What have we learned so far?

• Our sins have been forgiven, and for us "there is no condemnation."
• God's amazing gift leads us to dedicate ourselves to lives of righteousness, as directed by God's "spirit".
• We are no longer slaves to sin and death, because now we have become sons and daughters of God (vv. 12-17).

But this wonderful change described by Paul must be balanced by Paul's stern challenge:

'Here is what God has done for you. Now, this is what you must do for God.'

This will surely feel like a burden, but it is reasonable:

• Even as our Lord endured sufferings along his way to the glory conferred upon him by the Father,
• so we who profess to walk in his footsteps must do the same.

Our sufferings will almost certainly not be as hard as his, even if they are of a similar nature. Just as Christ's sufferings led to his glory, so our sufferings, even if slight by comparison, will lead us to our ultimate glory with him in the Father's Kingdom. Paul makes this point in verse 18:

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

In the light of eternity we should view the cost of suffering with Christ now as insignificant in view of the glory that lies ahead for us:

"Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Cor 4:17).

Suffering is not an elective; it is not optional — it is a required subject. Our exalted position now requires that we faithfully endure present sufferings in preparation for future glory. Our trials enable us to know the fellowship of Christ's sufferings (Phil 3:10), to comfort others who themselves are afflicted (2 Cor 1:3-7), and to trust in God alone rather than ourselves (2 Cor 1:9).

We may be helpless children, but we have a wise, loving and all-powerful Father — One who comforts us, guides us, and at last gathers us to Himself:

"As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust… from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him… with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts" (Psa 103:13,14,17,18).

Our present sufferings will always seem small in comparison with the glory that our Father will reveal in us, when our Lord returns from heaven.

The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed (v. 19).

The Greek word is "ktisis", which describes both the act of creating, and that which is created. It is translated "creature" (KJV), but also "creation" in many modern versions (NIV, RV, ASV, RSV, NET, etc.).

The word "ktisis" can refer to the creation of the world and everything in it (Mark 13:19; Rom 1:20,25), or to mankind alone (Mark 16:15). But most often, in the New Testament, it refers to the new spiritual "creation" of believers in Christ.

What is the "creation" of verses 19-22 which endures present sufferings (vv. 18,22) in eager longing for future glory (vv. 19,21)? The correct answer to this question will help us to understand this section.

It is often assumed that this "creation" is the whole world — human and animal and inanimate — which symbolically "groans" (Rom 8:22) for a better time to come. That is a wonderfully poetic idea, but is it what Paul means? Do the mountains and forests "groan"? Do the animals "groan" with any sense of what they might be groaning for?

No. The "creation" which groans or sighs is the creation which knows what they don't have… yet — while also yearning for what they will have in the future.

By this standard, the only "creation" which truly "groans" and "sighs" is God's "new creation". It does so because it is in process of being reborn in Christ — in process, but not yet having attained the Kingdom.

So we shall look at some of these passages.

2 Corinthians 5:14,17:

"Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died… Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

Ephesians 2:1-10:

In another passage Paul speaks of Christ as the creator:

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works" (v. 10).

The phrase "to do good works" is a useful connection with our study. It defines the purpose for which we have been created: Salvation is not "by good works" (Eph 2:9), but it is "for good works" (v. 10). We do not "earn" salvation, but we show that we have been saved, and we show how thankful we are, by doing the works of God and His Son.

Colossians 1:15-18:

"[Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth… all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead…"

Christ is the "image" and the "firstborn" (cp. Rom 8:29) of all creation (Col 1:15), because all believers are created new through him (v. 16). This has to be us, the "new creation", since Christ is "before all" (v. 17), and we are being "created" by and for him.

These figurative expressions are explained by the more literal ones of verse 18, that (a) Christ is the head of the church and (b) the beginning, or firstborn, from the dead.

These other letters of Paul fit well with Romans 8, and help to explain the "creation" described here.

Finally, the context of Romans 8 helps us here: As we continue into Romans 8:19-22, we realize that these later verses also help to explain the earlier ones (vv. 16-18). There, in those earlier verses, the present sufferings and future glory pertain of course to God's dear children, and not necessarily to the whole of the earth.

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This "new creation" is waiting in "eager expectation" (Rom 8:19). The Greek word here suggests:

• a watching with the head lifted up in suspense,
• with an eager anticipation which can scarcely contain itself.

What is the "creation" eagerly anticipating? "the revealing (apokalypsis) of the sons of God". Such a "revelation" will be the removal of our mortal, sin-prone natures, which will be replaced by the eternal, glorious image of the Lord Jesus Christ, living in every faithful believer.

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In my opinion, the great "Revelation" at the end of our Bibles (please note: the word is singular!) is not really about beasts and wars and destruction and punishment. And we spend way too much time (myself included!) in trying to decipher the imagery and predict the future.

