Romans

ROMANS 1

The book of Romans opens up in Paul’s typical fashion, with a greeting to the saints (v7). In his greeting, Paul includes his qualifications for writing the letter, “called to be an apostle” (v1) and mentions the “gospel” in the first few verses. Paul’s gospel here is that Jesus was God’s son (v3) who rose from the dead (v4) and who commissioned His disciples as apostles to preach in all nations (v5). The Romans that Paul writes to have amazingly already believed this message before Paul ever arrived at Rome (v6). This shows us the swift spread of Christianity from Jerusalem to Rome with the 20 years of Christianity, as this book was written in the AD 50s.

Paul explains his estranged relationship with the church at Rome. He had not visited them, yet their “faith was spoken of throughout the whole world” (v8). This was a bold church and an example to other believers. Although not a local member of this church, Paul says that he prays for them every day (v9)! Wow, that is convicting. Most Christians don’t even pray for their local church brothers and sisters every day.

It seems Paul made plans and an attempt to visit Rome (v10), and wanted to bless them (v11) and preach the gospel there (v15), but his plans were foiled. God would bring him to Rome later, yet under different circumstances, which we see at the end of the book of Acts.

Not long after Paul’s introduction he begins some meaty declarations - first he qualifies the gospel and then sin. Paul’s gospel is the “gospel of Christ”, which is the “power of God unto salvation” (v16). In this good news we are able to see and accept God’s righteousness (v17), yet we are required to ‘believe’ and have “faith”. All that put their trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sin are radically changed and given God’s righteousness. That is good news!

Beginning in verse 18, we learn why the gospel is so important. God is not happy with sin. Paul mentions the “wrath of God”, which word is only used a few times in the New Testament, and it is ALWAYS applied to the lost. Jesus taught that the wrath of God abides on the unbeliever (John 3:36). No Christian will ever experience His wrath, only His grace.

Verses 19-32 are descriptive of those that have rejected God. It says that they, “hold the truth in unrighteousness” (v18), are able to see “the invisible things of him from the creation of the world” (v20), they are “without excuse” (v20), and that they “knew God” (v21). All of the world knows who God is by His witnesses both in creation and in the conscience of the inner man. Man’s problem is not evidence; it is a heart condition of rejecting God 

The results of rejecting God are severe and prove that, upon rejection, God will ‘give them up’ (v24) to their own heart’s desire. Once a person has rejected the truth there is nowhere else to go (John 14:6) but down into depravity: idolatry (v23), perversion (v24), materialism (v25), homosexuality (v25-27), confusion (v28).

These things lead to a long list of sin (v29-31), which we typically see associated with this crowd of people today. Why is it that when people reject God that they get WORSE in their morals than before? Because God “gave them over” (v28), and they have nowhere else to go. If they reject God’s righteousness (v17), they cannot be righteous.

Verse 32 teaches us that when someone willingly rejects the “power of God unto salvation” (v16), they will take refuge with other sinners and rest under God’s judgment. Birds of a fetter flock together.

ROMANS 2

Chapter 2 begins to deal with a large portion of Paul’s content in this book – sin.

Coming out of chapter 1 and seeing man’s reprobate mind makes it easy to judge, but we are quickly humbled in chapter 2 and reminded NOT to compare ourselves, “thou that judgest does the same things”(v1). Paul makes his case clear, that ALL sin will be judged by God (v2, 6) and that we should not compare our sins because all sin produces tribulation and death (v9). In light of the sins of chapter 1, Paul reminds his readers that God is longsuffering and willing to save the worst of sinners (v4), not willing that any should perish (2 Pet 3:9). If we aren’t careful, our indignation towards others sins will cause us to despise the “goodness and forbearance” of God (v4). 

We see the phrase, “to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile” (v10), as this chapter will flow into a specific address to the Jewish believers in Rome. They are reminded that “there is no respect of persons with God” (v11). Jews would have thought themselves better than Gentiles and it would have been easy and appropriate to ‘judge’ them, but Paul says the Gentiles have “the law written in their hearts” (v15) and they are capable of serving God as well.

