Bible, NT-22, Romans
Part 2
LESSON 22
ROMANS
Part 2
By Rev. G. Evan Newmyer
Rom 6:1-23
So, if the work of Grace is internal, should we just let the flesh run wild? No, under the condemnation the soul was servant to the flesh, the lust of the flesh sought the feelings of pleasure, as the soul sought to appease the flesh. If the flesh is imputed dead, it has no feelings. The darkness of the flesh seeks the darkness of the prince of the power of the air, the soul knew no other means than the flesh, until the Spirit of Truth entered. Grace is the Justification of God, there is a means in which it works. The Law of Moses is flesh based, it considers the flesh, not the soul, thus the works of the Law of Moses are flesh based. Two completely different methods for two completely different Laws, yet from the same God. The Law of Moses defines sin, it doesn’t do away with it: the Law of the Spirit does away with sin through the process of Justification.
If we are dead to sin, or better have completed the course of sin by the imputed death, why would we continue in sin? Before we accepted the Cross sin had power over us, the Cross reversed it, sin no longer has power over us, since the power of sin is in the flesh. The means is the Authority of Jesus, the Cross granted us the Name of Jesus, the Name (Authority) above all names.
Now we establish the Free Gift status, all we need do is accept it, then walk in it. The next three chapters are important, one will not understand chapter 7 unless they grasp chapter 6. They won’t appreciate chapter 8, unless they understand chapter 7. There are some key words found in the next few verses, we begin with “Shall we continue in sin?”, it doesn’t mean we won’t slip, it means continuing in sin as a way of life, or nature.
Verse 2 shows we are dead, so if we are, how are we reading this? Imputed death, now we know the importance of being able to impute our old Psuche life dead. We were the walking dead, all we did was finish the course somewhat early by imputing death on the Cross. However, it can’t stop there, we must move on to obtain the power of Christ by the Spirit. Our Water Baptism was our token for our induction into the Body, thus the Body identifies us with the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, but why Death and Resurrection? Without the Resurrection we lack the Spiritual nature to overcome, the Resurrection is Life more abundantly, the place of Grace by the Spirit. Verse 4 displays the Mercy we gained at the Cross by the wording, “Glory of the Father”, something the Romans forgot.
The identification process of baptism is first into the Death, before anyone can be Resurrected, they must die. We now have a Newness of life, but verse 4 shows, “we also should walk in newness of life”, we’re not forced to. The word Newness is the Greek Kainotes it doesn’t mean an experience similar to the past, like something rejuvenated, rather it means something qualitatively different, so new it was never before.
Three elements are obvious, dead, burial and raised. Our water baptism didn’t perform the tasks, it was our token to identify us to the place where the tasks take place. It’s the baptism with the Holy Ghost bringing the means to accomplish the tasks. Bringing in the Doctrine of baptisms, the Resurrection is connected to the Spirit, giving us not only water baptism, but the baptism with the Holy Ghost to receive the Spirit.
Verse 5 gives us the clue in the word Likeness which is the Greek Homoioma meaning a figure of something, or similitude which represents something; the acceptance of the death of Jesus coupled with all it represented. Then a like figure is the death (v. 4), being buried (planted v. 5), then resurrected (v. 5), all areas fitting the Doctrine of Baptisms. The death removed “continuing in sin”, the grave put the flesh to rest, the Resurrection is the process to bring a change in natures. The old nature was born of the flesh, it was earthly, soulish and sensual. The New Nature is Spirit, thus our souls are making the change in the process from the flesh to the Spirit. We can force the flesh to obey the touch not, do not, we can close the eye gate, shut the ear gate, slam the nose gate, but those are matters of minding the flesh, they have nothing to do with minding the Spirit.
Verse 6 tells us, “knowing this, our old man is crucified with Him”; as the first premise to gain authority over the flesh. The flesh is the means by which sin operates, once the flesh is imputed dead, the authority of the enemy is defeated, useless, and inoperative. If we fail to consider (impute) the old nature dead, we can ‘t gain the Power of the Resurrection. We must impute the old man dead, no two ways about it. We must believe what we said, and stop believing the old man: “I am not dead, do you hear me?, I am not”. Words of darkness should not move us from the Light. The key? “the body of sin Might be Destroyed”, which is a Grave issue pointing to the process, (might be). We cannot be deceived into thinking we are justified now, the power to sin is defeated, but the process is the cleaning by the Blood of Jesus coupled with the washing of the Water by the Word. When God is cleaning it’s not for us to sin, but to remove hindrances to keep us from falling.
Imputing takes authority, position and something from God allowing us to impute. We imputed the old man dead, crucified with Christ, so what does the old man do? Use unlawful imputing claiming he is resurrected. Is he? No, lacks authority. Will he say he is? Yes, he is a liar like his father. Do we have to believe him? No, not at all, we believe what we said, he is imputed dead. Evidenced by the word Destroyed in verse 6, which is the Greek Katargeo meaning To render inactive it comes from the Greek Kata indicating a motion from upward to downward, coupled with the Greek Argeo meaning To be inactive, or To abolish. The old man is no longer effective in our lives, he will say he is, but it’s just the voice of the stranger.
If we’ve imputed the old nature dead, along with the deeds, then we are no longer under bondage to serve sin. It doesn’t mean we won’t miss it from time to time, it means we won’t Serve sin, much different. The word Serve is the Greek Douleuo, the same word we find in the phrase “we should serve in newness of Spirit” (Rom 7:6). The word means to be subject to, or in service to, it could mean in bondage to, depending on what one is under. We as kings have been given power over sin, over the wiles of the enemy, we can tread on serpents and all the works of the enemy. However, from time to time we hear the old man boast in himself, we answer, “Huh? Yeah, okay, sounds right”. We must have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying, as we are able to discern the wiles of the enemy, from the Ways of Grace. Will Grace use deceptive means to make a point? No, will Grace use manipulation, or domination to control people? No, will Grace allow anger to control it? No. The old nature is crucified, hanging on the Cross with the Law; leave them there and move on to the Power of His Resurrection.
The false twisted concept saying once we receive the Cross we will not fail produces three things, religious conceit, false assurance, and condemnation on others, which in turn produces condemnation on us. When someone slips the religious conceited attack, “Oh you were not saved”, “but I asked, I prayed, I begged, you said I was”, “yeah, well you missed it, you are not saved”, “what then does it take?”. God exposed, yet someone told us we weren’t saved, yet the exposure is a sure sign we are saved from the world to be saved by the Grace of God. Without understanding how Justification brings Experiences, as the Experiences give us Patience, we never know why we are to Rejoice when we fall into divers temptations (James 1:2). Why Patience? It’s a process (or did we say that?).
Then this phrase in Verse 7, “for he who is dead is freed from sin”. If we are dead by the Cross of Jesus, the Law of Moses has then served its purpose, it is nailed to the Cross, it’s no longer effective. It can’t accuse us, neither can the devil, unless we give him place; in some cases we give the devil opportunity by using some deed in the Law of Moses to benefit by. However, we have the power to either give place to the devil, or not, meaning if we do give place, we can take it back; showing we have the authority and power. Deception will trip us from time to time, but it’s no reason to travel around the tree fifty times to find out it’s a tree. We discern to learn, so we won’t burn.
The word Freed has to be the opposite of bondage, we find it’s the Greek word Dikaioo meaning To render righteous, which really opens this up. We accepted the Cross, God imputed His Righteousness on us, giving us the ability to impute the old man dead, opening the door for the Impartation of God’s Righteousness by the New Man. The Impartation will not take full effect until we believe the imputing was effective. Like Mercy, we ask, God imputes, we give, God imparts. The very reason for “believe you receive” is to change the imputing to impartation.
This is Mark 11:22-26, there are many things the old man can’t do, some he simply refuses to do, forgiveness is one of those. When we forgive based on the Mercy of God it’s like driving fifty million nails into the old man. The old nature will fight it tooth and nail, “what forgive them, are you crazy? Look at what they did”, “Okay so you’re going to forgive them fine, but what about those who allowed it? We need some retribution”, or, “they need to apologize”, or the classic, “we must have some recognition of the wrong done to us”. No we don’t, some of us want to make sure the other person knows we forgave them, but it’s still condemning them. We forgive in prayer, or reconcile through Mercy. “Well I have to take a step of faith by telling them what they did”, still seeking validation by setting the other person in condemnation, which in turn shows we lack forgiveness. We’re not going to be free of the unforgiveness if we continue to play mind games with the premise.
The exception to the rule would be “faults” done one to another as James notes (James 5:16); then it’s not telling someone what they did wrong, but seeking restoration regardless of who is right or wrong. The premise is still prayer, pray for one another so we may be healed (James 5:16). You have not because you ask not, or you have not because you want to consume it on a lust (James 4:1-4). Some will pray to forgive someone, then tell them, “I forgive you, because I’m a child of God”. Please, introducing pride by seeking validation removes us from Mercy. The only reason we told them was to exalt ourselves, or condemn them. The key here in Romans connects to the Ingress Aires, imputing the old man dead on the cross is denying the self, but it doesn’t end there, we have to pick up the cross to affirm the death by forgiving as God for Christ sake has forgiven us. We have to do the same as Jesus, we forgive through the Mercy of the Father. This is all made clearer in Verse 8, “Now”, which means Now, becomes the place where our belief and faith meet: “if we be dead with Christ, we believe we shall also live with (by) Him”. A present tense concept, it’s not unto to Him, but With (By) Him Now. The death of the old man leads to the Resurrection, this is the same as “we must believe in our heart God raised Him from the dead”; as a belief issue, not a faith issue. This is based on the Promise and Procedure in the presented information, meaning we acquire a sinless body called the Body of Christ.
This issue of believing is always important, we hear a lot about Faith, but little about belief, yet belief is a mainstay. We are called “Believers”, yet we are faith people. One doesn’t out weigh the other, but we can become unequal if we lean toward faith and forget belief. Verse 9 is a Belief issue, “knowing”, a past tense issue of knowledge, which is the basis for belief. Verse 9 continues, “Christ being raised from the dead dies no more; death has no more dominion over Him”. A past tense issue as well, yet the premise is we impute the old nature dead once, then believe what we said, by minding the Spirit; knowing we have the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. Our confidence is not what we do, it’s what Jesus did for us.
Verse 10 continues the thought, for if He died, He died unto sin Once; but He lives unto God. This begins with “if”, but it’s paradoxical, for on the other hand if He didn’t, then all is lost, thus we must firmly believe, as a man believes so is he. This is our example and basis of belief, if we imputed the old man dead, he is dead. If we received the Spirit, we are alive in Christ, but the faith issue has to be “lives unto God”. If we are in this to live unto ourselves, we have taken the Cross in vain.
Verse 11 again points to Imputing, “Likewise reckon (impute) you also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord”. This is two areas of imputing, both count. The first is to impute ourselves dead to sin, which would be the next step after we imputed the old man dead. Then we have to impute ourselves alive unto God Through Jesus, therefore the imputing is based on something God said plus what Jesus did. We can’t impute ourselves alive by our deeds, or by the Law of Moses, or by keeping a day, or by not keeping a day, it has to be through Jesus.
The Law of Moses didn’t make it through the Cross, for if it did, then it, not Jesus would bring our justification. The Law stopped at the Cross, it couldn’t enter the kingdom of heaven, much less the Kingdom of God.
Verse 12 is the result of the imputing, the word Reign is the Greek Basileuo meaning to be a king or ruler. This also pertains to the rulers of darkness, anger, pride, natural reasoning regarding spiritual matters, but they have a realm in which they operate as rulers. We have a realm wherein we operate as kings, the purpose of a kingdom is to carry out the will of the king. If we are kings, we have authority in our realm, the rulers of darkness have no authority in the Light.
Verse 13 then tells us not to yield, which means we have the power to yield our members as instruments (weapons) of unrighteousness, or not to. The manner of warfare is not to fight the unrighteousness, but to yield ourselves unto God. How? By the Spirit, it will be the point. The weapons of our warfare are mighty through God, here is one method, we submit to God allowing the Spirit to apply the Righteousness of God.
Verse 14 answers the question, “what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin so Grace may abound?”. “Sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the Law but under Grace”. If we use the methods of the Law of Moses, we are giving sin dominion over us, since the Law defines sin. However, if we allow Grace to operate in our lives we will find sin has no dominion over us.
Verse 15 asks another question, “What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the Law, but under Grace?”. The power is in our hands, we are the kings, whatever we yield to, becomes ruler over us. If we “obey” the call of the lusts, we will serve them. The illusion of a lust dominating us is when the lust tells us it will serve us, yet the lust seeks to dominate and control. We begin by thinking we are using the lust for our benefit, but then it becomes ruler dominating our thinking. Sin has power over the flesh, but if the flesh is dead, sin no longer has power. How? The woman saw the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh), pleasant to the eyes (lust of the eye) to be desired to make one wise (pride of life), the flesh took of the fruit, the soul became corrupt because of the flesh. The paradox is seen when someone yields to sin, they are entering an area of disobedience, the result is death. However, if they yield, or submit to the New Man it becomes obedience “unto Righteousness” (v. 16). Again we see this is a Process, even the Righteousness leads to Justification is a growth Process.
We can read these verses, yet leave off the word “Experience”, then condemn ourselves to the bone every time we make a miss step. This is not to condemn us, but it’s leading to the only possible way a person in the Body of Christ can be free. Clearly if Paul says they are under Grace, they have entered the Process, but then he adds they can yield to be servants of sin, or they can be servants of God. It’s still choice, showing the Predestination is not God making the choice, but God honoring the choices made. Jude, Peter, John and Paul show we have the keys, God knows, but it doesn’t mean God causes. We know the sun will raise, but we didn’t cause it to rise, yet in the Process we have choices many.
Verse 17 shows we were servants of sin, yet sin has all sorts of elements, pride is a sin, exalting people or things above measure is idol worship, a sin. We tend to think, “well gee, I haven’t murdered anyone, I try to appear good, so I must be good”, wrong it’s still pride based in our efforts, a subject Paul will soon approach.
The Heart is the issue again, not the intellect. We can believe intellectually, but it doesn’t mean we believe in our hearts. We need the circumcision of heart to have a heart capable of belief. We are made free from sin, taking us back to “were made sinners”, then “be made righteous” (v. 5:19). In 5:19 the wording “were made” is the Greek Kathistemi meaning to appoint a ruler, or to cause one to rule. The word Made in the phrase “be made righteous” is the same Greek word, showing one or the other will rule. However, the wording “made free” in verse 6:18 is the Greek Eleutheroo meaning Delivered, or Set at liberty. Prior it was we rule, now we see we accepted Grace to be made free from sin by Grace. Yet in verse 19 we find he is speaking in the manner of men, or giving logical simple answers, because of the infirmity of the flesh. Wait, he just said, “you have obeyed”, and “you became the servants of Righteousness”, or is it what they should have been?
The infirmity, or weakness of the flesh is what sin uses, now Paul tells the Romans how anyone can yield their members servants to uncleanness, and iniquity unto iniquity, however, we have the power and authority to reverse it, we can Now yield our members as servants to righteousness and holiness (v. 19). However, if they were already justified why say “Now”? They were judging so they could feel superior, or be validated, thus they yielded their members to unrighteousness. They entered error, yet they were not lost, rather they need to “put on the New Man” by yielding to the Spirit.
Verse 20 gives us the dilemma, we must yield to one or the other, it can’t be both at the same time. If we yield to the flesh, or mind the flesh we end as servants to sin, even if we’re in the Body. However, if we mind the Spirit, or yield to the Spirit we are then servants of Righteousness unto Justification.
What then is the evidence? The Fruit of the tree tells us what type of tree we are. If we are using manipulation or deception to make ourselves seem superior over others, we are yielding to the wrong tree. This points to a way of life, religious conceit always has fruit to identify it, being Judgmental is one. Paul didn’t read their minds, although the Holy Ghost will read the secrets of a person’s heart (I Cor 14:24-25), rather their acts told the story. Removing all this from a mind game, we have the example, the prior information on imputing, we know God did it with Abraham giving us the preview. We also know Jesus is raised from the dead, so His faith is proven. We know this is right, this is God, this is not something we made up, or someone else made up, this is the basis of being able to reach the Hope of God; it’s evidenced by the Seal of the Holy Spirit.
Verse 22 confirms it, now we are free from sin, free from the law, into a process to bring about the hope and desires, our fruit will be “unto holiness”, the result will surely be everlasting life, which is the same as being glorified.
The result of which path we take, if we mind the flesh then we are still under the Law, the result will be death. However, if we mind the Spirit the gift is eternal Life Through Jesus Christ. So if the Law of Moses came from God, how can it end in death? Answered for us in Chapter 7.
Rom 7:1-13
Paul now changes from those under Grace, to those who Know the Law of Moses; pointing to the Romans. If they were judging, they placed themselves under the Law of Moses. If we are imputed Innocent, we view things from the perspective of the Law of the Spirit. If sin has dominion, then the Law of Moses also does, it’s the same Greek word used in the phrase, “death has no more dominion over Him” (v. 6:9). It would seem like we have a contradiction of terms, the Law of Moses cannot justify us before God, since it came to separate us from God. The Law of Moses is designed to give man long life on the earth, but it doesn’t do away with sin, it merely balances it by allowing a sacrifice of an innocent animal to balance the person’s guilt. The Law of Moses then defines sin, once defined it points to the result, death. Death as a result of sin reigned from Adam to Moses, but the defining of sin came with the Law of Moses.
Going back to 6:8 we find we who are baptized (identified) into the Body are dead, so if we are dead, the Law no more has dominion over us. This shows the Law defines sin, thus sin had dominion over us, the Law saw sin, then took dominion over us as well. Simply, by imputing ourselves dead we finished the purpose of the Law of Moses.
Did God make a provision for all this? Yes, it’s in the Law. The New Law could not nullify the Old, the Old has a realm where it operates, but it had to make a provision for the New, without granting it. For a woman who has a husband is Bound (under dominion) by the Law to her husband as long as he lives, but if the old man (husband, no pun intended) is dead, then the woman is Loosed from the Old , she can then Lawfully seek the new (v. 2). This verse clearly points to Loosing and Binding, showing how the Gentile was under the Jew, the Jew under the Law, placing the Law over Jew and Gentile making both in bondage to sin. The same Law was only effective until a death took place, here Paul uses the Law to show the woman is Loosed from the Law if a death occurs.
