Jesus Christ - Romans 5

Hello Friends!
 
I am going to start writing about the Book of Romans.  This Book of the Scriptures has so blessed me in thousands of ways.  God is so faithful to cause His Word to become effectual in us as we continue on with His Spirit's guidance into ALL TRUTH.  Truth comes solely from our Lord as we all know, and our dependence on Him to guide us is ever so critical.
 
Today I'm starting out with some thoughts from Romans 5.  I realize that are so many out there who can better articulate the things of God than I do, but that does not take away from the joy from "seeing" the TRUTH along with many thousands of His saints!  So while my words may not be the most eloquent in themselves, my only prayer is that we all see together what the Lord has provided for us in His Great Salvation - in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
So thanks for reading along with me as I write and I just simply pray that it will be a reminder and/or a refreshment to your hearts!

Jesus Christ - Romans 5

I read something the other day that knocked me over so deeply, I've read it over and over again.  It's not that I have not read this before, but the Lord got His paintbrush out and made a HUGE, deeper stroke of reality and "color" on my heart.

It's from Romans 5, verses 5-17.  I read it in the Amplified Bible.

"But the Free Gift is NOT at all to be compared to the trespass (His Grace is out of ALL proportion to the fall of man)."

The rest of the Scriptures talk about Adam's sin spreading to all men reigning in death over all creation.  Then it says in verse 16:

"Nor is the Free Gift at ALL to be compared to the EFFECT of that one man's sin..."

First, we have God offering Christ to us - to live and dwell in us - we are born of God - God is saying His Gift of Grace (Jesus), His Son is NOT TO BE COMPARED with the fall of man - He is out of ALL proportion!

Then God says the EFFECT of Him in us is NOT to be compared to the EFFECT of the fall of man.

For verse 17 tells us that if we receive God's gift of righteousness (Jesus) and the ABUNDANCE OF GRACE, we SHALL (not we hope to) but WE SHALL REIGN IN LIFE through the ONE MAN, JESUS CHRIST!

In Romans 4, we are told Abraham believe the Promise of God - he relied on the Promise of God - he depended on the Promise of God - for what?

To have a son.

This relates to us.  How?  Romans 4 says first of all, when Abraham believed God, it was credited to him as righteousness (God and God's alone).  Yet Abraham's body was dead but God gave him the promise of life, a son.  The deadness of Abraham's body though gave fuel to his faith.  Why?  He was not able to produce a son through his own flesh effort!

Yes, we all know that he tried once through Hagar.  But God's full promise that the son was to come through Sarah's womb.  After Abraham had tried through Hagar, years later he experienced "dead as a door nail in his own body!"

Because he was not able to produce now, he was able to turn his eyes completely to God's promise of a son - Abraham was going to bear solely according to the promise of God.

Yet how does this relate to us?  We are told that all of us are/were dead because of sin and death - because of the fall.

Surely we do understand that when we received Christ, we were made alive in spirit by God's spirit.

But do we also understand that our bodies are dead and the hope of righteousness does not come by human effort but by the same faith as Abraham's?  By the promise of God's Spirit.

What else is dead?  Human effort to produce holiness by and through the commandment alone through fleshly effort, is not the way God has called us to walk.  This is what the whole book of Galatians is about.  God's Spirit came to dwell in our hearts through faith and receiving.  Remember Paul asked, "Is Christ the minister of sin?  God forbid!"  So we can get out of our notion that to live a life of faith will produce ungodliness!

We are to live by faith in the Son dwelling in our hearts.  The Spirit came in by and solely by God's promise in response to faith.

We therefore continue to follow in the steps of Abraham by:

We rely solely on God's promise of to shape His Son in us, Grow His Son in us, Form His Son in us, Produce His Fruit in us (Galatians 5) and continue in trusting that Christ is our hope of glory in every way.

In  Romans 4 it is written of Abraham - not only did he believe in God and trust in Him completely - BUT he was PERSUADED that HE WHO PROMISED was FAITHFUL and ABLE to perform completely that which HE Himself promised.

We know God is faithful.  We know human beings are dead in their human ability to produce a true godliness but JESUS IN US is NOT!  He is more than able to bring forth the ABUNDANCE of HIS LIFE (bearing all good fruit).

Here are examples of dead things:  depression, drunkenness, despair, anger, bitterness, hatred, factions, contentions, UNBELIEF...

Here are the examples of Christ's Life/His Spirit with us:  love, joy, peace, gentleness, long-suffering, faithfulness...

Living a life of faith in the Son of God dwelling within by His Spirit is the way to FULLNESS - Jesus Christ is our continual HOPE of GLORY!

Jesus Christ is not worthy to be compared nor is He to be compared to the fall of man!  God is able to do exceedingly abundantly ABOVE ALL we ask or think according to His Power WHO works within our hearts!

Christ is God's Grace in Person!

Anyone who lays hold of HIM in faith will not be disappointed!

And lastly - when Christ came in the spirit, the SEED OF LIFE was placed in us - we are in union with God's Spirit.  Just like a pregnant woman who is impregnated with the life of another - soon she begins to show with again, the life of another!  She knows it's not her life - but that life is in her.

This is the beautiful picture of our living the LIFE of ANOTHER! Romans 7 says we are MARRIED to another - that we might bear fruit unto God.

The life of our Lord Jesus Christ is dwelling in us - and God wants to bring about the fullness of Him.

In a pregnant woman, the fullness is 9 months - but in our spiritual growth - the fullness may take a while.  We are constantly combating the hindrances to God's grace and truth of Christ.  When we see and know God's truth we respond in faith.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God!  Romans 10  And faith produces! 

Sue Gaither