MY SHORT REPORT ACTS 16 – ROMANS 7
The link that brought you to this page and the page title are a bit of a misnomer, because this short report is not long enough to cover so many chapters of the Bible. What the link and the title do, however, is track where we are in our plan to read through the entire Bible in 1 year. May each report pique your interest and help you to draw near to God. The Bible, James 4:8, tells us if we do so God will draw near to us. Works cited are at the end of the report. Unless otherwise indicated Scripture is from the English Standard Version. Internal links are to Biblegateway and show Scripture, ESV and NKJV, in Parallel. Although not indicated some internal links may show additional verses so you can see the passage in context.
BIBLE READING—WEEK 47—ACTS 16 – ROMANS 7: Last week’s Short Report looked at the work of God’s Spirit at Pentecost, and used some of the various titles the Bible applies to the Spirit of Truth. The report also showed that the languages of Pentecost were human; although those speaking were directed by the Spirit, no spiritual interrupter was need because they were speaking the languages of men. This week’s paper focuses on the first 6 chapters of Romans, but provides some general information and an overview of the entire book.
Although this paper looks at the first 6 chapters of Romans, I want to briefly share an overview of all 16 chapters based on Martin H. Franzmann’s outline from Romans: A Commentary. It brings to mind what Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." And in Romans 6:4 he says, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."
In the above verses we have “a new creation,” “the new has come,” and “walk in newness of life.” A theme that Franzmann takes to heart in his outline of Romans, which he divides into four sections saying 1) “The Gospel Creates a New Status for Man.” In man’s old status, verses 1:18 – 3:20, God revealed His wrath in opposition to man’s sin under the Law, while in man’s new status, verses 3:21 – 5:21, we receive the righteousness through faith in Christ Jesus apart from the Law. 2) “The Gospel Creates a New Life in Man.” In our new life, Christ sets us free from sin (ch. 6), the Law (ch. 7), and death (ch. 8). 3) “The Gospel Creates a New Israel out of Jew and Gentile.” In God’s new Israel, verses 9:1 – 11:36, He saves a remnant—those that did not reject Him—of Abraham and Jacob and grafts in the Gentiles that have come to faith in Christ, and 4) “The Gospel Creates a New Worship for the New People of God.” In this new form of worship, verses 12:1 – 15:13, we are to put on Christ and live new lives as God’s holy people (pp. 19-20, my emphasis).
Looking at Luther’s commentary, it is easy to see that Luther loved the book of Romans and believes it to be a treasure chest of Biblical gems that would enrich the life of every believer, for he writes: “This Epistle is really the chief part of the New Testament and the very purest Gospel, and is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul. It can never be read or pondered too much, and the more it is dealt with the more precious it becomes, and the better it tastes” (Luther, Commentary on Romans, xiii).
I agree with Luther, but also acknowledge Romans is not light reading and would suggest Luther’s Small Catechism as another way of receiving daily bread for the soul. It contains the six chief parts of Scripture with explanation and an abundance of supporting Bible verses, all of which belong in our arsenal of spiritual weapons, and most adult Christians could not recite as many as four of the verses in the Catechism. Memorizing the Catechism, especially the supporting verses, makes for great daily bread for the soul.
Guided by the Holy Spirit, the whole Bible is meant for mankind as is expressed by The Collect for the Word: “Blessed Lord, who has caused all Holy Scripture to be written for our learning, grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them...”
While the Holy Spirit is indispensable when it comes to understanding God’s Word, it is also necessary to have a certain understanding from other books of the Bible so Scripture may be used to help us interpret Scripture—something the Catechism does for us when looking at some of the basics. Applying this to Romans, Luther teaches, “To begin with we must have knowledge of its language and know what St. Paul means by the words, law, sin, grace, faith, righteousness, flesh, spirit, etc., otherwise no reading of it has any value” (p. xiii). This may sound harsh, but if you have ever traveled to a foreign land where you did not know the local language and customs you would quickly come to understand the value of knowing how to ask for directions or order a meal from a menu in the country you are visiting. Even with a basic knowledge of their language you would also see the importance of knowing the local slang or jargon goes a long way in communicating the correct ideas. This, of course, is true for the words and ideas in the Bible where a good Bible vocabulary increases understanding of the written Word.
