Romans Study: Chapters 5-6

Chapter links: Study Summary, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, God, Questions.

Romans Chapter 5 Sentence-by-Sentence Section

Return to the Chapter Overviews in Romans with this link.

links to sentences in this chapter:

C5-S1 (Verse 1-2), C5-S2 (Verse 3-5), C5-S3 (Verse 6), C5-S4 (Verse 7), C5-S5 (Verse 8), C5-S6 (Verse 9), C5-S7 (Verse 10), C5-S8 (Verse 11), C5-S9 (Verse 12-18), C5-S10 (Verse 19), C5-S11 (Verse 20), C5-S12 (Verse 20-21)'.

Our chapter theme is: 'Changed Life'.

in this chapter we find out that we have peace and grace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This chapter starts with Therefore because it is based upon what came before, especially in Romans 4. In addition, Paul says ...being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Notice that he does not say that we have grace, nor peace, nor rejoicing, nor hope. We are only promised to have access by faith. Thus, we must continue to act in faith in order to continue receiving This grace wherein we stand.

in this chapter Paul tells us that God's peace and grace are in Jesus Christ. He is the One Who provided all that we receive from God. And, the peace and grace are not bestowed one time but are continually received (through our Lord Jesus Christ) through the ongoing personal relationship which is the true salvation experience. Therefore, we need to maintain our relationship with Him if we want to continue to receive the peace and grace from God. (Please see the note for Romans 5:21 about this doctrine. Please see the Study called Relational Prepositions which tell us all of the places that the Bible tells us about being in Jesus Christ.)

Our chapter ends with: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 5:21). The message of that sentence, and this chapter is that grace might (not guaranteed) reign (ongoing rule) through righteousness (through our ongoing righteous living) unto eternal life (in every moment of our physical lives until we get to Heaven) by (it is all of His doing) Jesus Christ (in the lives of all saved as they are spiritually matured) our Lord (with judgment: reward for obedience and punishment for disobedience). Our chapter tells us that one of the reasons that God saves us is to give us His grace. However, God's grace becomes a reality within our life only if we choose to access it by using our own free will.

in this chapter the word counts don't really help us because we have several important non-prepositional words with similar numbers. Forexample: Christ occurs 7 times, God 7 times, death 6 times, gift 6 times, grace 6 times, sin 6 times, Jesus 5 times, offence 5 times, life 4 times, man 4 times, and we could continue from there. While word counts can be useful, they do not always point out a central theme within a chapter. (For the verses which use God please follow This link. Forthe verses which use the names of the Son of God, such as Christ, please see the note for Lord Jesus Christ Study for Chapter 5.)

Below are summaries of each sentence and, below them, is a chapter summary based upon the sentence summary.

5:1-2 is a single sentence which starts with the word Therefore and lets us know that what follows is a result of what preceded it. In addition, this sentence is divided into two Equivalent Sections by the colon at the end of 5:1. There is a difference between 'positional justification' and 'actual justification' and people failing to understand this difference are led into doctrinal error. And, misunderstanding the true meaning of this sentence is often used as a cause of this particular doctrinal error. This sentence is very definitely talking about 'actual justification' and the people who preach it as 'positional justification' are in error. Please see the note for 5:1 under Lord Jesus Christ for more details.
5:3-5 is a single sentence which starts with And. The And adds it onto the sentence in 5:1-2. More than one preacher has preached series of messages on the definitions and consequences of the words in this sentence, and I will not get into that level of detail here. However, there is absolutely no way that the items in this sentence are 'positional', which means that this sentence provides further evidence that the being justified by faith of 5:1-2 is 'actual justification'.
5:6 starts with For and gives the reason that we have all of the items mentioned in the prior sentence. Receiving every one of those items requires an ongoing relationship with the Son of God in His role as Christ. In addition, not all saved receive every one of those items and the saved who do receive them receive them in varying amounts, which is why this sentence uses Christ by itself. Please see the note for 5:6 under Christ.
5:7 and 5:8 are really two sentences which are joined by the But of 5:8. In addition, 5:7-8 is a restatement of the reason given in 5:6 because both 5:6 and 5:7-8 are telling us about why Christ died for the ungodly /us. 5:7-8 explains how extremely different were the actions of Christ when compared to the actions of men. Please see the note for 5:8 under Christ.
5:9 tells us Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. The Much more then adds this sentence to what was said in 5:7-8, which means it is also part of the reason started in 5:6. Everything said by Paul in this chapter is said as present-day actions and can not be considered to be 'positional' in any fashion. So when Paul writes Much more then he is definitely talking about Much more action that comes after (then) what is done in our lives as a result of the first 8 verses in this chapter. He is talking about right now, in this present life, we shall be saved from wrath (for our sins done after our profession). {Being saved from wrath is in addition to becoming a child of God.} And, we receive this blessing through him (through is an ongoing verb used for the personal relationship that occurs after our initial profession). However, this being saved from wrath through him requires our ongoing justified by his blood. That is, as He applies his blood to the stain of our ongoing sins and removes those stains, we provide the justification by showing the world (ongoing present-day action) a life that is no longer stained and controlled by sin. However, as Paul teaches in Romans 6, if we continue to stain our souls with sin, then He is wasting his blood to apply it to a stain that we will not allow Him to remove. Please see the note for 5:10 under Son.
5:10 starts with the word: For and gives the reason that we have the promise of 5:9 and also is giving us another reason for what was said in the first 5 verses of this chapter. Our sentence tells us: For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. the phrase shall be saved is future tense and is adding this salvation to our initial becoming a child of God. In addition, since the word life speaks of an ongoing action, our being saved by his life is an ongoing action which is added to our initial salvation. Please see the note for 5:10 under Son.
Every verse / sentence since the start of this chapter have been directly linked. The second sentence is added to the first (with an And) and every sentence since has been linked together giving the reasons for what was said in the first two sentences (5:1-5). Please see the note for 5:10 under Son.
5:11 starts with And which adds it to 5:10 and makes it part of the reasons for what was said in the first two sentences (5:1-5). 5:11 gives another blessing (atonement) that we have from our Lord Jesus Christ and our proper reaction (joy in God) to that blessing. However, we don't realize how great a blessing this is when we first get saved. It is through our ongoing personal relationship with the Son of God in each and every role of His known as Lord and Jesus and Christ that we increase in our awareness and joy of this blessing. Please see the note for 5:11 under Lord Jesus Christ.
5:12-18 is a complex sentence with 5:13-17 included within it (inside parenthesis). This sentence starts with the word: Wherefore (a result which is seen where ever we look), and is telling us what we have as a result of what was said in the first two sentences (5:1-5) along with the supporting reasons provided in the following sentences (5:6-11). As can be seen by the grammar and use of linking words starting each sentence, all of these sentences / verses in chapter 5 are directly connected together into a single argument and not can be properly interpreted out of the context of this chapter. Our sentence tells us:
- as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world. Many people discount their sin and call it a 'little thing'. But Adam only had one 'little' act of disobedience and all of the ongoing results of sin followed. He did not understand all of the consequences of his sin and none of us understand all of the consequences of our sin.
- Next, we are told: and death by sin. Yes, God told Adam thou shalt surely die (Genesis 2:17). However, it is highly doubtful that Adam understood all of the death and suffering which would follow. Likewise, we do not understand all future consequences of our own sin. This is why we need to believe the warning from God even when we do not understand.
- Next, we are told: and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. People believe, and preach, that Adam only died spiritually (was separated from God). However, in the word of God, death is not just the one-time event but it also includes the ongoing process which leads to that one-time event. Adam died physically in that the ongoing physical process called aging started then. Adam soul died is that his thinking, emotions and will were also corrupted. That is why we all inherit a sin nature and, as a result, all have sinned. (Please see the Message called: Body, Soul and Spirit Salvation) for more details on this truth.
- Next, skipping over the included section, we are told: Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation. Adam opened the door to sin but we each sinned and earned our own condemnation.
- Next, we are told: even so by the righteousness of one [Jesus Christ] the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. When we receive the righteousness of one [Jesus Christ], and allow His righteousness to change our life, then we end up with the justification of life. However, if we do not allow His righteousness to change our life, then we do not end up with the justification of life.
- Everything in the included section explains this relationship and is part of the doctrine which explains why the Son of God had to become a human man in order to pay for our sin. However, that included section needs to be examined in detail in order to understand it and a true understanding is not possible in a summary. Therefore, please see the notes for that section, in the detailed Study, in order to truly understand this doctrinal truth.
- Please see the notes for 5:15 and 5:17 under Jesus Christ. Basically, the main part of this complex sentence (5:12-18) says that as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin even so by the righteousness of one [Jesus Christ] the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. Everything in between explains this relationship and is part of the doctrine which explains why the Son of God had to become a human man in order to pay for our sin.
5:19 starts with For and gives another reason for why the Son of God had to become a human man in order to pay for our sin. (Please see the Doctrinal Study called: What Did Jesus Do?) . And, as seen all through this chapter, it is all part of a single logical argument.
5:20-21 hold two sentences, they just didn't divide the verses at the end of the sentence. They start with Moreover, which tells us that these sentences tell us more about what was said previously and increase what was said. That is, the reign of grace far exceeds the reign of sin. However, this grace is only through (not one-time but part of an ongoing personal relationship) righteousness unto eternal life (all of our lives until we get to heaven) by Jesus Christ our Lord. Note: this is not just by Jesus Christ but is by Jesus Christ our Lord which emphasizes the requirement of our obedience and His judgment (reward / punishment) of that obedience. Please see the note for 5:21 under Lord Jesus Christ. This entire chapter is a single argument that started with a declaration that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ and ends with even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. It all starts and ends with Him working through all three of His main roles and our accepting what He is doing and how He decides to do it

Our first chapter gave us the basis for building a ministry. The second chapter told us 'Don't be a hypocrite!'. Or, said another way: 'Live the message that you preach'. Our third chapter is about the Jews but can be applied to any religion. People claim that they can serve God at home just as well as they can do in church. However, out chapter tells us otherwise. Our third chapter warned us about sins that will bring the wrath of God upon us and tells us that we will not realize that we are doing these things without the warning that only comes from attending church. Thus, church is for the good of God's people and is to show them how to get God's blessings and how to avoid God's wrath.

From that basis we entered the fourth chapter which explained that all of God's blessings are based upon the promises of God and our acting in faith based upon those promises. (If there is no action then we only have a belief and not true Biblical faith.) Now we come into our fifth chapter, which assumes that people have understood and obeyed the first four chapters and received God's salvation that is by faith. With that basis, our current sentence explains how that truly Biblically saved people will have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ and, as a result, will glory in tribulations...because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Our chapter explains how the life of a saved person is different from the life of a lost person because of their relationship with God and that the true life of a saved person is aimed at receiving grace so that it might...reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

As pointed out at the start of this chapter summary, we are only promised that we might receive God's grace. As our chapter tells us: God's grace becomes a reality within our life only if we choose to access it by using our own free will to do the acts of true Biblical faith. Saved people miss our on God's grace only because of their own failure to act in true Biblical faith.

One outline for this chapter (from Treasure of Scripture Knowledge) is:

5:1: Being justified by faith, we have peace with God.
5:2-7: and joy in our hope
5:8-9: that since we were reconciled by his blood, when we were enemies.
5:10-11: we shall much more be saved, being reconciled.
5:12-16: As sin and death came by Adam.
5:17-19: so much more righteousness and life by Jesus Christ.
5:20-21: Where sin abounded, grace did much more bound.

C5-S1 (Verse 1-2) Our having peace with God is an undeserved grace.

Equivalent Section: How to get peace with God.

Therefore being justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:.

Equivalent Section: Who provides the peace with God.

By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand,
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God..

Please notice that our sentence gives us a promise of peace with God. But very few people can honestly claim to have this promise, even though they are saved. That is because they do not fulfill the requirement, in our sentence, to be through our Lord Jesus Christ. This is explained in more detail further in the note. However, while many would claim to have fulfilled the requirement, their belief is mistaken if they do not have peace with God because God in faithful and always keeps His promises once we fulfill His requirements to receive the promise. Please see the Doctrinal Study called Significant Events in the New Testament for links to promises made in the New Testament outside of the Gospels.

5:1-2 is a single sentence which starts with Therefore and lets us know that what follows is a result of what preceded it. In addition, this sentence is divided into two equivalent parts by the colon at the end of 5:1. There is a difference between 'positional justification' (based upon having a religious position) and 'actual justification' (based upon a personal relationship through Jesus Christ) that leads a lot of people into error, especially with this sentence. This sentence is very definitely talking about 'actual justification' and the people who preach it as 'positional justification ' are in error. Please see the note for 5:1 under Lord Jesus Christ for more details on how the Son of God actually justifies the saved. Please also see the notes for 2:2 and 3:6 have links to where this epistle and the Bible talks about judging. Further, please see the note for 3:20 which has links to where this epistle talks about justify. Finally, please see the notes for 3:27 which has links to where Romans talks about faith.

This sentence starts a new topic that is contained within this chapter. It is important to understand how this topic, and chapter, fit within the overall structure of the epistle. Every sentence in chapter 5 is linked to the prior sentence. That makes all of chapter 5 a single logical argument that is part of this Therefore. In addition, in chapter 4 Paul used the life of Abraham to show the concepts that he explained in chapter 3. Therefore, this logical argument in chapter 5 is based upon the concepts of chapter 3 and the application of those concepts in chapter 4. In chapter 3 we found that the sentence in 3:21-26 was the heart of the chapter where Paul told us the things that we had 'position ally' through Jesus which are different than the things that we have actually through Jesus Christ and Christ Jesus. We also saw that God will not give us the 'positional salvation' through Jesus unless we were willing to also receive the actual salvation that is a result of our ongoing relationship with the Son of God through His role as Christ. Then in chapter 4 where Paul used the life of Abraham to illustrate the concepts taught in chapter 3. That is, Abraham lived a life which displayed his personal relationship with God.

Paul concluded chapter 4 in 4:23-25. There he told us that Abraham had righteousness imputed to his sin account because he had a life of faith that was strong and staggered not at the promise of God but gave glory to God in the face of opposing people and circumstances. (Please see the notes for Romans 4:6-7 and for Romans 4:8 to see how imputation works in God's legal systems.) Abraham didn't just claim some 'positional salvation' but he had a life that backed his mouth. Chapter 4 also said that we can also have righteousness imputed to our sin account if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. The people who claim 'positional justification' ignore God's conditional (if), but God does not ignore His own conditional that He wrote in His Word. God only gives the resulting promise to those people who meet His condition His way.

As seen in the note for 4:23-25, this believe produces an action and requires us to also actually live what we claim. True belief produces true faith, which is a trueaction verb. That's why this sentence says Therefore being justified by faith. If we don't have an action of faith, whereby we back our claim of belief are becoming strong, and are learning to stagger not at the promise of God, then we can not claim to be justified by faith. The conclusion of this single logical argument (chapter 5) is even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord (5:21). The very next chapter (6) shows the foolishness of claiming some 'positional grace' that supposedly allows someone to life a life of mocking God by claiming that they can sow sin and reap a mansion in heaven. Everything that this chapter promises us is through an ongoing personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. As has been shown repeatedly, what is received through is not a one-time 'positional' receiving but an ongoing receiving through a relationship.

Having dealt with how this sentence and chapter fit within the greater context, we can now look at the details of the sentence itself. This sentence tells us that the result of being justified by faith is peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Please see the Study called Relational Prepositions for more verses which use through with a role of God. Please follow the link provided to see this unique usage of words within the Bible. Please also see the explanation at the top of the page that is reached By this link.) We dealt with the concept of peace with God in the note for 1:1-7 of this book Study and we dealt with the concept of peace...through our Lord Jesus Christ in the 1:7 of the Lord Jesus Christ Study. Further, we deal with the gospel of peace in the note for Romans 10:15. (Please see those notes for more details.)

Our Second Step also includes in the definition (is) of being spiritually minded that it is peace. Please see the note for Romans 12:18 which has links to every verse, in Romans, which uses the word peace along with a short note for each and the definition from Webster's 1828. The functional definition is: 'In a general sense, a state of quiet or tranquility; freedom from disturbance or agitation; applicable to society, to individuals, or to the temper of the mind'. As shown in those notes, the ongoing personal relationship with the Son of God through His role as Christ is absolutely required in order to have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Since our peace with God demands the ongoing personal relationship with the Son of God through His role as Christ, it should be obvious that such an ongoing relationship also requires ongoing faith. As we have seen consistently throughout this study, true Biblical faith is not intellectually trusting is some 'positional' attribute but is an action very requiring that our walk back our 'talk'. Further, since our peace with God and our faith both require the ongoing personal relationship with the Son of God through His role as Christ, it should be obvious that our being justified also requires the same since the word being means 'ongoing existence'.

We first saw the concept of justification is used as a quote of Scripture in 1:17 which told us The just shall live by faith. That matches our current sentence since live is an ongoing action and being is 'ongoing existence'. If we stop doing the actions of faith, we will no longer be living by faith, and can expect to lose our peace with God, which is what saved people actually experience. A lot of religious leaders try to put the blame on the devil or find some other reason to explain why God's people don't experience His peace. They have to do this because they have been taught, and teach others, that certain things in the Bible are received at the instant that a person makes a profession and kept forever. However, in reality of experience and the teachings of the Bible, many of these things require our willing participation in an ongoing personal relationship. This concept is important because that error is what was behind the claim by Jews that they received all of these things through the Law by being born as Jews. Today, religious leaders claim that no, it is not through the law and not by being born as a Jew, but they now claim it is by getting saved and still try to turn the results of an ongoing relationship into something received because of a one-time event.

The Second Equivalent Section of this sentence says By whom (by the Son of God in each and every role of His known as Lord and Jesus and Christ) also we have access by faith which is part of an ongoing personal relationship with the Son of God. We already saw that the faith which Paul is talking about is 'actual visible faith'. He gives us what we need to live the faith that we claim. We can see this because our sentence says that we have access (not we have) into this grace. Since this access is by faith, we will not be into this grace unless we do works of an 'actual visible faith'. Without This grace, we can not stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Once more, rejoice is present-time and hope is an action verb just like faith except that hope is based upon the character of God. We see this same concept presented in Hebrews 3:6.

how this works is that the Son of God gives us the faith that we need. As we exercise that faith, we access God's grace. God's grace causes a visible change in our life. That change in our life which is displayed by God's grace being in our life justifies God saving us while refusing to save someone who would not do the works of faith which result in this visible change in their life. Further, our doing the works of faith, and seeing the results, increases our faith just like exercise increases our strength. With increased faith we can access more grace and have a more visible change in our life which increases God's justification for saving us. Thus, we have an ever increasing spiral so long as we keep it going.

Please notice that our increasing grace results in our rejoicing in (the) hope of the glory of God. please also notice that our hope is in the glory of God (and not something else). The of, within this phrase, means that the glory belongs to God. One of the reasons that we hope for God to get glory through our lives because the amount of reward we receive in heaven is proportional to the amount of glory that God gets from our lives here on Earth. Notice the next sentence is added (and) to our current sentence and one of the first phrases of that sentence is but we glory in tribulations also. The only way that we can glory in tribulations is if we honestly expect to gain much more than the tribulations cost us. The only way that we can honestly expect that type of gain is if we have a true Biblical hope that God will reward our faith in proportion to the amount of glory that He gets from our tribulations. (Please see the note for the next sentence for links to every place that tribulation is found.)

Any honest person would see that people who are actually relying upon a 'positional salvation' (as opposed to an actual action filled salvation) have trouble with the things that 5:3-5 add to 5:1-2. Unfortunately, there are good people who try to support 'positional salvation' by using their own life as justification for their 'position' on this religious disagreement. But when you pin them into a corner, they have to admit that they personally have an action based 'actual' salvation. Unfortunately, these people often have a hard time seeing that the people they are trying to defend do not have the same type of relationship to the Son of God that they have. Therefore, they can not properly justify 'positional salvation' based upon their own life.

This sentence not only is based upon the prior chapters and sentences (because of starting with Therefore), but it provides the basis for the rest of this chapter. Forexample:

5:1 says, being justified by faith, we have peace with God. Our faith results in peace with God.
5:2 says, we...rejoice in hope. Our faith results in hope.
5:8 says, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Christ died for us based upon His faith that His ongoing relationship with us would results in our acts of faith. Our ongoing acts of faith justify the fact that Christ died for us.
5:10 says, our faith results in much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Our future ongoing (shall be) salvation is based upon our ongoing reconciliation, which is the result of our ongoing acts of faith.
5:12 says, death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. Our ongoing faith in Jesus Christ is all that keeps us from an eternal death. People who have a true Biblical salvation started it with an agreement with God to have an ongoing relationship. People who believe in 'losing their salvation' do not have their faith in the ever reliable person of Jesus Christ, but have their faith in their own ability to 'hold on'.
5:17 says, Our faith gives us access...into this grace which results in our receiving the gift of righteousness and the promise that we shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.
5:20 explains, and summarizes the chapter with where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Our faith gives us access...into this grace which results in our receiving all of the promises of this chapter.

Please see the note for Romans intro about the word therefore. The functional definition is: 'what follows the therefore is a future result that is based upon what came before the therefore and only seen there'.

Please see the note for 7:12 which has links to the verses where he exact word of just is used and for the Webster's 1828 definition. Please also see the notes for Galatians 2:16-LJC and 2Peter 2:9-LJC which also talk about the same word. Part of the definition from Webster's 1828 is: 'Conformed to rules of justice; doing equal justice'. The just are people who have been justified. The popular religious definition is: 'made just as if I never sinned'. However, when we study the word justify in the Bible, we see that that definition is not adequate because true Biblical justification includes having the righteousness of Jesus Christ added to our spiritual legal record. Therefore, the true Biblical definition of justification is: 'having the sins on my legal record in heaven blotted out and replaced by the righteousness from Jesus Christ'. Please also the note for 3:20 which has links to where this epistle talks about justify. Please also see the note for Ephesians C1S2 about the phrase just shall live by faith. Please also see the note for Romans C11S6 about the phrase just shall live by his faith. Please also see the note for Romans C3S29 about the phrase justification by faith. Please also see the note for 2Peter 2:9-LJC about the word unjust.

Please see the note for Romans C3S25 about the word faith. That note has many links to many other notes which deal with this doctrine in different ways. Please also see the notes for 1Corinthians C1S3; 2Corinthians C1S17; Galatians C3S27; Ephesians 6:23-LJC; Philippians 1:25-26 and 2Timothy C1S2 about the word faith. The functional definition is: 'an action word that is based upon a belief in a promise found within the Bible with the action dictated by the Bible and the understanding that our action does not force God to act nor determines when or how God acts but proves that of our own free will we are giving God permission to act in and through our life to do what He promised within His Word'. Please also see the notes for Colossians 1:1 and Titus 1:1 about the word faithful. The functional definition is: 'Firm in adherence to the truth and to the duties of religion. Full of faith, trustful, and not simply trustworthy. being true to oneself, to one's nature, to any promise given, and to any trust committed'. Please also see the note for Hebrews 3:1-LJC about Christ Jesus is faithful. Please also see the notes for Romans 4 and James 2:21-LJC about Abraham's faith. Please also see the note for 2Timothy C1S2 about the phrase faith: unfeigned. Please also see the note for 2Peter 2:3 about the word feign. Please also see the note for Romans C10S12 about the phrase faith makes us not ashamed. Please also see the note for Ephesians C1S2 about the phrase just shall live by faith. Please also see the note for Romans C11S6 about the phrase just shall live by his faith. Please also see the note for Romans C3S29 about the phrase justification by faith. Please also see the note for Romans C3S25 about Law and faith. Please also see the note for Romans C9S28 about live / walk by faith. Please see the note for James 2:14 for links to every verse in the New Testament where the words faith and works contained within the same verse.

Please see the notes for Romans C12S16; Galatians C1-S1 and Jude 1:1 about the word peace. The functional definition for this word is: 'In a general sense, a state of quiet or tranquility; freedom from disturbance or agitation; applicable to society, to individuals, or to the temper of the mind'. Please also see the notes for Philippians 4:7; Colossians 3:15 about the phrase peace of God. Please also see the notes for Romans 10:15; Hebrews 12:14-LJC about the phrase peace with God. Please note that these are two different kinds of peace.

We find forms of the word access only in: Romans 5:2; Ephesians 2:18 and Ephesians 3:12. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines this word as: '1. A coming to; near approach; admittance; admission, as to gain access to a prince. 2. Approach, or the way by which a thing may be approached; as, the access is by a neck of land. 3. means of approach; liberty to approach; implying previous obstacles. By whom also we have access by faith. Rom. v'.

Please see the notes for Romans C4S5; Romans C4S17; Galatians 1:1 and Ephesians C1S2 about the word grace. The word grace is usually presented as 'God's riches at Christ Expense'. However, that obviously does not fit in James 1:11. So while that is the main application within the Bible, the true definition is: 'that which makes the source look good'. We are given God's grace for the expressed purpose of making God look good. please see the notes for Galatians C5S4 and Galatians C6S18 about the phrase grace through Christ.

Please see the notes for Romans C14S5 and 1Corinthians C15S1 about the word stand. The note in Romans has links to every place in Romans where this word is used along with a small note about each usage. The functional definition is: 'To remain upright, in a moral sense; not to fall'. Please also see the note for Galatians C5S1 about the phrase stand fast.

Please see the note for Romans 12:10-13 for verses, in Romans, which use forms of the word rejoice. The hope that we are to rejoice in is the hope of the glory of God. Please see the note for Romans 15:17 which has links to where this epistle talks about glory.

Please see the note for Romans 8:24 which has links to every place in Romans where the word hope is used. As pointed out there, I urge the reader to prayerfully read each of the sentences in Romans that use the word hope, with the accompanying notes that are in this Study. All of them are doctrinally significant and many are complex sentences. Please also see the notes for 1Corinthians C13S10 and Philippians 1:19-20 about the word hope. The functional definition is: 'hope is like faith in that both require us acting upon our belief before we have any factual evidence that we are correct. However, where faith is based upon a promise found in the word of God, hope is basaed upon the character of God when there is no written promise found'.

Please see the note for Romans 15:17 which has links to where this epistle talks about glory. Please also see the notes for 1Corinthians C15S36; Ephesians C1S2; 2Corinthians 10:14-LJC and Colossians C1S6 about the word glory. The functional definition is: 'Abundance, wealth, treasure, and hence honour, dignity of God; of the mind or heart; Splendour, brightness, majesty of Jehovah , the infinite perfections of God'. Please also see the note for Matthew 17:1 about the phrase Jesus Christ return in glory. Think about the 'Mount of transfiguration'. Easton's Bible Dictionary defines glory as: '(Heb kabhod; Gr. doxa). (1.) Abundance, wealth, treasure, and hence honour (Ps 49:12); glory (Ge 31:1; Mt 4:8; Re 21:24,26). (2.) Honour, dignity (1Ki 3:13; Heb 2:7; 1Pe 1:24); of God (Ps 19:1; 29:1); of the mind or heart (Ge 49:6; Ps 7:5; Ac 2:46).

(3.) Splendour, brightness, majesty (Ge 45:13; Isa 4:5; Ac 22:11; 2Co 3:7); of Jehovah (Isa 59:19; 60:1; 2Th 1:9).

(4.) the glorious moral attributes, the infinite perfections of God (Isa 40:5; Ac 7:2; Ro 1:23; 9:23; Eph 1:12). Jesus is the "brightness of the Father's glory" (Heb 1:3; Joh 1:14; 2:11).

(5.) the bliss of heaven (Ro 2:7,10; 5:2; 8:18; Heb 2:10; 1Pe 5:1,10).

(6.) the phrase "Give glory to God" (Jos 7:19; Jer 13:16) is a Hebrew idiom meaning, "Confess your sins." the words of the Jews to the blind man, "Give God the praise" (Joh 9:24), are an adjuration to confess. they are equivalent to, "Confess that you are an impostor," "Give God the glory by speaking the truth;" for they denied that a miracle had been wrought'. The note in Romans provides the full definition from Webster's 1828 along with links from other commentators.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'being. Ro 5:9,18; 1:17; 3:22,26-28,30; 4:5,24-25; 9:30; 10:10; Hab 2:4; Joh 3:16-18; 5:24; Ac 13:38-39; Ga 2:16; 3:11-14,25; 5:4-6; Php 3:9; Jas 2:23-26 exp: Tit 3:7. we have. Ro 5:10; 1:7; 10:15; 14:17; 15:13,33; Job 21:21; Ps 85:8-10; 122:6; Isa 27:5; 32:17; 54:13; 55:12; 57:19-21; Zec 6:13; Lu 2:14; 10:5-6; 19:38,42; Joh 14:27; 16:33; Ac 10:36; 2Co 5:18-20; Eph 2:14-17; Col 1:20; 3:15; 1Th 5:23; 2Th 3:16; Heb 13:20; Jas 2:23 through. Ro 6:23; Joh 20:31; Eph 2:7 exp: Ac 10:43; Ro 3:25; 6:11. General references. exp: Ro 3:17,28.
By whom. Joh 10:7,9; 14:6; Ac 14:27; Eph 2:18; 3:12; Heb 10:19-20; 1Pe 3:18 wherein. Ro 5:9-10; 8:1,30-39; 14:4; Joh 5:24; 1Co 15:1; Eph 6:13; 1Pe 1:4 exp: 1Pe 5:12. and rejoice. Ro 5:5; 8:24; 12:12; 15:13; Job 19:25-27; Ps 16:9-11; 17:15; Pr 14:32; 2Th 2:16; Heb 3:6; 6:18; 1Pe 1:3-9; 1Jo 3:1-3 the glory. Ro 2:7; 3:23; 8:17-18; Ex 33:18-20; Ps 73:24; Mt 25:21; Joh 5:24; 2Co 3:18; 4:17; Re 3:21; 21:3,11,23; 22:4-5 General references. exp: Ps 94:19; Eph 3:12'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C5-S2 (Verse 3-5) How to be able to Biblically give God glory.

Equivalent Section: the Biblical attitude required to Biblically give God glory.

And not only so,
but we glory in tribulations also:.

Equivalent Section: three Steps to being able to Biblically give God glory.

First Step: Get Bible knowledge.

knowing that tribulation worketh patience;.

Second Step: Get Bible experience.

And patience,
experience;.

Third Step: Get Bible hope.

and experience,
hope:.

Equivalent Section: Results of Biblically giving God glory.

First Step: Avoid being ashamed by / of God.

And hope maketh not ashamed;.

Second Step: have the love of God spread throughout our life.

because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us..

This sentence which starts with And not only so. The And adds it onto the prior sentence. There we saw that we had to have life which displayed an ongoing personal relationship with the Son of God. That ongoing relationship was shown by our ongoing actions of faith which were done for the hope of the glory of God, and seeing that hope of the glory of God causes us to rejoice. Now we read not only so, which means that our current sentence requires us to go beyond the actions of the prior sentence to add the actions of this sentence.

More than one preacher has preached series of messages on the definitions and consequences of the words in this sentence, and then showed how those definitions were applied to the church today. I will not get into that level of application here. However, when we look at proper Biblical interpretation, there is absolutely no way that the items in this sentence are 'positional ', which means that this sentence provides further evidence that the being justified by faith, as said in the prior sentence, is 'actual justification '. That is, these items show how the Lord Jesus Christ changes our life (in actions and attitudes) to justify God saving us.

Our Second Equivalent Section has 3 Steps which give us the greatest understanding of what is being said here. However, within this sentence, are several words which people have been taught wrong definitions for. Thus, we will consider the word definitions and applications, then see how those definitions fit within our Steps of the Second Equivalent Section and finally see how the other two Sections are Equivalent to the Second Equivalent Section.

Every place that forms of tribulation is found in the Bible are:

Deuteronomy 4:30-31: says When thou art in tribulation...if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice...he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. We see that this promise is personal (thou, etc). That means that help during times of tribulation requires us acting in a personal relationship with God.
Judges 10:13-14: says Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation. their reaction was to truly Biblically repent and were delivered. Thus, we see that getting God's help during times of tribulation requires us to truly Biblically repent.
1Samuel 10:19: tells us of Samuel rebuking the Jews for demanding a king after God had delivered them from tribulation without them having a king. We know from the history of Israel how that turned out.
1Samuel 26:24: tells us how David gave God glory for delivering him from tribulation while Saul was pursuing him.
Matthew 13:20-21: is part of the Parable of the Sower and tells about he that received the seed into stony places. It says that Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. We will not stick with God during times of tribulation unless we have root in ourselves. That is: we must have our own personal root (spiritual sustenance directly from the Son of God) within ourselves and not in our church or preacher or anything else.
Matthew 24:21: tells about the great tribulation.
Matthew 29: also tells about the great tribulation.
Mark 13:24: also tells about the great tribulation.
John 16:33: warns that God's people will have tribulation but also promises but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. Obviously, we need an ongoing relationship with the Son of God for Him to overcome the tribulation in our personal lives for an ongoing basis.
Acts 14:22: says that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. This is not optional.
Romans 2:9: promises tribulation...upon every soul of man that doeth evil. Please see the note for that verse within this Study.
This verse tells us that tribulation is the First Step towards getting Biblical hope.
Romans 8:35: says that neither tribulation nor any other thing or being shall separate us from the love of Christ. Please see the note for that verse within this Study.
Romans 12:12: says that being ; patient in tribulation is one of the requirements of all saved people. Please see the note for that verse within this Study.
2Corinthians 1:4: says that God comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. thus, we see that our going through tribulation is so that we can help others when they go through tribulation.
2Corinthians 7:4-6: tells us I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation and this was God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us. Our comfort in the time of tribulation comes from God.
Ephesians 3:13: tells us that because of God's eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord, each of us personally (ye) should faint not at (the) tribulations (of others) for you, which is your glory. Please see the note for that verse. It lists 15 reasons given in Ephesians for why we should glory in tribulations.
1Thessalonians 3:4: tells us the same thing as Acts. That is; all saved will suffer tribulation.
2Thessalonians 1:4: tells us that the tribulations which we endure cause other to glory in you in the churches of God. Please see the note for that verse.
6: says Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you... We just have to wait until God determines that it is the right time. Please see the note for that verse.
Revelation 1:9: says I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos... Being sent to be worked to death as a slave is what John called tribulation. Please see the note for This verse in the Lord Jesus Christ Study.
Revelation 2:9: tells us that Jesus says I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty. God knows and rewards us according to how we respond to what seems to be terrible to our flesh but which is God's plan for our lives. .
Revelation 2:10: says ...ye shall have tribulation ten days... God puts a limit on the amount of tribulation which we will have to endure.
Revelation 2:22: says Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. People who follow false religion may seem to get away with it, but that is only until God brings judgment. .
Revelation 7:14: is talking about people who are saved during the time of the great tribulation.

In addition, Webster's 1828 dictionary defines tribulation as 'n. L. tribulo, to thrash, to beat. Severe affliction; distresses of life; vexations. In Scripture, it often denotes the troubles and distresses which proceed from persecution.' this definition matches what we find in the Bible, but does not come close to showing the other important doctrines of the Bible such as the fact that tribulation is God's will for all saved people.

We see examples of saved people suffering tribulation, and are told to expect it, in the New Testament several places including Matthew 5:10-12; Luke 6:22-23; Mark 10:30; Acts 5:41; Romans 8:35-37; 2Corinthians 4:17; 2Corinthians 11:23-30; 2Corinthians 12:9-10; Philippians 1:29; Philippians 2:17-18; Hebrews 12:10-11; James 1:2-3; James 1:12; 1Peter 3:14; 1Peter 4:16-18. Obviously, there are many more places in the New Testament which could be referenced, especially if we looked for similar words such as persecution. Please see the note for 8:35 for links to all of the verses in the New Testament which use the word persecution. Please also see the note for Romans 12:14, which is the only other place in Romans where the word persecute is used.

Patience is found in the New Testament. We find this word used 34 times in 33 verses. Every place that forms of patience is found in the Bible are:

Matthew 18:26-29: are part of a well-known parable about forgiveness. Jesus taught that if we did not give as much patience as we received then we were in for judgment from our Lord.
Luke 8:15: is part of the explanation of the Parable of the Sower. in this explanation, Jesus says that the good ground represented they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. God expects His people to use patience in their ministry for Him.
Luke 21:19: says In your patience possess ye your souls. this is instruction from Jesus when we see the worst possible disaster coming from the Devil.
This sentence tells us that patience is the Second Step of getting Biblical hope.
Romans 8:25 also tells us that hope requires patience. Please see the note for that verse within this Study.
Romans 15:4 also tells us that hope requires patience. Please see the note for that verse within this Study.
Romans 15:5: tells us that patience is a character attribute of God. Please see the note for that verse within this Study.
2Corinthians 6:1-4: tells us that God gives us His grace so that we can be approving ourselves as the ministers of God by using such character traits (which comer from God) as patience.
2Corinthians 12:12: says that Paul displayed the character traits found mentioned in 2Corinthians 6:1-4, including patience.
Colossians 1:11: says patience is one of the character traits that God gives us so that we might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work. Please see the note for that verse.
1Thessalonians 1:3: says that the people in the church at thessalonica displayed the character traits mentioned in 2Corinthians 6:1-4, including patience.
2Thessalonians 1:4: says that the people in the church at thessalonica displayed the character traits mentioned in 2Corinthians 6:1-4, including patience. Please see the note for that verse.
1Timothy 6:11: tells the man of God what character traits he is to have at all times.
2Timothy 3:10: says that Timothy had fully known Paul's personal character traits that he had in the ministry including patience. Please see the note for that verse.
Titus 2:2: says patience is one of the character traits to be found in aged men. Please see the note for that verse.
Hebrews 6:12: says that patience is required in order to inherit the promises.
Hebrews 10:36: says that patience is required in order to receive the promises and required in order to Cast not away therefore your confidence.
Hebrews 12:1: encourages us to run with patience the race that is set before us because Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses who will testify at the judgment Seat of Christ (Please see the notes for Romans 14:10 and 2Corinthians 5:10-11) if we try to make excuses for failing to do as God commanded us to do.
James 1:3-4: says that patience produces a perfect work in us.
James 5:7: tells us to Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. that is when everything will be made right.
James 5:10-11: says that the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord are our example of patience and of suffering affliction.
2Peter 1:6: says that patience is one of the things which we are to add to our faith so that we personally (ye) might be partakers of the divine nature. Please see the note for that verse.
Revelation 1:9: says I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos... Being sent to be worked to death as a slave is required John to use the patience which comes from Jesus Christ.
Revelation 2:2-3: says I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Our patience is recognized by Jesus.
Revelation 2:19-20: says I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because.. Our patience does not remove the consequence of sin.
Revelation 3:10: promises that our patience will keep us from some temptations.
Revelation 13:10: says that the patience of the saints is to accept whatever our Lord allows to come to us. We are to accept and wait for His reward for our patience.
Revelation 14:12: says that the patience of the saints is to keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. please see the note for This verse in the Lord Jesus Christ Study.

