Last of all, the apostle links up this fundamental treatise of divine righteousness in its doctrine, its dispensational bearings, and its exhortations to the walk of Christians, with higher truth, which it would not have been suitable then to bring out; for grace considers the state and the need of the saints. 1. I reckon that this suffering of this present time is not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed. In our present state we come short, not only in the enjoyment, but in the knowledge of that glory (1 Corinthians 2:9; 1 John 3:2): it shall be revealed. Thus, having shown the Gentile in Romans 1:1-32 manifestly wrong, and hopelessly degraded to the last degree having laid bare the moral dilettantism of the philosophers, not one whit better in the sight of God, but rather the reverse having shown the Jew overwhelmed by the condemnation of the divine oracles in which he chiefly boasted, without real righteousness, and so much the more guilty for his special privileges, all now lies clear for bringing in the proper Christian message, the. For God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth" ( John 4:23 ). I. The apostle refers to Isaiah to show that God would "lay in Zion a stumbling-stone." Who is he who condemns? God is the infinite, the eternal Creator. The gospel goes forth universally. Faith is the evidence, hope the expectation, of things not seen. Thou shalt not desire thy neighbor's wife or anything that belongs to your neighbor, and he had realized that he had violated that. "For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. The creatures are often abused to the dishonour of their Creator, the hurt of his children, or the service of his enemies. This were indeed to deny the value of His death, and of that newness of life we have in Him risen, and a return to bondage of the worst description. But such thoughts altogether vanish now, because, as the Gentile was unquestionably wicked and abominable, so from the law's express denunciation the Jew was universally guilty before God. why am I still under bondage and misery from the constant evil of my nature, over which I seem to have no power whatever? For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh." Man had sinned deliberately; but it was involuntarily that nature was subjected. Hence the action of the Spirit of God in a double point of view comes before us. Love is the great debt that we owe, which never can be paid, but which we should always be paying. Then your principle is your condemnation. (i) Sarx ( G4561) literally means flesh. Wait a minute. 1 Corinthians 2. Hence he infers (v. 8), Those that are in the flesh cannot please God. When he gives a list of the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21, he includes the bodily and the sexual sins; but he also includes idolatry, hatred, wrath, strife, heresies, envy, murder. 3). The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God ( Romans 8:16 ): God is a superior trinity: Father, Son, and the Spirit. Why would they not allow such a pretension? But the spirit's groaning has a purpose within my life, as the Spirit helps my other weaknesses. "The vine shall yield its fruit ten thousand fold, and on each, vine there shall be a thousand branches; and each branch shall, produce a thousand clusters; and each cluster produce a thousand, grapes; and each grape a cor of wine. How can I really know that I am a son of God? But we have had it fully in Romans 3:1-31. "By whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith." Paul used figurative language to clarify and emphasize his point. Therefore, the keynote of the Christian life is always hope and never despair. Since there is no reason in such creatures, their will is to be taken no doubt for their natural inclination, according to which the whole nature of things tends to its own preservation and perfection: whatever then is detained under corruption suffers violence, nature being unwilling and repugnant. God delivered His Son to die for my sins. But it is amazing how sometimes these sure deals can fall out of escrow, and oh, what disappointment. The same idea that he is presenting here is presented there in II Corinthians 5 , of that groaning earnestly, desiring to be free from this body that is limited and restricted and often seeks to bring me into bondage, the bondage of corruption.So we ourselves groan, we who are in these bodies do often groan earnestly desiring to be delivered. It is not meant that Paul knew nothing of this; but that the ground of inference, and the general theory built up, are alike mistaken. Of the Jew by his own confession. The resurrection is here called the redemption of the body. He talks of this present age and of the glory that will be disclosed. Present receivings and comforts are consistent with a great many groans; not as the pangs of one dying, but as the throes of a woman in travail--groans that are symptoms of life, not of death. Hence it is wholly apart from the law, whilst witnessed to by the law and prophets; for the law with its types had looked onward to this new kind of righteousness; and the prophets had borne their testimony that it was at hand, but not then come. For the creature was made subject to vanity Mankind in general, and the whole