed from the defilement and scars and crimson stains
that have been put upon it through man's inhumanity to man on account of sin.
Other Scriptures very clearly show that this redemption of the earth accompanies the redemption
of man. As the earth was cleansed from defilement of sin practiced by the antediluvians through
the Flood, so at the coming of our LORD and the resurrection of our bodies it will be purged by
fire. The language of the Apostle Peter upon this subject is very impressive: "For this they
willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth
standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being
overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the
same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition
of ungodly men. . . But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which
the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all
these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy
conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God,
wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new
earth, wherein dwell righteousness." (II Peter 3:5-7; 10-13). In John's apocalypse, referring to
the restitution of all things after the judgment, he says, "And I saw a new Heaven and a new
earth: for the first Heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more
sea" (Revelation 21:1).
V. SALVATION THROUGH THE PARACLETE
In continuation of the theme of this section the Apostle further shows the power of the work of
salvation in us through the HOLY SPIRIT -- the Paraclete. But the word, "Paraclete," needs to be
defined. While our LORD was on the earth He was the Paraclete, to whom as the Paraclete the
disciples said, "Lord, teach us to pray," and in many examples of His own praying and in many
special lessons on prayer He taught the disciples, and they were sad at heart when at the Last
Supper He announced His speedy going away from them, but comforted them with the assurance
that He would pray the Father to send them another Paraclete, the HOLY SPIRIT, who would
teach them to pray acceptably. Prayers not according to the will of GOD are not answered. We
may ask for things, being in doubt as to whether it is GOD's will that such things should be
granted, but the HOLY SPIRIT is not in doubt. He knows what is according to the will of GOD,
and hence when He moves us intensely to offer prayers, those prayers will always be according
to GOD's will, and so will be answered.
It is on account of the SPIRIT's intercession in us that backsliders are ever reclaimed. As we
wander away from GOD we lose the spirit of prayer, and while we go through the forms of
prayer we are conscious that our prayers do not rise, do not take hold of the throne of GOD; but
when the SPIRIT comes upon the backslider then his hard heart is melted, the fountain of his
tears is unsealed, the spirit of grace and supplication comes upon him, and he is conscious that
he is taking hold of the throne of mercy in his prayers.
As an illustration, some have experienced the hardships of a long-continued draught, when the
heavens seem to be brass and the earth seems to be iron. When vegetation dies, when dust
chokes the traveler on the thoroughfare, and thirst consumes him, suddenly he comes to a well
and in it is an old-fashioned pump, but in moving its handle he causes only a dry rattle. The
reason is, that through long disuse and heat the valves of the pump have shrunk and hence cannot
make suction to draw up the water. In such case water must be poured down the pump until the
valves are swollen, and then as the pump handle is worked, suction draws the water as freely as
at first.
As that pouring the water from above down the dry pump is to its efficacy in bringing water up,
so is the SPIRIT's intercession in us, causing us to pray successfully and according to the will of
GOD. In that way the two elements of the Gospel plan of salvation cooperate to the everlasting
security of the believer. At the Heaven end of the line JESUS, the first Advocate, or Paraclete,
makes intercession for us as HIGH PRIEST, pleading what His expiation has done for us, while
the HOLY SPIRIT, the second Advocate, or Paraclete, works in us an intercession for us here on
earth; so that both ends of the line are secure in Heaven above and on earth beneath. No
backslider has ever been able to work himself into the true spirit of prayerfulness any more than
a dry pump can be made to bring up water by working the handle. Whenever he does pray
prevailingly, it is when the SPIRIT works in him the grace of supplication.
QUESTIONS FOR STIMULATION AND REVIEW
1. What has been considered in this letter hitherto?
2. What is now before us in 6:1 to 8:39?
3. What two questions properly introduce this section, and what is their meaning?
4. What of the significance of these questions?
5. What is the doctrine of baptism bearing upon this point set forth in 6:1-11?
6. What is the meaning of 6:7: "For he that is dead is freed from sin"?
7. What is the force of the question, "Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under
grace?" (Romans 6:15)
8. What is the contrast and argument in 6:23?
9. What is the illustration in 7:2, and what the force of it?
10. Is the law sin? If not, what is its relation to sin?
11. Expound the passage, 7:15-25
12. What is the meaning and application of 8:4?
13. How does the Apostle describe the two minds, and what is the teaching?
14. What is regeneration, negatively and positively?
15. What is the real import of what Paul says about it?
16. What is the conclusion reached by Paul in this argument?
17. What is the test presented in 8:14?
18. What is adoption?
19. What are the three kinds of adoption which the Apostle discusses in this letter?
20. What is the meaning of the soul's cry, "Abba, Father"?
21. In what vivid way does Paul represent the earth, man's habitat, as entering sympathetically
into man's longing for his complete restoration to GOD's favor through adoption?
22. In continuation of the theme of this section, how does the Apostle further show the power of
the work of salvation in us?
LET US RETHINK THE CHAPTER
What Salvation Does for Our Souls and for Our Bodies
I. SHALL WE CONTINUE IN SIN THAT GRACE MAY ABOUND?
1. The question fully stated.
2. Whom GOD justifies he regenerates and sanctifies.
(1) Removes the defilement of sin
(2) Removes the love of sin
3. Baptism signifies death and resurrection
4. Having died to sin, we are delivered from sin (6:7)
5. Shall we sin because we are not under law?
6. Illustration in 7:2
II. IS THE LAW SIN? (7:2)
1. The law is not sin
2. The law provokes to sin
3. Makes sin appear to be sin
4. Works death
III. THE CONFLICT OF THE TWO NATURES (7:15-25)
1. The conflict stated
2. Every regenerate man corroborates
3. The French preacher stated it
4. Paul describes the two minds in 8:5-8
IV. SALVATION THROUGH REGENERATION AND ADOPTION
1. Regeneration is a change wrought by the HOLY SPIRIT
2. Regeneration is accompanied by adoption
(1) Three kinds of adoption
(2) Adoption is certified, 8:15-16
3. Adoption includes the earth as well as man
V. SALVATION THROUGH THE PARACLETE
~ end of chapter 6
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Post by Admin on Apr 2, 2024 8:36:39 GMT -5
STUDIES IN ROMANS
By B.H. Carroll, D.D., LL.D.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD
of the
SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
- 1935 -
VII THE FINAL WORK OF SALVATION IN US
Romans 6:1 - 8:39
In this chapter, following further the argument of the Apostle, we discuss (1) the redemption of
the body, and (2) the final security of the believer
I. THE REDEMPTION OF THE BODY
The final work of salvation in us is expressed in Romans 8:23 -- The redemption of our body
concerning which he adds: "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." The body is an essential part of the normal man, who was made dual in
nature, and even in Paradise GOD had provided for the elimination of the mortality of man's
body, through the continued eating of the tree of life. But the immortality of the body in sin
would have been an unspeakable curse to man, and hence GOD, in expelling man from the
garden, said, "Lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for
ever."
1. But when our souls are regenerated the hope enters the heart that the body also will be saved,
and we wait patiently for that part of our salvation -- this passage expresses the idea thusly:
Oh, that my words were now written!
Oh, that they were printed in a book!
That they were graven with an iron pen and lead
in the rock for ever!
For I know that my Redeemer liveth,
And that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
And though after my skin worms destroy this body,
Yet in my flesh shall I see God.
Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold,
And not another: though my reins be consumed within me.
(Job 19:23-27)
And the passage is akin to the expression in Psalm 17: "I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with
thy likeness" (vs. 15).
This harmonizes with another very striking passage in Job:
For there is hope of a tree,
If it be cut down, that it will sprout again,
and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.
Though the root thereof wax old in the earth,
And the stock thereof die in the ground;
Yet through the scent of water it will bud,
And bring forth boughs like a plant.
But man dieth, and wasted away:
Yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?
As the waters fail from the sea,
And the flood decayeth and drieth up:
So man lieth down, and riseth not:
Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake,
Nor be raised out of their sleep.
O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave,
That thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past,
That thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!
