Chapters 8
The central point in this chapter is Condemnation and Justification.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. Romans 8.1-2 ASV
Some bible versions include the statement: who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. This statement doesn’t appear in 90% of the Bible translations because it is not supported by the oldest and most reliable Greek manuscripts.
The New American Standard Bible is closest to the original text. It is a literal translation from the original texts, well suited to study because of its accurate rendering of the source texts. It follows the style of the King James Version but uses modern English for words that have fallen out of use or changed their meanings.
The Passion Bible first published in 2020 and derived from the oldest Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew texts is now one of my favorite Study Bibles. Here is the version of Romans 1.1-2
So now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice against those who are joined in life union with Jesus the Anointed One. For the law of the Spirit of life flowing through the anointing of Jesus has liberated us from the law of sin and death.
But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies [e]through his Spirit that dwells in you. Romans 8. 9-11
For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: 17 and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him. Romans 8.15-17
And not only this, but we too, who have the first fruits of the Spirit [a joyful indication of the blessings to come], even we groan inwardly, as we wait eagerly for [the sign of] our adoption as sons—the redemption and transformation of our body [at the resurrection]. Romans 8.23 AMP.
The Spirit of God not only maintains this hope within us, but helps us in our present limitations. For example, we do not know how to pray worthily as sons of God, but his Spirit within us is actually praying for us in those agonizing longings which never find words. And God who knows the heart’s secrets understands, of course, the Spirit’s intention as he prays for those who love God. Moreover we know that to those who love God, who are called according to his purpose (prothesis), everything that happens fits into a pattern for good. Romans 8. 26-28 Amp.
Prothesis is used several times to indicate God’s predetermined plans and purposes for our lives. The fact that they are for good and not for evil that demonstrates God’s abiding faithfulness to us and to His promises.
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Romans 8.30
In Christian theology, justification is the event or process by which sinners are made or declared to be righteous in the sight of God. The Reformed tradition generally holds that justification can never truly be lost: for those who have been justified by grace, will certainly persevere through faith until the return of Christ himself.
It was Paul who developed the term justification in the theology of the church. Justification is a major theme of the epistles to the Romans and to the Galatians in the New Testament, and is also given treatment in many other epistles. In Romans, Paul develops justification by first speaking of God’s just wrath at sin (Romans 1:18–3:20). Justification is then presented as the solution for God’s wrath (Romans 3:21–26, Romans 5:1). One is said to be ‘justified by faith apart from works of the Law’ (Romans 3:28). Further, Paul writes of sin and justification in terms of two men, Adam and Christ (Romans 5). Through Adam, sin came into the world bringing death; through Jesus, righteousness came into the world, bringing justification unto life (Romans 5:15–17). In this connection, Paul speaks of Adam’s sin being ‘imputed’ or ‘accounted’ (Greek ελλογειται) and speaks of justification as acting in analogy to sin (Romans 5:13; Romans 5:18). In chapter 8, Paul connects justification with predestination and glorification (Romans 8:30). He further states that those who are justified cannot be separated from the love of Christ (Romans 8:33–39). Several of these passages are central in the debate between Roman Catholics, and the various streams of Protestantism (while there is broad agreement on justification by faith, there is no complete doctrinal uniformity on justification among all Protestant denominations), who can understand them in quite different ways.
Romans 8.35-39 in my opinion is the absolute best definition of God’s grace:
Who shall separate us from the love [q]of Christ? shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Even as it is written,[For thy sake we are killed all the daylong; We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other [creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8.35-39
CHAPTER 9
GODS FAMILY (Jews and Gentiles)
Conceived or Chosen? Adoption or Conception?