visible creation, lost their original beauty, glory, and felicity; a sad change passed on man, and his place of abode; the whole face of nature was obscured, and all creatures were subjected to vanity and wretchedness in a variety of forms. There was somewhat as yet lacking to the saints there; but even this was ordered of God to call forth from the Holy Ghost an epistle which more than any other approaches a complete treatise on the fundamentals of Christian doctrine, and especially as to righteousness. "For whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. He speaks of physical circumcision, literally "in the flesh" ( Romans 2:28). He believed God and His word, with special approval on God's part; and his faith was counted as righteousness (ver. I groan often when I see the conditions and needs of people around me, because often I don't know how to pray. Wonderful to think the Spirit of God associates Himself with us in it all, deigning to give us divine feelings even in our poor and narrow hearts. The Liberating Law of the Spirit of Life. To this then the apostle comes, after having spoken of the divine favour shown himself, both when a sinner, and now in his own special place of serving the Lord Jesus. He says that Jesus is the son of David kata ( G2596) sarka ( G4561) ( Romans 1:3), that is to say, on the human side of his descent. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God ( Romans 8:14 ). subjection, as that they could not deliver themselves from it; We groan within ourselves, which denotes the strength and secrecy of these desires; not making a loud noise, as the hypocrites howling upon the bed for corn and wine, but with silent groans, which pierce heaven soonest of all. Most Popular. He shall own that once glorious seat of royalty in Israel. Paul has the very same thought. It was not merely better light in the conscience, which might be elsewhere, as is supposed in the early verses of our chapter; but the Jew's position was directly and unquestionably one of divine tests applied to man's estate. I was always feeling guilty because I was always breaking my vow before God. evil practices, but the devil made them subject, or slaves unto . If the good news of God goes out to man, entirely blotting out the difference between a Jew and a Gentile, what becomes of His special promises to Abraham and to his seed? He says that the mind of the flesh is death, and that it is hostile to God ( Romans 8:6; Romans 8:8). THE TWO PRINCIPLES OF LIFE ( Romans 8:5-11 ). It is like Enoch who walked with God and God took him. But the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against them pre-eminently. A soul may as truly, no doubt, be put into relationship with God be made very happy, it may be; but it is not what Scripture calls "peace with God." Then he answers his own question, "Thanks be unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord, is my deliverance." It is foolish to fight God, because you're fighting against the very best for your own life.The next question, Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? And so God speaks, and this is what thrills me, He speaks of my being glorified, because God knows He is going to do it. But even as He spoke to Abraham concerning his seed in the past tense, because He knew that Abraham was going to have a son whom He did foreknow. But if any man doesn't have the Spirit of Christ then he is none of His. You know, to me it is such a simple, beautiful thing. 10 brothers, 1 my heart's desire and prayer to god for them is that they may be saved. Paul was no pessimist. Paul is drawing a contrast between two kinds of life. Paul's basic thought is that the Christian is indissolubly one with Christ. Thus it is a mistake to suppose that saints may not be benefited by a better understanding of the gospel, at least as Paul preached it. (2.) To Paul life was not a weary, defeated waiting; it was a throbbing, vivid expectation. For with his mind in his heart he wanted to serve the law of God, but as Jesus said concerning Peter, "The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak" ( Matthew 26:41 ). And we know that all things ( Romans 8:28 ). The state of the church in this world always is, but was then especially, an afflicted state; to be a Christian was certainly to be a sufferer. Him who came in humiliation, according to their prophets, they might despise; but it was vain to deny that the same prophets bore witness to His divine glory. God, I am going to do better." There is an impurity, deformity, and infirmity, which the creature has contracted by the fall of man: the creation is sullied and stained, much of the beauty of the world gone. