Romans 6:14

Romans 6:14 says, For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.  Again, we need to remember that Paul was speaking first to the Jews.  They believed that the Law was the way to a correct relationship with God, but they could never live up to and often even corrupted the real meaning of the Law.  Paul tells us that we are not under the Law, but under the grace of God, which can never be misapplied.  We are not in control of the grace of God.  We can share the truth of God's grace with the world, but we can never withhold it.  No matter how we may feel about a person or group of people, God's grace will always be available to them.  As Matthew Henry points out, there are only two families we can belong to.  One is the family of God through His grace, and the other is the family of sin by rejecting His grace.  There is no middle ground. Verse fifteen adds, What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.  Paul once more addresses the concept of sinning, of willfully disobeying the will of God since we are under His grace, and he once again emphatically states that we should never have this attitude.  God forbid, Paul said.  I believe we can be certain that God would indeed forbid such thought.  Sin does not become any less devastating just because we are saved through Christ.  We must always recognize sin for what it is, and that is disobedience to the will of God.  As followers of Christ, though we are far from perfect, that should always be our goal.  The more we are guided by the Holy Spirit, the closer we come to this standard.  Verse sixteen continues, Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?  Here, Paul once again presented the two choices every person has.  We can either be the servant of sin unto death, or the servant of obedience to righteousness thorough Christ.  Some people might fool themselves into believing that if they deny Christ they are free to make their own decisions, but they simply fool themselves.  They are still under the dominion of sin. Again, there are but two choices.  I have heard people say they had rather rule in hell than to serve in heaven, but the truth is they will ultimately serve in one place or the other. We just have to choose where we serve.  Verse seventeen concludes, But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.  We should indeed thank God that we are no longer the servants of sin if we accept the doctrine of Christ.  This is the gift of grace.

Romans 6:8

Romans 6:8 says, Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:  Paul states now if, and that is always the key.  We can question the existence of Christ or the truth of His death, burial and resurrection, but that does not change the fact that Jesus Christ lived, died and rose again to bring salvation to all.  That is why the now if is needed.  Christ died for all sins, but not all accept His sacrifice and believe in what He did.  There are those who say that they cannot believe that a loving God would send anyone to hell, and He doesn't.  He will allow people, already forgiven through Christ, to choose to ignore that gift and go away into everlasting punishment, though. Again, it is a choice of the free will of man.  When we accept Christ as Savior and Lord, we live in Him.  Verse nine adds, Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. Paul states that once Christ rose from the dead, sin had no dominion over Him.  Through our faith in Christ, we have that same assurance.  Verse ten continues this thought saying, For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.  Christ did not have to die over and over to pay the penalty of sin.  That in no way frees us to sin by saying the penalty is already paid so it doesn't matter.  The second half of the verse says that Christ lives, and He lives unto God.  After we accept salvation through Christ, we are to live unto God.  Sin no longer has dominion over us and should never be something we desire.  We are to live for God's glory.  Verse eleven states, Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  We are dead to sin.  This does not mean that we become perfect people, but that we are to strive to live in the perfect will of God.  We are alive through Christ our Lord.  Where we get into trouble is when we want Christ as our Savior but forget this means He is also our Lord.  Verse twelve adds, Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.  We still have a choice to let sin into our lives again, even if we are followers of Christ.  This happens when we don't rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance and strength and attempt to live by our own wisdom and power.  We should quickly recognize when this occurs and never allow sin to reign for any length before asking God for forgiveness. Verse thirteen continues, Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.  Paul tells us we are never to use any part of our body for unrighteousness, but we are to live as those who are freed from death through Christ.  We are to be vibrant people through the power of the Holy Spirit, and not ruled by the desires of sin.