In addition, Webster's 1828 dictionary defines patience as ', n. pa'shens. L. patientia, from patior, to suffer. 1. the suffering of afflictions, pain, toil, calamity, provocation or other evil, with a calm, unruffled temper; endurance without murmuring or fretfulness. Patience may spring from constitutional fortitude, from a kind of heroic pride, or from Christian submission to the divine will. 2. A calm temper which bears evils without murmuring or discontent. 3. the act or quality of waiting long for justice or expected good without discontent. 4. Perseverance; constancy in labor or exertion. He learnt with patience, and with meekness taught. 5. the quality of bearing offenses and injuries without anger or revenge. His rage was kindled and his patience gone. 6. Sufferance; permission. Not used. 7. A plant, a species of rumen of dock'.

Many people define hope as 'that which is not seen' based upon Romans 8:24. This is an incomplete definition and is no more true than the quote of Psalms which the Devil gave when he tempted Jesus. Both are incomplete. Further, even when people go to Romans 8:24, they usually leave out For we are saved by hope:, which is a critical part of that sentence and qualifies the rest of the verse by being the Equivalent Section. (Please see the note for that sentence.) As has been pointed out several other places on this site, the parable of Matthew 20:1-16, which is about the kingdom of heaven, teaches us about faith and about hope. The men who were hired early in the mourning represent those people who serve out Lord based upon faith because both receive a specific promise before they start their work. The men who were hired later in the day represent those people who serve out Lord based upon hope because they do not receive a specific promise before they start their work but do their work based upon the character of the Lord. Those who worked based upon hope receive a greater relative reward than those who work based upon faith. Both, those who worked based upon hope and those who work based upon faith, had to work in order to receive any reward. The difference between the two is the basis upon which the person went to work. Neither saw the reward ahead of time and both worked and their work was completed before they received their reward. The difference in reward is because of the difference in why they went to work.

We see several places in the Bible which teach the same thing as we see in the first two sentences of this chapter. Namely, we all start out with faith and hope only comes after we spiritually mature enough to work for God even when we do not have a specific promise to motivate us.

Returning to the analysis of our sentence, We see that this sentence is added to the prior, and goes beyond it because this sentence starts with And not only so. This is true for each of the Equivalent Sections. Since our prior sentence told us about the results of faith, our sentence is telling us what to add to our faith and how to go beyond our initial faith. In our First Step we are told knowing that tribulation worketh patience. What we know must be based upon the Bible as the Spirit of God shows it to us. The Spirit of God shows us a promise in the Bible, and then we act upon that promise in faith. We see God act in response to our faith and, as a result, we know what we are to do, which includes studying the Bible so that the Spirit of God can show us more truths in the Bible. One of those truths is that God pl and for His people to go through tribulation, as we see in the verse and notes above. Our Step tells us that God uses tribulation to work patience. That is, just as we might work raisins into a dough so that they are spread all throughout the dough, so also does God use tribulation to work patience until it is spread all throughout our life. Thus, patience is added to our faith so that we have greater endurance waiting for God's reward and, thereby, receive even greater rewards. This use of the word patience matches what we see in the verses and notes shown earlier in this note. We see examples of this in Acts 5:40-41

In our Second Step, we see that patience works experience. I personally have been through enough physical pain that I know that God will make me able to handle any physical pain that He gives me while I am alive. (I don't like the experience, but I have the results of it and can use those results even while not wanting to have more experience.) I have had over 10 years (maybe 20 years) of physical pain that was great enough to require prescription medicine. However, I do not have the experience in a ministry that a lot of other people have. Many other can step out while facing financial risks that I see as 'impossible'. Depending upon each of our areas of personal experience, we have varying degrees of faith and hope that we can work with. We do not experience God working in our lives unless He puts us in a situation that is 'impossible' for us to handle. It is only in those situations that we experience God's miraculous works. And, tribulation is one of the things which puts us into situations that are 'impossible' for us to handle and allows us to experience God's miraculous works. Thus, God makes us use patience while we endure ongoing tribulation so that we will get the experience of God's miraculous works.

As we experience God's miraculous works, we realize that each time is unique and that He worked in a way which was not promised to us. Forexample, I have received many physical healings. There is no promise that if we do a certain thing that God will heal us. If there were, God's people would never get sick and suffer. (Everyone would do whatever the magic formula was and be healed of anything and everything.) But the truth is that God's people do get sick and suffer and each time that we are healed by God, it is because He choose to do so at that time. In addition, as I said, God does not always work the same way. Some times He uses prescription medicine. Sometimes He uses alternative medicine. Sometimes He uses operations. Some times He uses physical therapy or diet and exercise. Some times He allows us to suffer for His own reasons which will help us like causing us to improve our prayer life. Regardless of how God chooses to work, we learn that anything which we receive is because He chooses to give it to us. That teaches us more about His character and our greater knowledge and understanding of God's character increases our personal hope, which is the end product of our third Step. Thus, we progress from faith to hope in one area of our life and we can each see that we are at varying levels of progress in different areas of our life. We also see that others are at a different level of progress than we are at, even though it is the same area of life. Thus, this progress is individual and personal for each of us and requires us to maintain our personal relationship for progress, just as we have seen all throughout this epistle.

We have seen how our three Steps, within the Second Equivalent Section, take us from faith to hope as we personally give God glory for how He works in our personal life. Now, if we look back at the First Equivalent Section we see but we glory in tribulations also. The but connects this Equivalent Section to the subject of the prior sentence while going in a different direction. There we saw that we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Well, tribulation doesn't make anyone rejoice. However, enduring tribulation with the right attitude does require This grace wherein we stand, which was the subject of the prior sentence. Thus, we see that both sentences have the same subject (This grace wherein we stand) while what we do with that grace varies depending upon what it is applied to. When it is applied to the glory of God, the grace wherein we stand causes us to rejoice. When it is applied to our experiencing tribulation, the grace wherein we stand causes us to increase our hope and to add it unto our faith. The way that we increase our hope and to add it unto our faith is explained in the Second Equivalent Section while the fact that we are expected to do so is in the First Equivalent Section. Thus, we see the equivalency of these sections and we only have the third Equivalent Section to deal with in our interpretation of this sentence.

The third Equivalent Section is titled 'Results of Biblically giving God glory'. We see that this Section is added unto the prior by starting with an and. It is Equivalent because there is a colon separating the Sections of this sentence. Since it is added, this Section is the 'result'. Since it is Equivalent, there is a direct relationship between the 'result' and the 'cause'.

In our third Equivalent Section we see more than one 'result' to our going beyond faith into hope. The first 'result' is that hope maketh not ashamed. We see forms of ashamed is used 122 times in 111 verses of the Bible. Forms of ashamed is used 26 times in 24 verses of the New Testament. Forms of ashamed are found in the New Testament in: Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; Luke 13:17; Luke 16:3; Romans 1:16; this sentence; Romans 6:21; Romans 9:33 and Romans 10:11; 2Corinthians 7:14; 2Corinthians 9:4; 2Corinthians 10:8; Philippians 1:20; 2Thessalonians 3:14; 2Timothy 1:8; 2Timothy 1:12; 2Timothy 1:16; 2Timothy 2:15; Titus 2:8; Hebrews 2:11; Hebrews 11:16; 1Peter 3:16; 1Peter 4:16; 1John 2:28. In Genesis 2:25 we are told that Adam and Eve were not ashamed (of their nakedness) because they were in the will of God. The first place that we someone made ashamed is Numbers 12:14 where Miriam (the sister of Moses who had changed his diapers) refused to submit to, and even spoke against, God's chosen man (Moses). As a result, she was made leprous. Moses prayed for forgiveness, which God gave, but God still made her ashamed. We see a similar warning in the New Testament in 2Timothy 2:15, which tells us Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.. I personally believe that many saved preacher and Bible teacher will be made ashamed at the judgment Seat of Christ (Please see the notes for Romans 14:10 and 2Corinthians 5:10-11) because they studied their religious doctrine but did not study the word of truth. I've heard several preachers say that 2Timothy 2:15 means read when there is an obvious difference between read and study. I've also been all but called a heretic for saying that God's Word says that we are to be rightly dividing the word of truth (interpreting) by sentences. I offer to show them where the Bible says it and they refuse to look even while they have no Biblical basis for insisting that we are to be dividing the word of truth (interpreting) by verses. The Bible very clearly teaches that God can, and will, make saved people ashamed, and that it can occur at the judgment Seat of Christ.

Returning to our sentence, we see that it tells us hope maketh not ashamed and, from the use of this word in the Bible, that means that true Biblical hope (based upon the character of God and not wishful thinking) puts us into the will of God. This claim also matches our Second Step, which tells us why (because) hope maketh not ashamed. In the Bible, we find hope and ashamed is used in the same verse in only 5 verses. In Job 6:20 and Jeremiah 17:13 we see that people who forsake God will be ashamed. In Psalms 119:116; this verse and Philippians 1:20 we see that people hope in God will not be ashamed. Please also see the note for Romans 10:11 for references where the Bible tells us that our belief / faith makes us not ashamed.

The first thing that we see in this reason is the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. This is our second 'result' to our going beyond faith into hope. We can get an idea of the Biblical meaning of shed abroad from Isaiah 44:3-5; Ezekiel 36:25; 2Corinthians 1:22; 3:18; 4:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13; 3:16-19; Titus 3:5. Please see the note for Romans 8:35 in the Lord Jesus Christ Study for links to every place that the Bible uses some form of love. From these, and many other verses, we see that the love of God is to so fill our life and attitudes that it is evident to all people in every endeavor of life. Obviously, God will start in one area of our life and add more areas even while He is increasing His influence in the original areas. Yes, this is a life-long work of God in our lives. However, someone who claims to be saved for any length of time and does not have the evidence of the love of God in their life is not living by faith. We also see this assertion because our sentence says that this work is done by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (2Corinthians1 :22 tells us the same thing.) We are warned And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30). We are also warned Quench not the Spirit. (1Thessalonians 5:19). In addition, there are 90 verses which use Holy Ghost and all of the verses in the Word Study on Spirit which teach us about God's holy Spirit. Please also see the note for 9:1, which has links to where Romans uses Holy Ghost. The only people who would deny that God's holy Spirit changes the lives of truly saved people is a devil and a devil controlled (lost or saved) person. Please see the note for 7:12 which has links to where Romans uses holy along with Webster's 1828 definition. in this sentence we see holy Spirit of God, which is part of our holy God. Please see the note for 16:18 which has links to where the New Testament uses abroad along with Webster's 1828 definition.

Please be sure to follow the links that are within the sentence outline above to find notes related to those words and to find links to other places where that word is used. When the links within our sentence lead to another Study, please also go to the top of the Study (or section within the Lord Jesus Christ Study) to get the definition, the particular application of this verse, and links to other verses with the same application.

Please see above within this note about the word tribulation.

Please see the note for Romans 10:19 for links to every place in Romans where forms of the word know is used. Please also see the notes for 1Corinthians C1S11; Galatians C3-S9 and know in 1John about the word know. The functional definition is: 'A clear and certain perception of that which exists, or of truth and fact; and the perception of the connection and agreement, or disagreement between various truths and acts. Within the Biblical usage is the knowledge that comes only from personal intimate experience'. Please see the notes for 2Peter 1:2-LJC; 2Peter 2:20-LJC and Philippians 1:9-11 about the word knowledge. Please see the note for Romans C11S4 about the word foreknow. Please see the note for Romans C6S5 about the phrase Know ye not. Please see the note for 1Corinthians C16S17 about the word acknowledge. There are different levels of knowledge which can vary based upon their source, how the knowledge is obtained and more. True Biblical knowledge includes the most intimate and personal type of knowledge which comes from personal experience.

Please see the notes for Romans C9S8; 1Corinthians C3S13; Galatians C2-S10 and Philippians 1:1 about the word works. Please see the note for Romans C3S27 about the phrase law of works. Please see the note for Philippians 3:2 about the phrase evil workers. Please see the note for Romans C11S10 about the phrase works are seen of men. Please see the notes for Romans 8:1-LJC; Galatians C5-S6 and Revelation 19:2-LJC about the phrase judged by works. The basic Biblical definition of work is: 'to move, or to labor'.

Please see above within this note for the definition of the word patience along with links to every place that forms of patience are found in the Bible and with a small note about each usage.

We find forms of the word experience only in: Genesis 30:27; Ecclesiastes 1:16; Romans 5:4 and 2Corinthians 9:13. within this note we discussed the application of this word within this sentence. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines this word as: '1. Trial, or a series of trials or experiments; active effort or attempt to do or to prove something, or repeated efforts. A man attempts to raise wheat on moist or clayey ground; his attempt fails of success; experience proves that wheat will not flourish on such a soil. He repeats the trial, and his experience proves the same fact. A single trial is usually denominated an experiment; experience may be a series of trials, or the result of such trials. 2. Observation of a fact or of the same facts or events happening under like circumstances. 3. Trial from suffering or enjoyment; suffering itself; the use of the senses; as the experience we have of pain or sickness. We know the effect of light, of smell or of taste by experience. We learn the instability of human affairs by observation or by experience. We learn the value of integrity by experience. Hence, 4. Knowledge derived from trials, use, practice, or from a series of observations.
EXPE'RIENCE, v.t. to try by use, by suffering or by enjoyment. thus, we all experience pain, sorrow and pleasure; we experience good and evil; we often experience a change of sentiments and views. 1. to know by practice or trial; to gain knowledge or skill by practice or by a series of observations'.

Please see the notes for Romans C5S2 about the word ashamed. The functional definition for this word is: 'effected by shame; abashed or confused by guilt or a conviction of some criminal action or indecorous conduct, or by the exposure of some gross errors or misconduct, which the person is conscious must be wrong, and which tends to impair his honor or reputation'. Please also see the note for Romans C10S12 about the phrase faith makes us not ashamed. Please also see the note for 1Corinthians 6:7 for links to every sentence in this epistle which use any form of the word shame. The functional definition is: 'A painful sensation excited by a consciousness of guilt, or of having done something which injures reputation; or by of that which nature or modesty prompts us to conceal. Shame is particularly excited by the disclosure of actions which, in the view of men, are mean and degrading. Hence it is often or always manifested by a downcast look or by blushes, called confusion of face'. Please see the note for Romans C5S2 which has a discussion of the Biblical use of shame along with links to several other verses. Basically, if God has to make us ashamed then it will probably be at the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10 and 2Corinthians 5:10-11) and that shame will last for eternity.

Please see the note for Romans C1S10 about the word because. The functional definition is: 'provides a effect where the effect and effect are both in the past'.

Please see the notes for Romans 8:39-LJC; Galatians C5-S14; Philippians 1:9-11; love in 1John and 2John 1:3-LJC about the word love. In particular, the note for 2John 1:3-LJC has links to every place where John writes about the word love. Please also see the note for Revelation 8:35-LJC for a table which divides the various roles of God and gives Bible references for how God loves us through each of His roles. Please also see the note for Revelation 8:35-LJC for a table which divides the various roles of God and gives Bible references for how God loves us through each of His roles. Please see the note for 1John C3S26 about the phrase love one another. Please see the note for Matthew 19:19 about the phrase love thy neighbour. Please see the note for 1John C4S13 about the phrase perfect love. Please see the notes for Romans C9S23 and Colossians C3S8 about the word beloved. Please also see the note for Matthew 17:5 for links to every place where the phrase beloved Son is applied to Jesus. The true Biblical doctrine of this word is very complex since it is a character trait of God. That said, the functional definition, of the word love, is: 'Doing what brings the greatest ultimate good to another being without any consideration of cost to self and not consideration of any response by the other and a willingness to even bring short-term pain if that is what is required in order to bring the ultimate long-tern good'. The functional definition, of the word beloved, is: 'be and loved, from love. Belove, as a verb, is not used. Loved; greatly loved; dear to the heart'.

Please see the note above about the phrase shed abroad. Please see the note for Mark 14:24 about the word shed. The functional definition for this word is: 'To pour out; to effuse; to spill; to suffer to flow out beyond limits which is expected to limit the spread of what is shed'.

Please see the note for 10:6 for links to every verse in Romans which uses heart. Please also see the notes for 2Corinthians C2S4 and Colossians C2S1. The functional definition is: 'Our heart controls the same things as our soul only where the soul deals with the long term the heart deals with the short term and we control our heart directly while the soul is the accumulated actions of our heart. Both are the way we think (mind), the way we emotionally respond to circumstances (emotions) and the method we use to make decisions (will)'. Please also see the note for Galatians C6S6 about the phrase LORD looketh on the heart. Please also see the note for Ephesians C4S8 about the phrase wicked heart.

Please see the notes for Romans 7:12; 1Corinthians C3S17; Philippians 1:3-7 and Colossians C1S6 about the word holy. The functional definition is: 'Properly, whole, entire or perfect, in a moral sense. Hence, pure in heart, temper or dispositions; free from sin and sinful affections. Applied to the Supreme Being, holy signifies perfectly pure, immaculate and complete in moral character; and man is more or less holy, as his heart is more or less sanctified, or purified from evil dispositions'. Please see the Word Study on Holy Ghost for links to every place in the Bible where we find the phrase Holy Ghost. Please also see the note for 1John C2S25 about the phrase Holy One. There is a Biblical doctrinal difference between the use of the phrase Holy Ghost and God's Holy Spirit, with the Bible using Holy Ghost when He aqffects this physical world and theBible using Holy Spirit when he affects spiritual things like our spirit. Both are identifiers of the third Person within the Trinity. The phrase Holy Ghost only occurs within the New Testament.

Please see the notes for 2Corinthians 5:5 and Philippians 4:15 about the word give. The functional definition is: 'Bestowing; confering; imparting; granting; delivering'. Please also see the note for 2Corinthians 9:8-11 about the word given. Please also see the note for 2Corinthians 9:7 about the word giver.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'but we. Ro 8:35-37; Mt 5:10-12; Lu 6:22-23; Ac 5:41; 2Co 11:23-30; 12:9-10; Eph 3:13; Php 1:29; 2:17-18; Jas 1:2-3,12; 1Pe 3:14; 4:16-17 knowing. 2Co 4:17; Heb 12:10-11 General references. exp: Ps 94:19; Lu 21:19.
patience. Ro 15:4; 2Co 1:4-6; 4:8-12; 6:9-10; Jas 1:12; 1Pe 1:6-7; 5:10 exp: 2Pe 1:6. and experience. Jos 10:24-25; 1Sa 17:34-37; Ps 27:2-3; 42:4-5; 71:14,18-24; 2Co 4:8-10; 2Ti 4:16-18 General references. exp: Ps 94:19.
hope. Job 27:8; Ps 22:4-5; Isa 28:15-18; 45:16-17; 49:23; Jer 17:5-8; Php 1:20; 2Th 2:16; 2Ti 1:12; Heb 6:18-19 exp: 1Co 13:13. because. Ro 8:14-17,28; Mt 22:36-37; 1Co 8:3; Heb 8:10-12; 1Jo 4:19 exp: Job 11:18. shed. Isa 44:3-5; Eze 36:25; 2Co 1:22; 3:18; 4:6; Ga 4:6; 5:22; Eph 1:13; 3:16-19; 4:30; Tit 3:5 General references. exp: Ps 94:19; Col 1:8.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C5-S3 (Verse 6) Christ did what we could not do for ourselves.

For when we were yet without strength,
in due time Christ died for the ungodly ..

This sentence starts with For and gives the reason that we have all of the items mentioned in the prior sentence. Receiving every one of those items requires an ongoing relationship with the Son of God in His role as Christ. In addition, not all saved receive every one of those items and the saved who do receive them receive them in varying amounts, which is why this sentence uses Christ by itself. Please see the note for 5:6 in the Lord Jesus Christ Study. That note is extensive and includes links to places in the New Testament where we see strength used. The note is in the Lord Jesus Christ Study because God deliberately switched to Christ in this verse (as opposed to Lord Jesus Christ in prior verses) and the different usages of the roles of the Son of God are presented in that Study.

Please see the notes for Romans C6S4; 2Corinthians 2:15; Philippians 1:19-20 and Colossians C1S4 about the words dead / death / die the functional definition is: 'an ongoing process of corruption which starts at conception and continues until the body is completely destroyed. Physical death is used for the one-time point when the soul and spirit are forced to leave the corrupted body. Spiritual death is also used for the one-time point when the soul and spirit are forced to leave the presence of God. When the Bible uses death for these events, it assumes that the reader understands that the one-time-event is the pinnacle of an ongoing process. Within the Bible, death is to be understood to be an ongoing process, even while highlighting the ultimate point of victory for the process'. Please also see the notes for Sin in 1John; Romans C2S4; 1Corinthians 8:11-LJC and Galatians C3-S26 about the phrase sin unto death. Please also see the note for 1Corinthians C11S34 about the phrase sleep is physically dead but spiritually alive.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians C1S6 about the word strength. The functional definition is: 'Power or vigor of any kind'.

Please see the note for Matthew 18:34 about the word due. Webster's 1828 defines this word as: '1. Owed; that ought to be paid or done to another. that is due from me to another which contract, justice or propriety requires me to pay, and which he may justly claim as his right. Reverence is due to the creator; civility is due from one man to another. Money is due at the expiration of the credit given, or at the period promised. 2. Proper; fit; appropriate; suitable; becoming; required by the circumstances; as, the event was celebrated with due solemnities. Men seldom have a due sense of their depravity. 3. Seasonable; as, he will come in due time. 4. Exact; proper; as, the musici and keep due time. 5. Owing to; occasioned by. Little used. 6. that ought to have arrived, or to be present, before the time specified; as, two mails are now due.
DUE, adv. Directly; exactly; as a due east course.
DUE, n. 1. that which is owed; that which one contracts to pay, do or perform to another; that which law or justice requires to be paid or done. the money that I contract to pay to another is his due; the service which I covenant to perform to another is his due; reverence to the creator is his due. 2. that which office, rank, station, social relations, or established rules of right or decorum, require to be given, paid or done. Respect and obedience to parents and magistrates are their due. 3. that which law or custom requires; as toll, tribute, fees of office, or other legal perquisites. 4. Right; just title. The key of this infernal pit by due--I keep.'.

Please see the note for Romans 4:5 to find links to every place where the Bible uses forms of the word ungodly . The functional definition of the word ungodly is: 'A lost person whose lifestyle shows that they are lost and have nothing to do with obeying and trusting God'. In addition, please see the note for 2Peter 2:9-LJC about the word ungodly . Further, please see the notes for 2Corinthians 11:2 and 2Peter 2:9-LJC about the word Godly. Finally,please see the note for 5:8 which explains the parallel between this sentence and that sentence.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'For. Eze 16:4-8; Eph 2:1-5; Col 2:13; Tit 3:3-5 exp: Heb 9:15. without. La 1:6; Da 11:15 in due time. or, according to the time. Ga 4:4; Heb 9:26; 1Pe 1:20 Christ. Ro 5:8; 4:25; 1Th 5:9 exp: 1Pe 3:18. ungodly . Ro 4:5; 11:26; Ps 1:1; 1Ti 1:9; Tit 2:12; 2Pe 2:5-6; 3:7; Jude 1:4,15,18 General references. exp: Nu 7:15; Lu 19:10; Joh 15:13.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C5-S4 (Verse 7) The natural man hardly ever dies for someone else.

Equivalent Section: Few will die to preserve the life of a person who will truly serve God.

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die:.

Equivalent Section: Some people will die to preserve the life of a person who serves God.

yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die..

5:7 and 5:8 are really two sentences which are joined by the But of 5:8. In addition, 5:7-8 is a restatement of the reason given in 5:6 because both 5:6 and 5:7-8 are telling us about why Christ died for the ungodly / us. This sentence can not be fully understood without also considering the next sentence which tells us the opposite of this sentence.

in this sentence we see the 'normal actions' of the natural man. The natural man puts more value on what someone does for other men than he does on what someone does for God. The actions of the natural man is contrasted with the actions of God found in the next sentence.

We find forms of the word scarcely in: Genesis 27:30; Deuteronomy 8:9; Acts 14:18; Acts 27:7; Romans 5:7; 1Peter 4:18. Webster's 1828 defines this word as: 'adv. 1. Hardly; scantly. We scarcely think our miseries our foes. 2. Hardly; with difficulty. Slowly he sails, and scarcely stems the tides'.

The note for Romans 1:18-19 provides links to the 50 times in 41 verses of this epistle that forms of the word righteous are used. Please also see the notes for Romans C1S10 and Galatians C2-S16 about the word righteous / righteousness. The functional definition is: 'doing the right thing, as defined by God, the right way and at the right time with the right purpose'. Please also see the note for Ephesians 4:7-LJC about the phrase righteousness of the Law. Please also see the notes for Philippians 1:9-11; James 3:18 about the phrase fruit of righteousness. Please also see the note for Romans C4S7 about the phrase imputeth righteousness. Please also see the notes for Romans 3:5 and Romans C1S16 about the word unrighteousness. Please also see the note for Romans C2S5 about the phrase obeying unrighteousness. The note for Romans 1:29 is part of the summary of chapter 1. That note provides the definition from Webster's 1828 and shows the relationship between unrighteousness and several other sins.

Please see the note for Romans C9S19 about the phrase What is man.

The meaning of the word wilt, does not match what is found in a man-written dictionary. The true Biblical meaning is: 'The will applied at a lifestyle level. That is: a decision of will which does not change throughout the life.'. Please also see the note for Philippians 1:15-17 about the word will. The functional definition for this word is: 'That faculty of the mind by which we determine either to do or forbear an action; the faculty which is exercised in deciding, among two or more objects, which we shall embrace or pursue'. Please also see the note for Philippians 1:15-17 about the word will. The functional definition for this word is: 'That faculty of the mind by which we determine either to do or forbear an action; the faculty which is exercised in deciding, among two or more objects, which we shall embrace or pursue'. Please also see the note for 1Peter 2:15 about the phrase will of God. That note has links to every place in the Bible where we find this phrase along with notes on each reference. In particular, that note explains that the good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God are not three different levels of the will of God but, in fact, are three attributes of the single will of God. As that note explains, there is only one will of God for each circumstance in life but we receive variable rewards or punishment based upon how well we obey the will of God or how much we disobey the will of God. Please also see the Message called The Will of God for the application of these verses in the life of the believer.

Please also see the note for Romans 11:22 for links to every place in the New Testament where the word goodness is used and see the note for Romans 7:12 for links to every place in Romans where the word good is used. Please also see the note for 2Corinthians 5:10 about the word good. The functional definition is: 'what comes from God'. Please also see the note for Mark 2:28-LJC about the phrase Good Friday.

Please see the note for Romans 15:18-19 which has links to everywhere that the Bible uses the words dare and durst, along with the definition from Webster's 1828. The functional definition is: 'To have courage to any purpose; to have strength of mind or hardihood to undertake anything; to be bold enough; not to be afraid; to venture; to be adventurous'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'scarcely. Joh 15:13; 1Jo 3:16 a good. 2Sa 18:27; Ps 112:5; Ac 11:24 some. Ro 16:4; 2Sa 18:3; 23:14-17 General references. exp: Nu 7:15; Joh 15:13.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C5-S5 (Verse 8) God's love is totally different from how the natural man acts.

But God commendeth his love toward us,
in that,
while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us..

Please also see the Study called Significant Gospel Events and do a search for the word Christ for links to places in all of the Bible where we are told about Christ.

Please also see the note for Romans 5:8 in the Lord Jesus Christ Study for details on this sentence. The main emphasis of this sentence is Christ. Therefore, that Study is the appropriate place to put the details of this sentence. As pointed out in that note, God deliberately switched to Christ in this verse (as opposed to Lord Jesus Christ in prior verses) and the different usages of the roles of the Son of God are presented in that Study. in this sentence we see the love of God contrasted with the actions of the natural mans, which were presented in the prior sentence. Here we see that true Biblical love is an action verb. Please also see the note for 1John 3:16 which tells us that we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren because that is the example that Christ gave us, as explained in our current sentence.

This sentence is a restatement of the reason given in 5:6 because both 5:6 and 5:7-8 are telling us about why Christ died for the ungodly / us. 5:7-8 explains how extremely different were the actions of Christ when compared to the actions of men as seen in the prior sentence. Please see the note above for the contrast. This sentence is talking about the death that Jesus prophesied in Matthew 16:21 and Mark 8:31; Luke 9:21-22; Luke 18:33; John 3:14; John 8:28; John 10:11-19 and John 12:32.

Please see the notes for Romans C16S1 and 2Corinthians 3:1 about the word commend. The functional definition is: 'To represent as worthy of notice, regard, or kindness; to speak in favor of; to recommend'.

Please see the notes for Romans C7S26 and especially Sin in 1John about the word sin. The functional definition is: 'a violation of God's law' (1John 3:4). Please note that religious people call certain groups of people sinners. because they fit a religious definition which may have nothing to do with God's law. Please also see the note for Matthew 9:10 about the word sinners. The functional definition for this word is: ' One that has voluntarily violated the divine law; a moral agent who has voluntarily disobeyed any divine precept, or neglected any known duty'. Please note that this designation applies to saved as well as to lost. As 1John 3:4 tells us, Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'commendeth. Ro 5:20; 3:5; Joh 15:13; Eph 1:6-8; 2:7; 1Ti 1:16 in that. Isa 53:6; 1Pe 3:18; 1Jo 3:16; 4:9-10 General references. exp: Nu 7:15; Joh 15:13.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C5-S6 (Verse 9) Additional blessings from God's love.

Much more then,
being now justified by his blood,
we shall be saved from wrath through him..

Please notice that our sentence gives us a promise of being saved from wrath. However, many people ask: 'Why do bad things happen to good people?', and this question is asked by many people who claim to be saved. That is because they do not fulfill the requirement, in our sentence, to be through him (Christ). This is explained in more detail further in the note. However, while many would claim to have fulfilled the requirement, their belief is mistaken many saved people do not know what the word of God actually teaches. This claim is proved by their considering themselves to be 'good'. Many saved people receive God's wrath because they continue to live in sin and refuse the spiritual maturing which comes from Christ. God in faithful and always keeps His promises once we fulfill His requirements to receive the promise. Please read the rest of this note in order to understand what the word of God means by the phrase; through him. Please also see the Doctrinal Study called Significant Events in the New Testament for links to promises made in the New Testament outside of the Gospels.

This sentence starts with Much more then, which means that this sentence is added after (then) we have what was said in 5:7-8. That also means this sentence is also part of the reasons, started in 5:6, which tell us why Paul made the claims that he did in the first two sentences. Everything said by Paul in this chapter (about us, not including what God did) is said as present-day actions and can not be considered to be 'positional' in any fashion. So when he says Much more then he is definitely talking about Much more action that comes after (then) what is done in our lives as a result of the first 8 verses in this chapter. He is telling us that right now, in this present life, we shall be saved from wrath. The shall be is future tense. Since it has not happened to you yet, it must be dependent upon something that happens after our initial profession.

Because this sentence starts with Much more then and tells us of additional things that we receive through the ministry of Christ. (The ministry of Christ is what the prior sentence was talking about, which this sentence is adding to.) First we are told that we are being now justified by his blood. Notice that Christ died for us in the past but we are justified by his blood in the present (now). Justified is a legal term and must be considered from a legal concept. In the past the blood of Jesus provided the legal positional justification to make us sons of God and remove us from the legal system called the Great White throne judgment (Revelation 20:11) but it also put us into the legal system known as the Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; 2Corinthians 5:10-11).

Many people believe the doctrinal error that once we are saved we no longer have to deal with the consequence of these legal terms. The truth is that the consequences changed when we changed legal systems but they did not go away. So while the saved no longer face the condemnation of the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14-15), they still have to face the condemnation of the terror of the Lord (2Corinthians 5:10-11). As a consequence, the saved still need to be justified in a way that is accepted by the Judgment Seat of Christ. That is what our current sentence is talking about when it says being now justified by his blood.

Notice that the rest of this sentence says that as a consequence of being justified by his blood we shall be (future tense) saved from wrath through him. Again we see through which tells us this is part of the ongoing personal relationship and not some one-time positional thing. We also know that the terror of the Lord (2Corinthians 5:10-11) is part of the wrath that we can be saved from. Hebrews 3-4 also tells us that God's people can not enter His rest when they have the wrath of God on them. Hebrews 10 also warns God's people It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth (Hebrews 10:26-31). While I could go on with more detail and explanation, the simple truth is that is we allow Christ to apply His blood to our sin after we make our initial profession, His blood will remove the stain and control of sin from our lives and allow us to serve Him in righteousness (Romans 6).

This change in our life justifies God having given us salvation in the first place and it is what is required to justify us in the legal system of the saved called the Judgment Seat of Christ. If we refuse to stop our sinning and we refuse to apply His blood to our sin after our initial profession then we will face the wrath of God. There is more about this in the notes for the next sentence, which is attached to this sentence by starting with For. This verse tells us that Christ died for us as a restatement of 5:6 and to let us know that there are further blessings available to us if we maintain our personal relationship with the Son of God through His role as Christ. Unfortunately, not all saved do that and many will end up facing the wrath of God in this life and at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

We dealt with the various changes in tense between the last sentence and this sentence, but we also have changes in tense within this sentence. Notice that our sentence says we shall be saved from wrath (for our sins that we do after our initial profession), through him. Notice that being now is present tense while shall be is future tense. Since we have a present tense action with a future tense result, the through is talking about ongoing actions which are involved in our ongoing personal relationship with God. This being saved from wrath through him requires our ongoing justified by his blood for the ongoing shall be saved. That is, as He applies his blood to the stain of our ongoing sins and removes those stains, the resulting change in our life provides the justification for His doing that by showing the world (ongoing present-day action) a life that is no longer stained and controlled by sin. It is this ending of sin in our life that results in our shall be saved from wrath. However, as Paul teaches in Romans 6, if we continue to stain our souls with sin, then He is wasting his blood to apply it to a stain that we will not allow Him to remove. Please also see the notes for the next sentence, which starts with For, and gives the reason why Paul said what he said in this sentence.

Please see the note for Colossians C1S3 about the word blood. The functional definition is: 'The fluid which circulates through the arteries and veins of the human body, and of other animals, which is essential to the preservation of life'. Please also see the note for Matthew 26:28 about the phrase blood of Christ. Please also see the note for 1Corinthians 10:16-LJC about the phrase Christ and blood.

Please see the note for Philippians 1:19-20 for links to every place in that epistle where we find the word salvation along with definitions from three different dictionaries and links from other commentators. The functional definition is: 'to exclude. When used spiritually, it means to exclude from the damned by having God's life in you. When used physically, it means to exclude from what is endangering physical life'. As we see in the Bible and in this epistle, our continuing spiritual growth, and our sanctification is part of true Biblical salvation. Please see the note for Main Menu item for Salvation about the word save. Please also see the notes for 2Thessalonians 2:13-LJC and Hebrews 12:2-LJC about the phrase salvation through sanctification. Please also see the note for John 8:30 about the phrase non-saving belief Please also see verses in the New Testament. Summary on the name / role of Saviour. Please also see the note for James 1:21 about the phrase save your soul.

Please see the notes for Romans C4S16; Galatians C5S20; Ephesians C4S11 and Colossians C3S6 about the word wrath. The functional definition is: 'Violent anger; vehement exasperation; indignation'. Please also see the note for Colossians 3:8 about the phrase children of wrath.

Please see the Study called Relational Prepositions for more verses which use the word through with a role of God. Please follow the link provided to see this unique usage of words within the Bible. Please also see the explanation at the top of the page that is reached By this link. The functional definition is: 'the relationship is a barrier until we enter it on one side and come out on the other side of the relationship in order to receive the blessings'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'being. Ro 5:1; 3:24-26; Eph 2:13; Heb 9:14,22; 1Jo 1:7 we shall. Ro 5:10; 1:18; 8:1,30; Joh 5:24; 1Th 1:10 General references. exp: Nu 7:15.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C5-S7 (Verse 10) Why we shall be saved from wrath through God's Son.

For if,
when we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son,
much more,
being reconciled,
we shall be saved by his life..