So then, if while her first husband exists, yet she marries another, then she is in sin, bound by the Law, subject to punishment for being an adulteress; but if her husband is dead, then the Law no longer has dominion over her, she is Free to marry another, thus there is no condemnation on her (v. 3). The allegory would make it seem like we are calling the Law dead, but it’s not the case. We as the woman impute the old dead on the Cross, which lawfully allows us to accept the New. On the same note, we can seek one like the one who died, or seek one granting us Life. The conclusion is we have become dead to the Law to enter the Body of Christ, so our souls can join to the Spirit where our hope of a incorruptible body waits. When we put on the incorruptible body, then we are Glorified, as the Glory in us will be revealed. Until then we’re “being justified” by God.
For when we are in the flesh we were under the hand of the old man, the motions, or passions of sin ruled us. The Law defined sin, which in turn actually identified sin at work in our members, bringing forth death, thus the Law defined “sin and death” acknowledging “the you eat thereof you shall die” (v. 5). The word Motions is the Greek Pathema meaning a misfortune, a suffering, in this case it shows sin ruled over us, thus sin taking occasion brought death to fallen man’s flesh.
However, it’s then, this is Now, thus Now we are delivered from the Law, where we were held by the threat of death. Being imputed dead we are really free, having completed the purpose of the Law. Now, let us seek the Spirit, not the flesh, for even imputing the old man dead doesn’t mean we have the Spirit. We are baptized into the Body, but there remains other baptisms as well. We accepted the Body and the premises therein, but the baptism with the Holy Ghost means we are accepted by Christ into the work of justification by the Spirit in us.
So, does it mean the Law of Moses is sin? No, it means it defined it. The Law of Moses didn’t produce the lusts in us, it identified them. It’s in conjunction with James as he tells us about the spirit lusting to envy being the old nature, thus the Law defined it, made it known, but man was sold under the fall nature, as lusts ruled his life (v. 7).
Paul shows us the Law and the Ten Commandments are incorporated one into the other, the Commandment Thou shall not covet is the key here, indicating the spirit lusting to envy will break the Commandment continually (James 4:1-5). In order for the Law to deal with sin, it had to be defined, but as soon as sin was defined it was known as well. Jesus said “if I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin” (Jn 15:22). The Law of Moses defined sin, the Law of the Spirit exposes it: the Law of Moses gives a covering, the Law of the Spirit an escape.
Once sin was defined by the Law, the old man taking the opportunity used the same lusts to do the deeds of the Law, thus the result was pride, envy, or religious conceit. The Envy desired a Righteousness, yet man is incapable of having a Right Standing, they used self-righteousness in the place of God’s Righteousness, thus the Commandment “Thou shall not covet” would condemn them. The second they put the flesh to work to gain a position, they failed, since the flesh was the problem, the spirit lusting to envy would take credit for the act, pride would enter, then religious conceit, the person would them be condemned by the Commandment, the Law would then find them guilty, and around and around and around they would go.
What about the person who follows the Law? It is a Law without regard for the person, rather it points to the Letter (what is written). The Law came from God, but the Law has no heart, no compassion, it does have the power to bless the doer, or curse those who fail at doing. Okay, what about a man like Saul (Paul) who was a Pharisee of Pharisees, a man well educated in the Law, one who was discipled, trained by one of the most well known teachers of the Law in his day? A man whose intellect regarding the Law was far above those of others, a scholar of renown. What about him, huh? The dilemma is still there, even a person who desired to serve God in their mind, had to employ the flesh, thus they used the old man to perform the deed, in so doing their lust in the flesh would rob God of the glory. The Commandment being the Power of the Letter looked on the doer, defining the sin of self-righteousness as the pride of life, the lust of the eye, or the lust of the flesh, causing the Commandment, “Thou shall not Covet” to convict them, meaning they were imputed dead by the Law. How would it fit the Gentile? Or even these Romans? We just saw how mankind uses social laws fashioned after the knowledge of sin, how did they gain the knowledge? The Ten Commandments making all mankind subject to sin. The Romans were judging others, something only the Law of Moses can do, thus they placed themselves in the Law by association, causing the Commandment to fall on them.
Men like Saul (Paul) wanted to serve God, their mind centered on God, but as soon as they spoke, or acted, sin would take hold. When Paul was Saul the Christian hunter he carried letters giving him authority to capture Christians, at the time he felt he was doing God a service until Jesus appeared to him (Acts 9:1-8). What he wanted to do, he couldn’t since the law of sin reigned in his mortal body. The same is true with anyone who lacks the Spirit, they may want to serve God, they may be discipled, well educated, they may even be considered a scholar, but they are still using the flesh by the old man in a religious nature, the Commandment will condemn them. They are taking a Right standing, without the ability to do so, meaning they covet the Standing, but lack the position to obtain it. Those with the Spirit on the other hand have the Standing by the New Man, thus it’s not a matter of seeking, but a matter of yielding to what they have.
Before Paul knew the Law he didn’t know sin, he held a soul life as all men. Once sin was defined, the Commandment would fall finding him dead. Was God’s purpose for the Commandment to bring death? No, it points to Life, thus it points to the nature of the Newness of Life we obtain in the New Birth (v. 10).
The Law is holy, the Commandment is holy, they came from God, they are good, but the people they were sent to were not. Man had to know who he was, in order to seek what he could be in Christ (v. 12).
Paul goes back in time, showing he has “been there, done that”. Don’t forget Paul was a Pharisee of Pharisees, a learned man in the Scriptures, knowing the Law in all it’s points. However, he also knows the Law is holy, the doer is sinful, ending in a illusion brought about by self-righteousness. The doer felt since they were doing a holy Law, they were holy, but they forgot the Law was holy, the person doing it was not. The person was doing the Law for the Law’s sake means they admitted they were sold under sin. They may have felt good about their endeavors, but they were still under the dominion of sin. Feeling good about something we do is not a sign of holiness, having God deal with us as children is.
The person sought after a Righteousness by deed, but Righteousness was imputed to their father Abraham because of belief, not deed. Did Abraham have deeds to his credit before the imputed righteousness? Yes, he heard from God and obeyed: he rescued Lot, he gave to the man of God, yet he did none of those things to gain favor from God, his position of continual belief, not deeds produced the imputed righteousness (Gen 15:6). From the belief God would impute righteousness, from the righteousness God granted the Covenant, then Abraham had a platform for faith called Hope.
The doer of the Law was attempting to obtain the blessing by deed, yet by attempting to gain Righteousness they engaged in an act of covetousness, causing the Commandment Thou shall not Covet to fall, thereby negating the deed, with the benefits. Which means the person had to start all over again, with the same result, having to start over again, with the same result (vs. 8-13). Why did it produce death? Because the person was assigned to death, sold under the law of sin and death. The Commandments pointed to Life, but the person was incapable of performance. The result? Death.
Rom 7:14-25
The Law was spiritual, since it came from a Spiritual source, pointing to its own completion being the advancement from the Law to something Spiritual; however, the doer was carnal, so the Law contained carnal ordinances. To be carnally minded is death, so the carnal mind is still “sin conscience”. What did it make the Corinthians? Carnal, yet with the Spirit, but they were not spiritual, they were on the edge of death, thus Paul told them they were under the Law, subject to the provisions of the Law ( v.14 & I Cor 14:34).
The conclusion? For the carnal minded who desire to serve God, it becomes obvious, even if they want to, they can’t, since they have to apply their desire through the flesh by the old man, negating the effort before it begins. The carnal mind attempting to do spiritual deeds ends in religious conceit, pride and arrogance. Religious conceit places itself above all others, even those in the Body. It judges, uses occasion to exalt itself, when exposed it will either retaliate to show it’s supposed power, or reject the exposure. Paul is faced with a very difficult situation, the judgmental mind will be judging the person bringing the correction. Paul has to show their position is not what they suppose it is, the danger is before them if they neglect the warning.
When Paul was Saul he wanted to serve God, but he interpreted the service through the old man, ending killing Christians thinking he was doing God a service (Acts 8:1). What he didn’t want to do, was sin, but since his efforts were through the old man, it’s exactly what he did do; a no win situation (vs. 15-16).
He is not excusing the sin nature, rather he is showing the idea may be good, even Godly, but the application will always be by “sin dwelling in me”. Pride, self-based thinking, wrong thinking, absence of Mercy, void of Grace, thus the person used what they had, since sin had dominion over them they operated through the sin nature (v. 17).
At least he was aware no good thing dwells in the flesh, for to do good is always present with the one who desires to serve God, but the ability is not, they end doing evil, thinking it’s good (vs. 18-19). This is not the heathen, but one who desires to serve God, but lacks the Spirit. It would be true if they were Jew or Gentile; the idea may have been good, the application was not.
As long as the flesh remains in power, the old man was in control, a law was present in the members, death is the result, sin the means to get there (vs. 20-21). The only way to serve God was to die first, yet if it happens, they can’t serve God. What to do? What to do?
We in the Body have a set procedure, a method for each member, the particulars may be different, but the premise is the same, Justification by God, so we can be Glorified. However we find many love God, or desire to do good, but unless we are Born Again we lack the ability. Although they think they are impressing God, or gaining God’s attention by their efforts, the Commandment Thou shall not Covet falls on them, placing them in death, yet God is the God of the living, not the dead (vs. 21-22).
Every time someone comes up with something to make them the special of the special, the best of the Body, some deed from the Law of Moses, a special book, some self-imposed revelation making them superior over the rest of the Body, they are using the spirit lusting to envy, the delusion is they think they are superior or better than the rest of the Body of Christ. Because the source is the spirit lusting to envy, the Commandment Thou shall not covet will fall on them. They were coveting to be better than those who had God’s Spirit, yet they are using a fleshly effort or carnal product of their own to do it, which is coveting. What if they had the Spirit? So what, so did the Corinthians.
As for the rest who lacked the Spirit, even those in the world who go about “doing good”, are still using the spirit of man causing the Commandment will fall on them. The only exception is the person who operates in Mercy, who has no idea they are doing the law of faith by their measure of faith.
When we give the glory to man for any effort we think is “good”, we have robbed God of the glory. If we do something on our own, assuming it was “good” we will take the glory, meaning we have robbed God. No hope, what to do? Where to go? The sin nature is there, it will remain until we die, it controls, dictates, destroys anything which could possibly be good by inserting the self. Oh what wretched people we are: who can deliver us from this death? Who can bring us to a point where we can serve God? Must we die before we can serve God? We thank God Through Jesus Christ our Lord, there is an answer, one provided wherein we can impute death, finishing the course of the Law, while we yet live. So then we can serve God with the Mind through the Law of the Spirit by the Righteousness and Holiness of God in us. It’s all predicated on imputing the flesh dead, then minding the Spirit. Then we can say, We are crucified with Christ (Gal 2:20).
Yet is there more? Yes, once we entered this area, can we be tricked into doing deeds to accomplish something although we imputed the flesh dead? Under the sin nature the flesh was god, now it’s a dead tool. Yet, can we be so foolish as to forget the Spirit, then attempt to use the same flesh to crucify the flesh? Do we still have this flesh? Yes, it’s there, but the sin nature is ineffective, but can we use it to get our own way? Now, the issue, if we serve God with the mind, then certainly any sin joining the mind by the flesh is not allowable. The mind wasn’t the problem, it was the performance becoming the problem. However, serving God in the mind alone is not the same as serving Him in deed. Even speaking is a deed, thus the mind desired, but the flesh became the means, therein lays the problem. Anyone, must be Born Again, with the evidences thereof.
Here Paul is showing the flesh is imputed dead, it has reached it’s end, we simply consider ourselves Resurrected with Jesus. If pride enters then we’re right back under the Law again.
How then can a Gentile get back under the Law, if the Gentile was never subject to it? Once we entered the Body of Christ we moved to a separated area, we were set apart, we are expected to follow the procedures given by God. If we attempt to use the “methods” of the Law of Moses to control the flesh, surely we don’t believe in the imputing process. If we refuse to walk in the Spirit, we haven’t imputed the flesh dead. Using the elements of the Law of Moses makes us subject to the law of sin and death. Not real wise, not wise at all. So are there indicators? Yes, read on.
Rom 8:1-12
We went from the “They”, to the “We”, to the “Me”, now the “Us”, we can’t discount there are two types of people in Christ, both the Romans and Corinthians show us there are those in Christ who walk not after the Spirit, but after the flesh. However, Paul, John, and others show us there are also those who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. If one “walks after” it means they follow in the traits thereof, so how is it done? Does it have to do with the “mind”? Is minding something, following it? Could be. If we follow a taste not, touch not, or equate the flesh, or appearance thereof as sign of holiness, we are flesh minded. If we view natural intellect as a sign of Godly wisdom, we are carnal minded. It doesn’t take long to see there are those who equate holiness to the flesh, if they appear “holy” by controlling their flesh, they think they are holy; however, if we impute the flesh dead, yet use the flesh as a guide, we have given the flesh power. “Oh, so we just sin”, no we don’t, it’s the point. Will the Spirit of Truth sin? Not hardly, thus if we place our minds on the Spirit, the Spirit will focus on us. The more we mind the Spirit, the more Spirit we become internally. Our soul and mind then begin to think and act like the Spirit. The more we walk in the Spirit more of the attributes of the Spirit begin to manifest in our souls, making the two, one.
Paul will show the difference between the methods of the Law of Moses and method of the Law of God. Explaining how one should not confuse the Law of God with the Law of Moses. Each has a purpose, the Law of Moses leads one to death, the Law of the Spirit brings Life. Here in Romans Paul will show to be carnal minded is death, yet he clearly shows the Corinthians were carnal, thus this not only pertains to two groups in Christ, but shows a danger of holding to the old nature which ends in the feeble attempt to save the old man. Making the old man religious is not being Christian, it takes a change in natures by the Spirit to produce a Christian.
How does one follow the flesh? How about doing the Law of Moses? Yes, how about using mind power to give the appearance of holiness? Yes, how about being worried about what you eat making you unholy? Yes. How about being weak in the faith, by holding a touch not, taste not theology? Yes, all areas of “holding the Truth in unrighteousness”, since all these pertain to the person attempting to obtain their own righteousness. If we don’t like a food, don’t eat it, but don’t think the eating, or not is a sign of holiness. If we want to keep a day, fine, but don’t think by keeping or not keeping a day makes us holy. Above all never think our Office position makes us any more holy than any other Born Again member of the Body.
If one follows the flesh they are judged by the flesh, found in condemnation, but if they Follow the Spirit they are free of condemnation. Those who enter the kingdom of heaven, yet use mind power to make the flesh appear righteous, are minding the flesh, they are still under the condemnation of the flesh. However, if they follow, or mind the Spirit, the flesh will lose its power (method of operation), becoming a non-issue. We will see the word “mind”, as it applies to all this, don’t forget none of this can be entered into unless we are Born Again.
The word Mind can have several meanings, we “mind mom and dad”, which means we Obey them. We have a Mind we can put on the flesh, or on the Spirit. The word Mind or Minding is the Greek Phroneo meaning to be Like minded or of the same Mind, which changes the view somewhat. The flesh glories in having the appearance of holiness, thus the mind who attempts to make the flesh appear holy centers in the same glory, but the result is pride, or religious conceit. The person who Minds the Spirit, follows, or submits to the Spirit making them servant, meaning they are well on their way to being Spirit.
Instead of saying, “the day will come when we will be free”, Paul says Now there is no Condemnation (sentence of damnation) to them which “are in Christ Jesus”; however, it doesn’t end with just those in Christ Jesus, one must add “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”. If we “walk” we are in a Process, yet the beginning is “in Christ Jesus” (Body), we have to add “after the Spirit” (Blood, New Covenant). There are those in Christ Jesus who don’t have the Spirit, those who have the Spirit, but refuse to walk after the Spirit, yet there are those who do walk after the Spirit. All in the Body, the letters to the Romans and Corinthians prove the premise.
The question then becomes, Which do we follow? Whichever we follow there is our treasure, where our treasure is, so are we. This is a tough area, one coupling our belief with faith. We imputed the flesh dead, the old man uses lusts of the flesh as his enticing tool, so even if we chase after holiness based on the flesh we are still following the old man, rather then crucified, we have resuscitated the flesh. Breathing air into a dead rat is hardly freedom.
Those who walk after, seek after, place their thoughts upon, have a like mind as, or submit to serve the Spirit are Free from the law of sin and death, but subject to the Law of the Spirit. Paul will begin to define the word “Spiritual”, not as the world defines it, but as God does. The world views the supernatural as “spiritual”, but it’s hardly the case, Paul defines the word to mean one who follows the Spirit of Christ. If the Holy Ghost teaches comparing spiritual to spiritual then the only ones on this earth who are Spiritual, are those who are Born Again. According to the New Testament the term “spiritual” can only refer to one who operates by the Spirit of Christ. We know from Corinthians one can have the Spirit, yet not be spiritual, thus it takes a following (minding) of the Spirit to enter the spiritual mindset.
The evidence is found in the nature of the person, do they have a “I don’t believe” nature, or “I believe” nature? Do they question God? Or accept Him? What do their words indicate? Are they fearful of the world? Or confident in God? Do they compare the appearance of the flesh to holiness? Do they still love the feelings of pride, or self-righteousness? Or do they Love God, but hate iniquity?
Going back to Romans 1:11 we recall how Paul wanted to impart some “spiritual gift” to the Romans, here he is doing it. The Spiritual gift was the Charisma of the Charis to reach the Rhema. The Romans had to make a choice, would they follow the Spirit? Or would they continue to seek their own righteousness by minding the flesh? The Holy Ghost teaches the spiritual things of God to a spiritual element, which is the New Man, thus the New Man teaches us, but if we are carnal, what will we learn?
Verse 2 gives us the Law of God, rather than be in bondage to the flesh, we imputed death to the old man, then moved to the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, which “has made” us free from the Law of sin and death (Law of Moses). In order for God to justify us we must be free of the Law of sin and death. What good would it do to proclaim to be innocent if there was a Law from God proclaiming us guilty? The danger in mixing Laws, if we do a deed from the Law of Moses to gain favor before God, or benefit from the Law, we are also allowing the same Law to find us guilty.
Most of us were Gentiles who were never under the Law of Moses, but as humans we were under the law of sin and death. The biggest danger for a converted Gentile in the days of Paul, as today is the thought of going back to some deed in the Law of Moses to gain favor from the Law of Moses. The second danger is thinking we have some special book, writing, or revelation making us superior over the other members of the Body.
