As the Apostle Peter so correctly stated, the Apostle Paul’s upper class eloquence makes it easy for “unlearned and unstable” men to “twist” his words so as to create new “truths” which make church doctrine much more man-serving and less God-serving in nature. By keeping the church masses in the dark concerning the Lord’s “fine print” truths, church’s leaders keep their followers in a state of false peace relative to their spiritual condition. Read “God’s Peace Versus Satan’s Peace.” Key word–Peace.

An excellent example of this error is the use of Paul’s letter to the church at Rome to “prove” that sin is a normal part of the Christian walk. Nothing gives one more peace than to tell him/her that sin is “natural” and therefore inevitable and unavoidable. In other words, church people are at the mercy of their Adam-imposed sin gene that can activate itself at will. We will now examine Romans 7:14 through 8:2–the passage used to “prove” that the Christian “walk” includes repeated sin “steps” which either Grace or Mary “takes care of.” That is what a young man told me as he patted a tattoo of Mary on his forearm.” A mass murderer said the same thing as he pointed to a statue of her.” Protestants call on Grace to bail them out.

We find the seed of the modern-day Laodicean church’s prophesied descent into apostasy (“falling away from God”–2 Thess. 2:3) being planted in Romans 7:14 through 17 where Paul writes about himself, saying: “I am carnal, sold out to sin.” He goes on to say that what he hated, he did, and that what he loved, he did not do. He then explains that it was not him doing and failing to do, but rather sin that dwelled within him and controlled him. He confesses that, though He knew that the Law of God was holy, just and good (vs 12), there was an evil law in his flesh that warred against the Godly Ten Commandment Law in his mind. This flesh-empowered law made him a captive to sin. In those few words, the modern end-time Laodicean church found her justification for continuing to sin while carrying Bibles, wearing crosses, singing religious songs, attending church, etc.

In verse 24 Paul reports that he cried out to be delivered from his deadly situation. Up to this point Paul has been referring to the time period immediately following His introduction to God’s Law. During that time he was acknowledging God with his mind while serving Satan with his body. At this point (vs 25–1st sentence) he changes tenses and speaks about the time after being set free from his life-long sins through JUSTIFICATION (the removal of all PAST SINS–3:25). Here he thanks God that, having made Jesus Christ his LORD, a spiritual change had taken place and he was now walking in the Spirit, not in the flesh.

It is in verse 25 that the church’s sin-acceptance error takes root through the misinterpretation of the second sentence. That root becomes overpowering when the reader does not recognize that here Paul refers back to the past, to the time after he had learned about God’s Law but had not yet made Jesus His LORD (was not walking in the Holy Spirit). During this time he was still living in the flesh–walking in sin. Unless the reader recognizes the time change, he/she will believe that Paul continued to live in sin until his death. Modern day church people do not recognize the time change in Paul’s statements take them to mean that he continued to sin until his death. They believe that because Paul lived in sin and went to heaven upon his death, that they can follow in his footsteps and join him upon their deaths. Nothing could be farther from the Biblical Truth. Another part of that sequence is used to excuse sin. In 8:1 Paul states that, because of Christ’s death and resurrection, there is “NOW NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST JESUS.” Here is where people stop reading. Believing that they are “in Christ,” they believe that their future sins will be of no consequence as Jesus will be eagerly waiting for the opportunity to forgive them. But let us continue to read “… FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT WALK AFTER THE FLESH (SIN), BUT AFTER THE SPIRIT.” This refers to those who stop sinning. Being “IN CHRIST” has important implications, for it is written in First John 1:5 that “IN HIM THERE IS NO SIN AT ALL”–ONLY LIGHT. If a sinner is “in Him” then there is sin in Him. Light (righteousness) and sin (darkness) do not mix either in Christ or in God’s true church. Read Second Corinthians 6:14-7:1.

However, after reading God’s Law, Paul eventually realized that by continuing to break it (to sin–1 Jn. 3:4) he was a walking dead man. Therefore he embraced the Law, received justification, took Christ as his LORD (not his Savior), was converted, received the Holy Spirit, stopped living in the flesh and began living in the Spirit, thereby becoming a true son of God (Rom. 8:14). The church masses having done none of those things, remain in the pre-justification state. Read The Process of Salvation. Key word–process.

In 7:7-14 Paul tells of his struggle against the pull of sin that took place between the time he realized his sinful (Law-breaking) condition, and was converted–reversed his life’s walk from living in obedience to the flesh to obedience to the Holy Spirit. During the time of His inner struggles (7:14-24 and the second sentence of 25) Paul had been a believer in God’s Law but not a doer of that Law, meaning that he had not received justification and had not been converted. His eventual decision to take Jesus as his LORD and obey the Law enabled him to receive justification and be converted. From that time until his death he remained in a state of holiness and righteousness (5:21; 6:22), thereby retaining his justification (Rom. 2:13). Law-breakers (Sunday sabbathers) have not been justified, have not been converted, have not received the Holy Spirit, are not led by the Spirit, are not children of God because they are not “IN CHRIST” (8:9,14).