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? The New English Bible translates this phrase, "was made subject to frustration. As a parent you would gladly take the place of your child and suffer for them. Much of this hope is found in the word delivered (eleutheroo), a word used in secular Greek to describe the freeing of slaves. It is done. Be it so then; it was a foolish nation by which Moses declared they should be angered. Here the word has the sense of perishability (Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, 3:423). And the natural man I see as body, and the upper story ruling, the mind, the middle story always, but in the case where the body is uppermost, the mind being controlled and dominated by the desire and needs of the body, and the spirit dormant or dead. All the world was guilty before God. And we know well that this does not take freewill away. Oratio. The answer is found in this portion of our epistle (that is, from the middle of chapter 5). "I was beaten five times with rods and stoned three times and dragged out of the city. Because I will be led by the Spirit of God. But now to faith all this is gone not lightly, but truly in the sight of God; so that he may live on a Saviour that is risen from the dead as his new life. Therefore, it is constant and it remains. It will then be put past dispute. Paul also used it in Galatians 5:1. Heirs of God. Or they say "state of being without use or value, emptiness, futility, purposelessness, transitoriness the creation was subjected to frustration Romans 8:20" (BDAG 621). If I want to have a fulfilling life, a meaningful life, I must live after the Spirit. The shedding of His blood was absolutely necessary: without that precious expiation all else had been vain and impossible. Now the Rabbis--and Paul had once been a Rabbi--believed that they were grudgingly hostile to men. It is so with us if we love God. He believed that the logos ( G3056) not only had an order for the universe, but also a plan and a purpose for the life of every individual man. C. H. Dodd puts it in this way. According to the Rabbis there were three ranks of angels. It is not in any degree settled as to itself by His blood. The Emperor Claudius adopted Nero in order that he might succeed him on the throne; they were not in any sense blood relations. This passage gives a very wide perspective of Gods great plan of redemption, which is the heart of Pauls theology. of the thunder and the lightning, of cold and heat, of the seasons. How rich, how broad, how expansive is God's love for you tonight. The last time it was popular was 1948, and it is beginning to get popular again, so thirty years. not willingly -- Not as a matter of choice. May we not say, it became vain willingly, but was made subject to vanity unwillingly? And that man ought to be more concerned with the spiritual realm than the material realm. And because God is for you, I don't care what forces of hell may be against you, they are nothing compared to God.Never think of Satan as the opposite of God. Tempted or not, it was Adam's free will that consented to the deed that plunged all of his posterity into ruin. If that be so, is there anything in this or any other world that can separate us from our Risen Lord? Pythagoras forbade his disciples to pray for themselves, because, he said, they could never in their ignorance know what was expedient for them. My love for Him, my desires to please and serve Him. Solid Joys. Thus the subjection was "not of its own will.". 20 For . Why? This is fitly annexed to our sonship; for as the adoption of sons entitles us to that glory, so the disposition of sons fits and prepares us for it. It is not among the Gentiles, but in the honoured centre of the polity of Israel. The righteousness of God, then, could now go forth in virtue of His blood. If God be for us, who can be against us? It is "the power of God unto salvation." Paul's answer is this. But if Christ is in you, even if because of sin your body is mortal, your Spirit has life through righteousness. He has declared me innocent of all charges. (b) He rose again. But for the time it is held fast, though in unrighteousness. But the thing that amazes me is that foreknowing me He predestined that I should be one of His children, that is the thing that amazes me most. We are a minority group. There never was an hour since Israel's existence as a nation that God has not had His remnant of them. If he was called, so were they he an apostle, they not apostles but saints; but still, for them as for him, all flowed out of the same mighty love, of God. This is the essential point. In regard to his father, a Roman son never came of age. There is an enmity of one creature to another; they are all subject to continual alteration and decay of the individuals, liable to the strokes of God's judgments upon man. Nonetheless, the Christian does not live only in the world; he also lives in Christ. Hence, as God's wrath is revealed from heaven, it is against every form of impiety "against all ungodliness." It is not a question of creature-standing. What shall we say then to these things? Hence, therefore, it was in no way limited to any particular nation, such as those that had already been under the law and government of God. Or the spirit and mind now being dominated by the spirit which is in control, and the body down here where God intended it to be, no longer controlling, no longer ruling, no longer exercising its hold over me. 16). Now Paul asks a series of questions: "If God be for us, who can be against us?" It is not yet executed. And where? Nor does this in the slightest degree weaken the principle of law. The sufferings are small and short, and concern the body only; but the glory is rich and great, and concerns the soul, and is eternal. Roman adoption was always rendered more serious and more difficult by the