Down an Unfamiliar Road

Sometimes words, when spoken, can produce an effect that amazing. Nothing illustrates this more than when Jesus spoke to the howling winds and lashing waves during a storm and said, “Be at peace! Quiet down!” Also, when He walked into the room and found His disciples in a state of panic and despair over His death, and greeted them with, “Be at peace.” Since the beginning of time, there are few things man has sought more than peace. The search is universal and for the most part elusive. Efforts to produce a world at peace will always be futile until all men have peace in their hearts. Such peace cannot be simply proclaimed by one man or some world power, but only by the power of God’s transforming love.

But peace as transformed love in our spiritual oneness with Christ takes on a different composure. There is a difference between living in peace with our neighbors and having peace of mind over both our external and internal state of affairs. It’s more than just being free from care and having a sense of well-being; peace as a form of transformed love is anchored in our unchangeable, unmovable, unconquerable God and His promises. It comes from knowing we possess a security that cannot be misplaced, cheated out of, borrowed, stolen, hijacked, embezzled or pawned. Such blessed assurance is found in Christ Jesus alone and is only a foretaste of things to come.

I love this illustration that I’ve used in preaching and writing about the father who tiptoes past his son’s room thinking he’s asleep, only to hear his son laughing and saying, “You’re not gonna win!” Upon opening the door, he saw his son reading a book and inquired why his son was laughing and making such comments? The boy answered, “Dad, this is a story about some bad guys trying to beat the good guys and think they are winning. But you see, I’ve read the end of the book already, and guess what? They lose!” Jesus is saying something similar: trials and tribulations may be coming but don’t worry, I already know the ending, and we win! How can that not make one’s love for Christ feel more certain, and transform their love into peace of heart, mind, and soul? Peace is love that is confident. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

IMAGINE WHAT HEAVEN “COULD” BE LIKE

When I read this story, it struck me much like a parable or allegory. But it made me wonder what we would think if Jesus had told this to His disciples’ something like this? Even though it may be imagined, it does give us something to think about and contemplate what heaven would be like if it turned out to be real.

The Bible tells us some things about Heaven but not too many. It certainly doesn’t get into all the details of what we’ll be doing for eternity. Sure, we’ll sing, praise and worship Him, but what about some other things God may have planned for us?

So while no one can guarantee exactly what we’ll be going on in Heaven, it would not be out of line to consider some things we’d like to do. If we stretch our imagination far enough, there are items or events I’m sure we’d all like to witness and be a part of. One thing I think we all can assume about Heaven is this: we won’t be disappointed no matter what.

Keep in mind, we’re talking about what God can provide. So, whatever amazing things may come to your mind, God must have even better ideas! After all, what did Paul say about God: “Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine.”¹

How about this for a starter? Once we get to heaven, we will be able to go to any place in time. You will be able to view history with your own eyes. You’ll see how the earth was formed. You can watch Noah build the ark and what happened after the flood. You can follow Abraham as he leaves his homeland and sets out for the Promised Land. Watch Moses lead the Israelites out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and through the desert. David’s battle with Goliath. Solomon building the first Temple. Touch the Ark of the Covenant. Observe Jesus as a babe in Bethlehem. See the wise men as they come for their visit. Jesus’ ministry, and every miracle He performed. His death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. See the disciples receive the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Watch Paul on all his missionary journeys. I could go on and on.

Some might ask, “But what about world events?” Anthony and Cleopatra, Napoleon Bonaparte, the Egyptian Pharaohs, Hitler, Stalin, Mao Tse-tung, etc. While these may sound appealing, any event that does not honor God and bring Him glory and praise is not worth watching. These are just some ideas. God is the one who’s designing the place. Jesus is the one who is preparing a place for us. I think that just looking at and talking with Jesus will make everything else pale in comparison. So let your imagination loose, and come up with some things you’d like to see and do. You know, God is always listening. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER SEVEN (Lesson III)

There is a Jewish commentary on Isaiah, Chapter 53, that has an interesting quotation. The quote goes this way: “When God created His world, He stretched out His hand under the throne of His glory, and brought forth the soul of the Messiah. He asked Him: ‘Will you heal and redeem my sons after 6000 years?’ He answered Him: ‘I will.’ Then God asked Him: ‘Will you then also bear the punishment in order to blot out their sins, as it is written: “But He bore our diseases?”¹ And He answered Him: ‘I will joyfully bear them.’”² In this passage, as well as in several others, we see where the doctrine of the vicarious sufferings of the Messiah is taken from Isaiah 53 and explained. The commentator regrets that later on, the Jews would reject this doctrine.³

Such thoughts may have inspired the last song that Christian composer Eugene Monroe Bartlett, Sr., wrote in 1939. These are some of the words he penned:

“I heard an old, old story,
How a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary
To save a wretch like me;
I heard about His groaning,

Of His precious blood’s atoning,
Then I repented of my sins;
And won the victory.”

Refrain:
“O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him,
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.”

