How You View God How You Think God

How You View God How You Think God Views You

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1) Introduction 2) The World Under The Wrath Of Almighty God! 3) Concept and Price of Redemption (Romans 3: 21 -5: 21) 4) Dead to Sin (Romans 6 & 7) 5) No Condemnation in Christ (Romans 8) 6) Most Jews Chose Rejection (Romans 9 -11) 7) Relationships and Submission (Romans 12 & 13) 8) We Are the Family of God (Romans 14 -16)

Lesson 3: The Concept and Price of Redemption Romans (3: 21 -5: 21)

The Concept in Capsule Form (3: 21 -31) • The place of faith (vv 21 -23). • The place of grace (vv 24 -26). – Justified freely in v 24 (from dikaios, a legal term). – Redeemed in v 24 (bought back from the slavery of sin -- 1 Peter 1: 18 -19). – Based on God’s sacrifice of atonement • (at-one-ment being at one with God).

The Place of Law (vv 27 -31) • Not saved by law keeping (performance). • Law is upheld in faith system (verse 31) – Its original intent of leading to Christ and the New Covenant is accomplished. – Its design to convict of sin is also done. – It is now used as a proper response to faith.

Law and Faith • Can be used as instrument to express trust in self or in God. • If use it wrongly, sinless perfection demanded (Galatians 3: 6 -12). • If used correctly, humility and dependence on God is produced. • We are not under law (Romans 6: 14), but we are under law (1 Corinthians 9: 21). (not as a means of earning salvation, but of expressing true faith)

Abraham Saved By Faith (Romans 4) • Justified by faith, not works (vv 1 -8). – Works of faith and works of law definitions. – James 2: 21 -24 and Genesis 15: 6. • Justification and sanctification difference? (See 1 Corinthians 6: 11. ) • Who is the person in Romans 4: 8? (1 John 1: 5 -10; Romans 8: 1; James 1: 13 -15).

When Was Abraham Justified? (verses 9 -15) • We don’t really know for sure -- he is introduced as a faithful follower of God (Hebrews 11: 8; Acts 7: 2 -4). • Abraham clearly was justified long before he was circumcised thus, he was not justified by virtue of being a Jew and not by virtue of law-keeping. • Original justification is not the issue here.

Abraham is the Ultimate Example (vv 16 -25) • He was to be father of the physically circumcised and spiritually circumcised. • He faced the facts and then faithed the facts! – Faith for the disciple is not realism, nor is it simply the worldly quality of optimism. – It is idealism the childlike (Matthew 18: 3) decision to believe that our future really is as bright as the promises of God!

Grace/Faith Salvation Demanded a Cross (Romans 5) • The results of our justification (vv 1 -2). • The growth in justification (vv 3 -5). – Compare with James 1: 2 -4. – Compare with Hebrews 12: 4 -15. – Compare with Jesus in Hebrews 5: 7 -10. • The basis of our justification (vv 6 -11). – The death of Jesus for the ungodly. – The life of Jesus for the reconciled.

The Power that Brought Justification (vv 12 -21) • Original Sin Concept -- the idea that babies are born guilty of Adam’s sin. • Original Choice Concept -- the idea that Adam introduced sin into the world, Jesus righteousness, and we choose. • Original Consequence Concept -- the idea that we die physically because of Adam and spiritually due to our sins.

Consequences of Other’s Sins • Compare Exodus 20: 4 -6 with Ezekiel 18: 20 (consequence & guilt difference) • Hebrews 7: 9 -10 shows the concept. • See 1 Corinthians 15: 20 -22. • The Jews evidently had trouble admitting that one man (Christ) could affect all of mankind (but they forgot Adam).

Basic Interpretation of Text • Involuntary participation (no choice) – Verses 12 -14: we die because of Adam. – Verses 15 -17 form a parenthetical explanation of how Christ more than offset what Adam did to mankind. – Verses 18 -19 pick back up the basic argument. – See John 5: 28 -29.

Voluntary Participation (a Choice is Ours to Make) • Verses 15 -17: The “much more, ” the “gift, ” and “God’s abundant provision of grace” refer to spiritual salvation which must be personally accepted. • Verses 20 -21: The “increased” sin refers to our own sins which bring spiritual death (but can be forgiven).

Other “Born in Sin” Proof-texts • Psalm 51: 5: the context points in the opposite direction. • See Psalm 22: 9; Psalm 58: 3; Psalm 71: 6 for other similar passages using hyperbole (overstatement to emphasize a point -- man’s sinful choices in this case)