Paul hammers this fact home in 8:1,4-14 where he notes that only those who are “IN CHRIST” and walk after (in obedience to) the Holy Spirit are NOT CONDEMNED FOR THEIR PAST SINS BECAUSE THEY HAVE RECEIVED AND RETAINED JUSTIFICATION. These saints fulfill (manifest) THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE LAW (vs 4) and are no longer carnally-minded (sinners). Instead, they are Spiritually-minded, meaning that they are led by the Holy Spirit that resides within them. Those who are carnally-minded (walk in the flesh) are enmity against (enemies of) Christ (5:10), do not obey His Law and therefore cannot please Him because they are “none of His” (not His brethren–8:7-9). In 8:13,14 Paul states that if church people live after the flesh (continue to sin) they will die eternally. Not being led by the Holy Spirit (to obey God’s Law), they are “not sons of God.” No amount of religiosity or churchivity will change that Truth.

After being presented with God’s Ten Commandment Law and realizing his spiritual condition (Rom. 7:7-13), Paul had a rough time as he tried to serve Jesus Christ without submitting totally to Him. He learned that, only by making Christ his LORD was he able to walk in “newness of life” (Rom. 6:4), meaning to “walk as He (Christ) walked” (1 Jn. 2:6) and thereby become a spiritual brother and friend of the Messiah. Jesus tells us in Revelation 3:21 that only those who overcome Satan’s temptations to sin, AS HE DID, will sit with Him (Jesus) on His throne in the Kingdom of God. “Taking Jesus as your Savior” accomplishes nothing in our lives. Making Him our LORD/MASTER/RULER WHO MUST BE OBEYED makes us His spiritual BRETHREN (read Mat. 12:46-49) and His FRIENDS for whom He died. Read Mat 12:46-49 and 15:13,14. Only those who make Jesus their LORD and obey God AS HE OBEYED HIM will be resurrected and rise to meet Him upon His arrival in the clouds, descend with Him to the Mount of Olives, enter Jerusalem where He will create the Kingdom of God. Read The Three Resurrections and The Kingdom of God. Key words–Three and Kingdom.

What is required of us following justification and conversion cannot be accomplished by using our own power. We must YIELD to the Lord who lives within us in the form of His Holy Spirit (Rom. 6:15-22) and leads us (Rom. 8:14). This is what is meant by the statement: “Christ in you, the HOPE of glory (salvation).” In this life we have the HOPE of salvation which Christ will bring with Him upon His return. Read Hope and Salvation. Key word–Hope.

We must YIELD to (obey) the Holy Spirit in order to qualify for salvation and rebirth upon His return. WE CANNOT DO THIS WITHOUT THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVING WITHIN US WHICH WE RECEIVE THROUGH TRUE CONVERSION. Through His Spirit within us He empowers us to obey the Lord unto righteousness and holiness, the END RESULT of which is ETERNAL LIFE (Rom. 5:21; 6:22). Only those who are so led will live eternally with Him in the Kingdom of God. As Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:4,5, we must be extremely careful as to whom we choose to be our spiritual leaders. For MANY will come saying that He (Jesus) is the Lord, then lead MANY astray. This is happening now in the end-time (Laodicean) church. Read Revelation 3:14-20 for Christ’s description of today’s church system.

I realize that this is a confusing teaching. Believe me, I have struggled with Paul’s writing in the past. Without the power of the Holy Spirit I simply could not understand him. Simply put, this series tells us that Paul “was spiritually ALIVE.” He believed that he was serving God by jailing and killing Christians. However, when he read God’s Law he realized that he was spiritually dead (7:9). For a period of time he tried to be righteous using his own mental powers, but after much struggle (7:14-23) he learned that such effort was not enough. He needed the Holy Spirit. Having embraced that Truth he yielded to the Lord, received justification (was made righteous), was converted, received the Holy Spirit and from then on walked in the power of the Spirit. This we must all do in order to be saved and born again upon the return of Jesus Christ. Please pray about this. Let the Lord tell you where you are in Him. Then react accordingly.

Notice concerning the Book of Romans: The subject of chapters 3 through 6 of Paul’s letter to the Rome church concern only one thing: JUSTIFICATION–not salvation. The theme of this series is partially based on that error. Note that Justification is referred to as being made RIGHTEOUSNESS on several occasions. Justification–the removal of all the salvation seeker’s PAST sins–renders the believer righteous, meaning without sin. From the moment of justification (being made righteous), the Lord commands us to REMAIN RIGHTEOUS BY OBEYING HIS LAW AS DID JESUS (1 Jn. 2:6). In First John 2:1 the apostle makes this clear when writing to those he has led to the Lord: “My disciples, I write to you so that you DO NOT SIN. But IF, (NOT WHEN) someone happens to sin, they have an advocate with the Father–Jesus the righteous.” The expectation is that once cleansed of all past sins (justified), there will be no future sins. This was voiced by Jesus when he told the prostitute and the man at the Bethesda pool whom He had forgiven and healed: “SIN NO MORE,” The false church scoffs at those Words, to her peril.

May the Lord bless those who embrace the message of this series and walk in the lesson it teaches. L.J.