Please notice that our sentence gives us a promise of being saved by his life. However, this requires us to first being reconciled. (While some might object to the grammar of using the word being, what is more important than grammar is recognizing that this is an ongoing verb of existence. It is not a one-time event.)

Our sentence goes on and tells us that this happens after we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son. We were first reconciled when we became a child of God because the shed blood of Jesus paid for all of our sins that are past (Romans 3:25). However, we continue to sin after we became a child of God. Therefore, the shed blood of Christ is used to reconcile us once more. (This is why the ongoing verb of being is used.) this is also why the phrase of: shall be saved by his life is also an ongoing event in our life. And, we are saved from wrath (prior sentence) by following the example of Jesus for how to live in the flesh and by letting the ongoing ministry of Christ teach us how to mature spiritually. Our allowing Him to change our personal life this way is the Biblical requirement to be saved by his life. God in faithful and always keeps His promises once we fulfill His requirements to receive the promise. Please read the rest of this note in order to understand how the details of this sentence teach us what I just wrote. Please also see the Doctrinal Study called Significant Events in the New Testament for links to promises made in the New Testament outside of the Gospels.

This sentence starts with For and gives the reason that we have the promise of 5:9 and also is giving us another reason for what was said in the prior sentences of this chapter. Every verse / sentence since the start of this chapter have been directly linked. The second sentence is added to the first (with an And) and every sentence since has been linked together giving the reasons for what was said in the first two sentences (5:1-5). Please see the note for This sentence under in the Lord Jesus Christ Study.

Webster's 1828 dictionary defines reconciled as 'v.t. L. reconcilio; re and concilio; con and calo, to call, Gr. the literal sense is to call back into union. 1. to conciliate anew; to call back into union and friendship the affections which have been alienated; to restore to friendship or favor after estrangement; as, to reconcile men or parties that have been at variance. Go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother - Matt. 5. We pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 2Cor. 5. Eph. 2. Col. 1. 2. to bring to acquiescence, content or quiet submission; with to; as, to reconcile one's self to afflictions. It is our duty to be reconciled to the dispensations of Providence. 3. to make consistent or congruous; to bring to agreement or suitableness; followed by with or to. The great men among the ancients understood how to reconcile manual labor with affairs of state. Some figures monstrous and misshap'd appear, considered singly, or beheld too near; which but proportion'd to their light and place, due distance reconciles to form and grace. 4. to adjust; to settle; as, to reconcile differences or quarrels.' this definition matches what we find in the Bible, but does show the link to blood that is in the Bible. Since blood is so important to our salvation, this action verb is also part of our true Biblical salvation, and also part of our ongoing relationship to God. Please look at what Jesus said in Matthew 5:21-26.

Forms of reconcile are found in the Bible in 14 verses, which are:

Leviticus 6:30 says, And no sin offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to reconcile withal in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt in the fire. this is the part of the Mosaic Law which restricts eating any blood. This is part of the 'Moral Law' which we are to still keep even in the Church age according to Acts 15:19-29.
Leviticus 16:20 says, And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:. This is part of the offering where we get the phrase 'scapegoat'. in this offering, there were two goats which represented two parts of how Jesus Christ reconciled us to God. The one goat was sacrificed and Jesus Christ was sacrificed to take away our sin. The 'scapegoat' was sent into the wilderness to never be seen again. In addition, to paring for our sins, Jesus Christ completely removes them, and their stain, so that God can never remember them again. A lot of people praise God for this truth without recognizing that it also requires us to let Jesus Christ change our lives so that we 'stop our sinning'. It is pretty hard for even God to forget a sin that we keep doing.
1Samuel 29 tells about the time that David was living among the Philistines in order to be safe from Saul. The Philistines decided to go to war with Israel and David and his men came at the king's command but the princes of the Philistines demanded that the king send David and his men away. They said to their king let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men? God protected David even though he was where he should not have been. However, it could have been bad for David and his men. We should avoid getting into a position where someone in the world can demand that we sin by hurting the people of God, even if they are trying to hurt us at that time.
Ezekiel 45:20 says, And so thou shalt do the seventh day of the month for every one that erreth, and for him that is simple: so shall ye reconcile the house.. This was instruction that God gave to His people while they were in captivity for when they returned to the promised land. When we do wrong and need to be reconciled to God or our brother, part of the reconciling is to 'stop our sinning' and to do right from then on.
Matthew 5:24 says, Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then comeans offer thy gift.. It is part of the 'Sermon on the Mount'. In Matthew 5:21-26 Jesus tld us That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment and taught that being reconciled with other saved people is so important that God will refuse any sacrifice that we try to bring Him until we get right with other saved people. A lot of people preach that the victim is to 'forgive and forget' even while another continues to do wrong. However, Jesus said that if we are angry...without a cause. All through the Bible we see that the judgment of God, and part of reconciling is for us to restore whatever we wrongly took or caused to be destroyed which belonged to another. The Bible also teaches that God refuses to forgive someone who truly refuses to repent.
This sentence.
Romans 11:15 says, 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? this is talking about what God did to reconcile us Gentiles to Himself. Please follow the link to that sentence in this book Study for more details.
1Corinthians 7:11 says, But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.. There is a major doctrinal difference made in the new Testament between people who are divorced and those who are remarried. A lot of doctrinal error is preached because people refuse to see this difference. Please follow the link to that Book Study for more details.
2Corinthians 5:18 says, And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;. This verse is discussed in the Lode Jesus Christ Study and what is really said in this chapter is not what most people preach. Please follow This link to that Book Study for more details.
2Corinthians 5:19 says, To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.. This verse is discussed in the Lode Jesus Christ Study and what is really said in this chapter is not what most people preach. Please follow This link to that Book Study for more details.
2Corinthians 5:20 says, Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.. This verse is discussed in the Lode Jesus Christ Study and what is really said in this chapter is not what most people preach. Please follow This link to that Book Study for more details.
Ephesians 2:16 says, And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:. This sentence tells us that Christ must reconcile us to God on an ongoing basis in order for us to have peace with God. Please follow the link to that Book Study for more details.
Colossians 1:20 says, And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.. This sentence tells us that Christ must reconcile us to God on an ongoing basis in order for us to have peace with God. . Please follow the link to that Book Study for more details.
Colossians 1:21 says, And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. This sentence tells us that part of our being reconciled to God, we must be brought into alignment with Christ. Please follow the link to that Book Study for more details.

It should be obvious, from the verses listed above and the notes about their context, that reconcile is involved with blood, salvation, sanctification, sacrifice, justification, and just about any other Bible term that has to do with our getting along with God and our getting along with other saved people. In our sentence we are told that we were reconciled (past tense) so that we shall be saved (future tense). Since we claim that we were saved at our initial profession (when we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son), and yet this sentence puts we shall be saved by his life in the future, there must be a part of our salvation which comes after our initial profession. This sentence explains the difference. Notice that the reconciliation which is in the past was done by the death of his Son while the reconciliation which is in the future is accomplished by his life. Thus, we see the division in our salvation which this site commonly associates with the doctrinal differences between Jesus an Christ. Since both, Jesus an Christ, are roles of the Son, and this sentence is talking about the Son, there is no conflict with what is seen elsewhere. Further, the doctrine of this sentence is also said another way in 8:32. (Please also see that note.)

In addition, to that second verse within this epistle, the doctrine of this verse is supported by verses like John 5:26; 6:57; 2Corinthians 4:10-11; Romans 5:21; 6:4; 8:2; 8:10; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 1:20; Colossians 3:3-4;.Hebrews 7:25. These, and more, verses tell us about our having ongoing spiritual life through our ongoing relationship with God's Son. We see similar things in the headings for Christ In us and us In Christ within the Relational Prepositions Study. Further, the note for This sentence under in the Lord Jesus Christ Study has more details about this doctrine.

All life comes from God and the Bible acknowledges the difference between different forms of life. In particular, we see that we are born with physical life but that we must be saved in order to have true spiritual life. Those people who do not receive God's true spiritual life will spend eternity in the lake of fire with devils.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians C15S19 about the word enemy. The functional definition is: 'A foe; an adversary'.

Please see earlier within this note about the word reconcile.

Please see the note for Romans 14:7 about the words life / live. That note has links to every place in Romans where we find these words along with lots of links to many other notes which deal with this doctrine, and the full definition from Webster's 1828. Please also see the notes for Galatians C2-S14 and Philippians 1:21 about the word live. Please also see the notes for 2Corinthians 2:15; Philippians 1:19-20 and Life in 1John about the word life. All life comes from God and the Bible acknowledges the difference between different forms of life. In particular, we see that we are born with physical life but that we must be saved in order to have true spiritual life. Those people who do not receive God's true spiritual life will spend eternity in the lake of fire with devils. Please also see the note for Colossians C3S4 about the phrase Christ lives through us. Please also see the note for Ephesians C1S2 about the phrase just shall live by faith. Please also see the note for Romans C11S6 about the phrase just shall live by his faith. Please also see the note for Romans C9S28 about the phrase live / walk by faith. Please also see the note for 1Corinthians C11S34 about the phrase sleep is physically dead but spiritually alive. Please also see the note for Romans C10S15 about the phrase belief changes life. Please also see the note for Life in 1John about the phrase eternal life. Please also see the note for 1Corinthians C6S16 about the phrase kingdom of God rejected by lifestyle sins. Please also see the note for Matthew 9:10 about the word sinners. please also see the notes for Hebrews 1:8-LJC and Philippians 1:27-LJC about the phrase life everlasting.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'when. Ro 8:7; 2Co 5:18-19,21; Col 1:20-21 reconciled. Ro 5:11 (margin) Ro 8:32; Le 6:30; 2Ch 29:24; Eze 45:20; Da 9:24; Eph 2:16; Heb 2:17 we shall. Joh 5:26; 6:40,57; 10:28-29; 11:25-26; 14:19; 2Co 4:10-11; Col 3:3-4; Heb 7:25; Re 1:18 exp: Ro 5:9. General references. exp: Le 23:28; Nu 7:15.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C5-S8 (Verse 11) In addition, to salvation, we have joy.

And not only so,
but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom we have now received the atonement..

This sentence starts with And which adds it to 5:10 and makes it part of the reasons for what was said in the first two sentences (5:1-5). 5:11 gives another blessing (atonement) that we have from our Lord Jesus Christ and our proper reaction (joy in God) to that blessing. However, we don't realize how great a blessing this is when we first get saved. It is through our ongoing personal relationship with the Son of God in each and every role of His known as Lord and Jesus and Christ that we increase in our awareness and joy of this blessing.

Webster's 1828 dictionary defines atonement as 'n. 1. Agreement; concord; reconciliation, after enmity or controversy. Rom. 5. 2. Expiation; satisfaction or reparation made by giving an equivalent for an injury, or by doing or suffering that which is received in satisfaction for an offense or injury; with for. And Moses said to Aaron, go to the altar, and offer thy sin-offering, and thy burnt-offering, and make an atonement for thyself and for the people. Lev. 9. When a man has been guilty of any vice, the best atonement he can make for it is, to warn others not to fall into the like. The Phoci and behave with so much gallantry, that they were thought to have made a sufficient atonement for their former offense. 3. In theology, the expiation of sin made by the obedience and personal sufferings of Christ.'

Forms of atonement are found in the Bible 82 times in 70 verses. Outside of the Old Testament, forms of atonement are found only in this verse. Within the Old Testament we learn things about atonement including:

All verses directly or indirectly tie atonement to sin and the payment for sin.
Exodus 29:33 tells us And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy. What we eat becomes a part of us. The atonement, made by our Lord Jesus Christ is to become part of us and affect our life. Our verse does not say that the atonement was paid but that we have now received the atonement.
Everyone paid there same amount for their atonement regardless of how much they had. (Exodus 30:15). The Son of God paid one price for everyone's atonement, regardless of who they are, what they have to offer, or any other human consideration. In addition, we all have to receive true Biblical salvation the same way regardless of any human consideration.
In Exodus we see that atonement was done on a regular basis and with different time intervals for different purposes. We need to consider what the atonement is for when we start trying to make doctrinal statements.
Exodus 30:16 tells us And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation... Some of the things that are part of Biblical atonement, are for the good of God's temple (our bodies).
Exodus 32:30 tells us Exodus 32:30 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin. We are not guaranteed that there will always be an atonement, for our willful sins done after salvation.
Leviticus 5:18 tells us that even when we sin in ignorance, an atonement must be made.
Leviticus 14 says, that an atonement is made by one person for another person with the expectation that the person who the atonement was made for will be made spiritually clean. When a parent cle and up a child they expect them to stay that way for some time.
2Samuel 21 shows us that God demands an atonement be made to other people when God's people sin against other people.

There, obviously, is much more involved in the doctrine of atonement and much more that could be learned from the verses involved, including the ones skipped. However, I believe that enough have been presented to provide a non-exact general concept of how the Bible uses this word.

There was an atonement for lifestyle sin that people are not conscious of along with additional atonement required for deliberate sin. This matches what we know about the ministry of Jesus and of Christ with Christ making ongoing atonement for sins that we do after we get saved. We also see a cleansing associated with the annual atonement, which Jesus took care of (one time) on the cross. However, there was also cleansing associated with specific atonement, which Christ takes care of. Along with that cleansing was the expectation that people 'Stop their Sinning' so that they would stay clean for a while, and we see the same expectation from having Christ clean us up.

However, we also saw that God demands an atonement be made to other people when God's people sin against other people. A lot of saved people make the mistake of doing a religious act to 'get right with God' and ignore the atonement due to other people. As 2Samuel 21 shows us, God does not agree with that type of thing from His people. Further, once we have...received the atonement, we are not supposed to be removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel.. (Galatians 1:6). As Galatians, Revelation and many more places in the Bible tell us, the consequence of returning to sin, after we have...received the atonement, can be bad. (Please see the notes for Romans 14:1 for links to every verse, in Romans, which uses the word receive along with a short note for each and the definition from Webster's 1828.)

Finally, we saw that atonement is not guaranteed and sometimes is not possible. At that time, even God's people face judgment by our Lord. Thus, we see that each of the roles of the Son of God, that are mentioned in this sentence, are involved in our atonement. Please see the note for this verse in the Lord Jesus Christ Study for more details.

Our sentence tells us we also joy in God and makes it clear that the joy is due to the atonement. I am not going to get into the difference between joy and happiness other to say that joy is due to long term results while happiness is due to short term results. Because of this difference in perspective, people often have joy even while they are not happy. We also see that our joy is in God and not in this world.

As a final note, the atonement of this sentence is dependent upon our being saved by his (Lord Jesus Christ's) life. This is the basis (Wherefore) for what Paul says in the remainder of this chapter. There he is talking about a life of sin versus a life of obedience which makes us righteous. If we don't 'Stop our Sinning', not only might our Lord say that there is no atonement, but we might not be made righteous.

Please see the note for Romans 14:23 which has links to every place in Romans where forms of the word joy are used. Please also see the note for 1John C1S2 about this word. The functional definition is: 'a spiritually based sense that we will be blessed by God for enduring current circumstances in a way that brings God glory'.

Please see the Study called Relational Prepositions for more verses which use through with a role of God. Please follow the link provided to see this unique usage of words within the Bible. Please also see the explanation at the top of the page that is reached By this link. The functional definition is: 'What we must go through is a barrier until we enter it on one side and come out on the other side'. Thus, until we enter our personal relationship with Lord Jesus Christ, and reach God through Him, that requirement is a barrer to our having joy in God.

Please see the notes for Romans 14:1 for links to every verse, in Romans, which uses the word receive along with a short note for each and the definition from Webster's 1828.) the functional definition, of the word receive, is: 'To take, as a thing offered or sent; to accept'. In addition, please see the note for Matthew 10:41, which explains that in order to truly receive a person, we must receive their character as our own.

Please see within this note, above, for the word atonement.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'but we. Ro 2:17; 3:29-30; 1Sa 2:1; Ps 32:11; 33:1; 43:4; 104:34; 149:2; Isa 61:10; Hab 3:17-18; Lu 1:46; Ga 4:9; 5:22; Php 3:1,3; 4:4; 1Pe 1:8 by whom. Joh 1:12; 6:50-58; 1Co 10:16; Col 2:6 atonement. or, reconciliation. Ro 5:10; 2Co 5:18-19 exp: Le 1:4. General references. exp: Le 23:28; Nu 7:15; De 16:11; Lu 1:46; 2Co 10:17.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C5-S9 (Verse 12-18) This sentence is unusual in that it has an included section which has 6 sentences within it.

Main Sentence: How Sin entered the world and what God did about it.

Equivalent Section: When Adam sinned he let death come into the world then each man willfully sinned.

First Step: When man sinned, he caused death to enter the world.

Wherefore,
as by one man sin entered into the world,
and death by sin;.

Second Step: All men received death because each has sinned.

and so death passed upon all men,
for that all have sinned:.

Equivalent Section: (See Below)
Equivalent Section: the free gift of righteousness...unto justification of life is available to all men in the same way as death passed onto all men.

First Step: All men were condemned.

Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation;.

Second Step: Righteousness is offered as a free gift to all men.

even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life..

Included Section: Six separate sentences are included within this Section. Since the outer sentence is separated by colons, this Section is equivalent to the other two Sections.

First Sentence: Imputation is a legal activity and can not be done outside of the Law.

Equivalent Section: Sin existed even without the law.

(For until the law sin was in the world:.

Equivalent Section: Imputation requires a law.

but sin is not imputed when there is no law..

Second Sentence: Even without a Law to allow imputation to condemn them, every man earned death by his own sin.

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses,
even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression,
who is the figure of him that was to come..

Third Sentence: Even though the offence was not imputed, the free gift is imputed.

But not as the offence,
so also is the free gift..

Fourth Sentence: the grace of God...which is by...Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many by the principal of imputation.

For if through the offence of one many be dead,
much more the grace of God ,
and the gift by grace,
which is by one man,
Jesus Christ,
hath abounded unto many..

Fifth Sentence: Adam's sin introduced sin and death to everyone. Therefore, justification by Jesus Christ can also be given to everyone.

Equivalent Section: Not everyone was imputed Adam's sin but everyone can receive the gift of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

And not as it was by one that sinned,
so is the gift:.

Equivalent Section: Only one sin will bring judgment but the free gift takes care of many offences.

for the judgment was by one to condemnation,
but the free gift is of many offences unto justification..

Sixth Sentence: Adam's sin brought death into the world and let it reign but God brought the greater reign of righteousness to replace death.

First Step: Death used to reign in our life.

For if by one man's offence death reigned by one;.

Second Step: Righteousness should reign even more in our life.

much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one,
Jesus Christ.).

Please also see the Message called In His Image for the application of these verses in the life of the believer.

Did you even read through that complex sentence breakdown that is above? Believe it or not, doing so, before getting into the analysis by the sentence structure, will make it easier to understand that analysis. Since there are several complex legal concepts involved in this sentence and since they are connected in a way that many will find to be complex and abstract, understanding the sentence structure is a critical step in understanding how these items are connected by God within His legal system. Many people want to know 'Why does God judge us like the Bible says He does?'. This sentence provides one of the answers to that question. Therefore, understanding this sentence and how these complex legal matters are connected is necessary if we want to answer this question with a Biblical answer.

This sentence is a complex sentence with 5:13-17 included within parenthesis within it. It starts with Wherefore and is telling us what we have as a result of what was said in the first two sentences (5:1-5) along with the supporting reasons provided in the sentences which follow the first two sentences and proceed our current sentence (5:6-11). That is, just as one layer of bricks in a wall is built upon the prior layer, so also do these sentences of this chapter build one upon another. As can be seen by the grammar and use of linking words starting each sentence, all of these sentences / verses in chapter 5 are directly connected together into a single argument and not can be properly interpreted out of the context of this chapter. Nor can they be interpreted properly without understanding what cane before and what follows, which the current sentence must support.

Within our sentence are some promises. (Please also see the Doctrinal Study called Significant Events in the New Testament for links to promises made in the New Testament outside of the Gospels.) these promises are received by one man, Jesus Christ. Our ongoing personal relationship with Jesus Christ is what takes us from not having the gift of God to having His gift and having His grace. He will not leave us but we can leave Him because we have a free will. If we choose to leave Him and this ongoing personal relationship, we also chose to leave God's gift and God's grace. And, as a result, we lose the result of having God's gift and God's grace, which is ongoing justification.

In addition to the prior paragraph, our sentence also tells us that Adam...is the figure of him that was to come. That is: Jesus Christ was a literal physical man (is the figure), just like Adam was and just like we are. Thus, we see the doctrine of the humanity of Jesus Christ. Since we sin as literal physical men, Jesus Christ had to live a life, and die to pay for our sins, as literal physical man. The word of means; 'belongs to' and Jesus Christ and the figure of a literal physical man 'belonged to' Jesus Christ. And, since He had the figure of a literal physical man, He was able to conquer death for all men. Therefore, the ability to conquer death, and the second death 'belong to' Jesus Christ. He is the only Being Who can free us from the second death and free us from the fear of the first death.

Within this sentence, we are promised that we can receive the grace of God, and the gift by grace because of Jesus Christ. The grace of God, and the gift are given unto justification ('to change our life and justify God giving us His grace and gift'). Thus, we must allow Jesus Christ to change our life so that God is justified in giving us grace while God refuse grace to other people. (The phrase unto justification means: 'up to and including justification'.) In addition, our sentence tells us: 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. This is the conclusion (Therefore) of what our sentence tells us doctrinally. We are told that by the righteousness of one (Jesus Christ), the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. The word by tells us: 'how we go from our unjustified sinful life to being justified by God'. That is: we must receive the righteousness of one (Jesus Christ) into our life if we want to receive the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. Any saved person who refuses to let Jesus Christ change their life and put His righteousness does not fulfill the requirement to receive the promise. They do not receive the justification of life.

Please note that our entire chapter, and in particular our sentence, is dealing with principals of law. Many people do not truly understand principals of law and, therefore, object to Bible truth because of their own lack of understanding. Therefore, if you are having trouble understanding, or accepting, some of the things written in the notes for this chapter, please get a better understanding of the principals of law before criticizing what is written here.

Romans 5 starts out with Therefore being justified by faith and goes on to tell us some of the things that we have after our initial profession because sin was removed from our record and God can now deal with us personally (as opposed to legally). This chapter ends with the conclusion of ..even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Grace is given individually and is based upon our personal relationship and not on any religious act or any religious position or anything else that depends upon religion.

Basically, this chapter is telling us about how God got the legal stuff out of the way so that he could deal with us in a non-legal personal way which allowed Him to give us grace. This chapter started with being justified, which is a legal action that was done through our Lord Jesus Christ. That is, he took care of the legal stuff through His role as Lord and the personal stuff through His roles as Jesus and as Christ. Then we were told a little more about the non-legal personal thing called grace. (Most of the grace that we receive comes through Christ, which the sentences after the first sentence dealt with before returning to our Lord Jesus Christ.)

Not only is this chapter started with what is through our Lord Jesus Christ, it ends with Jesus Christ our Lord and in between we are told about what is all through Christ or through Jesus Christ. So when we get to this sentence, we find the same thing. The outer sentence tells us about the legal stuff (handled by God through His role as Lord) and how God used legal principles to get rid of the legal and replace it with the personal. The Included Section is a step-by-step explanation of how God did this through Jesus Christ.

Our sentence has three Equivalent Sections with 5:13-17 (the Included Section) being one of the three. The First Section tells us 'When Adam sinned he let death come into the world then each man willfully sinned.' thus, the problem is stated. The third Section tells us 'The free gift of righteousness...unto justification of life is available to all men in the same way as death passed onto all men.' thus, God's solution to the problem is stated. The Second Section tells us the details of how God's solution works using the legal principal of imputation in our personal lives. Thus, we see that all these Sections are talking about the same thing from different perspectives.

The First Section of this sentence has two Steps. In our First Step we learn that when Adam sinned he let death come into the world. However, in our Second Step we learn that each man has earned his own death through his own sin. Thus, while Adam has certain responsibility for Original Sin, we each are responsible for our own sin and can not blame Adam for everything. In addition, since this sentence starts with Wherefore, we see this truth wherever we look. This is a 'universal truth'.

Moving on, our First Section is saying that the judgment of sin is death, and that judgment is legal in nature. When it says and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned it is letting us know that even when sin was not imputed, all have sinned and ended up in death. However, the first sentence of our Included Section tells us sin is not imputed when there is no law. Therefore, sin does not need a law in order to cause death.

God wanted to remove the consequence of our sin. Therefore, God added the law and the legal principal of imputation so that He could removed the consequence of sin from the lives of those people who were willing to trust Him and obey. But, since this is involving law, it is exact and any violation of the law is still sin.

When God imputed (did legal accounting of) sin to all men, He allowed the legal principal of imputation to be implemented with no cost to us. (We were all dying because of our own sin anyway.) the third Section of our sentence (second part of the outer sentence) tells us Therefore (as a direct result of God implementing imputation), as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation (we are all legally accounted as sinners by our birth before we actually do our own sin), even so (in the same way: because the principal of imputation was implemented in God's legal system) by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men.

What we see here, is something missed by many people who preach and teach the Bible. There are certain principles and other things which are universal in nature and some principles and things which are personal in nature. We know that there are many applications of the Bible but only one interpretation. This site consistently makes that distinction and uses universal, never changing, rules for interpretation, while also always considering the personal when it comes to application. Forexample, look at all of the places where this site makes the distinction between ye and you. Ye is always interpreted as 'each and every one of you personally' while you is always applied to the entire group with not recognition of any given individual. Look at this sentence where the distinction between wherefore and therefore is pointed out. Thus, we see this distinction all throughout the Bible and, in this particular sentence, this distinction is critical to understanding the doctrine being taught.

God introduced the law and the legal principal of imputation in a universal way. These two things apply to all people. God then created a universal conditional principal that says that He will apply imputation to an individual's life if they fulfil His conditional. Therefore, imputation is universally available but personally applied to those people who fulfil God's conditional. God wanted to apply imputation to our sin, but He had to introduce the universal principal of law before he could make the provision for applying imputation in a personal manner. Please see the notes for Romans 4:6-7 and for Romans 4:8 which explain how God imputeth righteousness without works and provide the definition from Webster's 1828 along with links to every verse in the Bible which uses any form of the word impute.

God could now use the principal of imputation to impute the righteousness of Jesus Christ unto all that will receive it. This imputation is given unto justification of life (so that when God's life is active in us it produces the justification for His amputating the righteousness of Jesus Christ unto us personally). God is the true source of all life and each of these sentences use life to tell us that we need to be more like God.

So now, in our third Section, we see Two Steps. In our First Step we see that 'All men were condemned'. Notice that this matches the First Step of the First Section. However, where that Step used Wherefore, and old us about a 'universal truth', the First Step of the third Section uses Therefore, and tells us about a 'personal application of a universal truth'. We each personally received judgment...to condemnation. While many people might cry 'Not Fair!', the fact is that 'fair' is one of the biggest lies in this world. There is nothing that is 'fair' because what is 'fair' to one person is 'unfair' to another. God is notfair' but God is righteous. The fact is that when sin entered into the world, death by sin came unto all forms of life and one day God is going to have to destroy this world to end the spread of corruption caused by sin. We die so that God can separate our soul and spirit from the corruption that is in our bodies (see 7:17-18). Because of the corruption that we inherited by being born into this world, we are each personally condemned.

In the Bible, the word condemn is a legal action which is separate from enforcing the consequence of the condemnation. in this sentence we see condemnation is used twice and both times tell us the same thing. Being said twice, we have the basis for doctrine to be believed by all of God's people. Adam brought condemnation upon all of us but before God enforces that condemnation, He gives each of us a personal chance to escape those consequences by accepting (and living) the gift of righteousness (that) shall reign in (our) life by one, Jesus Christ.

However, God's character is such that He would not leave us like we were, but He also would not force His Will on any of us. Therefore He created a 'universal conditional' and gave us the choice of having it applied to us personally, or of rejecting personal application of God's Will. In chapters which we have not yet reached, Paul will deal with how we get God's Will applied to our personal lives. In our current sentence Paul is giving us a very detailed explanation of the 'universal truth' so that he won't have to deal with objections later on which will come into the minds of people who don't understand this 'universal conditional'. Thus, proper understanding of the doctrine in this sentence and chapter is critical to avoiding doctrinal error, caused by ignorance, when we get to later chapters of this epistle and what they teach.

By the way, Romans 8:21 tells us Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.. Thus, the Bible supports my claim that corruption came upon all life that is in this world. Romans 1:23 tells us that sinful man changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Once more we see that all life in this world is corruptible and that changing the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to (anything that is) corruptible is sin. I said that we have to choose to follow God's way, which implies that we have to change from the way that we are currently going (called repentance). Romans 6:5-6 tells us ...that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. that is only part of what is in Romans 6 and supports the claim made for this sentence. Romans 8:1-2 tells us There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. forthe law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. these sentences, and the entire chapter, explain how people who accept God's gift (offered to all through God's 'universal conditional') get a different result than those who reject God's gift. That result includes being made...free from the law of sin and death. These, and many more verses which follow our current sentence, show that the things which I claimed that God was doing in this sentence are shown to be true.

Paul waits until further chapters so that he can provide much more detail in his explanation. We will get to those details, but at this point we need to understand God's 'universal conditional' and understand that it is applied to all men the exact same way. Those people who fulfill God's 'universal conditional' receive one result and those people who fail to fulfil God's 'universal conditional' receive a different result. Thus, the principal is the sameans 'universal' while the application of it is personal.

Returning to our sentence and the third Section, in our Second Step we see that 'Righteousness is offered as a free gift to all men.' As many soul-winners point out, we must accept and take a gift for it to truly become ours. This is God's 'universal conditional'. Those who don't 'accept and take' God's gift, Don't get the righteousness of Jesus Christ nor do they receive justification of life. One way that we know that this is true is because our Step says that these things come by. By means 'This is the way'. A lot of people want the righteousness...unto justification of life, but want to come another way (by). However, there is no other way (John 14:6). Thus, we see the 'universal conditional' is available to all. We each, by our own free will, choose to have it applied to our personal life, or we reject God's way. We get the results of God's way only if we choose to have God's way applied to our own personal life. According to God's 'universal conditional', we receive the consequence of choosing another way, and rejecting God's way, if that is what we personally choose.

The Included Section gives us a more detailed step-by-step of how God used the principal of imputation for our good. In the First Sentence, of the Included Section, we are told that God introduced the Law because sin is not imputed when there is no law. It is not righteous to use legal principles outside of a legal system. Since God is always righteous, He must also be righteous when He judges the devils. Therefore, God introduced a legal system that doesn't really condemn us more than our own sin does. While it added no more condemnation to man, it lets Him introduce and use the legal principal of imputation.

I can believe that the Devil thought God messed up when God offered to impute us all with original sin. However, as the Second Sentence (of the Included Section) explains, Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses. Even when people didn't sin the way that Adam sinned, they still sinned and earned death (as explained in the second phrase of this sentence). Therefore, being imputed with original sin really didn't cost man anything. However, our third phrase introduces an important concept. It tells us who is the figure of him that was to come. The who is Adam. By being a figure, Adam gives us a picture of how Jesus Christ will be used by God. The results of each (Adam and Jesus Christ) are applied to the legal account of all people who belong to them. Since we are all children of Adam, his sin is imputed to all of us. However, only some people belong to Jesus Christ. While His righteousness is imputed to all people who belong to Him, it is also imputed to only those people who belong to Him.

The third Sentence (of the Included Section), basically tells us what I just said. It tells us But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. That is, even though original sin was not imputed on those from Adam to Moses, the principal of imputation allowed God to impute the free gift to all men, even those who lived before the Law came.

We find forms of gift appear 112 times in 104 verses of the Bible, 61 times in 56 verses of the New Testament and 8 times in Romans, of which 6 are in this sentence. We find several different things given as a gift and they are given for different reasons within the Bible. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines gift as 'given from one person to another without compensation; a donation. It is applicable to anything movable or immovable. 1. the act of giving or confering. 2. the right or power of giving or bestowing. the prince has the gift of many lucrative offices. 3. An offering or oblation. If thou bring thy gift to the altar. Matt.5. 4. A reward. Let thy gifts be to thyself. Dan.5. 5. A bribe; anything given to corrupt the judgment. Neither take a gift; for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise. Deut.16. 6. Power; faculty; some quality or endowment confered by the author of our nature; as the gift of wit; the gift of ridicule. GIFT, v.t. to endow with any power or faculty.'

As seen in just the three verses that Webster's 1828 mentions, a gift, while freely given, usually carries an obligation to the giver. Daniel refused the gift because he did not want to be obligated to an ungodly king. In Deuteronomy, God told rulers and judges to not accept a gift because it blind the eye of the wise. However, as the verses in Matthew show us, we can not blind the eye of God. While there is much more doctrine in the verses which use the word gift, we will stick to these examples while looking at how Romans uses the word gift.

In 1:11 we are told that Paul wrote this epistle that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established... The spiritual gift that Paul offers comes from God through Paul, which is why we can still receive it today. Paul said that he was giving this gift that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. This comfort...by faith comes through the person of Jesus Christ, which our current sentence tells us.
Within the Included Section of our current sentence, in this sentence (5:15), we are told that God's gift is not limited in its reach like the offense is limited.
Within the Included Section of our current sentence, in the Fourth Sentence (5:15), we are told that God's gift is by grace and by one man, Jesus Christ. This particular gift is defined by the last sentence of the Included Section. There we are told that the gift is righteousness. God's gift of righteousness is a different from the grace of God, according to this sentence.
Within the Included Section of our current sentence, in the Fifth Sentence (5:16), we are told that this particular gift is unto justification. This is one of the places where the Bible teaches that our having God's righteousness evident in our personal life provides justification for God saving us. Please notice the word unto. That means that the justification of this sentence is a future result, which must come after our initial salvation when God justifies us.
Within the Included Section of our current sentence, in the Sixth Sentence (5:17), we are told that this gift is the gift of righteousness. Further, we are told that it shall reign in life. Shall reign is not optional. In life makes it now, not after we get to heaven.
Within the third Equivalent Section of our current sentence (5:18), we are told that that the righteousness which we receive as a free gift belongs to Jesus Christ and came upon all men unto justification of life. This third Equivalent Section tells us the same thing as all 6 sentences of the Included Section, but says it differently. Thus, 5:18 tells us the same thing about this gift as we see in 5:15-17.
In 6:23 (the conclusion of chapter 6) we are told that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. this is the same thing as we see said about the gift in our current chapter. Romans 6 gives us much more details about this gift. and about the grace of God. Please see the note for that sentence for more details.
In 11:29 we are told For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Once more we see that Romans uses the word gift for a spiritual gift. Many people take this verse out of context and use it to teach doctrinal error. Please see the note for that sentence for more details.
In 12:6 tells us that God gives different spiritual gifts to different people and that no one person has all of them. Please see the note for that sentence for more details.

Before we looked at these sentences (verses) in Romans, it was mentioned that a gift, while freely given, usually carries an obligation to the giver. Our obligation to God is that we let Him put His righteousness in to our current life on this Earth. If we do not allow His righteousness to change our current life, then we are, in fact, rejection His gift.

In our Fourth sentence (of the Included Section), we are told that it is Jesus Christ Who made the difference. The offence of one is talking about Adam's sin (Original sin) according to the context. Many be dead is talking about all of us having the results of God imputing sin to our account. The if makes this conditional. If God did not impute sin, someone could theoretically claim that someone might be able to live sinlessly, and I've even heard people make that argument for Enoch. (They are wrong for a number of reasons, but we will skip that rabbit trail and stick to the current thought.) However, at best one person being good enough, out of all of the billions or trillions who have ever lived, is not good. So while imputation is conditional, and it did not happen until God introduced the Law, imputation allowed God to provide for the rest of us. Through imputation God was able to make the grace of God, and the gift by grace available to all men. (The Law requires a punishment for sin, which Jesus Christ paid for us Isaiah 53:11).

Just as Adam was a single man who caused his sin to be imputed to all of his descendants, so also was/is Jesus Christ one man and He can cause the gift of grace to be imputed to all of his descendants. We just must become one of His descendants. As we know, not all people choose to do so, which is why our sentence says that this gift of grace hath abounded unto many, and not to all.

Perhaps the reader noticed that what has been said about this Section has been said before within this note. That's because the Sections of this sentence are equivalent and tell us the same thing different ways. In addition, this sentence starts with For and gives us the reason why Paul said what he did in the third Sentence of the Included Section. While we have seen the same thing (as this sentence says) said in the Sections of the outer sentence, our current sentence of the Included Section identifies Jesus Christ as the person Who made (by) the grace of God available to us. Please see the note for This verse in the Lord Jesus Christ Study for more details on how He did this.

Continuing with the Fifth Sentence of the Included Section, we see the title was given as 'Adam's sin introduced sin and death to everyone. Therefore, justification by Jesus Christ can also be given to everyone.' Within this Fifth Sentence we have two Equivalent Sections. Our First Equivalent Section was titled 'Not everyone was imputed Adam's sin but everyone can receive the gift of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.' this Equivalent Section starts with And, which adds it to the Fourth Sentence, which we just discussed. That sentence told how God introduced the legal principal of imputation and this sentence tells us how God uses imputation. Not as it was by one that sinned references the fact that God did not impute sin to all of Adam's children because He did not impute sin to those people who lived before the Law. However, the so is the gift tells us that God is willing to impute the gift to all men who believe the gospel. (Please see the note for 1Peter 4:6 in the Lord Jesus Christ Study for more details on how the gospel (was) preached also to them that are dead.)