Paul mentions that this transformation took place through the body of Christ. This is in line with the same figure of speech we find in our Lord’s own words to His disciples at their last supper: “Jesus took a small piece of flatbread and blessed it and broke it apart and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take it and eat it, for this is my body’.”⁴ There are some twenty-two verses in the New Testament that refer to the body of Christ. It is used mostly as a metaphor for the community of believers called the church. In such cases, He is the head, they are the members.⁵ So Paul tells the Corinthians: “When we break off pieces of matzah to eat together, this shows that we are sharing together in the benefits of his body.”⁶

Paul’s emphasis here is that once we are engaged to Christ through grace (remember, the wedding is yet to come), we should then never be tempted to look for another to share our lives with. Perhaps the Apostle recalled reading this: “I will bind you to me forever with chains of righteousness and justice and love and mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness and love, and you will really know me then as you never have before.”⁷ This was on Paul’s mind when he wrote the Corinthians: “I am anxious for you with the deep concern of God Himself – anxious that your love should be for Christ alone, just as a pure maiden saves her love for one man only, for the one who will be her husband.”⁸ And to the Ephesians Paul wrote: “A husband is the head of his wife, just as Christ is the head of the church. Christ is the Savior of the church, which is His body.”⁹ Paul calls Christ, Savior of the Church, His bride, because He willingly gave His life for her. Paul is essentially asking: How can a bride who married the man that saved her from death, now want to leave him in search of another?

In Paul’s day, and to some degree even up to this day, the reason for marriage was to produce children that could be nurtured, educated, and kept safe to grow up and continue the legacy of faith and family. Jesus infers this in His words to the disciples: “Show that you are my followers by producing much fruit. This will bring honor to my Father.”¹⁰ Not only is this fruit represented by converts to Christ, but Paul tells the Galatians that in his mind it also involves the Fruit of the Spirit.¹¹ However, he also tells the Philippians: “That your life will be full of the many good works that are produced by Jesus Christ to bring glory and praise to God.”¹²

Theodore, a 4th century Bishop, believes that in order not to offend the Jews or encourage heretics who reject the Old Testament, Paul did not say that the rule of law ended, but rather, that the law became a dead thing to us through the saving grace of baptism.¹³ And a fellow scholar of the Bishop’s remarked that he also believed that Paul was reluctant to tell the Jews the law was dead. Yet, even though he didn’t say it out loud, he certainly implied it in his writings.¹⁴

Then another Greek theologian, active at this same time, explains how remarkable it was that Paul does not say we died through the act of baptism but through the death of Christ. He recognized Adam as the source of life here on earth, and Christ is the author of the life to come. Because of this, everything we have in this life is in common with Adam, but all we have in the next life will be shared with Christ. It begins with being born again in Him and continues on through His resurrection. That’s why we are considered part of the Lord’s body because we have all this in common with Him. So, just as we take baptism as a metaphorical illustration of being born again and raise to newness of life, so Paul says that we have become a part of Christ’s body by sharing in the resurrection which is also typified by baptism.¹⁵

Reformer Martin Luther notes that Paul’s precept of there being two personalities inside us is an unusual and profound teaching.¹⁶ The one personality is called “the old man,” and relates best to Adam. The second personality is called “the new man,” and identifies with Christ. The old man is subject to the Law which has dominion over him, making him perform good works in order to gain respectability, while the new man has surrendered to Christ and lives by faith and receives forgiveness by grace. Because of being subject to the Law, sin is prevalent and continues to hound the old man. However, once the relationship with the law dies, the old man is freed and as a new man can serve God freely out of love and devotion.

For John Calvin, Christ first triumphed over sin by His glorious victory on the cross. He did this so that He might perform the following: Take the signed contract by which we were held in bondage to the Law and tear it up. This contract required obligatory service in order to be paid. And as long as it remained in effect, we were forced into obedient. Failure to do so would cause us to be charged with sin because it had no authority to forgive us. That obligation was called the power, or authority, of the Law. It was only after Christ canceled this contract by paying the price of redemption on the cross, that we were set free. The official seal that validated this cancellation was His body affixed to the cross.¹⁷

This does not allow the liberated person to live any way they want. Rather, Calvin says, it is as though the Law took us by the hand, and like a father accompanying the bride led us to Christ. Christ then takes our hand as a sign that we are now His. The Law then has no more say over us, and we consider that relationship as having died. In Calvin’s mind, in order for Christ to have a close relationship with us, He took off the rough harness of the Law and replaced it with His own comfortable yoke. Although Christ, of His own accord, subjected Himself to the Law’s demands for a short time, it never ruled over Him. The only part of the Law that He was interested in was meeting the sacrificial need to acquire forgiveness and salvation. In addition, He then passes on to those who follow Him the liberty He won for them at the cross and at the grave. So it is no wonder then that Christ exempts those who have bonded with Him from being dictated to by the law any longer. We cannot be part of the law and part of Christ at the same time. And it is not necessary because the work of Christ supersedes the law. That is the only way we can unite with Him in the holy bond of complete fellowship by being fully part of His sacred body – the Church.¹⁸