Beginning in verse 17, we see a direct address to the Jews, who “restest in the law” (v17) and “knowest his will” (v18), but are called ‘guides of the blind’ (v19) and ‘instructors of the foolish’ (v20) because they were not applying and obeying what they knew (v21). This is a dangerous place! It is called hypocrisy and Jesus did not speak well of it. We know that these Jews in Rome were hypocrites because they were doing the very things they judged the Gentiles for (v22-23), to the end that the Gentiles hated God (v24).

Verses 25-29 use the issue of circumcision as an illustration for this kind of hypocrisy. Circumcision was a religious rite for Israel, given to Abraham as a sign of promise, and continued through Moses for all males. A good Jew would have been circumcised on the eighth day of birth and would look down their nose to ‘judge’ the uncircumcised Gentiles, yet the bible teaches here that God is more concerned about the “circumcision of the heart” (v29) than He is keeping the law “outwardly” (v28).

Our piety can easily become a source of pride, which is why this chapter is written. It reminds us that ALL are under sin, and that “the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance” (v4), no matter our race or our religious status. No amount of religion can forgive sins or affect the heart! This is why we need the gospel (v16) as mentioned in Romans 1:16.

Let us keep humble hearts and remember that we are no better than other sinners. We must guard our hearts to keep them sensitive to the word of God and the Spirit of God, remembering Christ and the great love wherewith He loved us. That love is still available to all others!

ROMANS 3

The beginning of chapter 3 is a continuation of chapter 2. If circumcision is no longer necessary and is “that of the heart” (2:29), the author asks, “what advantage then hath the Jew?” (v1). In other words, what does it matter to be Jewish if both Jews and Gentiles are saved the same way and the same in Christ (1 Cor 12:13)? The answer is that the Jews benefit from a long lineage of being God’s people and having the word of God (v2), “unto them were committed the oracles of God”. Webster’s definition serves best to understand what an oracle is:

“Among Christians, oracles, in the plural, denotes the communications, revelations or messages delivered by God to prophets. In this sense it is rarely used in the singular; but we say, the oracles of God, divine oracles, meaning the Scriptures.”

Paul asks the question to introduce the subject of Israel’s apostasy, which he will deal with later, “what if some did not believe”? (v3), meaning if the “oracles of God” are through Israel, what if God’s people reject Him (as they did with Jesus?). Here we see that God judges all men equally, and that “all men are liars”(Psalm 116:11).

As the chapter continues, Paul builds his case that “all are under sin” (v9), including both Jews and Gentiles. Then he compiles an argument for the sinfulness of man by quoting multiple Old Testament sources:

V10-12 (Psalm 14:1-3)

V13 (Psalm 5:9)

V14 (Psalm 10:7)

V15-17 (Isaiah 59:7-8)

V18 (Psalm 36:1)

We now have the sinfulness of man in full view and the law the brought into view, which makes “all the world … become guilty before God” (v20). The author’s point will be that the law cannot fix the exceeding sinfulness of man because the law merely reveals what sin is, “by the law is the knowledge of sin” (v20).

This gives room for God to swoop in and save man from their sinful condition “without the law” (v21). This would be challenging for a Jewish believer to accept, but it had been “witnessed by… the prophets” (v21), so Israel should have known about it. Now the requirements for right standing with God would be faith, “upon all them that believe” (v22).

Jesus is the answer to our exceeding sinfulness. What the law could not do (Rom 8:3), God accomplished through the “propitiation” (payment for sin) by the offering of His own son (v25). Man is now “justified freely by his grace” (v24) through “faith in his blood” (v25). Amen and hallelujah! The requirements for salvation and righteousness have been simplified to faith in the finished work on the cross, not the works of men or keeping of the law. This ‘excludes boasting (v27, Eph 2:8-9) and justifies us “without the deeds of the law”(v28). Anyone that tells you there is something to be added or included in your salvation other that faith in Jesus Christ is a liar and a false teacher – there are no salvific ‘works’ in the age of grace. 