If a man die, shall he live again?
All the days of my appointed time will I wait,
Till my change come.
Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee:
Thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.
(Job 14:7-15)
Here Job is deeply impressed with the hope of a tree cut down reviving. There is a resurrection
for it, but he says, "But man dieth,... and where is he (that is, as to his soul); ...if a man die,
shall he (as to his body) live again?" Inasmuch as the body was the work of GOD's hands and
was originally intended to be immortal, he expresses the hope that GOD would hide him in the
grave and appoint a set time to remember him there and then desire the work of His hands and
call him forth from his long sleep.
2. The fulness of the salvation in us is the regeneration of the soul, its ultimate sanctification, and
the resurrection and glorification of the body -- It has ever been possible to satisfy the cravings
of a human heart with the hope of soul salvation only. It is ingrained in the very constitution of
our being that we long for the revivification of the body. A bird escaping from its shell to fly
with a new life in the air cares nothing for the cast off shell. A butterfly emerging from the
chrysalis state cares nothing for the shell that is left behind. But from the beginning of time,
through this ingrained hope of immortality for the body, man has cared for the bodyshell after
the spirit has escaped.
It is evidenced in the care for the dead body characteristic of all nations. It is evidenced in the
names given to graveyards. They are called cemeteries; that is, sleeping places. It is evident in
the sculpture on the tombstones and in the inscriptions thereon, all tending to show that man
desires an answer to the question "If I die, shall I live again?" And the thought being not with
reference to the continuity of existence in his spiritual nature, but in his body. Hence the
resurrection of the dead is made in the Christian system, a pivotal doctrine, as we learn from the
letter to the Corinthians: that our faith is vain, our preaching is vain, we are yet in our sins, our
Fathers have perished and GOD's apostles are false witnesses, if the dead rise not. That is the
conclusion of the doctrine of salvation in us.
II. THE EVERLASTING SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER
All the rest of chapter 8 is devoted to a new theme, namely: the everlasting security of those who
are justified by faith. The argument extends from verse 26 to the end of the chapter, and it is
perhaps the most remarkable paragraph in inspired literature. It should be memorized by every
Christian. Every thought in it has been the theme of consolatory and encouraging preaching.
Let us now consider item by item this argument on the security of the believer.
1. He takes the latitudinarian view, from top to bottom -- Down here he finds a Christian. Up
yonder at the other end of the line is the Advocate. But there is an Advocate here, too. And these
Advocates, one here on earth in the depths, and the other yonder in the heights of Heaven, are
going to see to it that the Christian gets there all right through prayer and faith. If a Christian
sins, he must confess it and ask GOD to forgive him. Sometimes he has not the spirit of prayer
and does not feel like asking. But GOD provides an Advocate, the HOLY SPIRIT, that puts into
his heart the spirit of grace and supplication. And the HOLY SPIRIT not only shows him what to
pray for, but what to pray. That makes things secure at this end of the line. Up yonder the
Advocate in Heaven, JESUS CHRIST the righteous, takes these petitions that the SPIRIT
inspired on earth and goes before the Father, and pointing to the sufficiency of His shed blood in
His death on the cross, secures this salvation from depth to height.
2. The unbroken sweep of the providence of GOD -- "And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his
purpose" (Romans 8:28).
With CHRIST on the mediatorial throne in Heaven holding in His hand the scepter of universal
dominion, constraining everything -- beings in Heaven above and on the earth beneath and in
hell below -- to work, not tangentially, but together for good -- not evil -- to them that love GOD,
in the sweep of this providence all elements and forces of the material world and the spiritual
world, are laid under tribute -- fire, earth, air, storms and earthquakes, pestilences, good angels
and bad, the passions of men, the revolutions in human government -- ALL are made, under the
directing power of JESUS our KING, to conspire to our good. Fortune and misfortune, good
report and evil report, sickness or health, life or death, prosperity or adversity, it is all one -- the
power of GOD is over them all. Satan is not permitted to put even the weight of a little finger
upon the Christian to worry him except in the direction that GOD will permit, and that will be
overruled for his good.
3. This sweep of providential government under our mediatorial KING accords with a linked
chain of correlative doctrines reaching from eternity before time to eternity after time. The links
of this chain are thus expressed in 8:29-30: "For whom he did foreknow, he also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among
many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he
called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." Before there
was any world, a covenant of grace and mercy was entered into between Father, Son, and HOLY
SPIRIT, the evidences of which covenant are abundant in the New Testament, and the parts to be
performed by each person of the God-head are clearly expressed, namely: The Father’s grace and
love in agreeing to send the Son, His covenant obligation to give the Son a seed, His
foreknowledge of this seed, His predestination concerning this seed, His justification and
adoption of them here in time. Then the Son's covenant was the obligation to assume human
nature in His incarnation, voluntarily renouncing the glory that He had with the Father before the
world was, and in this incarnation of humility to become obedient unto the death of the cross.
The consideration held out before Him, as a hope set before Him, inducing Him to endure the
shame of the cross, and the reward bestowed upon Him because of that obedience, was His
resurrection, His glorification, His exaltation to the royal priestly throne and His investment with
the right of judgment. And the SPIRIT's covenant obligations were to apply this work of
redemption in calling, convicting, regenerating, sanctifying and raising from the dead the seed
promised to the Son, the whole of it showing that the plan of salvation was not an afterthought;
that the roots of it in election and predestination are both in eternity before the world was, and
the fruits of it are in eternity after the judgment. The believer is asked to consider this chain, test
each link, shake it and hear it rattle, connected from eternity to eternity.
Every one that GOD foreknew in CHRIST is drawn by the SPIRIT to CHRIST. Every one
predestinated is called by the SPIRIT in time, and justified in time, and will be glorified when
the LORD comes.
4. It is impossible for finite beings to say anything against the grounds of this security, because
"If God be for us, who can be against us?" (vs. 31). Because, "He that spared not his own
Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all
things?" (vs. 32) Then the challenge is sent to the universe to find any one who can lay any
charge against GOD's elect -- who in Heaven, who among the angels, good or bad, who on the
earth? No charge can be brought against a believer because it is GOD, the Supreme JUDGE,
who has justified him. Justification is the verdict, or declaration, of the supreme court of Heaven
that in CHRIST the sinner is acquitted. This decision is rendered once for all, is inexorable and
irreversible. It is registered in the Book of Life, and in the great Judgement Day that book will be
the textbook on the throne of that judgment. Whatever may be brought out from all the books
that are opened, none of them are decisive and ultimate but one -- the Book of Life -- and it is
not a docket of cases to be tried on that day, but is a register of judicial decisions already
rendered: "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of
fire" (Revelation 20:15). Therefore the thrill excited in the heart by that song which our
congregations so often used to sing:
When Thou my righteous JUDGE shall come,
To take Thy ransomed people home
Shall I among them stand?
Shall I, who sometimes am afraid to die
Be found at Thy right hand?
Oh, can I bear the piercing thought,
What if my name should be left out!
5. The ground of this salvation is what CHRIST does -- Spurgeon calls this thirty-fourth verse of
the eighth chapter, the four pillars upon which rests the whole superstructure of salvation. They
are, (a) the death of CHRIST, (b) the resurrection of CHRIST, (c) the exaltation of CHRIST to
the kingly throne, (d) His intercession as our great HIGH PRIEST. These four doctrines are
strictly correlative -- they fit into each other. The soul of the Christian does not at the beginning
realize the strength of his salvation. Many a one has simply believed on CHRIST as a Saviour
without ever analyzing in his own mind, or separating from each other in thought, the several
things done by CHRIST in order to his salvation. But as he grows in knowledge of these things,
he grows in grace and assurance.
It was some time after my own soul was saved before I ever understood fully the power of
CHRIST's exaltation, or kingly throne, and still longer before I understood the power of His
intercession. I got the comfort of this last thought one day in reading a passage in Hebrews
"Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing
he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25). I had never before seen the
difference between salvation in justification and salvation to the uttermost. In the same way we
may not realize in our joy of regeneration the power of His continuing that good work in us until
the day of JESUS CHRIST, and the great value of the SPIRIT's work in taking the things of
CHRIST and showing them to us. And as we learn each office of CHRIST, and just what He
does in that office, the greater our sense of security. He is PROPHET, SACRIFICE, KING,
PRIEST, LEADER and JUDGE.