For instance, the word law, from a human perspective, is the things we must do or not do to meet the requirements of the law, or face the penalties (if—by human standards—we are caught), “even though there is no heart in them” (p. xiii). From Scripture and the Catechism, however, we learn that the Law of God “commands good works of thought, word, and deed and condemns and punishes sin.” Supporting Scripture includes Mark 12:30-31, John 5:45, and Romans 3:20 (LSC, p. 51). The difference is not subtle but glaring, both in view of the heart (how we approach or respond to God’s Law) and the consequences disobedience to the Law of God carries with it, “for the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Also, there is no way, save Jesus, to skirt around the God’s Law as man does using high-priced lawyers in our courts, and no question of guilt or innocence, or where our heart is, since God knows all (Omniscience).
The Lutheran Difference agrees that the Law requires us to live according to God’s will and condemns sin. To that is adds, “The preaching of the Law is the cause of contrition or genuine sorrow over sin. The Law must proceed the Gospel, otherwise sinners will be confirmed in unrepentance” (Engelbrecht, 580).
In Romans chapter 1 Paul introduces himself and mentions his desire to visit Rome and preach the Gospel to them in person. He then, after a transitional statement, explains why the Gospel is needed: because man in his rebellion exchanged the image of the Creator for things of the creation. His transition is one of Paul’s many memorable statements. “I am not ashamed of the gospel,” he declares, “for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith’” (vv. 16-17).
“The just shall live by faith” (NKJV) is the Good News. The bad news is God’s wrath will be poured out on the ungodly. In the NIV Bible Commentary, Everett E. Harrison brings a point of clarity when he tells his readers, “Some scholars object to the idea of the wrath of God but such objection is often molded by human experience of anger as passion or desire for revenge. God’s wrath, however, is not temperamental; rather, it is righteous” (p. 527). That said, it is important to note that God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Therefore, Henry H. Halley, in Halley’s Bible Handbook, straightforwardly explains the need for Paul to write his letter is because of the “Universal Sinfulness of man (1:1-32)” that leads to the “Universal need of the Gospel” (p. 585).
In Chapter 2 we see why Luther places an importance on a small word like law, and we got a hint of it from the scholars that misapply their thoughts as to how God may execute His wrath, as if God’s ways were our ways, which God corrects thusly, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). A small word like law is important not only because Luther does not want us to confuse our view of law with God’s view of law, but because from Romans 2:12 to Romans 13:10 the word “law” appears 78 times! In 2:14 Paul writes, “For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.” That is, even though the Gentiles were not present at Mount Sinai with the Jews when God formally made His Law known to them, non-Jews have the law by nature since God wrote His Law on the canvas of nature and the fabric of man’s heart (Psalm 19:1, 40:8; Jeremiah 31:33). Accordingly, man is not made righteous because he received the Law on tablets of stone nor by his natural knowledge of the Law, rather both the Jew and the Gentile are justly condemned because both have the Law—which no one has perfectly obeyed.
While Paul is doing a good job showing that sin is a universal problem, he is also shaking up the Jewish establishment that placed a high value on circumcision of the flesh, which, as a Hebrew of Hebrews (Philippians 3:4-6), Paul once was a part of. But he now explains that "a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter” (Romans 2:29).
Over midway through chapter 3 Paul shifts from universal condemnation, which God is just to impose, to redemption through faith in Christ. First, to illustrate God’s rightful place as Judge, Paul cites David from Psalm 51, after he fell into sin with Bathsheba and says, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment” (Psalm 51:4). David is not alone. All sin breaks God’s Law and is done in His sight, so He is just when He condemns man according to his works in opposition to Him.