Finally concluding in verse 31 the author asks, if we “make void the law” because of faith? Do we just get rid of the “oracles of God” (v2)? What are their place? Paul will write later that the law has its place in God’s economy and that it is fulfilled and continuing to be fulfilled today. The chief way that God uses the law today is to reveal “that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful” (v13). The law is what proves man’s sinful nature and God’s holy nature. It is for the “lawless and disobedient” (1 Tim 1:9). The law points man to their need of salvation, it is not something to be applied by the Christian.

ROMANS 4

Paul continues his argument that justification with God comes through faith by using the example of Abraham. Faith is of utmost importance to God (Heb 11:6), as Romans says Abraham was not “justified by works” (v2), but rather when he “believed God” (v3).

Using logic, Paul helps these Christians in Rome understand that if works justified us before God, then God would ‘owe’ us salvation as a “reward” (v4). Instead, however, salvation is by “grace” (v4, Eph 2:8-9) and not something to be earned. This salvation is “imputed” to man “without works” (v6), meaning that it is given to man or ‘placed into man’ by God. It is not something that is within our own nature – it has to be given to us and faith is the requirement for such transaction.

Again, the issue of circumcision comes up, which was a critical issue for the Jews, especially considering that this sign originated with Abraham (Gen 17:10). Man is always looking for a physical, controllable means whereby to outsource our faith into some other duty. It’s easier to DO something than to actually trust in God. Paul says here though that circumcision was given to Abraham AFTER his faith. Abraham was not justified by his action; it was instead a “sign” and a “seal of righteousness” (v11). Abraham is then an example for all people to be saved by faith, “not of the circumcision only” (v12). As we have already seen, circumcision is “that of the heart” (Rom 2:29).

Verse 13-15 remind us that the law is incapable of saving us, as it merely points out what sin is. “the law worketh wrath” (v15). If righteousness had come by the law “faith is made void” (v14).

Abraham’s example of being saved “by grace” (v16) still teaches us today and he becomes “the father of us all” who would share “the faith of Abraham” – meaning, to trust by faith in His word apart from religious duties. Of course, like circumcision, ‘good works’ naturally follow salvation, but they are not a means of our justification.

What kind of faith does someone need to be saved? A convincing faith. Abraham’s faith is described in verses 17-20 as “believed” (v17), “hope” (v18), “not weak in faith” (v19), “strong in faith” (v20), and “being fully persuaded” (v21). These are all strong words that describe the nature of real faith, and what is required for salvation. Many have made false professions because they have not truly believed in their heart that Jesus rose from the dead (Rom 10:9) and that His payment on the cross is sufficient means for our justification with God.

Abraham’s faith wasn’t in his own actions or feelings, it was in “the promise of God”, which is the same thing we must believe to become “born again” (1 Peter 1:23). Apart from the word of God it would be impossible to know how to be justified with God, because His word is the seed which germinates unto eternal life for those that believe.

Finally, we see the conclusion made. Paul wisely brings his audience around to their own decision, “it was not written for his sake alone” (v23), meaning that God had recorded these events in Abrahams life for our benefit (Rom 15:4). Now it is up to “us” (v24) to make a decision and trust God in the same way that Abraham did. What is the qualification? “if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord form the dead” (v24). Just as God was able to bring life out of the “deadness of Sarah’ womb” (v19), He is able to bring life to the sinner by ‘imputing’ in unto them.

Belief in the resurrection is paramount to salvation. God may be working in someone’s life to convict them up sin and draw them to His Son prior to their conversion, but it is impossible to be saved without believing that Jesus “was raised again for our justification” (v25). If there is one doctrine that we must vehemently protect, it is the resurrection.

Just like Abraham, all who believe what God says in His word will be saved. Today, that means believing the gospel (1 Cor 15:1-4), which upon one’s belief (Eph 1:13), they will have the same righteousness God gave to Abraham “imputed” unto them.

