Bible Book of Romans, Paul

¶ … Bible book of Romans, Paul outlines a comprehensive Christian vision. Paul clarifies the doctrine of rebirth in Christ, noting the possibility of dying to sin in order to be newly alive in Christ. Moreover, Paul describes the process and purpose of the Christian way of life. We become slaves to righteousness and God instead of to sin. In Chapter 7 of Romans, Paul uses the analogy of marriage to describe the bond between human beings and their Savior. Therefore, Christians are bound by the new covenant that requires a recognition of sin and the sinful nature of humanity. Finally, in Chapter 8 Paul describes the new life of the Spirit promised to all who have faith. The new life of the spirit shall not be revealed in this life, but in the hereafter. Paul also presents one of the promises of Christian living: "I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord," (Romans 8:38-9). The bond between us and God is eternal and everlasting.

The Holy Spirit is directly involved in giving believers godly power for living. "Christ lives in us in the Person of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. His life is in us. We can now walk in a completely new way of life. We believe this and are persuaded by it to the point that we are enabled and willing to alter our lifestyle," ("Romans 6:8-10 Commentary" 2010). The Holy Spirit prepares us for grace, which is the condition of being reborn in the spirit. As soon as a person develops faith, grace is possible and the Holy Spirit may work in that person's life. From there, the person derives sufficient strength to avoid sin and overcome temptation. The Holy Spirit also moves us from within, changing us so that we live a new life in Christ ("Romans 6:8-10 Commentary" 2010). In this sense, Paul echoes the difference between faith and works. It is more important to have faith because faith prepares us for the grace bestowed by the Holy Spirit. Only with that grace, and the Holy Spirit, can we live a changed life in bondage to Christ.

Paul also points out that the Holy Spirit helps us overcome our sinful past to embrace a Christ-filled future: "the Spirit helps us in our weakness...the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will," (Romans 8:26-7). Thus, the Holy Spirit can directly aid those who have faith. Only those who have faith have the mental and spiritual capacity to receive grace, which is necessary in order to transcend the law and be with Christ. Furthermore, Paul emphasizes the needlessness of the law in helping us overcome sin. The law in fact only serves to remind us of sin rather than to point our hearts towards Christ. Paul states, "sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire," (Romans 7:8). The Holy Spirit does not dwell in the law; the Holy Spirit dwells in Christ. A person who follows the law without following Christ cannot enjoy the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

When Christ died, so too did our sin. From that point, it became possible to be fully freed by faith. "Having died with Christ, we may live with Him over Whom death has no dominion," (Copeland 2009). To do so requires that we use our bodies as instruments of God's will (Copeland 2009). Therefore, one of the main ways that we can develop greater godly power for daily Christian living is by allowing ourselves only to be used as a tool of righteousness rather than sin. Our body and what we choose to do with it has become dedicated to God. As such, we can never use our bodies for sinful purposes because doing so would equal death. "Serving sin produces death," whereas serving God produces the fruit of holiness, and in the end, eternal life," (Copeland 2009). As Paul puts it in the book of Romans, "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord," (Romans 6:22-3).

Putting this new way of life into practice is not easy, because the temptations of the flesh are everywhere around us. We live in a consumer society, driven by constant acquiring of material goods and the satisfaction of worldly pleasures. To withstand such social pressures requires absolute faith and trust in God. The primary means of withstanding temptation is by reading scripture. Daily readings remind us of the truth of Christian living, the purpose behind the gospel, and how we can spread the word of the gospel by our example even more powerfully than by our own words.

Reading scripture reminds us of the simple truths that can lead us back to Christ. For example, reading Romans 6 reminds us that sin results in death -- in spiritual death. Paul exclaims, "What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!" (Romans 6:21). The strong language and references to death should alert us to the consequences of our sinful actions. To act in slavery to sin is to invite death; to resist temptation is to invite God. We make the choice with our body, as each act shall be judged by God. As Copeland (2009) puts it, being reborn in Christ we become instruments of the Holy Spirit: "But rather present our bodies as instruments of righteousness, for we are under grace."