Paul also asks a question and provides a very short and incomplete answer: “Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God” (Romans 3:1-2). Uh? Please Paul, you must have more than the prophets, what other advantages does the Israelite have?
Paul responds in Romans 9:4-5 saying, “They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.” Amen indeed. God used His chosen people to provide the fallen-world with a Redeemer!
Before explaining how man becomes righteous before God Paul recites a series of verses (10-18), mostly from the Psalms, that show man’s true condition, like Psalm 53:3, “There is none who does good, not even one.” And Psalm 36:1, “There is no fear of God before his eyes.” He concludes in verse 20 by saying, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”
From Romans 3:21-26 we see the righteousness of God is demonstrated through the cross of Jesus, who gave His life as a payment for the forgiveness of the sins of the world; thus man is “justified [declared righteous] by his grace as a gift” (v. 24). Even here Paul reminds us “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” so that even the most stubborn Jew that has been convert to Christianity that keeps trying to impose the Laws of Moses on the new Christian world, like circumcision, might finally get the point.
Nonetheless, Paul continues this focus in chapter 4 where he explains the Abraham was justified by faith, not works. Moreover, he was brought into a right relationship with God before he was circumcised (vv. 9-12).
While the westernized Christian world may give it little thought today, 2000 years ago in the Middle East circumcision was a rite of passage (and still is today) and a type of stumbling block for the Jewish community. Paul uses circumcision or circumcised 19 times from Romans 2:27 through Romans 4:12 and once in Romans 15:8. However, in chapter 15 it is used to refer to the Jews as a people that Christ came to serve “to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,” and so “the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy“ (vv. 8-9).
At the start of chapter 5 Paul talks about the peace we have with God through Christ. He also returns to the theme of man’s sin and need for a Savior that saves us from the wrath of God (v. 9). He describes Adam, the first man, as the type of the one who was to come. That is, Jesus is the Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45) and the Second Man (v. 47). Just as the first Adam’s sin brought condemnation for all men (Romans 5:18), the Last Adam’s obedience makes all of the faithful in Christ righteous (v. 19) and by grace have the gift of eternal life (v. 21)
Chapter 6 contains 2 of Paul’s great doctrines, Baptism and Victory over Sin. Paul’s opening question brings to mind that many Christians have lost their way and need to return to their Baptism. He asks, “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” His answer is an emphatic “By no means!” While I see the power of Paul’s answer, I love Franzmann’s response; he says Paul’s answer “has overtones of religious horror” (108).
Paul continues by saying, “How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (vv. 2-4). That “we too might walk in newness of life!” (my emphasis). This new life is a process called sanctification. It comes by reading, studying, and applying God’s Word and walking hand in hand with the Spirit of God. But today we see far too many Christians walking hand in hand with sin. There is no fear of God in them. No horror comes to mind when they continue in sin.
The NIV Bible commentary has this to say at the start of chapter 6 (Harrison, 550): "Up to this point the letter has answered such questions as these: Why do we need salvation? What has God done to effect it? How can we appropriate it? The answers have come in terms of sin, condemnation, the gift of Christ, faith, and justification. Is there need for anything more? Yes, there is. For the saved cannot safely be turned over to their own wisdom and their own devices, seeing that they have not yet reached the perfect state. They must still contend with sin and must depend on divine resources. God’s plan of salvation does not stop with justification but continues on in sanctification."
In the 15th verse Paul asks a similar question and gives the same answer: “Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” Again, Paul’s answer should carry a since of foreboding—what a horrible thought that we continue to sin.
This brings to mind the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery. The scribes and the Pharisees brought her to Jesus and wanted to know if He agreed with the Law of Moses—that she was to be stoned to death. Jesus answered by writing on the ground. We don’t know what He wrote, only that her accusers all left. A pastor once suggested that Jesus wrote each man’s favorite sin on the ground and they left in turn. After they left Jesus extended His grace to her. He also gave her a command—God does not make requests—He told her in John 8:11, “From now on sin no more.”