John Bengel found some very interesting things in this verse. For him, Paul’s comparison is summed up in this idea: The husband or wife, by the death of one or the other, leads to liberty. In the first part, the party dying is the husband. In the second part, that which died [his body] corresponds to the wife. In the expiation [atonement] for sin, why is it that the body is generally mentioned rather than of the soul of Christ? Answer: The theater and workshop of sin is our flesh; and for this, it is the holy flesh of the Son of God, who is raised, which is the remedy. And since we are now alive in Him [over which the Law no longer rules the believer], we should bring forth fruit). Fruit here corresponds to offspring; for the simile is derived from marriage.¹⁹

In Adam Clarke’s exegesis of Paul’s teaching, God determined that His people should no longer be subject to the force of the law in order to obey Him. So He arranged for that relationship to be canceled by killing the Law’s authority. This He did on the cross by sacrificing His only Son to pay the price for our freedom. So it’s just like when a woman’s husband dies, she is no longer subject to him, and he can no longer control her life. And now that she is free, she may legally be married to another. In the same manner, God, who gave the law under which Jews had to live in the past, designed it so that it would only be in force until the Messiah came. Once that happened, using the law as a method to acquire salvation ceased to function. He replaced it with Grace. That allowed them to join Jesus in the yoke of the Gospel, and throw away the harness of the law. Unfortunately, the Jews refused to accept this new covenant as a nation. So God sent out the word to all the world that they were now welcome to become part of the family of God.²⁰ Clarke suggests, that after being united to Christ, just as man and woman are joined together, that we are to bring forth fruit in the same way that a Christian married couple are expected to produce children for the kingdom. A number of Bible scholars agree with this, while others find it totally out of place. Nevertheless, everyone agrees with what Jesus said in His Great Commission.²¹

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER SEVEN (Lesson II)

Along with early church scholar Ambrosiaster, we can see other factors in this analogy. Just as a woman is freed by the death of her husband and he has no more control over her, according to human nature she may want to get married again. It is important that she marries the right man whom she will serve out of love, not because the law says so. Likewise, when a person is set free from the chains of the Law and runs into open arms of Grace, that is not considered adultery. They are now free to do so. Only if that person worked to resurrect the law and bring it back to life would they be in danger of being accused of spiritual adultery. In that case, they would have no right to call themselves a Christian. Nor will someone who is joined to Christ saying that the law was now dead to them, and returns later to resuscitate the law be innocent of committing spiritual adultery. Not against the law, but to the Groom of the Church. For when the law’s authority ceases, it must remain as dead.¹ When we look at Augustine’s thought process mentioned previously, and Ambrosiaster thinking here, we could say that they both take an analogy beyond what it was intended to be and treat it as literal. Paul had something else in mind. He used the illustration marriage to point out that when we are born again, the old-self dies to the Law, so the new-self is then free to serve Christ.

Martin Luther points out that there is no freedom from the law and its sinful provocation unless a person is buried in Christ, dies to the Law, and raised to new life. And Reformer John Calvin accepts Paul’s whole argument of comparing this relationship to a woman and her husband under the Law, with the woman being the believer who is freed when that relationship dies and is born again and liberated from those bonds to be joined to another – Christ.² So the message is clear: a sinner who is wedded to the law cannot be freed to wed another until the law dies and they are freed from its hold on them. Then, and only then, can they be joined to Christ as their Lord and Master. The only way their relationship to the law can expire is when they are born again by grace and accepted by God as His child through Christ.

Then Adam Clarke makes the point that for all intents and purposes the law died when Christ was born so that anyone seeking a relationship with God is not forced to take the path that leads through the Law. Not only that, but since Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, there is no other way to the Father except through Him.³ Then Charles Hodge shares with us that St. Augustine, Melanchthon, Beza, and others point to the husband in this illustration as our corrupt nature, the wife is the soul or our physical members. When the corrupt nature (or old man) dies, the soul is free from that husband and is at liberty to marry another. However, he tells us that other scholars such as Origen, Chrysostom, Olshausen, Philippi, etc., regard the wife in this context as the Church and the husband as the law. This seems to be one of the applications Paul makes in the following verses, although it is not what is said in verses 2-3.⁴ In other words, there is no one perfect application that can be applied to this illustration. For most scholars, such insistence on identifying who represents the law and who symbolizes the believer is not necessary. Paul only uses this illustration to show how believers are not to follow the way to salvation through good works once they are saved by grace. They are to consider such a relationship with the Law just as dead as a deceased husband is to a wife.

Robert Haldane has interesting things to say about Paul’s use of marriage as an illustration of a Jew’s relationship with God through the Law. He sees the Apostle Paul trying to make a particular point about marriage under the Law. It involved something that God in His wisdom allowed to be part of the Law so that a woman would not be forever tied to her husband even when dead. Had He not done so, it would have been unlawful to marry a second time under any circumstances, and any woman who did so would be considered an adulteress and suffer the penalty. But God in His wisdom ordained that the Law, no matter how binding or strict, allows for those it held under contract to be freed once their relationship to its power and authority dies. This approval of second marriages was then granted. But there is more when seen from a spiritual perspective. It foreshadows the relationship between those who were once bound to the Law, but when the Law died to them they were free to be part of the relation between Christ and His Church.⁵

