Hi everyone!
I used to struggle with a lot of the great scriptures in Romans chapters 1-8 in terms of putting it all together and making sense of it all, not just plucking out some of the great scriptures found in these chapters which you can no doubt do and use them for personal edification.
This didn't come about until The Lord opened up the Cross and its meaning(not that it can be exhausted) to me. It was there all the time, Romans chapter 6 for example is all about the event of the Cross not just water baptism which is symbolic of what happened on the "Cross".
"The Cross" = The Work Christ(Messiah) accomplished on it, not the wooden beams obviously. Apostle Paul says in Romans 6:17 that this reality of our union with Christ must be received from & in the heart.
There's a basic 3 fold aspect to the Cross, it involves Jesus not only forging our past & present sins(plural) but also in the same "Cross" delivering Us from the source or root that causes sins, i.e. deliverance from "The Sin (singular) Nature" as opposed to Gods Divine Nature. The third aspect is as Apostle Paul described in 2 Cor 4:10 (we always carry around in our bodies the death of Jesus, so that the Life of Jesus may also be revealed in our bodies) i.e. a perpetual inward grace and power sufficient for all trials and temptations available to the believer.
You can summarise it this way:
Christ dying for our sins (Once For all forgiveness for the sinner
Christ dying as Us (Once For all deliverance as symbolised in water baptism from the Sin Nature)
Christ in Us (Daily power for living)
Most have been taught this truth for example; "it's no point God delivering His people from Sins unless He also equally deliver from the cause of Sins". This deals with Nature change rather than consequent Acts of Sin. The Church by and large has neglected this due to majoring on the Cross at Salvation for the Sinner/unbeliever at the expense of the Cross for total deliverance from the Sin Nature once saved. It's being Born Again,yes, however teaching on the change in Nature upon being Born again has been taught largely excluding the "Cross". Which is erroneous.
Simply, the Faith that saved the sinner from their sins is the same that will save & deliver from the Sin Nature. This Faith is a gift by Grace. Ephesians 2:8. But, the now believer must point it there, at the "Cross" and let it Rest there. The "Cross" must continue to be its object alone, then works & service have their place not before this (for the Believer).
The fundamentals for this are that in the Work of The Cross accomplished once for all by Jesus, there was an Exchange accomplished. Our Nature For His pure & sinless Life. This "exchange" is found in the following scripture (there are others but this is the most obvious) 2 Cor 5:21 "For he hath made him to sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." An exchange taking place is revealed here.
The other fact is that God has always stated that the life of anything with blood, is in the Blood. To God, the Life, the Soul and the blood are all one and the same with the living thing. He sees no distinction as such.
Leviticus 17:11
"11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul."
Leviticus 17:14
"For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off."
If God didn't also change our fundamental nature upon forgiveness of sins then we would still be under His wrath, without reconciliation. He accomplished this Nature change at "The Cross", due to the Exchange accomplished there by God through Jesus.
He took the penalty and stroke due to Us, and in a miracle The (Righteous)Life in His shed blood was positionally transferred to Us. His Life is the very Nature of God(Righteousness). However this has to be appropriated like the forgiveness of sins is appropriated by simply trusting His Work on The Cross Alone. Grace! It, our trust, must be left to rest there and not mixed with anything else (our self- efforts, for example, or religious tradition or "good works" etc etc)
Apostle Paul declares this in Romans chpt 5.
Rom 5:9-10
"9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more,
having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life(i.e. the life in His precious blood poured out for Us)"
Try and work out these versus for example assuming that "life" mentioned there is a direct reference to the Resurrection and you will be frustrated no end.
verse 10 is interpreted by the previous verse 9. Verse 9 clearly declares His blood as that means (i.e. Context in interpretation). A life had to be presented to God worthy enough to restore Gods Honour and His broken eternal Law. We must avail of it.
Gods Nature of both Holiness and Love (Justice & Mercy) means that He must always act in this manner without wavering.
His Just Holy Righteous Nature deems that As Judge of the universe, to be fair(impartial), He Judge and punish sin and therefore the sinner. On the other hand His eternal Love & Mercy deems that He should forgive sin and therefore the sinner.
Quote:
"God, because in His Mercy, willed to forgive sinful men, and, being truly merciful, willed to forgive them righteously(Holily), that is, without in anyway condoning their sin, purposed to direct against His very own self, in the person of His Son, the full weight of that righteous wrath which they deserved"
Now, Jesus having accomplished all this and more on the Cross, warranted being gloriously raised from the dead in Power and Majesty. You can check out Apostle Paul's great passage of inspired Scripture in Philippians Chapter 2:5-13. Christ humbled Himself in His Obedient death on The Cross, Only then was He raised to His exulted position. Not before then. The obedience therefore that saves us is only at The Cross, what happened there alone?
Also, Hebrews chapter 1:8-9
"8 But to the Son He says:
verse 8“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
verse 9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;[My addition: i.e. His Perfect Work on the Cross]
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”[g].[ My addition: i.e. Therefore God raised Him from the dead as a result,after making satisfaction by His sacrifice of obedience to God. It was perfection under suffering.]
Hope this helps
Rob.