The separation is found in four words, Spirit, flesh, carnal, and mind, with the mind as the key. The Greek word for Mind is not the same as we find for soul, yet it pertains to an aspect of the soul. Reviewing, the Greek Phronema or Phroneo connects to obedience, thus one can obey the sin nature, ending minding the flesh. The first step is imputing the flesh dead, the second is having the Spirit. Therefore, to whatever one submits, it becomes what they will obey. If we think making our flesh appear holy, we are holy, we are sadly mistaken. If our Holiness is found in the internal New Man, surely our holiness begins internally. Holiness is more than appearance, it’s a way of life.
This same principle is found in the Love of God, Paul lists eight things the Love of God will do, then eight things the Love of God is incapable of doing. We can put our mind on not doing the eight incapable areas, yet never do the eight attributes. We can say, “okay I won’t envy, will not vaunt myself, won’t be puffed up, won’t behave unseemly, will not seek my own, nor rejoice in iniquity”, accomplishing it all, yet never, “rejoice in the Truth, bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure, and never fail” (I Cor 13:3-8). If we put our minds on doing the eight attributes, we don’t have to be concerned about doing the incapables, we simply won’t do them. The same is true here, we can put our minds on controlling the flesh, we will mind the flesh, yet never enter the Spirit. We can put our minds on following and obeying the Spirit, meaning the flesh becomes a non-issue, incapable of sin, since it’s considered ineffective. Therefore, the holiness flows from within. To the Jew the lust was a physical act, but Jesus told us the lust gives birth in the mind, the physical act is the sin. James concurs, here Paul tells us the Spirit is cleaning us from the tares and lusts implanted by the enemy. It’s not a matter of allowing the flesh to run wild, it’s a matter of imputing the flesh dead, then allowing the Spirit to save us.
As soon as we apply ourselves to making the flesh appear holy, the flesh will dominate us, allowing the Commandment to fall, taking us right back to where we started. There is a vast difference between the Commandment imputing us dead in sin, and we imputing ourselves dead by the Cross of Jesus. The Commandment isn’t concerned with the Cross, it will not put us on the Cross, rather it will judge us dead because we used the deeds of the flesh, thus both the Law of Moses and the Commandments are against us, yet they are nailed to the Cross (Col 2:14-16). The world thinks they can “try” the Ten Commandments, they even presume they live by them, they do not, because they cannot. No natural person can, the second we think we have, we have fallen prey to “Thou shall not Covet”. If one minds the flesh, they are living an illusion, they cannot please God by the flesh, even if it looks morally correct (vs. 1-8).
We have to ask, if “the Spirit bears witness to our Spirit”, where then is the Holy Ghost fit? In Corinthians Paul will show us the “spirit of man” knows the things of man, but doesn’t have a clue regarding the things of God, only the Spirit of God knows the things of God (I Cor 2:11). He also says the “spirit of the world” is opposed to the “Spirit that is of God” (I Cor 2:12). It’s the same context here, the Spirit of God refers to the entire Report, as God is Spirit. We accepted the Mercy of the Father, the Holy Ghost brought the Seed of God, which is the Word in us, when birth takes place the New Man surfaces as our new heart, or the Spirit that is of God. The Spirit of God is the Mercy of the Father, the Grace and Blood of the Word (Son), with the Power of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, the Spirit of God bears witness with the Spirit that is of God in us saying we are children of God.
If the Spirit dwells in us, we are doing the Law of God, if the flesh reigns we will do the Law of Moses, we can’t do both. Simply because the Law of Moses only pertains until the result of death takes place, the Law of God (Spirit) is only effective for those who imputed the flesh dead in order to have the Spirit based on the Power of the Resurrection. One Law leads to the other, but they do not involve one another. The evidence is the changed nature in the Justification Process going on inside us. If we are still viewing natural intellect, still using scholars to tell us what the Bible says for us as individuals, we lack internal guidance. Teachers tell us what the Bible says, but not what it says to individuals, rather it takes the Spirit manifested (I Cor 12:1-11).
The carnal mind seeks intellectual endeavors of the flesh to prove its religious stand, yet it takes pride in the effort, thus the carnal mind can never be subject to the Law of God, but it does become subject to the law of sin and death. The carnal mind cannot conceive of the spiritual, thus it ends fighting the Law of God, to be carnally minded is death. The carnal mind cannot make the separation between the carnal things of the world, and the things of the Spirit. This is the very reason Jesus told His disciples not to speak on the Cross or Resurrection, they lacked position, spiritual matters are foolishness to the natural mind. The words of the natural mind are the evidence of the source, we discern the words to know the source.
If one minds the Flesh, they are still born of the Flesh, but if they mind the Spirit, they are Born Again. Paul will point to the carnal mind, then the flesh, then the body of flesh, as they all relate to the old nature, but then he shows the Spirit, the Mind of Christ, as the Spiritual relates to the New nature, thus dividing by definition two realms he just told us were in Christ Jesus.
The real issue is yet to come, how does one become a “son of God”? By controlling the flesh? Or walking in the Spirit? Jesus told us a son of man centers in walking in Mercy, something we do when we accept the Mercy of the Father. Paul is taking us further into the area of “Ye must be Born Again”. It doesn’t negate Mercy, it adds to it to complete the call. There are those who receive the forgiveness (not remission) of sins, as they walk in Mercy, presuming they are Born Again, but they are still natural in their thinking. Mercy is vital, but it was meant to be coupled with Grace to bring the Living Water.
Paul will use the term “after the flesh”, then “in the flesh”, they are different. The term “after the flesh” shows the person is chasing something of the flesh, the term “in the flesh” means they retained the old nature as they do the things of the flesh in a religious sense, thus their thoughts are concerned with the flesh. They have doctrines relating to the flesh, they are concerned with the things of the flesh, their holiness is trusting in the flesh.
Paul will tell us if we keep one day above another, or if we don’t, we do either unto the Lord. Meaning we keep it to ourselves, we neither judge others for keeping the day, or not, and we never make it a doctrine. The same is true with food, if we feel eating pork, or not eating pork makes us holy, we are mistaken. God used the food products to gain obedience, not as a menu of holiness. The food and days were tools, obedience was the purpose, those who mind the flesh, use things pertaining to the flesh (Jere 7:21-23).
We also see the terms, “after the Spirit”, and “in the Spirit”, the term “after the Spirit” means one is chasing after the Spirit, the term “in the Spirit” means one is following the Spirit, the combination shows one has the Spirit that is of God yet is seeking the things of the Spirit of God.
We have to see there are those in Christ who “walk” after the flesh, they seek their own righteousness, yet they hold the Truth. We also find those in Christ who “walk” after the Spirit, who have received the Imparted Righteousness of God. Two groups, same Body (vs. 1-11).
Paul is also using an allegory, by showing the two natures, the Isaac nature, and the Ishmael nature, as the Ishmael nature wars against the Isaac nature. Walking after the flesh while in Christ Jesus doesn’t mean one is still in bondage to the sin nature, it means they are following manners of the flesh to determine what is holy, or what is not, yet it’s still self-righteousness in their attempt to gain some special favor from God, or to impress God, which is still holding the Truth in unrighteousness. First John shows two brothers, both say they are in the Light, one is, the other hates (slanders) his brother, thus he remains in darkness, regardless of what he says. It’s the same context here, brothers, both have given their Token of water baptism, one is of the Promise, the other is avoiding the promise by holding to the flesh. Paul is showing the Romans were they were, but at the same time showing them where they should be.
Was Adam a living soul before? Or after the fall? Before, he lost his living position for the flesh aspect at the fall; entered “in dying you shall die”. We obtain a Living Soul condition at the Cross, but the goal is to be a Quickening Spirit. The Greek word for Body is Soma, but the Greek word for flesh is Sarx, thus giving us two elements. We gave up the old Sarx to enter the Soma of Christ, thus if we put our minds on the Sarx, we are Sarx minded.
All this centers on having the Spirit, if one lacks the Spirit they are stuck with using mind power in some feeble attempt to control the flesh in order to appear religious. Paul began this by showing we have nothing to brag in, here he points out if we put our mind on the flesh, we will end bragging about it, but negating the entire process of justification.
The obvious conclusion? We are in the Body of Christ, we are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. If so, the Spirit of God dwells in us by the Spirit that is of God (Spirit of Christ). The Spirit of God will then witness to the Spirit that is of God saying we are children of God. The Spirit that is of God is the same Spirit of Holiness who declared Jesus as the Son of God by the Resurrection. The Cross is the place we begin, but this is a Process. The Living Water doesn’t come from Mercy, as a product of Mercy with Life coming from the Spirit within. Without the Spirit we will have the Water (Mercy), but it’s only part of the Witness, we must have the Blood (Grace), and the Spirit to bring it all together to be the proclaimed sons of God.
Therefore, if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, they have no part in the Justification process. Those who mind the flesh are depending on the flesh to justify them, yet the flesh can’t even justify itself. This helps us understand the Predestination process as well, in order to fit the Predestination Plan we must have the Water, Blood and Spirit. Clearly Paul is telling us once we enter the Body we have the choice to accept or deny the Spirit. If Predestination means God forces us to accept the premise, then Paul is wrong. If Predestination means God has an A list, and a B list, then the term “whosoever” is wrong. Simply God knows all things, but it’s not His Salvation at issue. We make the choice, God forms us according to the choices made; the misconstrued thought process of God making the determination of who can be saved, and who can’t is a an excuse to blame God. Here we find God has made provision for all to be saved, thus we have the Keys, all we need do is follow the process.
The change in context divides those who mind the flesh, from those who mind the Spirit. We started toward the Cross, we knew the Commandment claimed we were dead. We accepted the Cross, we gave our Token of water baptism to identify with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus breathed on us (Ingress Aries), we asked for the forgiveness of sins. The Father imputed Mercy on us, we then forgave as we are forgiven, as the Mercy was imparted. Then we entered the grave the place where death battles the process, then we were raised in Newness of life by the baptism with the Holy Ghost wherein we received the Seed of God (Word of God). The Seed grew and one day we found we were once flesh, born of the flesh, but now we are Spirit because of the Spirit. Then we began the Process by minding the Spirit, the more we minded the Spirit, the more the flesh ceased to be a factor. The end of the race would will be the day we receive the White Robe washed in the Blood of the Lamb. All these areas have tests, experiences, and joys.
We must be dead in Christ to obtain the Spirit of Christ, then we can claim we are being justified. If the Spirit is in us, then Christ is in us, as we are in Christ (Soma), making the old body dead because of sin, but the Spirit is Life because of the Righteousness of God. This seems like Paul is beating a dead horse, but it’s vital. If we received the Imputed Righteousness of God, it was based on our belief to reach the Imparted Righteousness found in the New Man. However, if we run off attempting to impress God, or others, even ourselves with our works to control the flesh we have exchanged the Righteousness of Christ for self-righteousness, which means we are going backward, not forward.
The entire Justification process is to get us into the First Resurrection which is the time we will be Glorified before the 1,000 years of the Night begins. We have the same Spirit who raised Jesus, or we have no basis to “believe in our hearts”. The Spirit of Holiness who raised Jesus dwells in the person who is Born Again, thus the Imparted power of the Resurrection is within waiting for the day when we will meet Jesus in the Air.
It also stands, we were imputed dead in Christ, but the impartation comes when the debt is paid. The Spirit within is the evidence of the imputed death of the flesh, as the Token, or Seal of the Holy Spirit assures us we were serious, we can make it to the finish. God would not have imputed righteousness on Abraham, if the Predestined future of Abraham was to fail. We found the imputed righteousness was not merely on the man’s belief at the point when God imputed, but the man’s continued belief. The Spirit in us is our assurance of the seriousness of our decision, although there are times when we doubt, the New Man never does.
The goal of the New Man is centered on one thing, saving our souls through the justification process to get us into heaven. If there is an enemy in this, it’s us. Either by a lack of knowledge, or by fighting the process. No devil can stop us once we mind the Spirit as we submit to the New Man, we then obtain what has obtained us (Ph’l 3:12-16).
The however is next, we are not debtors to the flesh, we owe it nothing, it owes us nothing, so why live after the flesh? Why put our minds daily on the flesh? Why put our minds on the flesh of others? Are they dressed right? How about their hair? Long? Short? None? Make-up? Too much? Not enough? Surely they’re not holy. To be flesh minded involves using religious conceit, which judges holiness by the flesh, it’s vanity and a waste of time. The next error is to be carnally minded, which means we are impressed with our thinking, or use our minds alone to judge by. If we are carnal minded, we need carnal ordinances to guide us, the only Law God gave with carnal ordinances is the Law of Moses (Heb 9:12). This has to take us back to “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whosoever you are who judges: for wherein you judge another, you condemn yourself” (v. 2:1), with “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (v. 8:1). It’s difficult, if not impossible to hold to “holiness” while using the flesh as the determining factor regarding holiness. Whenever anyone uses natural reasoning as a guide to spiritual matters, they will end judging people, rather than things; ending a legalist, or religiously conceited. So, does it mean no will judge us? Not hardly, but it means they have no position from which to judge us. We judge “things”, much different, we need to pay attention to what they say, we may gain a clue to what we have been saying. However, if they make it personal, then they are carnal, lacking any position from which to judge.
Rom 8:13-18
Verse 13 begins with “you”, as those in Christ Jesus, the Romans were minding the flesh, they became the very example of, “weak through the flesh”, but it need not be so. In the Greek Verse 13 reads, “For according to the flesh if you live, you are about to die”, thus it depends on to what or Whom we live to. If they are “about to die”, they are still under the law of sin and death, surely they are not dead in Christ. Putting our mind on the flesh for the determination of righteousness or holiness means we have yet to impute the flesh dead on the Cross, it also means we have yet to pick up our cross, which means we have yet to deny the self, since it’s the self we’re attempting to promote.
If the flesh has paid the debt under the Law of Moses, we are no more debtors to the flesh, but if we live by the Power of Christ we are debtors toward God. Verses 12 and 13 open the controversy; those of the flesh cannot see how you simply put your mind on the Spirit. However, it’s the context, it’s not ignoring the flesh, it’s standing with the principle of imputing. It’s the method one uses, they can either mind the flesh like a watch dog, while using mind power to control the flesh, or they can impute the flesh dead by minding the Spirit. The word Debtors in verse 12 is the Greek Opheiletes meaning a person who owes another, or is bound by debt to another. The wording “to live” in the phrase “to live after the flesh” is the Greek Zao which usually means To quicken, or to be among the living, it would see on the surface Paul used the wrong word, but it does fit. The use of Zao shows there are those in Christ who accepted the Cross, as living souls they are not quickening spirits, thus they mind the flesh, presuming the flesh will gain Life. Here Paul shows it’s an illusion of the flesh, if we Zao after the flesh, we won’t find Life, since the condemnation on the flesh is already written, we shall die, and not Live.
Verse 13 shows this is process, if we’ve imputed the old nature dead on the Cross, why would we mortify the deeds through the Spirit? It would seem if dead, then dead. However, he didn’t say we “mortify the flesh”, it’s the “deeds”, therein lays the mystery. The word Mortify is the Greek Thanatoo meaning To put to death, or To cause to die. The word Deeds is the Greek Praxis meaning The mode of operation, or the Manner in which one acts. It’s the same concept we find in Ephesians, we don’t need to battle the devil, but we do battle the Wiles of the devil. The word Wiles means the mode of operation, or the manner in which the devil uses to entice, trap, or snare his victims. If we put off the old man, we must put off his deeds as well.
The entire thing looks like maybe we should use the flesh, after all we are to Mortify the deeds of the Body (v. 13). Oh wait, “through the Spirit”, much different. The word Mortify means to die, thus we imputed death, the process of justification is working in us meaning the imputed death is working in our souls, cleaning us from the tares, wiles, pains and old mind, bringing us into a spiritual nature to be free indeed.
Verse 14 shows if we mind the Spirit, then we will be “led” by the Spirit of God through the Spirit of Christ in us, thus by the New Man we will become spiritual in nature. The New Man calls the Father, ABBA, the soul being saved calls the Father, Father, thus this is the Living Water. The Father connects to Mercy, the Spirit to the Living, together we find rivers of Living Waters flowing from within.
The wording “are led” is the Greek word Ago meaning To led by laying hold of, it connects to minding, thus to mind is to submit to. If we mind the flesh, we will submit to the desires of the flesh, while we presume we’re controlling it, but it’s an illusion, we are really submitting to the pride of life which is still worldly in nature.
The “spirit of bondage” is the spirit of man, or the spirit lusting to envy, but the key to verse 15 is the wording, “again to fear”. This shows they entered to be set free, but turned and received Again the spirit of the world. The flesh deceived them, they were minding the flesh, they entered a taste not, do not, theology, then they began to judge others based on their own interpretations of holiness. What Spirit did they receive? Wait, if they received the Spirit, how could they receive another spirit? Are they devil possessed? No, it’s not the meaning, the minding of the flesh turns them from the Spirit and Justification to the flesh (spirit lusting to envy) in a feeble attempt to save their own souls through acts of self-righteousness.
Rather than look at the flesh, they should have minded the Spirit, then their eyes would have been on the Father. Our Adoption process is an induction into a family we had no right to, yet we left an old family order before we could be Adopted. The old family order had a “nature”, the New has a Nature. The old spirit of bondage was the master behind the old family order, but we died on the Cross of Jesus when we imputed the old nature dead. We were then without family, but since we accepted the Cross God adopted us by the granting of the Spirit. (v. 15).
The Greek word for Adoption is only used five times in the New Testament, all five by Paul (vs. 8:15, 8:23, 9:4, Gal 4:5 & Eph 1:5). Adoption is unique among the Jews, it refers to one who has a distant connection, yet is removed from the inner workings of the family. To us the word Adoption means someone who has no family connection, but to the Jew it means someone who is related in some distant fashion. We find the context Paul is using shows our souls being a creation of God are distantly related, but the flesh being a reproduction is not, thus God is not going to adopt the flesh. The means God uses for Adoption is the Spirit in us, the soul joins by submission, the flesh is accounted ineffective or without Covenant. The basis is found in the story of Ruth, she had family ties until death occurred, then she was considered Adopted when Naomi called her “daughter” (Ruth 3:1).
Abba Father is a term reserved for those of close family order, thus the Adoption goes a step further, our souls call out “Father”, the New Man “ABBA”, we are joined to the Father by having the Spirit of Christ, or as Paul will later point out, the Spirit that is of God; granting us the position by Adoption to enter the place to call out, ABBA Father.