Henry Alford has quite a bit of time explaining the effect of death on the law. He says it is clear that when we come to the application of this example, we must carefully keep it in mind that the Apostle is insisting on the fact that death dissolves any legal obligation. This is important because of all the confusion caused by some Bible commentators. We must also understand that Paul is not drawing an exact parallel between the characters in his example, and those in its application. Alford says we must understand the comparisons are based on terms and circumstances that are common to both. It is clear that in this illustration death dissolves any legal obligation between man and wife. As such, the survivor (in this case, the wife) is at liberty to be married to another. When this illustration is applied to believers, Death (understood here as dying to the Law’s authority and being born again by God’s grace to serve another) dissolves the legal obligation between the law and the believer. In fact, we can take this one step further. As Chrysostom and others have implied, our first Husband was the Law, and our second is Christ. But Alford has a warning: We should always keep in mind that when we are set free it is not only because the law died to us, but we died to the law.⁶ So how do we die to the Law? We terminate all relationships to it in terms of using our obedience to it as a way to secure our salvation,

In one of Charles Spurgeon’s sermons, he makes a salient point. When we paraphrase what the great preacher had to say, we find out that while we were living under the law’s authority, we were prevented from becoming part of the new covenant – the covenant of grace. But when through confession and repentance we became part of Christ’s death on the cross, then the law became a part of our old life. It was a dead thing to us. This then allowed us to be governed by a new power and authority. So instead of continuing under the law, we now walked hand in hand with Christ under God’s banner of grace. This union with Christ is often mentioned in Scripture as a form of a marriage. But that’s not all. We are also considered one with Christ as a branch is to a vine; as a stone is being part of a wall; and as a member of one body, the body of Christ, of which He is the head. This should help all of us realize that we cannot focus on the literal aspect of the illustration but the spiritual truth it teaches.⁷

Douglas Moo comes to a similar conclusion. For him, what Paul says in verses 2–3 are sometimes understood as an allegorical illustration of verse 4. In that case, the woman whose husband dies, thereby freeing her from “marriage laws,” is like the Christian who “severs their relationship to the law.” And just as the death of a husband allows a woman to marry another man, so when the Law dies it allows him or her to “belong to another” – Jesus Christ. But in order to make the allegory work, some realignment of the parallels must be done. In the illustration, it is the death of the husband that brings freedom, but in the application, it’s the believer. Various explanations have been offered, but it may be simpler to take verses 2–3 as illustrating the main point of verse 1 with some application to verse 4, but not as an allegory. Paul simply wants to show that just as death can bring freedom from a marriage, so dying to the Law can offer the freedom to enter into a new relationship with Christ.⁸

Jewish scholar David Stern feels that he must make the point that there is no reason to understand the Greek word nomos (law) in these verses as applying only to the Jewish Torah. This principle is well known – death discharges an individual from their obligations under all kinds of law.⁹ Stern bases his thinking on writings already available in Jewish literature. For instance, Rabbi Johanan asked, “What is meant by the verse, Among the dead [I am] free?¹⁰ Once a man dies, he becomes free of the Torah and good deeds.”¹¹ Also, this quote is repeated again in the Talmud with the added line: “As soon as a man dies he is free from the commandments.”¹² So Paul had not come up with something new here, it was already well-established in Jewish thinking.

Verse 4: In the same way, my brothers and sisters, your old-selves died, and you became free from the law through the body of Christ. Now you belong to someone else. You belong to the one who was raised from death. We belong to Christ so that we can be used in service to God.

So many who hear the Gospel are thrilled at the prospect of having a “new” life with Christ. However, some become frigid and do not join in the act of Christian propagation. Others worry about their spiritual figure, afraid that they will look out of shape when exposed to being used in spiritual childbearing. That’s for the more motherly types, they say. They want to emulate angels and just stand in awe of God in their pristine piety as they sing praises to Him, and that should be enough to please Him. But that was not the reason why God redeemed us from sin’s slavery, He already has plenty of angels to do that. Oh that we all strive to become mothers and fathers to populate the kingdom of God through evangelism.

Paul told the Galatians how he became a free man in Christ: “It was through reading the Scripture that I came to realize that I could never find God’s favor by trying – and failing – to obey the laws. I came to realize that acceptance with God comes by believing in Christ.”¹³ Paul then goes on to tell how that transformation was made possible: “Christ bought us out from under the doom of that impossible system by taking the curse for our wrongdoing upon Himself.”¹⁴ Once this transfer of servanthood from the Law to Christ takes place, Paul then tells them: “When you are guided by the Holy Spirit, you need no longer force yourself to obey Jewish laws.”¹⁵ However, Paul then goes on to warn what will happen when a believer stops following the lead of the Holy Spirit.

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul explains how the church in Rome was made possible: “By His death He ended the angry resentment between us, caused by the Jewish laws that favored the Jews and excluded the Gentiles, for He died to annul that whole system of Jewish laws. Then He took the two groups that had been opposed to each other and made them parts of Himself.”¹⁶ And in his letter to the Colossians Paul explains further: “Then He gave you a share in the very life of Christ, for He forgave all your sins, and blotted out the charges proved against you, the list of His commandments which you had not obeyed. He took this list of sins and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross. In this way, God took away Satan’s power to accuse you of sin, and God openly displayed to the whole world Christ’s triumph at the cross where your sins were all taken away.”¹⁷

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER SEVEN (Lesson I)

Verses 1: Brothers and sisters, all of you understand the Law of Moses. So surely you know that the law has jurisdiction over people only while they are alive.