ROMANS 5

Chapter 5 begins with “therefore”, which points us back to the previous chapter. You could also say ‘because of’ the previous verses, we “have peace with God” (v1). Our justification with God is based on the imputed righteousness of 4:22, which is given to us by faith. Once we have been justified, we now gain “peace with God” (v1) and “access by faith” (v2).

The change made in Christians is so great that “tribulation” and “patience” (v3-4) become positive qualities for believers, who are able to “glory” in such difficulties (v2). What is it that enables Christians to endure such circumstances with hope? “because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts” (v5). Christians have the continual affirming of the Holy Spirit (the comforter), which enables them to bear all things.

Christians also have the reminder of Christ’s suffering for them, “Christ died for the ungodly” (v6). Paul makes an argument that one would barely surrender their life for a “good man” (v7), but Jesus died for us “while we were yet sinners” (v8). In so doing, Christ saved us from wrath through His blood (v9) and changed us from “enemies” (v10) to sons (John 1:12). Christs atonement is received at the moment of salvation, “whom we have now received the atonement” (v11). Christians are not waiting for a future blotting out of sins – it already happened on the cross and was applied when they trusted in Christ.

Verses 12-19 introduce the consequence of sin and Adam’s responsibility in man’s condemnation. We have already learned that sin is revealed by the law (3:20) - now we see that sin still existed prior to the law, it just wasn’t “imputed” (v13). Even though the law had not been written until Moses, Adam fell and “death reigned” (v14) over every person. 

In this we see the “grace of God” (v15) – just as sin had entered into the world through one man, salvation was also brought through one man: Jesus Christ. Adam was a “figure of him that was to come” (v14). Christ’s death on the cross would now offer salvation to “all men” (v18), “so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (v19). 

Although the law makes sin and offence “abound” (v20), it is not to be done away with. The law is useful for recognizing sin (1 Tim 1:9) and if used well it will “bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by faith” (Gal 3:24).

Chapter 5 concludes with death’s reign. It will continue “unto death” (v21), being inescapable. In contrast those who believe in Jesus Christ will continue “unto eternal life” (v21). The eternal security of the believer is clear – just as much as sin and death is 100% successful, so also will Christ’s righteousness “reign” (v21) in the heart of every believer with a 100% success rate, saving them eternally from their sin.

ROMANS 6

This chapter is a response to the conclusion of the last. Because the believer is eternally secure the question is asked, “shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” (v1). This is a reasonable and logical question, and a personal issue many have with the doctrine of eternal security. If all of our sins are removed do, we then have permission to ‘live it up’? The answer… “God forbid” (v2). It would be a false gospel and misunderstanding of the bible to see grace as permission to sin.

What is the reasoning not to continue in is? The change that happened in the believer upon salvation. Paul calls it being “baptized into Jesus Christ” (v3), which is not water baptism, but literally being placed INTO Christ, as he later says “to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). At the moment of salvation Christians are immersed into Christ, which happens through the Spirit, not water. (1 Cor 12:13).

In the same way that Jesus was buried and “raised up from the dead” (v4), Christians should also live in “newness of life”, “in the likeness of his resurrection” (v5).

Verse 6 begins a series of thought introducing the “old man” (the person you were in sin before salvation). The “old man” is dead, having been “crucified with him” (v6), meaning that your old identity has been murdered and you are now resurrected to a new identity in Jesus Christ. Your ‘new man’ is now able to make a choice, through the power of God, not to “serve sin” (v6), something that you were incapable of doing before. This begs the question: are you “dead with Christ”? (v8) Have you fully embraced your identity as ‘living unto God’ (v10)?

If these realities are true of us, then we have some reckoning to do. The word reckon in verse 11 means, ‘calculate’ or make it so. Which means that we now have a choice. Our victory over sin happened on calvary and was applied to us the moment that we trusted in Christ, but we are all still ‘calculating’ (reckoning) what that truly means for our lives. God did not take away our free will upon salvation, but He did make a significant change in our lives so that we can apply our free will, leveraging our position in Christ, so that sin would not “reign in your mortal body” (v12) or that you would “obey it in the lusts thereof” (v12).