Verse 16 is not speaking of the Holy Ghost, this is the Spirit of God, the translators used the lower case for the novice, so they could tell the differences. This connects back to verse 11, the Spirit of God bears witness with the Spirit of Christ in us saying we are children of God. How? The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us; therefore, to be a “son of God” one needs the Declaration of the Holy Spirit in them. Self-righteousness is the person making the declaration, they may be a son of man, but it doesn’t mean they are a son of God. We can make all the declarations we want to about being a son of God, the only one counting is the one the Spirit makes. The Spirit of God is not going to bear witness to our flesh, or our souls, the Witness is based on the Water, Blood and Spirit. Therefore, the Spirit of God in this context is the complete Report of the Father, Word and Holy Ghost, showing why Paul didn’t say, “The Holy Ghost bears witness to our Spirit we are sons of God”. If it were the case, then the Holy Ghost would be bearing witness of Himself, since He brought the Seed to us.
This is another clue to the Process, this is after Adoption is acquired. If we are children, then we are heirs, if heirs we will grow to become heirs of God by the Adoption, then we grow to become a joint-heir with Christ as a true and Living son of God. However, it also means if we suffer with Christ, we may be also Glorified together (v. 17). The suffering part pertains to the flesh, the Spirit and flesh are enemies. The key words are “may be”, and “Glorified”, the Justification is to get us to the Glorified state, but the wording “may be” means there is a Process to reach the Glorified state.
If all this was automatic, or secured at the Cross, then the teaching would be much different, rather than “may be”, it would be “already are”, rather than flesh, it would be “there is none in the Body who mind the flesh”, but those are not phrases used here, or anywhere else. When we fall for the illusion of false security, rather than the confidence of the Spirit, we will enter pride, religious conceit and become critical and condescending about “people” rather than judge things.
Verse 18 gives us “reckon” or impute again, in this case it relates to the “sufferings” just noted. This verse also shows the Glory is within, it’s found in the New Man. Many of the sufferings are internal, as the birthing and growing process moves our souls from flesh to Spirit.
Why chase all over looking for the Glory? The very Glory of God is already in us, thus if we are seen running to some mountain top waiting for the “Glory to fall”, it’s a sure sign we don’t believe we have the Glory in us (v. 18). What Glory could compare to the Glory of the Resurrected Jesus? None, thus if we believe Jesus is raised from the Dead, then we have the Glory in us now.
Rom 8:19-25
Verse 19 shows this “manifestation” is not The Son of God, but the “sons” of God, with the Plural usage we know it speaks of those who are Born Again, who mind the Spirit. The word Manifestation is the Greek Apolkalupsis meaning the Unveiling, or Uncovering, or something expressly seen, it’s a different word than the one Paul uses in the “manifestation of the Spirit” in First Corinthians 12:7. This word shows us the change from being Justified to the Glorified position is internal. However, if we are not Born Again none of this works, yet it was when Jesus was Glorified by the Resurrection it became possible for us. We always keep in mind, “If it were not for Jesus”, the simple premise keeps us from glorying in the self.
The word Creature is the Greek Ktisis meaning a Creation, but more important is also means The act of creating, or the Purpose of creating. The same word was used in the rabbinical sense to refer to a person converted from idolatry, thus this is the process of conversion unto the New Creation (New Birth). The New Man has the earnest expectation waiting for the day for the Glorification to take place. The wording “earnest expectation” is the Greek Apokaradokeeah a compound word meaning The head is watching with excitement, thus showing the purpose of creation is for us to be Glorified with Christ. The meaning points to Jesus as the Head of the Body connecting to the Spirit in us to bring all this to a Godly conclusion.
In verse 20 we find the reason we impute the flesh dead, in order for the Spirit to mortify the deeds of the body. In verse 20 it was, “For the creature”, in verse 21 it’s, “Because the creature” itself, or the soul which is neither male of female, shall be delivered form the bondage of corruption (death) into the Glorious Liberty of the children of God. We are sons of God by the Spirit, but the result is to have the Glorified body.
The whole creation, groans and travails in pain together, until Now, the Now goes back to “there is therefore Now no condemnation”; this will also connect to the “groanings” unable to be uttered. The connection of groaning and travailing point to Birth, the entire purpose is for us to be Born Again, so we can be Glorified. Not just the Romans, or the Apostles, or the Corinthians, or the people next door, but all of mankind is in the Plan, it’s man who makes the decision. However, the confidence we have is the Spirit to accomplish the task, thus God would not give us the Spirit unless He knew we could make it.
Verse 23 confirms this, for we groan within as the Firstfruits of the Spirit, not the firstfruits of the flesh. The Redemption of the Body, is not the body of flesh, since we imputed it dead, this Body is the Body (Soma) of Christ. We partake of the Body of Christ as a symbol of being in His Body, since our old body of the flesh is imputed dead.
For we are saved by hope, what? are we not saved by Grace? Has the man changed theology? No, the Hope is still ahead, our faith is reaching toward the Hope by the Grace in us. This still connects to the allegory of Abraham, until Abraham had the Covenant of God’s assurance his was unable to engage in faith. We have the New Covenant the premise is to save our souls, our Hope is real, our Patience by Faith waits for the Hope (vs. 24-25).
Rom 8:26-39
Likewise the Spirit in us also helps with our infirmities (weaknesses v. 8:3), for we know not what to pray, for our hope is unseen, yet the Spirit with earnest expectation does, as the Spirit makes intercession for us with “groanings which cannot be uttered” (v. 26). If these groanings can’t be uttered, they can’t be. This goes right back to the groanings connecting to the travailing within, the pains and sufferings to bring about the Birth process. This is not the same as speaking in either New or Unknown tongues, both of those are uttered, this area is internal. The word Groanings is the Greek Stenagmos meaning a sign, the phrase “cannot be uttered” is the Greek Alaetos meaning cannot be expressed in words, or cannot be spoken. This is in conjunction with “travail in pain” as a groaning unto the fullness of the Birth. However, those are not the key words in this verse. Keep in mind this Spirit is the New Man, there is a growth process unto the Full corn in the ear.
Romans 8:26 is one of the most profound verses in all of Paul’s writings regarding how we walk in the Spirit by the New Birth. This verse has some interesting words, especially when we view the Greek language. The word Infirmities is the Greek Astheneia meaning a weakness of the body, in this case it’s a weakness of the flesh (v. 8:3). The flesh wants to be the center of attention, it desires to be the mark of holiness, yet it can never be. It also desires to exploit the lusts of the flesh, it wants us to mind (pay attention) to it, it wants the glory, thus if we mind the flesh we end exalting the self by holding the truth in unrighteousness. This reference does connect to the praying, since the phrase is, “we know not what we should pray”, so all this centers on Helping us mind the Spirit. However, we also see the word Help, it’s a compound Greek word which was first used here in Romans, later by Luke in his account. Wait, now, Luke comes before Romans in the Bible. True, but it was written after Romans, thus the first time this unique Greek word was written is here in Romans. The one word not only shows how the Spirit “helps” but shows how the carnal mind works against the process. Unless we impute the old man dead, and have the Spirit this Help is not going to word for us. If we have the Spirit yet remain carnal or unbelieving the Help will turn and work in a manner not pleasing to us. The three Greek words are Sun–Anti–Lambanomai; Sun (pronounced Som) means a partnership or a corporation between two persons to complete a task neither can complete on their own; Sun holds two main thoughts, Responsibility and Corporation, without the Responsibility, the Corporation can’t take place, thus it refers to us putting our minds on the Spirit by submission. It’s a Plan in action, thus the victory in the Plan is found in the Spirit. The word in the middle of this compound word is Anti, meaning opposed to, or against. It depends on what the Anti is connected to, thus in the title “antichrist” means opposed to Christ, but here it’s “anti-lambanomai” which we will find is much different.
This verse is one of the few places where we find the word Anti as it relates to God, only in this case it means Opposed to, rather than against. Once we made the decision to enter or Press into the Kingdom, the Spirit then begins the process, yet He is anti anything in the way, which includes us, if we get in the way. On one hand the Spirit will work with us to enter in, on the other, if we get in His way by falling back to using the flesh, we become His enemy. This latter process explains how Isaiah’s words were prophetic in nature, they vexed (grieved) the Holy Spirit, as He turned to be their enemy (Isa 63:10-11). To be carnal minded also grieves the Spirit, since the carnal mind cannot understand the things of the Spirit, the two elements of the flesh and carnal mind must be put off before we can be led of the Spirit. How does this fit with “nothing can separate us from the love in Christ”? Perfect, since here we’re not talking about the Love in Christ, but the Spirit in the process of Justification. Also Paul says, “Who can”, then he lists a bunch of things, but the question is not answered until one gets to Romans 9:21-23.
We will find three words in reference to this process, the Greek Katalambanos meaning something from above, which Paul shows is the activity of Jesus; then Lambanos which Paul shows is our activity reaching toward Jesus by the Spirit. Sunantilambanomai (or Sumantilambano) as the Holy Spirit (New Man) acting on our behalf with a powerful effectiveness being secured by the submissive and corporation of our soul, thus the Spirit is Anti anything standing between the Now and the Earnest expectation. This joins to the concept of the flesh being weak, but the Spirit willing, the Scripture doesn’t say, the Spirit will, rather we find the Spirit is Willing, which points to the Spirit having the Ability, yet waiting for us to submit. For some reason the soul wanting to be the dominate factor uses the flesh to gets it’s own way, showing the flesh is weak. The change in process is for the soul to become servant to the Spirit, no longer attempting to master the flesh.
This is not to be confused with the Unction of God over the Body, the protection over the Body is for every member, whether they mind the flesh or mind the Spirit. Here Paul is talking about the Spirit that is of God in us, just as James will.
Further understanding of the Greek word Lambano we find it’s a compound Greek word used to describe a person so obsessed with a desire they are dangerous, it means “I have a mission, no one is going to stop me”; thereby bringing into play “take it by force”, showing we don’t take the Kingdom, the Holy Ghost brings us into the Kingdom by granting us the Seed, the Seed is the Word in us, the Holy Spirit we are sealed by. Once the New Man is in place He will do things, one is of course the Manifestation of the Spirit, then the saving of our souls, but another is found here. The groanings which can’t be uttered unto the Birth, the Seed is growing, we do travail within, the war is on, on one hand there is the flesh, the old nature, the lusts of the flesh calling us, on the other the Seed in us is growing removing us from the old nature; therefore the imputing came before the impartation for the process of the Spirit converting our souls to a Spiritual nature.
Parts of the Greek Sunantilambanomai will be used by Paul in some of his other letters, showing the work of Christ in our lives. It’s very important to know all the work is being done on the spiritual level by the Spirit, since it keeps us from presuming some deed we do in the flesh is going to equal the effort. When we save someone from a fire, we don’t expect them to put the fire out. We’re doing the saving, they’re not, but we do expect them to cooperate with the saving. We would think someone was out of their mind, if we wanted to save them, yet they said, “No, fire is good, I was cold anyway”. We cooperate with the Process, we didn’t cause it to happen.
The spirit lusting to envy will tempt us to save ourselves, knowing it’s impossible. We are the ones drawn away, how are we going to remove those deceptive masks? “Oh the Lord gave me some words”, it’s not words, but the Word in us. We fall into divers temptations, then use the same lust in our feeble attempt to save ourselves, making the wound bigger, adding the probability of failing greater. We knock all the apples off the tree, then think we’re healed, or we paint them all purple calling them grapes. It takes the groanings to bring the fullness of the New Birth, not our acts of the flesh. If we’ve every felt those groanings inside, it’s a sure sign we are on the path of Justification.
The process of Sun-Anti-Lambanomai is the Spirit in us working to bring all this to past, all He needs is our cooperation by Faith and Belief. Part of our Belief and Faith is holding to the Mercy and Blood of Jesus knowing the process is ordained by God.
If we know it was Katalambano Jesus used to get our attention, we also know He is Katalambano after us, thus we can be Lambano after Him, with the Spirit in us working in SunAntiLambanomai to get us through to the lawful conclusion, we can then stop fighting God, as we begin to enjoy the Process. All this shows us how the New Man is so bent on His mission to save our souls He is like a crazy man, He will fight anything in the way of the lawful goal, even if the anything is our rebellion, unbelief, doubt, minding the flesh, or carnal mind. Later Paul will call this the “chastening” of the Lord, with the purpose of bringing us back into God’s Righteousness. We’re the ones who made the commitment, God is merely honoring our prayers.
Putting all three words together we gain a type and shadow of the Trinity, as well as the Spirit Helping us. The Greek Sun shows the position of the Spirit, He is The Guide in this race, we’re not; the Greek Anti shows His Attitude, He is bent on helping us, He is ready and willing to do battle in any matter arising which hinders us from the fullness of the Christ nature, thereby showing the Armor of God still belongs to God. The Greek Lambano is the driving desire, when we couple it with the Spirit, we find He will fight for us, but it still takes our cooperation (Sun) as the cheering section, rather than turn on the process and find ourselves grieving the same Holy Spirit we are sealed by.
Since we find the word “Desire” is used, it also stands our Desire is also important. We Lambano as well, thus our desire must be to please God, yet we please God by faith, yet our faith must have a Joy knowing God is a Rewarder of those who Diligently seek Him. Ahh, Diligently seek, a form of Lambano, if we do what the rule book says, we will win, God said so, He has given us all it takes to win, the purpose of our faith is still the salvation of our souls, God has a plan for us just waiting for us to join in (I Pet 1:9).
The word Intercession explains the entire process. There are four areas to the word Intercession, the word itself means to enter into a ditch with somebody else, for the specific purpose of saving them from the ditch. It doesn’t mean to climb down in the ditch, feel sorry for the person, then leave them there; neither does it mean to climb down in the ditch then stay there with them a pity party. Compassion means to stand with someone in their infirmity until there is no longer an infirmity, rather than leaving them in the same state. Some show pity when it suits them, but it’s what the world does. Others leave people in their infirmities, saying they will live a useful, or productive life, but they left them in the ditch. The type of Compassion Paul is talking about is much different, it holds to the upper ground, while reaching to the lower, for the purpose of raising the person from the lower to the higher. Jesus felt the pain of others, but He never used their pain for self-benefit. Some have a great deal of pity, but the only reason they show pity, is to look holy before men, a carnal mind game, nothing more. This is vital piece of knowledge, if Jesus came across us and said, “well by your faith you are a sinner, and I am going to leave you that way”, we would have no hope. The Holy Spirit has the same driving compassion as Jesus, He will not leave us as long as we Mind the Spirit.
Intercession also desires to meet someone in a common experience; to feel and share the emotions and frustrations of another, but only as a driving force to see them free. It doesn’t mean we use their emotions or frustrations as a means to be another victim. Intercession often feels the pain of another, but only as a means of identifying the problem, giving us a target for prayer. Lastly it means to step in a place where the other person is lacking. This last area explains the Intercession of the Spirit, without the Spirit we are left with the flesh, but the flesh is so weak it can’t understand the things of God, it only digs the pit deeper. The Spirit is fully able to save our souls, the Righteousness and Holiness of God are part of the Word in us. Will it take Groanings, or Travailing? Yes, birth usual does.
It’s the carnal mind fighting the process, so how do we become free of the carnal mind? We simply submit to the Spirit, allowing the change to take place. When the event is not pleasing, Praise the Lord. “Well, I tell you one thing, bless God, I will praise the Lord through it, but I will never praise Him for it”, the confession of a carnal mind displaying how its displeased with the way things are going. The carnal mind demands for God to please it, rather than it pleasing God. The carnal mind defines all things based on it’s pleasures, if it’s happy, it assumes God is. If it’s displeased, it assumes God is, it was the same error of the Pharisees made, and the same one the children in the wilderness made.
Most of us are “hung by the tongue” when we make statements presuming they were fact, when they were imaginations, or words based in unbelief, or words from a carnal source attempting to act spiritual. The unsaved soul, or carnal mind takes a fact, adds an opinion, then adds an imagination, calling it “Truth”. None of us really have the ability to examine our own words, we say things thinking we were so wise, so clever, yet we were sensual, earthly and devilish. The New Man being the Word, examines words, giving us the source of the intent (James 1:21 & Heb 4:12). Once we find the source of the intent, the battle begins, but the Spirit has the victory in hand before the first shot is fired. This “Help” shows the New Man is based in the same Holiness and Righteousness as God, there is no darkness, wile of the enemy, or enemy who can stand against the Greater He in us.
This also explains the two types of tongues, with the groanings; first the groanings can’t be uttered; whereas, tongues are uttered. If the Groanings Can’t be Uttered, they are internal but Tongues are an Utterance. This is very important, some think things which can’t be uttered are uttered. Not so, this is the Word in us dividing and separating the internal areas, there are times when what we thought was a Perfect Wheat, is seem by the Word in us as a Tare, it must be discarded, it’s a hindrance to our walk.
New Tongues are tongues of Mercy Love and Forgiveness, rather than speaking from the spirit of bondage, we speak from the Mercy of the Cross. Unknown tongues is when the Spirit in us speaks, Paul said it’s God who speaks, thus the Spirit that is of God is the source, our vocal cords are the means (I Cor 2:12 & 14:21). There is no commandment telling us we have to speak in unknown tongues, but there is one telling us not to hinder anyone from speaking in unknown tongues (I Cor 14:37-39). New Tongues are a matter of condition and position in the kingdom of heaven, groanings lead us into the Kingdom of God, unknown tongues coupled with prophecy are evidences of the Spirit within (Acts 15:8, 10:46 & 11:15-17).
Prior to the Cross the disciples used supernatural power, they couldn’t use spiritual Power, since they were not spiritual in nature, thus Pentecost brought a Greater Power, or Power added to the power of Mercy, as Grace was added to Mercy; however, there are some who operate in the courtyard, they reject Mercy, thus their ability is found in the authority of the Name of Jesus, but it doesn’t mean they have the Name in them. They not only mind the flesh, they use it. Jesus said some will come to Him on that Day who refused to do the will of the Father, yet they cast out devils in the Name of Jesus, they prophesied in the Name of Jesus, they did many wonderful works in the Name of Jesus (Matt 7:21-23). It’s not what they did, but what they failed to do causing their iniquity, thus the Name of Jesus will work during the Day for anyone who has entered the kingdom of heaven, but it doesn’t make them a “son of God”. One can accept the Cross, yet retain the old nature, attempting to make the old man religious in nature, thus they also attempt to control and dictate their religion, but they are holding the truth in unrighteousness.
Romans 8:1 through 8:27 give us the road map to victory, Romans 8:28 gives us the Hope. When we pray in accordance with Romans 8:26-27, then we trust in all things coming together for Good to those who love God, but the intercession brings about Good to those who are also called according to His purpose, thereby producing Good in the Purpose of God. It doesn’t mean the Good will happen immediately, neither does it mean we have the ability to equate what the Good might be, but this we know, if we’re in the hand of God, any event is for our benefit.
