Title: Prairie View Christian Church Norway, Iowa PastorTeacher Bill Wenstrom www'prairieviewchristian'org
1Prairie View Christian ChurchNorway,
IowaPastor-Teacher Bill Wenstromwww.prairievie
wchristian.org
2Thursday July 17, 2008Romans Romans 617-Paul
Thanks God For The Roman Christians Obedience To
The GospelLesson 198
3Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 615.
4This evening we will note Romans 617, in which
Paul thanks God the Father because the Roman
believers were once perpetual slaves to the sin
nature but then they obeyed the gospel and as a
result were delivered positionally from the
tyranny of the sin nature.
5Romans 615-18, What then? Shall we sin because
we are not under law but under grace? May it
never be! Do you not know that when you present
yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience,
you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either
of sin resulting in death, or of obedience
resulting in righteousness?
6But thanks be to God that though you were slaves
of sin, you became obedient from the heart to
that form of teaching to which you were
committed. And having been freed from sin, you
became slaves of righteousness.
7But is the adversative use of the conjunction
de (deV) (deh), which introduces a statement that
presents a contrast with Pauls statements that
appear in Romans 615-16.
8In Romans 615, in response to any possible
misconceptions regarding his teaching in Romans
614 by those Jews who insist that the Law is
necessary to restrain sin and those Christians
who might erroneously conclude that grace is a
license to sin, Paul emphatically rejects any
idea that grace is a license to sin.
9 In Romans 616 Paul teaches that the Christian
is either a slave to the sin nature, which
results in temporal spiritual death, i.e. loss of
fellowship with God or he is a slave to obedience
to the Fathers will, which results in the
believer experiencing the righteousness of God.
10Then, in Romans 617-18, the apostle teaches that
since the Roman Christians have accepted by faith
Christ as Savior and as a result have been
declared justified by the Father and identified
with Christ in His death and resurrection through
the baptism of the Spirit that they have already
exchanged one master for another, namely, the sin
nature for Christ.
11In this passage, he emphasizes that their new
position in Christ or union and identification
with Christ, which came about through the baptism
of the Spirit the moment they trusted in Christ
as Savior, has given them a new master, God.
12 Therefore, the conjunction de introduces a
statement that addresses the believers new
position in Christ that has resulted in God
being his new master, which stands in contrast
with the rejection of the idea of the believer
obeying his old master, the sin nature because he
is no longer under the Law but under grace.
13It also emphasizes the believers transition
from the dominion and tyranny under the sin
nature to that of being under his new master, God.
14 Romans 617-18 teaches that in reality the
Roman believers have already made the decision as
to which master they will serve when they were
declared justified through faith in Jesus Christ
as their Savior.
15This passage contrasts the rejection of the
idea that grace is a license to sin and serving
the old master, the sin nature with the reality
that the Christian has already made a decision
and transition to serve a new master, namely
God, when they obeyed the gospel, which freed
them from the sin nature and made them slaves to
God.
16Therefore, Paul is emphasizing in Romans 617-18
that it is inconsistent with the Christians new
position in Christ, for him to desire to serve
his old master, the sin nature when, in reality,
he is obligated and free to serve his new master,
God.
17Thanks is the nominative feminine singular form
of the noun charis (xavri) (khar-ece), which
refers to the response and expression of
gratitude or thanksgiving on the part of the
justified sinner towards God for His grace
policy.
18To God is the articular dative masculine
singular form of the noun theos (qeov), which
refers to the first member of the Trinity, God
the Father as indicated by the articular
construction that is commonly used to indicate
that theos is a reference to the Father.
19Paul is not requesting or commanding his readers
to give thanks to God but rather he is expressing
his own thanks to God for their deliverance from
the sin nature as a result of obeying the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
20That is the conjunction hoti (oti) (hot-ee),
which is used with the indicative mood of the
verb eimi, though you were in order to form a
causal clause that presents the reason why Paul
gave thanks to God the Father.
21Namely, because the Roman Christians, prior to
being declared justified through faith in Christ
used to be perpetual slaves to the sin nature but
now, they were set free from the tyranny of the
sin nature when they obeyed the gospel and
trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
22Paul did not thank the Father because they used
to be in perpetual or continual state of slavery
to the sin nature but rather because they have
been delivered or freed from this slavery by
obedience to the gospel message when they were
unsaved.
23Though you were is the second person plural
imperfect active indicative form of the verb eimi
(ei)miv) (i-mee), which to belonging to those
members of the human race that are slaves to the
sin nature as indicated by the expression douloi
tes hamartias, slaves of sin.
24The imperfect tense of the verb is a stative
customary imperfect, which denotes that prior to
being declared justified through faith in Jesus
Christ as their Savior, the Roman believers
existed in the perpetual or ongoing state of
being slaves to their old indwelling Adamic sin
nature.
25Slaves is the noun doulos (doulo) (doo-los),
which referred to someone who belonged by nature
to someone else and not himself, having his will
bound up in the will of another who has power
over him.
26The word personifies the sin nature, which is
denoted by the noun hamartia.
27Together, they paint a picture that would appeal
to the frame of reference of the Roman Christians
since slavery was a major institution in Rome.
28These two words portray the Roman Christians
prior to being declared justified as slaves to
the sin nature.
29Romans 617, But thanks be to God that though
you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from
the heart to that form of teaching to which you
were committed.
30Of sin is the articular genitive feminine
singular form of the noun hamartia (a(martiva)
(ham-ar-tee-ah), which refers to the sin nature.