The key to victory over sin is found in verse 13. It depends upon what we “yield” ourselves to. There are only two options: “unto sin” or “unto God”. The way that we overcome sin is by yielding to something else! Instead of fighting harder, we give up – not give in. Giving up means we yield (surrender) to God and allow Him to work in our lives instead of sin. The word “instruments” (v13) gives us more context. God wants to use us as a ‘tool or weapon’ “of righteousness” (v13). Instead of being used by sin to do evil, we surrender to the new nature that we have in Christ and pursue righteousness instead. Are you struggling with sin? Yielding to what God says and what you know is right will give you power.

Another analogy us used to answer the same question from verse 1, which is repeated again in a new way, “shall we sin because we are not under the law” (v15). The answer is the same, “God forbid” (v15). This time it is taken further from yielding to servantry, “who ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are”(v16). When we choose to yield to sin, we become enslaved to it. There are again, only two options – we will all be the servants of something: “servants of sin” (v17) or “servants of righteousness” (v18). Christians ought to “reckon” and “yield” ourselves to God and righteousness in the same way that we would serve sin in our lost state – we were compelled to it. How much more so ought we to serve, obey, or be given to righteousness in a compulsory way! This is truly the antidote to ‘fighting sin’… instead choose righteousness in every way! Give yourself wholly to it! This is Paul’s solution in verse 19.

Verse 20 tells us that while we were lost, there wasn’t a single ‘good thing’ that we did because we were “free from righteousness” (v20). It was literally impossible to please God in our lost state – we were free from it. All of us start from scratch for eternal reward in heaven and purpose in God’s kingdom at the moment of salvation. Which means that we ought to get started NOW serving God, since everything prior to salvation had not eternal merit. As has been said, it should be counted as “dung” (Phil 3:8).

This is then the contrast: sin = death (v23) and submission to God = life (v22). We must conclude that if we are to do any good at all, even in our own lives with victory over sin, it must be through our identity as being ‘in Christ’ and submitted to God as His instruments and servants to His will instead of our own. That is the recipe for victory, and something a lost person is literally unable to do!

ROMANS 7

There was a continual struggle in first century Christianity to understand the purpose of Judaism and the law of Moses in this new ‘grace based’ faith in Jesus. The book of Galatians is complementary to this chapter.

The illustration of marriage is used to reveal the law’s “dominion” over man (v1). Just like marriage, it is “as long as he liveth” (v1) and “bound by the law” (v2). A married couple is bound to each other until one of them“be dead” (v2), upon which the remaining widow or widower is “loosed from the law” (v2) and “free” (v3) to marry another without being in adultery. The spiritual picture in this illustration is found in verse 4, where we learn Christians are “dead to the law by the body of Christ” (v4). Since the law could not produce righteousness, and Jesus paid for our sin on the cross, “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness” (Rom 10:4), our obligation to the law has ceased, just as our obligation to a dead spouse in marriage ceases.

Christians are actually “married to another” (v4). You could say that we are ‘married to Jesus’, being “espoused” to Christ (2 Cor 11:2) in the Spirit, which is seen in picture later in Ephesians (Eph 5:22-28). The law is dead, and we now only have allegiance to Jesus Christ – not Judaism.

Verses 7-14 may seem confusing at first but they can be summarized as follows. The law of God in the Old Testament reveals what sin is (v7), but the law itself is not sinful (v12). However, since sin is revealed by the law, it is essentially using the law, “taking occasion by the commandment” (v8, 11) and continuing to produce death. Remember, where there is now law, there is no sin (Rom 5:13), so when the law comes, it simply reveals the depths of sin. Verse 13 summarizes well that, “sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful”.