6. The final argument underlying the security of the believer is presented in verses 35 to 37, that
none can separate us from the love of CHRIST after our union is established with Him. The
words here are, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . in all these things we are
more than conquerors . . ." The argument is in full accord with the statement of our LORD,
John 10:29: "My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all: and no man is able to
pluck them out of my Father's hand." It is further expressed in another passage by the Apostle
when he says, ". . . for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to
keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (II Timothy 1:12). And it is
further expressed in the seal of the HOLY SPIRIT. We are sealed "unto the day of redemption."
When I was a youth I was wonderfully stirred by an eloquent sermon preached by J.R. Graves in
which he pointed out the fact that by faith we commit our lives to JESUS; that life is hid with
CHRIST in GOD; that life is sealed with the impression of the HOLY SPIRIT unto the day of
redemption, and then he asked, "Who can pluck that life out of the hands of GOD?" drawing this
vivid picture: "If hell should open her yawning mouth and all of the demons of the pit should
issue forth like huge vampires darkening water and land, could they break that seal of GOD?
Could they soar to the heights of Heaven? Could they scale its battlements? Could they beat back
the angels that guard its walls? Could they penetrate into the presence of the HOLY ONE on His
eternal throne, and reach out their demon-claws and pluck our life from the bosom of GOD
where it is hid with CHRIST in GOD?"
The pages of religious persecution are very bloody; rack, thumbscrews and fagot, have been
employed. Confiscation of property, expatriation from country, and hounding pursuit of the exile
in foreign lands, exposedness to famine and nakedness and sword and other perils -- and yet
never has this persecution been able to effect a separation of the believer from his LORD.
Roman emperors tried it, Julian the apostate tried it, Ferdinand and Isabella, Charles V., their
son, and Philip II., his son, all tried it in their time. The inquisition held its secret court; war,
conflagration and famine wrought their ruin, but the truth prevailed.
All this illustrates the truth that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. The Genevan,
the German, the English State churches have tried, in emulation of the Romanist union of Church
and State, to crush out the true spirit of Christianity. They have been able to merely scatter the
fires, to make them burn over a wider territory as it is expressed concerning the decree to scatter
the ashes of Wyclif in the river.
Now upon these arguments, the two intercessors, the sweep of GOD's providence, the link-chain
reaching from eternity to eternity, the impossibility of any being laying a charge against one
whom GOD has justified, the four pillars -- upon these, the Apostle reaches this persuasion:
"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" (Romans
8:38-39).
QUESTIONS FOR STIMULATION AND REVIEW
1. What is the final work of salvation in us?
2. What provision did GOD first make for the immortality of man's body?
3. What defeated that plan, and how is this immortality finally to be accomplished?
4. What is Job's testimony to this hope, and what the interpretation of the passage?
5. How is this hope in man evidenced in a singular way?
6. How does Paul elsewhere make the resurrection a pivotal doctrine in the Christian system?
7. Name the six arguments for the security of those who are justified by faith as taught in
Romans 8.
8. What is the providential argument, and what does it include?
9. In the covenant of grace, what are the parts to be performed by the Father, Son, and HOLY
SPIRIT, respectively?
10. What is the ground of this salvation, and what the four-pillar argument?
11. In view of these arguments, what was Paul's persuasion?
LET US RETHINK THE CHAPTER
I. THE REDEMPTION OF THE BODY
1. The body to be saved also
2. The body is to be raised
3. The body is to be glorified
II. THE EVERLASTING SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER
1. The latitudinarian view
2. The sweep of GOD's providence
3. The sweep of providential government
4. If GOD be for us, who can be against us?
5. The ground is what CHRIST does
6. Who shall separate us from the love of CHRIST?
~ end of chapter 7
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Post by Admin on Apr 2, 2024 8:37:51 GMT -5
STUDIES IN ROMANS
By B.H. Carroll, D.D., LL.D.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD
of the
SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
- 1935 -
VIII. CONCLUSION AND CLIMAX OF THE DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
Romans 9:1 to 10:21
I. THE HARMONY OF THE PROBLEM OF JEWISH UNBELIEF WITH THE PLAN
OF SALVATION
Paul's statement of the plan of salvation closes with chapter 8, so we now take up the problem of
Jewish unbelief, its effect on Paul, and the occasion and extent of his concern.
So far as this letter goes we find the discussion in 9:1-5, and in 10:1-2, but this concern is
equally evident in Luke's history of his labors, addresses and sermons in Acts, and in several
other letters written by Paul. One of the deepest passions of his soul was excited and stirred by
this problem of Jewish unbelief.
1. The Grounds of Paul's Concern
(1) These people were his kindred according to the flesh.
(2) It was his nation and country, and he had an intense patriotism.
(3) They were GOD's adopted people.
(4) They had all of the marvelous privileges of that adoption, and these privileges are thus
enumerated by him in the ninth chapter, first paragraph:
a. "To whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory." This glory was the cloud, symbolizing
the Divine Presence.
b. They had the covenants -- the covenant of grace with Abraham in Genesis 12, and the
covenant of circumcision as expressed in Genesis 17.
c. Then they had the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai -- such a law as cannot be paralleled in the
later world. The circumstances under which it was given were more imposing and impressive
than the giving of any other code in the annals of time. They had that.
d. Then they had the promises -- the promise to Abraham, the promise to Isaac, the promise to
Jacob, the promise to the nation, the promise to Moses, and so on. They had all the promises.
e. Then they had the Fathers, the patriarchs. It was an illustrious heritage. No other nation had
such a list of Fathers -- Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve patriarchs, the great leaders all
through their history.
f. They had the services; that is, the imposing ritual of worship set forth in the Book of Exodus
from chapter 38 to the end, and in all of the Book of Leviticus, and a great part of the Book of
Numbers. That service showed the place to meet GOD, the time to meet GOD, the sacrificial
means of hearings before GOD, the mediator through whom they could approach GOD. They
had that service. No other nation has ever had anything like it. All the churches of the present
time have not improved that ritual, including the Romans, the Greeks, the Catholics, the
Epicureans, and some Baptists who wear robes in the pulpit to intone their services.
g. The last and greatest of the privileges was, that of them came CHRIST, according to the flesh,
the line running through Abel, Seth, Heber, Peleg, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, David, and on
down until we come to CHRIST Himself. They had CHRIST according to the flesh. That was the
ground and the occasion of his interest. So the problem is, that CHRIST was rejected by His own
people.
More than once an infidel has said to me, "If the proof and the merits of CHRIST be so obvious,
why is it that His own people did not take Him?"
2. The Extent of His Concern
We now come to the extent of Paul's concern for this rejection of CHRIST.
(1) He says in chapter 10, which is a part of this section, "I bear them record that they have a zeal
of God, but not according to knowledge."
(2) I sincerely desire the salvation of my people.
(3) Their rejection of CHRIST gives me continual sorrow and pain of heart.
(4) Finally, "I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my
kinsmen according to the flesh."
There is only one similar expression in the history of men, and that is where Moses, when all
Israel had sinned and GOD said, "Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of
my book," stood in the break and said, "If thou wilt forgive their sin-: and if not, blot me, I
pray thee, out of thy book." That disposition on the part of Moses and Paul not merely to suffer
temporal death but severance from CHRIST if it would save the nation, approaches the feeling
that was in the heart of the REDEEMER when He came to die the spiritual death for the
salvation of men. Two others had the experience that is here illustrated; for instance, when
Abraham offered up his only begotten son. And Isaac, in consenting to be so sacrificed,
approximated the experience of the Son in voluntarily coming at the Father’s bidding to die for
the world. Higher than all the mountain peaks of time, stand these four names: Abraham,
representing the sacrifice of the Father; Isaac, representing the sacrifice of the Son; Moses and
Paul, represent the SPIRIT that prompted JESUS to be forsaken of GOD in order to the salvation
of men.
