Paul’s Epistle to the Romans
July 25, 2021
Opening Prayer
Psalm 119
161 Princes persecute me without cause,
but my heart stands in awe of your words.
162 I rejoice at your word
like one who finds great spoil.
163 I hate and abhor falsehood,
but I love your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise you
for your righteous rules.
165 Great peace have those who love your law;
nothing can make them stumble.
166 I hope for your salvation, O Lord,
and I do your commandments.
167 My soul keeps your testimonies;
I love them exceedingly.
168 I keep your precepts and testimonies,
for all my ways are before you.
Romans 5:12-14
12 Therefore, just as sin came
into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death
spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for
sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not
counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned
from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the
transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
Death entered the world through sin.
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A Unitarian funeral
o
1 Corinthians 15:26 - The last enemy to
be destroyed is death.
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Genesis 2:17 – “…in the day that you eat of
it you shall surely die.”
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Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
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Different Kinds of Death
o
Normal, biological
o
Spiritual – Ephesians 2
o
Eternal
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Faith is a matter of death and life.
o
Does it receive that kind of emphasis in our
lives?
o
We are rather self-destructive.
§
Pogo - "We have met the enemy and he is us."
§
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
·
John: We’re not gonna make it are we?
·
Terminator: It is in your nature to destroy
yourselves.
Death spread because all sinned.
-
This is a deep corruption of the human nature.
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There is no “spark of goodness” … or godliness …
we are powerless and dead apart from the Holy Spirit.
Romans 5:15-17
15 But the free gift is not like the
trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace
of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded
for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the
result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought
condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses
brought justification. 17 For if, because of
one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those
who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign
in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
v. 15
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The free gift – charisma – gift of grace
(charis)
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Trespass
o
Transgression – go beyond, go too far.
o
No Trespassing
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Grace and Gift!
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Abundance – more than enough!
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Jesus as the “One Man” – All of Humanity Reduced
to One Person.
v. 16
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The free gift – dorema – free gift
o
Paul uses two different words with slightly
different meanings to talk about this gift. He is emphasizing that this gift is
from God’s grace and that it is given freely.
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That one man – Adam
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Judgement to condemnation/punishment/a sentence
of doom
o
This is an unpopular teaching – the world is
doomed, condemned
o
John 1:9-13 - 9 The true
light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He
was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did
not know him. 11 He came to his
own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But
to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the
right to become children of God, 13 who were
born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of
man, but of God.
o
John 3:18 - Whoever believes in him is not
condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has
not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
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Free gift (charismata) to justification (removal
of guilt, acquittal – passively declared to be righteous).
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The actions of the two representatives lead to
different results
o
Adam’s sin led to judgement and doom – that is
the default.
o
Jesus’ free gift of grace moves us from transgression
to acquittal/forgiveness.
v. 17
Both of these actions are very potent
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One leads to the world being ordered and
oriented toward death.
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The other leads to righteousness and life.
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Mark 1:15 – “The kingdom/reign of God has come,
repent and believe the good news.”
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Revelation 11:15 – “Then the seventh angel
blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The
kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,
and he shall reign forever and ever.’”
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Kingdom of this Word
o
Molech
o
Mammon
o
Baal and Asherah
o
Sacrifice is needed.
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Kingdom of Christ
o
Free Gift
o
Grace from Love
o
Sacrifice has been made.
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