Prairie View Christian Church Norway, Iowa PastorTeacher Bill Wenstrom www.prairieviewchristian.org

1
Prairie View Christian ChurchNorway,
IowaPastor-Teacher Bill Wenstromwww.prairievie
wchristian.org
2
Thursday April 17, 2008Romans Romans 510b-We
Shall Be Delivered From Eternal Condemnation on
Account of Christs Eternal Life Lesson 154
3
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 51.
4
This evening we will complete our study of Romans
510, in which the apostle Paul once again
employs the a fortiori argument in order to teach
his readers that if they were reconciled to God
through His Sons death while His enemies, how
much more will they be delivered by His Sons
life.
5
Romans 51-11, Therefore, having been justified
by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained
our introduction by faith into this grace in
which we stand and we exult in hope of the glory
of God.
6
And not only this, but we also exult in our
tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings
about perseverance and perseverance, proven
character and proven character, hope and hope
does not disappoint, because the love of God has
been poured out within our hearts through the
Holy Spirit who was given to us.
7
For while we were still helpless, at the right
time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will
hardly die for a righteous man though perhaps
for the good man someone would dare even to die
but God demonstrates His own love toward us, in
that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for
us.
8
Much more then, having now been justified by His
blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God
through Him. For if while we were enemies we were
reconciled to God through the death of His Son,
much more, having been reconciled, we shall be
saved by His life and not only this, but we also
exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received the
reconciliation.
9
Much more is composed of the dative neuter
singular form of the adjective polus (poluv)
(po-loos), much and the comparative adverb
mallon (mallon) (mal-lon), more.
10
If you recall, this same expression appeared in
Romans 59.
11
Romans 59, Therefore, because we have been
justified on the basis of His blood, how much
more will we be delivered from His righteous
indignation through Him.
12
As we noted in our studies of Romans 59, the
adjective of degree polus and the comparative
adverb mallon form the logical argument called a
fortiori, which is a Latin phrase meaning with
stronger reason and is an idiom of greater
degree.
13
A fortiori has two parts (1) The greater (2)
The lesser.
14
What requires a greater degree of effort is used
as the basis for showing what requires less
effort.
15
It is a conclusion compared with some other
conclusion or recognized fact, as inferred to be
even more certain or inescapable than the two
conclusions it combines.
16
Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary
defines a fortiori, with greater reason or more
convincing force-used in drawing a conclusion
that is inferred to be even more certain than
another.
17
A fortiori uses an inferential conclusion as
being more conclusive than another reasoned
conclusion.
18
It is a system of argumentation or debate which
takes an accepted fact and by a comparison
produces an inescapable fact and confident
conclusion.
19
Therefore, in Romans 510, the adjective polus
and the comparative adverb mallon form the
principle of a fortiori.
20
They emphasize that if God has done the most
difficult or greater thing for the believer
in reconciling them through the death of His Son
while they were His enemies, how much more can
God be depended upon to accomplish the easier
thing, namely, deliver them from the wrath of God
by His Sons life.
21
The expression pollo mallon introduces the
argument that if Christ had done the greater
work of providing the basis for the justification
of sinners by dying for them as their substitute,
He will certainly then perform the comparatively
lesser task of delivering them from the Lake of
Fire, now that they are reconciled to Him.
22
The most difficult or greatest problem
facing God when dealing with sinful mankind was
reconciling Himself to sinful humanity since He
not only had to fulfill the demands of His
holiness that required that sinners face His
righteous indignation but also at the same time
He needed to express His love for sinners.
23
So the logical argument of a fortiori as
expressed by the words pollo mallon emphasizes
that if God the Father who was hostile to sinful
humanity due to His holiness, sent His Son to die
for them while His enemies, it follows that He
will deliver those who have been reconciled to
Him through faith in His Son.
24
If God can do the greater work, it follows a
fortiori that He can do the lesser.
25
The greater is the work of reconciling a holy
God to sinful mankind through Jesus Christs
spiritual death on the Cross, which is an
accomplished fact of history.
26
The less is God protecting, sustaining and
delivering the believer in time and blessing him
in the future and delivering him from the eternal
Lake of Fire by means of His Sons life.
27
Romans 510, For if while we were enemies we
were reconciled to God through the death of His
Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall
be saved by His life.
28
Having been reconciled is the verb katallasso
(katallavssw) (kat-al-las-so), which means, to
reconcile.
29
As was the case the first time we saw the verb in
Romans 510, it is used of God who is holy,
reconciling Himself to sinful humanity through
the death of His Son Jesus Christ.
30
Reconciliation is Gods peace treaty with the
entire human race and is appropriated by making
the non-meritorious decision to believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
31
We shall be saved is the verb sozo (swvzw)
(sode-zo), which means, to deliver.
32
The verb sozo is used of the act of God
delivering the sinner from sin, Satan, his cosmic
system and eternal condemnation, the moment they
exercised faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior
(John 317 534 Acts 221 1630-31).
33
This deliverance is accomplished in three stages.
34
(1) Positional The moment the believer exercised
faith alone in Christ alone, he was delivered
positionally from eternal condemnation, the
devil, his cosmic system and the sin nature
through the crucifixion, death, burial,
resurrection and session of the Lord Jesus Christ
35
(Luke 199 John 422 Acts 412 1326, 47
1617 Rom. 116 101, 10 1111 2 Cor. 62
Eph. 113 Phlp. 128 2 Thess. 213 Heb. 210
59 69 1 Pet. 19-10 2 Pet. 315 Jude 3
Rev. 710).
