Reading the bible can be a taunting task for the new believer. I recommend to anyone that doesn’t know where to begin to start with the book of Romans. Do you want to know why Paul’s letter to the Romans is arguably the most important book in scripture?
The apostle Paul received revelation from the glorified Christ Jesus. This information from Jesus was penned by Paul as God’s chosen vessel to reveal the deepest truth and the full meaning and scope of the cross.
Romans is so important because Paul speaks of a transition from the old way to the new way. Consequently, if we do not understand Paul’s writing we may still adhere to parts if not all of the old way. This is the major problem of religion today. They try to follow the old way and the new way. However, the new way cannot be followed unless the old way is completely abandoned. This is what I am going to discuss in this article.
First, we must realize that while Jesus was on earth He did not reveal everything the cross accomplished until, in His glorified form, He gave a series of revelations to the apostle Paul.
8 For I am saying that Christ has become the Servant of the Circumcision, for the sake of the truth of God, to confirm the patriarchal promises. 9 Yet the nationsare to glorify God for His mercy, according as it is written, “Therefore I shall be acclaiming Thee among the nations,” “And to Thy name shall I be playing music.” -Romans 15: 8-9
Jesus came to confirm the promises of Israel as her Messiah. Paul, however, is now going to explain the depths of God’s mercy given to the nations.
In the first three chapters in the book of Romans, Paul explains the law of sin and death, something that Israel knew very well. He explains that those with good acts seek glory, honor, and incorruption while those that are stubborn do not. God will be paying each one in accord with his acts (Romans 2: 7-10).
Now please follow me on this because at the point, religious people stop paying attention to detail. Paul sets up the law of sin and death which is in a nutshell: Do good and God will reward you…do bad and God will punish you. Paul just explained what a person must do in order to have life under the law of sin and death.
Now watch what happens next! After explaining what a person must do in order to seek honor, incorruption, and life eonian…Paul says that all creation has failed at doing this. So, Paul sets up and explains the law of sin and death explaining how the stubborn fail in sin and are deserving of death. Then, he says that all have sinned and not one is justified through this law of sin and death. Why? because all have sinned.
10 according as it is written, that “Not one is just” — not even one. 11 Not one is understanding. Not one is seeking out God. -Romans 3: 10-11
According to this law of sin and death, Paul explains that the entire world may become subject to the just verdict of God. Paul has explained that sinners are deserving of death (Romans 1: 28-32), then explains that all are sinners (Romans 3: 10-11). So again, according to the law of sin and death, we have all failed and have all fallen short of God.
19 Now we are aware that, whatever the law is saying, it is speaking to those under the law, that every mouth may be barred, and the entire world may become subject to the just verdict of God, 20 because, by works of law, no flesh at all shall be justified in His sight, for through law is the recognition of sin. -Romans 3: 19-20
God says that doers of the law shall be justified (Romans 2:13). Then, Romans 3:20 says that by works of law, no flesh at all shall be justified in God’s sight. So, we must do the law to be justified but we cannot, so nobody is justified.
This means that no one, not one person, according to scripture can be justified by overcoming sin in order to gain or maintain salvation in any way. All have failed and that’s it.
Okay, so Paul has presented the law of sin and death to explain that we all fail. He does this in order to explain the only way that we are justified. This is apart from the law of sin and death. This means that our sin or lack of it plays no part in our salvation. Here is what does:
21 Yet now, apart from law, a righteousness of God is manifest (being attested by the law and the prophets), 22 yet a righteousness of God through Jesus Christ’s faith, for all, and on all who are believing, for there is no distinction, 23 for all sinned and are wanting of the glory of God. -Romans 3: 21-23
So law, the law of sin and death is done. The attempt to stop sinning in order to be justified or maintain justification is no more. We now get justification through Christ’s faith. Paul goes on to explain in the rest of Romans that we are justified by Christ’s death for sin, His entombment, and His resurrection. This is apart from any sin or not sinning on our part and solely based on Christ.