Understanding Our Sonship and our Lineage
For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, God’s CHOSEN people, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; 5 of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen. Romans 9:3-5 NKJV
Clearly, God has not failed to fulfill His promises to Israel, But not everyone who has descended from Israel belongs to Israel. Physical descent from Abraham doesn’t guarantee the inheritance, because God has said: Trough Isaac your descendants will be counted as part of your lineage (DNA) This confirms that it is NOT merely the natural offspring of Abraham who are considered the children of God (Isaac and Jacob) Rather the children born because of God’s promise are counted as descendants. Romans 9.6-8
Chapter 9 deals entirely with god’s treatment of two lineages one through Jacob and one through Christ. Both considered Children of Abraham. One lineage trough the flesh and one lineage trough the promise. Two different covenants.
22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, 24 which things are symbolic. For these are [a]the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— 25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— 26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. Galatians 4.22-26. The Covenant of the flesh (circumcision of the Flesh ISRAEL to whom pertains the adoption and The Circumcision of the Spirit The CHURCH) Who are born again.
Having been born again, not of corruptible seed (sperma) but incorruptible (amarantino = perpetual, non-ceasing, immortal) through the word (Logos) of God which lives and abides forever, 1 Peter 1.23
The Greek term used here for seed is sperma. Salvation is the miracle of regeneration, or re-gene-ration. This is the miracle of the new birth, as Paul declares, “So you are no longer a slave [to the law, to rules], but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir” We are his lineage, we are partakes of His divine nature, we have His DNA. When we are born again His Divine Nature activates our Sonship. His sperma determines our nature our lineage our characteristics, our abilities and even our looks. We receive His genes and we become a part of His genealogy. The living and abiding word of God is Jesus, The logos that was in the beginning, that became flesh and that dwelt amongst us. In essence ONCE A SON ALWAYS A SON. We have a perpetual, non-ceasing and eternal life.
However, you need a new nature. When we are born again, the presence of the Holy Spirit in us gives us a new nature. Children of the first Adam need to become children of the last Adam, and although the Bible also teaches that God makes us as his children, he does more than that.
When the scripture talks about our new BIRTH through our father’s seed, it is really speaking our true nature as sons. The new birth is something available to us that was not available under the Old Testament. We are partakers of a NEW and Better Covenant built on better promises. Hebrews states that the OLD Covenant ceases to exist.
We have been taught that we were adopted into God’s family; this is an erroneous interpretation of the scriptures. There are two ways you can become a member of a family one is by birth and the other is by adoption. The first come through an intimate relationship (conception) the second comes by choice (chosen).
According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of NT words HUIOS-THESIA comes from Huios a son and Thesia a placing or relationship. According to Vine “believers are CONCEIVED as sons by the Holy Spirit trough faith.
In Ephesians 1.5 it reads that we were predestined as to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself. In Romans 8.15 it reads that we received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba Father. Galatians 4.5 says that we might receive the adoption as sons. The Greek word for adoption is huiosthesia which means placing as sons. Sons by relationship. Huios direct relationship, Thesia placing. The New English Bible reads we receive the spirit that makes us His sons. The Passion Bible reads: God released the Spirit of Sonship into our hearts. The paradigms of the translators were influenced by Roman Catholic theology and as a result we have not understood our Paternity, Lineage (DNA), Inheritance or legacy.
Understanding this very critical point we can see that the Scriptures reveal that WE are the sons of God born again under a new and better covenant and that both Moses and Paul indicate that it is Israel that is a chosen people and sons of Jacob (not of God).
Paul writes concerning the Israelites that it is to them that pertains the adoption, the covenants, the giving and living under the law and in Galatians he refers to them as the sons of Hagar, Abraham’s choice and refers to us as the sons of Abraham referring to God’s choice. Moses refers to them as sons of Jacob’s seed and a chosen people, an adopted nation.
For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. Deut. 7:6 and 14:2 NKJV
O seed of Israel (NOT OF JESUS) His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen (adopted) ones! 1 Chr. 16:13
How amazing it is to understand our lineage. By the washing into the blood of Jesus we have a new GENESIS. We are a new creation, we have new Genes, New DNA (Divine Nature Activation) we have been REGENERATED, we have a new GENEOLOGY we become sons of God, Brothers of Jesus and Joint heirs, and we have a new LINEAGE, lineage of Abraham and sons of God.