In the Second Equivalent Section of the Fifth Sentence (does accurately identifying the part of a sentence seem tedious?), we see the title was given as 'Only one sin will bring judgment but the free gift takes care of many offences.' Again we see the difference in how God used imputation of Adam's sin compared to how God used imputation of the gift. One sin is all that it takes to bring condemnation. Thus, by imputation, God used one to provide all condemnation. Therefore, God could also use the righteousness of one man (Jesus Christ) to provide all justification. Once more we see the wisdom of God in that He uses the same principles and laws and yet achieves different results while not taking away our personal free will to choose which cause-and-effect we will receive.

In summary of what we have covered so far: we know that one of the reasons that God brought the Law to this world was so that He could also bring in the legal principal of imputation. God applying imputation to original sin didn't cost men anything since all died anyway because of their own sin. However, since He also introduced the legal principal of imputation, He could use it to impute the righteousness that Jesus Christ provided unto all men. Further, since God will never take away our free will, He only imputes this righteousness upon those willing to receive it. In addition, to what was already said, our Sixth Sentence tells us that the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. That is, God doesn't just give us righteousness but he demands that we let it reign in (our) life.

In the Sixth Sentence of the Included Section, we see the title was given as 'Adam's sin brought death into the world and let it reign but God brought the greater reign of righteousness to replace death.' We can see the truth of this title when we look at the two Steps involved.

In the First Step we are told 'Death used to reign in our life.' Our sentence says if by one man's offence death reigned by one. The if is setting up the conditional for the result that is in the Second Step. That is: If Adam's offense did not let death reign then God could not have implemented imputation and we could not have abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life. As we have seen elsewhere, this use of an if is technically correct but most people who have not been trained and received significant experience in computer programming will not understand the technical use. It is easier if people accept that some technical uses of if better match what most people think is the meaning of 'since'. Therefore, it will be easier for many people to understand this phrase if they think of it as saying since by one man's (Adam's) offence death reigned. This matches the saying that 'You can't get someone saved until after they recognize that they are lost.' Our First Step tells us that all were lost because, as our earlier sentences told us, one man's offence (Adam's sin) caused the judgment was by one to condemnation and through the offence of one many be dead and Nevertheless death reigned and by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. Thus, we have seen all through this Included Section that death and sin were introduced by one man (Adam) but they have ruled over all men (Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3:6-19).

That is the 'bad news' In the Second Step we are told 'good news' Our Second Step was titled: Righteousness 'should reign even more in our life.' Our Second Step starts with much more. Since death reigned when we were lost, and since Jesus Christ conquered death (John 5:24), Jesus Christ is more powerful than death. Therefore, His reign should also be much more when His reign replaces the reign of death. However, we must pay attention to the limit that God puts in this Step when He says they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness. While lots of people want the gift, they don't want righteousness to reign in [their] life and this verse says that it shall reign in (our) life. Those people who reject God's command that righteousness shall reign in (our) life also reject the abundance of grace and of the gift.

In order for God to use the principal of imputation to give the free gift...by grace and have it abound unto many, one man had to live a life of righteousness. Our Included Section tells us that this gift of righteousness is by...Jesus Christ. He lived as a man and fulfilled prophecy in order to make the gift available but He is also maintaining our gift of righteousness (in spite of our ongoing sin) through His role as Christ. (Please see the note for Matthew 1:21 which explains that His saving us requires removing our sin from our current life.) this is one of the reasons that He didn't just give us the gift and walk away but gave us what we really needed, which is an ongoing personal relationship whereby He can continue to perfect us. Please see the note for 5:17 in the Lord Jesus Christ Study about how these roles of the Son of God are involved in this principal.

This long note did not have all of the scripture references in it that are normally provided to support what was said. At some future time, I hope to return to this note and add them. Fornow, please see the notes below for word definitions.

I found the following interesting note written by a JDM at 'Days of Praise'.
When Adam rebelled against God, he experienced many new things--things which have haunted mankind ever since. All of these things were experienced by Christ in an intense way as He redeemed fallen mankind and the cursed creation.

Adam had never seen or experienced death (Genesis 2:17) until he sinned (3:19, 22). God had ordained nakedness (2:25), but sin distorts everything (3:7, 21). Before sin, Adam and Eve had known only blessing (1:28), but the universal curse followed (3:14-19). They had known joy and fellowship, but now they knew sorrow (3:17) and separation (3:23). They had lived in a garden (2:8), but now the plants would bring forth thorns (3:18). Prior to sin they had been assigned work to do (2:15), but now they would sweat (3:19) as they toiled. The angel's weapon kept them from returning to the Garden (3:24) and outside violence reigned (4:8, 23; 6:13). Childbearing originally was created to be easy and frequent, but now was to be accompanied by sorrow (1:28; 3:16).

Likewise, Christ experienced death on the cross (John 19:30), but by His resurrection He conquered death (1 Corinthi and 15:54-57). in this death He experienced nakedness (John 19:23; Psalm 22:18); the full thrust of the curse (Galatians 3:13); sorrow (Isaiah 53:3); and separation from God (Matthew 27:46). Cruel thorns were placed on His head (John 19:2), and He sweat great drops of blood (Luke 22:44). The soldier's weapon pierced Him (John 19:34), finally ending a series of violent acts (Luke 22:63; Matthew 27:26, Matthew 27:29-30; Isaiah 52:14; etc.). But through His suffering He overcame the curse and redeemed His fallen creation. As a result, many children have been brought forth (Hebrews 2:9-10), children reborn into a glorious state through His suffering.

Please see the note for Romans intro about the word wherefore. The functional definition is: 'what follows the wherefore is a future result that is based upon what came before the wherefore and seen wherever you look'.

Please see the note for Romans C9S19 about the phrase What is man.

Please see the note for John 10:9 about the word enter. The functional definition for this word is: 'to leave one place and go into another place'.

Please see the note for Romans 16:25-27 which gives links to every place in the New Testament that uses any form of the word world and provides the definition from Webster's 1828. Please also see the notes for 1Timothy 1:15; 2Timothy C1S5; 1Corinthians C1S19 and World in 1John about the word world. The functional definition is: 'The world is not the earth but is all of the people in the earth and often is used for the majority opinion / thought process. that opinion / thought process is the result of lost people thinking that they know better than God does and believe Satan's lie'. Please also see the note for John 9:5 about the phrase light of the world.

Please see the note for Romans 14:20 for links to every verse, in Romans, which uses any form of the word offence along with a definition. The functional definition is: ' a violation or breach of a law, custom, rule, etc. a. any public wrong or crime'.

Please see the notes for Romans C2S2 and Philippians 1:9-11 about the word judgment. Please also see the notes for Romans C14S16 and 2Corinthians 5:10 about the judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; 2Corinthians 5:10-11). Please also see the notes for Romans 8:1-LJC; 1Corinthians 1:10 and Revelation 19:2-LJC about the word judge. Please also see the notes for Romans 14:8-LJC and 2Thessalonians 1:9-LJC about the phrase judgment without mercy. Please also see the note for 1Corinthians C4S5 about the phrase we are to judge. Please also see the notes for Romans 8:1-LJC; Galatians C5-S6 and Revelation 19:2-LJC about the phrase judged by works. Please also see the note for Ephesians C5S6 about the phrase judgment by us. Please also see the Section called: 'Minor Titles of the Son of God' in the Doctrinal Study called: Significant Gospel Events.

Please see the note for 8:1 which has links to where this epistle and the Bible talks about condemn. Every place in this epistle where some form of the word condemn is used, it is God's people who are condemned. As pointed out in that note, condemn is a legal action which is separate from enforcing the consequence of the condemnation. in this sentence we see that God's people condemn themselves by doing the thing that they prove they know is wrong. They prove this by condemning others. However, later in this epistle we are told how to get right with God before He has to bring the consequence upon us. Every place in this epistle where some form of the word condemn is used, it is God's people who are condemned. The functional definition is: 'the judicial act of declaring one guilty, and dooming him to punishment'. Please also see the note for Romans C9S28 about the phrase condemnation of fools.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians C7S29 about the word free. The functional definition is: 'Being at liberty; not being under necessity or restraint, physical or moral; a word of general application to the body, the will or mind, and to corporations'.

Please see the note above about the word gift. Please also see the note for 1Corinthians C12S4. The functional definition is: 'something given from one person to another without compensation'.

Below are words from the large included section of this sentence.

Please see the note for Romans 6:14 which has links to every verse, in Romans, which uses any form of the word law along with a the Webster's 1828 definition. In addition, the note for Romans 3:31 which has links to every place there the New Testament tells us about a law that applies to the saved during the Church Age.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C6S1; Galatians C2-S10 and Psalms 119 about the word law. The functional definition for this word is: 'the set of written or commonly understood rules for acceptable behavior and which can be used by a legal system for punishing offenders'. Please also see the note for Galatians 3:10 about the phrase book of the law. Please also see the notes for Romans C3S31 and 1Corinthians 9:21-LJC about the phrase kinds of laws that apply to us tday. Please also see the note for Romans C3S27 about the phrase law of works. Please also see the note for Romans C3S25 about the phrase law and faith. Please also see the note for Galatians C3S22 about the phrase Mosaic Law added. Please also see the note for Hebrews 10:28-29 about the phrase New Testament replaces only the religious part of the Mosaic Law. Please also see the note for Hebrews 19:29-LJC about the phrase religious part of Mosaic Law. Please also see the note for Ephesians 4:7-LJC about the phrase righteousness of the Law.

Please see the note for Romans C4S8 about the word impute. The functional definition is: 'To charge; to attribute; to set to the account of;'. Please also see the note for Romans C4S7 about the phrase imputeth righteousness. 1John 3 is a detailed explanation of the word impute.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians 11:11 and Philippians 1:23-24 about the word nevertheless. The functional definition is: 'Not the less; notwithstanding; that is, in opposition to anything, or without regarding'.

Please see the note for Romans C6S12 about the word reign. That note has links to every place in the New Testament where We find this word along with a small note on each usage. The functional definition is: 'To possess or exercise sovereign power or authority; to rule; to exercise government, as a king or emperor; or to hold the supreme power'.

Please see the note for Jude 1:14-15 about Adam. The functional definition is: 'the first man'.

Please see the note for Hebrews 3:1 about Moses. The functional definition is: 'While this name is often used for the physical man, it is also used in the Bible to refer to the Law that God gave to His people through the man. In the New Testament, the Law for the saved comes from the Lord Jesus Christ'.

We find forms of the word similitude in: Numbers 12:8; Deuteronomy 4:12; Deuteronomy 4:15; Deuteronomy 4:16; 2Chronicles 4:3; Psalms 106:20; Psalms 144:12; Daniel 10:16; Hosea 12:10; Romans 5:14; Hebrews 7:15; James 3:9. Webster's 1828 defines this word as: '1. demuth, 'likeness, representation.' 2Ch 4:3; Da 10:16; Ho 12:10. 2. tabnith, 'pattern, form, structure.' Ps 106:20; 144:12. 3. temunah, 'form, appearance,' which may not imply likeness. Nu 12:8; De 4:12,15-16. 4. three words derived from ὅμοιος, 'like, similar.' Ro 5:14; Heb 7:15; Jas 3:9.'.

Nave's Topical Bible provides references for the word similitude as: 'Trees of life and knowledge: Ge 2:9,17; 3:3,24; Re 22:2. Rainbow: Ge 9:12-13. Circumcision, of the covenant of Abraham: Ge 17:11; Ro 4:11. Passover, of the sparing of the firstborn, and of the atonement made by Christ: Ex 12:3-28; 1Co 5:7. Of the divine presence, the pillar of cloud: Ex 13:21-22; 14:19-20; 19:9,16. Thunder on Mount Sinai: Ex 19:9,16. Darkness, of God's inscrutability: Ex 20:21; Le 16:2; 1Ki 8:12; Ps 18:11; 97:2; Heb 12:18-19. The rock that was struck, of Christ: Ex 17:6; 1Co 10:4. The sprinkled blood, of the covenant: Ex 24:8. Wine, of the atoning blood: Mt 26:27-29; Mr 14:23-25; Lu 22:17-18,20. The bronze serpent, of Christ: Nu 21:8-9; Joh 3:14. Sacrificial animals: Ge 15:8-11; Joh 1:29,36. Waving the wave offering and lifting up the heave offering: Ex 29:24-28; Le 8:27-29; 9:21. The whole system of Mosaic rites: Heb 9:9-10,18-23. Tabernacle: Ps 15:1; Eze 37:27; Heb 8:2,5; 9:1-12,23-24. Sanctuary: Ps 20:2. Canaan, of the spiritual rest: Heb 3:11-12; 4:5. Salt: Nu 18:19. Offering water to drink: Ge 24:13-15,42-44. Lapping water: Jg 7:4-8. Invitation to approach: 1Sa 14:8-12. Bow-Shot: By Jonathan: 1Sa 20:21-37. By Joash: 2Ki 13:15-19. Men meeting Saul: 1Sa 10:2-7. Rain and thunder: 1Sa 12:16-18. The torn altar: 1Ki 13:3,5. The tearing of the curtain in the temple: Mt 27:51; Mr 1:38; Lu 23:45. Wounding: 1Ki 20:35-40. Praying toward the temple: 1Ki 8:29; Da 6:10. Harvest: 2Ki 19:29. Isaiah's children: Isa 8:18. Nakedness: Isa 20:2-4. Almond rod: Jer 1:11. Sticks and staves: Eze 37:16-17; Zec 11:7,10-11,14. Food: 2Ki 19:29; Isa 37:30. Shadow on Ahaz' sun-dial: 2Ki 20:8-11; Isa 38:7-8. Cooking: Jer 1:13; Eze 4:9-15; 24:3-5. Belt: Jer 13:1-7; Ac 21:11. Bottles: Jer 13:12; 19:1-2,10. Breaking of a potter's vessel: Jer 19. Good and bad figs: Jer 24. Basket of fruit: Jer 24:1-3; Am 8:1-2. Wine: Jer 25:15-17; Mt 26:27; Mr 14:23; Lu 22:17. Yokes: Jer 27:2-3; 28:10. Jeremiah's deeds of land: Jer 32:1-16. The book thrown into the Euphrates River: Jer 51:63. Being mute: Eze 3:26-27; 24:27; 29:21; 33:22; Lu 1:20-22,62-64. A siege: Eze 4:1-3. Posture: Eze 4:4-8. Ceremonially unclean food: Eze 4:9-17. Ezekiel's beard: Eze 5:1-4. Change of domicile: Eze 12:3-11. Eating bread with alertness: Eze 12:17-20. Eating and drinking in fear: Eze 12:18. A vine: Eze 15:2; 19:10-14. Death: Eze 24:16-19. A boiling pot: Eze 24:1-5. Mourning forbidden: Eze 24:15-18. Two sticks: Eze 37:15-28. Handwriting on the wall: Da 5:5-6,16-28. The plumb-line: Am 7:7-8. Marrying a whore: Ho 1:2-9; 3:1-4. Roll: Zec 5:2-4. Ephah: Zec 5:6-11. Jonah: Mt 16:4; Lu 11:29-30. The star in the east: Mt 2:2. The rock that was struck: 1Co 10:4; Ex 17:6. Salt: Col 4:6. Bread: Mt 26:26; Mr 14:22; Lu 22:19. Childhood: Mt 18:3; Mr 10:14-15; Lu 18:16-17. Manna: Joh 6:31-58. OF thE HOLY SPIRIT: WATER: Joh 3:5; 7:38-39. Cleansing by: Eze 16:9; 36:25; Eph 5:26; Heb 10:22. Vivifying: Ps 1:3; Isa 27:3,6; 44:3-4; 58:11. FIRE: Mt 3:11. Purifying: Isa 4:4; Mal 3:2-3. Illuminating: Ex 13:21; Ps 78:14. Searching: Zep 1:12; 1Co 2:10. WIND: Song 4:16. Incomprehensible: Joh 3:8; 1Co 12:11. Powerful: 1Ki 19:11; Ac 2:2. Sensible in its effects: Joh 3:8. Reviving: Eze 37:9-10,14. OIL: Ps 45:7. Healing: Isa 1:6; Lu 10:34; Re 18:13. Comforting: Isa 61:3; Heb 1:9. Illuminating: Zec 4:2-3,11-13; Mt 25:3-4; 1Jo 2:20,27. Consecrating: Ex 29:7; 30:30; Isa 61:1. RAIN AND DEW: Ps 72:6. Fertilizing: Eze 34:26-27; Ho 6:3; 10:12; 14:5. Refreshing: Ps 68:9; Isa 18:4. Abundant: Ps 133:3. Imperceptible: 2Sa 17:12; Mr 4:26-28. A DOVE: Mt 3:16. A VOICE: Isa 6:8. Speaking: Mt 10:20. Guiding: Isa 30:21; Joh 16:13. Warning: Heb 3:7-11. A SEAL: Re 7:2. Impressing: Job 38:14; 2Co 3:18. Earnest: Eph 1:13-14; 4:30; 2Co 1:22. CLOVEN TONGUES (like split, lashing, projections of fire): Ac 2:3,6,11'.

Thompson Chain Topics provides references for the word similitude as: 'The Church Compared to: 1. A Building: 1Co 3:9. Christ the Builder: Mt 16:18. Christ the Corner-stone: Eph 2:19-20. 2. A Living Body: 1Co 12:27. Christ being the head: Col 2:19. 3. A Flock: Lu 12:32. Christ being the Shepherd: Joh 10:11. 4. A Bride: Re 21:2. Christ being the Bridegroom: Joh 3:29. 5. A Casket of Jewels: Mal 3:17. 6. Branches of the Vine: Joh 15:2. 7. A Temple: 1Co 3:16. Christ being the High Priest: Heb 4:15. Of the Kingdom of Heaven: Mt 13:24,31,44,47; 20:1; 22:2; 25:1; 13:33; Mr 4:26; Lu 13:18'.

Please see the note for 1John 3:4 about the word transgress. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines this word as: 'To pass over or beyond any limit; to surpass. 2. In a moral sense, to overpass any rule prescribed as the limit of duty; to break or violate a law, civil or moral. to transgress a divine law, is sin. Legislators should not transgress laws of their own making.
TRANSGRESS', v.i. to offend by violating a law; to sin. Chron 2'.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians 4:6 for links to every verse within the Bible which uses the word figure. The functional definition is: 'The form of anything as expressed by the outline or terminating extremities'.

Please see the note for Romans C14S27 about the word offence. The functional definition is: 'a violation or breach of a law, custom, rule, etc'.

please see the note for Romans 5:20 for links to every place in the Bible where any forms of the word abound is used. The functional definition is: 'To have or possess in great quantity; to be copiously supplied'.

Please see the note for Romans 14:1 for links to every verse, in Romans, which uses the word receive along with a short note for each and the definition from Webster's 1828. Please see the note for 1Corinthians C15S1 and Colossians 2:6-7 about this word. The functional definition is: 'To take, as a thing offered or sent; to accept'. In addition, please see the note for Matthew 10:41, which explains that in order to truly receive a person, we must receive their character as our own.

Please see the note for Philippians 1:25-26 about the word abundant. The functional definition is: 'Plentiful; in great quantity; fully sufficient; as an abundant supply. In scripture, abounding; having in great quantity; overflowing with'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'as by. Ro 5:19; Ge 3:6 and death. Ro 6:23; Ge 2:17; 3:19,22-24; Eze 18:4; 1Co 15:21; Jas 1:15; Re 20:14-15 for that. or, in whom. all. Ro 3:23; Jas 3:2; 1Jo 1:8-10
until. Ge 4:7-11; 6:5-6,11; 8:21; 13:13; 18:20; 19:4,32,36; 38:7,10 but sin. Ro 4:15; 1Co 15:56; 1Jo 3:4,14
death. Ro 5:17,21; Ge 4:8; 5:5-31; 7:22; 19:25; Ex 1:6; Heb 9:27 exp: Ro 6:9. even. Ro 8:20,22; Ex 1:22; 12:29-30; Jon 4:11 who is the figure. Or "type (pattern, or resemblance, tupos G5179,) of him who was to come," i.e., thE MESSIAH. Mr. Baxter remarks, It is indeed interesting to compare, on Scripture authority, Adam as the root of sin and death to all, with CHRIST, who is to all true Christians the root of holiness and life.
But not. Ro 5:16-17,20; Isa 55:8-9; Joh 3:16; 4:10 many. Ro 5:12,18; Da 12:2; Mt 20:28; 26:28 much. Eph 2:8 and the gift. Ro 6:23; 2Co 9:15; Heb 2:9; 1Jo 4:9-10; 5:11 hath. Ro 5:20; Isa 53:11; 55:7; 1Jo 2:2; Re 7:9-10,14-17
for the. Ge 3:6-19; Ga 3:10; Jas 2:10 but the free. Isa 1:18; 43:25; 44:22; Lu 7:47-50; Ac 13:38-39; 1Co 6:9-11; 1Ti 1:13-16 General references. exp: Nu 7:15; Eze 33:16.For if. Ro 5:12; Ge 3:6,19; 1Co 15:21-22,49 by one man's offence. or, by one offence. abundance. Ro 5:20; Joh 10:10; 1Ti 1:14 gift. Ro 6:23; Isa 61:10; Php 3:9 shall reign. Ro 8:39; Mt 25:34; 1Co 4:8; 2Ti 2:12; Jas 2:5; 1Pe 2:9; Re 1:6; 3:21; 5:9-10; 20:4,6; 22:5 General references. exp: Nu 7:15.
the offence. or, one offence. upon. Ro 5:12,15,19; 3:19-20 the righteousness. or, one righteousness. Ro 3:21-22; 2Pe 1:1 all men. Joh 1:7; 3:26; 12:32; Ac 13:39; 1Co 15:22; 1Ti 2:4-6; Heb 2:9; 1Jo 2:20 General references. exp: Nu 7:15.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C5-S10 (Verse 19) The reason why 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..

This sentence starts with For and gives a reason for why the Son of God had to become a human man in order to pay for our sin. This sentence is basically a restatement of the prior sentence but in a much simpler form. (Where that sentence started with Wherefore, this one starts with For). God provides for the needs of all types of people. Some need more details and need to understand more. Some need only what is simple and easy to understand. God made each type of person and God wants to save all people. Therefore, God provided two different types of explanations for this important doctrine.

Please note that the next sentence starts with Moreover. That adds it to this sentence. Further, the sentence after that starts with But. That connects it to the next sentence. The combination of all three tell us the same thing as the prior sentence but in a simpler form.

The one man's disobedience is talking about Adam's 'Original Sin' (5:14). We are all born with a sin nature which we inherited from Adam just like we inherited our human form from Adam. That's what this sentence means by one man's disobedience many were made sinners. The as combined with the so tells us that the same process (which made us all sinners because of Adam's 'Original Sin') was used to make many...righteous because of the obedience of one (Jesus Christ).

This sentence does not go into the detailed explanation of the prior sentence. That sentence was for those people who need more details and this sentence is for those people who need a simpler explanation. Neither is better than the other because God made each the way they are. God has a reason for doing so and a use for each as He made them. This is using the same principal as taught about meats in Romans 14:14-23 and 1Corinthians 8:8-13. According to that principal, we are sinning to judge our brother and to think they are less spiritual because they need a different type of explanation. The main thing in this sentence is that the same principal is used by God. With this principal all men are made sinners because of one man's sin and many are made righteous because of the obedience done by Jesus Christ.

Please see the note for Romans C9S19 about the phrase What is man.

Please see the note for Philippians 2:12 about the word obey. The functional definition is: 'To comply with the commands, orders or instructions of a superior, or with the requirements of law, moral, political or municipal; to do that which is commanded or required, or to forbear doing that which is prohibited'. Please see the note for Romans 6:12 which has links to where Romans talks about obedience and disobedience. It also has links to where the New Testament talks about reign. In that sentence we are told to not obey the reign of sin. Please see the note for 1:1-2 about obey / obedience. Please also see the note for 2Corinthians C2S9 about the word obedience. Please also see the note for Colossians 3:8 about the children of disobedience. Please also see the note for Romans C1S16 about the word disobedient. Please also see the note for Romans C1S16 about the phrase disobedient to parents. Please also see the note for Romans C2S5 about the phrase obeying unrighteousness. Please also see the note for Romans C6S12 about the word disobedience. The functional definition is: 'Neglecting or refusing to obey; omitting to do what is commanded, or doing what is prohibited; refractory; not observant of duty or rules prescribed by authority'.

There are 535 verses which use forms of the word righteous in addition to those which use unrighteous. The note for Romans 1:18-19 provides links to the 50 times in 41 verses of this epistle that forms of the word righteous are used. Please also see the notes for Romans C1S10 and Galatians C2-S16 about the word righteous / righteousness. The functional definition is: 'doing the right thing, as defined by God, the right way and at the right time with the right purpose'. Please also see the note for Ephesians 4:7-LJC about the phrase righteousness of the Law. Please also see the notes for Philippians 1:9-11; James 3:18 about the phrase fruit of righteousness. Please also see the note for Romans C4S7 about the phrase imputeth righteousness. Please also see the notes for Romans 3:5 and Romans C1S16 about the word unrighteousness. Please also see the note for Romans C2S5 about the phrase obeying unrighteousness. The note for Romans 1:29 is part of the summary of chapter 1. That note provides the definition from Webster's 1828 and shows the relationship between unrighteousness and several other sins. The note for Romans 3:5 provides links to every verse which uses the word unrighteousness along with a small note on each verse.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'as by one. Ro 5:12-14 so by. Isa 53:10-12; Da 9:24; 2Co 5:21; Eph 1:6; Re 7:9-17 General references. exp: Nu 7:15.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C5-S11 (Verse 20) An addition to the prior sentence.

Moreover the law entered,
that the offence might abound..

5:20-21 hold two sentences, but the verse division wasn't made at the end of the sentence. Since the Second Sentence starts with But, the two sentences are speaking about the same subject while going in different directions. Since the First Sentence start with Moreover, these two connected sentences are added to what was said in the previous sentence. The combination of all three tell us the same thing as C5-S9, but in a simpler form.

The Moreover that starts this sentence means that this is in addition to what was said in the prior while also increasing what was said there. There we were told that God used the same principal to make us all sinners because of Adam's 'Original Sin' and to make many...righteous because of the obedience of one (Jesus Christ). So, in addition to God using the same principal to accomplish two different things, this sentence tells us that God brought in the Law so that the offence might abound.

While that might seem terrible, doing so allowed God to make grace...much more abound, as explained in the next sentence. In order to be righteous God has to use the same rule for what He wants and what He doesn't want. In order to get grace (to) much more abound, God had to use a principal that also allowed the offence (to) abound (John 15:22, 24). A lot of people believe that God can do anything he wants, but that is not true. God can not be unrighteous. Therefore, God must follow the rules of righteousness. However, as we see many other places in the Bible, where a rule does not change the application of that rule can change from one instance to another instance. Thus, the same rule is used to make the offence and grace to abound but the way that they abound is different because application of a rule allows these types of differences.

Webster's 1828 dictionary defines abound as 'v. i. L. abundo. If this word is from L. unda, a wave, the latter has probably lost its first consonant. Abound may naturally be deduced from the Celtic. L. fons, a fountain. 1. to have or possess in great quantity; to be copiously supplied; followed by with or in; as to abound with provisions; to abound in good things. 2. to be in great plenty; to be very prevalent.'

We find forms of abound in only 30 verses with Proverbs being the only usage in the Old Testament. These verses are listed below with the usage in each instance.

Proverbs 8:24 says, When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.. This Proverb is talking about wisdom and understanding. It says that The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. This proverb also says Unto you, of men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. God wants all men to abound in the wisdom and understanding that he had when He created the world.
Proverbs 28:20 says, A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. this is one of several single sentence pieces of wisdom found within this proverb.
Proverbs 29:22 says, An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.. This is one of several single sentence pieces of wisdom found within this proverb.
Matthew 24:12 says, And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. this is part of a prophecy about last days. Notice that abound applies to good and to evil.
Romans 3:7 says, For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner? please see that note for more details.
Romans 5:15 says, But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. forif through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. this sentence is what our current 3 sentences are restating. Please see that note for more details.
Our current sentence.
Romans 6:1 says, What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? please see that note for more details.
Romans 15:13 says, Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. please see that note for more details.
1Corinthians 15:58 says, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. please see that note for more details.
2Corinthians 1:5 says, For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. We ee that o[r reward is proportional to the amount that we allow Christ to live through us14\ecision over 'How much'.
2Corinthians 8:2 says, How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. there are manythings in the Bible that are proportional to something spiritual that we have the decision over 'How much'.
2Corinthians 8:7 says, Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. the items mentioned in this verse are easy to claim but the truth of such a claim is proved by the actions which back our mouth. There are manythings in the Bible that are proportional to something spiritual that we have the decision over 'How much'.
2Corinthians 9:8 says, And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:. There are manythings in the Bible that are proportional to something spiritual that we have the decision over 'How much'.
Ephesians 1:8 says, Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; please see that note for more details.
Philippians 1:9 says, And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;. This is only part of what Paul prayed that they would have as proof that Christ worked through their lives.
Philippians 4:12 says, I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. there are manythings in the Bible that are proportional to something spiritual that we have the decision over 'How much'.
Philippians 4:17 says, Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. there are manythings in the Bible that are proportional to something spiritual that we have the decision over 'How much'.
Philippians 4:18 says, But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. there are manythings in the Bible that are proportional to something spiritual that we have the decision over 'How much'.
Colossians 2:7 says, Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. please see that note for more details.
1Thessalonians 3:12 says, And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and oward all men, even as we do toward you:. This is only part of what Paul prayed that they would have as proof that Christ worked through their lives.
1Thessalonians 4:1 says, Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. there are manythings in the Bible that are proportional to something spiritual that we have the decision over 'How much'.
2Thessalonians 1:3 says, We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; please see that note for more details.
2Peter 1:8 says, For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. please see that note for more details.

Please observe that in these notes we see that both good and evil can abound. In all cases where we see something that abounds, it is something that the Bible says is proportional to something spiritual that we have the decision over 'How much'. We also see that our help in this life and our reward in eternity are among the things that the Bible says abounds.

Please see the note for John 10:9 about the word enter. The functional definition for this word is: 'to leave one place and go into another place'.

Please see the note for Romans C14S27 about the word offence. The functional definition is: 'a violation or breach of a law, custom, rule, etc'.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 10:3-6 about the word might. The functional definition for this word is: 'Having great power and able to accomplish things which most people can not do'. Please also see the note for Revelation 4:8-LJC about the phrase Almighty.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'the law. Ro 3:19-20; 4:15; 6:14; 7:5-13; Joh 15:22; 2Co 3:7-9; Ga 3:19-25 exp: Joh 1:17; 1Ti 1:9. General references. exp: Nu 7:15; Mt 19:30; Lu 15:1; Joh 4:30.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C5-S12 (Verse 20-21) This sentence is the application of the rule just explained.

Equivalent Section: the rule that allows sin to abound also lets grace abound much more.

But where sin abounded,
grace did much more abound:.

Equivalent Section: Because of this rule, righteousness should abound in the life of the saved much more than death did.

That as sin hath reigned unto death,
even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord..

Within our sentence are some promises. (Please also see the Doctrinal Study called Significant Events in the New Testament for links to promises made in the New Testament outside of the Gospels.) Within this sentence, we are promised that we can receive righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. As explained in the Doctrinal Study called Relational Prepositions, our ongoing personal relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord, and the changes which that relationship brings into our personal life, is how (by) we receive the grace that our sentence promises to saved people who fulfill God's requirement to receive the grace. And, as also explained there, God's grace took us from being bound by sin and heading to the second death, and reigned in our live to give us the end result of eternal life. If we do not let Jesus Christ our Lord change our life so that our life displays God's righteousness, then we will not receive everything in eternal life that God wants us to have. John 10:10 says: The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. Just as the life more abundantly is added to basic life (salvation), in this physical life, so also is life more abundantly added to basic life (salvation) in eternity. Therefore, the life more abundantly (abound) comes from letting Jesus Christ our Lord add God's righteousness to our current physical life and the amount of eternal life more abundantly, which we receive, is proportional to the amount of God's righteousness which we allow Jesus Christ our Lord to out into our current physical life.

This sentence tells us that the reign of grace should far exceeds the reign of sin in the life of the saved person. In John 15:22-27 we see Jesus say something which confuses many people. He says ...they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both means my Father. In context, He ties this to But when the Comforter is come... The people who hated both means my Father were the religious leaders who crucified Jesus Christ. Part of what Jesus did during His life was to show how sinful it was to follow religious rules without a personal relationship with God. Some of the religious leaders, such as Nicodemus, truly repented and received a personal relationship with God (got saved). However, others went much further into their sin (sin abounded) and deliberately and consciously violated many civil and religious laws in order to murder and innocent man (crucify our Lord) [Acts 3:12-15]. No, they did not realize that He was 'God in human flesh', but that was because they shut their mind to the truth and deliberately sought greater sin to blind their mind even more.

To balance this greater sin, and using the principal of imputation, God gave His people the Holy Ghost. That is why Jesus connected increased sin, in John, to the giving of the Comforter (Holy Ghost) and why our current sentence connects the two. Where sin abounded we see people increasingly blinded to the truth. But, as our sentence indicates, the result of grace did much more abound should be an increase in our enlightenment of the truth. Please see the Word Study called Truth for more details on this.

This grace is given only through (not one-time but part of an ongoing personal relationship) righteousness unto eternal life (all of our lives until we get to heaven) by Jesus Christ our Lord. Note: this is not just by Jesus Christ but is by Jesus Christ our Lord which emphasizes the requirement of our obedience and His judgment (reward / punishment) of that obedience. Please see the note for This verse in the Lord Jesus Christ Study for details on how each of these roles of the Son of God are involved in this process. Please also see the note above for links to all places in the Bible which use abound, along with the definition from Webster's 1828 and a short explanation of the use of this word in the Bible. In addition, since this sentence is attached to the two prior sentences to restate what was said in C5-S9, but in a simpler form, please see the notes for all of those prior sentences.

This entire chapter is a single argument that started with a declaration that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ and ends with even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. It all starts and ends with Him working through all three of His main roles and our accepting what He is doing and how He decides to do it.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 4:17-18 about the word eternal. The functional definition is: 'Without beginning or end of existence'. Please also see the note for Life in 1John about the phrase eternal life. Please see the note for 1Corinthians 11:30 for links to the all of the verses in the Bible which use the phrase eternal life.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'But. Ro 6:1; 2Ch 33:9-13; Ps 25:11; Isa 1:18; 43:24-25; Jer 3:8-14; Eze 16:52,60-63; 36:25-32; Mic 7:18-19; Mt 9:13; Lu 7:47; 23:39-43; Joh 10:10; 1Co 6:9-11; Eph 1:6-8; 2:1-5; 1Ti 1:13-16; Tit 3:3-7 General references. exp: Nu 7:15; Mt 19:30; Lu 15:1; Joh 4:30.
That. Ro 5:14; 6:12,14,16 exp: Ac 15:11; Ga 3:22. grace. Joh 1:16-17; Tit 2:11; Heb 4:16; 1Pe 5:10 through. Ro 5:17; 4:13; 8:10; 2Pe 1:1 unto. Ro 6:23; Joh 10:28; 1Jo 2:25; 5:11-13 exp: Jude 1:21. General references. exp: Nu 7:15; Pr 12:28; Eze 33:16; Mt 19:30; 1Jo 2:25.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

Romans Chapter 6 Sentence-by-Sentence Section

Return to the Chapter Overviews in Romans with this link.

links to sentences in this chapter:

C6-S1 (Verse 1), C6-S2 (Verse 1), C6-S3 (Verse 2), C6-S4 (Verse 2), C6-S5 (Verse 3), C6-S6 (Verse 4), C6-S7 (Verse 5-6), C6-S8 (Verse 7), C6-S9 (Verse 8-9), C6-S10 (Verse 10), C6-S11 (Verse 11), C6-S12 (Verse 12), C6-S13 (Verse 13), C6-S14 (Verse 14), C6-S15 (Verse 15), C6-S16 (Verse 15), C6-S17 (Verse 15), C6-S18 (Verse 16), C6-S19 (Verse 17), C6-S20 (Verse 18), C6-S21 (Verse 19), C6-S22 (Verse 20), C6-S23 (Verse 21), C6-S24 (Verse 21), C6-S25 (Verse 22), C6-S26 (Verse 23)'.

Our chapter theme is: 'Who do you Serve?'.

We are identified (baptized into Jesus Christ) with the death of Jesus Christ because we are to be dead to sin and walk in newness of life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We are to not live in sin but yield to righteousness because 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? (Romans 6:16). We are to do this because (For) the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord Romans 6:23).

Paul has shown that the blessings which we receive from God are by His grace and that we first received God's grace while still in our sin. Now, Paul is eliminating another bit of foolishness before moving on with teaching meatier doctrine. Paul starts this chapter with the question: What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? He then says God forbid and goes on to answer this question. Thus, we see Paul building his argument based upon prior chapters and using the 'Question and Answer format' to do his building. (Please follow This link to all of the Questions that Paul asks in this epistle.)

As mentioned before, every place that we see the phrase God forbid, we are being warned about a doctrinal lie taught by men but which God will never allow under any circumstance. We see this phrase ten (10) times in this epistle and twice in this chapter (here and 6:15). Both instances need to be considered together at a minimum.