Paul has just finished declaring the freedom from sin, and now he starts his discourse on how believers have freedom from the Law. By no means is this to be understood as lawless conduct without any moral compass, but freedom from having to meet all the self-righteous requirements of the Mosaic Law in a futile attempt at salvation by works.

For the Jews, they remember what God said to the scribe Ezra: “Whoever refuses to obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed on them swiftly, whether it be death, banishment, confiscation of goods or imprisonment.”¹ In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul shows what respect he still expected believers to have for the Law, especially in areas of doing the right thing for each other: “I’m not merely quoting the opinions of men as to what is right. I’m telling you what God’s law says.”² But when it came to those laws that governed a right relationship with God, Paul let the Galatians know this: “Listen to me, you friends who think you have to obey the Jewish laws to be saved: Why don’t you find out what those laws really mean?”³ Paul was trying to combat a system within Judaism that had perverted the teachings of the Torah into legalism, which, when the law was examined, did not demand such legalistic adherence and conformity.

But Paul was also making another point. Dead people were no longer expected to obey the Law. In their own rabbinical teachings we read: “Let a man always engage in Torah and good deeds before he dies, for as soon as he dies he is inhibited from [the practice of] Torah and good deeds, and the Holy One, blessed be He, finds nothing to praise him for.”⁴ And in another Tractate we read: “For Rabbi Johanan stated: ‘What is the intent of the Scriptural text, “Free among the dead?”⁵ As soon as a man dies, he is free from the commandments’.”⁶ This was repeated from earlier Jewish writings and verbal teachings.⁷

Early church scholar Ambrosiaster offers his comments by saying that in order to enlighten the Roman believers with this teaching, Paul decides to use an example drawn from an earthly, human condition in order make heavenly things clearer. He begins with what they already know and will then take them several steps further.⁸ As long as a person is alive, then and only then are they subject to the Law. The same is true of those who have been born again. The Law they lived under before they were converted no longer has any effect on their salvation since the Law is now a dead thing to them. There are alive in Christ, not in the Law. So in effect, since their old man is dead in Christ, then they are no longer obligated to the law for salvation, but grateful for the mercy and grace of God alone through Christ. But like any good speaker, Paul wants to illustrate his point, so he uses marriage as an example.

Reformer Martin Luther points out that no one can die to the law until they first die to sin. We might say it this way: you cannot be taken to the mortuary until first, you die. Then, once they die to sin, then the law becomes a dead thing to them. However, Luther also makes it clear that even though we no longer follow the law, sin still remains a possibility when we disobey the law. Luther was disturbed by those who acted as though they were living as monks but had no concern about their spiritual status. Luther writes that for this reason, we must continually ask God for divine grace, so that we may grow in the Spirit. That way, we will be more willing to do the things He will have us do, and do them with a joyful, willing heart and a free and made-up mind. That way, we won’t be moved by some slavish fear or some childish desire. But this can only be done by having the Holy Spirit living and working in us.⁹

Wesleyan scholar Adam Clarke points out that Paul is writing to those who know the Law, therefore, he was speaking to the Jewish Christians in Rome. Clarke then says Paul points out the obvious: The law does not extend its influence to the dead, nor need those laws that have expired be followed any longer. Clarke says it works on both ends. In other words, whether it an abolished law or a person who is dead, they have no effect on each other.¹⁰ Let me illustrate. There is a growing number of middle east immigrants settling in the USA. Before, as Muslims, they lived under what is called “Sharia Law.” This is the body of Islamic law that provides the legal framework within which the public and some private aspects of life are regulated for those living in a legal system based on Islam. But by becoming an American citizen, Sharia Law should become a dead thing to them. They are no longer forced to abide by those laws. Yet, believe it or not, some still do!

Frédéric Godet makes the point that the law only has power over an individual as long as they continue to be guided by their sinful nature. But from the moment they renounce it to enter into union with Christ, they are set free from the law. And what better way to illustrate this than in making the new spiritual nature’s relationship with sin like that of a woman whose husband has died. She is no longer under his control. If someone were to bring up something that her husband demanded of her, she could say she no longer does that. And when asked why, she could say, “Because he’s dead.”¹¹

John Stott says that Paul is building on a principle he takes for granted his readers already know. That is: the law has authority over a person only as long as they are alive. Another way of putting it is that the law is only binding on a person during their lifetime.¹² Also, in the Greek the word for “is binding on” or “has authority over” is kyrieuō, which is rendered “lord it over.”¹³ It expresses the domineering authority of law over those who are subject to it. But this authority is only in effect while they are living. The one thing that takes away its power and authority over a person is death. Death ends all contractual obligations, including marriage. When death intervenes, all relationships established and protected by law are ipso facto terminated. That is, except one’s last will and testament. That still allows the deceased person to rule from the grave. However, it cannot do so in reverse. So the law is during life; death annuls it. Paul states this legal axiom is universally accepted and unchallengeable.¹⁴

Verses 2-3: It’s like what the law says about marriage: A woman must stay married to her husband as long as he is alive. But if her husband dies, she is made free from the law of marriage. But if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, the law says she is guilty of adultery. But if her husband dies, she is made free from the law of marriage. So if she marries another man after her husband dies, she is not guilty of adultery.