We then find two different words used for Intercession in Romans 8:26 and 8:27. In Romans 8:26 it’s the Greek Huperentugehano, meaning to intercede for, but it entails a cooperation. In Romans 8:27 it’s the Greek Entugehano, which does not require the person being prayed for to be involved. The only difference between the two words is the Greek Huper meaning the cooperation or involvement of the other party. So, what is our involvement? Belief and submission, knowing the Spirit in us is working toward the salvation of our souls. This also shows it’s far better to pray for people by the will of the Spirit, rather than using the will of the flesh.
Romans 8:28 tells us we Know all things work together for good, thus a matter of our faith is knowing All Things are working to good, whether we like them or not, whether we understand them or not. Next we find two groups wherein this premise applies, those who Love God, and those “called according to His purpose”. This connects to James, and the Rejoicing when we fall into divers temptations. Why rejoice? We’re in the hand of God, when a lust is allowed to surface, it’s there to be dealt with, not played with. Often the Groanings are seeking out those things we felt were treasures, or abilities, or confidence builders, but in truth they were hindrances to the calling.
In verse 8:30 we find the word “called”, but we also find two different Greek words (wouldn’t you know it). In Romans 8:28 it’s the Greek Kletos meaning Called to an office, or position, but in Romans 8:30 it’s the Greek Kaleo meaning A divine invitation. In Romans 8:28 it points to those who Love the Lord, and all those called into a position, but in 8:28 it’s the divine invitation to all mankind to accept the Grace of God.
Paul’s call to the Romans is simply enter the realm of the Spirit by seeking to be spiritual in nature, then enter the area of the spiritual ability by being submissive to the Spirit, thus intercession is not what we can do for the Spirit, but what He does for us, with us, and through us; therefore, how can we continue to use unbelief, resist the power, or attempt to activate our personal agenda, yet think we are minding the Spirit? How can we walk in the Righteousness of Jesus, if we are running around doing works of religion building our own righteousness? If we have imputed our flesh dead, and the Spirit has accounted our flesh dead, yet we go about centering on the flesh, doesn’t it make one or the other a liar? Yes, the Spirit says our flesh is dead, we say No, it doesn’t take long to figure out which one is lying. We are either going to agree with God, or our flesh, which we agree to, we follow. Each has a plan, each plan has a result. God’s plan is to form us into God’s son. The flesh on the other hand desires to keep us earth bound, with our souls attached to the corrupt flesh. The Witness of the Water, Blood and Spirit will complete the plan of God, the witness of the sensual, earthly and devilish will complete the plan of the flesh. Which one do we desire?
The unsaved soul tends to enter it’s own plan, the Spirit works with us to enter the Predestinated plan God has for us. It’s our faith and submission bringing the result unto a Good ending, not our deeds of the flesh, natural intellect or church standing. This area is very important, if we continue to use our will, we are idol worshipers, if we use our will power to control the flesh, we are idol makers, if we fail to become servant of God, we are condemned. There are some who claim to be servant, yet they are still using their minds to determine the type of servitude, thus they are still the master of their own servant, it’s still idol worship.
The Promise is evidenced by the Spirit in us, God works with us through His love, but views us through the Promise. Once we are Born Again the personal work of the Grace begins, when we are Full Age, or a “father” then we will Know Him who was from the Beginning. The soul must join to the New Man, it’s not the other way around, if it was, then there would be no battle. The New Man is patient, He won’t give up easily, but when the Holy Ghost goes, so does the “New Man”, if we are in any area of the submission process, we go as well. God is not going to say, “Well I brought the testing, but gee, it’s time to go, see ya”. Jesus didn’t tell Peter, “Satan is going to swift you, and you’re going to hell”, Jesus didn’t even say what Peter did was a sin, although it’s clear Satan did the sifting. Why? Jesus allowed the event, it was something Good for Peter. At the time Peter didn’t think so, but judging the event by the event tells us nothing. The result tells the story, thus the event may seem horrid, but the result is for our good, we will always learn if we want to, thus Peter is a perfect example of Romans 8:28.
Our deliverance from the system of the world is proof of God’s ability to set us in the Plan. God called, we answered, thus there had to be something in us to answer the call. The measure of faith, the gift from God, showing we can’t brag, it was predestinated, or in the plan. The purpose is always for us to be Formed (not created) into the image of God’s son, any other conclusion is not of God; showing the Forming process is the Justification process, which is the purpose of the Adoption process, which is taking us into the area where we can be “sons of God”, rather than merely talk about it.
This is still a process, each area calls for belief, faith, and submission, thus the Plan was there, we answered the Invitation, then the Justification began, the Just still live by faith. The glorification cannot take place until the Justification takes place, if we have Faith, we also Know all things work together for Good. The Romans answered the call, but failed to enter the justification process through Faith. The Plan was there, the hope was there, but they were the ones with the Keys.
The English word Predestinate comes from the Greek Proorizo meaning To decide beforehand, or To have exact knowledge beforehand, this would connect to the Report in heaven. It was used in Acts 4:28, here in Romans, in I Corinthians 2:7, and Ephesians 1:5 and 1:11. God has planned for us to be with Him, He has a plan for all to come to the knowledge of the Gospel so all can be saved, so none will be lost, we also know God has given man free moral choice, Judas being the example. In order to bring the Report into being, God gave us the Witness of the Water, Blood and Spirit. Hyper-Predestination is the attempt to call the Report complete on earth without the Witness, or to put the blame on God for man’s rejection of the Plan, it’s not what Paul is telling us. God doesn’t have an A list, and a B list, “ahh I see you pray, have the Spirit, and walk in Mercy, and oops, I also see you are on the B list, sorry”. Paul just told us the free gift was upon All men unto Justification (v. 5:18), it’s the receiving the free gift putting one into the Plan.
There is a difference between opportunity presented, and forcing someone to accept the gift. The Hope in Predestination is knowing if we are called, God has a plan fully set forth, there is no guessing, or last second changes; all the events are taken care of before we know they are events. The entire plan has been recorded in heaven, but for us to fit the Plan we need the Witness.
The false concept of Predestination being a list in heaven of people God refuses to grant entry, negates why the Father sent the Son to begin with. John 3:16 doesn’t say, “God so loved some of the world, He sent His son to save the few, but reject the rest”. The truth remains Many are called, Few are chosen, because the Few make the choice to be the Chosen; however, it’s just as true the Holy Ghost sows the Seed on all sorts of Grounds, some reject, some misuse, yet some treasure the free gift, but He still grants opportunity (Mark 4:13-20). Predestination simply means God knows, but history shows God knows, yet still grants opportunity.
God picked Moses because God knew Moses would do the work, but Moses didn’t know, he even argued with God about the wisdom of the calling. God knew what Adam was going to do, He knew what the devil was going to do, but granted them the opportunity to do what was good, or what was evil. God even knew Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the other prophets would finish the call, but none of them knew. However, it doesn’t mean God forced any of them to complete His will, it merely shows God knew, thus they carried out the will of God.
Verse 29 shows God’s foreknowledge, but look at the tenses, the reason He predestinated was for the person to be conformed into the Image His Son. The use of the word “might” shows this is not God forcing the Plan into action, rather it’s dependent on the acceptance. Verse 30 is a change in tenses, in verse 29 it was might, in 30 it’s all past tense, or seen as done. The Plan is for us, not against us, but the Law of Moses is against us, not for us.
Verses 31 through 33 show what God did to present the Plan, the evidence of the Plan shows God is for us, if for us, we should be for Him. God spared not His Son, thus His Son died for us, so we could impute the flesh dead, but did we? The Purpose was to freely give us all things by placing them under us, not over us. Then we find it is God who Justifies, not the Law, not the flesh, not our intellect, it’s God by the Spirit.
Verse 34 asks another question, who then condemns? It is Christ who died, yea rather, who is risen again, He is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Not only the groanings, not only the New Man, but the Blood of Jesus makes continual intercession. All this shows the Plan, and how much is entailed for us to reach the goal.
Verse 35 asks another question, but where is the answer? The question is “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ”, then he lists a bunch of things, all these things are under the feet of Jesus, not over us, or Jesus, thus if we are of the Body, therein is the Love of Christ for us. Tribulation, Distress, Persecution, Famine, Nakedness, Peril and Sword are all things, let’s face it they are not “good things” as man would see them, but where is the Who? These being things does fit “all things” work together for Good. They all help us in the travailing unto birth, “for His sake we are killed all the Day long” (v. 36). We are more than conquerors in “all these things”; “through Him who loved (past tense) us” (v. 37). Verse 37 would also fit with, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God, who Loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Gal 2:20). If Jesus loved him, does it mean Jesus no longer loves him? No, it means the Love Jesus retained on the Cross lives on in the Spirit. If we get mad, kick the cat, toss the computer out the window, yell at the moon, give up, it’s still doesn’t mean Jesus will say, “that’s it, no love for you”. His Love is still there, the key to this is found in two places, here in verse 37 it’s “through Him who loved us”, meaning we must be in Him to know the Love. In verse 38 we find angels maybe the who? It’s still in the area of death, life, principalities, powers, things present, not things to come. In verse 39 we find this Love is the Love of God “which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”, therein lays the mystery. In order to have this Love, really in order not to be separated from it, one must have the Spirit as they are In Christ by having Christ. This shows those who mind the flesh, cannot make this claim, although the Plan says they can if they receive the Spirit. Wait in verse 39 it says, “any other creature” so it must include the “who”. Except the word in the context refers to the building or ordinance, or the conversion of a person, but it still doesn’t define the Who.
Accordingly where do we find God’s Love? In the flesh? No, in the Law of Moses? No, in the flowers in the field? No, in the homemade jam? No, in Christ Jesus our Lord, the only place to find the Love in our Season (v. 8:39). No one can call Jesus Lord, but by the Holy Ghost (I Cor 12:3). In order to fit these verses the prerequisite is to be Born Again, as we mind the Spirit. However, we are still looking for this Who, perhaps the Who will show up in the next chapter.
Rom 9:1-9
Well, well, here it is, from nothing can separate us, to there are some who separate themselves, the two concepts must be placed together, or we will enter religious conceit thinking we can do whatever, yet never lose our position. The position is still IN Christ as Christ IN us. Here we find if one minds the flesh the Who becomes the person who holds to their unbelief. On the same note we just found God will never send anything, or anyone against us to separate us from His Love, but it doesn’t stop us from tossing it away (perdition) by refusing to believe. Jude says there are some who separate themselves, Hebrews talks about those who draw back to perdition, here it’s the same, but it’s also just as obvious they lack the desire to believe. They want religion, not the responsibility (Jude 4, 19 & Heb 10:38-39). There is a vast difference between something separating us, and separating ourselves, thus failure is a decision to fail by refusing to follow the procedure, it has nothing to do with a lack of the wherewithal to finish. It’s the decision to follow the flesh continually by rejecting the call to either mind the Spirit, or walk in Mercy.
Whether one has the Spirit or not, if they are in the Body they have the ability to walk in Mercy. Pride works to establish itself as the messiah to the Messiah, it has it’s own plan of redemption, one wherein it desires to make the old man the savior. In essence the Plan of God for us is so perfect we have to Work continually to reject it. This was made clear when we found the Spirit in us will fight to get us to the place where Jesus waits, yet if we hold to the flesh we will fight the New Man. We will be bitter, angry, never happy, nasty, unbelieving and fearful.
This is a call for the Romans to make their decision, to submit to the Spirit, by allowing their strongholds to be broken. No crown is going to fit the head who hasn’t laid against the Cross. God has designed a cross just for us, after we deny the self, we pick up our cross. The cross is designed unto death of the old nature, with the deeds of the old nature. No one can enjoy the Life of Christ, until they have tasted the death of the old man.
Paul will show the longsuffering of God, the time and elements of the plan, yet God knows and is ready to complete His overall plan in spite of man’s unbelief. God merely works man’s unbelief into the general plan, just as He works our belief into the personal plans He has for us. This is a hope, perhaps we fought the plan for years, yet God by His Love was there waiting, He had it in the plan, the time when the clay would break, yield, and allow the Water to soften us was in the plan. The day came when it all made sense, we turned by repenting, then we turned to the Kingdom to be formed into God’s son.
Prior Paul spoke of the belief of Abraham unto hope, but now he moves to the birth of the nations. Not all called Israel are of Israel, just as not all who call themselves Christian are Christian. Simply calling ourselves Christian, doesn’t mean we are Christ Like, it’s by the Witness is in the Water, Blood and Spirit, not the soul, flesh and old man.
Paul then defines the “true Jew”, separating it from Israel, by showing the nation contains the “children of the flesh”, but they are not the “children of God”, thus we find why he said “children” are called to be heirs, then comes the time when one accepts Jesus to be an Heir with God, then they are Born Again to become joint-heirs. If they are “children of the flesh” they mind the things of the flesh, many of those things pertain to the Law of Moses, which is flesh based. Does it mean they are not heirs? Of course not, he already said they were “called to be heirs”. Which also explains why we as angels (messengers) are sent to those who Shall be heirs of Salvation, not those who are heirs.
The evidence was before them in their history, the nation wasn’t from Abraham, rather God said “In Isaac shall thy seed be called” (v. 7). In Jesus shall the Seed of God be called, so those of the Seed can be formed into the Image of God’s Son, so the Son can have many brethren (v. 8:30).
There are children of the nation, children of the house, and children of God, all different. Each has an inheritance, but the inheritance differs based on the position. We know this premise from the wills of man, one gets this, one gets more, and another gets something else, some get nothing. All are heirs, but differ based on their relationship with Him who formed the will. There are the heirs of Abraham and Moses, but there are also heirs of God.
How can anyone reject how God gave the Jews the promise for the Adoption (v. 4), or the Law, or many other things? Therefore, the correlation shows the Romans were also given many things from God, so what is the difference? Ahh, the mystery as the hammer hits the stronghold. This area regarding the Jews is after Pentecost, the subject is the Olive Tree, not the Fig Tree. The Olive Tree refers to the Mercy anointing, the Fig Tree to the religious order of Israel. In order for the Oil of the Olive to be used, the olive has to be prepared, here it’s branches of the Tree. God made room for all of the Jews, or He would not have called them. Jesus never said, “I have come for some of you”.
Some of the Jews rejected the Promise through unbelief, yet God through His foreknowledge made room in the Plan, the door to Gentile was opened, thus the unbelief of the Jews was seen before the foundation of the world, but becomes a warning to us. This goes right back to Abraham believing God, then righteousness was imputed.
The Fig Tree will not produce fruit, but the leaves have a Season. The subject here is still the Olive Tree, thus here Paul isn’t speaking of the Law of Moses, but how the person who did the Law was so involved in their own righteousness, they missed the Proceeding Word of God, yet they accepted the Cross to be part of the Olive Tree, as the Olive Tree connects to the Mount of Olives, the place where Jesus spoke of the Commandments of Mercy. This shows the natural branches received the Cross, but continued to strive for their own righteousness, they held the truth in unrighteousness.
Rom 9:10-16
Paul followed a progression of the promise, from Abraham, to Sara, to Rebecca and Isaac, thus the allegory shows Grace is also progressive. God knew what Esau and Jacob would be like before they were born, but neither Esau or Jacob did. These Scriptures give us many truths, sin does not enter us when we are in the womb, since neither Esau or Jacob did good or evil, yet they were born under the sin nature. God knew what each would do, but it doesn’t mean God made them do it.
Natural man’s potential is more to do evil based on the lusts of the flesh, than do good. However, in the case of Esau we have an added element placing all this together. Esau never respected his Birthright, to him it was something to bargain with. This shows there is a difference between the sin nature, and doing sin. True, none are righteous, all have come short of the glory of God, but it’s different than selling your birthright. Being born under the sin nature, and committing sin are different, if not, Paul could not say, “neither having done any good or evil” (v. 11). These scriptures have been twisted to the point some use the excuse “God didn’t pick me, it’s not my fault”; however, the scriptures show both Esau and Jacob had the same beginning, came from the same womb, had the same opportunity, same potential, but the decisions of each were known before the foundation of the world, thus before they made their decisions God knew the decision, but God didn’t make their decisions for them. No one forced Esau to sell his birthright, later in Hebrews we will find it’s what caused God to hate him. Giving away a birthright Jesus died for is not going to please the Father. Therefore, excuses fall short when we ignore the premise of the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus, thus God deals with us according to the decision by forming us into a vessel of honor or dishonor. It’s the same lump of clay, not many different ones. The Cross gives us the ability to reject the Esau nature, so we can be formed into the Image of God’s Son, but if the clay rebels, or rejects the Water, it will still be formed, only into a vessel of dishonor.
Esau was told not to pick his wife from the wicked, yet he did. Jacob was told where to pick his wife, and he obeyed. Esau made a decision to rebel, Jacob to obey, it was the obedience provoking God to pick Jacob, yet Jacob was anything but a “saint”, yet he obeyed, becoming the basis from which God could work with him. This also connects to Abraham, the man believed, then God imputed righteousness on him, so it could be by faith. In the case of Jacob the man obeyed, thus God was able to use him.
The verse doesn’t say God hates the ways of Esau, it says God hated Esau. The ways of Esau identified Esau, yet his attitude toward his birthright was the cause, but it was Esau who made the decision after he obtained the birthright. It’s the key to the entire passage, it had nothing to do Esau not having the wherewithal, it had to do with him having the promise in hand, yet rejecting it for the flesh. Esau loved his flesh, more than he loved the Promise or Gift. Paul shows the unrighteousness wasn’t with God, it was with Esau. It wasn’t based on God putting Esau on the “rejected list”, it was based on the decisions of Esau, as the man made the choice to give up his birthright to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh for the moment. The same example seen when one gives up their birthright in Grace for the flesh, they are cut off from the Olive Tree (Heb 12:15-16).
Unrighteousness? Must be the key to the text; Esau was from the same womb as Jacob, had the same father and mother, held the promise in hand, yet he held those truths in unrighteousness, which is a type of those who hold the Truth in unrighteousness. The clues to the character of Esau were found in his ways, he was told one thing, but did another, it ended when he failed to give due respect to his birthright. Did Jacob cause Esau to be Esau? Did the distress? No, it was Esau’s attitude toward the things of God.
The concept shows God provided for all who were born into Israel to be Israel, it was the person, not God who made the decision to hold unbelief, thus God still formed the vessel by the decisions made, not some preordained unrighteousness God instilled in them. The shadow shows all who come to the Cross are given the same opportunity, God is no Respecter of persons. The Wicked make the decision to hold to the old man to become the workers of Iniquity, they had the same opportunity to be among the Just, as they did to become Unjust.