Romans 6:1

Romans 6:1 says, What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  Paul had asked this question before in chapter three, verse eight, as having been falsely proclaimed by some.  We do not need to continue to sin in order to increase the grace of God.  His grace is sufficient for all sin for all time, but it is not a license to sin, and certainly not a call to sin.  As followers of Christ, we are not given time off for bad behavior.  We cannot discount sin as already being paid for and therefore showing more glory to God's mercy if we do sin.  Verse two adds, God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?  Paul again strongly denied this idea.  He said God forbid such thinking, and then asked how we could be dead to sin through Christ and still want to live in sin.  Through Christ, sin has lost it power over us and should have lost its appeal as well.  We are a new creature in Christ.  Verse three continues, Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  Paul asked if they understood what baptism in Christ meant, and his question applies to followers of Christ today.  Christ's death paid the penalty of sin, and when we accept Him as our Savior, we accept His death for to pay the price for our sins.  This frees us from both the power and penalty of sin.  Verse four states, Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  Paul tells us that since we are baptized into the death of Christ for our sins, and since He was raised to the glory of God, so should we be.  We are to walk in newness of life, no longer allowing sin to rule us.  Though we do not become perfect, we can never say that we are sinning that God's grace might be magnified.  Verse five adds, For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:  Paul tells I believe that when we have been buried, or planted, as followers of Christ in the acceptance of his sacrifice for us, we will also be resurrected as He was.  For us, that means we will have our relationship with God restored when we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse six continues, Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.  Through our faith in Christ, sin loses its power over us and we are no longer to serve sin.  The Holy Spirit now indwells us to strengthen and guide us, and through our faith in God we can overcome all temptation.  When we do fail, we are truly without excuse.  Though we do not lose our eternal salvation, we do lose our closeness with God.  Verse seven concludes, For he that is dead is freed from sin.  When we physically die, we can be sure that we are freed from sinning, but even more so, as we accept Christ's death on the cross for our sins, we are spiritually dead to the power of sin.  As long as we maintain our relationship to Christ, we will no longer give in to the power of sin.

Romans 5:16

Romans 5:16 says, And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.   I believe that Paul was speaking of the sin of Adam, but I also believe we can apply it to each person since.  Sin, rebellion against God, is a choice that each of us makes at some point in life, and we cannot blame it on anyone else.  We may say that it is not fair since we don't live in a perfect world as Adam and Eve did, but neither did Jesus, and He lived without sin.  In order for the sacrifice of Christ to be truly meaningful, we must acknowledge that He was fully human and subject to temptation just as we are.  There is always a tendency to want to blame someone else for our sins, but we are alone responsible.  Still, because of the sacrifice of Christ, the sins of the world were paid for, but it is up to each individual to accept that gift of grace.  Verse seventeen adds, For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)   This again states the truth that Christ died, not for a selected group, but for all.  We just have to accept this abundance of grace and gift of righteousness made available through Christ.  It is so sad to know that those who go away to eternal separation from God do so with their sins, that which separates them from God, already forgiven through Christ, but they simply choose not to accept that gift of grace.  Verse eighteen continues, Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.  This again states that by the righteousness of one Man, Jesus Christ, the free gift of salvation came to all people for all time, if they only accept that gift. Verse nineteen states, For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.  We can read this to mean that by Adam's disobedience all men were made sinners, but we cannot say in my opinion that we are guilty because of the sin of Adam.  Each person chooses at some point to rebel against the will of God, and just as the sin of Adam affected many, so does ours.  Not that our sin makes them guilty, but that we lead them away from God's will.  The good news is that the obedience of Christ makes salvation available to all.  Verse twenty adds, Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: Paul said that the Law only made sin abound.  This was not the purpose of the Law, but the result due to the failure of even one person to keep the Law, until Christ came.  That is where grace abounded, with the coming of Jesus Christ to fulfill the Law on behalf of everyone.  Verse twenty-one continues, That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.  Through sin, we earn death.  Through grace, by believing in the sacrifice of Christ for us, we are given everlasting life.  It is a simple choice, with nothing in between.

Romans 5:12

Romans 5:12 says, Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:  We know that when God created the world that He pronounced it good.  Adam and Eve walked and talked with God freely but were given a choice of whether or not to obey God.  Paul states that thorough one man, Adam, sin entered into the world, but we cannot blame Adam for our sins.  Through each individual since Adam, sin enters into our relationship to God.  I do not stand guilty before God for the sins of Adam, but for my own sins.  Verse thirteen adds, (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.  Sin existed in the world from the time of Adam, even before the giving of the Law of God.  Sin has to do with our relationship to God.  Adam was called to obey God, and was told what would happen if he didn't.  We today, when we are born into this world, are born to obey God, and as soon as we know what He wants of us and disobey we earn death.  We cannot blame our separation from God on anything but our own sin.  Verse fourteen continues, Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. This is a continuation of the idea stated in verse thirteen. Death reigned from Adam to Moses, because disobedience to the will of God brought death into the world.  If Adam, or anyone since, had lived in total obedience to God, then Christ's death would not have been necessary.  No one else since Adam and Eve have walked with God as they did in a perfect place to live, but our sins are still our own.  We still have a choice, and still choose sin.  Verse fifteen concludes, But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.  Paul tells us that by the sin of one man many are dead.  The tree of life was removed because of the sin of Adam, but everlasting life was restored by the grace of God through one Man, Jesus Christ. It is up to each individual to accept or reject that gift.  If we do accept it, we like Adam and Eve can walk freely with God as we then have the Holy Spirit living in us.  This is not an option, but an accomplished fact.