God gives faith to some now (Romans 12:3) to realize Christ’s completed work and the rest will come eventually through judgement. However, all are saved by Christ, apart from their own acts, apart from sinning or not sinning, apart from believing or not believing, completely apart from the law of sin and death.
Any and all discussion about the human doing something to earn salvation and by not doing that thing, not having salvation is reverting back to the law of sin and death in which no one finds justification.
“If you choose Jesus, God will save you, if you don’t you are going to hell.”
“If you continue to sin then you may lose your salvation”
“You must make a free-will choice to save yourself and if you don’t, fire for you…ha ha ha.”
All of the comments above and every one like them are reverting back to the law of sin and death. You do this and God will reward you, but if not, you are separated forever. This law has been fulfilled by Christ, not by you.
So what most Christians don’t understand is this: Any mention or teaching of a person needing to stop sinning in order to gain or maintain salvation in any way is reverting back to the law of sin and death.
So, why do Christians continually preach that we must overcome sin in order to be saved or in order to maintain our salvation? No matter what sin, big or little, intentional or not, once occurring or occurring often, is a belief that the law of sin and death is still in operation. This is complete ignorance of what Jesus fulfilled and completed for us through His work.
I have actually had Christians quote verses in the first three chapters of Romans trying to prove that we are saved by ‘our acts’ and ‘sinning or not sinning.’ They don’t realize that Paul only explains this in order to show us that no one is saved this way. Paul does this in order to set-up the only way we are now saved apart from sin and law.
Therefore, Christians that quote these verses or any scripture dealing with the law of sin and death are actually quoting from the very source that Paul explains is not the way we get God’s righteousness. Some Christians will pay lip service to this, but will argue that Jesus made it possible for us to stop sinning. In essence, Jesus abolishes the law of sin and death only to make it possible for us to follow the law of sin and death. Makes no sense.
Jesus of course, while He was on earth in His terrestrial form, explained what must be done and not be done in order to endure to the end of the age. However, this is for believers going through the end times and is not the message that Christ gave to the apostle Paul.
In the verses and chapters following Romans 3:21, Paul explains exactly what being freed from the law of sin and death means. Paul says that man is justified by faith apart from works of the law (Romans 3:28).
Remember in Romans 1:18 when Paul was talking about the law of sin and death, he mentioned that God’s indignation is on all irreverence and injustice of men. Now, in Romans 4:5, Paul says that God is justifying the irreverent. In fact, Paul says that Christ died for the irreverent while they are still sinners and while they were still enemies.
Do you see how the law of sin and death is no longer in effect? Previously, Paul talks about how sinners will get death because of their acts. Now, Paul is saying that these very same people deserving of death are now saved while they are still doing the same wicked acts that led to death. What changed? Well, it wasn’t the the sinner’s acts because Paul says they are still irreverent, still sinners, still enemies.
5 Yet to him who is not working, yet is believing on Him Who is justifying the irreverent, his faith is reckoned for righteousness. -Romans 4:5
6 For Christ, while we are still infirm, still in accord with the era, for the sake of the irreverent, died. 7 For hardly for the sake of a just man will anyone be dying: for, for the sake of a good man, perhaps someone may even be daring to die, 8 yet God is commending this love of His to us, seeing that, while we are still sinners, Christ died for our sakes. 9 Much rather, then, being now justified in His blood, we shall be saved from indignation, through Him.
10 For if, being enemies, we were conciliated to God through the death of His Son, much rather, being conciliated, we shall be saved in His life. 11 Yet not only so, but we are glorying also in God, through our Lord, Jesus Christ, through Whom we now obtained the conciliation. -Romans 5: 6-11
What has changed is that these sinners are justified by the blood of Christ. Those who are NOT WORKING to overcome their own sin but those that are believing on Him (Christ) Who is justifying the irreverent, his faith is reckoned for righteousness.
