E. M. B.-In all the questions (in this Epistle) suggested to the mind of man, and all the inferences drawn by the reason of men, we find as expressed in Chapter 11:4,— “What saith the answer of God to him?” Chapter 6 gives us two of these questions and answers.
Q. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? (4:1.)
A. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? (4:2.)
O. What then? shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?” (4:15.)
A. Being made free from sin ye became the servants of righteousness. (4:18.)
The following are a full list of God’s answers to man’s questions contained in Romans; Q. What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there in circumcision? 3:1.
A. Unto them were committed the oracles of God. 3:2.
Q. What if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? 3:3.
A. Let God be true but every man a liar. 3:4.
Q. Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance &c.? 3:5.
A. How then shall God judge the world? 3:6.
Q. If the truth of God bath more abounded through my life unto His glory why yet am I also judged as a sinner? 3:7.
A. Whose damnation is just, 3:8.
Q. Are we better than they? 3:9.
A. Jews and Gentiles are all under sin, 3:9.
Q. Where is boasting then? 3:27.
A. It is excluded by the law of faith, 3:27.
Q. Is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also of the Gentiles? 3:29.
A. Yes of the Gentiles also, 3:29.
Q. Do we then make void the law?
A. We establish the law. 3:31.
Q. What shall we say then that Abraham... hath found? 4:1.
A. Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness, 4:3.
Q. What shall we say then? shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 6:1.
A. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? 6:2.
Q. What then? shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? 6:15.
A. Being made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness, 6:18.
Q. Is the law sin? 7:7.
A. No. It detects sin. The law is holy &c. 7:12.
Q. Was then that which is good made death unto me? 7:13.
A. Sin... working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful, 7:13?
Q. Is there unrighteousness with God? 9:14.
A. He saith to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion, 9:15.
Q. Why doth He yet find fault? For who hath resisted His will? 9:19.
A. Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? 9:20.
Q. Hath God cast away His people? 11:1.
A. There is a remnant according to grace (11:5.) All Israel shall be saved, 11:26.
Q. Have they stumbled that they should fall? 11
A. If the casting away of these be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead? 11:15.
G. K. B. —From verse 1-14 sin is looked at as the old master; from 15-23 it is looked on as the old nature. We have here deliverance from its power, as we have already had from its guilt. The latter answers to the Passover, the former to the Red Sea.
Yod. —This chapter shows that while we are freed from the consequences of sin (Chapter 5) we must not go on sinning, for we are virtually dead to sin (though sin be still in us), and thus free to serve the living God.
Ed. —Yes, and it shows that, although already in possession of the righteousness of God, practical righteousness, which is the theme of the chapter, is also required.
E.-Is not this chapter the practical application of the latter half of Chapter 5?
C. H. P. —We are said to be “dead to sin,” “dead to sins” “dead to the law,” and “crucified to the world.” The Authorized Version in the various passages that refer to our death, burial and resurrection with Christ speaks of our present condition, the Revised Version of a past action; which is right, and what is the difference? For instance:—A.V.
We are dead to sin
We are buried
We are circumcised, buried, risen
R.V.
We have died to sin
We are buried
We were circumcised, having been buried, were raised
and many other passages.
Ed. —The Revised Version is undoubtedly the more correct and represents the fact, the Authorized Version rather presents the result of that fact.
Yod. —Verse 3 reads Revised Version “Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” This shows more clearly than the Authorized Version that it was not only some who were baptized but all. E. B. —Is this the same as 1 Corinthians 12:1313For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13)?
Ed. —Surely not. The Spirit baptized into Christ’s body. Water baptism is unto Christ’s death.
Yod. —Is there not something of Ephesian truth in ver. 4?
Ed. —We do not get union with Christ here, or sitting in Him, or our place in the heavenlies, so characteristic of Ephesians. Observe the difference between “hath” and “are,” and “should” (conditional). Whenever it is a question of what Christ or God have done for us, it is a certainty, and is “hath” or “are.” When it is a question of our actions there is an “if” and it is “should.”