Romans 5:6

Romans 5:6 says, For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  I believe here Paul tells us once again why Jesus had to die on the cross.  We are without strength to save ourselves, as the nation of Israel and the rest of the world had proven over and over. When the time was right for God, He sent Jesus to die for our sins.  We must never question God's plans or His timing.  We might wonder why God waited so long to send the Messiah, but we must be satisfied with His timing. What we really need to understand is that Jesus died for the ungodly.  This also included those who were called God's people, because no one was or is capable of saving themself.  Verse seven adds, For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. Paul stated that most people would not die for a righteous man, one who was unjustly condemned, according to Matthew Henry.  We most likely will never be called on to place our life on the line for another, but there are some people we would be willing to die for to save them in this worldly life.  There are some who would even be willing to die for a good person that the world might not even recognize as being important. Matthew Henry says this a person who is useful to the world.  I believe this would be someone we know or place a great value on.  I believe Paul was moving from the righteous, those who attempted to do God's will, to the good, those who attempted to have a right relationship with others.  What I believe we can know Paul was saying is that most of us would not willingly die for either a righteous or a good person.  I don't believe he was talking about people who have jobs that sometimes require them to place their lives on the line for others, though this would still apply.  I believe he was talking about the average person in an average situation.  Verse eight continues, But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Christ did not die for anyone who was not guilty.  We were still sinners when He died for us.  We cannot become good and righteous in the eyes of God by our own merit.  Verse nine states, Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.   Paul tells us that when we are justified by Christ, we are saved from the wrath of God.  God will never take sin lightly, and neither should we. Christ sets us free from that earned wrath of God. Verse ten adds, For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.  We were reconciled by the death of Christ and saved by His life.  Christ paid the penalty for our sins by His death and gives us life by His resurrection. There is no other way to salvation.  Verse eleven continues, And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.  Paul calls on us to have joy through Christ, no matter what may be happening to us in the world .  We need to capture that joy every day.  We are to be a rejoicing people because we are forever atoned through Christ.

Romans 5:1

Romans 5:1 says, Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:  When we are justified by our faith, we have peace with God.  If we find ourselves questioning God, or seemingly at war with His will for our lives, we need to return to our faith.  Faith in God keeps us secure, not only in this life, but in life everlasting.  When we truly grasp this concept, we will never falter.  Verse two adds, By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  Paul stated that through faith in Christ, we have access to into God's grace, and in that grace is where we should stand. God does not call us into a limited standing in His grace, but into a full fellowship by His grace.  As Paul states, we should rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.  We as followers of Christ should be a rejoicing people. We have an everlasting relationship with God, so nothing should keep us from rejoicing in that relationship. Verse three continues, And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;  Paul had just stated that we are to rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, and now he states that we are to rejoice in tribulation as well.  Many would claim that as followers of Christ that He only wants happiness and success for us, but Paul knew the truth that tribulations could come from our following Christ.  The question is never if tribulations will come, but how we will react when they do.  We can either rejoice in Christ during any tribulation that comes our way, or we can falter in our faith and question or even blame God for our problems.  We must also remember that these tribulations come from our faith in God and not from our own following after the way of the world instead of obeying God.  Verse four states, And patience, experience; and experience, hope:  Paul is telling us that we learn by the experience that patience brings, and this brings us hope. When we patiently wait on the will of God to be made manifest to us, we learn that we can always rely on Him. Verse five adds, And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.  Paul continues by saying that we are not to be ashamed of hope in Christ, because the Holy Spirit sheds the love of God in our hearts.  We can never be effective followers of Christ if we are in any way or at any time ashamed of the gospel, because the Holy Spirit is with us at all times filling our hearts with the love of God.