3. We come now to the key sentence of these three chapters, in verse 6: "Not as though the
word of God hath taken none effect." The object of the plan of salvation as presented in
chapter 8 has this objection against it: Since the Jewish people did not believe it, how can we
harmonize with that plan the problem of the unbelief of the Jews themselves? He starts off to
argue that question by the affirmation that this Jewish rejection of CHRIST does not militate
against the plan of salvation as set forth. That is his proposition, and the first argument that he
makes is that all of Abraham's children -- all of Abraham's lineal descendants -- were never
included in that national adoption. Abraham had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. Ishmael and his
descendants, the Ishmaelites, are not included. Keturah, Abraham's second wife, had a pretty
large family, and these Midianites, descendants of Keturah, were not included. Then the next one
after Abraham, Isaac, had two children, Jacob and Esau. Esau and the Edomites descended from
him, through lineal descendants, were not included.
He then presents a case of divine sovereignty concerning these two children of Isaac. He says
that the selection of the one to be the people of GOD in the adopted sense and the rejection of the
other, was not based upon any work and good to be done by the one or evil to be done by the
other. It was not according to the wish of the parents of those children. The selection was made
before the children were born -- before either one of them knew good from evil. So that it was
not of Isaac that willed Esau to be the heir, nor of Esau that ran to get the venison in order that he
might obtain the blessing of the heir, nor of the plotting of Rebecca and Jacob. Their plotting did
not have anything to do with it. It was not of him that runneth, nor of him that plotteth; it was the
act of divine sovereignty. Whatever is meant by this adoption of a nation, it was not based upon
any merit in that nation, or in the particular individuals through whom this adoption came.
Jerusalem when it was first established was no better than any other city; it was of GOD's
sovereignty just as the raising up of Pharaoh. "For this very purpose have I raised thee up,
that I might shew my power in thee." Right on the heels of that comes the question from the
objector, "Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?" Paul is not disposed to
answer that question in this connection.
We will find the answer before we get through with these three chapters, but here he waives it
aside with a counter-question: "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to
make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" (9:21) Does not the potter have
the ability to take one part of the lump and make a beautiful vessel for the parlor, and to take
another part and make a very inferior vessel for the kitchen? And shall either of the vessels
object to the potter? He waives it for the time being by merely denying the power of the
Christian to intrude into the power of the divine sovereignty. His purpose is to show that the
Word of GOD touching salvation has not come to be ineffectual because the Jews rejected it.
That is the argument he is on now, and he then advances in it, and says, "Not even all the lineal
descendants of Abraham in the select line according to the plan of salvation were to be saved;
not all of them could see these two covenants side by side; one was a national covenant, with its
seal of circumcision, and promising the earthly Canaan, and the other was the grace covenant
that looked to a spiritual seed."
Or, as he puts it in another place, "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that
circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and
circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of
men, but of God" (2:28-29). In the exercise of the sovereign purpose of GOD, there is nothing
that the finite man can do concerning Him. It is an ocean too deep for our line to fathom. We
would have to be infinite to understand it, but we do know that in all human history, without any
explanation to us, GOD's purpose is working. GOD had a purpose in having this continent
discovered just when it was. He had a purpose in the redemption of Texas in the battle of San
Jacinto.
High above human thought, beyond the scope of human sight, of the human mind, the
Omnipotence and Omniscience is ruling, and His rule is supreme, and yet nobody is taken by the
hair and dragged into hell, and nobody is taken by the hair and dragged into Heaven, as he will
show more particularly later.
4. Let us explain and give the application of the vessels of wrath and mercy -- in chapter 9 is a
passage, from verse 22 to the end of the chapter, about the vessels of wrath and the vessels of
mercy. Those that were vessels of wrath, those who voluntarily stood against GOD, GOD
patiently endured a long time, and His forbearance signified that He was giving them
opportunity for repentance. Those vessels of mercy, they also had opportunity for salvation,
whether they were Jews or Greeks. He shows that GOD is no respecter of persons in selecting
the Jewish nation, every one of them to be saved in Heaven, and rejected every other nation, then
the objection would have been sustained, but it had a different purpose. The election of the
Jewish nation looked to the salvation of the Jews and Gentiles that received the message of
GOD, also the covenants, and the coming of CHRIST from them according to the flesh. That
election looked through them to others and, so far as salvation in Heaven is concerned, the Jews
that believed were saved; and, so far as other nations were concerned, he quotes certain parts of
Hosea and the Old Testament, the paragraph referring to the ingathering of the Gentiles: "I will
call them my people, which were not my people."
In objecting to GOD's selecting one nation and calling that nation "my people," he says, "I will
call them my people, which were not my people," and in a place where it was said, "Ye are
not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God," if they believe on
JESUS CHRIST. He then quotes from Isaiah who distinguishes between the holy stock of Israel
and the natural stock of Israel as if he had said, "Though the number of the children of Israel
be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved" -- those that by faith accept CHRIST. We
see he is laying the predicate for that olive tree illustration that he will introduce later in the
discussion. Isaiah then goes on to say that if the grace of GOD had not been revealed, then the
LORD GOD of hosts had not left a seed, the whole of them would have been as Sodom and
Gomorrah. Nothing but divine grace saves those that were saved -- not their ritual, not their law.
He then reaches this conclusion, "What shall we say then?" The Gentiles who followed not
after righteousness; that is, the Jewish way, attained to righteousness because they sought it in a
different way. The Jew following the law had not arrived at righteousness. Wherefore? Because
they sought it not by faith, but by works; they stumbled at that stumbling-stone.
5. Next he shows that the rejection of the Jews was not total -- He commences chapter 10 by
stating that as far as he is personally concerned his heart's desire and prayer for Israel is that they
would be saved, and he is willing to acknowledge that they had a zeal, but not the zeal of
knowledge. They busied themselves to establish their own plan of righteousness, and he puts it
in such a way that we cannot mistake the law righteousness and leave the faith righteousness as
they did. We must not forget that the law says, "Do to live," but faith says, "Live to do." In other
words, doing the will of GOD comes out of having been made alive to GOD. Life must come
first; make the tree good, and then the fruit will be good. One of them makes doing the means of
life and the other puts life as a means of doing. Then he shows that while Moses had handed
down this law and set before them its requirements that if one would have kept its requirements
in strict obedience he would have been saved; but the law required him to start right in his nature
and then to continue to do everything that is contained in the law.
He goes on to quote from Moses. Paul quotes from the Hebrew and not from the Septuagint
which runs thus: "The righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine
heart, Who shall ascend into Heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above: [or bring
salvation down] ) Or, who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from
the dead)." This the Septuagint idea. The Hebrew idea is not that a man tries to go to Heaven as
the ancient Titan tried to do -- by piling Pela on Ossa to make a stairway. Nor that he tries to go
directly into the depths, down into the abyss, and wrench salvation from the depths. The Hebrew
represents him, not as going down, but as going across, saying that man does not go to the other
side of the sea to find salvation to bring it back. Paul changes this a little and makes it
correspond better than does Moses. Instead of going across the sea, he has the man going down
into the depths of the sea, and he goes on, still quoting Moses, that the real salvation does not
come from afar. Paul puts this explanation on it, that it was the word that he preached: "that is,
the word of faith, which we preach."
The plan of salvation is not making tedious pilgrimages; it is not wearing a hairy undershirt to
irritate; it is not wearing bracelets that have thorns in them, and to keep on doing penance; it is
the word of faith.
6. Thus he says, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation." It is not an intellectual faith -- it is heart-faith. But a good
many people misunderstand the import of confession. It does not mean to confess sins to your
brother, nor to a priest, nor even to GOD -- that is not the confession he is talking about, but it is
a public confession of CHRIST as Saviour. If we have not faith enough to confess the CHRIST
that we say we believe in, we have not faith enough to be saved. Confession implies that
whoever makes it must have a great deal of courage. In this time of peace it does not cost much
to confess CHRIST, and even now sometimes shame prevents confession by young people. The
young lady going in to a city is told not to join a church because that will deprive her of all social
functions. "For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of
man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy
angels... But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father
which is in Heaven." And if we are afraid or ashamed to come out in public, and say, "I take
CHRIST as my Saviour," then the Father will be ashamed of us.