In the answer to the question that started this chapter, Paul explains that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life and goes on to explain that his sentence means that henceforth we should not serve sin. Paul further explains 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. Therefore, we are to be the servants of righteousness and stop being the servants of sin. Paul ends this chapter with an explanation of why we need to have this change in our lives when he says For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Even though we are saved, when we continue to sin we earn wages / death.

Please pay attention to the phrase whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness. This sentence, and phrase, are telling us that there are only two results for our lifestyle actions. And, death can be physical or spiritual (end up in the lake of fire). Further, because we are responsible for our descendants and followers, they can suffer the death up to the third and fourth generation. That is, if we refuse to obey God to the point that His righteousness is displayed in our life, we can cause our descendants or followers to believe and follow doctrinal error. And their descendants or followers can follow a more corrupt doctrine until one generation end up serving devils and going to “the lake of fire. With that in mind, please see the notes for 6:16, in the detailed Study, for more about this doctrinal truth.

Continuing on with the chapter summary, we have to deal with a doctrinal error that is taught and is believed by many people. People believe 'I received eternal life at salvation and that is all there is to it!' A quadriplegic also has physical life but few people would want that 'quality of life'. The 'quality of eternal life' which we receive at salvation can be considered to be at the level of a quadriplegic. The increase of our 'quality of eternal life' is directly proportional to the quality of our relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord, while we are in this physical life because this chapter tells us that our eternal life is received through Him.

The third most used word in this chapter is ye (after the and of) with 18 occurrences. While it is a prepositional word, it is doctrinally important. Many people confuse ye with you, but these words have totally different meanings in the Bible. While you is general and non-personal, ye means 'each and every one of you personally'. It is important for us to recognize when God is dealing with our personal relationship with Him. Where Paul has been dealing with general doctrinal concepts, he is now getting into personal application of those doctrines.

The most used non-prepositional word in this chapter is sin with 17 occurrences. That is only one less than the number of occurrences of ye. This chapter deals with our personal sin. The second most used non-prepositional word in this chapter is God with 9 occurrences. Please note the significant drop in the number of occurrences. Dead and death add up to 14 occurrences. These are the result of our personal sin, which is the main theme of this chapter. The third most used non-prepositional word in this chapter is servants with 8 occurrences. We are supposed to be the servants of God and not of sin. Then comes Christ with 6 occurrences and righteousness with 5 occurrences. This chapter tells us how Christ gives us His righteousness. The prior chapter told us that the truly saved are to have a changed life. This chapter tells us that who we truly serve indicates if we are displaying evidence of being saved.

Below are summaries of each sentence and, below them, is a chapter summary based upon the sentence summary.

6:1 starts out with What shall we say then? the word then means 'after we have reached the conclusion of everything said from Romans 1:1 through the end of Romans 5'. People get led into doctrinal error by trying to justify some religious theory that is based upon some 'positional' concept which only assures the unjust that they will be in heaven with as much reward as the Godly. Romans 6 is telling us to not provide support for this doctrinal error. The phrase God forbid occurs 124 times in the Bible, of which 15 times are in the New Testament, of which 10 times are in Romans and one is in Romans 6:2. More than that, we saw this phrase 3 times in Romans 3 and every one of those times say God forbid that we should agree with a doctrine that supports the unjust. Reading Romans 6 teaches us to not sin. Reading Romans 6 after considering all that it is based upon makes those arguments considerably stronger
6:1-2 contain 3 questions and a sentence that is simply God forbid. They introduce the subject of this chapter and I'm amazed at the number of people who claim to be mature Christians and yet tell me that I'm too hard or too strong on my doctrinal stand for the subject of this chapter. If anyone knows of any stronger phrase in the Bible than God forbid, I'd like to know what it is and why you believe your phrase is stronger. Paul spent chapter 5 telling us how that sin had an ongoing reign in our lives because we were in Adam and how grace is to have an ongoing reign in our lives since we are supposed to be in Christ. In these first 2 verses Paul is essentially saying 'How can people possibly claim that the results which only come from an ongoing reign of Jesus Christ our Lord is actually coming from sin?' If in fact grace did abound because of sin, then God murdered His only begotten Son for no reason at all. Such a doctrine is of the devil and these verses are introducing a chapter that tells us to not have anything to do with any doctrine that supports such devilish error
6:3 introduces the phrase baptized into Jesus Christ which means identified with (baptized) an ongoing personal relationship (into) with Jesus Christ. In addition, our sentence tells us that we were baptized into his death. A dead person does not respond to anything done to their flesh. Thus, our sentence is telling us that we are to stop responding to temptations to our flesh. And, when we stop those responses, we will stop our sinning. Please see the note for 6:3 under Jesus Christ
6:4 teaches us that true Biblical baptism is equivalent to even so we also should walk in newness of life. That is: just as Jesus acted differently after His resurrection, so also should we act differently after receiving true Biblical salvation. Please see the note for 6:3 under Christ
6:5-6 is a single sentence which tells us we have been planted together in the likeness of his death...that the body of sin might be destroyed. That is, if we allow (might) God to destroy sin in our lives then sin can not reign over our lives. The result is that henceforth we should not serve sin. God wants us to stop our sinning but that will happen only if we allow God the destroy the sin. In the Bible we see that something that is dead no longer responds to being poked. We have this promise from God only if we stop responding when sin pokes us with a temptation
6:7 gives us the reason (For) that we are to responding to temptations when it says he that is dead is freed from sin. It takes time but as we stop responding to temptations, by using the power of Jesus Christ, we will be freed from the control of sin.
6:8-9 is a single sentence that is based upon (Now) what came before. The prior sentences talked about our being dead to sin, which means we stopped responding to the promptings from sin. Now (based upon that instruction from God), our sentence has a conditional (if) blessing from God. It tells us that we shall also live with him [Christ], if we stop responding to temptations from sin (if we be dead with Christ). Our sentence also says that death will lose its dominion. In addition, to what is within the detailed notes, we have two notes (for 6:8 and 6:9) in the Lord Jesus Christ Study
6:10 gives us the reason why 6:8-9 is true (by starting with the word: For).
- Our sentence makes the phrase in that he died, he died unto sin once equivalent to the phrase but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. That is, the only reason to die was to eliminate all influence and control of sin in His life so that He could have an ongoing life (liveth)... unto God.
- In addition, the next sentence starts with Likewise which means that we are to act the same way for the same reasons. Notice that it was a one-time death that opened the way for an eternal life freed from sin.
- Some people might say that sin had no influence on Jesus Christ but they would be wrong. He had a literal physical body like ours which was subject to corruption and physical death, just like our body is. He received a new uncorrupted spiritual body with His resurrection, just like the verses and associated notes of 1Corinthians 15 explain.
- Further, Hebrews 4:15 tells us that He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Please also see the verses and associated notes for Hebrews 4.
6:11 starts with Likewise which means just like 6:10 told us what Jesus Christ did, so also are we to do. However, 6:11 also adds in through Jesus Christ our Lord. We again see Romans telling us that these instructions can only be obeyed if that obedience is through our ongoing personal relationship with the Son of God in each and every role of His known as Lord and Jesus and Christ. Please see the note for 6:11 under Lord Jesus Christ.
6:12 starts with Let not which is a command and not just a suggestion. The word let is the action verb used in creation. If we really consider all that preceded this command we will have no doubt about it being a command. If we obey this command and stop the reign of sin in your mortal body then we will not obey it in the lusts thereof. Lots of people say they can stop sin any time they want, such as stopping smoking or pornography. God says 'put up or shut up'. Tell God you want to stop your lusts based upon your own power without the help of God and dare Him to prove that you can not do without His help. Or, just be wise and admit your dependency from the start :-).
6:13 starts with Neither and tells us a similar thing to the commandment that we just read in 6:12. Where 6:12 told us to not let sin control (reign in) our mortal body, 6:13 tells us to not let even a small part of our body give into the temptation of sin. Sin always starts out giving us pleasure and promising that we will always be in control. It then sneaks control while we aren't paying attention and becomes a demanding monster after it gets us hooked. 6:13 is recognition that the best way to deal with sin is to avoid it. The colon tells us how to avoid sin. There is a true saying that 'Nature abhors a vacuum'. The same is true in the spiritual realm. We may avoid sin for a while, but if we do not yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God, then sin will sneak in and take control. While much could be said about this verse, I will move on after two short comments.
- First, 1Corinthians 12:27 tells us that body parts (eye, ear) are members. Colossians 3:5 lists fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness as part of our members. So, with these and other verses we know that our mind, our will and our emotions are part of the members that we are to yield...as instruments of righteousness unto God. What must come from our mind, will, emotions, tongue, and the use of every body part will be God's righteousness if we want to avoid control by sin.
- As a last note, the phrase as those that are alive from the dead has been shown many places in this study to mean 'responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in ways that we did not respond when we were lost'.
6:14 starts with For and gives us the reason for the commandment of the prior two sentences. It tells us sin shall not have dominion over you and makes that equivalent to ye are not under the law, but under grace. People who were under the law did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit to give them help (extra grace) every time they had trouble with sin. We can ask for, and receive, help (extra grace) every time we have trouble with sin. They had sin ruling their lives to prove that they could not avoid violating the Law. God has given us grace so that we can prove that it is possible to live righteously with God's help in a personal relationship.
6:15 gives us another God forbid which means there is absolutely, positively no way that we should be claiming or living according to the questions in this verse. We should never use grace and the fact that we are not under the law as an excuse to sin. The next verse is also part of this God forbid.
6:16 is said as an independent statement that is not dependent upon what precedes it but is brought into this discussion to support what is being taught.
- This is one of the few verses in the Bible that is self-evident and not dependent upon context for proper interpretation. It is divided by a semi-colon because we have a two-step process described in it.
- We choose whom we will personally (ye) yield ourselves servants to obey. We do not choose if we yield ourselves servants to obey, only to whom we yield (see use of whether in this verse).
- If we choose obey God, then we reap righteousness (obedience unto righteousness).
- However, if we do not obey God, then we yield ourselves servants to obey sin (James 4:17). When we refuse to obey God and yield ourselves servants to obey sin, this verse says that we reap death.
- However, we need to notice that it says unto death. That is, we don't die immediately but the inevitable end result is death unless we get God to intervene, and often not even then.
6:17 starts out with But, which tells us this sentence has the same subject as the previous while going in a different direction. While 6:16 was stated as a general principal, 6:17 makes that principal personal.
- From 6:1 through 6:15 Paul was talking about people being ruled by sin. Here he says ye were the servants of sin that is each and every one of you were personally ruled by sin.
- He goes on with but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. That is: but (same subject, different direction) ye (each and every one of you personally) have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you (applied the principal of 6:16 to end the rule of sin in your own life).
- Because it is only through the power of God in our lives that we get free from sin (6:16 and Ephesians 2:10), Paul starts out this verse with God be thanked.
- God will make us free from sin but we must obey from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
- Since obeyed is past-tense in this verse, it lets us know that we do not get free from sin until our (constant) obedience is past tense, but it also assures that God will honor faithful obedience.
- God does not take away our free will like sin and Satan do. If we choose to obey Him, He will make us free (John 8:32, 36). However, He will not make us free unless we choose to obey of our own free will.
6:18 says, Being then (after each personally obey from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you) made free from sin (by the power of God working through an ongoing personal relationship) ye (each and every one of you personally) became the servants of righteousness (served the God who made you free [righteousness] out of gratitude [6:17] and so that God would continue to work in your life and keep you free from being ruled by sin).
6:19 starts with I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh.
- In the First Equivalent Section of this sentence, Paul explains that he speaks in the way that natural men speak (speak after the manner of men). That is: he gives a plain and simple commandment without explanation. He also tells us, in the First Equivalent Section, that he does this because of the infirmity of your flesh. That is: because fleshly carnal saved people can't understand (infirmity) the spiritual reasoning that Paul has given.
- What Paul says in the Second Equivalent Section can be understood by the natural man and does not require the Spirit of God to understand. The colon lets us know that the Second Equivalent Section is what Paul means when he says I speak after the manner of men.
- In the Second Equivalent Section we read: for as (in the same way as you used to) ye (each and every one of you personally) have yielded your members (used your various parts [members] including your mind, will and emotions) as servants to uncleanness (in obedience to sin that left you corrupted in soul, spirit and body) and to iniquity unto iniquity (and went from one addictive sin to worse and more destructive addictive sins) even so (in that same way of acting and living) now yield your members (now let God use your various body parts [members] including your mind, will and emotions) as servants to righteousness (to help produce right things done the right way) unto holiness (which will end up generating holiness in you and others).
6:20 says, For (Here's why) when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness (when you were a slave to sin you did not, and could not, produce righteousness).
6:21 says, What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? (What was the end result of living a life addicted to various sins? What did each and every one of you personally experience? Did you have uncontrollable or barely controllable rages? Did you find yourself doing things that you knew would cause you problems? Did you find yourself doing things (eating, talking, etc) beyond the point where they produced good and ended up with problems from excess? What other personal problems did you experience in a sin controlled life?) Paul concludes this verse with for (Here's why) the end of those things is death (such sinful acts always let corruption into us and that corruption eventually kills us).
6:22 starts with But now, which lets us know that it is still talking about the same subject as the previous sentence while going a different direction based upon conclusions arrived at (now) from prior discussions.
- - As with much of the epistle to the Romans, context is critical for a proper understanding of what is being said. The now means after we personally have been made free from sin, and become servants to God. We do not have the fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life without first making the two requirements (made free from sin and become servants to God) part of our personal lives (ye).
  - We must make those requirements part of our personal lives (ye). I am not saying that people who never become free from sin or who never become servants to God will not have everlasting life, but this verse makes it clear that such people will not have fruit unto holiness. In addition, many verses studied in this study have shown that if we do have everlasting life but do not have fruit unto holiness, we are going to be really really sorry at the judgment seat of Christ and will personally experience the terror of the Lord that 2Corinthians 5:11 says, is one of the possible results from the judgment seat of Christ (2Corinthians 5:10).
  - The reason for this verse is given in the next verse. However, it is critical that people consider the entire context of at least Romans 6 (preferably the entire epistle) or they will be led into the doctrinal error that says the requirements of this verse are 'positional' and not experienced or some other lie from the devil to 'water-down' this verse.
  - All of Romans 6 has made it clear that certain things are to be part of our life before we meet our Savior. These things, in Romans 6, are to be personally experienced in this life and evident to the lost world around us.
  - The summary of Romans 6 is that we are to have fruit unto holiness that others can see in our lives because we personally experience being made free from sin and personally experience becoming servants to God. Fruit takes time to produce and only comes from a living source. Holiness only comes from God’s life. We can only have fruit unto holiness if we let God’s life flow through our life.
- 6:23 is often quoted by soul-winners to lead people to salvation, which it should. However, many make the doctrinal error of believing and presenting this verse as a one-time experience when it is an ongoing lifestyle experience. Please see the note for 6:23 under Lord Jesus Christ.

The sentence summary of the prior chapter showed how Paul was changing subjects of each chapter and how that each subject was based upon our understanding and accepting the doctrine of prior chapters. By the end of chapter four we had enough for people to get saved and chapter five telling us how to get God's grace after we make our initial profession. However, that chapter also explained that we will have tribulations, but our flesh doesn't like that. Since God had to give us grace for our initial salvation, our flesh tells us that we don't have to suffer tribulations because God will go on giving us grace anyway. That's why our current chapter starts with What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. from this start we are told why we should become servants to God, (and) have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. Our chapter explains the results that saved people have when they choose to do sin and the results that saved people have when they live in obedience unto righteousness.

One outline for this chapter (from Treasure of Scripture Knowledge) is:

6:1: We may not live in sin.
6:2: for we are dead unto it.
6:3-11: as appears by our baptism.
6:12-17: Let not sin reign any more.
6:18-22: because we have yielded ourselves to the service of righteousness.
6:23: and for that death is the wages of sin.

C6-S1 (Verse 1) What shall we say then?

This sentence starts our chapter with a question which shall be answered by the text of the chapter. Thus, our first sentence states the theme of the chapter. The word then means 'after we have reached the conclusion of everything said from Romans 1:1 through the end of Romans 5'. People get led into doctrinal error by trying to justify some religious theory that is based upon ignoring context. When God's Word says something like this sentence it is literally saying that what comes after this sentence is based upon what came before it. When God is being this literal, He is removing all excuse for not paying attention to the context. Those saved people who ignore something this literal, that is in God's Word, will face the consequence when God judges their attitudes and actions.

People ignore the context of this chapter in order to support a 'positional' concept which only assures the unjust that they will be in heaven with as much reward as the Godly. Romans 6 is telling us to not provide support for this doctrinal error. The phrase God forbid occurs 124 times in the Bible, of which 15 times are in the New Testament, of which 10 times are in Romans and one is in Romans 6:2. More than that, we saw this phrase 3 times in Romans 3 and every one of those times say God forbid that we should agree with a doctrine that supports the unjust. Reading Romans 6 teaches us to not sin. Reading Romans 6 after considering all that it is based upon makes those arguments considerably stronger.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'What. Ro 3:5 exp: Ro 4:1. General references. exp: Eph 4:20.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S2 (Verse 1) Doctrine from the devil.

Shall we continue in sin,
that grace may abound?.

6:1-2 contain 3 questions and a sentence that is simply God forbid. They introduce the subject of this chapter. I'm amazed at the number of people who claim to be mature Christians and yet tell me that I'm too hard or too strong on my doctrinal stand for the subject of this chapter. These people claim that I need to be 'understanding' about people who are doing the things that the Bible says God forbid about. Of course, they assure me that they aren't doing these things, but that I need to be less harsh in my judgment of the sins. As I answer to these people, it's not me but is God Who judges these sins harshly. If they can get God to remove His God forbid, then I will be happy to go along with any change that God makes.

If anyone knows of any stronger phrase in the Bible than God forbid, I'd like to know what it is and why you believe your phrase is stronger. Paul spent chapter 5 telling us how that sin had an ongoing reign in our lives because we were in Adam and how grace is to have an ongoing reign in our lives since we are supposed to be in Christ. Paul has clearly shown that the reign of these two are opposite and opposing. Only a Biblical fool would claim otherwise.

In these first 2 verses Paul is essentially saying 'How can people possibly claim that the results which only come from an ongoing reign of Jesus Christ our Lord is actually coming from sin? ' If in fact grace did abound because of sin, then God murdered His only begotten Son for no reason at all. Such a doctrine is of the devil and these verses are introducing a chapter that tells us to not have anything to do with any doctrine that supports such devilish error.

Even If this foolish doctrine was true, the notes for the prior chapter showed that those who continued in sin received greater condemnation. It was those saved people who were willing to do the opposite of sin who received the more abounding grace.

Please see the note for Philippians 1:25-26 about the word continue. The functional definition is: 'To remain in a state, or place; to abide for any time indefinitely'. Please also see the note for James 1:25 about the word continueth. Please also see the notes for 1Corinthians 7:5 and 2Timothy 3:3 about the word incontinent.

Please see the note for Romans 5:20 for links to every place in the Bible where any forms of the word abound is used.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Shall. Ro 6:15; 2:4; 3:5-8,31; 5:20-21; Ga 5:13; 1Pe 2:16; 2Pe 2:18-19; Jude 1:4 General references. exp: Eph 4:20.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S3 (Verse 2) God forbid.

There is absolutely no way that we should be following the doctrine from the devil which is expressed in the prior sentence. The rest of the chapter, which follows this sentence, explains why and what the consequences are. Please see the note for Romans 3:4 for the links to all 24 places where the Bible uses God forbid. Please also see the note for 1Timothy 4:1 about the word forbid. The functional definition is: 'Literally, to bid or command against'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'God. Ro 3-4 exp: 1Co 6:15. General references. exp: Jos 24:16; Eph 4:20.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S4 (Verse 2) God asks how we can claim such an obviously wrong doctrine.

How shall we,
that are dead to sin,
live any longer therein?.

Forms of the words die and dead appear 1771 times in 1152 verses of the Bible, 500 times in 360 verses of the New Testament, and 84 times in 51 verses of Romans (1:4; 1:32; 4:17; 4:19; 4:24; 5:6; 5:7; 5:8; 5:10; 5:12; 5:14; 5:15; 5:17; 5:21; this verse; 6:3; 6:4; 6:5; 6:7; 6:8; 6:9; 6:10; 6:11; 6:13; 6:16; 6:21; 6:23; 7:2; 7:3; 7:4; 7:5; 7:6; 7:8; 7:9; 7:10; 7:13; 7:24; 8:2; 8:6; 8:10; 8:11; 8:13; 8:34; 8:38 10:7; 10:9; 11:15; 14:7; 14:8; 14:9 and 14:15. Forms of the word kill appear 223 times in 207 verses of the Bible, 85 times in 79 verses of the New Testament, and 3 times in Romans (8:36; 11:3; 13:9). Forms of the words murder appear 43 times in 37 verses of the Bible, 22 times in 20 verses of the New Testament, and only in 1:29 within Romans. Please see that note for the definition from Webster's 1828 and for some notes on the sin of murder.

Webster's 1828 does not have a real definition for death but defines die as:

v.i. See Day.

To be deprived of respiration, of the circulation of blood, and other bodily functions, and rendered incapable of resuscitation, as animals, either by natural decay, by disease, or by violence; to cease to live; to expire; to decease; to perish; and with respect to man, to depart from this world.
All the first born in the land of Egypt shall die. Exodus 11.
The fish that is in the river shall die. Exodus 7.
This word is followed by of or by. Men die of disease; of a fever; of sickness; of a fall; of grief. they die by the sword; by famine; by pestilence; by violence; by sickness; by disease. In some cases, custom has established the use of the one, to the exclusion of the other; but in many cases, either by or of may be used at the pleasure of the writer or speaker. the use of for, he died for thirst, is not elegant nor common.
To be punished with death; to lose life for a crime, or for the sake of another.
I will relieve my master, if I die for it. Christ died for the ungodly . Romans 5.
Christ died for our sins. 1Corinthians 15.
To come to an end; to cease; to be lost; to perish or come to nothing; as, let the secret die in your own breast.
To sink; to faint.
His heart died within him, and he became as a stone. 1 Samuel 25.
To languish with pleasure or tenderness; followed by away.
To sounds of heavenly harps she dies away.
To languish with affection.
The young men acknowledged that they died for Rebecca.
To recede as sound, and become less distinct; to become less and less; or to vanish from the sight, or disappear gradually. Sound or color dies away.
To lose vegetable life; to wither; to perish; as plants or seeds. Plants die for want of water. Some plants die annually.
To become vapid or spiritless, as liquors; mostly used in the participle; as the cider or beer is dead.
In theology, to perish everlastingly; to suffer divine wrath and punishment in the future world.
To become indifferent to, or to cease to be under the power of; as, to die to sin.
To endure great danger and distress.
I die daily. 1 Corinthi and 15.
To die away, to decrease gradually; to cease to blow; as, the wind dies away.

DIE, n. plu. dice.

A small cube, marked on its faces with numbers from one to six, used in gaming, by being thrown from a box.
He ventured his all on the cast of a die.
Any cubic body; a flat tablet.
Hazard; chance.
Such is the die of war.

DIE, n. Plu. Dies. A stamp used in coining money, in founderies, etc.

Within the definition presented above, we find multiple unrelated definitions. In addition, the first definition given is what some people think of as the definition of being physically dead, but it is not accepted everywhere. The fact is that death is determined by the definition of the controlling legal jurisdiction and the legal definition of death varies from one legal jurisdiction to another. Thus, we can find stories about someone being legally dead in one legal jurisdiction but not in an adjoining legal jurisdiction.

The true functional definition for these words is: 'This is an ongoing process of corruption which ends with the thing which dies being separated from its source of life. Physical death is when the soul and spirit are permanently separated from the body. Spiritual death is also called the second death and is when the soul and spirit are permanently separated from God in the lake of fire'.

If we considered all of these definitions along with definitions from other dictionaries, we'd see a confused mess, which is what we really have. If we go with the Biblical-religious definition of 'Physical death is separation of soul and spirit from body and the second death is eternal separation from God', we have lots more problems. The natural man rejects religious definitions and lots of religious men reject the Biblical-religious definition. We also have the problem with this definition not really working for every place that the Bible talks about this subject. Our current sentence is an example of the 'problem verses'. Thus, this Biblical-religious definition is a good application which works in many places of the Bible, but is not truly the definition because it does not work everywhere within the Bible.

I call this definition a Biblical-religious definition because it embraces many Biblical truths from the Bible but still inserts the religious error of insisting that death is a one-time event when the Bible truly presents it as a progressive process. Yes, I use this definition when getting into the true definition would distract from another subject which is being discussed at the time. However, what we've really have is a confused mess with lots of different groups providing their own definition because all of men's' definitions fail at some point and some new group is trying to deal with the failure that they see even while their own definition will fail at a different point.

All of this confusion comes from the insistence upon treating a progressive process as a one-time event. The true progressive process starts at conception and continues until corruption has finished destroying the physical body. Fora lot of practical reasons we do need to identify the point in this progression when the soul and spirit (life-force) leaves the body, but that does not truly end the progressive process which is death. The continuation of the process is why we bury bodies.

Returning to the Biblically based considerations, it should be obvious that the Bible has a lot to say about this subject. However, with all that is said in the Bible, most people believe the doctrinal error taught by religion. They claim to be some 'expert' when they not only have not studied what the Bible teaches on this subject but have not studied it in real life. They only studied what their religion taught them and are, in fact, an 'expert' on doctrinal error.

I would remind the reader that Peter taught doctrinal error (Galatians 2:11). There is no person born since the time of the Apostles who has as much approval from God as Peter had (wrote two epistles, introduced the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to Jews and to Gentiles, head Apostle, etc). His error was believing religious traditions preached by 'good Godly fundamental Bible believing preachers' and not verifying their doctrine against the Bible with the help of the Holy Spirit. Peter, after being corrected, wrote We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place.. (2Peter 1:19).

Everywhere I hear 'good Godly fundamental Bible believing preachers' preach that when Adam sinned he died spiritually that day, but not physically. However, God said 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. (2:17). Religious doctrines are constantly claiming that things which are really an ongoing process, with spiritual consequences, is only a one-time event. We see this with salvation and we see it with the true Biblical meaning of death.

Our current sentence says we that are dead to sin. Are is 'a present-tense verb of being which is applied to multiple people'. If we..are dead to sin, and death is a one-time event and not an ongoing process, then 1John 1:5-10 is doctrinally wrong because things that are dead do not respond to promptings. However, things that are dying do respond to promptings because the process is not yet complete. Things that are dying are partially dead and partially alive. While they will complete the process without intervention, intervention is (usually) possible.

Of course, we think of dead being the end of a process or a one-time event. Functionally, we can think of it being the point in a progressive process when the soul and spirit (life-force) separates from the body. Doctrinal error claims that it is a one-time event and, therefore, 'good Godly fundamental Bible believing preachers' must make an excuse for denying what God's Word literally says when it says for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. In that verse God was saying that the progressive process would start. Please realize that this progressive process was not present in Adam's body at that time.

There is nothing that limits God's Word to the spiritual and, in fact, many places in the Bible make it clear that physical death came as a result of Adam's sin. However, if we reject the doctrinal error of claiming that death is a one-time event, and accept what the Bible truly teaches, that it is an ongoing process, we not only avoid making excuses for rejecting what God literally says in Genesis, but we also eliminate several other errors and gain a greater understanding of other spiritual truths within the Bible.

Scientists claim that they can see that the body was designed to never die. However, there is some small 'error' in the reproductive process of cells which introduces minor corruption. Since (supposedly) every cell in our body is replaced every 7 years, and this cell reproduction is a repetitive process which creates a new generation from the prior, this corruption is cumulative. Basically, we have a geometric progression of corruption which appears as what we call the 'aging process', of which 'old age' is just the end of the process. Scientists hope to find, and fix, that 'minor corruption'. It is, in fact, the physical part of the death brought in by sin. We can see this by the fact that sinful lifestyle s show an increase in the progression of this 'corruption' while 'clean' (non-sinful) lifestyle s are shown to decrease the rate of progression.

Think about the doctrinal truth of A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. (1Corinthians 5:6; Galatians 5:9). We are taught that, in the Bible, leaven is used for a type of sin. Since sin results in death, leaven / sin is a 'little thing' which religion excuses but which causes the progressive process called death to go further towards the end. If we use the religious belief that death is a one-time process, then it is easy to misunderstand the connection to sin and to not understand the true consequence of sin. Of course, this is what religion wants since it provides excuses for sin. However, if we recognize the Biblical truth that death is a progressive process which is started and accelerated by sin, then it is easier to see the true consequences of even 'little sins'.

What is important here is that God uses the physical to teach spiritual truths. Death is a process that can be sped up or slowed down by our lifestyle . The foolish doctrinal error that Paul is dealing with, in this chapter, is a claim that the way to stop this progressive process is to increase the things which speed it up. We can see that living a more sinful lifestyle will lead to an earlier physical death (as a general rule which has exceptions for some individuals). By the same law from God, living a more sinful lifestyle will lead to an earlier spiritual death. in this chapter, Paul is talking about our personal sins, as explained in the chapter summary. A sinful lifestyle can result in someone being 'dead' to some of life's processes (becoming sterile for example) while the person is not completely physically dead. The same is true in our spiritual life.

Understanding that God uses the physical to teach about the spiritual is important to understanding the doctrine taught in this chapter. By refusing to accept that physical death is a progressive process which can be speed up or slowed down, people miss out on important spiritual lessons. Our sinful lifestyle speeds up our spiritual death while our obedient lifestyle slows it down while increasing God's life in us. Please keep in mind the link between life and death when you 'take your doctrinal stand' on this subject. Please try to think of death as a progressive process as you read this chapter, and the notes below, and see if it doesn't make the doctrine of this chapter easier to understand. If you still want to disagree with what is written here, ask God for wisdom and search those hundreds of verses mentioned earlier in this note. If you insist upon holding to the belief that death is a one-time event, then you will find yourself making excuses for rejecting what the Bible literally says, as many 'good Godly fundamental Bible believing preachers' do with Genesis. If you don't want to make excuses for rejecting what the Bible literally teaches, then you will have to accept that death is a progressive process.

Our sentence asked us How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?. Our sentence says that we are (present tense) dead to sin while we live (ongoing action verb that goes from present into the future). If our salvation was a one-time event which also made us dead to sin, as a one-time event, then it would be impossible for use to live therein (in sin). Since Paul is asking this question it must be possible for us to live therein (in sin). 1Corinthians 15:31 says, I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. this verse tells us what we should do to Paul's question in our current sentence. Instead of living in sin, We should die daily through the power of Christ Jesus our Lord. (That is, every day get His power so that we stop responding (die) to the promptings [temptations] of sin.) please see the note for Romans 7:20 which has links to every verse, in Romans, which uses any form of the word sin along with a the Webster's 1828 definition and a shorter definition. Please also see the notes for Romans 14:7 for links to every verse, in Romans, which uses any form of the word live along with the definition from Webster's 1828. God is the true source of all life and each of these sentences use life to tell us that we need to be more like God.

After this explanation, I hope the reader can see why I say that the Bible defines death as 'an ongoing process of corruption which starts at conception and continues until the body is completely destroyed. Death is also used for the one-time point when the soul and spirit are forced to leave the corrupted body but, at least in the Bible, the entire process is assumed to be understood even while highlighting the ultimate point of victory for the process.'

Please be sure to follow the links that are within the sentence outline above to find notes related to those words and to find links to other places where that word is used. Where those links lead to another Study, please also go to the top of the Study (or section within the Lord Jesus Christ Study) to get the definition, the particular application of this verse, and links to other verses with the same application.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'How. Ge 39:9; Ps 119:104; 1Jo 3:9 dead. Ro 6:5-11; 5:11; 7:4; Ga 2:19; 6:14; Col 3:3; 1Pe 2:24 live. 2Co 5:14-17; 1Pe 1:14; 4:1-3 General references. exp: Jos 24:16; Eph 4:20.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S5 (Verse 3) The spiritual truth of this sentence should be obvious.

Know ye not,
that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?.

This sentence starts with Know ye not. The Bible uses this phrase 17 times to effectively ask 'How could you not know something that is so obvious?' We see this phrase in:

2Samuel 3:38 tells us what David said after Abner was killed by Joab. Though Joab was David's general, and Abner was Saul's general, David saw that Abner was a bearer person than Joab. The people did not know what was obvious about the characters of the two men because they were looking at who they were associated with and not at the men themselves.
2Chronicles 32:13 tells us that Sennacherib king of Assyria said when the Jews followed Hezekiah when it was obvious to all flesh that Hezekiah had no chance against Sennacherib. That's one way that we know the deliverance was from God. It obviously could not be done by man.
Ezekiel 17:12 tells us a parable from God that was given after the first two times that the king of Babylon took Jews into captivity because they broke their oath to him. They refused to see that it was God behind the king of Babylon. They were planning a third rebellion and God was trying to warn them that it would only result in the same type of judgment only the third time would be so harsh that it would be the last.
Mark 4:13 tells us about Jesus explaining the 'parable of the sower'. He said that this was the way to understand all parables. A parable is 'a story about the physical reality which teaches a truth about the spiritual reality'.
This sentence: see below for why Paul used this phrase here.
Romans 6:16 tells us how to determine our true spiritual master. Please see that note.
Romans 7:1 tells us about the dominion of the law. Please see that note.
1Corinthians 3:16 says Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? please see the note for this verse in the Book Study on 1Corinthians.
1Corinthians 5:6 says Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? please see the note for this verse in the Book Study on 1Corinthians.
1Corinthians 6:3 says Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? please see the note for this verse in the Book Study on 1Corinthians.
1Corinthians 6:9 says Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? please see the note for this verse in the Book Study on 1Corinthians.
1Corinthians 6:15 says Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ?. Please see the note for this verse in the Book Study on 1Corinthians.
1Corinthians 6:16 says know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? Our physical acts of sex have spiritual significance. Please see the note for this verse in the Book Study on 1Corinthians.
1Corinthians 6:19 says . Please see the note for this verse in the Book Study on 1Corinthians.
1Corinthians 9:24 says Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? We are not all getting a 'mansion in heaven'. Please see the note for this verse in the Book Study on 1Corinthians.
2Corinthians 13:5 says Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?. Please see the note for this verse in 2Corinthians within the Lord Jesus Christ Study.
James 4:4 says Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. please see the This verse in the Word Study on Adultery.

In each of these places in the Bible we see a physical truth which is connected to a spiritual consequence. Those people who looked only at the physical missed the greater spiritual truth and suffered the consequence. Those people who looked at the greater spiritual truth avoided bad spiritual consequences and were blessed. With the exception of one place, every time that the phrase Know ye not is used someone is trying to warn God's people away from a foolish error and point them in the way of God's wisdom. That is what the rest of this sentence is trying to do for us. [Please also see the note for Romans 10:19 for links to every place in Romans where forms of the word know are used.]

This sentence introduces the phrase baptized into Jesus Christ which means identified with (baptized) an ongoing personal relationship (into) with Jesus Christ. Please see the note for 6:3 in the Lord Jesus Christ Study to see how our being baptized relates to each of these roles. Please see the rest of this note below, before going to that other note, for the Biblical truth about baptism.

Paul uses baptized for the true Biblical meaning of 'identified with'. He starts this chapter telling us that we have been identified with Jesus Christ. He then goes on to show how the Son of God, as Christ, made it possible for us to overcome sin. Paul finishes the chapter with how we are to take the provision of Christ and apply it to our personal lives in order to overcome the sin in our personal lives. Specifically, because we have been identified with Christ by the principal of imputation, we can serve God like Christ did if we live through Jesus Christ our Lord (6:11). If we are concentrating on serving God, we will stop our sinning. If we aren't concentrating on serving God, sin will rule us through our mortal bodies (6:12).

From 6:11 through the end of this chapter Paul explains how serving God lets us overcome sin in our lives, but it is all based upon our being identified with Jesus Christ by baptism as we are told in this verse. In tying this back to chapter 5, we saw that God imputed Adam's sin to our account because we were already acting like Adam and every man sinned even if he didn't personally do the exact same sin as Adam. chapter 5 also taught that because of grace that imputes greater righteousness, we should act like Jesus Christ our Lord even more than we ever acted like sinful Adam. We are imputed the righteousness of Jesus Christ our Lord upon the expectation that we will be identified with Him by our life and Biblical baptism is our public declaration of our personal intention of living a life that will cause a lost world to identify us with Jesus Christ our Lord.

We have this controversy over baptism because people don't study the Bible for themselves and believe some self-appointed religious authority instead of personally finding the truth. People know of the Pharisees and others 'Bible authorities' who taught error. They know that the Bible warns them that Satan's ministers are liars who claim to be ministers of righteousness (2Corinthians 11:12-14). In addition, Peter getting fooled into preaching doctrinal error, even though he was a 'good Godly Bible believing preacher', has already been mentioned. Therefore, we are to verify what we are taught by looking into the Bible itself and taking what the Bible literally says. We need to look at what the Bible truly teaches about baptism in order to say how the Bible is using the true definition to teach us how to overcome sin in this chapter.

