Devotional talk #5 given on July 23, 2010 in a series of 5 talks on the book of Romans from July 19-23, 2010 at the Community Hospital of SDA in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

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Norman McNulty

God’s Righteousness In Us

Good to see you here on our last study of the Book of Romans for this week.

I've enjoyed going through the book with all of you this week.

I guess we're ending up just covering the first 8 chapters, some of the high points of the first 8 chapters.

But before we get started, why don't we bow our heads for a word of prayer.

Father in heaven, thank you for this Friday morning that we can come together to have worship, to open up your word, and to learn about your plan for our lives.

We thank you for the message in the book of Romans, and bless us as we study this morning.

So, what we have studied this week, the first day, just for way of review, we studied the concept of the power of the Gospel and what it means for the just to live by faith.

And what we saw is that the power of the gospel is the witness of the righteous lives of those who are just that live by faith.

And that is a witness that will be shared with the world.

And so when Matthew 24, 14 says, this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness, and then the end shall come, The gospel going to the world is more than just the theory being presented to the world.

And I didn't mention this when we had that presentation, but that helps us to understand Revelation 18.1 when it says, I saw another angel come down from the earth and the earth was lightened with its glory.

That's the light of the gospel being shown throughout the world.

The second day we talked about the faith of Abraham.

Because the power of the gospel is unto salvation to all who believe.

And on Tuesday we saw what it means to believe.

Abraham is a living demonstration for what it means to believe.

Romans 4 verse 3 says, Abraham believed the Lord and it was counted to him for righteousness.

But by the end of Romans 4 we see that Abraham was fully persuaded that what God promised he was able also to perform and therefore it was imputed unto him for righteousness.

It means to be fully persuaded that what God says he will do in our lives he will do.

And what Abraham, what caused Abraham to believe is when God showed him the stars, it reminded Abraham that God is creator.

And so when God says, I will raise you up to walk in newness of life, By faith we believe that.

By faith we are fully persuaded that as God has promised to raise us up to walk a new life of faith, He will perform that in us.

The third day we talked about justification by faith from Romans 5 and 6.

We see that Adam had an effect on all men, but the effect that Christ has on us is greater.

So we give too much credit to Adam for falling into sin because Christ has provided a way to escape the power of sin in our lives.

And then we saw in Romans 6, which I believe Romans 6 is probably the most powerful chapter in the book of Romans, we saw the concept of what it means to be dead to sin, how that we are planted together in the likeness of his death.

Christ died on the cross, therefore we are crucified with him, and just as Christ was raised from the dead, we're raised up to walk in newness of life.

Because Romans 6 verse 7 says, for he that is dead is freed from sin.

And the marginal reading for freed from sin is justified.

So in order to be justified, we must be dead to sin.

Yesterday we talked about Romans 7, and we saw the concept that you're either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness.

If you're a slave to sin, sin is your master.

You do the things you don't want to do, and you don't do the things you want to do.

If you're a servant to God or a slave to God, God takes care of you.

And we saw that the experience of Romans 7 is actually the experience of the Laodicean church.

And God is calling his Laodicean people today to wake up, to realize that it's not okay to just live a life that keeps falling into sin and thinking That's okay.

It's true that God will forgive us when we fall short of his glory, but that's not his perfect plan for us.

So that's what we've looked at this week.

And so today we are going to wrap up in Romans chapter 8.

And Romans chapter 8 is probably nearly equally as powerful as Romans 6, or as powerful.

So notice what Romans chapter 8, starting in verse 1, says, There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit." Now as I mentioned in passing earlier this week, the first 3 chapters show that the wrath of God, or the condemnation of God, is poured out upon all men, Jews and Gentiles, who have broken His law.

And it doesn't matter if you know God's law or if you don't, you're under condemnation because we've all sinned and come short of the glory of God.

So Paul starts with the bad news, but by the time we get to Romans 6, 7, and 8, when we get to Romans 8, verse 1, Paul is making a summary statement when he says, Therefore, based on what he's shown, there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.

So what is the condition for no longer being under condemnation?

Walking not after the flesh, but after the spirit.

What does it mean to walk after the flesh?

What happens if you have the experience of Romans 7 where you're a carnal soul, still walking after the flesh.

But if you're walking after the Spirit, there's no condemnation.

And in verse 2, it says, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

What is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus?

What we've seen, remember Romans 6 verse 4, it says that, like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

This is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

That's the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

And we can be raised to walk in newness of life.

When we're raised up to walk in newness of life, meaning that the old man has been crucified with Christ, we now live according to the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

Just as Christ was raised from the dead and dies no more, when we are raised from the dead to walk in newness of life, sin has no more dominion over us just as death has no more dominion over Christ.

So when we follow the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, we are free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 6 also shows us that the wages of sin is death.

The law is there to point out sin and to condemn you.

But if you accept Christ as your Savior and you're raised up to walk a new life in faith, your past record of sin no longer condemns you.

And that's good news because we've all sinned and come short of the glory of God.

However, the other good news is that we don't have to fall back into sin.

Because the power of God unto salvation keeps us from falling.

And Jesus came to save us from our sins, not in our sins.

And I don't know about you, but there's nothing more frustrating than sinning.

And God is so powerful, loving, and merciful that He has made a way of escape so that we don't have to live that kind of a life.

And you know, we talk about, we see clearly how God has changed people's lives.

We've seen people who were alcoholics, drug addicts, you name it, and they give their lives to Christ and God gives them victory over those sins.

And you're telling me that God can't give us victory over every other sin in our lives?

He certainly can, and Scripture teaches that.

And so, I'm thankful for God who gives us the power of the gospel that allows us to live according to the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus rather than the law of sin and death.

And Romans 8 verses 3 and 4 shows us how this power is possible to us.

Verse 3, for what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.

And if you really study the book of Romans, when you get to Romans 8, 3, and 4, This is the climax of Paul's exposition of righteousness by faith.

Because he's shown in the first few chapters all of sin and come short of the glory of God.

We've all come short of the glory of God.

Yet there's that struggle where the old man still wants to be married to you and to drag you down even though when you you know what's right.

But then he gets to Romans 8 and he says look, There is no excuse for falling into sin because God sent Jesus in the likeness of sinful flesh and He lived a life free from sin and because of that he condemned the power of sin in our sinful flesh, showing that we can live a righteous life by faith so that not only are we covered with his righteousness, but that his righteousness can be fulfilled in us.

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God’s Righteousness In Us

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