Notice now and in verses that I will go over shortly, Paul does not teach that the sinners, the irreverent, and the enemies of God need to stop being sinners, stop being irreverent, or stop being enemies of God in order to have Christ’s justification. This justification is for all, but only currently on those that are given faith by God.
Paul goes into great detail as to how we are saved and how we get God’s righteousness. However, Christians continue to inject the law of sin and death into Paul’s message and therefore diabolically destroying truth.
For instance, Romans 5: 18:21 says that ‘all mankind’ is condemned by Adam’s offense. Before Paul finishes this sentence, he says that ‘all mankind’ is justified by Christ’s just award. We did nothing to earn death, we inherited it from Adam. In the exact same way we get death, by no choice or act on our part, we get justification from Christ. We inherit it. So, the same all that get death from Adam (everyone) are the same all that get justification from Christ.
However, this is where religious people inject the law of sin and death back into Paul’s message. They say ‘all’ get death from Adam, but only those that stop sinning and choose Christ get justification. This is the law of sin and death. You must do something in order to be saved. You must do good, believe, be reverent, stop being an enemy. Nevermind Paul’s message and everything he has talked about up until this point. The Christian undermines Paul’s message of Christ’s work justifying the irreverent, the sinner, the enemy while they are in that state.
As if that’s not enough, Paul then says that where sin increases, grace superexceeds. How could anyone mistake Paul’s message when he says this. This has nothing to do with the law of sin and death. Therefore, the more you sin the more this grace by which you get justification applies to you. This is the complete opposite of the law of sin and death that Christians try to inject into this message.
18 Consequently, then, as it was through one offense for all mankind for condemnation, thus also it is through one just award for all mankind for life’s justifying. 19 For even as, through the disobedience of the one man, the many were constituted sinners, thus also, through the obedience of the One, the many shall be constituted just. 20 Yet law came in by the way, that the offense should be increasing. Yet where sin increases, grace superexceeds, 21 that, even as Sin reigns in death, thus Grace also should be reigning through righteousness, for life eonian, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. -Romans 5: 18-21
Now let’s move on to Romans 6: 4-7 in which Paul explains the full measure of what Christ’s work on the cross brings to us. Notice once again, that what Paul explains we are in Christ has nothing to do with our acts, nothing to do with the law of sin and death, nothing to do with ‘not sinning.’
4 We, then, were entombed together with Him through baptism into death, that, even as Christ was roused from among the dead through the glory of the Father, thus we also should be walking in newness of life. 5 For if we have become planted together in the likeness of His death, nevertheless we shall be of the resurrection also, 6 knowing this, that our old humanity was crucified together with Him, that the body of Sin may be nullified, for us by no means to be still slaving for Sin, 7 for one who dies has been justified from Sin. -Romans 6:4-7
You see, we have been planted together with Christ in His death and resurrection. We have not been planted separately. Christ’s death and resurrection is our death and resurrection. This will be realized by all creation in the fullness of time because it is not dependent upon man’s decision or action. It is not dependent on the law of sin and death, but Christ alone.
Christ died for Sin once for all time (Romans 6:10).
So did we! We are planted together, so we are dead to Sin (Romans 6:11).
This is why Paul says to not let Sin be lording it over you. He says that we are not under law but under grace.
14 For Sin shall not be lording it over you, for you are not under law, but under grace. -Romans 6:14
So many people mistake these verses to mean that Paul is instructing believers to ‘not sin’ and that because of Christ we will not sin any longer. This is completely untrue. Paul is saying that Sin should not have any power over you in a very different sense. He is teaching believers how to handle sin that is in their lives. Paul is not teaching them about ‘not sinning.’
Essentially, Paul is telling us not to worry about our sin anymore because in Christ we are saved regardless of sin. Sin can never keep us from God no matter how it manifests in our lives. The funny thing is that ignoring sin in this way only causes us to sin less because we are not paying attention to it. Instead, we are paying attention to Christ and His accomplishment.