23 [a]and that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he afore prepared unto glory, 24 even us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles? 25 As he saith also in Hosea,
[b]I will call that my people, which was not my people;
And her beloved, that was not beloved.
26 [c]And it shall be, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people,
There shall they be called sons of the living God.
27 And Isaiah cried concerning Israel, [d]If the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that shall be saved: 28 for the Lord will execute his word upon the earth, finishing it and cutting it short. 29 And, as Isaiah hath said before,
Except the Lord of Sabbath had left us a seed,
We had become as Sodom, and had been made like unto Gomorrah.
30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who followed not after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith: 31 but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. 32 Wherefore? [f]Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by works. They stumbled at the stone of stumbling; 33 even as it is written,
[g]Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence:
And he that believeth on [h]him shall not be put to shame. Romans 9.23-29
It all boils down to ONCE A SON ALWAYS A SON. There is NO WAY we can change our nature that Paul calls incorruptible (amarantino = perpetual, non-ceasing, immortal)
Chapter 10
This chapter is the Foundation of God’s Salvation through Jesus the Christ
But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach: 9 [e]because if thou shall [f]confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shall believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shall be saved: 10 for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, [g]Whosoever believeth on him shall not be put to shame. 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek: for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich unto all that call upon him: 13 for, [h]Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 and how shall they preach, except they be sent? even as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they did not all hearken to the [k]glad tidings. For Isaiah saith, [l]Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Romans 10.8-17
SOTERIOLOGY. In Christian systematic theology it is used to refer to the study of the biblical doctrine of Salvation. Comes from the Greek terms SOTER meaning Savior or Deliverer and LOGOS meaning “word” “matter” or “thing”
It often includes topics such as the nature and extent of the ATONEMENT as well as the entire process of salvation, conceived as an eternal, divine plan designed to rescue lost and erring sinners and bring them back into ETERNAL fellowship with God. Many regard it as the primary theme in Scripture with the Kingdom of God as its goal. It discusses how Christ’s death secures the salvation and eternal life of those who believe. It also helps to understand the doctrines of redemption, justification, sanctification, propitiation, the new birth and atonement.
Other than Christology, Soteriology is the area where Christianity differs most from cults and other world religions. It help us to know why Salvation is by GRACE ALONE (Ephesians 2.8-9) through FAITH ALONE, IN Jesus Christ alone (Acts 4.12). No other religion bases salvation on faith alone. Philippians 4.7 assures us that our salvation provides a peace that passes understanding because we come to know that He who never fails secures our salvation.
SOTER Strong’s #4990 Deliverer, Savior
SOTERIA Strong’s # 4991 (Used 45 Times in NT)
Romans 1.16, Romans 10.10, Romans 11.11, 13.11, 2 Corinthians 6.2, 7.10, Ephesians 1.13
The generic word. It is an all-inclusive word signifying forgiveness, healing, prosperity, deliverance, safety, rescue, liberation and restoration. Christ’s Salvation is total in scope for the total man: Spirit, Soul and Body
SOTERION, Strongs 4992 (Used 5 times in NT):
Christ’s SALVATION is total in scope for the total needs of Spirit, Soul and Body.
In Nahum 1.15 quoted by Paul in Romans 10.15. Behold, in the mountains The feet of him who brings good tidings Who proclaim SHALOM. Strongs #7955:
Completeness, Wholeness, Heath, welfare, safety, soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of discord. Everything provided by Jesus for our total needs for our Spirit, Soul and Body.
The meaning of Shalom in the Hebrew is exactly what the word SOTERIA means
Paul describes to Titus the SUMMARY of SALVATION:
But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man He came to Save us 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but because of His extravagant mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration (rebirth) and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus the Messiah, our life giver, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. Titus 3.4-8