G. K. B. —I notice that our resurrection with Christ is not spoken of here. The old man, or old nature, is a judged and crucified thing, not merely dead. It came to its judicial end on the cross. In Christ’s death, as Christians, we have professedly taken part, so that death to sin is our settled portion down here. In this chapter we have the water, in Chapter 3 the blood, and in Chapter 8 the Spirit, and these three agree in one. See 1 John 5:88And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. (1 John 5:8).
C. H. P. —What is the meaning of “that the body of sin might be destroyed,” also “putting off the body of the flesh,” Colossians 2
G. K. B. — “The body of sin” means sin as a whole; “destroyed” means annulled, rendered powerless; “freed” means justified or cleared.
E. M. B. —Are we not prone (practically) to disbelieve that the flesh is crucified? and, as the result of not shaping our thoughts from the Word of God, we fight and war with the old nature. I do not believe a man is crucified if I am fighting with him. To overcome the flesh one must bring in the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost brings in the cross. I should like to know exactly in what sense we are dead.
Ed. —Verse 9 shows it refers to our old nature. It is a fact true before God, but only true to faith as far as regards our experience.
G. K. B.7 —The righteousness and holiness in this chapter are both practical. As to verse 14 we see the law does not give power, but grace does.
Iota. —Is verse 14 a promise or a command?
Ed. —It is neither exactly, it is a statement of the effects of grace in contrast to law, and is made good to those who walk by faith. Observe, in principle we are dead to sin, in practice it has no power.
T. C. —What a pitiable description is given in verses 16 -21 of the “servants (slaves) of sin,” who have rejected the positive enjoyment and perfect liberty of God’s service to sink into abject bondage to the power of sin! Whilst priding themselves on acting in freewill, they are but the very slaves of their own passions, the unresisting tools of Satan, yielding to him the ready obedience which, in utter willfulness, they deny to God. As an old writer quaintly puts it, “Much discourse hath been spent, and much ink hath been spilled upon the debate of freewill; but truly all the liberty it hath, till the Son and His Spirit free it, is that miserable freedom the apostle speaks of, “When ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.”
Iota—I think ver. 18 is translated better in the Revised Version. “But thanks be to God, that whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart, &c.
M. B. —In verse 16 we have yielding to a person. Ver. 19 yielding to a principle. There are two claimants for our obedience. Him “whose right it is,” and a usurper. With full purpose of heart the latter should be dethroned, and the diadem given to Him who is worthy. “The time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will” (1 Peter 4:33For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: (1 Peter 4:3)) of the old master whose wages are death (vi. 23) Now we do not want to live for any but one will.
Ed. —A practical commentary on this chapter may be found in the latter half of Ephesians 4 and beginning of Chapter 5
E. M. B. —It is not as easy for the divine nature in us to yield to God and righteousness, as for the old to yield to sin and Satan.
Ed. —Surely, only you must remember that the latter has the advantage of being the first in possession of the members of our bodies.
E. M. B. —In verses 21, 22 Compare v. 19-23, contrasting “the works (plural) of the flesh” with “the fruit (singular) of the Spirit”— “fruit unto holiness.” It is one unbroken cluster and not to be divided (Galatians 5:22-2322But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22‑23)). Surely the reason why we bring forth so little “fruit unto God” is because we give ourselves so little up to Him in whom our fruit is found, and because we do not cease from our own works and let Him work in us, Philippians 2:1313For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13). Hebrews 13:2121Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:21).
Iota. —I like the Revised Version best in ver. 23. “But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
T. H. —These words are indeed a glorious summing up of these chapters to the believer.
Ed. —Yes, Jesus takes our wages and we get “God’s free gifts.” There are still one or two general points to take up in this chapter, but we must leave them now till our next reading, as this is already prolonged beyond our usual limit.
(We have no space for Romans 7 this month.)