The Apostle Paul is not using this illustration as a confirmation of the Law, but only to point out what constitutes freedom from the Law. So, just as a woman is no longer required to remain married to a dead man after he dies, so believers are no longer required to adhere to the Law since the law is now dead to them. It could be that he pointed out this same principle to the Corinthians: “The wife is part of her husband as long as he lives; if her husband dies, then she may marry again.”¹⁵ In the same way, since through their new birth they no longer live tied to the Law, they are free to be joined to Christ. What may have inspired Paul to use marriage as a symbol of our relationship with God may have come from Isaiah: “For your Creator will be your ‘husband.’ The Lord Almighty is His name.”¹⁶

It might be noted that with the analogy of marriage as a symbol of our relationship to the Law and to Christ, the spousal relationship of the former could be called a “common law” union. That means it was never formalized; it simply became a way of living with its intrinsic rules of relationships. But try as we might, we never satisfied the Law on every point; we were good in some things and terrible in others. It all depended on us. The Law did not reach out to help us, it only reminded us of our obligations and duties in order to reap the benefits of the union. But in Christ, we are freely joined together in body, soul, mind, and spirit. Not only that, but Christ helps us and teaches us and encourages us in doing those things that please God.

Early church theologian Augustine gives his interpretation by telling the reader Paul’s purpose in using this analogy of marriage to explain how the Law loses its power over the believer. Paul uses the woman to represent the soul, and the husband the body, and together they produce the offspring of sin’s passions which are offspring expected in such a marriage. The law was given not to take away sin nor to deliver us from it but to reveal what sin is so that when grace comes, we realize how tied and bound we were. As a result of the Law being given, those who were placed under it were seized by even stronger desires to sin. But the Law stood helplessly because it could do nothing to save the sinner.

In this, we can see a triple analogy – the soul as the woman, the law as the husband, and sin’s passions as the fruit of their marriage. Yet Paul does not conclude that the soul (woman) is set free from having to care for and feed her mate’s passions (sin) when the Law (husband) are separated by death. Augustine believes that in this case the soul (woman) dies to sin and is set free from the law in order that it might belong to another husband, who is Christ. Although the soul has died to sin, in a sense sin is still alive. Augustine says: “When this happens, although desires and certain encouragements to sin remain in us, we do not obey or give in to them because we have died to sin and now serve the law of God.”¹⁷

This analogy of Paul is not that complicated, but it can be if people take it too literally. The main point Paul wants to drive home is that a believer in Christ is no longer tied to the law as a way of gaining salvation. The law is a dead thing to them. They now look to Jesus the Author and Finisher of their faith.¹⁸ He is alive forevermore. And because He lives we who believe in him will live also.

COMING ATTRACTION!

To my precious readers, I want to say a word of thanks for your love and dedication in reading God’s Word. What the Lord has asked me to do is to research, study, and comment on the Scriptures. But what the Scriptures say to you is all in the hands of the Holy Spirit. I pray that you have been listening to His voice.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, September 6th, we will start our study of one of the most important and exciting chapters in the Book of Romans. In Chapter Six, Paul begin with a critical question: What should we say, then? Should we go on sinning so that grace may be even greater? Now in Chapter Seven, Paul will ask another question: What should we say, then? Does following the Law cause you to sin?

This is the heart and soul of this chapter. It really boils down to people having to decide whether they do what they do for God because they are forced to do it, so they look good in God’s eyes, or because they want to do it so that God looks at them as His good, faithful, and obedient children?

You may ask, what’s the difference? Those who are only acquainted with God as the big man upstairs will try to impress Him with certain good works, participating in certain rituals, and look religious while at the same time running their lives the way they want to.  On the other hand, those who know God as their Heavenly Father only want to do His will, not theirs, and fulfill His destiny for their lives, not what they want to achieve, and it doesn’t matter what it cost them, He is worth it.

So I hope and pray you will continue to read along and study with us so that God can help you see things you’ve never seen before. I will be praying for you that the Holy Spirit will speak to you and inspire you to take this most exciting journey through His Word.

I love you all so much. God bless you!

Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

SUMMARY OF CHAPTER SIX

In the first five chapters of Romans, Paul encourages us on the actual meaning of the Gospel. It is the power of God to bring salvation. Then in chapters 6-8, he expounds on a very critical topic: How the Gospel can change your life, especially in your battle with sin’s domination. But the central question Paul addressed in Romans 6 is found in verse 15: “What about it? Are we to continue living in sin because we are now no longer under the Law but under grace?”

This question was not raised in Paul’s mind, but in the spirit of those who heard his doctrine of Justification. If we are justified and pronounced innocent before God, and thereby are freed from any condemnation to death because of sin, then what incentive do we have to live a holy life if sin won’t kill us anymore? In other words, why can’t we have the best of two worlds – the sweetness of sin and the security of salvation?