There are 115 occurrences of forms of the word baptize within 91 verses of the Bible. They are:

Baptism is in Matthew 3:7; Matthew 20:22, Matthew 20:23; Matthew 21:25; Mark 1:4; 10:38, 39; 11:30; Luke 3:3; 7:29; 12:50; 20:4; Acts 1:22; 10:37; 13:24; 18:25; 19:3, 4; Romans 6:4; Ephesians 4:5; Colossians 2:12; 1Peter 3:21.
Baptisms is in Hebrews 6:2.
Baptized is in Matthew 3:6, Matthew 3:13-14, Matthew 3:16; Matthew 20:22-23; Mark 1:5, 8-9; 10:38-39; 16:16; Luke 3:7, 12, 21; 7:29-30; 12:50; John 3:22-23; 4:1-2; 10:40; Acts 1:5; 2:38, 41; 8:12-13, 16, 36, 38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 11:16; 16:15, 33; 18:8; 19:3-5; 22:16; this sentence; 1Corinthians 1:13-16; 10:2; 12:13; 15:29; Galatians 3:27.
Baptize is in Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:4, 8; Luke 3:16; John 1:26, 33; 1Corinthians 1:17.
Baptizing is in Matthew 3:7; John 1:28; 1:31, 3:23.
Baptist and Baptist's are in Matthew 3:1; Matthew 11:11-12; Matthew 14:2, Matthew 14:8; Matthew 16:14; Matthew 17:13; Mark 6:14, 24-25; 8:28; Luke 7:20, 28, 33; 9:19.

There are several verses in each of the four gospels that tell about John the Baptist. `Please also see the Message called: Lessons from John the Baptist as it is related to most of this chapter. The main thing that he is known for is preaching repent'. Yes, he did dunk people but refused to dunk those who did not have evidence that they truly had repented. That is, the outward act only identified an inward change. Repent is another Biblical concept that religions teaches doctrinal error about. The true Biblical definition of repent can be found in Matthew 22:37 and Mark 12:30 and Luke 10:27 where Jesus said 'thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. John's baptism identified people with turning from religious 'self righteousness' to the God of the Bible and obedience to Him that gives true Biblical righteousness that can be seen by the world in our physical life. It is not enough to repent from sin but we must also receive, and obey, the Lord Jesus. We must agree to obey Jesus as our Lord in what we do in this life. Please also see the Doctrinal Study called: What Did Jesus Do?.
Matthew 20:22 and Mark 10:39 and Luke 12:50 all speak of the baptism of Jesus, which was different from the time that John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. This shows us that there can be two different physical acts which convey the same spiritual meaning. In Matthew and Mark, just before this verse, Jesus tld the disciples He was going to Jerusalem to die. Then in Matthew and Mark, Jesus linked His baptism to the cup that I shall drink of which was His death in Matthew 26:39-42; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42 and John 18:11. In Matthew and Luke, before these verses, Jesus was telling parables to teach His disciples to work in God's vineyard by faith and the teaching in Mark, before these verses, also was about working and trusting God for our reward. So the baptism of Jesus was His death in obedience to God for the joy that was set before him (Hebrews 12:2). His baptism identified Him with obedience and service to the God of the Bible, even unto death.'
The other references to baptism in the gospels, and in Acts (with the exception of those listed in the next points), refer to John the Baptist's baptism, which we already saw is associated with repent and refused to those who refused to change their way of living. John's baptism identified people with the God of the Bible in obedience to Him. However, 19:1-6 shows us that John's is not enough for today and not enough for salvation. John's baptism shows that repentance from sin and turning to self-righteous good works is not enough for salvation. We must also accept the Lordship of Jesus.'
Mark 16:16 says, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. in this verse, baptized is added (and) onto He that believeth. That is: the person must believeth. before they can add on the being baptized. If you think about it, they are two separate events. Our verse is not saying that being physically 'dunked' is required to be saved because the thief on the cross was not physically 'dunked'. However, it is saying that we must be 'identified with' our Lord and Saviour in a way that the lost world understands. If the lost world doesn't understand that we are 'identified with' our Lord and Saviour (by the life we live) then our claim that we believeth is an empty claim of a lie. The God of the Bible believes in 'put up or shut up'. This verse does not say what happens to the people who claim to believeth. but refuse to be baptized. They are dealt with elsewhere like where Revelation calls them lukewarm and Peter calls them unjust. Our verse shows that we must have physical action in our life to match the belief that we claim.'
Acts 2:38, 41; 8:12-13, 16, 36, 38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15, 33; 18:8; 19:5; 22:16 all talk about people being baptized to join the church. Many of these people were endangering their lives and many were declared dead, by their family and friends, when they were baptized. They were identified with the God they believed in ways that most of today's so-called 'Christians' will not do. The so-called 'Christians' of today do not have the power of first centaury Christians, who met the Bible definition, and when people of today see that they make excuses instead of following the example of people who had God's power on their life. Our sections of the Bible show us that we must have a to match the belief that we claim if we want the power of God on our life.'
Acts 1:5 and 11:16 promises ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When it happened they spoke in tongues and were identified with the Holy Spirit (God of the Bible). They then went out and 'turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6-7) to the point that they suffered persecution and death but kept doing what God commanded. 'Baptism is symbolic of starting a new life which displays the power of God that comes through having received the Holy Ghost. Baptism is to be identified with Jesus Christ even if we lose everything in this world and our own family declare us dead and refuse to recognize us ever again.'
All of Romans 6 usesbaptism to identify people with Jesus Christ and with a changed life that shows true Biblical repentance and identification with the God of the Bible. This chapter uses baptism to identify people with Jesus Christ and a changed life that shows true Biblical repentance from sin and identification with a life which displays the changes brought by a personal relationship the God of the Bible. This chapter has the word now in it 4 times and three of those times Paul is telling us what to do based upon the doctrinal truths that he just explained before using the word now. The first now is in 6:8 and all of the chapter up to that verse is giving a single doctrinal truth which is the basis for what is said in 6:8. Our current sentence is part of this initial group and must be understood in context of all of the sentences within this group. The conclusion of this section of doctrine is given in the next sentence, which starts with Therefore, and tells us: even so we also should walk in newness of life.'
1Corinthians 1:17 says, For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel. Baptism doesn't save but preaching the gospel does. All references in 1Corinthians downplay the importance of baptism while lifting up preaching the gospel when it comes to getting lost people to become saved.'
Romans 6 usesbaptism to identify people with Jesus Christ and with a changed life that shows true Biblical repentance and identification with the God of the Bible.
1Corinthians 10:2 tells us that the Jews were all baptized unto Moses. Among other things, this verse lets us know that baptism does not save. Judas was baptized unto Moses but definitely went to Hell. The fact is that the Jews were 'identified with' Moses and the Mosaic Law. The main use of baptism, within the Bible, is to identify one person with the with the power, authority and message of another person.'
Galatians 3:27 says, For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. The context is talking about identification with the God of the Bible by a changed life after our initial profession which shows true Biblical repentance from sin and a turning toward God in an ongoing personal relationship.' please see that chapter and associated notes for more details.
Ephesians 4:5 uses baptism in the middle of a list of things which bring spiritual unity in the church and equates it to one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith...One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. This is obviously not talking about being physically dunked but being identified with the God of the Bible. The church will not have unity unless all of the church follow One Lord. Someone who will not obey in baptism will not obey in other matters and should not be considered to be part of the church.'
Colossians 2:12 is part of a sentence that goes from 2:10 through 2:12 and in it baptism is equated to In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. So we again see baptism equated with true Biblical repentance and being identified with the God of the Bible. It is separation (circumcised) from the temptations of this world and being identified with the God of the Bible.'
Hebrews 6:1-2 is a single sentence (see the note associated with it in the Lord Jesus Christ Study.) It says that baptisms (plural) and repentance from dead works are only a couple of the principles of the doctrine of Christ which are the basic spiritual principles involved in learning spiritual maturity and being identified with (acting like) Christ is what Hebrews 6:1-2 means by baptisms. This verse teaches us that there is much more to receive after our baptism and that baptism is not the end.'
Hebrews 6:1-2 is a single sentence (see the note associated with it in the Lord Jesus Christ Study.) It says that baptisms (plural) and repentance from dead works are only a couple of the principles of the doctrine of Christ which are the basic spiritual principals involved in learning spiritual maturity. Being identified with (acting like) Christ is what Hebrews 6:1-2 means by baptisms.
1Peter 3:21 is where a lot of wrong doctrine comes from because people ignore Peter's definition of baptism contained within the verse which is (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,). It is not being 'dunked' (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh). This section teaches that baptism is equated with true Biblical repentance (but the answer of a good conscience toward God) and being identified with the God of the Bible.'
Matthew 28:19 is part of the 'Great Commission' and gives us the personal command to baptize along with God exact command on how we are to do it. Our current section in Romans teaches us the doctrine in a very literal way while all other references in the Bible teach results and other related things. Thus, our current section, with the basic doctrine literally stated, and the command within the 'Great Commission' are probably the two most important sections of scripture that deal with the doctrine of baptism. Since we have dealt with all of the doctrine and supporting verses within the Bible, we are not ready to look at the command and, hopefully, not get the objections that people receive when they preach a command without first presenting God's reasons for that command (present doctrine first).

Our command is very clear and explicate. Yet people preach and teach doing something else while claiming to obey the God of the Bible. Doing that proves that we are liars. Therefore we need to command God's people to obey literally. They are to 'be identified with' the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. That 'identified with' is to first be symbolically with baptism, which is literally being put under water and then raised by a God ordained church and as taught by our current section in Romans. In addition, our 'identified with' the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is to be shown by the way that we live for the rest of our life. Thus, the symbolic baptism is only a public statement of how we intend to live the rest of out life.

In addition, to that, baptism 'identifies us with' the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost that is, we are to be 'identified with' 'each person within the Trinity as well as being 'identified with' the Trinity as a whole.

When we are 'identified with' the Father, we are being 'identified with' the greatest being and the greatest power that exists. We are also agreeing to submit to Him and obey all of His commands, including those that are within the Old Testament. As shown elsewhere, the only part of the Bible which was replaced by the New Testament is the religious part of the Mosaic Law. We do not bring sacrifices to the Temple in Jerusalem, which currently does not exist. We also obey the laws of the land which we are in, instead of obeying the Civil part of the Mosaic Law. However, all of the rest we obey and agree to obey when we are baptized in the name of the Father.

When we are 'identified with' the Son, we are being 'identified with' the character of God's Son as well as with each of His roles as Lord, Jesus and Christ. Please see each of these in the Lord Jesus Christ Overview document for more details.

When we are 'identified with' the Holy Ghost, we are being 'identified with' the New Testament. It is the indwelling Holy Ghost that gives us our assurance of salvation and sanctification in the Church Age.

When we are 'identified with' the Trinity, we are being 'identified with' all three persons of God, which is what the Bible teaches. People who rejected the doctrine of the Trinity created a group of people who claimed to be Christian and yet went completely to Islam when it was presented because it rejected the doctrine of the Trinity. The same is still true today. The doctrine of the Trinity keeps us from many doctrinal errors because it requires believing what the Bible literally teaches even when it goes against what our flesh wants to believe. Anyone who rejects the doctrine of the Trinity will fall for some doctrinal error which comes from applying the wisdom of this world to the Bible.

So every reference of baptism is identification with the God of the Bible by a changed life that shows true Biblical repentance. Yes, every case (where possible) the people were physically 'dunked' but that was done as an outward declaration of an inward change that they planned upon continuing to live for the rest of their lives. Every use of the word baptism, within the Bible, can be shown to be supporting the conclusion that is in the next sentence (Therefore), which is: even so we also should walk in newness of life.'

All of this brings us back to this chapter. In our verse, the phrase so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death is identifying so many of us with the death of Jesus Christ and, by implication, His resurrection. It is identifying so many of us with a changed life that shows true Biblical repentance and identification with the God of the Bible. Look at the very next verse which starts with Therefore (as a result of this verse) and tells us even so we also should walk in newness of life. The verb walk can not be properly interpreted as a one-time religious action but is ongoing repeated steps. Since that verse says even so, our current sentence, with the action verb of baptized can not mean a one-time event of being 'dunked'. Our walk in newness of life means we are to keep doing ongoing repeated steps for the rest of our life. Therefore, our being identified with Jesus Christ through baptism must also require ongoing repeated acts of identification.

Please also see the Messages called Basic doctrine of Baptism and Baptism Gets God's Mercy.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Know. Ro 6:16; 7:1; 1Co 3:16; 5:6; 6:2-3,9,15-16,19; 9:13,24; 2Co 13:5; Jas 4:4 as were. or, as are. Mt 28:19; 1Co 12:13; Ga 3:27; 1Pe 3:21 were. Ro 6:4-5,8; 1Co 15:29; Ga 2:20-21'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S6 (Verse 4) Baptism is a physical sign that should show a spiritual change.

Equivalent Section: Baptism shows us becoming dead to our old life.

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:.

Equivalent Section: Baptism shows us bringing glory to God by our new life.

that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in newness of life..

In our First Equivalent Section we are told that we are 'dunked' (physically put under water) to symbolically show that we are spiritually buried with him (Christ)...into death. (How can you be buried by having a few drops of water sprinkled on you?) this is to show that we will stop responding to the prompts of sin. In our Second Equivalent Section we are told that we should walk in the exact same way (like) as Christ walked after His resurrection. As explained in the note for the prior sentence, baptism is a physical sign of what is supposed to happen to us spiritually. Baptism, without the spiritual change, only gets us wet. There are spiritual blessings associated with baptism. However, in spite of the errors taught by religion, it is not the religious act, but is the spiritual change that the religious act is supposed to portray, which gets us the spiritual blessings. Please see below for more on the doctrine of baptism.

This sentence starts with Therefore which lets us know that it is based upon what was said previously. The note for the prior sentence provides links to every place in the Bible where baptism is used along with notes on those places in the Bible. That note gives the true Biblical doctrine for baptism. Please also see the Romans 6:2 which has links to sentences within Romans which deal with death. That note also provides the Webster's 1828 definition and the true Biblical doctrine. In addition, please also see the note for Romans 15:17 which has links to where this epistle talks about glory.

In the First Equivalent Section we are told Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death, which directly connects to the prior sentence where we were told Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death. This is making a direct connection between the death of Christ and our spiritual death to sin. There is a doctrinal difference between the death of Christ and the death of Jesus. This difference is explained in the This verse in the Lord Jesus Christ Study. That note is significant and has links to several other verses. In most cases, as I develop the Book Studies, I pull most of the body of notes out of the Lord Jesus Christ Study and move them to the Book Study. However, when the most important doctrine of a sentence is about the names of the Son of God, I leave the bulk of the note in the Lord Jesus Christ Study.

Our Second Equivalent Section tells us that we should walk in newness of life that is like the change in Christ after His resurrection. This change is also explained in the This verse in the Lord Jesus Christ Study. Please also see the notes for Romans 14:7 for links to every verse, in Romans, which uses any form of the word live along with the definition from Webster's 1828. God is the true source of all life and each of these sentences use life to tell us that we need to be more like God.

As shown in the titles given to the division of the sentence above, this verse is talking about our 'inward change' that comes when we receive newness of [God's] life in us. The operative term of this verse about our outward reaction is should. The ability to walk in newness of life is a direct result of the indwelling Spirit. If we truly have God's Holy Spirit inside, it should change how we walk in this present physical world. Pentecost and the indwelling Spirit were not available until after Christ was raised up from the dead. Acts reports the change in the lives of the entire church after they received the indwelling Holy Spirit. People should be able to see that same type of change in our lives. If they don't then we are not truly saved or we are not obedient.

Look at the next two sentences which start with For and give us two reasons why we are to have this change in our walk. The sentence after that starts with Now if we be dead with Christ, which means that it comes after our being buried with him by baptism into death, which our current sentence says. That sentence has blessings which are conditional and only given to those saved people that God judges are truly baptized into Jesus Christ . From that point on we see one sentence after another, within this chapter, which tell us things that God has for us but which are dependent upon God deciding that we truly met His requirements. Therefore, a lot of what we get from God is dependent upon our understanding, and doing, what this sentence tells us.

Our ability to walk in newness of life is conditional and directly related to our obedience to the indwelling Spirit. A person who does not walk in newness of life is not necessarily lost. They could simply be a disobedient saved person. However, there are many promises in this chapter and this epistle that we are told that the disobedient saved person will not get. Again, look at the words should and like as in this verse. The devil gets 'good Godly preachers' to correctly say that we should live like as Christ did but leave out that the disobedient loose many promised blessings and receive punishment beyond anything that they expect. Please look closely at the rest of this chapter and related notes to see what I am talking about. Please see the note for Romans 8:1 which has links to sentences within Romans which deal with the word walk along with the definition from Webster's 1828 and further clarification on the use of this word.

Please see the note for Colossians 2:10-12 for links to every place that the New Testament uses some form of buried. The functional definition is: 'To deposit a deceased person in the grave; to inter a corpse; to entomb'.

Please see the notes for Romans C6S5; Colossians C2S7 and John 1:25-LJC about the word baptism. The functional definition is: 'identified with'. Please see the Word Study on Baptism and the Messages called: Basic doctrine of Baptism and Baptism Gets God's Mercy, about this doctrine.

Please see the note for Matthew 7:24-25 about the word liken. The functional definition for this word is: 'To compare; to represent as resembling or similar. Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, that built his house on a rock. Matt. 6'. Please also see the note for Philippians 2:5-8 about the word likeness. Please also see the note for Mark 4:16-17 about the word likewise. Please also see the note for Romans 15:5-6 about the word likeminded

Please see the note for Mark 10:1 about the words arise / arose. The functional definition for the word arose. is: 'The past tense of the verb, to arise'. The functional definition for the word arise / arose. is: 'To ascend, mount up or move to a higher place; as, vapors arise from humid places'. Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C15S32 and John 6:39 about the word raise and see the note for 1Peter C1S2 about the word resurrection. The functional definition for this word is: 'Bringing dead people back to life as opposed to a belief in reincarnation which says that the same spirit is given a new physical body in this physical reality. This is one of the cardinal facts and doctrines of the Gospel. If Christ be not risen, our faith is vain (1Co 15:14). In addition, there are times when this word is used for something being lifted higher physically, but even then the Bible reference often has a symbolic spiritual meaning in addition to the physical meaning.'. Please also see the Prophecies and Prophecy Fulfilled Sections for Bible references to resurrection. Please also see the note for John 20:2-LJC about the phrase risen Jesus is Lord. Please also see the note for 1Peter C1S2 about the word resurrection. Please also see the note for Romans C8S11 about the phrase resurrection of Christ. Please also see the note for Romans C8S11 about the phrase resurrection of Jesus. Please see the Appearances of Jesus Christ After the Resurrection Section within the Time Sequence of Gospel Events Study.

Please see the note for Hebrews 1:5 about the word father. The functional definition is: 'the man who passes his character to the son'.

Please see the note for Romans C8S1 and Ephesians C4S1 about the word walk. The functional definition is: 'take small repeated steps. This word is used symbolically for the small things which we do regularly in our life without thinking about those things'. Please also see the note for Romans C9S28 about the phrase live / walk by faith.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'we are. Ro 6:3; Col 2:12-13; 3:1-3; 1Pe 3:21 that. Ro 6:9; 8:11; 1Co 6:14; 2Co 13:4; Eph 1:19-20; 2:5-6 exp: 1Co 15:4. by the. Mt 28:2-3; Joh 2:11,19-20; 11:40; Col 1:11 even. Ro 6:19; 7:6; 12:1-2; 13:13-14; 2Co 5:17; Ga 6:15-16; Eph 4:17,22-24; 5:8; Php 3:17-18; Col 1:9-12; 2:11-12; 3:10; 4:1; 1Pe 4:1-2; 2Pe 1:4-9; 1Jo 2:6'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S7 (Verse 5-6) Blessings that are only given to those people who meet God's condition.

Equivalent Section: Statement of God's condition.

For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death,
we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:.

Equivalent Section: How to meet God's condition.

Knowing this,
that our old man is crucified with him,
that the body of sin might be destroyed,
that henceforth we should not serve sin..

Within our sentence are some promises. (Please also see the Doctrinal Study called Significant Events in the New Testament for links to promises made in the New Testament outside of the Gospels.) Within this sentence, we are promised that we shall be also in the likeness of his (Christ) resurrection if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death. That is: if we are buried with him by baptism into death ('we are separated from the promptings of sin in this world by being identified with Christ'). Please notice the if in our sentence. That specifies God's requirement for us to be in the likeness of his resurrection:.

This sentence tells us we have been planted together in the likeness of his death...that the body of sin might be destroyed. That is, if we allow (might) God to destroy sin in our lives then sin can not reign over our lives. The result is that henceforth we should not serve sin. God wants us to stop our sinning but that will happen only if we allow God the destroy the sin. In the Bible we see that something that is dead no longer responds to being poked. We have this promise from God only if we stop responding when sin pokes us with a temptation.

This sentence starts with For and the next sentence also starts with For. They give us two reasons why Paul said what he did in the prior sentence and ogether they set the stage for the rest of the chapter. (The sentence after that starts with Now.) these sentences are explaining why we are buried with him by baptism into death and why we also should walk in newness of life. God does not just say 'Stop doing that' but God tells us to replace what we are not to do with what we are to do. Therefore, We are to 'Stop our sinning' (we should not serve sin of our current sentence) by walking in newness of life (from our prior sentence).

The First Equivalent Section of our sentence starts with an if, which makes this Section a conditional statement. in this sentence it does not say if we are saved but if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death. That means 'if we stop responding to sin like Christ stopped responding to sin'. We all know people who claim to be saved but who also have not stopped responding to sin. They have not met the conditional part of this sentence. Therefore, they do not have the promise that we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. Lots of people like to claim 'we shall be like Him', but fail to realize that this promise is conditional, and therefore not given to the people who do not meet God's conditional requirement.

Revelation 19:7-8 says, Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. and to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. there are lots of saved people planning on being part of his wife who have no personal righteousness to be dressed in and who has ever heard of a naked bride at a wedding feast?

Further, in 1Corinthians 15:19-23 we are told that when we receive our new bodies, we will be made alive in Christ (even so in Christ shall all be made alive). Our present bodies are corrupted and dying because of sin. When we receive our new bodies (in Christ) we will never (not be allowed to) sin again because God will not allow those new bodies to be corrupted by sin. However, we need to remember that sin is addictive and even the lost people admit that addiction is mental and emotional in addition to being physical. When we die, our soul (mind, will and emotions) go with our spirit to heaven. I've met people who claimed to go 'cold turkey' on some addiction but almost every one of them did it by replacing one addictive lust with another addictive lust. This is true even for those who claim to be saved. They either did this replacement or they went through a very rough period of weeks, month and/or years. This is because when Christ truly makes you free, He does it over time through an ongoing relationship. Now imagine going 'cold turkey' on all sinful lusts at thee same time. No replacement of one lust with another.

We have people who 'hate church' and others who 'can't handle too much church' that expect to go to heaven where it will be church 24/7 run by the fanatics. No 'smoke break' or anything else. Now when we consider all of this while we come back to our First Equivalent Section of our sentence, we should have a different perspective. When our sentence says if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death it leaves the possibility of saved people not being planted together in the likeness of his death. They truly do not have the promise of we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. Now while I can go along with the claim that not being like Christ applies to this life, I have not found where the Bible says that sinful people will have His character after they get to heaven. In fact, I find a lot of places which say that the character we have when we die is what we will have for eternity. So, many people might have a 'perfect body' and not have the character to enjoy it. Think of a child crying into their ice cream because it is not the flavor they wanted.

Again we see that we don't want to rely on some religious promise of 'positional salvation' but we want an actual real salvation that makes us be planted together in the likeness of his death. We need to meet God's condition to planted together in the likeness of his death (that is, we need to stop responding to temptations to sin) if we want to be also in the likeness of his resurrection, both in this life and in eternity.

In our Second Equivalent Section, we are told 'How to meet God's condition'. The first thing that we are told is Knowing this. In the Bible, something that we know is not just something that we learn intellectually but something we experience. [Please see the note for Romans 10:19 for links to every place in Romans where forms of the word know are used.] Hebrews 2:14-17 tells us Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same;...it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. this chapter in Hebrews tells us that the Son of God experienced being a weak human man so that he could know what it was like and able to succour them that are tempted. If the Son of God had to experience things in order to know them, then we also have to learn by experiencing. That is, we must experience not responding to temptation (our old man is crucified with him) so that we should not serve sin. As we repeatedly experience this, we will increase in our knowledge that this is how the body of sin might be destroyed and that we can truly 'Stop our Sinning'. I'm not saying that we will reach perfection, but with the help of Christ we should be removing sin from our life one sin at a time. Yes, more spiritually mature Christian still do sins, but they don't do the sins that they did when they were spiritual babes. After His resurrection, Jesus Christ did not 'hang around' lost people but spent His time with the saved instructing them in how to become more spiritually mature. We need to stop 'hanging around' lost people and sources of temptation so that we stop responding to sin (the body of sin might be destroyed). As we experience doing this, we will know...that our old man is crucified with him and that, as a result, we are also being changed into the likeness of his resurrection.

Please see the note for Luke 13:6 about the word planted. Webster's 1828 defines this word as: 'pp. Set in the earth for propagation; set; fixed; introduced; established. 1. Furnished with seeds or plants for growth; as a planted field. 2. Furnished with the first inhabitants; settled; as territory planted with colonists. 3. Filled or furnished with what is new. A man in all the world's new fashion planted. See Def.3'. Please also see the note for Matthew 15:13 about the word plant.

Please see the note for Romans C9S19 about the phrase What is man.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians 1:13 about the word crucified. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines this word as: '1. to nail to a cross; to put to death by nailing the hands and feet to a cross or gibbet, sometimes anciently, by fastening a criminal to a tree, with cords. But they cried, crucify him, crucify him. Luke 23. 2. In scriptural language, to subdue; to mortify; to destroy the power or ruling influence of. They that are Christs have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts. Galatians 5. 3. to reject and despise. They crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh. Hebrews 6. Tobe crucified with Christ, is to become dead to the law and to sin, and to have indwelling corruption subdued. Galatians 2 and 6'.

Please see the notes for Romans C7S30; 1Corinthians C6S20; Ephesians 4:5-LJC and Colossians C1S4 about the word body. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines this word as: 'The frame of an animal; the material substance of an animal, in distinction from the living principle of beasts, and the soul of man'. This word is used symbolically within our sentence with the functional definition being: 'the framework for sin including all parts of it'. Please also see the notes for Ephesians C3S1 and Colossians C1S6 about the phrase body of Christ.

Please see the notes for Romans C14S22 and 1Corinthians C3S17 about the word destroy. The functional definition is: 'To demolish; to pull down; to separate the parts of an edifice, the union of which is necessary to constitute the thing'. Please also see the note for 1Corinthians 10:10 about the word destroyer. Please also see the note for 1Timothy 6:9 about the word destruction.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 5:14-16 about the word henceforth that note has links to every place in the New Testament where We find this word. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines henceforth as: 'from this time forward.'

Please see the note for Romans 16:18 which has links to every verse, in Romans, which uses any form of the word serve. The functional definition is: 'To work for; to bestow the labor of body and mind in the employment of another'. Please also see the note for 2Timothy C1-S2 about this word. Please also see the note for Philippians 2:17 about the word service. Please also see the note for Romans 14:4 for links to every verse, in Romans, which uses the word servant along with the definition and a short note for each verse. Servant is dealt with separately from serve because one is the action verb and the other is the person who does the action. Please also see the notes for 1Corinthians C7S27 and Ephesians C6S4 about the word servant.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'For. Ro 6:8-12; Eph 2:5-6; Php 3:10-11 exp: 2Ti 2:11. planted. Ps 92:13; Isa 5:2; Jer 2:21; Mt 15:13; Joh 12:24; 15:1-8
that our. Ga 2:20; 5:24; 6:14; Eph 4:22; Col 3:5,9-10 that the. Ro 7:24; 8:3,13; Col 2:11-12 that henceforth. Ro 6:12,22; 7:25; 8:4; 2Ki 5:17; Isa 26:13; Joh 8:34-36'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S8 (Verse 7) For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Within our sentence is a promise. (Please also see the Doctrinal Study called Significant Events in the New Testament for links to promises made in the New Testament outside of the Gospels.) Our sentence starts with the word For, which means it is giving the reason why toe prior sentence is true. The prior sentence is where we read about having Christ help us to stop responding to the temptations of sin. Within this sentence, we are promised that we will be reed from sin by having Christ help us to stop responding to the temptations of sin.

This sentence gives us the second reason (For) that Paul said that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life in the second prior sentence. The prior sentence gave the first reason. These sentences provide the basis of what Paul says in the rest of this chapter starting in the next sentence, which starts with Now. As explained in the note for the prior sentence, when Christ arose from the dead He stopped being limited by the requirements of this world and He stopped 'hanging out' with people of the world. He spent His time with saved people. When we do the same thing, we reduce the number of temptations which we have to deal with. The end result is that we can be freed from sin.

Our current sentence tells us he that is dead is freed from sin. our current sentence is giving a reason for why Paul said that we need to be buried with him (Christ) into death in 6:4. As our current sentence says, we are freed from sin when we are dead. Therefore, we need to let Christ make us spiritually dead to the things of this world so that He can make us free from sin. He does this by baptism (by being identified with Christ). When we are living in sin and living like the rest of the world, we are not 'identified with Christ'. However, in Acts 11:26 we are told And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. these people had separated themselves from sin and the way of the world to the point that people called them Christians ('little Christ's') as an insult. If we are willing to be insulted for becoming like Christ, then we can expect to become freed from sin.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'For he. Ro 6:2,8; 7:2,4; Col 3:1-3; 1Pe 4:1 freed. or, justified. Ro 8:1'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S9 (Verse 8-9) Our having God's life in us requires our spiritual death.

Equivalent Section: Our living with Christ requires us to be dead with Christ.

Now if we be dead with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him:.

Equivalent Section: Resurrection removes the control of death.

First Step: Resurrection removes the control of death.

Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more;.

Second Step: Resurrection removes the dominion of death.

death hath no more dominion over him..

This sentence is based upon (Now) what came before. The prior sentences talked about our being dead to sin, which means we stopped responding to the promptings from sin. Now (based upon that instruction from God), our sentence has a conditional (if) blessing from God. It tells us that we shall also live with him [Christ], if we stop responding to temptations from sin (if we be dead with Christ). Our sentence also says that death will lose its dominion. In addition, to what follows, we also have two notes (for 6:8 and 6:9) in the Lord Jesus Christ Study.

Our having God's life in us, while in this world, requires our spiritual death to sin. (This is different from losing salvation or losing the Holy Ghost.) Some people teach that this sentence is talking about a promise that will not be realized until we get to heaven because there are people who claim to be saved but who are not experiencing this promise in their life today. They either have to admit that they failed to meet God's conditional requirement (if) or they have to claim that the promise is not meant for this life. However, there are many saved people who are experiencing this promise today. Therefore, the problem that other saved people have is that they have no promise of receiving this promise in the future. In fact, since God does not change (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8), those people will spend eternity with the judgment of God currently displayed in their life.

Yes, I can imagine all of the objections right now, but this Study has already explained the varying amount of 'Quality of Life' that people currently experience and that they will experience for eternity. Many people who think they do not have this promise today actually have it, but the 'Quality of Life' is so low that they dismiss what they have. The true question is not if people have this promise but what 'Quality' of this promise they have. As mentioned several times before, the relationship between Christ and the church is pictured as the relationship between a man and his wife (Ephesians 5:32). We all know that various marriages have different 'Qualities' to them. In addition, look at what Revelation 19:8 says, about the bride. It says: and to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. So, these people who have no work would appear to not have the righteousness of saints which the bride will be clothed in. Have you ever seen a naked bride? the fact is that there are beings in heaven who are not part of the bride. Therefore, being saved does not make guarantee that someone will be part of the bride.

This same concept has come up in other places of the New Testament, but I can not remember where and can not (right now) provide links to those places. However, saved people are supposed to be able to pray to God for wisdom and search the Bible for themselves. Therefore, I will let the reader decide how much they want to pursue this and how willing they are to accept God's consequences if they make the wrong choice about this doctrine.

Returning to our First Equivalent Section, we see that our promise to also live with him is based upon our being dead with Christ. Please see the Study called Relational Prepositions which tell us all of the places that the Bible tells us about being with the various roles of the Son of God. (Please follow the link provided to see this unique usage of words within the Bible. Please also see the explanation at the top of the page that is reached By this link.) God is the true source of all life and each of these sentences use life to tell us that we need to be more like God. While going through this Study (all that is on the Web site) I have been discovering the doctrinal significance of these words. Please also see the This verse in the Lord Jesus Christ Study which deals with the specifics of the word with within this sentence. That note can be summarized with the statement that our spiritual 'Quality of Life' is directly proportional to how much we are with Christ.

Returning to our sentence and moving on to the Second Equivalent Section, we see two Steps in the removal of the control of death. We saw that death is not a one-time event but a process which starts at conception and proceeds until corruption has completely destroyed the body. We also saw that at some point in this process the soul and spirit separate from the body, and that point in time is what most people think of as death.

Yes, there are verses which emphasize this point in the process and support the claim that the Biblical definition of death is limited to this point in time. However, there are other places where this limited definition leads 'good Godly fundamental Bible believing' people to deny the literal interpretation of the Bible, and to teach doctrinal error, such as saying that Adam did not die the day that he sinned. That's denying what God literally said and causes people to doubt God.

No, Adam did not experience this point in time but he did introduce the process of death the day that he sinned. This point in time is an application (the most important one) of the true Biblical definition in that it emphasizes what is most important to most people. However, that application and emphasis does not deny the greater (full) Biblical definition. And, in order to properly understand this sentence, we need to consider the entire process that the Bible calls death.

Our sentence tells us that Christ reverses the process started by Adam. The full reversal on the physical level will not happen until the saved receive their new body. However, saved people can experience a temporary reversal called a 'miraculous healing' or having a 'death experience' (returned from death). While those are wonderful (I speak from experience), what the rest of this chapter is concentrating on are the non-physical aspects of this process of death and the reversal provided by Christ. In particular, it deals with things that we do in the physical which affect the mental, emotional (soul) and spiritual because the actions which we do in the physical world show what is happening in our soul and spirit. The way that we change our attitudes and actions is to change our soul and spirit. However, we can only see those changes indirectly by observing the physical (John 3:8). Therefore, we need to concentrate upon the process in order to see how 'little things' can have a greater impact upon our life because they affect ongoing processes and not just one-time events.

The story is told about a preacher who responded with 'You can't threaten me with heaven!' when a man shoved a gun in his face and expressed his extreme displeasure with the truth that the preacher told. Hebrews 11:8-10 also tells us that By faith Abraham...obeyed; and he...sojourned...dwelling in tabernacles...For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

When our First Step tells us Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more, it promises the same to us. However, since this world is so corrupt, we will not see the physical fulfillment of this promise until we get our new body. Hebrews 11:13 goes on to say These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. they are our example. They did not 'put down roots' in the corruption of this world and we should not do so either because it entangles us in the pollutions of the world, which 2Peter 1:6 warns us against. Instead, we should do as 1Peter 2:11, and the rest of this chapter, tells us to do. That is: abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul because our soul is one thing that we will take from this present life into our new body.

Since we have a promise of a new body, and we know that Christ is keeping our new body out of the corruption of this present world, we need to avoid the entangles of this present world, which increase the process of death, and concentrate upon preparing our soul for enjoying our new body. We do that by obeying the commands within rest of this chapter. However, those commands are based upon the knowledge of our current sentence. Since the physical promises of a new body is in the future, and not now, the priority of our life should be the future and not now. If we let this knowledge get pushed behind concerns of this present life we will one day realize that we are at the end of our life and have not prepared for our new life and our new life. Keeping this knowledge at the top of our awareness, and paramount in all decisions, may seem to be a 'little thing', but since it affects decisions of life which continue for a long time, it can have a drastic difference in our eternity. [Please also see the note for Romans 10:19 for links to every place in Romans where forms of the word know are used.]

Where our First Step was 'Resurrection removes the control of death', our Second Step is 'Resurrection removes the dominion of death'. 1Corinthians 15:55-56 says, O death, where is thy sting? of grave, where is thy victory? the sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

This sentence is very much related to 6:14. That sentence tells us sin shall not have dominion over you and death is the end result of sin (6:16). Our current sentence tells us death hath no more dominion over him (Christ). We need to maintain our personal relationship with Christ so that we do not end up ruled by sin and death. The note for 6:14 which has links to every verse in the New Testament which uses dominion. Please see it, especially in relationship to this sentence.

As this definition shows, dominion has to do with the legal right to control. When Adam sinned he gave legal right to control this world to the devil. When we sin, even as saved people, we give sin the legal right to control us. That's why Reformers Unanimous has so many saved addicts to deal with. We see much more about this doctrine in the note for 7:5. The motto of Reformers Unanimous is 'Christ Makes Free' which matches 8:2 and other places in the Bible. We can also see this in the direct words of Jesus (in John 5:24), which are Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. this heareth my word, and believeth is not a one-time event but is a repeated action that we have to keep doing for the remainder of our life. When Jesus said that we are passed from death unto life, that is a result that occurs each time that we heareth my word, and believeth. Thus, as RU teaches, it is this ongoing action by the Son of God in our life that 'Makes Free' from the addictions of sin.

Our Step tells us death hath no more dominion over him. So long as we stay with Christ, He keeps us free. When we leave Christ, we put ourselves back under the dominion of sin.

