The Apostle Peter wrote that the Apostle Paul’s words were “hard to understand.”  Chapter five of Paul’s letter to the church at Rome is an excellent example of that truth.  Though difficult to understand, this chapter, as are all chapters, verses, words, jots and tittles in the Holy Scripture, were ordained by God, spoken by the Holy Spirit and “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim.3:16).  In the previous verse Paul reminds Timothy that it is through obedience to the Holy Scriptures that HE (Timothy) would BECOME “wise UNTO (leading to) salvation.”  Notice that Paul was telling Timothy that he, like Paul himself, had not yet received salvation, but WOULD RECEIVE SALVATION THROUGH FAITH.  Faith is taking God at His Word (Rom. 10:17).  Salvation is a promise found in His Word that we HOPE for during this life.  Faith is knowing that we will receive what we “HOPE for” (Heb. 8:24,25).  We do not hope for what we possess (Heb. 11:1).  Paul asks in Romans 8:25 why we would hope for what we already have?  What we have is the “hope of salvation” (Rom. 8:24/ 1 Thes. 5:8).  Read the series on the process of salvation.  Key word–Process.

In Romans 5:1 Paul tells us that, having been justified (having all PAST sins forgiven), we have peace with God through our LORD (not Savior) Jesus Christ.  One obeys his LORD (master, ruler) totally.  Jesus will be our Savior in the next life only IF HE IS OUR LORD IN THIS LIFE.  Only those who are led by the Spirit of God are true sons of God.  His Spirit does not lead us to sin.

In verses three through five we are told that we must bear up under the persecution which comes from false Christians.  Read Persecution.  Key word–Persecution.  We endure religious persecution through the power of the Holy Spirit which is given to us at conversion.  Christ reminds us that “All who live godly in Christ Jesus WILL suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12) from those in the false church.

In verses six through eight Paul reminds us that “when we WERE (IN THE PAST) SINNERS, Christ died for us.”  Note the word: “WERE” relative to being sinners.  This means that God’s true saints are no longer sinners, having put sin out of their lives and keeping it out by obedience to God’s Word/Law.  If one continues to sin after justification, one has not been converted and is not a true Christian.  “Sinners saved by grace” in this Laodicean church era proclaim their right to serve both God and Satan–be both hot and cold (Rev. 3:15,13) due to Adam’s sin and God’s grace.  The Lord, through Paul, commands them to “come out of her (the Institutional Church) and stay out, do not touch that unclean thing.”  Then they are to “perfect holiness in the fear of God.”  Holiness and sin do not abide in the individual.  For what concord does holiness have with unholiness? or what relationship does God have with Satan?  One must totally leave Satan’s church system and enter God’s church system.  Only then will He be one’s God and one will be His child (2 Cor. 6:14-7:1).  Read this passage and bear it in mind as we continue in chapter six.

In verses nine through eleven Paul tells us that “we” (Paul included) WILL (LATER) BE SAVED from wrath (the second death in the Lake of Fire)–through the death of Jesus.  Read The Three Resurrections.  Key word–Three.  We WERE GOD’S ENEMIES prior to our justification, but have now been reconciled (atoned) to Him and WILL (LATER) BE SAVED (AND BORN AGAIN) by His resurrection.  Upon His return we will be resurrected, saved and born again IF we “endure (in holiness) until the end” (Mat. 10:22/ Rom. 5:21; 6:22).

At this point (vs 12) we enter into one of the most misunderstood passages of Scripture in the Holy Bible.  Satan has used the following nine verses to deceive billions of salvation seekers over the past 2000 years.  Using these verses (and others), he has convinced religious man to abandon God’s Law and to believe such church “truths” as his Original Sin theory by which he has convinced salvation seekers that, because of Adam’s sin-transferal miracle, sin is inevitable, and that Jesus died so that church sinners would not be held accountable for sinning.  God refutes this heresy.  Read The Message of the Cross and Why is the Bible so Confusing?  Key words–Message and Confusing respectively.  The irony of this situation is that Jesus supposedly saves church people from punishment for their inevitable sins.  However, God defines sin as the breaking of His Law (1 Jn. 3:4), which the church claims He “nailed to the cross” of Christ.  Indeed, without the Holy Spirit, the Bible is confusing.  Bear with me as I translate (not interpret–which is a sin–2 Pet. 1:20) the following nine verses from the Mensa-level mind of Paul to the average-level (I am being generous) mind of this humble writer.  Only through the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit is this possible.

Verse 12: This verse has been used by Satan to “prove” that Adam’s sin has infected all of his descendants since the Eden fiasco.  Is this true?  Let us see what God says.  Sin and death entered into the WORLD (not all of mankind) through Adam.  As a result of Adam’s sin, “death passed upon all men.”  Here is where Satan steps in and sidetracks the church.  Death did not come to all men because of Adam’s supposed sin gene transferal, but rather “BECAUSE ALL MEN HAVE SINNED.”  Sin is a choice.  All men have CHOSEN to sin.  Read Sin is a Choice using the key word: Choice.

Verses 13,14: Before God (the Word who would come to earth as Jesus of Nazareth) gave the written Law to Moses at Mt. Sinai (Horeb), sin was in the world and death was its reward.  Man was created to live forever in a world-wide paradise.  Adam’s sin brought death to those who followed in his rebellious footsteps, not through the transferal of his sin gene into the spiritual dna of his descendants as we have all been taught.

Though there was no WRITTEN Law until Mt. Sinai (vs 13), there was God’s verbal Law which man was commanded to obey.  Abel obeyed that Law.  Noah obeyed that Law.  God called Abel “righteous” and Noah “a preacher of righteousness,” meaning that he preached God’s Law, obedience to which creates righteousness.  How did Abel and Noah know what righteousness was without a written Law?  God told them verbally.  Man was required to obey that verbal Law.  Death was the result of breaking it.  Recall that God drowned everyone on earth except eight people because they did not obey His verbal Law preached by Noah.  Adam and Eve were given this Law verbally by God Himself, as were Cain and Abel.  Three of those people disobeyed His Law and reaped the consequences of physical death, which man was not designed to suffer.  “Righteous Abel” (Mat. 23:35) was killed in man’s first martyrdom caused by obedience to God.  The unrighteous have hated the righteous ever since.

We will end this portion of the series at this point because the final seven verses are vitally important and need to be presented in one setting if possible.  L.J.