Now wait, if all this is true, what about the “sheep” in Matthew 25, they did works, and were called “righteous” (Matt 25:37)? True, but from the context of Matthew 25 we find a mystery, those sheep didn’t do the works for righteousness sake, if they had, then they wouldn’t be surprised when Jesus tells them all they did. What did they say? “Oh Yes, we know, we did it for righteousness”? No, they asked “when?”, thus they did the works based on mercy through the measure of faith. They gave without considering gaining righteousness, the same attitude Abraham had, thus they did the Law of faith without knowing it. Esau on the other hand cared for Esau, what he wanted, he figured a way to get it regardless of the consequences. Once he found what he gave away, he repented with many tears, but it was too late (Heb 12:17).
Did Jacob fight the calling? Yes, but in the end he submitted. This is an Allegory, it doesn’t mean the actual people were Born Again or in the kingdom of heaven, no more than Hagar was the Mount, nor was she the actual city of Jerusalem of the earth (Gal 4:22-25). Jacob is a type of one who hears, then does as they are told, Esau a type of the bad fish. Jacob a type of one we have compassion on making a difference, Esau a type who retains the spots on their garment (Jude 22-23). We entered this to be Wheat, good fish, the called, chosen and victors, the Plan says we will make it by the Witness taking us to the place where we will be Glorified, but we will face the Esau types on the path, at times we will find an Esau tare being exposed in us.
Jacob’s desire to obtain his promised wife is also a symbol of the type of patience Paul held in talking to the Romans. Paul didn’t know if they would receive the correction or not, but he writes as if they not only received it, but moved to the Spirit to complete the promise. Truly this letter is an example of Paul seeking the Precious, it shows his hope in the Truth winning out. His prayers were the same, he had confidence in his prayer life, because he knew the will of the Spirit.
Verses 11 through 14 tell us God’s foreknowledge is not used to form someone against their will. Before either Jacob or Esau did either good or evil God told Rebecca “the elder shall serve the younger”, in Malachi God said Jacob He “has” loved, Esau He has hated (Gen 25:23 & Mal 1:2-3). Because God saw the future and said it, does it make Him unrighteous? No, for He also said to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and compassion on whom I will have compassion”, is not God equal? So then, it is not man who wills, nor he who runs the race, but God showing Mercy, when He grants us Mercy, He expects us to grant it unto others.
The Romans, or anyone in the Body had no position to say who God must make into a vessel of honor or dishonor, or who can enter the Body, and who can’t. This area is also based on Mercy, not Grace. This is before one gains the Spirit, God has Mercy and compassion on whom He will, we don’t dictate if God must have Mercy on us, or someone else. It’s we who vowed to give God’s Mercy after we received it. Therefore, God gives us Mercy, we apply it, God gives us Grace we walk in it, God gave us the Spirit, we submit to Him. Everything to gain the Result was given to us by God, not one thing by our own fleshy, natural intellectual carnal endeavors. The reality shows only God knows the heart of a person, they may seem like a vessel of honor, but they are really one unto dishonor. The king of Egypt made the decision to have the children killed, God didn’t (Ex 1:15-16). Since Pharaoh refused to give Mercy, he also blocked himself from receiving Mercy, thus God hardened his heart. Yet, the heart of Pharaoh was already hard, God saw if from the foundation of the world. God knew the heart of Pharaoh, when God did signs to give His people hope and belief, the same signs hardened Pharaoh’s heart. We see the same today, signs come, some rejoice, some get mad. This is how God formed the vessel, by allowing the vessel to form itself by either believing, or falling into unbelief. The Mercy of God was presented to all, Pharaoh simply refused it. The result was the king dying, yet the children entering the wilderness. We find God “raised” Pharaoh, what Pharaoh a “son of God”? Not hardly, God kept Pharaoh alive for the purpose of showing God’s power to the children, so the children could have a foundation for their belief. The word Raised is the Greek Exegeiro which is a compound word meaning To allow to wake up, which really makes no sense, until we take it to classical Greek. There we find it means to allow to come to exist, thus God didn’t do a thing to change Pharaoh, but He did protect him for the purpose.
Judas is a warning, he was within the ministry, he was not a Roman, he was not a Pharisee, he was an ordained apostle of Jesus Christ. Yet, Jesus called him a “devil” (Jn 6:70). Did God know devils would exist? Yes, but it doesn’t mean God tempted them to be devils, it merely means God allowed them free choice, they made the wrong one. Then God worked their evil choice into the plan for the benefit of those who Love God, and are called according to His purpose. Nonetheless the devils and Judas end in the lake of fire, with all those who follow them.
Pharaoh felt he was king over all, when he was told about the Lord he said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go?” (Ex 5:2). No respect, neither a fear of God, thus when God moved to give His people signs, the natural wickedness of Pharaoh surfaced. So then, if God saw it, why did He allow the children to be placed in bondage to begin with? To prove His power of deliverance, the same reason we will find ourselves under the hand of ungodly from time to time. There are times we need to be reminded of all God is doing for us.
The children had two areas, the first was seeing the great delivering power of God, thus they knew the power delivered them, when they were unable to deliver themselves. It’s our first step of appreciation for being delivered from the snare of the devil. Next came the test in the wilderness, would they continue with the same belief and faith they held when they crossed the Sea? They still had signs in the wilderness, but they didn’t like the manner in which God was training them. They allowed unbelief to rule their minds, did God know it? Yes, Paul tells the Corinthians it was written for our sakes, a warning to us regarding the destruction of holding unbelief.
Rom 9:17-23
We just saw how God shows Mercy on whom He will, but we know the only way we get Mercy from God is to make the decision to forgive others. The concept shows we must make the decision to give Mercy, but it’s God who gives us the Mercy to give. If we are blinded by the darkness, it’s all we see. Instead of finding God in the event, we will find the evil. The problem is, what we find, we tend to promote.
Pharaoh was not from the house of Israel, but God nonetheless used him to show God’s power. Man has no position from which to question God’s choice, God alone knows the ways of a person’s heart, man in and of himself doesn’t even know his own heart.
It’s not God who rejects man, it’s man who rejects God, this isn’t restricted to the concept of the world, it includes the kingdom of heaven. The problem is not without, all the metaphors of the good and bad fish, the wheat and tares, the tree and the birds, are seen within. We found in John’s Account how the vessel was clean, then filled with Water, then the Water turned to Wine. The Water is a metaphor for Mercy, thus the Mercy brought the Wine. However, we also know from our bellies shall flow Living Water, ahh Mercy unto Life. On the same note we also know there is bitter water, coming from the old man, the Living Water from the New.
Did God talk to Pharaoh? Yes through the prophet; not only did God pick Pharaoh, He picked the prophet from the foundation of the world as well. Pharaoh was in the plan, yet at the point in time Pharaoh considered himself a god over the gods. God’s delivering power was a display showing how God was over all things, always able to deliver His own. Pharaoh was just another “thing” to benefit the called of God, although at the time the called didn’t think so.
God told Abraham about the captivity many years before it happened, God also told Abraham about the release of the children, thus the deliverance was the hope, we know the children were looking for a “deliverer”. It’s the result making the difference, the captivity not only showed Pharaoh the might of God, but it showed the children the Power of God. We can be under the hand of Pharaoh, yet God will allow the event to show His Power of deliverance, don’t forget it. The children in the wilderness did.
Once the children were delivered, they refused to continue in their belief, or hold the same faith they had when they crossed the sea. They rebelled causing their rebellion to turn to murmuring and complaining, then turning to tempting God, then challenging the man of God, all this after they were delivered. We can enter based on Deliverance, but forget the purpose.
God begins the formation with the same lump of clay, not two different lumps, a lump is a creation ready to be Formed. The lump becomes one of dishonor when it makes the decision to reject Mercy. The lump made entry based on two things, God’s Love and Mercy, a refusal to give Mercy brings dishonor to the Lord, thus the Will of the Father is for us to be merciful as He is merciful. This is the same context as Matthew 7:21-23, the workers of iniquity are vessels of dishonor, thus the warning to the Romans was telling them how holding the truth in unrighteousness is dangerous.
Did God know the Wicked would become vessels of dishonor? Yes, but it doesn’t mean God enjoys forming them, neither does it mean God caused them to reject mercy. It means God works with what we present Him. The purpose of the Plan was to form all the clay into the image of God’s Son, it was the clay who determined the forming process, the Potter merely formed the clay into the vessel the material allowed. What was the prophecy? “Let us make man in Our image”, it was not, “Let us make some in our Image, and some in the devil’s and the rest in plan B”. The Plan assures us God has set His purpose for us to be sons of God by the Witness in us.
Paul uses the line from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob to show God’s longsuffering, as well as the progression. God not using Abraham to bring all twelve tribes from Sara shows God has a plan which is progressive in nature. Mercy and Grace are progressive, Peter will show how we build one attribute on another. Don’t think we can wake up and make the decision to walk in Mercy or Love, then be complete from then on. We will make mistakes, we will fall, but the mistakes and falling in the Kingdom are learning tools, not destruction. Patience must have her perfect work.
There is real danger in rejecting Mercy, it may cause one to attack other members in the Body, especially when they don’t agree. The old excuse of, “well I didn’t see much anointing on them anyway”, or, “well I’m not sure they are of the Body” are both attempts to be the god over the Body. When we come against flesh and blood, we could be coming against a vessel of honor in the making, or a vessel of honor God is using to correct us, or disciple us. Correction unto perfection could be saving a vessel from becoming one of dishonor, much different than attacking flesh and blood. Judge the ways, and words, not the person.
God hones the vessel to become one of honor, if they show Mercy, while we are showing our attacking unbelief, we’re in big trouble. This is evident in some of the so-called Christian debates, we see one person jump all over another, call them heretic, cultist, or whatever, yet the so-called heretic, or cultist is showing mercy, while the other is attacking with a vengeance. Who then is the heretic? Who then is the vessel of dishonor? The other person’s teaching may be faulty, they may be in an area they have no business in, but they are still showing Mercy. It’s difficult to call someone not of the Body, when they show more mercy than we do.
The vessel of honor is one unto Mercy, not Grace, thus the context in this area is Mercy. Here are the keys, we have the ability to use them, or not to use them, but they are nonetheless in our hands. The very second God forgives us, we have the power of Mercy in hand. If we use the keys in a Godly manner, we walk in Mercy. If not, we will end a vessel of dishonor. Is it what God wants for us? No, is it in the Plan? Yes. Did God know there would be those who are the drunken going into the Night? Yes, is it His will? No, is it in the Plan? Yes. Will there be enemies of Jesus? Yes, is it the Will of God? No, is it in the Plan? Yes. God knows, but it doesn’t mean God forces someone into the position. If there were the case, we would not have the Keys.
The Plan is nonetheless our confidence, it shows God saw every stronghold, hurt, soulish trait, natural process, wile of the enemy, everything our souls needed to be healed, and saved, the Plan took care of everything. We are the product of the plan, not the tool, or the engineer. The source is the New Man, the engineer God. If we force changes in the plan, it’s we, not the plan or the engineer causing the problems. A dead fish floats downstream, a live fish can swim downstream missing the rocks and hindrances.
The word Destruction can also be translated as Perdition, thereby showing the sons of perdition lack Mercy, it takes a work to force change in the plan. Mercy becomes the glue to Grace, in Grace the Just life by faith, as they are being justified by God. However, we must see Grace is not the issue in the vessel forming, it’s Mercy (Water).
When we give Mercy, we are allowing God to form us into a vessel of honor, when we slander, hate or attack people, we give God no choice, but to form us into vessels of dishonor. “Oh yeah, I tell you one thing, I gave a someone mercy, and they went around telling everyone how I bowed to him”. Yes, vessels of dishonor do, since they lack any concept of Mercy, but it still doesn’t change our call to give Mercy. If they lack Mercy what to you think they would say? “Oh the saint showed me so much Mercy, I’m so convicted”? If they did, then they repented, meaning they are back on the right track. If they twisted our Mercy into some self-exalting act for their own egos, they are on the road to destruction, but since we gave Mercy, we are not, it becomes the point.
All this goes back to, “if we are separated from the Love of God, who did it?”. Surely it wasn’t persecution, affliction, principalities, death, life, powers, things present, things to come, height, depth, or any other creature, nor someone who taught false doctrine. What was it? A failure to give Mercy, while holding unbelief, causing them to reject the birthright. We all have the same opportunity, we all have the same ability in the New Man. There is no reason for failure, other than the continual decision to remain in unbelief. We can’t presume this means nothing can separate us, since we found unbelief will cause us to be cut off, but we are the ones who can either believe, or not. Both unbelief and belief are based in choice, we view the evidence we make the decision. We know the Scriptures are true, yet we see two people presented the same evidence, one says, “wow, I see it”, the other says, “well I don’t see it”, choice.
Rom 9:24-33
Not only did God call the Jews, but also the Gentiles (v. 24). Then Paul presents the Old Testament evidence to prove God’s foreknowledge, first in Hosea, a people who were not God’s people, will become God’s people, referring to the Gentiles (v. 25). Then it shall come to pass in the place where is was said unto them, you are not My people, there shall they be called the children of the living God, referring to the Jews who accepted the Cross and Resurrection (v. 26).
Isaiah also said, though a number of children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved, referring to the Night as the Remnant of the Seed of the Woman (v. 27). For God shall finish the work, and cut it short in Righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth (v. 28), referring to the Judgment, since the Judgment is based in Righteousness (v. 2:5). The Remnant are also seen as the Seed left for the work of Judgment (v. 29). Again showing God’s foreknowledge, it will be, no man can stop it, but mankind can avoid it.
Now we have another Law, the one of Righteousness, but is it the Law, or the person doing the Law? The Gentile who was not under the Law, had not attainted Righteousness, even the Righteousness of faith, is God unrighteous then? No, so what about Israel, which followed after the righteousness of the Law of Moses, yet has not attained the Righteousness of Faith? Is God unequal? No, each made the choice when God presented the Gospel to all people, God is no Respecter of persons (vs. 30-32).
How then? Because God refused some? Nay, because some sought it not by faith, but by the works of the flesh, for they stumbled at the stumbling stone (v. 32). As it is written, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone, a rock of offense: and whosoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed (confounded – v. 33). But to those who believe not, the same Stone becomes a stumbling stone, so we find it’s the person, not some Plan A or Plan B hidden by God in heaven. We have to consider the evidence, we are in the Body, we have the same opportunity as Paul, Peter, John, Philip, or any other person in the Body, the Power hasn’t changed, the opportunity hasn’t changed either.
Rom 10:1-4
Paul is making a simple equation, the Jews did the Law of Moses with a zeal seeking self-righteousness, but in so doing they missed the Righteousness of God. The Knowledge of God is written, the evidence of who Jesus is was written for the Jew and Gentile, receiving it was a matter of choice. This proves, if we do the Law of Moses, we will not find the Righteousness of Jesus. When Jesus told us to deny the self, it included the concept of denying any form of self-righteousness. The self desires self-righteousness, it feels good, it puffs up, it makes the emotions happy, but it also slaps Jesus in the face.
Belief doesn’t stop at receiving, it continues on in the process in a lawful manner. Christ is the end of the law of self-righteousness, but only to those who believe. For those who believe not, the Law of sin and death remains.
Rom 10:5-14
Moses gave the requirements regarding the Law of Moses, the righteousness in the Law is not only based on the person doing the deeds, but living in them. However, the Righteousness by faith, speaks as well, it tells us our faith in God to Justify us by the Spirit makes us Justified before God. Do we each need some personal Jesus to die for us alone? Can any of us say Who will ascend into heaven? or Who will go to hell? Seeking to have Jesus appear from heaven, or demanding to see the defeat of the devil are products of control and unbelief. These things have happened, they need not happen again just so we can believe. Faith knows God has a Plan for us, the purpose is to save us. If we demand some special event just so we can believe in order to have faith, we have already made up our minds we are not going to believe. The Pharisees wanted a sign to fit their theological concepts, yet there were signs falling about them daily. They made up their choice not to believe, anyone who uses the unbelief of another as an excuse to hold their own unbelief, is still an unbeliever. We have the Bible, regardless of the translation we still know, Ye must be Born Again.
Do we have to see Christ on the Cross and raised again? Faith doesn’t, faith knows the same Spirit who raised Jesus is us raising us daily. What says the Word? The Word is near unto us, even in our mouths, and in our hearts, if we are Born Again. It’s the same Word of faith Paul preached to the Romans, and to us via the Scriptures. We confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus, knowing no one calls Jesus Lord, but by the Holy Ghost (v. 9 & I Cor 12:3). We must believe in our heart God has raised Jesus from the dead, without needing some special evidence, then we shall be saved. This is the same context as Mark 16:16-18, with the same tense for the word Believe. We cannot be like the children, who crossed the sea by faith, yet entered unbelief in the testing.
In verse 9 it was confess, then believe, in verse 10 it’s believe unto Righteousness, then with the mouth confession is made “unto salvation”. This gives us steps, this is not speaking to believe, it’s speaking what we believe. It begins with making a decision to believe, then putting our trust in God, then seeking after the Spirit, then putting our mind on the Spirit as we put our faith in God. The same word of faith Paul preaches, is in our mouths, from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The circumcised Heart is the place of Righteousness and Truth; this is the Righteousness of faith, not the self-righteousness of the Law of Moses, nor is it minding the flesh. This Righteousness is found in the New Man, it’s the foundation for the Justification, the very means God uses to Justify us.
For the Scripture says, Whosoever believes on Him, shall not be ashamed (v. 11 & Isa 28:16, 49:23 and Jere 17:7). This also connects back to 9:33 to the stumbling stone, whosoever believes shall not be ashamed. The tense for the word Believe in 9:33 is the Present Participle, expressing a continuous action. In verse 9 the word Believe in the phrase believe in our hearts is the Aorist Subjunctive referring to a simple, undefined action, which means it’s based in the New Man, who is the Word, or Seed which can’t be seen. This area along with verse 14, plus the Aorist tense for believe means one who believes before the imputing, just as Abraham. We can’t say, “well I will impute then I will believe”, it won’t work, it ends as a mind game. We must believe before we act, these verses show a progression of belief to faith, centered in the Word of Faith.
Verse 13 tells us about calling on the Lord, the concept is one who calls on the Lord to save them. It entails applied belief in the Lord’s ability to accomplish the act, then faith in the Lord to deliver them to a safe place. All the prior verses show the Patience, or the continuous act of belief in all Jesus promised, then our faith in the ability of the Lord to complete what He promised.