This should always be our response to the grace of God, for we should not use our “freedom as an opportunity for the flesh (Galatians 5:13)—that is, once freed from sin it is no longer our master, but Christ is our Master; therefore, we should not indulge our sinful nature. As Paul says, “ For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14). Franzmann explains verse 14 this way: “The inward and renewing power of grace, not the external compulsion of the Law, is the power that enable us to live to God” (p. 114).
Although this paper looks at the first 6 chapters of Romans, I want to briefly share an overview of all 16 chapters based on Martin H. Franzmann’s outline from Romans: A Commentary. It brings to mind what Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." And in Romans 6:4 he says, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."
In the above verses we have “a new creation,” “the new has come,” and “walk in newness of life.” A theme that Franzmann takes to heart in his outline of Romans, which he divides into four sections saying 1) “The Gospel Creates a New Status for Man.” In man’s old status, verses 1:18 – 3:20, God revealed His wrath in opposition to man’s sin under the Law, while in man’s new status, verses 3:21 – 5:21, we receive the righteousness through faith in Christ Jesus apart from the Law. 2) “The Gospel Creates a New Life in Man.” In our new life, Christ sets us free from sin (ch. 6), the Law (ch. 7), and death (ch. 8). 3) “The Gospel Creates a New Israel out of Jew and Gentile.” In God’s new Israel, verses 9:1 – 11:36, He saves a remnant—those that did not reject Him—of Abraham and Jacob and grafts in the Gentiles that have come to faith in Christ, and 4) “The Gospel Creates a New Worship for the New People of God.” In this new form of worship, verses 12:1 – 15:13, we are to put on Christ and live new lives as God’s holy people (pp. 19-20, my emphasis).
Looking at Luther’s commentary, it is easy to see that Luther loved the book of Romans and believes it to be a treasure chest of Biblical gems that would enrich the life of every believer, for he writes: “This Epistle is really the chief part of the New Testament and the very purest Gospel, and is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul. It can never be read or pondered too much, and the more it is dealt with the more precious it becomes, and the better it tastes” (Luther, Commentary on Romans, xiii).
I agree with Luther, but also acknowledge Romans is not light reading and would suggest Luther’s Small Catechism as another way of receiving daily bread for the soul. It contains the six chief parts of Scripture with explanation and an abundance of supporting Bible verses, all of which belong in our arsenal of spiritual weapons, and most adult Christians could not recite as many as four of the verses in the Catechism. Memorizing the Catechism, especially the supporting verses, makes for great daily bread for the soul.
Guided by the Holy Spirit, the whole Bible is meant for mankind as is expressed by The Collect for the Word: “Blessed Lord, who has caused all Holy Scripture to be written for our learning, grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them...”
While the Holy Spirit is indispensable when it comes to understanding God’s Word, it is also necessary to have a certain understanding from other books of the Bible so Scripture may be used to help us interpret Scripture—something the Catechism does for us when looking at some of the basics. Applying this to Romans, Luther teaches, “To begin with we must have knowledge of its language and know what St. Paul means by the words, law, sin, grace, faith, righteousness, flesh, spirit, etc., otherwise no reading of it has any value” (p. xiii). This may sound harsh, but if you have ever traveled to a foreign land where you did not know the local language and customs you would quickly come to understand the value of knowing how to ask for directions or order a meal from a menu in the country you are visiting. Even with a basic knowledge of their language you would also see the importance of knowing the local slang or jargon goes a long way in communicating the correct ideas. This, of course, is true for the words and ideas in the Bible where a good Bible vocabulary increases understanding of the written Word.