Paul does not hesitate but takes this question on immediately. To do so, he uses a metaphor whereby sin is personified as a slave master and we as his slaves, obeying all his commands for fear of him. Then Paul does the same with righteousness. It too is personified as a servant master, and we are his willing servants, doing all that is right because we love Him. That sets up the scene that happened at conversion. We looked at what each master had to offer and accepted the invitation of Righteousness Master. We were immediately set free from chains of the slave master – sin. We then freely and excitedly put on the yoke of Christ so we could walk and fellowship with Him.

This helps us better understand Paul’s question in verse 15 of whether or not we made the right choice. In short, we can briefly describe it this way: We used to be a slave to an evil master, who intended to work us to death. But now we switched and became the servant of a good master, whose intention is to lead to the place of eternal life. This brings up another question: Why would we ever want to go back to our old sin master and give up all the benefits we have under the new one?

Believe it or not, Paul poses this question because, just like the Israelites wanted to go back into Eygpt so they could enjoy the food again, there are some believers who see no problem in going back to the world and tasting of its pleasures. Especially, when it only defiles our bodies and not our souls. They forget that sin is addictive. So why would you want to become addicted to sin again and not only let it ruin your life but be of absolutely no value to your new Master? Such can only be considered because they don’t understand the difference between the freedom grace brings and the so-called freedom offered by sin. It’s simple. Sin leads to death, grace leads to life.

That difference is illustrated in our baptism. Look at it this way. The fountain is filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins. We walk in as a dirty, abused, chained-up slave to a tyrant named Sin. When we are baptized in that blood, it cleanses us from all our dirt, heals all our wounds, breaks our chains, so when we are lifted back up, we are free to go out and serve a new Master. Sin is no longer alive to us. He was drowned in the blood. That’s why talking to sin is like talking to a dead person.

But the one to whom we now pledge our allegiance and faithfulness asks us to walk with Him. He tells about the place where we are headed. And once we get there, we will live with Him forever and ever in freedom and joy. So we should never give up, never think about going back. Not only would that be foolish, but fatal. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

If you are upset because people don’t think highly enough of you, it’s no doubt because you don’t think highly enough of yourself. If you want to be respected, respect yourself; if you want to be an honest person, be honest with yourself. That’s why if you desire to be known as kind, be kind. If it’s your wish to have a reputation as being caring, be caring; if loving, be loving; if responsible, be responsible; if trustworthy, be trustworthy. Chances are, whatever others think of you, it is a mirror image of what you think of yourself. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

CRYING OVER SPILLED WATER

When I lived in Asia, I was privileged to visit India every year to preach and fellowship with Christians there. I would often see men and women carry objects on their shoulders. So when I heard this story, I wanted to share it with you. I hope it blesses your heart like it did mine.

There was a water carrier in India who had two large clay jugs, each hung on the ends of a pole that he carried behind his neck on his shoulders. One of the jugs was chipped and worn and had a crack in it, while the other jug was new and perfect. At the end of his long daily walk from the stream to the house, the cracked jug arrived only half full, while the newer jug was full to the brim. This continued year after year and many wondered why the water bearer did not get rid of the broken jug because it was wasting valuable water.

If the jugs could speak, I’m sure the perfect clay pot would be proud of its accomplishments and all the compliments it got for staying full. But the poor, cracked jug would no doubt be embarrassed because of its imperfection and miserable that it was only able to accomplish half of what it had been made to do. And if these jugs could communicate with the water bearer, it would be entirely possible that the cracked jug would say: “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you. I have been able to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house. Because of my flaws, you don’t get the full value of your efforts because of me.”

However, it just may be possible that the water bearer would have this to say said to the pot: “Did you notice that on the way back home there are flowers on your side of the path but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path. Every day while we walk back, you’ve watered them. For two years, I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace our home.”

So it is with many Christians. Some seem to have no problems or worries, and they testify daily about God’s providence, protection, and prosperity. While on the other hand, there are those who instead of having showers of blessings, they have downpours of trouble. Just as soon as they get through one crisis, another one comes along. But if God could speak to us, He too might say that this was on purpose because those who seem to have few problems at are able to provide for the less fortunate and needy. However, for those who appear to leak His blessings as fast as they are poured into them, are the reason why so many have gained faith and hope, and it allowed them to blossom where they were planted, and some even brought beauty to the altar in God’s house. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER SIX (Lesson XXII)

Frédéric Godet also offers his interpretation of what Paul says here, in that there are some scholars who think that in verse 23, as well as the whole passage it summarizes, the wages of sin only applies to the unconverted when he speaks of their service to sin and its fatal outcome – death. Godet makes note: “The tenor of Romans 6:15 proves how erroneous this view is. What is the aim of this passage?” This leaves little doubt that Paul conceived the possibility of a believer freed from sin returning to serve sin – a return which will lead them to eternal death if not repented of. This is as certain for the backslider as it is for the sinner.¹

