Bobservations' Column
Titled - "Servants of Righteousness"
Written by: Pastor Bob Lawrenz
Last week we referenced the Book of Ruth briefly, the daughter-in-law of Naomi. Ruth’s homeland OF Moab held nothing for her after her husband died. She clung to Naomi because of Naomi’s faith in a living God. Naomi saw the possibility of a kinsman redeemer for Ruth because of the Law. Ruth stayed with Naomi and had hope. And as we read a few weeks ago, “hope maketh not ashamed” (Romans 5:5).
We can follow what Paul writes in Romans 5 as it applies to Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth: From tribulations, to patience, to experience, to hope, as we follow Ruth and Naomi’s history. It is not odd then that Naomi and her husband were from Bethlehem-Judah, and it was to there that they returned. It was Naomi’s husband, Elimelech that must have had the idea to go to Moab. It was God Who had a better idea, and not only returned Naomi and Ruth to Bethlehem, but beloved Ruth became the great-grandmother to Israel’s renowned King David! And hence the Godly bloodline to the Redeemer was preserved.
It was a dark hour in the lives of these three women; all three had lost their husbands in a strange land. Moab was named after Lot’s grandson, borne of the incestuous relationship with his eldest daughter after the events at Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19). The girl’s sister also bore a son to Lot, and Benammi was the progenitor of the Ammonites. Both the Moabites and the Ammonites were forbidden from entering the congregation of the Lord for ten generations once The Law was given to Moses. It was the same for the bloodline of Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. Entanglements with unGodly people bring a judgment that can last for years. The ten-generation judgment came upon the Ammonites and the Moabites because they refused to give the Hebrews open and clear passage back into their homeland after the Exodus from Egypt.
For those without faith, God sees their sins still in-place. But for Believers…
For Believers, God chooses to forget our iniquities!
Luke 7:36-50 -
“The Parable of the two Debtors” is important to understand. Simon the Pharisee questioned Jesus’ views on forgiveness. And to the woman of the parable?
“And (Jesus) said to the woman, ‘Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.’”
Bobservations' Column: Audio Version
Sunday Morning Message:
Romans 6:14-23 - "Servants of Righteousness"
Summary/Additional Commentary and Definitions:
You either serve sin or you serve righteousness. And that’s just the basic understanding of what it means to be a believer. When you came to Christ, you died – past tense. Your old man, your old self died, was buried, and a new person arose. And you now have a new Master, and your Master is the Lord and righteousness. You are not only ethically bound to obey, but you are also creatively bound to obey. It is now in the fabric of your being to do what once you could not do.
You came into the world fit only to obey sin. But now, you have been recreated to obey righteousness.
It is important to understand that salvation is not an addition to your life, salvation is a transformation. We were dead in sin but are now alive in Christ. Old things are passed away, all things become new. There are some people who have the idea that you are who you are, and when you get saved, something gets added. The Bible never teaches that. Never!
Sunday Morning Audio Message:
Key Words and Definitions with Reference:
Sin Shall Not Have Dominion (6:14) - Sin must be able to exercise control in our bodies or Paul's admonition becomes unnecessary (v. 13). But sin does not have to reign there; so, the apostle expresses his confidence that those who are Christ's will not allow it to do so.
Not Under Law But Under Grace (6:14) - This does not mean God has abrogated His moral law (3:31, cf. Matthew 5:17-19). The law is good, holy, and righteous (7:12, cf. 1 Timothy 1:8), but it cannot be kept, so it curses. Since it cannot assist anyone to keep God's moral standard (cf. 7:7-11), it can only show the standard and thus rebuke and condemn those who fail to keep it. But the believer is no longer under the law as a condition of acceptance with God - an impossible condition to meet and one designed only to show man his sinfulness. The believer is under grace, which enables him to truly fulfill the law's righteous requirements (7:6; 8:3, 4).
Shall We Sin (6:15) - In other words, does the fact that we are no longer compelled to sin mean that we are somehow free to indulge in sin without fighting our desires to do so? This seems to have been a criticism levelled at Paul more than once (Romans 3:8; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:19–24), and one that misguided people often levy at Christianity today. Paul provides his common response to ridiculous questions: "By no means!" This is from a Greek phrase, mē genoito, which is the equivalent of "of course not," or "heaven forbid!" Paul will go on to show that our freedom from the authority of sin should cause us to resist and reject our sinful desires, not to take lightly God's grace and forgiveness by indulging them.
Form of Doctrine . . . Delivered (6:17) - In the Greek, "form" is a word for a mold such as a craftsman would use to cast molten metal. Paul's point is that God pours His new children into the mold of divine truth (12:2; cf. Titus 2:1). New believers have an innate and compelling desire to know and obey God's Word (1 Peter 2:2).
Manner of Men . . . Infirmity of Your Flesh (6:19) - Human terms. Paul's use of the master/slave analogy was an accommodation to their humanness and their difficulty in grasping divine truth.
More Lawlessness (6:19) - Sin's appetite only grows when it is fed (Genesis 4:7).
Fruit (6:21) - or benefit. Even more lasting for those who continue to live free from righteousness is death. All sin leads eventually to death and separation from God in hell. Death is the ultimate "fruit" of living free from the control of righteousness.
Holiness (6:22) - The benefit of being slaves to God is sanctification, the outcome of which is eternal life.
Wages of Sin (6:23) - Spiritual death is the paycheck for every person's slavery to sin. Again, the apostle emphasizes that the coming of death into the world resulted directly from the coming of sin into the world. God warned Adam that this would happen, and it did (Genesis 2:17; 3:17-19). God has made it clear that man brought suffering and death into the world by his sin. He has also made it clear that Christ's suffering and death were accepted by God in payment for the sin of the world.
Gift of God (6:23) - Eternal life is a free gift God gives undeserving sinners who believe in His son (cf. Ephesians 2:8, 9). The death of His son cost both Father and son infinite pain, yet it is all offered to us as a free gift by His grace. It only becomes a gift in reality if it is accepted, of course, and the tragedy is that most people will never accept it.