31 The next word that appears in the Greek text of
Romans 617 is the adversative use of the
post-positive conjunction de (deV) (deh), which
the New American Standard Updated Version and the
New International Version and many other English
translations do not translate.
32The conjunction de is first of all used in an
adversative sense in that it introduces a
statement that stands in contrast with the
thought that the Roman Christians were perpetual
slaves to the sin nature prior to being declared
justified through faith in Jesus Christ as their
Savior.
33The Roman Christians were freed from the tyranny
of the sin nature by obeying the gospel and
trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior in contrast to
their being slaves to the sin nature prior to
making this non-meritorious decision.
34This conjunction is also used in a transitional
sense in that it expresses the Roman Christians
transition from their past perpetual state of
being slaves to the sin nature to their present
state of being freed from the sin nature as a
result of obeying the gospel.
35You became obedient is the second person plural
aorist active indicative form of the verb
hupakouo (u(pakouvw) (hoop-ak-oo-o), which
denotes the act of obediently responding to the
Holy Spirits authority when the gospel was first
presented to the believers in Rome when they were
unsaved.
36Notice, the implication of this verb in that it
indicates faith or trust in Jesus Christ as ones
Savior is expressed by obedience to the command
in the gospel message to believe or place your
trust in Jesus Christ in order to be saved.
37Romans 617, But thanks be to God that though
you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from
the heart to that form of teaching to which you
were committed.
38From the heart is composed of is composed of
the preposition ek (e)k), from and the
genitive feminine singular form of the noun
kardia (kardiva) (kar-dee-ah), heart.
39The kardia refers to the dominant lobe of the
soul, the right lobe and is the mental activity
or function of the psuche, soul.
40The kardia is that aspect of the soul, which
circulates thought or mental activity and is
where ones frame of reference and memory center
resides.
41It is also the place where ones vocabulary and
the classification of thoughts reside as well as
the conscience where the norms and standards
reside.
42 A persons entire mental attitude circulates in
the kardia as well as the sub conscience where
various categories of things that shock or
impress from adversity, sin, failure or
disappointment are located.
43 Also, it contains the volition, which enables a
person to make decisions.
44Therefore, the noun kardia signifies that the
Holy Spirit in common grace communicates to the
mental activity and conscience of the
unregenerate human beings soul that God the
Father loves them so much that He sent His Son
Jesus Christ to die for them on the Cross in
order to deliver them from the sin nature.
45In common grace, the Holy Spirit appeals to the
volition of the unregenerate, which resides in
the heart.
46The preposition ek functions as a marker of
source and the noun kardia as a genitive of
source indicating that when the Roman Christians
were unsaved they obeyed the gospel message from
the heart.
47In their heart, their mentality considered Gods
offer of salvation.
48The Holy Spirit also appealed to their conscience
in demonstrating to them their need for a Savior.
49The Roman Christians obeyed the gospel from the
heart in the sense that they also exercised their
volition by making the decision to accept Christ
as Savior.
50Romans 617, But thanks be to God that though
you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from
the heart to that form of teaching to which you
were committed.
51Form of teaching is composed of the accusative
masculine singular form of the noun tupos
(tuvpo), form and the genitive feminine
singular form of the noun didache (didaxhv)
(did-akh-ay), of teaching.
52In Romans 617, the expression eis hon
paredothete tupon didaches, to that form of
teaching to which you were committed is an
obvious reference to the presentation of the
gospel of Jesus Christ to the Roman believers
when they were unsaved.
53 In this expression, the noun tupos means,
standard in the sense that the gospel of Jesus
Christ is the authoritative principle or rule to
govern the lives of men.
54It implies a model or pattern for guiding the
lives of men by comparison with which the
quantity, excellence, correctness of viewpoints
and actions may be determined.
55It also denotes that the teaching of the gospel
of Jesus Christ is authoritative and is the basis
for judgment of men whether for condemnation or
justification (See Romans 216).
56 The noun didache refers to instruction
concerning Jesus Christ and His teaching, i.e.
Christian doctrine or in other words a set of
truths or practices to be learned and obeyed that
originate with Jesus Christ.
57The word refers to historical facts concerning
the Person and life of the Lord Jesus Christ that
are absolutely essential for unregenerate man to
know in order to make a rational decision to
accept Jesus Christ as Savior or not since the
acceptance by faith of His Person and Work
results in justification.
58Didache would also include information regarding
the meaning and significance of the spiritual and
physical deaths of Jesus Christ as well as the
meaning and significance of His burial, His
resurrection, His ascension and session and how
these facts apply to the Roman believers.
59These historical facts about the perfect life of
the Lord Jesus Christ serve as the basis for the
believers spiritual life.
60Thus, the content of that doctrinal instruction
would include the fact that the Roman believers
have been positionally crucified, buried, raised
and seated with Christ.
61 Therefore, the expression tupos didaches refers
to the communication of the gospel to the
believers in Rome when they were unsaved.
62Their obedience resulted in not only their
justification but also their being identified
with Christ in His crucifixion, death,
resurrection and session through the baptism of
the Spirit.
63 Romans 617, But thanks be to God that though
you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from
the heart to that form of teaching to which you
were committed.
64You were committed is the second person plural
aorist passive indicative form of the verb
paradidomi (paradivdwmi) (para-did-omee), which
means, to be given something by someone, which
is identified by the expression tupon didaches,
the doctrinal standard.
65Therefore, paradidomi means the Roman Christians
were taught through instruction the Christian
doctrinal standard or in other words, the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
66(No Transcript)