This law has no distinction as to nationality; there was only one door to the ark. The elephant
went in at the same door as the snail, and the eagle swooped down through the same door at
which a little wren hopped in. And there is not a side door for a woman to go in. We all go to
CHRIST through the same door. While it is true that GOD called Israel out of Egypt, the same
Bible says that He called the Philistines out of Caphtor, and He is the LORD of all nations, and
the universality of the plan of salvation is expressed in "For whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved." Then comes up the question, How can any one call on GOD
who has not believed in GOD, and how can he believe in a GOD of whom he has never heard?
How can he hear unless somebody tells him -- unless there be a preacher -- and how can there be
a preacher except he be sent? The sending there means GOD-sent. What a marvelous theme for a
missionary sermon!
Having stated that, he raised another question, "Have they not heard? Did they not have
preachers?" Has not the word gone to them? From Genesis we learn that the antediluvians had
light enough to be saved, and Paul is here quoting a Psalm: ". . . their sound went into all the
earth." JESUS CHRIST is the true light that lights every man that comes into the world. There
has been light enough if the people had been willing to walk in the light.
I once heard a preacher state to a congregation that the heathen that did the best they could
would be saved.
But he didn't produce any heathen who had done his best. And where is the man that has done
his best?
The plan by which men are to be saved is the plan to make the promise sure to all. It is as quick
as lightning in its application. It is a fine thing for a man to quit his meanness; it is a fine thing
for a man to do the best he can, but certainly it is not the way of salvation; we do not secure
salvation by that. ". . . by a foolish nation I will anger you." In other words, "If you will have
no GOD, you adopted people, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people"; as
Isaiah said, "I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that
asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands
unto a disobedient and gainsaying people." Their whole record is, no matter who called, who
was sent, who preached, they rejected. Having shown them that GOD was not unjust in rejecting
them, and that He did not violate the Gospel plan of salvation, Paul says, "I am one of them; not
all the Jews were lost; I am one of them." Neither in its totality nor in its perpetuity were the
Jews rejected. Elijah supposed once that he stood by himself, and that he was the only one left.
GOD says, "I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to
the image of Baal."
Having shown from chapters 9 and 10 that the rejection of the Jews was not total, we will show
from chapter 11 that it was not perpetual.
II. THE LIMITATIONS AND MERCIFUL PURPOSE OF GOD'S REJECTION OF
ISRAEL (11:1-36)
1. Israel's rejection was neither total nor perpetual.
The elect, or spiritual Israel, were never cast off. From Abraham to Paul every Israelite, who
looked through the types and by faith laid hold of the Antitype, was saved. In this sense there
were no lost tribes, but out of every tribe the elect, manifested in the circumcision of the heart,
not of the flesh, were saved.
(1) The Apostle cites his own case -- That he himself was an Israelite is abundantly shown here,
and even more particular elsewhere (Philippians 3:4-6; Acts 22:3-15), and yet he was saved after
Israel according to the flesh was cast off and the kingdom transferred to the Gentiles, as were all
the Jews from Pentecost to Paul. The number of elect Jews thus saved was always greater than
appeared to human sight, as evidenced in Elijah's time.
(2) Elijah in his panic supposed himself to be alone, but JEHOVAH showed him that through
grace there were seven thousand who had not bowed the knee to Baal.
(3) So it continued to be in Paul's time; there was a remnant spared according to grace.
2. But the Apostle is careful to show that this elect remnant, never cast off, every one of them,
was saved by grace, and not one of them by the works of law. Then he explains this finding of
salvation by the elect Jews by the two essentially different methods of seeking salvation. The
elect sought it by faith and obtained it; the rest because they persistently sought righteousness by
works of the law, rejecting GOD's righteousness, were judicially blinded as shown: by the law
itself, Deuteronomy 29:4; by the prophets, Isaiah 29:10; by the Psalms, Psalm 69:22-23.
Having shown that the casting off was never total, and why, he then shows that it was not
intended to be perpetual by proving the ultimate restoration of all Israel as a nation, whenever it
should turn to the grace-method of salvation, the scriptural proof of which is as follows:
(1) In the law itself, which denounces their casting off, is the promise of an expiation through
grace (Deuteronomy 32:43).
(2) In the prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the Temple it is suggested (I Kings 8:46-53).
(3) In the prophets it is clearly foretold, and all the method of it (Isaiah 66:8; Ezekiel 36:22 to
37:28; Zechariah 12:9 to 13:1).
The element of mercy dominant in the election of Israel as a nation is that they were chosen that
through them all the nations might be blessed. The element of mercy in their rejection is that
through their downfall life might come to other nations. The element of mercy toward the Jews
in the call of the Gentiles was that casting off Israel might be provoked to return to GOD. In
saving Gentiles there was an aim at the salvation of his casting off people. This is proved in his
argument thus: ". . . through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke
them to jealousy," and then he magnified his own office as an Apostle to the Gentiles to
provoke the jealousy of his own people in order that he might save some. He foresees a
wonderful effect on the Gentiles in the restoration of the Jews. It will be even more beneficial
than their downfall: "Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing
of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? . . . for if the casting away
of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from
the dead?" (11:12, 15). Then our concern, prayer and labor for that great future event -- the
restoration of GOD's ancient people -- is a concern for other nations who never will be
thoroughly aroused until moved by redeemed Israel.
A passage from Peter shows the relation of the conversion of the Jews to our LORD's final
advent, and a declaration of our LORD shows the time of this general salvation of the Jews.
Peter says, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when
the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus
Christ, which before was preached unto you; Whom the Heaven must receive until the
times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy
prophets since the world began." (Acts 3:19-21). Our LORD says, "And they shall fall by the
edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden
down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." (Luke 21:24).
3. Then according to Isaiah, Ezekiel and Zechariah, the means and methods of this great
salvation of the Jews are as follows:
(1) It will be preceded by a gathering together of Israel out of all nations.
(2) CHRIST whom they pierced will be lifted up in Gentile preaching.
(3) The HOLY SPIRIT in convicting and converting power will be poured out on them, whereby
they shall mourn and pray and see the LORD as their Saviour.
(4) The nation shall be born of GOD in a day.
The apostle bases this marvelous work of GOD upon the principle that "For if the firstfruit be
holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches... For this is my
covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins... For the gifts and calling of God are
without repentance" (11:16, 27, 29).
4. The illustration of the olive tree -- Then follows his illustration of the olive tree, the
explanation of which is as follows:
(1) CHRIST is the root
(2) The holy stock is the spiritual elect, Israel.
(3) The branches broken off are the unbelieving Jews.
(4) The branches grafted in are the believing Gentiles.
(5) The principle is vital and spiritual connection with CHRIST, through faith, without respect to
Jew or Gentile.
(6) The unbelieving children of Abraham are like branches merely tied on the stock externally;
there is no communication of the fatness of the sap into the veins of the branches tied on
externally.
(7) So a Gentile tied on externally, without this vital connection, will be broken off.
The divine purpose in shutting up both Gentile and Jew unto disobedience as shown in the
argument, 3:9-20, is expressed thus: "For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might
have mercy upon all" (11:32).
III. THE DOXOLOGY
We will conclude this discussion with an analysis of the doxology which is the climax of this
argument:
1. An exclamation of the profundity of the riches of both GOD's wisdom and knowledge.
2. The incomprehensibility to the finite mind of His judgments and ways.
3. No finite being knew His mind or advised His actions.
4. No beneficiary of His goodness ever first gave to GOD as a meritorious ground of the
benefaction.
5. Because He is the source of all good, and the medium of salvation from its initiation to its
consummation, all the glory belongs to GOD.
Amen!
