Romans 6 for the beginner

koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

14 August 2010

Think about it. Paul knows the condition of the church in Rome very well. The gospel came to the Jews but they were the branch that was cut off (Romans 11:16-23) but a wild one was connected to the root Jesus Christ or Christ's covenant. Faith was what was needed in the Old Testament period and when Christ came it was the same, faith. Unfaithfulness means to be cut off. So the Roman Christians wished Paul also to visit them and the feeling was mutual (Romans 1:7). Jews then Greeks, then Romans. Hebrew speakers, Greek speakers and then also Latin speakers. Paul started off with the power fo the gospel (Romans 1:16-17). This is a demand due to the guilt of mankind: no perfect man, no perfect church and no perfect Christianity. The power of the gospel is necessary. The Judgment of God is coming and it will be righteous. There is a law involved and the Holy Spirit is the one who writes the law on people’s hearts and how they act towards these laws of God, is the determining factor. No one is righteous is the content of Romans 3. The modus operandi for the righteousness to be acquired is through faith (Romans 3:21) but Christ played a key part in becoming the hilasterion, the price paid. Justification declared started before the works of the law by man that is why salvation is without the human acts of the law. Christ gave Himself voluntarily already to the Trinity in the Eternal covenant that was made between the Three, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that should sin start, that Jesus would give His life to ransom the situation. He did. And that is Paul's message. It is the faith of Christ that counts first before our faith (Romans 3:26). In case Jews think that their father Abraham was saved by his works, they have it all wrong, says Paul, it is by faith (Romans 4). In Romans 5 Paul wants to tell people how righteousness saves us. He explains the results of justification by faith. Peace with God. Peace with God is important because of the judgment (Romans 1:18; Romans 2:2 and Romans 5:9). Tribulations that the saved experience is part of character building (Romans 5:3-5). The Holy Spirit throws out with containers in our hearts the love of God (Romans 5:5). It is thrown out of [containers] into our hearts. Finally in chapter 5, Paul wants to compare Adam and Christ. It is a type for Christ, because Christ conquered where Adam left off unsuccessful. A type for the church and then also a role in the Eschaton since in the Advent "many will stand righteous" (Romans 5:19). Sinners who became saints has all the benefits of salvation but there is a physical salvation still awaiting us in the eschaton. Christ is the author and finisher of our faith. But what about now? And here is where Paul entered into Romans 6. What shall we say, shall we remain in sin so that grace increase? (Romans 6:1). Notice that sin is here in the singular. Those who have died in the sin, how can one live in it any longer? Since it is not the plural sins, why don't we write the name Sin = Satan here. It will become later in the chapter clear why we do this. We died in Satan, how can we live in him any longer? Paul asks. All who have received the baptism of John, in water as an adult (relationship choice making age) chose Christ as their savior why? Because they are actually baptized in the death of Christ. Why? Because Christ lived on Friday, died on Friday, was placed in a grave on Sabbath, rested as a Creator is expected to do, and rose on Sunday morning after the Sabbath, victorious of death. These three days are salvation for us. It is the mechanism of salvation. By true baptism, the old man is crucified, and the body is no longer a slave of Sin = Satan (singular) (Romans 6:7). To accept Christ's death, burial and resurrection is to receive righteousness from Sin = Satan. If you died in baptism with Christ in your heart, then you believe that you also live with Him (Romans 6:8). When Christ was resurrected from the death, Death = Satan did not lord over Him (Romans 6:9). This is how it works. He died only once (ephapax) and live. We also died from Satan or from Sin and live through Christ for God (Romans 6:10).

Therefore, do not let Sin = Satan [singular] rule over your mortal bodies (Romans 6:12). This verse is very important since here we find that this Sin [singular] has anthropomorphism to it. It acts like a human. It can rule. We ascribed it accordingly to Satan. Satan or Sin wants to rule our mortal bodies unto the obedience of his desires. Satan wakes up desires in the bodies but we shall be under grace = Christ and not under law. If we sin, we are under the law but if we keep it we are obedient and not under the law (Romans 6:14). Grace assists, grace supports, because grace also forgives. We are not finding Paul focusing on Righteousness by faith grace. The sinner became a saint but the tempted sinner became a victorious sinner which is a saint. The law condemns the sinner but the victorious sinner = saint, keeps the law and is not under it, for he is not under its condemnation. Struggling obedience is under Grace = Holy Spirit to work and support against Sin = Satan.

We are to be freed from Sin = Satan [singular] (Romans 6:18) and make ourselves servants of Righteousness = Christ.

Paul is discussing these human weaknesses of the Christians in Rome since he is aware of it (Romans 6:19). They are to stand as a servant to Righteousness = Christ, unto holiness (hagiasmon).

If one is a servant of Sin = Satan, then that person is free to Righteousness = Christ (Romans 6:20). It simply means that the person is living without Christ. They were ashamed of this lifestyle without Christ since it brings in the end death (Romans 6: 21). Paul asked them to free themselves from Sin = Satan and to place themselves in service to God, having the fruit unto holiness, but the end thereof is eternal life (Romans 6:22).

The salary of Sin = Satan [singular] is death but the gift of God is eternal life that is in Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).

We learn a couple of things here: freedom is possible. Keeping the law is liberty since the person is under Grace = Christ. Sinning is to forfeit liberty and the person is under the condemnation of law. Victory of the saint is sanctification but it is not making yourself holy, it is placing yourself in service to God (Romans 6:22).

Antinomianism or zero law because of Grace, has no place with Paul (see Romans 6:1). It is one of the main tenets of Seventh Day Adventists. A person who is trying to free himself from the obedience to the law, is actually losing his freedom. He automatically becomes enslave to Sin = Satan and is in opposition to Righteousness = Christ.

We also learn from Paul that there is a judicial righteousness with which we are clothed in Heaven by Christ our mediator standing in for us since 1844 in the Most Holy compartment function of our High Priest [calculated with the year-day principle of the 2300 evenings and mornings of Daniel 8:14, when the Heavenly sanctuary will be cleansed, similar to the Day of Atonement action in the Most Holy of the earthly tabernacle). Entering the second veil, says the book of Hebrews.

There is an aspect mentioned in Romans 6 that the beginner needs to take care off. The reason is the issue is going to feature prominently in Romans chapter 7 also and the church fathers and theologians were divided on the words of Paul in Romans 7:25 whether it is Saul or Paul that is speaking. They

nearly cut each other's noses off on the issue. But, in Romans 6:19-22 Paul shifts his descriptive mode from a general explanation of the structure of salvation to an addressing mode to the audience. It is an application that excludes Paul himself. This is very important. He says that he is speaking in human terms to them because he knows their weaknesses of their flesh (the weakness of your flesh [Romans 6:19]). This your = humoon here is very important. Paul excludes himself and did not say our flesh. He is going to say in Romans 7 the good that I want to do I, I don't, thus these willful sins in the saints of Rome is not what Paul is associating himself with. He distances himself from their parts of the body that are doing service to uncleanliness (akartharsia), and lawlessness (anomia). Paul is not unclean and not lawless and thus we are ready to understand Romans 7.