Confessing Jesus as Lord, shows we are servants, if we are servants we don’t force our agenda on the Lord, neither do we engage in self-righteousness, nor do we demand how God must operate. Trusting in God to perform for us, and putting our Trust in God are different.
If we believe in our heart God raised Jesus from the dead, we must also believe in the Trinity. Jesus said He had the power to raise Himself (Jn 2:19-21), Paul said it was the Glory of God raising Jesus, he also said it was the Spirit (of God), then he said it was the Father (Gal 1:1, vs. 8:11, 4:24-25, 6:4, 6:9 & 7:4), Peter said the Spirit (of God) raised Jesus from the dead (I Pet 1:21), one God all in all.
A lack of faith is thinking they can usher Jesus out of heaven? Doesn’t our faith know God is in control, it’s God who raised Jesus, it’s God who dictates the return of Jesus, we cannot and will not tell God what He can and cannot do, faith begins with a belief of, “God Is”, rather than “God You have to”. Before we can get to the Rewarder of those who diligently seek God, we have to be established in “God Is” belief thinking.
Rom 10:15:21
When Truth comes, we receive it, than comes the Faith to submit to the New Man in order to apply what we heard. Without the New Man we will fall right into the acts of self-righteousness, then sink knee deep in the law of sin and death. Think back to the time we received, all we did was receive the Truth, God did the rest. It hasn’t changed, the Ability came in the New Man. Therefore, Belief must include the Receiving, if we Received, we hold to what we have Received, giving us a platform for faith.
The Gospel is Peace, not war; Love, not hate; Good things and Tidings, not bad things. The Sound went out, but not all believed; therefore, faith came, but only some received. Faith always comes, it’s the receiving of Faith bringing the benefit. If faith came, could all receive? Yes, but did all? No, some made the decision not to receive, another clue to how Predestination is not God forcing us to belief, or refusing to allow us to believe. When faith comes do we receive it? Here we find the Word of Faith is spoken, but does the person hear and believe? We did then, we can now.
Paul goes back to Romans 1:18-24, showing the sound of the Word has gone out (past tense), but only those who sought the Truth in the Righteousness of Jesus obtained the Faith. If one was seeking to build on their own self-righteousness, they missed the Truth of God’s Righteousness.
We are suppose to provoke Israel to jealousy, not become a source of their jokes. Jesus was found among Israel, but they rejected Him, since they were not of faith, but He was Manifested to those who are not of Israel, who sought after Him; therefore, if one seeks the Truth, it will find them allowing them to believe.
Does God give up easy? Not hardly, He stretched forth His “hands”, on the last day they will ask “where did You get those wounds?”. This also shows when we lay hands on people, we are really giving them the Hand of God, as we act in the place of God. We are not hindered by a Veil, or a Yoke; we can pass through to the Holiest of All wherein lays the Mercy Seat so we can bring Truth, Light, Love and Hope to a dying world.
There are the people waiting, but how shall they hear? Someone has to tell them, but does anyone go? Only those Sent, but how shall they be Sent? Even if they are Sent, will all believe? No, for Isaiah said, “Lord who will believe our report”, so then Faith comes by hearing, but the hearing comes by the Word (Rhema) of God. Jesus said the Words (Rhema) He spoke were Life and Spirit (Jn 6:63). Ears set on the Rhema seek to believe the words of faith, the words of faith are based on Life and the Spirit.
Paul warns us not to cut off the Remnant, neither should we assume we are the Jewish Remnant. Cult systems claim Jesus, they also seek their own self-righteousness, they project some special element they think sets them above the Body of Christ, which defines the word “Cult”. An easy way to define a cult is any person or system who seeks their own righteousness, while holding to some special element they think sets them above the rest of the Body of Christ, coupled with corrupt end time thinking, thus they know the Truth, but hold it in unrighteousness. They want to impress God, or have us impressed by them, they desire to do some work of the flesh to be among some “special” group, to hold the secret truth, yet they fail to be what God has called them to be. Some seek to be the 144,000, some think they are the end time saints (which is the same thing), but in any case they are really minding the flesh, seeking to be better than the entire Body of Christ. Their source is the lust of acceptance, validation or superiority, based in the spirit lusting to envy. We are not of them, we seek the Lord, we mind the Spirit, we obey the word of faith.
Those who mind the flesh usually want to be exalted in some fashion by their own doing, or they attempt to impress God with works of the flesh, or deeds from the Law of Moses. However, if they know about the Cross of Jesus, or they have received the Truth of Jesus, their pride makes them hold the Truth in unrighteousness. There are cultist thinking people in cults, there are those seeking truth caught in cult systems. If one is seeking the Truth, then faith will find them, they will be set free, if they believe.
Have they not heard? Yes, so faith comes, but it still takes a Rhema ear (v. 18). As Isaiah said, “I was found of them who sought Me not, I was made manifest unto them who asked not after Me”. There are those who really don’t want to know, but there are those who really want to know. The same Net catches the good fish, also catches the bad (Jude 22-23). The same is true here in Romans, it’s not to discourage us, but to let us know not everyone is going to jump for joy over the Word of faith.
Whether Jew or Gentile, the only reason one is cut off from the Olive Tree, is based on their unbelief. Unbelief stops God from working with us, it’s not saying the Power of God is weak, or unbelief is greater than God’s Power. Rather God will not force Himself on us, we must Enter in. To assume since “God is stronger than unbelief” God will work with us regardless of our unbelief is foolishness. If it were the case then the first generation of the children in the wilderness would have made it to the Promised Land (Jude 5). Unbelief and Doubt are Great Walls around strongholds separating us from God. If we say we love God, yet hold unbelief, we lie, and the truth is not in us. We must war against the evil of unbelief, by making the decision to believe.
Rom 11:1-12
The Lord has worked with Israel for years, He continues to, until the work is done. Paul tells us to Look, is Israel still here? If so, God is not through with them. Go find some Edomite. Can’t, God is through with them. The Fig Tree remains, the branches being cut off from the Olive Tree are not to be confused with the Leaves from the Fig Tree. The branches from the Olive Tree were cut off because of their unbelief. It was not God’s rejection, but their refusal to believe. It’s the same warning Paul is giving the Romans, they too could be cut off because of unbelief.
Hold it, wait, didn’t this same man say nothing can separate us from the Love of God? Yes, but we must keep the verses in context. Their unbelief caused them to be cut off, the Love of God is found in Christ, if removed from the Tree, they caused the separation. There is no commandment telling us “thou shall know the Lord loves thee”, nor is there one saying, “because the Lord loves thee, thou shall not fail”. The call is for us to Love the Lord, if we Love Him, we will do as He said, which begins with deny the self and pick up our cross.
If the leaves of the Fig Tree are still there, it’s due to them being blinded to the Gospel for the Season to come. There are others who have veiled their selves by their own unbelief, others who veil themselves by seeking the self-righteousness in the Law. Therefore, some may appear to be separated from the Cross, but in truth it was God who has separated them from the Truth for their purpose. What purpose? The judgment of God in the Night. It stands if they know the Truth, yet are appointed to be the Remnant, then they would be holding the Truth in unrighteousness, meaning God can’t use them. However, if they are blinded by God, it’s different; neither does it excuse those who veil themselves by their own unbelief, merely showing we can’t tell the difference, don’t judge, we may be judging the Remnant.
Has God rejected those who are Israel? Seven thousand are reserved, John shows in the Book of Revelation the seven thousand are the Jewish remnant (Rev 11:13). Now wait, John says they are 144,000. True, but both numbers are metaphoric in nature, the 7,000 refers to the prophets in the caves, or those God has reserved. The 144,000 are taken from the thousands, in our case we are ten thousand times ten thousand, two numbers, two flocks, for different purposes (v. 4).
There is the Remnant appointed to the nation Israel, who are the leaves of the Fig Tree, there is also a Remnant according to Grace which are termed the Few who walk with Jesus in White (v. 5). Two Remnants, not to be confused or mixed one into the other, one is Day related, the other is Night related. Those of the Day are appointed Salvation, those of the Night are appointed to bring the Judgment.
If it is by Grace, then it’s no longer by works, otherwise Grace is no more Grace. If we mind the flesh we are not in Grace, if we mind the Spirit we are (v. 6). It has to be one or the other, therein lays the evidence. When they entered the Body it was by God’s Mercy, this issue is Grace. If one is working to obtain their self-righteousness, they are not in Grace, if one works from the Righteousness in them it is of Grace. We must consider the flesh as dead, then receive the Spirit, then walk in the Spirit in order to be raised by the Spirit at the Rapture. Does it mean we float around like a cloud? No, it means we try, we attempt to mind the Spirit, if we fail, we know it’s a lesson, not destruction.
Did Israel lose the calling to be the Elect to the Gentiles? God has blinded them by giving them a “spirit of slumber” for a purpose, not for us to mock, or sit back saying, “I thank God I’m not like you unbelieving Jew”; but to bring in the promise of the Time of Comfort. The goal is the same, the means to reach it are different.
The Jew will be raised on the last day unto life, pass the Books, find their name in the Book of Life, then hear Come up hither. We are raised because we have Life, they will be raised Unto Life, two different means, two different resurrections. However, for us the goal is to be a Partaker in the First Resurrection; those who are partakers of the First Resurrection know their names are written in the Book of Life, they need not pass the books (Law of Moses).
There is a purpose, God did not make them fall into unbelief, but He took advantage of it. Because of their stumbling the door was open to the Gentile to receive Grace unto Salvation (vs. 8-11). David prophesied how his own people would reject the Lord, because of the rejection God would place the eyes of darkness on them, but it doesn’t mean God caused them to fall, it means God has a purpose in the process. Even the vessels of dishonor have a purpose, God doesn’t waste a thing, even the rind gets used. Even if they gain the riches of the world in the Time of Comfort, does it mean we lost our purpose? Hardly, the riches of this world never determine one’s position with God. Only a thief attempts to gain entry through the Window, a son enters by the Door.
Rom 11:13-36
Paul now brings it back to the Gentile Age, as we provoke by Mercy, Love and Grace. The Promise is the Spirit, even the Jew knows the sign of the Spirit is Love. Paul isn’t speaking against the Jews, but showing the process of salvation for the Jew and the Gentile is connected to the Spirit for the Day, as the Law of Moses goes into the Night, whereas the Law of the Spirit ends on earth at the close of the Day. The Jew has a saying, scratch a Christian, you will find a pagan. When we fail to walk in Mercy, we fail at Grace, if we fail at Grace, we fail at being a Witness for Jesus.
This is still speaking of the Olive Tree, not the Fig Tree. Here we find the Gospel was presented to the Jew first, but their unbelief produced religious conceit causing them to be cut off. Jesus healed many, many followed Him, but when the test came, they turned and walked with Him no more (Jn 6:66). If the Gospel was presented to the Jew, does it mean the Root wasn’t Holy? Hardly, the Root is still holy, but it takes a decision from the branch to be a partaker. The warning? Don’t say one word about the broken branches, they were broken off for our sakes, they made room for us. They are still in God’s hands, their time is coming.
The same holds true with the sons of perdition, don’t attack them, walk in Love and Mercy. One trick of the enemy is to get us to use the same weapons against him, as he uses against us. The devil could care less if we curse him, or attack him, as long as we use his means to do so. However, when we use the weapons of our warfare, which are mighty through God causing the darkness to beat a path as far from us as possible.
Here in these verses we can put an end to the false concept of predestination being a matter of Selection. They were not cut off because of selection, nor because they failed to do the Law of Moses, but because of unbelief; thus believe or not to is a choice we make. The “selection”, if there was one, is not God selecting them to fail, rather they selected to remain in unbelief, causing the cutting off. Since this is a “cutting off”, we also find if we are circumcised at heart, we are grafted in, but if we refuse to be circumcised of heart, we are a wild branch without connection. The circumcision of heart is a removal from one aspect, yet a grafting on to another. James says the Engrafted Word is able to save our souls (James 1:21).
In order to Continue we must Continue in Belief, it’s not the baptism alone, but our continual belief bringing “shall be saved”. Paul’s teaching supports Mark 16:16-18, showing it’s not a one time confession, or a moment of belief, but a continual effort. It’s a walk and a race, not a stop and wait. This surely breaks the stronghold of holding a false sense of security; if the Branches of the Olive Tree were broken off because of Unbelief, then Paul warns the Romans the same can happen to them, thus being saved from the world is not the end of the race. If they are on the Olive Tree, they had the anointing of Mercy, yet the they failed to continue to believe. However, we are still of those who fit the command we continually believe, the reason we take Communion is to Remember, thus Remembering supports our belief. Adding Hebrews 11:1 (in those days there was no chapter or verse numbers) to Hebrews 10:38 and 39 we see faith is the evidence of things not seen, but it’s still an evidence. From the manner of faith we can tell what the unseen is, if the Spirit, then Jesus is the center of attention, if the flesh then the self becomes the center of attention.
In order to have a Continual Belief one needs a heart capable to stand in those times when unbelief attempts to invade. Believing Jesus is raised from the dead entails much, if we believe then we also believe the imputed power we used to claim the old nature dead: if we believe, then we believe sin has no dominion over us, if we believe then we believe we are free from the Law of Moses and the Ten Commandments, if we believe, then we believe God has a plan perfect of us, if we believe, we also believe God is fully able, then our faith takes over reaching to the result.
Then comes the warning again, if they were cut off because of their failure to believe, what makes us so conceited to think once we are saved from the world, we will always be saved? What makes us think we can hold tenets of unbelief, reject the spiritual, and attempt to call Jesus down from heaven, yet remain on the Tree? Religious conceit is a stronghold, the Romans assumed they were so engrafted to the Olive Tree nothing could cut them off, not even their own unbelief, yet they are found holding the Truth in unrighteousness, the result was a judgmental attitude, placing them in danger.
Faith says we cannot dictate what God will do, or will not do, we submit to what God is doing. This is an aspect of faith we can’t miss, especially if we presume our faith is a tool for us to get what we want, when we want it. Neither Faith or Belief ever attempts to call Jesus down from heaven, nor do we demand some personal sign before we believe.
Some failed to discern the purpose of their calling, when we fail to discern, we will judge others, rather then discern the things. The contrast here shows Paul was discerning, but the Romans were judging, yet it appears to the carnal mind one is the same as the other, but they are not the same.
There is a fullness of the Gentiles before the Remnant of the Jews have their time, thus we can’t joke, mock or consider ourselves so great because some are blinded to the Gospel of Peace. On the other hand there were those who accepted the premise, but because of their unbelief we obtained Mercy, now our Mercy must be upon all, including the unbelieving as well as the believing. Mercy remains a key element to our walk, thus even Faith without Mercy leaves us unequal.
It’s always the mind of the Lord, not just the Mind of Christ, we have the Mind of Christ (anointing), not the Mind of God, or the Mind of the Lord, we can’t confuse them into one mind (I Cor 2:16). The Mind of Christ receives its information from the Mind of the Lord, as Paul points out, but one cannot have the mind of Christ without the New Man.
Rom 12:1-21
There must a recourse for the Romans, or anyone else who is caught in religious conceit. Those who walk by the flesh refuse to give themselves as living sacrifices, they want to gain the reward of the Sacrifice, but they don’t want to be one. In order to be a living sacrifice one must have life, thus this pertains only to those who have gained Mercy. If it’s the case, then we can add this to our “priestly order”: to whom do we give ourselves? To the Lord, but how? By being a sacrifice as we submit to the New Man. This will be clearer in a few verses when we learn of the Charisma of Charis.
We’ve already looked at being Conformed to this world, we know Transformed used here is the same Greek word translated as Transfigured, but for review we find it’s submission to the Spirit to be Transfigured, not the act of Transforming ourselves. Self-transformation is based in self-righteousness, to form the flesh into a façade of holiness, yet inside pride reigns. The translators didn’t make a mistake, the verse shows we submit ourselves as a living sacrifice, which means it’s a matter of choice after being transformed by Mercy. If we reject the Transfiguration by Christ to produce Living Water, we will be conformed to worldly ways again. Prior it was walking in the flesh, here it’s a conforming to the ways of the world, thus the warning here points to being formed into a vessel of dishonor, by using the flesh to accomplish our goals.
If we are going to Renew our mind, it means we need a mind to be renewed to. So what mind? We know this means a Renovation (a changing and cleaning process), since chapter 8 told us about minding the flesh, or minding the Spirit, we find the Renovation is a doing away with any concept of self-righteousness, deeds of the flesh, the false concept of remaining natural, as well as putting away the use of natural reasoning to define the spiritual, which simply means we stop minding the flesh. We need an entirely different thought process, one firm in the Mind of Christ. This renewing isn’t going back to the world, it’s to renew our mind to the Spirit, yet the renovation means things have to be removed. When we move into the Mind of Christ, we will be able to do all the Things of Christ, by Christ. It’s still a process centered on walking in the Spirit.
We can’t give ourselves a living sacrifice, then transfigure ourselves, it’s impossible. It would mean we went back to the flesh to perform something for God, which God said He would do. Our fleshly effort is a sign of unbelief, leading to bitterness, yet the root of bitterness will defile us.
This draws on the belief of Abraham, who refused to trust in his flesh to bring the promise to pass, rather he trusted in God. The paradox of course is seeing the flesh of Abraham was part of the equation, thus the man could trust in God to perform, yet he could also trust in his flesh, but he didn’t, neither should we. Therefore like Belief, we find we make the choice to mind the Spirit, yet we still use the flesh to move about, do labor, as well as other things, but we don’t trust in the flesh as our deliverer or savior.
The measure of faith is a limited amount of faith, yet it’s still Given, or a Gift, we can’t even take credit for our puny faith. We can’t think we are the Faith of Jesus, rather we put our faith in Jesus, knowing His Faith has accomplished the task. We will never control the Faith of Jesus, we can’t dictate what the Faith of Jesus can do, has done, or will do, we Submit to it through the New Man. Pride attempts to control, meekness submits.
In verses 3-5 we find areas where the word “every” is used. We find, “every man among you”, with “to every man” is given the measure of faith (Rom 12:3). It would seem only those who “are among you” have the measure. Then we find, “and every one members of one another” in Romans 12:5, which is a direct reference to the Body. So, what gives? Ahh, three different Greek words for the word “every”. In the phrase “every man among you” it’s the Greek Pas meaning the whole of what is talked about. In the phrase “every one members” it’s the Greek Kata meaning What is joined to make the total. However, in the phrase “God has dealt to every man the measure of faith” it’s the Greek Hekastos meaning everyone, regardless. One could view these different words as Pas meaning only the apples, yet the text gives us apples, oranges and grapes. Kata means the basket in which the apples are joined, whether the apples are good or bad. However, Hekastos means in the basket, or out, grape, orange or apple, it doesn’t matter, it’s all inclusive. The only ones who lack faith are the wicked and the unreasonable, as the unteachable, only because they twisted their measure of faith into a self-centered, self-motivated type of self-confidence (pride of life).