For instance, the word law, from a human perspective, is the things we must do or not do to meet the requirements of the law, or face the penalties (if—by human standards—we are caught), “even though there is no heart in them” (p. xiii). From Scripture and the Catechism, however, we learn that the Law of God “commands good works of thought, word, and deed and condemns and punishes sin.” Supporting Scripture includes Mark 12:30-31, John 5:45, and Romans 3:20 (LSC, p. 51). The difference is not subtle but glaring, both in view of the heart (how we approach or respond to God’s Law) and the consequences disobedience to the Law of God carries with it, “for the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Also, there is no way, save Jesus, to skirt around the God’s Law as man does using high-priced lawyers in our courts, and no question of guilt or innocence, or where our heart is, since God knows all (Omniscience).
The Lutheran Difference agrees that the Law requires us to live according to God’s will and condemns sin. To that is adds, “The preaching of the Law is the cause of contrition or genuine sorrow over sin. The Law must proceed the Gospel, otherwise sinners will be confirmed in unrepentance” (Engelbrecht, 580).
In Romans chapter 1 Paul introduces himself and mentions his desire to visit Rome and preach the Gospel to them in person. He then, after a transitional statement, explains why the Gospel is needed: because man in his rebellion exchanged the image of the Creator for things of the creation. His transition is one of Paul’s many memorable statements. “I am not ashamed of the gospel,” he declares, “for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith’” (vv. 16-17).
“The just shall live by faith” (NKJV) is the Good News. The bad news is God’s wrath will be poured out on the ungodly. In the NIV Bible Commentary, Everett E. Harrison brings a point of clarity when he tells his readers, “Some scholars object to the idea of the wrath of God but such objection is often molded by human experience of anger as passion or desire for revenge. God’s wrath, however, is not temperamental; rather, it is righteous” (p. 527). That said, it is important to note that God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Therefore, Henry H. Halley, in Halley’s Bible Handbook, straightforwardly explains the need for Paul to write his letter is because of the “Universal Sinfulness of man (1:1-32)” that leads to the “Universal need of the Gospel” (p. 585).
In Chapter 2 we see why Luther places an importance on a small word like law, and we got a hint of it from the scholars that misapply their thoughts as to how God may execute His wrath, as if God’s ways were our ways, which God corrects thusly, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). A small word like law is important not only because Luther does not want us to confuse our view of law with God’s view of law, but because from Romans 2:12 to Romans 13:10 the word “law” appears 78 times! In 2:14 Paul writes, “For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.” That is, even though the Gentiles were not present at Mount Sinai with the Jews when God formally made His Law known to them, non-Jews have the law by nature since God wrote His Law on the canvas of nature and the fabric of man’s heart (Psalm 19:1, 40:8; Jeremiah 31:33). Accordingly, man is not made righteous because he received the Law on tablets of stone nor by his natural knowledge of the Law, rather both the Jew and the Gentile are justly condemned because both have the Law—which no one has perfectly obeyed.
While Paul is doing a good job showing that sin is a universal problem, he is also shaking up the Jewish establishment that placed a high value on circumcision of the flesh, which, as a Hebrew of Hebrews (Philippians 3:4-6), Paul once was a part of. But he now explains that "a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter” (Romans 2:29).
Over midway through chapter 3 Paul shifts from universal condemnation, which God is just to impose, to redemption through faith in Christ. First, to illustrate God’s rightful place as Judge, Paul cites David from Psalm 51, after he fell into sin with Bathsheba and says, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment” (Psalm 51:4). David is not alone. All sin breaks God’s Law and is done in His sight, so He is just when He condemns man according to his works in opposition to Him.
Paul also asks a question and provides a very short and incomplete answer: “Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God” (Romans 3:1-2). Uh? Please Paul, you must have more than the prophets, what other advantages does the Israelite have?
Paul responds in Romans 9:4-5 saying, “They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.” Amen indeed. God used His chosen people to provide the fallen-world with a Redeemer!
