By the new heading you can see that from this point we are doing something a bit different. Beginning with this introduction which I am taking a portion of that in "The Mirror Study Bible's,"
outline of Romans.
In his dynamic book addressed to the Romans as a pivital book Paul introduces himself and his intention: "My mandate and message is to announce the goodnews of GOD to His Humanity. This message is what the Scriptures of old are all about. It remains the central prophetic theme and content of inspired writing." (Romans 1:1-2)
By this mandate scripture can never again be interpreted in any other way, than that of being spiritual by His design. The gospel is the message of the success of the Cross which gives content and context to Scripture.
This message has nothing in it to be ashamed of; the message unveils how GOD got it right to rescue His Humanity from the effects of what Adam did wrong! (Romans 1:16-17)
The very dynamics of this gospel is the revelation of GOD's Faith as the only valid basis of our belief (from faith to faith). Paul quotes Habakkuk who prophetically introduced a "new area" when he realized that righteousness would be founded in what GOD believes and not on human clumsiness and inabilities to obey the Law of works that it became and still to this day is among the lost.
For from now on righteousness by GOD's Faith defines His humanity's life. (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, 3:27)
Instead of reading with a mindset of the curse when disaster strikes, Habakkuk realized that the Promise out-dates performance as the basis of humanity's acquiring acquittal! Deuteronomy 28 would no longer be the motivation or the measure of right or wrong behavior! "Though the fig trees do not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD (meaning Jesus), I will joy in the GOD of my Salvation (H3468). GOD, the LORD, is my strength; he makes my feet like hind's feet, he makes me tread upon my high places. (Habakkuk 3:17-19 a loose translation)
Paul in chapters 1:18 through to 3:20 proceeds to give a graphic display of distorted human behavior. He being a Jews Jew and knowing the Law, offers no real advantage since it offers no disguise of defense from sin. For it has the same ugliness only deserves the judgment of the broken bond of a father and his son. In his triumphant statement in verses 16, 17 of chapter 1 and again reinforced in chapter 3:21-24, is set against this back drop. The good news declares how the same condemned humanity in Adam is now freely acquitted by GOD's grace through the redemption that is unveiled in Christ the man Jesus.
Then in chapter 7 Paul, using himself, under the Law begins the age old argument of the ineffectiveness of the weakness and beggarly practices required of the Law to get one such a person to change their habits and behavior, to its final crescendo. He states in 7:1 that he is writing to those who know the Law. They have first-hand experience therefore of the weakness of the rule to consistently govern a person's conduct.
For he knows the best the Law could offer was to educate and confirm good intentions; but the more powerful law, the law of sin introduced to humanity through one man's transgression, has to be changed by a greater force than human willpower alone.
Because sin robes humanity of their true identity and awakened in them all kinds of worse-than-animal-like conduct, a set of rules couldn't do it. The revelation of GOD's righteousness has to be far more effective and powerful than humanity's slavery to sin.
It is self evident that because of humanity's corrupt behavior, we deserve nothing less than condemnation. Yet within this context the grace and mercy of GOD is revealed; not as mere licence nor mere tolerance from GOD's side to turn a blind eye and to put up with sin, but as GPD's triumphant act through Christ to cancel our debt and guilt and to break sin's spell and dominion over His humanity.
For salvation to be relevant it has to offer humanity a basis and reference point from which faith is to launched. It has to offer a conclusion of greater implication than the stalemate condition they find in themselves under the dispensation of the Law.
Therefore Paul says, "My inner person agrees that the Law is good and desires to obey its requirements yet my best intentions leave me powerless against it's demands of sin in my body! Oh, wretched being that I am!"
All this said, woe be onto us but for the revelation of GOD's righteous intervention! the man Christ Jesus is the mediator of humanity. The judgment humanity rightfully deserved fell full force on him: he was made to be our sin who knew no sin. "He was handed over because of our transgressions, and triumphantly raised because of our (humanity's) acquittal! (Romans 4:25)
Paul by the Holy Spirit was convinced that whatever happened to GOD human race because of Adam's action is far superseded in every possible proportion by the revelation of humanity's inclusion in the life, death and resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. He places the fall of Adam and every act of unrighteousness that followed against the one act of righteousness that GOD performed in and through Christ as proof of humanity's acquittal!
Further more the revelation of righteousness by GOD's Faith unveils how Jesus the Christ represented and redeemed His Humanity. The etymological essence of the word, "righteousness" in its stem, dike, implies the idea of two parties finding likeness in each other; with no interference of any sense of blame, guilt or inferiority. The Hebrew word for righteousness is the word tzedek which refers to the wooden beam in a scale of balances. When Adam lost the glory of GOD (Hebrew, kadod, weight; the consciousness of GOD's likeness and image) the Law proved that no amount of good works could balance the scale again. Grace reveals how GOD redeemed his image and likeness again in our human form; now the scale is perfectly balanced! No wonder Jesus cried out on the cross, "It is Finished!"
This is the essence of Paul's message that he said he owed to the entire world!
Romans 1:1-7 "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) concerning his Son Jesus Christ our LORD, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ." (KJV)
Romans 1:1-7 "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our LORD, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, to all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." (ESV)
There is much to fill in with this portion and therefore I will, the LORD willing, pick the narrative up here on our next visit.
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