You see, Christianity believes that we need to continually fight and overcome our own sin. However, Paul already explained that trying to fight sin in the flesh only leads to more sin.
7 . . . For besides, I had not been aware of coveting except the law said, “You shall not be coveting.” 8 Now Sin, getting an incentive through the precept, produces in me all manner of coveting. For apart from law Sin is dead. -Romans 7: 7-8
We are to walk in spirit, never fighting sin again. Walking in spirit means realizing what we have been graciously given by God in Christ Jesus. Our old humanity of sin and death was crucified with Christ. There is no need to pull up this old humanity of sin and death, then overcome it when Christ already killed it. This is how we could be ‘still sinning’ and walking in spirit at the same time, because we know that sin is defeated by Christ and not by us. In the end, this leads to less sin on our part, not more.
This is what Paul is talking about in Romans 6: 12-14:
12 Let not Sin, then, be reigning in your mortal body, for you to be obeying its lusts.
13 Nor yet be presenting your members, as implements of injustice, to Sin, but present yourselves to God as if alive from among the dead, and your members as implements of righteousness to God. 14 For Sin shall not be lording it over you, for you are not under law, but under grace. -Romans 6: 12-14
How could Paul be talking about ‘not sinning’ in light of what is said in Romans 6:15?
15 What then? Should we be sinning, seeing that we are not under law, but under grace? May it not be coming to that! -Romans 6:15
If Paul is telling us ‘not to sin’ then why would his message lead to asking, should we be sinning? The only reason Paul would ask this question is because his message will cause people to think its okay to sin. That’s what Christians say all the time to this message of grace. They say, “Oh, you mean to tell me I can sin all I want and still be saved.”
Don’t you see that Paul anticipates that response? If Paul was telling people not to sin, then he would not have to worry about addressing people that thought this was an incentive to sin. The only way Paul would need to say this is because He is teaching believers that sin, no matter how much sin you have, cannot effect your standing in Christ Jesus.
Paul is saying that we are saved and justified by Christ no matter how much we have sinned, are sinning, or continue to sin. Now, having this understanding of grace, we will sin less because our focus is Christ’s work and not ‘our overcoming’ sin. Ignoring sin and starving it by knowing it cannot effect your standing in Christ, will make it less in your life. Fighting Sin, in the flesh like Christians do, will cause it to lord over you. Any mention of a need to overcome sin in order to be saved or to maintain salvation is fighting sin in the flesh, because it does not rely on Christ’s completed work.
Again, this is substantiated in Romans 7: 15-20 as Paul talks about sin in his life. Paul is not talking about how to overcome sin but is talking about what to do with the sin that is in your life. What is the answer? Overcoming your sin by stopping the sin? NO. His answer to the sin in your life and his…is GRACE! Remember that grace is present where sin exists. Paul says where sin increases, grace superexceeds (Romans 5:20).
15 For what I am effecting I know not, for not what I will, this I am putting into practice, but what I am hating, this I am doing. 16 Now if what I am not willing, this I am doing, I am conceding that the law is ideal. 17 Yet now it is no longer I who am effecting it, but Sin making its home in me. -Romans 7: 15-17
24 A wretched man am I! What will rescue me out of this body of death? Grace!
25 I thank God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Consequently, then, I myself, with the mind, indeed, am slaving for God’s law, yet with the flesh for Sin’s law. -Romans 7: 24-25
According to Romans 6: 16-18, we are either slaves of ‘sin for death’ or ‘obedience for righteousness.’ Again, Paul is not saying to stop sinning but to stop being in the ‘law of sin and death’ that only leads to death, especially when one tries to fight sin. We obey from the heart the teaching of being freed from sin (by Christ) and enslaved to righteousness. How do we get this righteousness?
This is where religion stumbles. We get this righteousness by grace, not by overcoming Sin already taken care of by Christ. Grace reigns in righteousness, not us.