Before explaining how man becomes righteous before God Paul recites a series of verses (10-18), mostly from the Psalms, that show man’s true condition, like Psalm 53:3, “There is none who does good, not even one.” And Psalm 36:1, “There is no fear of God before his eyes.” He concludes in verse 20 by saying, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”
From Romans 3:21-26 we see the righteousness of God is demonstrated through the cross of Jesus, who gave His life as a payment for the forgiveness of the sins of the world; thus man is “justified [declared righteous] by his grace as a gift” (v. 24). Even here Paul reminds us “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” so that even the most stubborn Jew that has been convert to Christianity that keeps trying to impose the Laws of Moses on the new Christian world, like circumcision, might finally get the point.
Nonetheless, Paul continues this focus in chapter 4 where he explains the Abraham was justified by faith, not works. Moreover, he was brought into a right relationship with God before he was circumcised (vv. 9-12).
While the westernized Christian world may give it little thought today, 2000 years ago in the Middle East circumcision was a rite of passage (and still is today) and a type of stumbling block for the Jewish community. Paul uses circumcision or circumcised 19 times from Romans 2:27 through Romans 4:12 and once in Romans 15:8. However, in chapter 15 it is used to refer to the Jews as a people that Christ came to serve “to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,” and so “the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy“ (vv. 8-9).
At the start of chapter 5 Paul talks about the peace we have with God through Christ. He also returns to the theme of man’s sin and need for a Savior that saves us from the wrath of God (v. 9). He describes Adam, the first man, as the type of the one who was to come. That is, Jesus is the Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45) and the Second Man (v. 47). Just as the first Adam’s sin brought condemnation for all men (Romans 5:18), the Last Adam’s obedience makes all of the faithful in Christ righteous (v. 19) and by grace have the gift of eternal life (v. 21)
Chapter 6 contains 2 of Paul’s great doctrines, Baptism and Victory over Sin. Paul’s opening question brings to mind that many Christians have lost their way and need to return to their Baptism. He asks, “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” His answer is an emphatic “By no means!” While I see the power of Paul’s answer, I love Franzmann’s response; he says Paul’s answer “has overtones of religious horror” (108).
Paul continues by saying, “How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (vv. 2-4). That “we too might walk in newness of life!” (my emphasis). This new life is a process called sanctification. It comes by reading, studying, and applying God’s Word and walking hand in hand with the Spirit of God. But today we see far too many Christians walking hand in hand with sin. There is no fear of God in them. No horror comes to mind when they continue in sin.
The NIV Bible commentary has this to say at the start of chapter 6 (Harrison, 550): "Up to this point the letter has answered such questions as these: Why do we need salvation? What has God done to effect it? How can we appropriate it? The answers have come in terms of sin, condemnation, the gift of Christ, faith, and justification. Is there need for anything more? Yes, there is. For the saved cannot safely be turned over to their own wisdom and their own devices, seeing that they have not yet reached the perfect state. They must still contend with sin and must depend on divine resources. God’s plan of salvation does not stop with justification but continues on in sanctification."
In the 15th verse Paul asks a similar question and gives the same answer: “Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” Again, Paul’s answer should carry a since of foreboding—what a horrible thought that we continue to sin.
This brings to mind the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery. The scribes and the Pharisees brought her to Jesus and wanted to know if He agreed with the Law of Moses—that she was to be stoned to death. Jesus answered by writing on the ground. We don’t know what He wrote, only that her accusers all left. A pastor once suggested that Jesus wrote each man’s favorite sin on the ground and they left in turn. After they left Jesus extended His grace to her. He also gave her a command—God does not make requests—He told her in John 8:11, “From now on sin no more.”
This should always be our response to the grace of God, for we should not use our “freedom as an opportunity for the flesh (Galatians 5:13)—that is, once freed from sin it is no longer our master, but Christ is our Master; therefore, we should not indulge our sinful nature. As Paul says, “ For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14). Franzmann explains verse 14 this way: “The inward and renewing power of grace, not the external compulsion of the Law, is the power that enable us to live to God” (p. 114).