Please see the note for Romans 10:14 for links to every place in Romans that uses any form of believe. The functional definition is: 'To credit upon the authority or testimony of another; to be persuaded of the truth of something upon the declaration of another, or upon evidence furnished by reasons, arguments, and deductions of the mind, or by other circumstances, than personal knowledge. When we believe upon the authority of another, we always put confidence in his veracity'. In addition, the difference between a 'head belief' and a true 'heart belief' is that a true 'heart belief' causes a person to act upon what they claim to believe. Further, the word believeth is: 'an ongoing lifestyle heart based belief'. Any so-called belief, which does not result in a changed life is only a 'head belief' and does not receive the promised blessings of a true Biblical belief. . In the Bible, belief is contrasted with unbelief. Please see the note for Romans 3:3 for links to every place in Romans that uses any form of unbelief. Please also see the note for Romans C3S5 and Hebrews 3:7-12 about the word unbelief. Please also see the note for Romans C10S15 about the phrase belief changes life. Please also see the notes for Romans 3:26-LJC and John 20:31-LJC about the phrase believe in Jesus / Christ. Please also see the note for John 6:40 about the phrase believe on. That note has links to every place in the New Testament where we find forms of this phrase along with an explanation of the usage. Please also see the note for Romans C4S21 about the phrase belief (true) requires us to do.

Please see the note for Romans C6S14 about the word dominion. The functional definition is: 'Sovereign or supreme authority; the power of governing and controlling'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Now. Ro 6:3-5; 2Ti 2:11-12 we believe. Joh 14:19; 2Co 4:10-14; 13:4; Col 3:3-4; 1Th 4:14-17
Christ. Ps 16:9-11; Ac 2:24-28; Heb 7:16,25; 10:12-13; Re 1:18 death. Ro 6:14; 5:14; Heb 2:14-15'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S10 (Verse 10) Death and resurrection are unto God.

Equivalent Section: Christ died only once.

For in that he died,
he died unto sin once:.

Equivalent Section: Resurrected life is unto God.

but in that he liveth,
he liveth unto God..

This sentence gives us the reason for the prior sentence because it starts with For. Within our sentence we see a colon which makes in that he died, he died unto sin once equivalent to but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Thus, according to our sentence, a reason that Christ died was to eliminate all influence and control of sin in His life so that He could have an ongoing life (liveth)... unto God. In addition, the next sentence starts with Likewise which means that we are to act the same way for the same reasons. God is the true source of all life and each of these sentences use life to tell us that we need to be more like God.

Notice that it was a one-time death that opened the way for an eternal life freed from sin. Some people might say that sin had no influence on Jesus Christ but they would be wrong. He had a literal physical body like ours which was subject to corruption and physical death, just like our body is. He received a new uncorrupted spiritual body with His resurrection, just like the verses and associated notes for 1Corinthians 15:1 explain.

Hebrews 4:15 tells us that He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. When I was young my oldest brother ate enough of one kind of pudding to get very sick on it. Since that time he will eat other deserts but refuses to even taste that particular desert. Other people have had a similar reaction to other foods or experiences. I imagine that is something like how Jesus Christ felt about temptations after God put all of the sins of the world upon Him before He died and rose. Yes, before He died He was in all points tempted like as we are, but after His resurrection I imagine that temptations of sin had the opposite effect. Instead, our sentence tells us that what attracts Him is living unto God. He had to die to these temptations before He could live unto God and our next sentence tells us to do likewise.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'he died unto. Ro 8:3; 2Co 5:21; Heb 9:26-28; 1Pe 3:18 he liveth unto. Ro 6:11; 14:7-9; Lu 20:38; 2Co 5:15; 1Pe 4:6'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S11 (Verse 11) Each phrase below has equal importance.

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin,
but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord..

Within our sentence is a promise. (Please also see the Doctrinal Study called Significant Events in the New Testament for links to promises made in the New Testament outside of the Gospels.) Basically, we are promised that we can stop responding to the prompting of sin if we respond to the personal commandments from Jesus Christ our Lord. When we enter the ongoing personal relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord, and continue in it by obeying His commandments based upon the knowledge that our future judgment (Lord) will be based upon our personal commandments received from Jesus Christ, He is able to use those personal commandments to cause us to stop responding to the temptations to sin (to be dead indeed unto sin). We are to continue in this relationship (through) until we come out on the other side, which will be in Heaven and facing the judgment seat of Christ to receive rewards or punishments based upon our level of obedience.

This sentence starts with Likewise, which means we are to be just like the prior sentence told us Jesus Christ was like. What Jesus Christ did, so also are we to do. However, our current sentence also adds in that we are to do this through Jesus Christ our Lord. We again see Romans telling us that these instructions can only be obeyed if that obedience is through our ongoing personal relationship with the Son of God in each and every role of His known as Lord and Jesus and Christ.

in this sentence we are told to reckon ye also yourselves. This is something we are to each personally do (ye) even if no one else around us is doing so. The word reckon is used in accounting for money, accounting for our spiritual reward and for legal matters. All of these require someone to be precise and exact with significant or severe consequences for error. This method of accounting is used with mammon and for spiritual reward even though the two are opposites. In our current sentence we are told how to (spiritually) legally account for our relationship with God that is through Jesus Christ our Lord. This sentence is explaining our legal right, and responsibility, to have this relationship. We saw in Romans 4:4 how this concept of reckoning works. Then in in Romans 4:9-10 we saw that God apply this same method in order to give Abraham righteousness. Now we are told how to apply this method to our own life.

As mentioned in the general note for this chapter, according to the most used words in this chapter, the theme of this chapter is our personal sin. Here we are told how to deal with our personal sin. We start to deal with it by controlling how we think (recon). Other places we are told to do things. Forexample, Romans 12:16 tells us be of the same mind and the verse following it tells us how to act upon that same mind. In the sentences following this one we are also told how to act upon this reckoning but the sentences in this chapter are general rules which will apply in many situations while sentences in later chapters are more specific.

Please see the note for 8:18 which has links to verses which use any form of the word reckon and provides the definition from Webster's 1828. The functional definition is: ' to count; to number; that is, to tell the particulars'.

Please see the note for Luke 3:11 about the word indeed. Webster's 1828 defines this word as: 'adv. in and deed. In reality; in truth; in fact. The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Rom.8. Indeed is usually emphatical, but in some cases more so than in others; as,This is true; it is indeed. I were a beast indeed to do you wrong. Some sons indeed; some very few we see, Who keep themselves from this infection free. There is indeed no greater pleasure in visiting these magazines of war-- It is used to note concession or admission; as, ships not so large indeed, but better manned. Indeed is used as an expression of surprise, or for the purpose of obtaining confirmation of a fact stated. Indeed! is it possible? is it so in fact?'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'reckon. Ro 8:18 be dead. Ro 6:2 but. Ro 6:13; 1Co 6:20; Ga 2:19-20; Col 3:3-5 exp: 2Co 13:4. Through. Ro 6:23; 5:1; 16:27; Joh 20:31; Eph 2:7; Php 1:11; 4:7; Col 3:17; 1Pe 2:5; 4:11'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S12 (Verse 12) First thing to do based upon doctrine stated in this chapter.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body,
that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof..

This sentence starts with Let not which is a command and not just a suggestion. The word let is the action verb used in creation. If we really consider all that preceded this command we will have no doubt about it being a command. If we obey this command and stop the reign of sin in your mortal body then we will not obey it in the lusts thereof. Lots of people say they can stop sin any time they want, such as stopping smoking or pornography. God says 'put up or shut up '. Tell God you want to stop your lusts based upon your own power without the help of God and dare Him to prove that you can not do without His help. Or, just be wise and admit your dependency from the start :-).

The Therefore of this sentence means that it is based upon the doctrine that has already been said in this chapter. In particular, the immediately prior sentence dealt with our personal relationship unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. In that respect consider that this sentence uses your for your body but uses ye for who is to obey. Remember that ye means 'each and every one of you personally' while your is used for non-personal things. Did I get your attention? Yes, I am saying that the Bible is telling us that the body which we currently are in is not our personal body. (Please see the note for Romans 7:24 which has links to every verse, in Romans, which uses any form of the word body along with the Webster's 1828 definition of the word body.)

1Corinthians 6:19 says, know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 1Corinthians 6:20 says, For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.. 1Corinthians 7:23 says, Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.. These verses explain part of what Jesus meant when He said And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? (Luke 16:12). Our body is not our own but is God's. If we're not faithful to follow Jesus Christ our Lord and keep God's body from the corruption of sin, why should God give us a personal glorified body to call our own?

What this sentence does make ours personally is the choice to obey. Our call to obedience to the faith was dealt with, to some extent, in the note for Romans 1:1-7. Disobedience was dealt with, to some extent, in the note for Romans 1:30. Our command to obey the truth and to obey righteousness and what God says about those who do not obey was dealt with, to some extent, in the note for Romans 2:8. The judgment for sin brought upon all of us by one man's disobedience was dealt with in the note for 5:19. Now our current sentence tells us that if we obey sin in lusts that we are disobeying God and are allowing the ways of death to control us instead of the ways of God's life. We find further information about disobedience. in the note for 10:21, which is a quote of an Old Testament verse. We find further information about obedience. in the notes for 6:16; 6:17; 15:18; 16:19 and 16:26. Forms of obedience and disobedience are found many places in the Bible. We are told that God cannot lie in Titus 1:2. We are told that God does not change in Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8. What our God constantly says is that He will bless those people who obey Him and curse those people who obey Him.

Our sentence tells us that if we obey it in the lusts thereof then we are letting sin reign. The word reign is defined by Webster's 1828 as 'v.i. rane. L. regno, a derivative of rego, regnum. 1. to possess or exercise sovereign power or authority; to rule; to exercise government, as a king or emperor; or to hold the supreme power. George the third reigned over Great Britain more than fifty years. Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness. Is. 32. 2. to be predominant; to prevail. Pestilent diseases which commonly reign in summer or autumn. 3. to rule; to have superior or uncontrolled dominion. Romans 6. This word is never applied to the exercise of supreme power by a legislative body or the executive administration, in the United States.
REIGN, n. rane. L. regnum. 1. Royal authority; supreme power; sovereignty. He who like a father held his reign. 2. the time during which a king, queen or emperor possesses the supreme authority. the Spanish armada was equipped to invade England in the reign of queen Elizabeth. Magna Charta was obtained in the reign of king John. 3. Kingdom; dominion. Saturn's sons received the threefold reign of heav'n, of ocean, and deep hell beneath. 4. Power; influence. 5. Prevalence'. Forms of the word reign occurs 363 times in 290 verses of the Bible. Forms of the word reign occurs 26 times in 22 verses of the New Testament, which are:

Matthew 2:22 tells us that Joseph went to Galilee when he returned from Egypt because of the man who did reign in Judaea. Wise men avoid the reign of sin and evil.
Luke 1:33 says, And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. this is part of the message from the angel to Mary about the birth of Jesus.
Luke 3:1 gives us the time in history when John the Baptist started preaching. The time is specified by the man that reigned in that area.
Luke 19:14 and Luke 19:27 are part of a parable told by Jesus. The parable teaches that there will be variable rewards in heaven, including some people who have no reward at all other than being there. However, the people who reject the reign of Jesus Christ go to Hell.
Romans 5:14 says, Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses... Please see that note for details.
Romans 5:17 tells us about the difference between the reign of death and the reign of grace. Please see that note for details.
Romans 5:21 tells us to let grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Please see that note for details.
Our current sentence tells us Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body...
Romans 15:12 quotes the Old Testament and says the same thing (about reign) as Luke 1:33. Please see that note for details.
1Corinthians 4:8 says, Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you. this is sarcasm by Paul for people who rejected the reign of God in their personal lives. Please see that note for details.
1Corinthians 15:25 says, For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.. This is talking about the reign of Christ and how He will conquer all, including death. Please see that note for details.
Ephesians 2:19 says, Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; . Foreigners are people who are in an area controlled by as government but not under the reign of that government. We are to be under the reign of God. Please see that note for details.
2Timothy 2:12 says, If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:. This is part of a sentence with several conditional promises. If we don't fulfill God's conditions, we do not receive the promises. Please see that note for details.
Revelation 5:10 says, And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. this is a promise for those people who have enough personal righteousness to be part of the bride. Please see that note for details.
Revelation 11:15 says, And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. this is part of the prophecy. Please see that note for details.
Revelation 11:17 says, Saying, We give thee thanks, of Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. Worship is the proper response to the reign of God. Please see that note for details.
Revelation 17:18 says, And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. this verse is part of the telling about false religion having reign over sinful men.
Revelation 19:6 says, And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Worship is the proper response to the reign of God. Please see that note for details.
Revelation 20:4 says, And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. this is part of the promised reward for those martyrs who choose to let Jesus reign in their personal lives in spite of living in a land ruled by sin. Please see that note for details.
Revelation 20:6 says, Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. this is part of the promised reward for those people who choose to let God reign in their personal lives in spite of living in a land ruled by sin. Please see that note for details.
Revelation 22:5 says, And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. this is part of the promise made to all saved. Please see that note for details.

From these verses we see that people who reign can be good or evil. We also see that some people obey, some disobey and some do varying degrees of both regardless if those who reign are good or evil. However, the type of person who reigns determines the circumstances and society that people live with. Our sentence tells us to avoid the reign of sin (and the evil circumstances which come with it), in our personal lives. Please see the note for Romans 7:20 which has links to every verse, in Romans, which uses any form of the word sin along with a the Webster's 1828 definition and a shorter definition.

Please see the note above about the word reign. That note has links to every place in the New Testament where We find this word along with a small note on each usage. The functional definition is: 'To possess or exercise sovereign power or authority; to rule; to exercise government, as a king or emperor; or to hold the supreme power'.

Please see the note for 1Corinthians C15S48 about the word mortal. The functional definition is: 'subjection to death or the necessity of dying'. Please also see the note for Romans C2S5 about the word immortality.

Please see the notes for Romans C7S30; 1Corinthians C6S20; Ephesians 4:5-LJC and Colossians C1S4 about the word body. The functional definition is: 'The frame of an animal; the material substance of an animal, in distinction from the living principle of beasts, and the soul of man'. Please also see the notes for Ephesians C3S1 and Colossians C1S6 about the phrase body of Christ.

Please see the note for Romans C13S17 about the word lust. It has links to every place in Romans where this word is found, the full definition from Webster's 1828 and links from other commentators. Although lust is usually a sin, the Bible tells us that God's Holy Spirit lusts. Therefore, when this type of motivation is directed at the things of God it is not sin. The functional definition is: 'To desire eagerly; to long; with after'. Please also see the note for Galatians C5-S18 about the word lust.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Let not. Ro 6:16; 5:21; 7:23-24; Nu 33:55; De 7:2; Jos 23:12-13; Jg 2:3; Ps 19:13; 119:133 mortal. Ro 8:11; 1Co 15:53-54; 2Co 4:11; 5:4 in the lusts. Ro 6:16; 2:8; 8:13; 13:14; Ga 5:16,24; Eph 2:3; 4:22; 1Th 4:5; 2Ti 2:22; Tit 2:12; 3:3; Jas 1:14-15; 4:1-3; 1Pe 1:14; 2:11; 4:2-3; 1Jo 2:15-17; Jude 1:16,18 General references. exp: Le 13:7; Jos 17:12.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S13 (Verse 13) What to yield to.

Equivalent Section: Don't yield.

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin:.

Equivalent Section: Yield.

but yield yourselves unto God ,
as those that are alive from the dead,
and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God..

This sentence starts with Neither and tells us a similar thing to the commandment that we just read in the prior sentence. There we were told to Let not sin reign... Here we are told another do not. Where the prior sentence told us to not let sin control (reign in) our mortal body, our current tells us to not let even a small part of our body give into the temptation of sin. Where the prior sentence warned us about physical temptation (lusts) this this sentence warns us against spiritual temptation (unrighteousness). Where the prior sentence warned us about sin using our entire body, this this sentence warns about sin using members of our body. Where the prior sentence warned us about sin directly telling us what to do (reign), this this sentence warns about sin using the members of our body without our necessarily being consciously aware of it (as instruments of sin). That is, we are to watch for, and try to avoid, the unknown sin. The prior sentence recognized that the best way to deal with sin is to completely avoid it and everything associated with sin. This sentence tells us the most basic way to avoid sin.

Our sentence tells us that the way to avoid sin is to concentrate on making even the smallest parts of our body be instruments of righteousness unto God. Sin always starts out giving us pleasure and promising that we will always be in control. Sin promises that it is a 'little thing' but God's Word says A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. (1Corinthians 5:6; Galatians 5:9). It then sneaks control while we aren't paying attention and becomes a demanding monster after it gets us hooked. There is a true saying that 'Nature abhors a vacuum '. The same is true in the spiritual realm. We may avoid sin for a while, but if we do not yield...your members as instruments of righteousness unto God, then sin will sneak in and take control.

1Corinthians 12:27 tells us that body parts (eye, ear) are members. Colossians 3:5 lists fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness as part of our members. So, with these and other verses we know that our mind, our will and our emotions (and what they produce) are part of the members that we are to yield...as instruments of righteousness unto God. What must come from our mind, will, emotions, tongue, and the use of every body part must be God's righteousness if we want to avoid control by sin. As a last note, the phrase as those that are alive from the dead has been shown many places in this study to mean 'responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in ways that we did not respond when we were lost '. God is the true source of all life and each of these sentences use life to tell us that we need to be more like God.

So, in our First Equivalent Section we are told 'Don't yield' while in our Second Equivalent Section we are told 'Yield'. The two Equivalent Sections are separated by a colon followed by but and the two are polar opposites, as we have seen every other place where this combination exists. Thus, if we are not sure what is the righteous thing to do, we can do the most opposite of what is the most unrighteous thing to do, and we will probably be correct. We also need to realize that righteousness is probably what we were never taught and not what we were used to doing in the past because our sentence says as those that are alive from the dead. Dead things do not act, those that are alive from the dead are to start actively doing what they did not do before. Many people make the mistake of doing the religious acts that they did before and think that is OK but they miss the point. True repentance is always towards God. A God led person may do the same physical act as a religious person but their attitude is totally different. Think of the times that you 'sang' in church without realizing what you 'sang' and didn't even really see the words of the song in the book. Now think of the times that you thought about the words of the song and sang them as personal worship to your God. Same act, two different attitudes.

The note for Romans 6:16 provides links to every verse in the Bible which uses a form of the word yield along with a small note on each verse. The functional definition is: 'To produce, as land, stock or funds; to give in return for labor, or as profit'.

Please see the note for Romans C12S4 and 1Corinthians C12S9 about the word member. The functional definition is: 'a part of a body'.

We find forms of the word instrument occurring 59 times in 53 verses of the Bible with our current sentence being the only usage within the New Testament. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines this word as: '1. A tool; that by which work is performed or anything is effected; as a knife, a hammer, a saw, a plow, etc. Swords, muskets and cannon are instruments of destruction. A telescope is an astronomical instrument. 2. that which is subservient to the execution of a plan or purpose, or to the production of any effect; means used or contributing to an effect; applicable to persons or things. Bad men are often instruments of ruin to others. the distribution of the Scriptures may be the instrument of a vastly extensive reformation in morals and religion. 3. An artificial machine or body constructed for yielding harmonious sounds; as an organ, a harpsuchord, a violin, or flute, etc., which are called musical instruments, or instruments of music. 4. In law, a writing containing the terms of a contract, as a deed of conveyance, a grant, a patent, an indenture, etc.; in general, a writing by which some fact is recorded for evidence, or some right conveyed. 5. A person who acts for another, or is employed by another for a special purpose, and if the purpose is dishonorable, the term implies degradation or meanness'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Neither. Ro 6:16,19; 7:5,23; 1Co 6:15; Col 3:5; Jas 3:5-6; 4:1 instruments. Gr. arms, or weapons. 2Co 10:4 unrighteousness. Ro 1:29; 2:8-9; De 25:16; Isa 3:10-11; 55:7; Eze 18:4; 1Co 6:9; 2Th 2:12; 2Pe 2:13-15; 1Jo 1:9 exp: Ro 1:18. but yield. Ro 12:1; 2Ch 30:8; Da 3:28; 1Co 6:20; 2Co 8:5; Php 1:20 alive. Ro 6:11; Lu 15:24,32; Joh 5:24; 2Co 5:15; Eph 2:5; 5:14; Col 2:13; 1Pe 2:24; 4:2 and your. Ps 37:30; Pr 12:18; Jas 3:5-6 General references. exp: Le 13:7; 14:14; Jos 17:12.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S14 (Verse 14) Why Paul said what he did in the prior sentence.

Equivalent Section: God breaks the dominion of sin.

For sin shall not have dominion over you:.

Equivalent Section: God puts us under grace.

for ye are not under the law,
but under grace..

This sentence starts with For and gives us the reason for the commandment of the prior two sentences. It tells us sin shall not have dominion over you and makes that equivalent to ye are not under the law, but under grace. People who were under the law did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit to give them help (extra grace) every time they had trouble with sin. We can ask for, and receive, help (extra grace) every time we have trouble with sin. They had sin ruling their lives to prove that they could not avoid violating the Law. God has given us grace so that we can prove that it is possible to live righteously with God's help in a personal relationship.

This sentence is very much related to 6:8-9. That sentence told us death hath no more dominion over him (Christ) and death is the end result of sin (6:16). Our current sentence tells us sin shall not have dominion over you so that we do not end up ruled by death. The Bible uses grace 170 times in 159 verses. Please see the notes for 4:4 which has links to where Romans uses grace. Our sentence tells us that it is God's grace which keeps sin from having dominion over us.

The word dominion is defined by Webster's 1828 as 'n. L. See Dominant. 1. Sovereign or supreme authority; the power of governing and controlling. The dominion of the Most High is an everlasting dominion. Daniel 4. 2. Power to direct, control, use and dispose of at pleasure; right of possession and use without being accountable; as the private dominion of individuals. 3. Territory under a government; region; country; district governed, or within the limits of the authority of a prince or state; as the British dominions. 4. Government; right of governing. Jamaica is under the dominion of Great Britain. 5. Predominance; ascendant. 6. An order of angels. Whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers. Colossians 1. 7. Persons governed. Judah was his sanctuary; Israel his dominion. Psalm 114'. We find dominion is used in the New Testament in:

Matthew 20:25-26 says, But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;. We are to not have dominion over brethren in the church.
6:8-9 says, Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. this verse has already been spoken about in this note. Please see the note for this sentence.
our current sentence says sin shall not have dominion over you and we see that the dominion of sin leads to death.
7:1 says, Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?. This verse starts the chapter which later says Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ.. and goes on to explain how Christ removes dominion of other things. Please see the note for this sentence.
2Corinthians 1:24 says, Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.. Where the note for Matthew (above) said that we are to not have dominion over brethren in the church, this epistles explains how we are to deal with the brethren.
Ephesians 1:21 says, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:. This sentence explains that dominions are just one level of power and authority that exist but that Jesus Christ is above them all. Please see the note for this sentence.
1Peter 4:11 says, If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.. This sentence tells us that all beings are to give praise and dominion to Jesus Christ for ever and ever please see the note for this sentence.
1Peter 5:11 says, To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.. This sentence tells us that all beings are to give praise and dominion to Jesus Christ for ever and ever. Please see the note for this sentence.
Jude 1:8 says, Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.. This sentence explains that dominions are just one level of power and authority that exist. . Please see the note for this sentence.
Jude 1:25 says, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.. This sentence tells us that all beings are to give praise and dominion to Jesus Christ for ever and ever. please see the note for this sentence.
Revelation 1:6 says, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.. This sentence tells us that all beings are to give praise and dominion to Jesus Christ for ever and ever.

We see in these verses that dominion has an aspect of government and law to it. As noted elsewhere, when God saves people He removes them from religious laws but puts them under the law of grace. God does not leave us lawless. When we allow God's grace to work through Jesus Christ to change our life, then sin and religious laws no longer have dominion over us. However, if we refuse the dominion of God's grace, even as saved people, we end up under the dominion of sin. So, the question is 'Why would God's people refuse the dominion of grace?' the answer is because God demands that when we receive grace, we must extend it to others. Unfortunately, some people will forgo God's grace in their own life just so that they don't have to extend it to others.

Please see above, within this note, for the word dominion.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'sin. Ro 6:12; 5:20-21; 8:2; Ps 130:7-8; Mic 7:19; Mt 1:21; Joh 8:36; Tit 2:14; Heb 8:10 for ye. Ro 3:19-20; 7:4-11; Ga 3:23; 4:4-5,21; 5:18 under. Ro 6:15; 4:16; 5:21; 11:6; Joh 1:17; 2Co 3:6-9 exp: Ga 3:23. General references. exp: Le 13:7; Jos 17:12; Heb 12:18.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S15 (Verse 15) What then?

This question has an assumed part to it and could be restated as 'What is our conclusion (then) of what has been said so far?' this question is followed by the next, which is more complete and related to this question, and both are followed by another God forbid. Once more we see Paul building his argument based upon what he has already said and using the 'Question and Answer format' to do his building. (Please follow This link to all of the Questions that Paul asks in this epistle.)

Please see the notes for Romans 4:1 and 11:7 for places where the Bible asks a form the question What then?.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'What. Ro 3:9 exp: Ro 7:7; Php 1:18.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S16 (Verse 15) Foolish question based upon religious thinking that we can justify sin.

shall we sin,
because we are not under the law,
but under grace?.

The response to this sentence is another God forbid which means there is absolutely, positively no way that we should be claiming or living according to the questions in this verse. We should never use grace and the fact that we are not under the law as an excuse to sin. The next verse is also part of this God forbid and shows how foolish the thinking is that leads to this question.

Please see the note for Romans C1S10 about the word because. The functional definition is: 'provides a effect where the effect and effect are both in the past'.

Forms of the word law are used 582 times in 514 verses of the Bible, 255 times in 201 verses of the New Testament, and 78 times in 52 verses of Romans. The note for Romans 1:26-27 gives us links to many places where the Bible tells us about God's judgment of sin under the law. The note for Romans 1:28-32 lists several types of unlawful sins that God judges by giving people over to a reprobate mind. The note for Romans 3:24 gives links to several places which talk about our doing the works of the law of works and the sin of believing that works make us righteous. The note for Romans 3:27 talks about the law of faith. The note for Romans 4:14-14 explains 'Why God does not use the law to save.'

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C6S1; Galatians C2-S10 and Psalms 119 about the word law. The functional definition for this word is: 'the set of written or commonly understood rules for acceptable behavior and which can be used by a legal system for punishing offenders'. Please also see the note for Galatians 3:10 about the phrase book of the law. Please also see the notes for Romans C3S31 and 1Corinthians 9:21-LJC about the phrase kinds of laws that apply to us tday. Please also see the note for Galatians C3S22 about the phrase Mosaic Law added. Please also see the note for Hebrews 10:28-29 about the phrase New Testament replaces only the religious part of the Mosaic Law. Please also see the note for Hebrews 19:29-LJC about the phrase religious part of Mosaic Law. Please also see the note for Ephesians 4:7-LJC about the phrase righteousness of the Law.

In addition, to these notes already mentioned, we have several other notes for verses in Romans which use the word law. Those places are: 2:12-16; 2:17-20; 2:23; 2:25; 2:26; 2:27; 3:19; 3:20; 3:21; 3:27; 3:28; 3:31; 4:13; 4:14-15; 4:16; 5:13; 5:20; 6:14; 7:1; 7:2; 7:3; 7:4; 7:5; 7:6; 7:7; 7:8; 7:9; 7:12; 7:14; 7:16; 7:21; 7:22-23; 7:25; 8:2; 8:3-4; 8:7; 9:4; 9:31; 9:32; 10:4; 10:5; 13:8 and 13:10. Please follow these links to the notes for more details.

Webster's 1828 dictionary defines law as 'n. L. lex; from the root of lay. See lay. A law is that which is laid, set or fixed, like statute, constitution, from L. statuo. 1. A rule, particularly an established or permanent rule, prescribed by the supreme power of a state to its subjects, for regulating their actions, particularly their social actions. Laws are imperative or mandatory, commanding what shall be done; prohibitory, restraining from what is to be forborne; or permissive, declaring what may be done without incurring a penalty. the laws which enjoin the duties of piety and morality, are prescribed by God and found in the Scriptures. Law is beneficence acting by rule. 2. Municipal law, is a rule of civil conduct prescribed by the supreme power of a state, commanding what its subjects are to do, and prohibiting what they are to forbear; a statute. Municipal or civil laws are established by the decrees, edicts or ordinances of absolute princes, as emperors and kings, or by the formal acts of the legislatures of free states. Law therefore is sometimes equivalent to decree, edict, or ordinance. 3. Law of nature, is a rule of conduct arising out of the natural relations of human beings established by the Creator, and existing prior to any positive precept. thus, it is a law of nature, that one man should not injure another, and murder and fraud would be crimes, independent of any prohibition from a supreme power. 4. Laws of animal nature, the inherent principles by which the economy and functions of animal bodies are performed, such as respiration, the circulation of the blood, digestion, nutrition, various secretions, etc. 5. Laws of vegetation, the principles by which plats are produced, and their growth carried on till they arrive to perfection. 6. Physical laws, or laws of nature. the invariable tendency or determination of any species of matter to a particular form with definite properties, and the determination of a body to certain motions, changes, and relations, which uniformly take place in the same circumstances, is called a physical law. these tendencies or determinations, whether called laws or affections of matter, have been established by the Creator, and are, with a peculiar felicity of expression, denominated in Scripture, ordinances of heaven. 7. Laws of nations, the rules that regulate the mutual intercourse of nations or states. these rules depend on natural law, or the principles of justice which spring from the social state; or they are founded on customs, compacts, treaties, leagues and agreements between independent communities. By the law of nations, we are to understand that code of public instruction, which defines the rights and prescribes the duties of nations, in their intercourse with each other. 8. Moral law, a law which prescribes to men their religious and social duties, in other words, their duties to God and to each other. the moral law is summarily contained in the decalogue or ten commandments, written by the finger of God on two tables of stone, and delivered to Moses on mount Sinai. Ex. 20. 9. Ecclesiastical law, a rule of action prescribed for the government of a church; otherwise called canon law. 10. Written law, a law or rule of action prescribed or enacted by a sovereign, and promulgated and recorded in writing; a written statute, ordinance, edict or decree. 11. Unwritten or common law, a rule of action which derives its authority from long usage, or established custom, which has been immemorially received and recognized by judicial tribunals. As this law can be traced to no positive statutes, its rules or principles are to be found only in the records of courts, and in the reports of judicial decisions. 12. By-law, a law of a city, town or private corporation. See By. 13. Mosaic law, the institutions of Moses, or the code of laws prescribed to the Jews, as distinguished from the gospel. 14. Ceremonial law, the Mosaic institutions which prescribe the external rites and ceremonies to be observed by the Jews, as distinct from the moral precepts, which are of perpetual obligation. 15. A rule of direction; a directory; as reason and natural conscience. These, having not the law, as a law to themselves. Rom. 2. 16. that which governs or has a tendency to rule; that which has the power of controlling. But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. Romans 7. 17. the word of God; the doctrines and precepts of God, or his revealed will. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Ps. 1. 18. the Old Testament. Is it not written in your law, I said, ye are gods? John 10. 19. the institutions of Moses, as distinct from the other parts of the Old Testament; as the law and the prophets. 20. A rule or axiom of science or art; settled principle; as the laws of versification or poetry. 21. Law martial, or martial law, the rules ordained for the government of an army or military force. 22. Marine laws, rules for the regulation of navigation, and the commercial intercourse of nations. 23. Commercial law, law-merchant, the system of rules by which trade and commercial intercourse are regulated between merchants. 24. Judicial process; prosecution of right in courts of law. Tom Touchy is a fellow famous for taking the law of every body. Hence the phrase, to go to law, to prosecute; to seek redress in a legal tribunal. 25. Jurisprudence; as in the title, Doctor of Laws. 26. In general, law is a rule of action prescribed for the government of rational beings or moral agents, to which rule they are bound to yield obedience, in default of which they are exposed to punishment; or law is a settled mode or course of action or operation in irrational beings and in inanimate bodies. Civil law, criminal law. See Civil and Criminal. Laws of honor. See Honor. Law language, the language used in legal writings and forms, particularly the Norman dialect or Old French, which was used in judicial proceedings from the days of William the conqueror to the 36th year of Edward III. Wager of law, a species of trial formerly used in England, in which the defendant gave security that he would, on a certain day, make his law, that is, he would make oath that he owed nothing to the plaintiff, and would produce eleven of his neighbors as compurgators, who should swear that they believed in their consciences that he had sworn the truth.' In addition, several other reference books provide several different definitions and Bible references for this word. In general, as we have seen with other words, what most people see as differing definitions for the word law. are, in fact, differing applications of the base definition of the word.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'shall we. Ro 6:1-2; 1Co 9:20-21; 2Co 7:1; Ga 2:17-18; Eph 2:8-10; Tit 2:11-14; Jude 1:4'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S17 (Verse 15) God forbid.

The phrase of God forbid is used when someone wants to emphatically say that something is absolutely impossible. We find this phrase used in 24 verses, of which 15 are in the New Testament. Please see the note for Romans 3:4 for links to verses in Romans which use the phrase God forbid. Please also see the note for 1Timothy 4:1 about the word forbid. The functional definition is: 'Literally, to bid or command against'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S18 (Verse 16) The truth of this sentence should be obvious.

First Step: Basic principal.

Know ye not,
that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey,
his servants ye are to whom ye obey;.

Second Step: Result of choice in First Step.

whether of sin unto death,
or of obedience unto righteousness?.

Please also see the Message called Sin Unto Death for the application of these verses in the life of the believer.

Within our sentence is a promise. (Please also see the Doctrinal Study called Significant Events in the New Testament for links to promises made in the New Testament outside of the Gospels.) Basically, we are promised rthe consequence that is unto death if we do not obey unto righteousness. Unlike most promises found in the word of God, this promise is for bad things and not for good things. Devil motivated men like to claim that God only promises good things but our sentence proves that claim to be a lie.

The phrase of: obedience unto righteousness means that: 'we must obey God so that others will see the righteousness of God in our current physical life'. This is the promise that 'bad things' will happen to saved people if they do notnpot obey to the level that people see the righteousness of God in our current physical life. And, the consequence can be anything up to and including (unto) death. And, since we are responsible for our children and followers to the third and fourth generation (Exodus 20:5; Exodus 34:7; Numbers 14:18; Deuteronomy 5:9), this can include our children and / or followers receiving the second death (Revelation 2:11; Revelation 20:6; Revelation 20:14; Revelation 21:8). And, according to Isaiah 66:23-24, any such saved person will have to watch their children and / or followers burning in Hell for an average of more than twice a week and lasting for more than 1,000-years. Thus, this is a promise that all saved should do all the can to avoid receiving it.

This sentence is said as an independent statement that is not dependent upon what precedes it but is brought into this discussion to support what is being taught. This is one of the few verses in the Bible that is self-evident and not dependent upon context for proper interpretation. That is why this sentence can be quoted anywhere and people will understand it without their knowing where it comes from in the Bible.

This sentence is divided by a semi-colon. As a result, we have a two-step process described in it. In our First Step, we choose whom we will personally (ye) yield ourselves servants to obey. In the Second Step we are told the results of our choice.

The word yield occurs 49 times in 40 verses of the Bible. It occurs 13 times in 11 verses of the New Testament with only 3 occurrences in Romans. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines yield as '1. to produce, as land, stock or funds; to give in return for labor, or as profit. Lands yield not more than three per cent annually; houses yield four or five percent. Maiz on good land, yields two or three hundred fold. 2. to produce, in general. Most vegetable juices yield a salt. 3. to afford; to exhibit. the flowers in spring yield a beautiful sight. 4. to allow; to concede; to admit to be true; as, to yield the point in debate. We yield that there is a God. 5. to give, as claimed of right; as, to yield due honors; to yield due praise. 6. to permit; to grant. Life is but air, that yields a passage to the whistling sword. 7. to emit; to give up. to yield the breath, is to expire. 8. to resign; to give up; sometimes with up or over; as, to yield up their own opinions. We yield the place to our superiors. 9. to surrender; sometimes with up; as, to yield a fortress to the enemy; or to yield up a fortress.
YIELD, v.i. 1. to give up the contest; to submit. He saw the fainting Greci and yield. 2. to comply with; as, I yielded to his request. 3. to give way; not to oppose. We readily yield to the current of opinion; we yield to customs and fashions. 4. to give place, as inferior in rank or excellence. they will yield to us in nothing. Tell me in what more happy fields the thistle springs, to which the lily yields?'.

Notice that in these definitions we have a struggle before the yielding occurs. We also have a visible result with the weaker acknowledging the stronger as being so.

Yield is used in relation to God's creation.

In Genesis 1:11-12,29 we see this word used in creation and in the annual production of fruit. All of creation yielded to God and to His plan that new life would win only after a struggle.
In Genesis 49:20 we see that AShe was blessed to win in a great way.
In Leviticus 19:25 we see God's plan for the Jews to enter the promised land with the fruit of the land being available after a struggle by God's people and their honoring God for His provision.
In Leviticus 25:19 God promised ongoing fruit as a result of ongoing struggle and honoring God.
In Leviticus 26:4 God turned the prior promise into a covenant.
In Job 24:5 Job is talking about they that know him (God) not and what is evident even to those people. Job says that we can see that because of God's plan, even the wild asses can get food from the desert where there is a struggle for plants to live.
In Psalms 67:6 we see that God's people had turned from God and while not yet being punished, they had still lost the blessings from God. The psalmist called for God's people to return to praise, thanksgiving and worship is order to get God's blessings again. We see yield is used for growing crops again (Then shall the earth yield her increase). As mentioned, most crops come only once a year and with much struggle.
In Psalms 85:12 we see that God's people had turned from God even after He had showed mercy and had to punish their many disobediences. Once more we see yield is used for growing crops and we see the response of the land dependent upon God blessing obedience from the people.
In Psalms 107:37 says, Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! several times. This Psalm has several examples of men suffering when they turn from God and being blessed when they serve God and praise Him for His wonderful works. Praise keeps our heart right and keeps us from wandering into error where God has to punish us. Once more we see yield is used for growing crops and we see the response of the land dependent upon God blessing obedience from the people. Please see the Word Study on Worship for more details on this doctrine.
In Mark 4:7-8 is part of the Parable of the Sower. In it we see that the yield of creation is a type of spiritual results that come from people obeying God.