The law is good, but what it reveals is not good. It reveals that man cannot live up to God’s standard of holiness - even the great apostle Paul admits to being “carnal, sold under sin” (v14). Romans is such a wonderful part of the canon of God’s word because it clearly reveals the exceeding sinfulness of ALL men (Rom 3:23), so that grace can abound through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

The rest of this chapter is a personal admission to the struggle with sin from the author. It also reveals the depths of sin being deep within our being, “evil is present with me” (v21). It would seem that there is no escaping the sinful nature “in my flesh” (v18). This is an important distinction because we have previously learned that righteousness has been imputed to believers by faith (Rom 4:24). Therefore, there is a difference in the flesh and the Spirit, as the next chapter will continue to reveal.

Since sin is “in my members” and “warring” against us, even in our minds, we must never let our guard down. At no point can a Christian say that they are totally devoid of sin in the flesh, for even in our good deeds the possibility of evil “dwelleth in me” (v20).

Christians are not victims however, as we saw in chapter 6 we are able to overcome sin so that it doesn’t rule over us by surrendering to the new nature God has put within us in Christ. Christians do, however get weary from warring against a sinful nature in our members to where we will eventually say, “who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (v24). The mature believer knows their war with the flesh and looks forward to the day in which they will see Jesus Christ in glory, receiving a new body without a sinful nature (Phil 3:21).

Christianity is not a religion of perfection, it is an acceptance of our sinful nature and a reliance upon the grace of God to be sufficient for our failures through the exclusive payment of Christ on the cross, not our own deeds.

There is a glimmer of hope at the end of this chapter! The battle with the flesh can be won, but it is NOT WITH the flesh, it is won with the mind. Paul says sin is “warring against the law of my mind” (v23) and that in spite of it he is able to “with the mind… serve the law of God” (v25). It is possible for the Christian to put to death the works of the flesh through our mind and our thinking (Rom 12:2). It is then imperative that we are daily “renewing” the mind and the new man with knowledge (Col 3:1). Like any good soldier at war, having accurate intel is imperative to the battle. Christians have the word of God, the sword of the Spirit to put the flesh to death (Eph 6:17, Heb 4:12), using it is our only chance at victory!

ROMANS 8

This chapter is the greatest mention of the word “Spirit” in the entire bible. It gives us a great perspective into the indwelling work of the Spirit in the believer.

Christians are called to “walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (v1), which is to live and abide in the new nature in Jesus Christ. We now walk after “the law of the Spirit of life” (v2) where the Spirit of God produces “life” (v1) in us, compared to the “flesh” which produces “condemnation” (v1), and the “law of sin” (v2) which was unable to save us (v3).

Our righteousness was not fulfilled by the law, as Romans repeatedly explains (v4), so we are therefore told NOT to focus on physical things, or even to “mind” them (v5). Verse 5 does not leave Christians with an absence of critical thinking of intellectual thought, instead we are called be “spiritually minded” (v6). We ought to think deeply and wholly about the issues of life, interpreting through spiritual eyes instead of carnal ones. Romans will go on to tell us that the “renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2) is of utmost importance to our sanctification from this world.

The flesh, that is to say the carnal man not walking in the Spirit, or the lost man without the Spirit, is at “enmity against God” (v7), “not subject” to Him (v7), and “cannot please God” (v8), therefore we ought to highly consider two things: 1) am I a saved Christian with the Holy Spirit? Because without salvation you can do nothing to please God 2) am I ‘minding’ the Spirit or the flesh? Because you could be wasting your time or even worse, producing “death” (v6) in your life.

Since this chapter lays out the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, we learn something from verse 9: you either have the Holy Spirit or you do NOT, “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (v9). There is no more or less, no ‘second blessing’ or no sense in which the Holy Spirit will evacuate your body, as we will learn at the end of the chapter. The Spirit here is also called “Christ be in you” (v10), meaning that the Spirit is not just a force (as the Jehovah’s Witnesses would say), He is Christ and He is God – as God is “one LORD” (Deut 6:4).