All those strange creatures in John's visions are nothing more than passing shadows in the night, "opening acts" for the "feature attraction" — that is, what happens on stage before Christ appears.

The "Revelation" is not really about them; it is — much, much more — about the "main event", that is, the unveiling of the "sons and daughters of God".

They — We, brothers and sisters! — are the great treasure of God's glory, to be held in new heavenly bodies, bodies which will show forth His Glory to the rest of the world. We are the "jewels" in His crown! No other "revelation" — no ugly beasts or brutal wars — can compare in interest or importance with that glorious "unveiling", which is prophesied several times in the pages of the Revelation.

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For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope… (v. 20).

The NIV uses the word "frustration" here. The Greek signifies 'empty as to results', that is, fruitless. Other possible translations are "frailty", "vanity" (KJV), and "futility" (RSV), all of which are reasonable.

Because of sin from the very beginning, God Himself has subjected His creation to vanity or frailty — but with the expectation that, in the fullness of time, a new and much better "creation" will emerge, born like a beautiful butterfly out of the chrysalis of the old world!

God subjected us to vanity and frustration…

…[in hope] that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God (v. 21).

By faith, this "new creation" has been liberated — past tense — from the principle of sin and death (v. 2), and will be liberated — future tense — from the slavery of decay and death. This is the "glorious freedom" which Paul writes about — seen now in prospect, but to be "revealed" in fullness in the future!

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time (v. 22).

The "creation" has been groaning and sighing, either with grief for its own weaknesses, or compassion for the weaknesses of others. And in this "suffering", those who are God's "new creation" are sharing with their Saviour, who first showed them the way to the cross and then the glory that would follow.

All together, almost as a woman in labor to bring forth a child, the "new creation" has been laboring to give birth to "Christ… who is formed in you" (cp. Gal 4:19,27). Our struggles with sin and temptation will — with God's help — succeed in bringing a new man, or a new woman, into the world: a new person who more clearly shows forth the Lord Jesus Christ to the world.

Next, Paul seems to speak for himself and the other apostles:

Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies (v. 23).

God's Holy Spirit gifts, given to some at the very beginning of the ecclesia (Acts 2) — and to Paul also — were a guarantee that God would complete the process of salvation begun in His Son. Even though Jesus has redeemed us and made us the sons of God, there will be a final aspect of redemption, which Paul calls "the redemption of our bodies" (here), and "the day of redemption" (Eph 1:13,14; 4:30). When that time comes, faithful believers will "be like him [Christ], for we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2), and share in his immortality (Phil 3:20,21; 1 Cor 15:44; 2 Cor 5:10).

And so, to paraphrase Romans 8:23, let us think of Paul writing to the Romans:

'Even we [Paul and the other apostles] who have experienced the firstfruits of the Spirit-power, in Holy Spirit gifts, realize how much more wonderful will be the greatest gift of all — the receiving of immortal, glorious bodies at the return of Christ. Even we [Paul and apostles again] are not now freed from the same longing which you feel, for the full experience of Divine glory.'

This explains the "groaning inwardly" of the saints, and even of a man like Paul the Apostle. All true saints realize something of what the future holds for the faithful in Christ, but they know also that, in this life, such peace and joy cannot yet be found.

So we sing, in one of our hymns:

Thou hidden love of God, whose height, Whose depth unfathomed no one knows, I see from far thy beauteous light, And inly sigh for thy repose; My heart is pained, nor can it be At rest, till it finds rest in thee.

For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? (v. 24).

Paul does not speak of hope in general, as if it were some vague longing for something better in a shadowy future. Instead, he speaks of "the hope" — a definite, specific hope, and a saving hope, which is nothing less than the gospel message of the whole Bible. We see this from other usages of the word in the New Testament. Among other things, "hope" is coupled with every one of the following:

• the resurrection (Acts 23:6),
• the promise to the fathers (Acts 26:6,7),
• Israel (Acts 28:20),
• the gospel (Col 1:23),
• the glory of God (Rom 5:2),
• the appearing of Christ (Titus 2:13),
• salvation (1Thes 5:8), and
• eternal life (Titus 1:2; 3:7).

If we ask, 'What does each particular "hope" mean in Bible terms?' and then combine the answers into a single statement, we will have constructed a very reasonable (and practically complete) definition of the gospel. How important it is to compare Scripture with Scripture!

It was a recognition of what Paul meant when he wrote: "saved by the hope" which led John Thomas to a better appreciation of Bible Truth. As he considered this verse 24, he came to realize that salvation is the result of a full and correct hope, based on the fundamental promises of God. This discovery led him to sever his connections with other groups, and to lay the foundations of what became the Christadelphians.