QUESTIONS FOR STIMULATION AND REVIEW
1. What is the problem of Romans 9:1 to 11:36?
2. What are the marvelous privileges of the Jews' adoption?
3. What is the infidel argument on this point?
4. What are the items which indicate the extent of Paul's concern for his people?
5. What is Paul's meaning here, and what Old Testament examples of this experience and spirit?
6. What is the key sentence of chapters 9, 10, 11, and what is its meaning?
7. What is Paul's first argument on this point?
8. What is the case of divine sovereignty concerning Jacob and Esau?
9. What question from the objector is here introduced, and how does Paul dispose of it?
10. What advance did he than make in his argument, and how does he illustrate it elsewhere?
11. What illustrations of the sovereign purpose of GOD are cited by the author?
12. What is the explanation of the vessels of wrath and the vessels of mercy in Romans 9:22ff?
13. How does Paul show that GOD was no respecter of persons in selecting the Jewish nation?
14. What is the conclusion of all this, then, as stated in the closing part of chapter 9?
15. What is the argument of chapter 10?
16. What concession does he make in favor of the Jews in the first part of chapter 10, and what is
his objection raised?
17. What is the difference between the law-righteousness and the faith-righteousness?
18. What is the meaning of the confession mentioned in this connection, and what is its relation
to salvation?
19. How does Paul show here that GOD makes no distinction between peoples of different
nationalities, and what is the author's illustration.
20. What is Paul's answer to the question, "Have they not heard?"
21. With what reproof of the Jewish people does Paul close chapter 10?
22. What are the limits of Israel's rejection?
23. How does he explain this finding of salvation by the elect Jews, and the casting off of the
non-elect Jews?
24. How does he next show that the casting off was not intended to be perpetual?
25. What is the Scriptural proof of this ultimate restoration of Israel?
26. What element of mercy was dominant in the election of Israel as a nation?
27. What element of mercy in their rejection?
28. What element of mercy toward Jews in the call of the Gentiles?
29. What effect on the Gentiles does Paul foresee in the restoration of the Jews?
30. Quote a passage from our LORD showing the time of this general salvation of the Jews.
31. In the olive tree illustration what are the root, the holy stock, the branches broken off, the
branches grafted in, the principle, the condition of the unbelieving children of Abraham, and
what of the Gentile tied on externally?
32. What then is the divine purpose in shutting up both Gentile and Jew unto disobedience?
33. Give an analysis of the doxology.
LET US RETHINK THE CHAPTER
I. THE HARMONY OF THE PROBLEM OF JEWISH UNBELIEF WITH THE PLAN
OF SALVATION
1. The grounds of Paul's concern
2. The extent of his concern
3. How harmonize with Jewish unbelief
4. The vessels of wrath and mercy
5. The rejection of the Jews was not total
6. Not intellectual faith, but heart faith
II. THE LIMITATIONS AND MERCIFUL PURPOSE OF GOD'S REJECTION OF
ISRAEL (11:1-36)
1. Neither total nor perpetual
2. The elect remnant was saved by grace
3. Means and methods of this salvation
4. The illustration of the olive tree
III. THE DOXOLOGY
1. GOD's riches and wisdom
2. All incomprehensible
3. Not advised by humans
4. No ground of merit
5. All the glory belongs to GOD
~ end of chapter 8
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Post by Admin on Apr 2, 2024 8:39:54 GMT -5
STUDIES IN ROMANS
By B.H. Carroll, D.D., LL.D.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD
of the
SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION
- 1935 -
IX CONCLUSION: PRACTICAL ADMONITIONS
Romans 12:1 to 16:27
I. THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION BY GRACE APPLIED TO PRACTICAL LIFE
The prevalent characteristic of all Paul's teachings concerning the Gospel is the unfailing
observance of the order and relation of doctrine and morals. He never "puts the cart before the
horse," and never drives the horse without the care attached and following after. He was neither
able to conceive of morals not based on antecedent doctrine, nor to conceive of doctrine not
fruiting in holy living. He rigidly adhered to the CHRIST idea, "Make the tree good, and his
fruit good." His clear mind never confounded cause and effect. To his logical and philosophical
mind it was a reversal of all natural and spiritual law to expect good trees as a result of good
fruit, but rather good fruit evidencing a good tree. So he conceived of justification through faith,
and regeneration through the SPIRIT as obligating to holy living. If he fired up his doctrinal
engine, it was not to exhaust its steam in whistling, but in sawing logs, or grinding grist, or
drawing trains.
The modern cry, "Give us morals and away with dogma," would have been to him a
philosophical absurdity, just as the antinomian cry, "faith makes void the law -- Shall we
continue in sin that grace may abound?" was abhorrent and blasphemous to him.
A justification of a sinner through grace that delivered from the guilt of sin was unthinkable to
him if unaccompanied by a regeneration that delivered from the dominion of sin.
He expected no good works from the dead, but insisted that those made alive were created unto
good works. His philosophy of salvation, in the order and relation of doctrine and morals, is
expressed thus in his letter to Titus: "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath
appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live
soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the
glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us,
that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people,
zealous of good works." So in every letter there is first the doctrinal foundation, and then the
application to morals. But as in this letter we have the most complete and systematic statement of
the doctrine of grace as a foundation (chapters 10 to 11) so in this, the following section
(chapters 12 to 15), we have the most elaborate superstructure of morals.
1. The analysis and order of thought is this great section are --
(1) Salvation by grace through faith obligates the observance of all duties toward GOD the
Father on account of what He does for us in the gift of His Son, in election, predestination,
justification and adoption (12:1).
(2) It obligates the observances of all duties toward GOD the HOLY SPIRIT for what he does in
us in regeneration and sanctification (12:2).
(3) It obligates the observance of all duties toward the church, with its diversity of gifts in unity
of body (12:3-13).
(4) It obligates the observance of all duties toward the individual neighbor in the outside world
(12:14-21).
(5) It obligates the observance of all duties to the neighbours, organized as society or state (13:1-
13).
(6) It obligates the observance of all duties arising from the Christian's individual relation to
CHRIST the Saviour (13:14; 14:7-12).
(7) It obligates the observance of all duties arising from the Christian's individual brother in
CHRIST (14:1 to 15:7).
(8) The last obligation holds, regardless of the race distinctions, Jew and Gentile (15:8-24), and
includes the welcome of the Apostle to the Gentiles, prayer for the welcome and success of his
service toward the Jewish Christians in their need (15:25-29), and prayer for his deliverance
from the unbelieving Jews (15:30-33).
2. As to the sum of these obligations --
(1) They cover the whole scope of morals, whether in the Decalogue, as given to the Jews, or the
enlarged Christian code arising from grace.
(2) They conform to relative proportions, making first and paramount morals toward GOD,
whether Father, Son, or HOLY SPIRIT, not counting that morals at all which leaves out GOD in
either His unity of nature, or trinity of persons, and making that second, subordinate and
correlative which is morals toward men.
The duty toward GOD the Father, in view of what He has done for us in grace and mercy, is to
present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to GOD (12:1), and respect His
prerogative (12:19), which is illustrated by Paul elsewhere. He says, "I die daily," meaning that
though alive, his members were on the rack of death all the time. He says, I mortify my members
and, "I keep under my body"; that is, he kept his redeemed soul on top, dominating his body.
He made his body as "Prometheus bound" on the cold rock of Caucasus, vultures devouring his
vitals every day as they were renewed every night, a living death.
Our duty toward GOD, the HOLY SPIRIT, in view of what He graciously does in us is found in
12:2: Negatively -- Let not the regenerate soul be conformed with the spirit and course of this
evil world, whether in the lust of the eye or pride of life. Positively -- Be transformed in
continual sanctification in the renewing of the mind; that is, working out the salvation which the
SPIRIT works in us, as He, having commenced a good work in us (regeneration) continues it
(through sanctification) until the day of JESUS CHRIST. Or, as this Apostle says elsewhere,
CHRIST, having been formed in us the hope of glory, we are changed into that image from glory
to glory as by the SPIRIT of the LORD.