21 that, even as Sin reigns in death, thus Grace also should be reigning through righteousness, for life eonian, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. -Romans 5:21
Paul says it twice in the span of fifteen verses. Once in 6:15 and once in 6:1. Therefore, how can Paul be talking about ‘not sinning’ if he anticipates the argument and has to again warn against abusing this doctrine to increase sin. He would only say that if his teaching did exactly that…made our justification and grace regardless of any and all sin.
1 What, then, shall we declare? That we may be persisting in sin that grace should be increasing? -Romans 6:1
Paul says this because if we do persist in sin grace does increase. He actually says, “where sin increases, grace superexceeds (Romans 5:20).” This is completely ousting the law of sin and death. Even though our sin cannot effect what we are in Christ, we should not use this as a license to sin. But when sin appears, we still have all that we have because it is in Christ that we have them.
The problem with Christianity is that they think people that believe this sin all day long. However, this grace actually causes believers to sin less. Only a person hell bent and concerned with only sin would use this message to sin more. Therefore, since Christians would sin more if they had this grace, they revert back to the law of sin and death in order to deny Paul’s message.
I may sound like a broken record, but so does Paul in this letter. This is because the point being made is so important and so missed and distorted in the religious system. The first part of Romans chapter 8 really sums it up. Before getting into those verses, I want to remind my reader of two very important concepts Paul is speaking on:
- Walking according to flesh = a person attempting to sin or ‘not sin’ in order to earn or maintain God’s favor.
- Walking according to spirit = a person perceiving that which is being graciously given to us by God, through Christ (1 Corinthians 2:12), regardless of sinning or ‘not sinning.’
Most churches teach that you are condemned if you commit certain sins. They say that you can lose your salvation or that these sins are proof that you were never saved. However, Paul says in Romans 8:1 that nothing is condemnation to those in Christ Jesus.
1 Nothing, consequently, is now condemnation to those in Christ Jesus. Not according to flesh are they walking, but according to spirit -Romans 8:1
This verse does not say that those in Christ Jesus will do nothing condemning, but says that nothing THEY DO is condemnation. So, how could committing a sinful act condemn the believer if Paul says NOTHING is condemnation? Many would say that belief means those in Christ will not commit sin or some sort of behavior will be evident distinguishing an unbeliever from a believer. However, Paul answers this in the next verses.
2 for the spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus frees you from the law of sin and death.
3 For what was impossible to the law, in which it was infirm through the flesh, did God, sending His own Son in the likeness of sin’s flesh and concerning sin, He condemns sin in the flesh Romans 8: 2-3
Paul explains that Jesus frees us from the law of sin and death. This means that Jesus frees us from earning or losing God’s rewards based on behavior. We are freed from the ‘do good’ and God rewards, ‘do bad’ and God punishes system. WE cannot gain or lose anything by our sinful acts or lack thereof. Why? Because we identify with Christ’s completed work and now have everything that He has. This is all based on Christ, not us.
Any attempt or teaching on not sinning in order to gain or maintain salvation is not trusting in Christ’s accomplishment and is an attempt to walk in flesh. The flesh desires to do something to earn salvation. Walking in spirit disregards what we do and don’t do completely, while trusting that Christ’s death and resurrection is our death and resurrection. Walking in spirit means a realization that Christ’s behavior is our behavior. Flesh separates our acts from Christ and says things like, “Christ died for us so that we can now act right and not commit certain sins.” This line of thinking teaches that we add our flesh to Christ’s work in order to make it complete. Walking in spirit understands that Christ’s work is ours, not adding to it at all.
Paul says that Christ did for us what was IMPOSSIBLE for us to do according to law. Therefore, it isn’t even possible for a human being to be saved by their acts, anything they do or don’t do. This also means that it is impossible for any human being NOT to be saved based on anything they do or do not do.