So we are saved by the hope (Rom 8:24)! But is hope the only thing which saves us? No, we are also saved by other things: Comparing scripture with scripture once again, we learn that we are also saved by:

• grace (Eph 2:8,9);
• belief (Mark 16:15);
• baptism (1 Pet 3:21);
• the gospel, and its memory (1 Cor 15:1,2);
• the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7);
• faith (Rom 5:1);
• works (James 2:24);
• ourselves (Acts 2:40); and
• endurance (Matt 10:22)

Returning to our beginning for today:

We may choose to belong to Christ. But suffering with Christ is not something which we choose on our own. Yet, having become part of the Christ's body of believers, we find that this "suffering" is part of the package.

Suffering is not a voluntary matter, and certainly not an enjoyable one, but it is something bound up in our spiritual relationship with Christ. We cannot belong to him if we never suffer with him!

This sharing with Christ puts the power into Paul's arguments and exhortations throughout Romans 8.

It is not enough that believers suffer; they must suffer with Christ: there must be a conscious, intelligent understanding and imitation of him.

It is not enough that the saints will one day be glorified; they must be glorified with Christ, otherwise there is no meaning.

So this explains how "the Spirit himself" (Christ) testifies along with our "spirit", bearing witness that we are all (all together, Christ and us!) God's dear children (Rom 8:16).

When we choose a relationship with Christ, then that relationship makes us subject to both the difficult as well as the more pleasant parts of Christ's experience — "our present sufferings and the glory that will be revealed in us" (Rom 8:18). We cannot say, 'No, thank you' to the first part, and still expect to receive the second.

I think the only way this makes sense, and the only way this helps, is something like this:

Every one of us will suffer. Things will come in our lives which we do not want, which we will want to avoid as much as possible, and as quickly as possible. Things which will cause us to thrash around, seeking for the solution, when there seems to be none. We may devise schemes to be rid of our particular suffering, schemes which we know — at some level of our minds — are wrong; but we think about them anyway.

Things will come into our lives which we blame on others, things which we blame on ourselves. We will cry. We will lose sleep. We will walk the floor at night, or stare out into the darkness. We will ask, "Why?" until we can think of nothing else but our suffering.

'It isn't fair!'

'Why me, or us — and not him, or her, or them?'

We may pray without ceasing. Then we may blame God, and cry out to Him: "Tell me why!" But He doesn't answer, and He doesn't seem to care.

And maybe, after many twists and turns and detours, we reach a place where we fall on the ground, or the floor, and say something like this:

'Okay. Now I get it… it's not what I want. But You, Lord, must know why. Lord, if this is Your will, then may it be done. Please help me to accept it in faith, even if I don't know why, even if I never understand why until I reach the Kingdom!"

Maybe then, after trudging down a very long and tortured road, we can finally say:

'Now I am suffering with Christ, even if not to the same degree. Now I am trusting in God, not so well as my Lord, and not so quickly, but I do trust in Him. And now I know that what He said is true: "If we suffer with Christ, we will reign with him." This suffering, whatever form it takes, can last no longer than one lifetime, and after that comes Your Kingdom. Thank you, our Father, even for this understanding — even if it hurts more than I think I can bear. May Your will be done, in Christ's Name. Amen.'

In the earlier sections of Romans 8, Paul tells us that, if we suffer with Christ, we will also be glorified with him (vv. 17,18). Now he gives us excellent reasons to endure faithfully whatever difficulties we may encounter:

• Christ our intercessor shares our trials with us, understands our weaknesses, and powerfully intercedes for us with the Father (vv. 26,27).
• No matter what happens, day by day, to those who live in hope, they can be assured that their experiences are designed by God for their ultimate good (v. 28).
• The greatest reason of all is that the Lord God has marked us out, personally and individually, to receive His glory (vv. 29,30).

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express (v. 26).

Once again, we see, in the NIV, "the Spirit himself". "Himself" is also used by the RV, RSV and NET — as well as others. There should be no problem in reading "the Spirit" as having personality here, because here at least it is equivalent to the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

The Greek for "helps us" is another "Sharing Word", pointing out what we share with Christ (see notes, p. 15). It is also a complex word, "sunantilambano", but one well worth understanding. Literally, it means:

To take hold of a heavy burden, together with others, so as to help them lift and carry it.

The same word is used in Luke 10:40, where Martha asks Jesus to tell her sister Mary to "help" her. This word suggests a partnership of working together. Christ has promised to help us bear our burdens, but only if we also do the best we can ourselves.

Christ helps us in our weakness: Because of our weaknesses, we do not know what we ought to pray for: The KJV and the NIV support this translation. But the NASB, NET, NEB and RSV understand Paul to say, 'We do not know how we ought to pray.' Both translations are possible. It is fair to say that sometimes we don't know what to pray for, and sometimes we don't know how to pray either!