The Spirit’s power is on full display inside the life of a Christian submitted to Him. The same Spirit that “raised up Jesus from the dead” (v11) will also “quicken your mortal bodies” (v11), giving life to you and enabling you to supernaturally defeat the sinful nature that we so regularly combat (see chapter 7). The Spirit’s power will enable you not just to ‘control’ the flesh or ‘tame’ it, but to “mortify the deeds of the body” (v13). To mortify is to KILL or put to death. In this way, Christians are able to conquer our most difficult sins. We do not get to claim victimhood to our flesh for we possess a power greater than our sinful nature if we would submit to it.

We learn another name for the Spirit, “the Spirit of adoption” (v15), which teaches us that upon our salvation we were placed into a new spiritual family, becoming the “sons of God” (v14) and “children of God” (v16). Our parentage has changed and we now receive God as our Father, “whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (v15). God’s indwelling Spirit “beareth witness” (v16) inside of us that we are His people. This is then a litmus test for someone’s salvation. In the quietness and honesty of your person is there a “life and peace” (v6) that reveals to you that you are the “children of God” by faith in Jesus Christ? If you do not have this witness, you are not saved and need to be born again to receive the Spirit of God and brought into God’s family (Eph 1:13).

Verse 18-25 bring an interjection that compares our present reality with the one to come. The nature of Christians has changed by the indwelling Holy Spirit, but these verses remind us that salvation and victory over sin in this life is only part of God’s plan. We see the “sufferings of this present time” compared with “glory which shall be revealed” (v18), meaning that there is even more to the Christian life AFTER this one.

We learn that humanity was “made subject to vanity” (v20), by reason of sin we have become worthless, but we are also reminded that “creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together” (v22). One day God will recreate the earth without sin (Isa 65:17), and one day Christians will be glorified together with “the redemption of our body” (v23). Hallelujah! We look forward to that day with anticipation, but until then “we hope for that we see not” (v25) and trust God by faith, walking in the Spirit, enduring our “infirmities” (v26).

We learn more of the Spirit’s work as an intercessor, for He helps us “pray as we ought” and is able to speak to God on our behalf “with groanings which cannot be uttered” (v26). This verse is not teaching that the Spirit will make you speak in a ‘prayer language’, as the groanings of the Spirit are NOT “uttered”, it refers to the Spirit’s work inside of you as He “searcheth the hearts” and “maketh intercession… according to the will of God” (v27). We then ought not to be concerned about the exact words that we speak in prayer, and be more attentive to God’s presence deep within us by His Spirit. The Spirit will take your honest heart conversation with God and interpret it to the Father to accomplish God’s will in your life and your prayers

Even the difficult things in the Christian life are not wasted, for God will make them “work together for good”(v28) and He uses them to accomplish His purposes in conforming you to “the image of his Son” (v29). Even if those sufferings result in the end of one’s life, we have the calm assurance that those who have trusted in Christ, He “did predestinate” (v29) to be like unto His Son, which will ultimately happen when we are “glorified” (v30) by being given a new resurrected body (Phil 3:21).

Note here that “foreknow” (v29) does not mean ‘foreloved’, or preselected, as most Calvinists would claim. God has a foreknowledge of all who will call upon Him for salvation and He will ensure that they come to hear and believe the gospel.

Lastly, this chapter ends with the triumph of the believer and another great proof of eternal security. We have the wonderful and encouraging words, “If God be for us, who can be against us” (v31) and being reminded that God “spared not his own Son” for us, we are assured that He will not abandon us. There is nothing in this world that could ever “separate us from the love of Christ” (v35). As that question is asked, it is answered in great detail by things which include: difficulty (v35), death (v38), spirits (v38), and the future (v38). If that isn’t enough, “nor any other creature” (v39) is included, which includes you or anyone else. Those that have trusted in Jesus Christ for their salvation are eternally inseparable from Him by nature of the work the He did upon indwelling and sealing you with His Holy Spirit at salvation (Eph 1:13). Hallelujah!