3. The duties toward the church are found in 12:3-13:
(1) Not to think more highly of one's self in view of the other members of the church -- Here are
a lot of people in one church; now let not one member put himself too high in view of the other
members of that church.
(2) To think only according to the proportion of faith given to him for the performance of some
duty -- If I am going to put an estimate upon myself in the relation to my church members, a
standard or estimate should be, What is the proportion of faith given to me? Say A has so much,
B has so much, C has so much, D has so much, and E has least of all; then E ought not to think
himself the biggest of all. The Standard of judgment is the proportion of faith given to each
member.
(3) He must respect the unity of the church as a body -- in that illustration used the church is
compared to a body having many members. The hand must not say, "I am everything," and the
eye must not say, "I am everything," nor the ear, "I am everything," nor the foot, "I am
everything." In estimating, we have to estimate the function of each part, the proportion of power
given to that part, and it is always not as a sole thing, but in its relation to every other part -- that
is a duty that a church member must perform. Sometimes a man easily forgets that he is just one
of many in the organism.
(4) He must respect its diversity of gifts -- That is one part of it that I comply with. If there is
anything that rejoices my heart, it is the diversity of gifts that GOD puts in the church. I never
saw a Christian in my life that could not do some things better than anybody else in the world. I
would feel very mean indeed if I did not rejoice in the special gifts of other members in the
church. What a pity it would be if we had just one kind of mold, and everybody was run through
like tallow so as to make every candle alike. They duty of the church is to respect the unity of the
body, and its diversity of gifts.
(5) Each gift is to be exercised with its appropriate corresponding limitation.
4. The duties to the individual neighbor of the outside world, even though hostile to us, are found
in 12:14-21.
(1) To bless him when he persecutes.
(2) To be sympathetic toward him, rejoicing in his joy, and weeping in his sorrow.
(3) Several Christians should not be of different mind toward him -- The expression in the text is
to be of the same mind one toward another. What is the point of that? We are dealing now with
individuals outside. Here is A, a Christian; B, a Christian, C, a Christian; and the outsider is
watching. A makes one impression on his mind, B makes a different one, and C makes still a
different one. The influence from these several Christians does not harmonize; it is not likeminded; but if he sees A, B, C, all in different measures perhaps, be every one of the same mind,
then he sees that there is a unifying power in Christian. How often do we hear it said, "If every
Christian were like you, I would want to be one, but look yonder at that deacon, or at that sister"!
We should be like-minded to those outside so that every Christian that comes in may make a
similar impression for CHRIST's sake.
(4) We should not, in dealing with him, respect big outsiders only, but condescend to the lowly --
to men of low estate. Some of them are very rich, some of them are influential socially, some of
them are what we call poor, country folk. We should not be high-minded in our dealings with
these sinners, but condescend to men of low estate. Let them feel that we are willing to go and
help them.
(5) We should not let our wisdom toward him be self-conceit; that is, let it not seem to him that
way.
(6) When he does evil to us, we should not repay in kind.
(7) We should let him see that we are honest men -- Ah, me, how many outsiders are repelled
because all Christians do not provide things honest in the sight of the outside world!
(8) So far as it lies in us, we should be peaceable with him -- That means that it is absolutely
impossible to be peaceable with a man that has no peace in him. He wants to fuss anyhow, and
goes around with a chip on his shoulder. He goes around snarling and showing his teeth. There
are some people that are not peaceable, but so far as our life is concerned, we should be
peaceable with them.
(9) We should not avenge on him wrongs done us by him -- Vengeance belongs to GOD; we
should give place to GOD's wrath.
(10) We should feed him if hungry, and give him drink if thirsty.
(11) We should not allow ourselves to be overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. We
should not get off when we come in contact with evil people, but just hang on and overcome evil
with good.
5. The duties to the state are as follows:
(1) Be subject to higher powers, and do not resist them, for (a) GOD ordained them, (b) GOD
makes them a terror to evil works, (c) GOD's minister for good, (d) and for conscience' sake we
must respect the state.
(2) Pay our taxes.
(3) Whatever is due to each office: "Render . . . honour to whom honour."
(4) Keep out of debt: "Owe no man anything, but to love one another."
(5) Keep the moral code: "Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt
not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet."
(6) Avoid the world's excesses, revellings, and such like.
6. The duties toward GOD the Son, in view of what He has done for us and in view of our vital
union with Him, are set forth in 14:7-12.
(1) Negatively: Live not unto self
(2) Positively: Live unto JESUS, respecting His prerogatives and servants.
7. Let us now look at the duties to individual Christians -- We have considered the Christians as
a body. What are the duties to individual Christians? Romans 14:1 to 15:7 contains the duty to
individual Christians. Let us enumerate these duties somewhat:
(1) Receive the weak in faith -- We have a duty to every weak brother; receive him, but not to
doubtful disputations. If we must have our abstract, metaphysical, hair-splitting distinctions, let
us not spring them on the poor Christian that is just alive.
(2) We should not judge him censoriously, instituting a comparison between us and him; we
should not say to him, "Just look at me."
(3) We should not hurt him by doing things, which though lawful to us, will cause him to
stumble. The explanation there is in reference to a heathen custom. The heathen offered
sacrifices to their gods, and after the sacrifice they would hang up the parts not consumed and
sell as any other butchered meat. Could we stand up like Paul and say, "It won't hurt me to eat
that meat, but there is a poor fellow just born into the Kingdom, and he is weak in the faith. He
sees me eating this meat that has been offered in sacrifice to idols, and he stumbles; therefore, I
will not eat meat"? He draws the conclusion that if a big fellow can do that he can too, and he
goes and worships the idols. The strong, through the exercise of his liberty that he could have
done without, caused his fall into idolatry. That is what he meant when he wrote, "Do not hurt
him; do not cause him to stumble." He gives two reasons why we must not cause him to stumble
on account of a little meat. He says, (a) "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (b) If we consider this weak brother,
our consideration will be acceptable to CHRIST, and approved of men, but if we trample on the
poor fellow that is weak in the faith, CHRIST won't approve of it, and men won't approve of it.
(4) Follow the things that make for peace -- It is individual Christians that we are talking about,
and we come in contact with them where we have A, B, C, D, and E and the first thing we know
a little root of bitterness springs up among them and stirs up a disagreement. The point is that we
should follow the things that make for peace, just as far as we can, and sometimes that will take
us a good ways. He gives this illustration where he says, "If my eating meat offered to idols
causes my brother to stumble, then I am willing to take a total abstinence pledge." Then he
extends it: "Nor drink wine, nor do anything whereby my brother is caused to stumble." There is
meat other than that which is offered to idols.
(5) Bear his infirmities -- One man said, "There is much of human nature in the mule, but more
of the mule in human nature." The best man I ever knew had some infirmities, and I can see
some of mine with my eyes shut, and I believe better with them shut than with them open. We all
have infirmities in some direction or another.
(6) We should seek to please him rather than to please ourselves -- We are not to sacrifice a
principle, but if we can please him without sacrificing a principle, rather than please ourselves,
why not do it? Let us make him feel good if we can. This is the duty to the individual Christian.
The duties of Christian Jews to Gentile neighbors are found in 15:8-24. There they are all
elaborated. Even in the Jew's Bible, all through its parts, it is shown that GOD intended to save
the Gentiles. The duty of Gentile Christians to the Jews is found in 15-27, showing that there is a
debt and that it ought to be paid.
II. SOME FRAGMENTS OF CHAPTERS 14 TO 16
These Scriptures have been covered generally in the discussion already. So in this chapter it is
our purpose only to gather up the fragments that nothing may be lost.
1. Then let us commence by expounding 14:9:
(1) The death of CHRIST was on the cross; the living after death is His resurrection -- life in
glory. (Compare Revelation 1:18)
(2) The end of CHRIST's dying and reviving is said to be that He might be LORD of both the
dead and the living, the dead meaning those bodies sleeping the grave to be raised from the grave
at His coming.