36
By positionally, I mean that God views the
believer as crucified, died, buried, raised and
seated with Christ, which was accomplished at the
moment of salvation through the Baptism of the
Spirit when the omnipotence of God the Holy
Spirit placed the believer in an eternal union
with Christ.
37
In other words, the positional aspect of the
believers salvation refers to the past action of
God saving us from sin, Satan, his cosmic system
and eternal condemnation when we trusted in Jesus
Christ as our Savior.
38
Ephesians 28-9, For by grace you have been
saved through faith and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God, not as a result of works,
so that no one may boast.
39
The believers deliverance positionally sets up
the potential for him to experience this
deliverance in time since this deliverance can
only be experienced after salvation through
obedience to the teaching of the Word of God.
40
It also guarantees the believers ultimate
deliverance at the rapture, which is based upon
the sovereign decision of God rather than the
volition of the believer.
41
(2) Experiential After salvation, the believer
can experience deliverance from the devil, his
cosmic system and the sin nature by appropriating
by faith the teaching of the Word of God that he
has been crucified, died, buried, raised and
seated with Christ.
42
This constitutes the believers spiritual life
after being delivered from real spiritual death
(2 Cor. 16 710 Romans 611-23 81-17 Phlp.
212 Galatians 220 Colossians 35-17 2 Tim.
210 315 Heb. 23, 10 1 Pet. 22).
43
In other words, the experiential aspect of
salvation is used of the believers deliverance
from sin, Satan and his cosmic system in the
present moment.
44
1 Corinthians 118, For the word of the cross
is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to
us who are being saved it is the power of God.

45
(3) Ultimate At the resurrection the believer
will be delivered ultimately and permanently
from the devil, his cosmic system and the sin
nature when he receives his resurrection body at
the rapture of the church, which is imminent
(Rom. 1311 1 Thess. 58-9 Heb. 114 928 1
Pet. 15).
46
In other words, the ultimate aspect of
salvation is used of the believers future
deliverance from sin, Satan and his cosmic
system.
47
2 Timothy 418, The Lord will rescue me from
every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His
heavenly kingdom to Him be the glory forever and
ever. Amen.
48
In Romans 59-10, the future tense of the verb
sozo indicates that the word is referring to the
act of God delivering the believer in an
ultimate sense in the future from eternal
condemnation.
49
The believers deliverance from eternal
condemnation is in view here in Romans 510 and
not his deliverance from the tribulation period,
which is also called by students of prophecy as
Daniels Seventieth Week.
50
This is indicated in that Paul used this
deliverance in the context of Christs spiritual
death, which delivers them from real spiritual
and eternal condemnation in the eternal Lake of
Fire.
51
Also, up to this point in the book of Romans,
Paul has been teaching that the entire human race
is under the wrath, or righteous indignation of
God due to sin (Romans 18-318).
52
He has pointed out that the sinner can only be
declared justified by God the Father and
delivered from the wrath of God through faith in
His Son Jesus Christ and not by observing the Law
or circumcision (Romans 319-425).
53
In Romans 51-5, Paul presents results
concerning this justification by faith, which is
that the believer now has peace with God,
permanent access to a relationship with God,
confidence that he will be blessed by God through
undeserved suffering.
54
In Romans 56-8, he demonstrates that the
believers confidence in future blessing is not
misplaced since Christ died for the believer as a
substitute while the believer was still an enemy
of God.
55
Therefore, in Romans 59-10, when Paul uses sozo
he is speaking in the context of the benefits
that accrue to the believer because of the
spiritual death of Jesus Christ as their
substitute, which delivered them from eternal
condemnation and reconciled them to God.
56
In Romans 510-11, he talks about the
reconciliation of the sinner to a holy God
through this spiritual death of Jesus Christ.
57
Therefore, in Romans 59-10, the verb sozo refers
to the believers deliverance from eternal
condemnation in the eternal Lake of Fire.
58
Romans 510, For if while we were enemies we
were reconciled to God through the death of His
Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall
be saved by His life.
59
By His life indicates that the eternal life
that the believer received as a gift the moment
they exercised faith in Jesus Christ as their
Savior is the basis upon which they are
delivered from the second death in the eternal
Lake of Fire.
60
This eternal life will deliver them from eternal
condemnation in the Lake of Fire, which is called
the second death according to Revelation 2014.
61
Revelation 2011-15, Then I saw a great white
throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose
presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place
was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great
and the small, standing before the throne, and
books were opened and another book was opened,
which is the book of life and the dead were
judged from the things which were written in the
books, according to their deeds.
62
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it,
and death and Hades gave up the dead which were
in them and they were judged, every one of them
according to their deeds. Then death and Hades
were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the
second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's
name was not found written in the book of life,
he was thrown into the lake of fire.
63
The unregenerate sinner will experience this
second death, which is eternal separation from
God because he does not have eternal life, which
would enable him to live with God forever.
64
Thus, the eternal life that the believer received
the moment he exercised faith in Jesus Christ as
his or her Savior delivers them from the second
death, i.e. eternal condemnation in the Lake of
Fire.
65
John 521, For just as the Father raises the
dead and gives them life, even so the Son also
gives life to whom He wishes.
66
John 654, He who eats My flesh and drinks My
blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up
on the last day.
67
John 1027-28, My sheep hear My voice, and I
know them, and they follow Me and I give eternal
life to them, and they will never perish and no
one will snatch them out of My hand.
68
John 1125-26, Jesus said to her, I am the
resurrection and the life he who believes in Me
will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives
and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe
this?
69
(No Transcript)