Roman patria potestas. The weak are not to judge the strong, and the strong are not to despise the weak. God has made it so simple. Witness the common joy that grace gives an apostle with saints be had never seen, so that even he should be comforted as well as they by their mutual faith. Thank You, Lord. And so I rest in the fact that God has already spoken in the past tense of my future state of glorified together with Jesus Christ. Plants, animals, rocks, and dirt cannot in any sense yearn in hope. The judgments of God will fall on man as man, but the heaviest blows are reserved for Christendom. Jesus had come and died; Jesus had been a propitiatory sacrifice; Jesus had borne the judgment of God because of the sins He bore. Thus one could not fail to see these two weighty inferences: the bringing in to be God's sons of those that had not been His people, and the judgment and destruction of the great mass of His undoubted people. And if it be objected, What use will they be of to glorified saints? Now are we the sons of God, but it does not yet appear, the honour is now clouded; but then God will publicly own all his children. It may be passion-controlled, or lust-controlled, or pride-controlled, or ambition-controlled. That is, the redemption of our body. There is a basic emptiness of man apart from God. What the law says, it speaks to those under it. I understand that God is in control of all of the circumstances that surround my life. But there is another side to this picture. So creation is groaning. He could reckon not by art only, but by experience; for he knew both. There could be but one satisfactory answer. That was said to Paul, rather than what was taught by Paul. This designs the vanity and emptiness of the minds of the Gentiles, who were without God and Christ, and the Holy Spirit, without the law and Gospel, and grace of God; also the vain conceits they had of themselves, of their wisdom, knowledge, learning, and eloquence; likewise their vain philosophy, particularly their gross idolatry, their polytheism, or worshipping of many gods; together with their divers lusts and vices, to which they were addicted, to such a degree, that they might be truly said to be made subject thereunto, being under the government of these things, slaves unto them, and in such subjection, as that they could not deliver themselves from it; though it is said. Romans 8 concludes the second main section of the body of the letter, ' Living under grace '. This is called the adoption. FOR CREATION WAS CONDEMNED. Obviously this made adoption into another family a very difficult and serious step. He could not have remitted heretofore. For we know that the whole creation is groaning and travailing in pain together until now ( Romans 8:22 ). Two words keep occurring again and again in this chapter, flesh (sarx, G4561) and spirit (pneuma, G4151) . 2. That same energy of the Holy Ghost which had displayed itself in Jesus, when He walked in holiness here below, was demonstrated in resurrection; and not merely in His own rising from the dead, but in raising such at any time no doubt, though most signally and triumphantly displayed in His own resurrection. was true, accordingly, before the law, right through the law, and ever since the law. Not only man, but all of creation is groaning under the curse of sin. He was Emmanuel, yea, the Jehovah, God of Israel. The little kid there had a whole room full of big little books, and you young people won't understand that at all. How glorious it is to walk in the Spirit, to be in union with the Spirit of God, to be led by the Spirit of God, and to have that glorious assurance of God's Spirit bearing witness to mine. Now, unfortunately, there are those radical groups that take a verse like this and a phrase "manifestation of the sons of God" and they use it to build a whole pernicious doctrine. Christians, being saved by faith, do not yet experience all that God has promised, but they look to the future with patience and confidence (24-25). From the first verse we have the application of the dead and risen Christ to the soul, till in verse 11 we see the power of the Holy Ghost, which brings the soul into this liberty now, applied by-and-by to the body, when there will be the complete deliverance. Even the saints there would have been all the better for the gospel. He shall come to Zion, says the other. Man despised at first the outward testimony of God, His eternal power and Godhead, in the creation above and around him (verses 19, 20). But we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. The Iliad: A Commentary: Volume 5, Books 17-20 by Homer (English) Paperback Book . Now by the spirit I am mortifying the deeds of my flesh. Here I shall be very brief. Daily devotional with John Piper. He says, that they have been subjected to vanity, and for this reason, because they abide not in a constant and durable state, but being as it were evanescent and unstable, they pass away swiftly; for no doubt he sets vanity in opposition to a perfect state. All the days of our appointed time we are waiting, till this change shall come, when he shall call, and we shall answer, and he will have a desire to the work of his hands, Job 14:14; Job 14:15. 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