In the Book of Hebrews we find many who had faith before the Cross, thus the measure of faith was around, it was the measure of faith God granted to Adam. In the measure was Agapao love, yet Jesus told us there are some who Agapao the darkness. If one can twist Agapao love to love the darkness, then they can twist the measure of faith to mind power. Our purpose is to walk in the Spirit, keep the Agapao Love as God intended, until Agape Love is birthed in us. We use our measure of faith as commanded, have Faith in God.
The reason it’s by Measure is also a vital element, if it’s by measure, we can put some here, some there, some in this person, some in our talent, some in our ability, some in the world, then put what is left in God, then wonder why we lack power. We can gain from the measure given, for what measure you give, is the same measure you get back. If we put a little of our measure in God, when the event comes, we will fail, end angry, crying, begging for prayer, wondering what happened, kicking the cat, barking louder than the dog, or thinking the devil just ripped our heart out. We have one commandment regarding the placement of the measure of faith, “have faith in God”.
Paul now speaks of the gifts of the Spirit, as they are given to benefit the Body, not merely to benefit the individual with the gift. These are the Charisma of Charis, the working elements of the nature we received by being Born Again, or attributes of the New Nature. These are not pick a gift here or there, they are signs we find coming from the New Nature. Paul lists 7 qualities: prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, ruling and mercy, the number 7 points to rest and completeness. These are not separate gifts, where one believer may have prophecy, then giving, or mercy, or discipling (teaching), thus these are attributes of the New Testament Gift of Grace. The warning, if there is one, shows we don’t go beyond the gift, we keep things in order. The prophecy is not according to the office, but it is according to “I wish for you all to give prophesy”. This is the area of comfort, exhortation and edification: the Office of Prophet is much different.
If it’s prophecy, then let it be to the proportion of faith, or within the boundaries of The Faith. It’s easy to let the old man add his thoughts to the prophecy, or what we think should be said, or say something just to appease the person, but we must stop when the Spirit is done. With ministry, wait until the Spirit is ready to minister, don’t enter, “I tell you what I think”, or attempt to minister from our pains or hurts, we end needing ministry. On teaching, let it be within the confines of Discipleship, not as the Office of Teacher. On Exhortation, let it remain as Exhortation, which may include a rebuke to set someone back on the path of faith. On mercy, always with cheerfulness. On giving, as a cheerful giver. On Ruling, let it not be as the Barbarian, but by example. These are areas where the nature of Christ is evident, all these attributes are in every Born Again believer. Since these are attributes, or Ways. Add the Wisdom of God to the ways and you have The Faith in operation within the Born Again saint. Some look for the supernatural, but we should also be looking for the Charisma of Charis as an active part of our nature.
However, we are still the ones who can place a Yoke, or Veil on the Vessel, or attempt to fake these areas. It’s difficult at best to see “living water” flow, when we keep putting stones of abuse on the mouth of the Well. Living Water? New Tongues? Yes, it’s what we find here, these areas of Charisma are coming from the well (Spirit) within. When we speak of these “gifts”, we must keep in mind they are gifts coming from us as a result of being Born Again, these are elements of the grow in the process of Justification.
Paul lists both Agape and Phileo love as vehicles to having the gifts work with effectiveness. He then tells us how these areas work; love is the first position, being fervent in Grace is the second, rejoicing in the hope third, patient in tribulation is next, then distributing to the need of the saints, given to hospitality, bless and never, never curse anyone. These gifts are in the Born Again saint for the Body, they are not the same as the Manifestation of the Spirit found in Corinthians chapter 12.
Heaping coals of fire is not the same as telling someone they are a jerk, rather the context goes to the Jewish tradition of carrying the coals from the fire the night before, to start the next fire, thus instead of rendering evil, do good to those who hate you, give to those who use you, pray for those who persecute you, cast off the desire of vengeance by giving Mercy. All this is being a Blessing, as heaping coals is not the thought of, “oh yeah I’m going to do you some good, and you’ll be sorry, you jerk, God will get you, but as for me, look how holy I am, here have another coal”. No, this means our nature is to Bless, because our New Nature made us a Blessing. It’s not easy, since the old man of cursing is waiting in the wings to bring his opinion into this. If we refuse to mind the flesh, the chore does become easier. We learn to mind the Spirit, which also means we listen before we speak.
Rom 13:1-14
Chapter 13 doesn’t end the call to Mercy, it continues. Paul’s use of “every soul” goes further than simply a gesture to submit. We can’t submit our souls to other humans after we submitted ourselves to God, thus we give ourselves to God, then we can submit one to another without the danger of developing soul ties. A “soul tie” is what the damsel in Acts 16:16-19 was attempting, it’s when we give our minds to another, allowing them to control us. If we have given our souls to Jesus, how can anyone form a soul tie with us? They can’t, but if we retain our souls, then surely someone who engages in witchcraft will attempt to form a soul tie. Really the only way it can happen is when we enter mentor worship, as we end being our minds to them, rather than to God. Cults use soul-ties, Christians seek the saving of the soul.
Paul also shows the Romans had the knowledge, but Hosea said it was a lack of knowledge causing us to be cut off? Hosea doesn’t say the knowledge was kept from the people, rather he points out, it was presented, then rejected (Hosea 4:5-6 & Hab 2:4). It becomes Paul’s point, the Knowledge is there, it’s plain, don’t reject it. This area of submission keeps us from forming the “special of the special” thinking, it begins with submission to any power (authority) we’re under. When the Centurion spoke on this subject Jesus said it was Great Faith, thus submission is a product of faith. This can only be done when we know we are over the powers of the world; yet, if we presume they are over us, how can we believe we are over them? This shows we can submit because we are of the Body, we are under the Name of Jesus, making it a choice, not a forced submission; we are not captive to the world, slaves are forced to submit.
All Power (Authority) is of God, whoever resists the Power, resists God, producing vessels of dishonor. Paul shows even a power in the world is still ordained by God, it would seem as if God has ordained evil, not so, the powers in the world expose evil, often the evil exposed is in the one doing the evil. This connects back to Pharaoh, God allowed the man to reign for a purpose, the evil was exposed, then dealt with by God.
There are also good kings in the Kingdom, of which Paul was. By his position he is bringing the correction by exposing through the Authority (power) of God, to resist the correction is the rejection of knowledge, surely they will be cut off (destroyed). This is made clear by the use of the phrase, “he is a minister of God”. A Minister of God is a Minister of mercy, this area is pointing to those whom God sends or places in our life to bring correction unto perfection by the Mercies of God.
There is a separation here, a Ruler of Life brings Truth, a ruler of darkness brings envy, strife and division, a ruler of the world exposes evil, at times by being evil, yet all are known by God, all are worked into the plan. The Judgment comes because of man, thus the evil is displayed, man can see it, it’s not hidden. If man continues in it, then man becomes the very evil he sees.
The context of Owe no man anything, but to love him goes hand in hand with Mercy. One could take these verses and render evil for evil, yet Paul just finished saying it produces more evil than the evil we come against. If we know to do Good, yet render evil to one who knows nothing but evil, who then is more evil? We are, we Bless and curse not, yet if we run off and curse someone, it makes us more the evil doer.
The context here is still being a Minister of God, if the Minister of God gives us spiritual blessings, is it wrong to give them tribute? They brought the Word, they owe us nothing, they are not in debt to the Law, or man. When someone renders us Mercy, and we reject it, we owe them. We render Mercy by love, in so doing we owe no man. This goes right back to judging people, if we judge people, we owe them, we are in debt to them, if we render Mercy by love we owe them nothing.
This is minding the Spirit, if we mind the Spirit, we walk in the Charisma of Grace. We will not mind the flesh, we will complete the idea behind the commandments, thus if we walk in Love the fruit of Love is always good, why would we do the deeds of the Law of Moses, if we do Good by Nature? If we Put On Jesus we have Put On the New Man, who is created (formed same Greek word) after the true holiness and righteousness of God, not self-righteousness, or the assumed holiness of those who mind the flesh.
Verse 13:12 points to the Night, the wording “far spent” doesn’t mean behind, or done, rather it’s the Greek Prokopto meaning To drive forward, or what is just ahead, but then he shows the Day is at hand, the works of the Day are unto Salvation by the Spirit, the Night brings the Judgment. Why tell them this? Their judging, they were minding the flesh, not the Spirit, yet the Spirit is the means to accomplish the reason for entering the Body to begin with.
Rom 14:1-23
Now what about those who do some things from the Law of Moses, yet are in a learning process? The weak in the faith doesn’t necessarily mean they are babes, it means they are weak because of the flesh. There is no faith in the flesh, thus if they mind the flesh, they will be weak in the Faith. They focus on acts of touch not, taste not, if we are truly spiritual in nature we know the Truth, but we can also fall to the flesh by using the flesh as basis of holiness or righteousness. The second we hear ourselves brag in our victory, or knowledge, we are in the flesh. As for those weak in the flesh, we exhort them, we don’t judge them.
This grouping of the “weak” are still looking to the flesh as their guide to holiness, but we can’t dispute or debate with them, it only adds resolve to their weakness. The second we debate with them, their souls presume they are right, or they are being persecuted, which only adds to their weakness, they will work the harder attempting to secure their own righteousness. Teach them the truth, let the Holy Ghost guide, but don’t debate, or belittle the weaker ones.
The context here is two-fold, we don’t judge the person because they keep a day, but neither can they judge us if we don’t. They are servant’s of God, it’s God who will judge them. Whatever they do in reference to these matters of weakness, they do unto the Lord. Meaning they keep it between them and the Lord, it also means they should not expect any special favor from God for the doing, or for not doing. They are not to go about telling people what they are doing, or not doing; they are not to make these areas doctrine, or points of their theology, or make them points of holiness.
Bondage and conviction produced by soulish words produce more bondage and rejection, not freedom. None of us live to ourselves, nor did we die to ourselves, it would be self-denial, not denying the self. Christ died, rose and revived, so He might be Lord of the living and the dead, for those who are Christ’s and those who belong to Christ.
If we refuse to “deny the self”, yet attempt to impute our flesh dead, we will not enter Justification. If the flesh is dead, it can no longer seek self-righteousness, nor can it project its own opinions, thus if one is weak in the faith, they have yet to impute the flesh dead, rather they are still trusting in acts of the flesh as points of righteousness and holiness. Showing they are immature in the Lord, they have yet to see the Truth in God’s Righteousness. Pray for them, don’t beat them up with our “Liberty”. We judge ourselves, it’s enough for anyone: judging others is a waste of time, judging others produces seeds of Pharisaical thinking.
The Word of Faith is the evidence, not food or drink. If we judge someone by food or drink, we are weak in the faith, or if they assume the Kingdom of God is food, drink, or a dress code, they are walking in the flesh, yet we who are spiritual can’t judge them. Help them gain in the Faith, yes, judge them, no.
Thinking we can impress God by our actions is carnal at best, allowing God to impress His Will on us is spiritual. Paul goes through all this; then it appears as if he is judging those who hold food and drink as a means of pleasing God, yet it’s not the case at all. If we eat or drink we do it in faith, if in faith it can’t be by the Law of Moses, since the Law of Moses is not of faith. The more we walk in faith, the less food and drink become the issue, righteousness and holiness in Jesus become the issue. If we eat, or eat not, we do so unto the Lord, not unto man, or the self, or the flesh, or as a point of righteousness. Whatever we do, if it’s not by faith in God, it’s sin nonetheless.
Rom 15:1-11
Paul confirms this by saying, “not to please ourselves”, a very profound statement. Most all aspects of the deeds of the flesh are to first please ourselves, or gain validation for our existence, or to feel better about ourselves, but faith pleases God, whether we’re pleased or not. If we desire to please ourselves, how can we please God? We can’t, pleasing the self is a sign of the carnal mind; if we are set to please ourselves, we have yet to deny the self.
Paul continues with the thoughts of faith versus the flesh; the food and drink cannot be the subject of pleasing God, since Faith pleases God, food and drink are merely symbols of obedience; however, if we concern ourselves over food and drink for the flesh’s sake, we are minding the flesh, not the Spirit. It includes using food or drink as signs of holiness, or worry. If a Jew was unsure what the food product was, they would refuse to eat it for worry sake. Some of us worry more about what the world says, than we do in what God says. Thinking we can bless our food and drink, and have it kill is us is not in line with the faith. If we can’t gave thanksgiving for it, don’t eat it.
Things written, are written for our learning, if have learned anything, it’s the division of Seasons. The Day has it’s time and timing, the Night it’s time and timing. We also learned we receive the Righteousness of Jesus in the New Birth, but we must allow it to manifest. We learned how to impute the flesh dead and why, as well as how to mind the Spirit. We also found Judgment is for the Night, it’s suppose to be, it’s also suppose to remain there. The Law of Moses was around before the children entered the promised land, all their eating habits still couldn’t keep the wicked out, neither could keeping the sabbath day secure them in the Promised Land. It takes something above the realm of the Law of Moses, it takes the Law of the Spirit. If we attempt to gain favor from God based on our deeds, we end with Pride as our king, ego as our prince, religious conceit as our theology, as we hold the Truth in unrighteousness.
We can begin by faith, then run to the deeds of the flesh assuming we are pleasing God, when we are building a stronghold of religious conceit. If we started in Faith, let us continue and finish in Faith. Jesus confirmed the promises unto the fathers, we didn’t. The Promise for us is the Spirit, our Promised Land is the Kingdom of God.
Paul goes right back to Mercy, indicating Mercy is the glue to our faith. We Glorify God for His Mercy, we rejoice with His people, we don’t judge them, or use the weakness of another to exalt ourselves. Whatever we do, do in faith, whatever we say, say by faith, in this we praise the Lord for His Mercy, for His Mercy endures forever, thereby showing Mercy is an substantial part of Faith.
Rom 15:12-33
Verse 13 tells us about Hope, Joy, Peace and the Power of the Holy Ghost, thus our Hope will fill us with Joy, our Believing brings Peace, and through the Power (New Man) from the Holy Ghost we will have the confidence to endure until the end.
Paul makes reference to the Root of Jesse, taking us back to chapter 1, relating to Jesus as the Son of man, again pointing to Mercy. In this case we find the Gentiles will trust the Root, but the Root of Jesse is not David, since David came from Jesse, the Root is before Jesse, which Root is Christ, thus even if the branch is cut off, the Root is still holy. The Gentiles were promised the entrance by the prophets of Old, the Door was opened by the Holy Ghost, if opened by the Holy Ghost it still takes the Spirit to maintain.
Paul now shows the process is the Holy Ghost, yet didn’t the Seed come form the Holy Ghost? It’s the point, we are “being” (process) sanctified by the Holy Ghost (v. 16), but we also find the Power of the Spirit (New Man v. 19). The conjunction of the Comforter and Another Comforter, showing the reward when we mind the Spirit. How will we operate in the Spirit, if we mind the flesh?
Paul’s boldness is correction unto perfection indicates he is the Minister of Jesus to the Gentiles, as a true Minister of God, saying what needs to be said. Paul was sanctified by the Holy Ghost, not the Law of Moses. It’s through Jesus we glory, not through the Law of Moses. Didn’t Paul do some points of the Law of Moses? Yes, but not to please God, rather it was to gain entry into the Jewish synagogues, a much different reason. The Law of Moses never produced the signs and wonders of Grace; holding to the Law of Moses, or entering a judgmental attitude removes us from being used of the Spirit, or filled by the Holy Ghost to bring signs and wonders to the masses, the signs and wonders follow Believers, they don’t follow doers of the Law.
Paul closes his letter showing he was in the process of going to Jerusalem to preach to the Jews, thus he was not against them, but for them, he was upset over Christians who entered judgmental thinking placing themselves under the Law of Moses. The obvious conclusion to the Jew was, what’s the difference? They say they are Christian, but they judge as the Law does.
Paul wanted to be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, but accepted by the saints in Jerusalem. He was accepted by the saints, but delivered into the hands of unbelievers. Did it mean the prayer didn’t work? No, for we found Paul was told not to go to Jerusalem, yet he went anyway; therefore, it’s never the man, but the Power behind the man we listen to. We honor the person with the gift, not the flesh and blood of the one who has the gift and calling. It’s easy to change our honor into mentor worship, we guard against such activity, as much as we guard against receiving it. In the next lesson we will view Paul’s thorn in the flesh, yet he considered it a means to keep people from exalting him above measure.
Rom 16:1-27
The ending of the letter gives various instructions to the Romans, including receiving Phebe a Sister and Servant of the church in Cenchrea. The Greek word for Servant is Diakonos, meaning a Minister or Deacon, thus Phebe was a female Deacon and follow Minister, denoting her as Sister, means Paul ordained her.
Paul then addresses Priscilla and Aquila with the female given first place in the calling, again he is putting to rest the religious conceit of the Romans. Mary and others are also mentioned, all of which labor in the Lord. Also he speaks of Andronicus and Junia as “my kinsmen, and my fellow prisoners who are note among the apostles” (v. 7). Junia is a female, there is some indication Andronicus was her husband, like the husband and wife team of Priscilla and Aquila. Showing Paul was not opposed to “women”, he was opposed. His comments regarding “silly women”, is a metaphor for a Jewish teacher of the Law, who knows nothing of Grace. In verse 12 he speaks of Tryphena and Persis, both Christian women who Labor in the Lord, supporting the concept of him allowing woman to conduct ministry duties.
Then he points to those who bring division, as those who operate from the flesh for their own sake, deceiving the hearts of the simple. This is not the same as someone who is weak in the faith, this group uses the flesh to their advantage, as they place others in bondage, so they can feel superior.
Paul ends this letter by pointing to the Obedience of the Faith, rather than the obedience to the Law of Moses. The Romans suffered from religious conceit, but the Corinthians suffered from another problem, one of carnal complacency. They had the Spirit, but they were not minding the Spirit, rather they used strife and envy through their carnal minds. The Corinthians will show us one can have the Spirit, yet remain carnal. Confirming Romans 8:1 showing some in the Body (kingdom of heaven) mind the flesh. A danger any of us can fall into, until we Mind the Spirit by entering the saving of our soul as the old nature is imputed dead on the Cross.
By Rev. G. E. Newmyer – s.b.i.les22rev7/ © 2003