The latter clause of 14:14 does not make our thought of what is sin the standard of sin, but
GOD's law alone determines that. It means that when a man violates his own conception of the
law he is in spirit a sinner, seeing that he goes contrary to his standard.
2. The doctrine of 14:20-21 is that what is not sin per se may become sin under certain
conditions arising from our relations to others. For example:
(1) Eating meat offered to idols is lawful per se (Romans 14:14; I Corinthians 8:4).
(2) But if it causes a weak brother to worship idols, then charity may justify a total abstinence
pledge (14:21; I Corinthians 8:13).
(3) This thing lawful per se, but hurtful in its associations and effects on the weak, may be also
the object of church-prohibition, the HOLY SPIRIT concurring (Acts 15:29).
(4) And a church refusing to enforce the prohibition becomes the object of CHRIST's censure
and may forfeit its office or candle (Revelation 2:14-16).
3. In this whole chapter (14), particularly in the paragraph, verses 22-23, (1) what is the meaning
of the word, "faith," (2) does the closing paragraph make all accountability dependent on
subjective moral conviction, and (3) does it teach that the actions of unbelievers are sins?
(1) Faith, in this chapter throughout, does not so much refer to the personal acceptance of
CHRIST as to the liberty in practice to which that acceptance entitles -- So that, "weak in the
faith," verse 1, does not imply that some strongly accept CHRIST and others lightly. But the
matter under discussion is, What liberty in practice does faith allow with reference to certain
specified things, the lawfulness or expediency of which may be a matter of scruple in the
sensitive but uninformed conscience of some? One may have faith in CHRIST to receive Him
though in his ignorance he may not go as far as another in the conception of the liberty to which
this faith entitles him as to what foods are clean or unclean, what days are holy or common and
as to partaking in feasts of meats which have been offered to idols.
(2) The "whatsoever" of verse 23 is neither absolute nor universal in its application. It is limited
first to the specified things or their kind, and second, to believers, having no reference to
outsiders making no profession of faith.
(3) Subjective moral conviction is not a fixed and ultimate standard of right and wrong, which
would be a mere sliding scale, but it is GOD's law; yet this chapter, and particularly its closing
paragraph, seems to indicate that the wilful violation of conscience contains within itself a seed
of destruction as has been intimated in chapter 2:14-16.
(4) If this whole chapter was not an elaboration of the duties of a Christian toward his fellow
Christian, both presumed to be members of one body, the particular church, it might plausibly be
made to appear that "faith" in this chapter means belief of what is right and wrong.
4. The theme of chapter 16 is The Courteous Recognition of the Christian Merits and Labors of
all Workers for CHRIST, Each in His Own or Her Own Sphere. The great lessons of this chapter
are --
(1) As we have in this letter the most complete and systematic statement of Christian doctrine,
and the most systematic and elaborate application of morals based on the doctrine, so
appropriately its conclusion is the most elaborate and the most courteous recognition of the
Christian merits and labors of all classes of Kingdom workers in their respective spheres.
(2) With the Letter to Philemon, it is the highest known expression of delicate and exquisite
courtesy.
(3) It is a revelation of the variety and value of woman's work in the apostolic churches, and in
all her fitting spheres of activity.
(4) It is a revelation of the value of great and consecrated laymen in the work of the Kingdom.
(5) It is a revelation of the fellowship of apostolic Christians and their self-sacrificing devotion
to each other.
(6) It magnifies the graces of hospitality.
(7) It magnifies the power of family religion whether of husband and wife, brother and sister,
more distant kindred, or master and servant.
(8) It digs up by the roots a much later contention, and heresy of one big metropolitan church in
a city, with a dominant bishop, exercising authority over smaller churches and "inferior clergy"
in that it clearly shows that there was not in central Rome one big church, with a nascent pope,
lording it over suburban and village churches. There was not here no "church of Rome," but
several distinct churches in Rome whose individuality and equality are distinctly recognized.
(9) It shows the fellowship of churches, however remote from each other, and their comity and
co-operation in Kingdom work.
(10) It shows in a remarkable way how imperial Rome with its worldwide authority, its military
roads and shiplines, its traffic to and fro from center to each point of the circumference of worldterritory and its amalgamation of nations, was a providential preparation for the propagation of a
universal religion.
(11) The various names of those saluted and saluting, about thirty-five in all, indicating various
nationalities, not only show that the middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles is
broken down in the churches, but that in the Kingdom "there is neither Greek nor Jew,
circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in
all" (Colossians 3:11).
(12) But the lesson seems greatest in its mercy and privileges conferred on women and slaves.
(13) The homiletic value, in pulpit themes suggested, from these various names, labors and
conditions, which Spurgeon seems to have recognized most of all preachers.
5. Let us now expound the entreaty in verses 17-18 containing the following points.
(1) We need to distinguish between those that "cause divisions" and those that "put a
stumblingblock or an occasion to fall." The "divisions" wold most likely come from a bigoted
and narrow Jew insisting on following Moses in order to become a Christian, as in the churches
of Galatia, Corinth and elsewhere, but those causing "an occasion to fall" (as in 14:13-22)
would likely be Gentiles insisting on the extreme of liberty in the eating of meats offered to
idols, and like things.
(2) While both classes are in the church, and not outsiders, as many teach, yet neither class
possesses the spiritual mindedness and charity of a true Christian, but under the cloak of religion
they serve their own passions for bigotry in one direction or license in another direction, utterly
misapprehending the spiritual character of the kingdom of GOD.
(3) Both classes are to be avoided as enemies of the cross of CHRIST (Compare Philippians
3:18; Gal. 5:19-23).
6. In verse 20, there are three points:
(1) There is an allusion to the promise in Genesis 3:11 that the Seed of the woman shall bruise
the serpent's head.
(2) This was fulfilled by CHRIST's triumph on the cross over Satan (Colossians 2:15).
(3) And will be fulfilled in all CHRIST's seed at the final advent.
QUESTIONS FOR STIMULATION AND REVIEW
1. What are the prevalent characteristics of all Paul's teachings concerning the Gospel? Illustrate.
2. What is Paul's attitude toward the modern cry, "Give us morals and away with dogma"?
3. How is this thought especially emphasized in this letter?
4. What is the analysis and order of thought in this letter in chapters 12 to 15?
5. What is the duty toward GOD the Father, in view of what He has done for us in grace and
mercy?
6. What is the meaning of "living sacrifice"? Illustrate.
7. What is our duty toward GOD the HOLY SPIRIT, in view of what He graciously does in us?
8. What are our duties toward the church?
9. What are our duties toward the individual neighbor of the outside world, even though hostile
to us?
10. What are our duties toward the state?
11. What are our duties toward GOD the Son, in view of what He has done for us and in view of
our vital union with Him?
12. What are the duties to individual Christians?
13. What are the duties of Christian Jews to Gentile neighbors?
14. What three things are noted in Romans 14:9?
15. Does the latter clause of 14:14 make our thought of what is sin the standard of sin? If not,
what does it mean?
16. What is the doctrine of 14:20-21? Give examples.
17. In the whole of chapter 14, particularly in the paragraph, verses 22-23, (1) What is the
meaning of the word "faith"? (2) Does the closing paragraph make all accountability dependent
on subjective moral conviction?
18. What are the great lessons of chapter 16?
19. Expound the entreaty in 16:17-18.
20. What are the three points of 16:20?
LET US RETHINK THE CHAPTER
I. THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION BY GRACE APPLIED TO PRACTICAL LIFE
-- Paul always insisted on doctrine and morals --
1. The analysis and order in this great section
2. The sum of these obligations
3. Duties toward the church (12:3-13)
4. Duties to the neighbor outside
5. Duties to the state
6. Duties to GOD
7. Duties to individual Christians
II. SOME FRAGMENTS OF CHAPTERS 14 to 16
1. Commence by expounding 14:9
2. Expounding 14:20-21
3. Expounding chapter 14, especially verses 22-23
4. Expounding chapter 16
5. The entreaty in 16:17-18
6. The three points in verse 20.
~ end of book
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