So many times I hear Christians argue between whether or not someone can lose their salvation. Once saved always saved, or not. This is such a silly argument and it proves by even asking this question that one does not believe Christ saved them. If salvation can be lost, then obviously it was up to ‘self’ in the first place. If it was based on Christ, then it couldn’t possibly be lost because nothing He did changed.
Paul says that God, through Christ, condemns sin in the flesh. This is done so that the just requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us. Christ fulfills it, therefore, it is not up to our acts to complete the process. Those that have given up on the flesh (self acts) and trust that Christ completed justification for them, are those that are deemed believers.
4 that the just requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who are not walking in accord with flesh, but in accord with spirit. -Romans 8:4
Did you catch that? Those that think they do something to be saved or need to stop sinning to maintain their salvation forfeit what Christ completed for them. They are trying to complete in the flesh what only Christ could accomplish. These people will eventually be saved as Christ is the Savior of all, but this will be realized later through judgement.
Before anyone says that one must choose to believe in order to saved, let me say this: Belief is given by God to those that have been chosen. So, God chooses those to be saved first and the rest, the unbelievers, are saved later through judgement. So, even belief is not an act of flesh and human attainment. We rely on the living God, Who is the Saviour of all mankind, especially of believers (1 Timothy 4:10).
God is love and therefore, love is a fulfillment of law. Even though we do not love perfectly, the aim of the law is love. Christ is the One that fulfilled this perfectly. Because of this, Paul instructs us to love by showing us that love is the complement of law. Our apostle instructs to walk according to love because we have been justified by Christ, not in order to be justified by Christ.
8 To no one owe anything, except to be loving one another, for he who is loving another has fulfilled law. 9 For this: “You shall not commit adultery,” “you shall not murder,” “you shall not steal,” “you shall not testify falsely,” “you shall not covet,” and if there is any other precept, it is summed up in this saying, in this: “You shall love your associate as yourself.” 10 Love is not working evil to an associate. The complement, then, of law, is love. -Romans 13: 8-10
Another very important point to consider in the above verses is this: Paul is not bringing us back to the law of sin and death in Romans 13: 8-10 nor anytime he exhorts us to behave or walk worthily.
Paul just spent the entire letter to the Romans explaining that these believers have been freed from the law of sin and death. Paul did not do this to bring them right back to the law of sin and death by telling them ‘not to murder, not commit adultery, not steal, not testify falsely, not covet, and every other law.’ No, of course not.
Paul’s audience knows that we are not saved, justified, or made righteous in doing or not doing these things. We are saved, justified, and made righteous by Christ doing these things. We, being planted in Christ’s death and resurrection, is our salvation. Paul is saying that because we are saved, you shall walk in love, walk worthily of what has been done for you.
Religion and Christians will try to make these verses say that if you do not do these things, walk in love, walk worthily, then you will not be saved…or is evidence you are not saved. That would be reverting back to the law of sin and death and completely erases all of what Paul has explained in his letter to the Romans.
We walk worthily because of what Christ has done not in any way, to earn what He has done. This is the difference between being under the law of sin and death, and being freed from the law of sin and death. Oh…I pray my reader understands this.
If we do not understand that Christ has freed us from the law of sin and death, then we are in danger of being included in Romans 10: 1-4.
1 Indeed, brethren, the delight of my heart and my petition to God for their sake is for salvation. 2 For I am testifying to them that they have a zeal of God, but not in accord with recognition. 3 For they, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, were not subjected to the righteousness of God.
4 For Christ is the consummation of law for righteousness to everyone who is believing. -Romans 10: 1-4
Any attempt to gain salvation, maintain salvation, or contribute by ‘not sinning’ or doing good deeds is SEEKING TO ESTABLISH YOUR OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS. By doing so, you deny what has been completed and only could have been completed by Christ.
Going back to the law of sin and death means that you deny God’s righteousness by way of Christ’s faith, His death, His entombment, His resurrection, His fulfillment of the law. May we all understand that we are saved by Christ without any contribution from us.
Grace and peace.
Saved ignoble 
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