Godet says this follows the question Paul poses in verse 15: Do we sin because we are not under the Law but under grace. This question is answered in verses 16-23. Such a relapse back into sin may arise from a single voluntary concession to the continual solicitations of the old master – sin. But a single affirmative answer to the question is as follows: Can I commit such an act of sin while I am under grace? If the answer is yes, then this will have the effect of placing the believer back on the inclined broad way which leads to the abyss. Godet points to a striking example in Romans 14:15, 20, where Paul declares to the man who induces a weak brother to commit an act of sin contrary to his conscience, may thereby cause that brother for whom Christ died to perish and destroy in him the work God started. Says Godet: “Such will be the certain result, if this sin, not being quickly blotted out by pardon and restoration, becomes consolidated, and remains permanently interposed between him and his God.”² As we can see, Spurgeon and Godet represent two strong points of view on the eternal effectiveness of grace that the church has struggled with for centuries. This has been the cause of weakening the bond between Christians on both sides of this doctrine.

Swiss theologian Karl Barth has a stark view of the difference between sin and grace. For him, sin and grace cannot be placed side by side, or arranged in a series of events, or treated as if both have the same importance. That’s as impossible as death and life being given the same value. Just like life and death, there is no bridge across the gulf which separates grace and sin. They are not configured to fit together as one. An impassable abyss runs like a crevice between good and evil, between what has value and what is of no value; between what is holy and what is profane.³ In other words, sin and grace are not to coexist in the same heart and mind, just like you cannot be alive and dead at the same time. One is positive, the other negative. They are out to defeat each other. We know that medicine is designed to get rid of sickness. That’s why they do not live happily together supporting each other in the human body. The same goes for sin and grace. One must choose which to follow to its destiny.

John Stott has the same view when he points out that Paul drew a stark antithesis between sin and God, whom he characterized throughout as competing slave-masters. In serving either one, a person is put into a type of subjection. Those who are in Adam serve sin, while those who are in Christ serve God. Stott notes that Paul repeats the warning that these two forms of willing service are so diametrically opposed to each other that the ultimate destinies to which they lead are either eternal punishment or eternal life. Jesus portrayed one as a broad way leading to destruction and a narrow path leading to everlasting life. From birth, we are all in Adam, destined to become slaves of sin. However, by God’s grace and our faith in Christ, we are set free to become willing servants of God. Says Stott: “Bondage to sin yields no return except shame and ongoing moral deterioration, culminating in the death we deserve. Bondage to God, however, yields the precious fruit of progressive holiness, culminating in the free gift of life.”⁴

Douglas Moo offers his summary of what Paul teaches in this chapter. As he sees it, Paul illustrates the believer as one who transfers their allegiance from one ruler to another. They have given up being citizens of the world to become citizens of heaven. As such, they now live by a different set of rules and guidelines. That means, they now respond to a different power and authority. However, when we look at this through the eyes of New Testament prophecy, it means while we have escaped the dominion of one force and come under the control of another, that battle for our soul is not over. There is always the possibility that we can still be influenced, even harassed, by the master we forsook in order to serve our new Lord and Master Jesus Christ.⁵ So the struggle goes on. Reflecting on the parable of the five wise and five foolish bridesmaids, there are those who carry enough oil to make it through to the arrival of the groom. But they don’t have enough to get up and go out to meet him when He calls them to the marriage supper of the Lamb.⁶ That’s why every believer should check their oil reservoir to make sure it remains full.

Jewish scholar David Stern also gives a summary of these last seven verses where Paul expounds on Yeshua’s saying, “No one can be a slave to two masters.”⁷ He points out that the slaves of sin here in verse 17,⁸ get no benefit in verse 21. But they do earn wages, which is death in verse 23. However, those who freely serve righteousness in verse 18, are guaranteed eternal life which they receive as a free gift from God in verse 23. That kind of slavery is true freedom. Stern points out that in verse 23 Paul renders his classic expression that hell is the only place you can work your way into. Getting into heaven is another story because you must go a different way. To reach heaven, you must give up the idea of getting there on your own without any help from God. You must be willing to accept the fact that eternal life is God’s free gift to those who believe. Not only that, but it is offered in union with the Messiah Yeshua our Lord by His grace when one responds with faith or trust.⁹

In 1534, William Tyndale wrote a preface to the Epistle to the Romans. In that prologue he writes these words at the end: “Now go, reader, and according to what you find in Paul’s writing, do it. First, look at yourself steadfastly in the law of God, and you will see there what you deserve. Secondly, turn your eyes to Christ, and see there the overwhelming mercy of your most kind and loving Father. Thirdly, remember that Christ did not make atonement for you so that you should make God angry again; neither did He die for your sins, so that you continue living in them; neither did He wash you clean so you could once more return like a pig to your old mud puddle; but that you might become a new creation, and live a new life after God’s will of God, and not according to your carnal desires. So be steadfast in your commitment, lest through your own negligence and unthankfulness you lose His favor and mercy again.”¹⁰ This was the mindset of the Reformers. They did not want formalism, rituals, rites, and church laws to be substituted for a personal experience and relationship with God through Christ and the Holy Spirit. That’s why Paul is so intense on Christians fighting against sin and the devil to maintain what they believe. In the end, that victory will be rewarded with an everlasting triumph, never to be fought for again.

THE END OF CHAPTER SIX