Yield is used in relation to sin.

In Genesis 4:12 we see that Cain lost his ability to win the struggle because of sin.
In Leviticus 26:20 God promised His people that they would get the same result as Cain if they turned to sin like Cain did.
In Numbers 17:8 is talking about Aaron's rod that budded after a spiritual struggle that God won. Starting in Numbers 16 we read about Korah and others challenging the authority of Moses. After God killed Korah, the people murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD. This time God was gentle in His reaction and stopped the plague because Moses and Aaron interceded for them. God had Moses put the rod of 12 of the elders into the Tabernacle and Aaron's rod budded, showing God's choice of the house of Levi as priests.
In Deuteronomy 11:17 promises the judgment of God upon His people if they turned to the way of the heathen after the great struggle to enter the promised land.
In Nehemiah 9:37 we see that after the children of Israel had returned from captivity and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, they had a church service and confessed the sin which led to their present condition. in this confession we see our verse which says that heathen kings received the increase which God planned for His people but has to take away because of disobedience.
Proverbs 7:21 advices us to keep, and follow, the wisdom of God. We see in this proverb the fate of a foolish young man who fell for the attractions of a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart. He thought that he conquered her but she caused him to yield. The spiritual struggles with the physical for the heart of man and yields to physical and sin only when the foolish choose that result.
In Isaiah 5:10 is part of an allegory about God's people. When they are disobedient they will do a lot of work and the earth will yield very little in results.
In Jeremiah 17:7-9 compares the man that trusteth in the LORD to The heart (that) is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. The man that trusteth in the LORD has the results of Psalm 1 (which this verse quotes).
In Hosea 8:7 says, For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up. this chapter is about how God's people had turned from God in the spiritual struggle between God and devils. As a result, the people of God would loose their food.
In Habakkuk 3:17 we see the judgment of God upon His people because of their sin and refusal to truly repent.
In Acts 23:21 we see lost and saved Jews being used by the devil because they put religious traditions above a personal relationship with God. They were trying to kill Paul for his testimony and use by God to teach the truth. The chief captain was warned to not yield to the men trying to do sin.
Romans 6:13 tells us 'What to yield to and what to not yield to.' please see the note for that sentence.
In Romans 6:16 we see the same doctrine as the prior verse in Romans, only said another way. This is our current sentence. By saying this doctrine twice, we have the Biblical requirement for saying this is a doctrine for all of God's people to follow.
In Romans 6:19 we see how to deal with the problems caused by our prior yielding to sin. We are to stop doing that and now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. Please see the note for that sentence.
In James 3:12 once more we see the conflict between sin and God's holiness in our lives and what each yields.

Yield is used in relation to death.

In Genesis 49:33 we see that Jacob quit the struggle with death. He had just been prophesying as the spiritual Israel. Now the physical (Jacob) gave up on the struggle to hold the spirit and soul. In Jacob we see a type of the believer who has two natures: the physical and the spiritual. When we physically die we will be free from the body of this death. Please see the note for 7:24.
In Matthew 27:50 says, Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. please see the note for This verse in the Lord Jesus Christ Study. The physical (Jesus) gave up on the struggle to hold the spirit and soul.
In Acts 5:10 is part of the story about the first recorded judgment for a sin unto death. Here we see two people who told a partial-truth lie about the leading of God when the church was young and being highly influenced and could be led into error. Where Jesus died for our sins, they died for sins of the flesh done after being saved.

God's people are to yield to Him and receive His blessings.

In 2Chronicles 30:8 we see promised blessings to God's people if they yield to God.
In Proverbs 12:12 we see the struggle between knowledge that comes from God and what comes from the world. Our verse talks about the net of evil men versus root of the righteous (that) yieldeth fruit. Planting crops and working to have them bring forth fruit is more worth than spreading a net to trap people and steal from them. However, it does not contain the danger, and early death, that a life of evil has.
In Ecclesiastes 10:4 is in a section talking about wisdom versus foolishness. We see the advice to yield to a ruler who is obviously stronger than we are (If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.).
Ezekiel 34:27 is a prophecy about how God will provide for the Jews during the 1,000-years reign of Christ in this verse we see crops yielding much to God's people.
In Ezekiel 36:8 is a prophecy about how God will provide for the Jews during the 1,000-years reign of Christ in this verse we see crops yielding much to God's people.
In Daniel 3:28 is part of the reaction of Nebuchadnezzar to God saving of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He said Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
In Joel 2:22 is a promise of blessings from God to His people and to the land and to the beasts of the field if God's people will truly repent and turn to God. However, this chapter also promises judgment if the people refuse to truly repent.
Romans 6:13 tells us 'What to yield to and what to not yield to.' please see the note for that sentence.
In Romans 6:16 we see the same doctrine as the prior verse in Romans, only said another way. This is our current sentence. By saying this doctrine twice, we have the Biblical requirement for saying this is a doctrine for all of God's people to follow.
In Romans 6:19 we see how to deal with the problems caused by our prior yielding to sin. We are to stop doing that and now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. Please see the note for that sentence.
In Hebrews 12:11 we see the conflict between our serving sin and God's commandment to serve Him. When we yield to His methods then his methods yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
In James 3:12 once more we see the conflict between sin and God's holiness in our lives and what each yields.
In Revelation 22:2 we see God's creation yielding to God once more only this time we see that the results bring the healing of the nations. This is what true religion is supposed to do all throughout man's history.

In our current sentence, we see that we do not choose if we yield ourselves servants to obey, only to whom we yield (see use of whether in this verse). If we choose obey God, then we reap righteousness (obedience unto righteousness). However, if we do not obey God, then we yield ourselves servants to obey sin (James 4:17). When we refuse to obey God and yield ourselves servants to obey sin, this verse says that we reap death. However, we need to notice that it says unto death. That is, we don't complete the process of dying, but each 'small sin' adds to the process of death. The inevitable end result is the separation of soul and spirit from body, which most people think of as death, unless we get God to intervene, and often not even then.

Notice that in the notes for the verses which use yield, we see yield is used 3 times in Romans. The other verse before this sentence tells us the same doctrine as this sentence while toe sentence to follow this one tells us how to fix prior errors. Notice also that there are only 3 verses which directly tie yield to death. One is Jacob, who is a type of the Christian who yields to sin often, even though he also yields to the Spirit often. His result was death. The second verse was when God put our sin upon the Son of God. The third verse is part of the first sin unto death where two saved people mixed physical sin with Spiritual guidance.

Please also see the note for 1John 2:1-2 which references this verse to explain that we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, but that we also must be doing obedience unto righteousness in order for Him to plead for God the Father to give us mercy for the sins that we are doing even though those sins are not deliberate. Basically, we must obey what we know is right in order to get mercy for our unknown sins.

Please also see the note for Jude 1:4 which warns us about certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. When we personally (ye) yield ourselves servants to obey these men, we are obviously doing a sin unto death.

The Bible speaks of the sin unto death in: Romans 5:21; Romans 6:16; Romans 7:5; Romans 7:13; 1John 5:16-17. It also speaks about it in other places but these links should get the reader a good understanding of this sin.

Please also see the note for Romans C6S5 about the phrase Know ye not.

Please see above, within this note, about the word yield.

Please see the note for Matthew 9:5 about the word whether. The functional definition for this word is: 'Which of two'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'Know. Ro 6:3 to whom. Ro 6:13; Jos 24:15; Mt 6:24; Joh 8:34; 2Pe 2:19 whether of sin. Ro 6:12,17,19-23'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S19 (Verse 17) The change in behaviour which brings a change in spiritual results.

But God be thanked,
that ye were the servants of sin,
but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you..

This sentence starts out with But, which tells us this sentence has the same subject as the previous while going in a different direction. While 6:16 was stated as a general principal, 6:17 makes that principal personal. From 6:1 through 6:15 Paul was talking about people being ruled by sin. Here he says ye were the servants of sin that is each and every one of you were personally ruled by sin. Paul continues from those statements to tell us how the Romans had changed their be3havior (but). That is: but (same subject, different direction) ye (each and every one of you personally) have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you (applied the principal of 6:16 to end the rule of sin in your own life). Because it is only through the power of God in our lives that we get free from sin (6:16 and Ephesians 2:10), Paul starts out this verse with God be thanked. God will make us free from sin but we must obey from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Since obeyed is past-tense in this verse, it lets us know that we do not get free from sin until our (constant) obedience is past tense, but it also assures that God will honor faithful obedience. God does not take away our free will like sin and Satan do. If we choose to obey Him, He will make us free (John 8:32, John 8:36). However, He will not make us free unless we choose to obey of our own free will.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C14S19 and Ephesians C5S2 about the word thank. The functional definition is: ' to express gratitude for a favor; to make acknowledgments to one for kindness bestowed'. Please also see the notes for 1Corinthians C14S19 and Ephesians C5S2 about the phrase giving of thanks.

Please see the note for Galatians 4:19-20 for links to every place that the New Testament uses any form of the word form along with two different definitions, links from other commentators, and a discussion of all that is involved with the Biblical usage of this word. The Biblical usage entails far more detail than what most people realize. The functional definition for this word is: 'Made; shaped; molded; planned; arranged; combined; enacted; constituted'. Please also see the note for Romans 8:29 about the word conform. The functional definition for this word is: 'Take the same shape as the other thing'. Please also see the note for Romans C15S23 about the word perform. The functional definition for this word is: 'Do the actions as specified (obey the form of the command)'. Please also see the note for Hebrews 9:7-10 about the word reform. The functional definition for this word is: 'Change back to a prior form'. in this sentence, these people not only kept the outward shape of the doctrine given to them but they also had a true knowledge and understanding of the doctrine because they also changed their inward being (obeyed from the heart) to match that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

Please see the notes for 1Corinthians C14S6 and 2Timothy C3S10 about the word doctrine. The functional definition is: 'religious teaching which claims to be from God. Hence, a principle or position in any science; whatever is laid down as true by an instructor or master'. Please also see the note for Lord Jesus Christ Overview about the phrase doctrine of Christ.

Please see the note for Mark 9:31 about the word delivered. The functional definition for this word is: 'Freed; released; transferred or transmitted; passed from one to another; committed; yielded; surrendered; rescued; uttered; pronounced'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'But. Ro 1:8; 1Ch 29:12-16; Ezr 7:27; Mt 11:25-26; Ac 11:18; 28:15; 1Co 1:4; Eph 1:16; Php 1:3-5; Col 1:3-4; 1Th 1:2-3; 3:9; 2Th 1:3; 2Ti 1:3-5; Phm 1:4; 2Jo 1:4; 3Jo 1:3 that. 1Co 6:9-11; Eph 2:5-10; 1Ti 1:13-16; Tit 3:3-7; 1Pe 2:9; 4:2-5 but ye. Ro 1:5; 2:8; 15:18; 16:26; Ps 18:44 (margin) 2Co 10:5-6; Heb 5:9; 11:8; 1Pe 1:22; 3:1; 4:17 that form. 2Ti 1:13 which was delivered you. Gr. whereto ye were delivered. General references. exp: De 16:12; 1Th 1:2.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S20 (Verse 18) The results of obedience.

Being then made free from sin,
ye became the servants of righteousness..

This sentence starts with Being then, which means this sentence happened after each and every one of us personally (ye) obey from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. After personal obedience we were made free from sin. This happens by the power of God working through an ongoing personal relationship. This is the main message of Reformers Unanimous. Their motto is 'Christ makes free' and they do an excellent job of teaching the details found in the Bible which explain this doctrine.

Our sentence is a promise that we can be made free from sin. (Please also see the Doctrinal Study called Significant Events in the New Testament for links to promises made in the New Testament outside of the Gospels.) However, we also see the requirement that we must become the servants of righteousness. If we do not become the servants of righteousness, then sin takes control of us again. Hebrews 6:4-6 warns us: For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.. This doctrine that we can keep turning to God, get His blessings, then backslide before we repeat the process and continue through this process all of our lives is a lie from the devil. Once God frees us from sin, He expects us to become the servants of righteousness. If we refuse to do so after all of God's effort, we prove that God wasted His effort on us and it is not worth His effort to do the same again because we will just 'backslide' again. No, God wants His change to remain permanent in our lives.

Our sentence explains that we became the servants of righteousness, which means that we served the God who made us free out of gratitude [6:17]. Even as children of God, we suffer the consequences when we sin. The difference between the saved and the lost, in sin, is that the lost are addicted and can not stop sinning. The saved can not do it in their own power. However, when the saved became the servants of righteousness, God works through that righteousness to make the saved free from the addiction and control of sin.

Notice that became is a past tense verb of being. A verb of being describes what we are on an ongoing basis. God is gentle and does not cause sudden dramatic changes in our life (most of the time) but works through an ongoing slow process to change us inside, which then changes the results of our life. Righteousness is 'doing the right thing the right way as defined by God in His Word'. When we first start obeying righteousness it can seem strange to us. However, as we do it more and more it becomes more natural. As that happens we do less sin and have less of the consequences of sin in over lives.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'made. Ro 6:14; Ps 116:16; 119:32,45; Lu 1:74-75; Joh 8:32,36; 1Co 7:21-22; Ga 5:1; 1Pe 2:16 servants. Ro 6:19-20,22; Isa 26:13; 54:17 General references. exp: De 16:12.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S21 (Verse 19) Plain commandment matching reasoning presented in this chapter.

Equivalent Section: Why Paul speaks this way.

I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh:.

Equivalent Section: What Paul plainly says.

First Step: Accept what we have done in the past.

for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity;.

Second Step: Change future actions.

even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness..

In the First Equivalent Section Paul explains that he speaks in the way that natural men speak (speak after the manner of men). That is: he gives a plain and simple commandment without explanation. He also tells us, in the First Equivalent Section, that he does this because of the infirmity of your flesh. That is: because fleshly carnal saved people can't understand (infirmity) the spiritual reasoning that Paul has given. (Please see the note for Romans 8:1 which has links to every verse, in Romans, which uses any form of the word flesh. Please see the note for 8:8 for the difference between walk after the flesh and in the flesh. Please see the note for 8:8 for the difference between walk after the flesh and in the flesh.)

What Paul says in the Second Equivalent Section can be understood by the natural man and does not require the Spirit of God to understand. The colon lets us know that the Second Equivalent Section is what Paul means when he says I speak after the manner of men. In the Second Equivalent Section we read: for as (in the same way as you used to) ye (each and every one of you personally) have yielded your members (used your various parts [members] including your mind, will and emotions) as servants to uncleanness (in obedience to sin that left you corrupted in soul, spirit and body) and to iniquity unto iniquity (and went from one addictive sin to worse and more destructive addictive sins) even so (in that same way of acting and living) now yield your members (now let God use your various body parts [members] including your mind, will and emotions) as servants to righteousness (to help produce right things done the right way) unto holiness (which will end up generating holiness in you and others).

In the last part of this note (below) are links to other notes with details supporting the definitions of words that I use. These definitions differ from what some religious people use, but they match the definitions that God uses in the Bible.

In the Second Equivalent Section we see that Paul tells us what to do without giving all of the detailed reasons why he says to do it because that is what the spiritually immature person, and the lost person, really want. He already provided the doctrine for what is said in this sentence but realizes that some people will either refuse to think about that spiritual reasoning, or will not be able to consider it. Forthose people, Paul gives this simple commandment. In addition, since this is restating what has been said, and therefore becomes the basis for a doctrine that is to be obeyed by all saved people.

In the First Step of the Second Equivalent Section we see that we must 'accept what we have done in the past.' this Step starts with for and gives us the reason why Paul speaks after the manner of men. Since people were carnal, some will still be carnal and, therefore, Paul speaks in a way that the carnal mind can understand. Notice that the First Equivalent Section uses because while this step in the Second Equivalent Section uses for. The because gives us a reason that should be in our past while the for gives us a reason that we should put into our lives in the future. The infirmity of your flesh (fleshly carnal controlled actions) are to be in our past because we are supposed top stop them. Our Second Equivalent Section includes a Second Step which should be in our future (for). While we can yield (our) members servants to righteousness, that service will not be unto holiness until after we make The infirmity of your flesh (fleshly carnal controlled actions) truly be part of our past. Again, we see this because of out Two-Step process in the Second Equivalent Section.

We find forms of the word speak occurring 667 times in 621 verses of the Bible, 222 times in 199 verses of the New Testament, and in Romans, in: 3:5; 6:19; 7:1; 10:6; 11:13 and our current sentence. Please also see the note for 2Corinthians 2:17 for links to where speak is used in 2Corinthians along with the full dictionary definition and links from other commentators. The functional Biblical definition is: 'To utter words or articulate sounds, as human beings; to express thoughts by words'.

Please see the note for 1Peter C1S4 about the word manner (singular). The functional definition is: ' form; method; way of performing or executing'.

Please see the note for Romans C9S19 about the phrase What is man.

Please see the note for Romans C1S10 about the word because. The functional definition is: 'provides a effect where the effect and effect are both in the past'.

Please see the note for Romans 8:26 for links to all place in the Bible where any form of the word infirm is used along with the definition from Webster's 1828 and a short note on each verse. The functional definition is: ' An unsound or unhealthy state of the body; weakness; feebleness'.

Please see the note for Romans C8S1 about the word flesh. The functional definition is: 'a particular part of the body of man and animals'. Please also see the note for 8:8 for the difference between walk after the flesh and in the flesh. Please see the note for 8:8 for the difference between walk after the flesh and in the flesh.

Please see the note for Romans C12S4 and 1Corinthians C12S9 about the word member. The functional definition is: 'a part of a body'.

Please see the notes for Galatians C5S20 and Colossians C3S5 about the word uncleanness. The note for Galatians has the definition from Webster's 1828 dictionary. The note for Colossians has the definition from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, which explains all of the Greek words which are translated to this word. The functional definition is: 'the ongoing corruption from associating with devils and following their error'. Please also see the note for Hebrews 9:13-14 about the word unclean. Please also see the notes for Word Study on Spirit; Romans C14S20 and Colossians C3S5 about the phrase unclean spirits. Please also see the note for James 4:8 about the word cleanse.

Please see the note for James 3:6 about the word iniquity. It has links to every place in the New Testament where We find this word along with the full definition from Webster's 1828 and links from other commentators. The functional definition is: 'ongoing lifestyle sins'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'I speak. Ro 3:5; 1Co 9:8; 15:32; Ga 3:15 because. Ro 8:26; 15:1; Heb 4:15 for as ye. Ro 6:13,17; 1Co 6:11; Eph 2:2-3; Col 3:5-7; 1Pe 4:2-4 unto iniquity. Ro 6:16; 1Co 5:6; 15:33; 2Ti 2:16-17; Heb 12:15 now yield. Ro 6:13 unto holiness. Ro 6:22 General references. exp: Le 14:14; Col 3:7.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S22 (Verse 20) Why the life of the saved should show righteousness.

For when ye were the servants of sin,
ye were free from righteousness..

This sentence tells us why (For) the prior sentence should be true in the life of saved people. That is: when we were slaves to sin we did not, and could not, produce righteousness. Thus, one of the main reasons to produce righteousness is to prove that we are truly saved. As noted several other places, people who claim to be saved but do not have any righteousness in their life, are constantly questioning their personal salvation. Notice that this righteousness is to be personal (because of the use of ye). Religions come up with a non-personal excuse by claiming that people can lose their salvation. However, that confuses Who gives the salvation with who is to display the results of salvation. That is: a doctrine of losing salvation confuses cause of salvation (Jesus Christ) and effects of salvation.

The prior sentence through the end of this chapter summarize the chapter. We have already read about sin in this chapter in 1, 2, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, this verse, 22 and 23. We have already read about righteousness in this chapter in verses 13, 16, 18, 19 and this verse. Looking at those verses and related notes should show the reader that this sentence is only summarizing (repeating) what has already been said in this chapter.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'the servants. Ro 6:16-17; Joh 8:34 from. Gr. to. General references. exp: Col 3:7.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S23 (Verse 21) What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed?

This sentence asks 'What was the end result of living a life addicted to various sins?' Notice the ye is used in this sentence twice to double emphasize that this question is to be applies personally. Based upon this question, we could also ask: 'What did each and every one of you personally experience? Did you have uncontrollable or barely controllable rages? Did you find yourself doing things that you knew would cause you problems? Did you find yourself doing things (eating, talking, etc) beyond the point where they produced good and ended up with problems from excess? What other personal problems did you experience in a sin controlled life?'

Paul concludes this verse with the next sentence. It tells us that such sinful acts always let corruption into us and that corruption eventually kills us.

Please see the notes for Romans 4:1 and 11:7 for places where the Bible asks a form the question What then?.

The note for 1:13 gives links to places in Romans which use the word fruit. In general, fruit takes a long time to produce from the time after a seed is planted and shows signs of life until ripe fruit is ready to be picked. in this epistle, fruit is used for spiritual results which are the results of the way we live for a while (about one year or more). Thus, our sentence is asking what long term results do / did we have from a sinful lifestyle / actions which lasted for a long time in our life.

Notice that Paul says that these sinful things are supposed to make us ashamed. We find ashamed 122 times in 111 verses of the Bible, 26 times in 24 verses of the New Testament and in Romans we find it in 1:16; 5:5; this verse; 9:33 and 10:11. Please see the notes for each verse for details on how this word is used. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines ashamed as 'ASHA'MED, a. 1. Affected by shame; abashed or confused by guilt or a conviction of some criminal action or indecorous conduct, or by the exposure of some gross errors or misconduct, which the person is conscious must be wrong, and which tends to impair his honor or reputation. It is followed by of. Thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed. Exodus 16. Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel. Hosea 10. 2. Confused by a consciousness of guilt or of inferiority; by the mortification of pride; by failure or disappointment. They shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in images. Isaiah 42. This adjective always follows its noun'. While looking at all of the verses which use this word, or even just looking at those in the New Testament make a good study, one of the most important is 2Timothy 2:15. That verse tells us that God will make us ashamed if we are not rightly dividing the word of truth. That could very well be after the judgment seat of Christ. Simply put, those saved people who are not currently ashamed of sinful lifestyle s of the pays will be ashamed when they face their Lord.

Please also see the note for Romans C10S12 about the phrase faith makes us not ashamed. Please also see the note for 1Corinthians 6:7 for links to every sentence in this epistle which use any form of the word shame. The functional definition is: 'A painful sensation excited by a consciousness of guilt, or of having done something which injures reputation; or by of that which nature or modesty prompts us to conceal. Shame is particularly excited by the disclosure of actions which, in the view of men, are mean and degrading. Hence it is often or always manifested by a downcast look or by blushes, called confusion of face'. Please see the note for Romans C5S2 which has a discussion of the Biblical use of shame along with links to several other verses. Basically, if God has to make us ashamed then it will probably be at the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10 and 2Corinthians 5:10-11) and that shame will last for eternity.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'What. Ro 7:5; Pr 1:31; 5:10-13; 9:17-18; Isa 3:10; Jer 17:10; 44:20-24; Ga 6:7-8 whereof. Ezr 9:6; Job 40:4; 42:6; Jer 3:3; 8:12; 31:19; Eze 16:61-63; 36:31-32; 43:11; Da 9:7-8; 12:2; Lu 15:17-21; 2Co 7:11; 1Jo 2:28 General references. exp: Pr 14:12.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S24 (Verse 21) for the end of those things is death.

This sentence tells us why (for) we need to be now ashamed of sinful lifestyle s, which our prior sentence was talking about. Our current sentence tells us that the eventual fruit of sinful lifestyle s is death, even though we had not yet reached the point that our soul and spirit separated from our body. Our sentence tells us that death is the end. That means that we are on the path to death even though we have not yet reached the point that most people think is death. In addition, our sentence tells us that the end (of) those things whereof ye are now ashamed is death. Even though a particular sin might not result in our soul and spirit separating from our body, it does end in adding to the process which eventually results in what most people consider to be death. Since, according to the Bible, the process itself is death, and sin ends up at the process and adds to it, the fact is that proper Biblical doctrine supports the literal translation of this verse.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 11:15 about the word end. Easton's Bible Dictionary defines end as: 'in Heb 13:7, is the rendering of the unusual Greek word ekbasin, meaning "outcome", i.e., death. It occurs only elsewhere in 1Co 10:13, where it is rendered "escape."'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'for the. Ro 6:23; 1:32; De 17:6; 21:22; 2Sa 12:5-7; 1Ki 2:26; Ps 73:17; Pr 14:12; 16:25; Php 3:19; Heb 6:8; 10:29; Jas 1:15; 5:20; 1Pe 4:17; Re 16:6; 20:14 General references. exp: Pr 14:12.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S25 (Verse 22) Expected change in the life of the believer.

But now being made free from sin,
and become servants to God ,
ye have your fruit unto holiness,
and the end everlasting life..

This sentence starts with But now, which lets us know that it is still talking about the same subject as the previous sentence while going a different direction based upon conclusions arrived at (now) from prior discussions. As with much of the epistle to the Romans, context is critical for a proper understanding of what is being said. The now means after we personally have been made free from sin, and become servants to God.

Our sentence is a promise that we can have fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (Please also see the Doctrinal Study called Significant Events in the New Testament for links to promises made in the New Testament outside of the Gospels.) this is the promise of everlasting rewards. But notice that this promise is only given to saved people who have been made free from sin, and become servants to God. Many people believe the lie that 'they will have a mansion next door to Peter simply by being saved'. That is a doctrine of Satan which our sentence clearly shows to be a lie. If someone does not fulfill the requirement then they do not receive the reward.

The sentences from 6:19 through the end of the chapter summarize the chapter. In the prior sentences of this summary we were reminded that we were personally (ye) the servants of sin. Our current sentence is contrasting that prior state to what this sentence says by starting with but now. Obviously being made free from sin, and become servants to God is the opposite of the servants of sin. However, we also have a contrast in the conclusion of each with the end of those things is death being changed to holiness, and the end everlasting life.

In addition, to the contrast seen in these sentences, we see a principal applied here which should be obvious to everyone but which many fools deny. Insanity has been defined as 'continuing to do the same thing and expecting different results'. What we see here is a one-to-one relationship between the process (our actions / lifestyle ) and the result. Only fools believe that a sinful lifestyle will produce a Godly result.

In addition, to what has been said, we do not have the fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life without first making the two requirements (made free from sin and become servants to God) part of our personal lives (ye). I am not saying that people who never become free from sin or who never become servants to God will not have everlasting life, but this verse makes it clear that such people will not have fruit unto holiness. In addition, many verses studied in this study have shown that if we do have everlasting life but do not have fruit unto holiness, we are going to be really sorry at the judgment seat of Christ. (Please see the notes for Romans 14:10 and 2Corinthians 5:10). in this sentence we see righteousness is to continue in our personal life until it produces holiness (we have the character of a holy God). God is the true source of all life and each of these sentences use life to tell us that we need to be more like God.

Please see the note for Philippians 1:27-28 about the word become. The functional definition is: 'In general, to suit or be suitable; to be congruous; to befit; to accord with, in character or circumstances; to be worthy of, decent or proper'.

The note for 1:13 gives links to places in Romans which use the word fruit. Please also see the note for 1Corinthians C9S10 about the word fruit. The functional definition is: 'Production; that which is produce'. Please also see the notes for Philippians 1:9-11 and James 3:18 about the phrase fruit of righteousness. Please also see the note for Romans C8S21 about the word firstfruits.

Please see the notes for Romans C7S16; 1Corinthians C3S17; Philippians 1:3-7 and Colossians C1S6 about the word holy. The functional definition is: 'Properly, whole, entire or perfect, in a moral sense. Hence, pure in heart, temper or dispositions; free from sin and sinful affections. Applied to the Supreme Being, holy signifies perfectly pure, immaculate and complete in moral character; and man is more or less holy, as his heart is more or less sanctified, or purified from evil dispositions'. Please see the Word Study on Holy Ghost for links to every place in the Bible where we find the phrase Holy Ghost. Please also see the note for 1John C2S25 about the phrase Holy One.

Please see the note for Luke 16:9 about the word everlasting. The functional definition for this word is: 'Having a beginning but no end. While many equate everlasting to eternal, that is wrong because eternal has no beginning'.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'But now. Ro 6:14,18; 8:2; Joh 8:32; 2Co 3:17; Ga 5:13 become. Ro 7:25; Ge 50:17; Job 1:8; Ps 86:2; 143:12; Isa 54:17; Da 3:26; 6:20; Ga 1:10; Col 4:12; Tit 1:1; Jas 1:1; 1Pe 2:16; Re 7:13 ye have. Ps 92:14; Joh 15:2,16; Ga 5:22; Eph 5:9; Php 1:11; 4:17; Col 1:10 and the end. Ro 6:21; Nu 23:10; Ps 37:37-38; Mt 13:40,43; 19:29; 25:46; Joh 4:36 General references. exp: Pr 12:28; 1Pe 1:9.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter

C6-S26 (Verse 23) The basic reason for all said in chapter 6.

First Step: We start out with a sin nature that leads to death.

For the wages of sin is death;.

Second Step: God's gift is the polar opposite of death.

but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord..

Our sentence is a promise that we can have eternal life but this promise is limited to being through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Please also see the Doctrinal Study called Significant Events in the New Testament for links to promises made in the New Testament outside of the Gospels. Please also use the links in the sentence outline, above, to access the links with more details on the requirements for receiving this promise.) First of all, the word through, when attached to a role of God, means: 'that we must enter a barrier and travel inside it until we come out on the other side'. Since the 'other side' of this relationship is in Heaven, we must enter this relationship and do our part to remain in it until we get to Heaven. And, as this site points out everywhere, initial salvation requires our accepting a relationship with the Son of God where He becomes our personal Lord. However, in order to receive the life more abundantly (John 10:10), we have to also maintain our personal relationship with Jesus, by following His example for how to live in the flesh. We also must maintain our personal relationship with Christ, by letting Him teach us how to mature spiritually. The claim that the saved receive everything at initial salvation is a lie from Satan which is designed to keep God's people from receiving more of the eternal life than they received at spiritual birth. The fact is that, physically, we get bigger and enjoy the things of physical life as we grow and mature. Likewise, spiritual life also increases with spiritual maturity.

This sentence is often quoted by soul-winners to lead people to salvation, which it should. However, many make the doctrinal error of believing and presenting this verse as a one-time experience when it is an ongoing lifestyle experience. The phrase of Jesus Christ our Lord only occurs 9 times in the Bible, 6 of which are here in Romans. Every one of these uses tell us the same thing. Every saved (Jesus) person is expected to spiritually mature after their initial profession through obedience to Christ with the expectation of having the works of their life judged by our Lord. We are to do this without questioning His commandments because the word of our Lord is our Law and we will face judgment with reward or punishment as a direct result of our obedience.

Please see the note for This verse in the Lord Jesus Christ Study for more details about how each of these roles of the Son of God are involved in the doctrine of this sentence. Please also see the links to all verses which use all three roles of our Lord Jesus Christ, since there are not that many and they have particular doctrinal significance.

This sentence tells us about the gift of God. We find forms of the word gift is used 112 times in 104 verses of the Bible, 61 times in 56 verses of the New Testament and within Romans we find gift is used in 1:11; 5:15-17; 5:18; this verse; 11:29 and 12:6. Please see the notes for those verses for the details on how gift is used in those verses. In particular, please see the note for Romans 5:12-18 for an extensive note on how the Bible uses the word gift along with the definition from Webster's 1828 and links to every usage within Romans and a small note on each usage.

This verse starts with For which means it gives the reason for what was said previously. This sentence is the final sentence in the summary that is in the sentences from 6:19 through the end of the chapter. Thus, this sentence actually gives the basic reason for all of the doctrine presented in Romans 6.

Within this sentence we have Two Steps. The First Step tells us the end result that we were earning with our sin nature. Our Second Step starts with a but that follows a colon. Thus, it is 180 degrees opposite of the First Step. What Paul has said all through this chapter is what we see in this sentence. Our results from being saved are completely opposite from our results from being lost because our lifestyle is also (supposed to be) completely opposite. Notice that out Second Step says that these blessings are through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Please see the Study called Relational Prepositions for more verses which use through with a role of God. Please follow the link provided to see this unique usage of words within the Bible. Please also see the explanation at the top of the page that is reached By this link.) Since these blessings are through Jesus Christ our Lord, and there is no sin in Him, these blessings are only available through a lifestyle that eliminates sin.

Within this chapter, which our sentence is summarizing, we find general doctrine built one sentence upon another all the way up through 6:15. Then 6:16 is a universal truth which supports everything said in this chapter and from there to here we are told, in a very clear fashion, how that truth fits with everything else said and results in the conclusion found in this verse. Look at 6:15 which says shall we sin and because we are not under the law. The we is not lost people but is Paul and the saved people at Rome that he is writing to. Now look his answer ( God forbid.) to that question that and realize that is directed to saved people.

In 6:16 we read 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? Paul's answer is directed at ye (each and every one of you personally), which is the saved people. Paul says that ye decide whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey. There is no question that saved people decide to obey...sin unto death. So when this summary verse says that the wages of sin is death it is talking to saved people and telling them that every time they sin they are bring their own death (both physical and spiritual) closer. This sentence is not just directed at lost and is applicable to us after our initial profession.

As I have said, one thing that I have learned during this study is that the Bible uses death for the entire process of corruption that results in our soul and spirit abandoning our body. Yes, there are times that one sin has life-changing consequences such as a pregnancy or life threatening disease or jail or something else. However, what this verse is actually teaching is that every sin increases our physical and spiritual corruption even if we are not aware of it.

Every sin takes us away from God, which is spiritual corruption. We also saw this principal in 5:12 and 5:21 and we have seen that Romans 5 and Romans 6 teach the same thing from two different perspectives. We also see 7:13 tell us But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me, which is another way of saying that every sin brings corruption that ends in death. (Please notice that ing of working death is an ongoing action verb. thus, death can not be a one-time event according to the Bible.) then in 8:2 we read For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. thus, eternal life (is) through Jesus Christ our Lord and the details supporting this use of this verse is provided throughout the epistle to the Romans. God is the true source of all life and each of these sentences use life to tell us that we need to be more like God.

The next couple of chapters of this epistle are based upon this summary verse and actually expand upon the doctrine found in this verse. In addition, to what is said in this epistle, we find that James 1:15 tells us Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Again, we see that death is just the end (when it is finished) of the corrupting process known as sin. As said, there are places in the Bible where death is used for the entire process and not just the end of the process. We also find that 1John 1:9 tells us If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness but we also find that 1John 5:16 and 5:17 tell us there is a sin not unto death. Basically, as 1John 1 and the second half of this verse tell us, if we confess our sin and seek the eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord, we can reduce the results (death) of sin and avoid certain (early) death that is the result of some (not all) sins. However, if we do nothing then all sin is eventually deadly, both physically and spiritually.

The proper interpretation of this verse is a summary of Romans 6 which is actually telling the saved person to turn from ongoing sin to seek that eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Please see the note for Luke 3:14 about the word wages. The functional definition of it is: 'a recompense for work done'.

Please see the notes for Romans C5S9 and 1Corinthians C12S4 about the word gift is used in those verses. In particular, please see the note for Romans 5:12-18 for an extensive note on how the Bible uses the word gift along with the definition from Webster's 1828 and links to every usage within Romans and a small note on each usage. The functional definition is: 'something given from one person to another without compensation'.

Please see the note for 2Corinthians 4:17-18 about the word eternal. The functional definition is: 'Without beginning or end of existence'. Please also see the note for Life in 1John about the phrase eternal life. Please also see the note for 1Peter 1:3-5 which is a detailed sentence that explains how this eternal life is by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. If we are claiming any salvation that is not through Jesus Christ our Lord, then we do not have His resurrection...from the dead active in our life and we do not have any of the other blessings that Peter promises us.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge provides Bible references for this sentence as: 'For the wages. Ro 5:12; Ge 2:17; 3:19; Isa 3:11; Eze 18:4,20; 1Co 6:9-10; Ga 3:10; 6:7-8; Jas 1:15; Re 21:8 but the. Ro 2:7; 5:17,21; Joh 3:14-17,36; 4:14; 5:24,39-40; 6:27,32-33,40,50-58,68; 10:28; 17:2; Tit 1:2; 1Pe 1:3-4; 1Jo 2:25; 5:11-12 General references. exp: Pr 12:28; 1Jo 2:25.'.

Home Start of Page Start of Chapter Next web page

Romans Study: Chapters 5-6

Romans Chapter 5 Sentence-by-Sentence Section

Return to the Chapter Overviews in Romans with this link.

links to sentences in this chapter:

Romans Chapter 6 Sentence-by-Sentence Section

Return to the Chapter Overviews in Romans with this link.

links to sentences in this chapter:

Contact: Webmaster@LJC1611KJV.com. Member of Tower Road Baptist Church, Abq., NM, U.S.A., 87121. Copyright 2009 Lord Jesus Christ in the 1611KJV. All rights reserved. Revised: 01/09/24.