First, the "what to pray for":

As to "what?", the Apostle John writes (1John 5:14):

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."

Since we are far from infallible in our knowledge, it is often true that we do not know the will of God perfectly. So we cannot expect ourselves to know what is the very best thing to pray for, although we are assured that the Lord himself knows.

Then, the "how to pray":

"How?" is answered by the relative shortness of the Lord's Prayer: "Be brief!" And also by Ecclesiastes 5:2: "God is in heaven… let your words be few!"

"The Spirit himself intercedes for us."

The Greek word (v. 26 notes) means: to meet, to stand alongside, to talk to — as a friend, a comforter, and an adviser.

"With groans…"

The "groans" are "sighs of compassion", as in verses 22 and 23. Christ's groans, or sighs, are compared with those of the believers. He can be the most effective intercessor because he knows our weaknesses — he has been "touched with the feelings of our infirmities" (Heb 4:15). So, when we groan, he groans too!

"…which cannot be expressed…" (notes, v 26)

This means "words we cannot hear". The Greek word does not mean speaking in tongues, or mumbling sounds without understanding. Instead, it means speech that cannot be expressed or uttered to us, because it is a private communication between Christ and His Father.

So how do we know that "the Spirit itself, or himself", in this verse, is another way of referring to Christ? For the same reasons as given earlier (see the notes on Romans 8:16…

…And also for these additional reasons:

• Verse 26, in which "the Spirit" intercedes for believers, is parallel to verses 27 and 34, where Christ is undoubtedly meant as the intercessor. The Holy Spirit is not the intercessor for believers — that can only be Christ.

• The "sighs of compassion" are a reflection of Christ's humanity and intense fellow-feeling with us:

"There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk… Then [Jesus] spit and touched the man's tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him… 'Be opened!' " (Mark 7:32-34).

"The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply" (Mark 8:11,12).

In all of the above we must find great comfort and hope. Now Christ speaks to his Father for us, even though we cannot hear him, and even though we do not know precisely what they say to one another.

And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will (v. 27).

The one who searches our hearts can only be Christ. In Revelation 2:23, he says: "Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds."

There is probably a time in each of our lives when we are frightened by the idea that Christ searches and knows our hearts — because, like Adam and Eve in the Garden — we may wish to hide ourselves from the searching gaze of God Himself (or, in this case, His Son).

But for Paul this is, instead, a real comfort — in the thought that Christ knows our thoughts. Why? Because this knowledge allows him better to communicate to the Father. And this in turn allows Father and Son to decide how to respond to the heart which is in need, and which yearns to express, but cannot truly express, its needs before God's throne.

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Christ's intercession for us is always "according to God's will". So we should remember that it is not God's will that His dear children escape all sufferings, but it is certainly His will that such sufferings work for our ultimate spiritual good (v. 28).

Many times "we do not know what we ought to pray for" — that is, whether we should pray for deliverance from trials, or for strength to endure those trials.

How often do we pray, 'Father, let me be an instrument of Your will'; and then add, as a private aside, 'But, please, Lord, don't let it hurt too much!' Instead, we should pray for courage to face whatever comes:

• In a dark garden, with tears on his cheeks, Christ prayed, "Not my will, but Yours be done".
• Troubled by a "thorn in the flesh", Paul also prayed for deliverance, but then learned that God's strength could only realize its full potential in Paul's weakness.

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We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (v. 28).

The KJV has "All things work together for good…" While this is accurate, it only makes sense if we recognize that God Himself is the One who makes sure that "all things" work for good. The NIV and the RSV show "God" as the subject — which only seems right.

The believer should be able to say, without a doubt that: 'God works in all things, for good.' A great, unfathomable Mind is always awake and working, overseeing "all things" in our lives — even adversities (vv. 17,18) and sufferings (v. 35) — and using them, every one, as tools to shape and polish, and at last to "create" His finished product — minds and characters and lives which glorify Him.

God is actively working, and this is evident because God is also the subject in the verses which immediately follow (vv. 29,30):

• God knows us ahead of time;
• God "predestines" us (we will discuss this word in a moment);
• God calls us;
• God justifies us; and at last
• God glorifies us.

Of course, this verse does not say that God causes 'all things', period. Instead, it implies that He permits 'all things'. So when trouble or even tragedy touches a believer, we should not conclude that God has caused it. Troubles are caused by many things:

• by the hurtful actions of others,
• by our own ignorance,
• by our own sinful desires, or
• by our poor choices.

God does work in all things, even the worst possible, for the good of those who love Him. Christ is interceding for us, but such intercession does not always produce our physical and material comfort. And now we understand that this is the case: we need the sufferings to prepare us for the glory.

So Paul, taking his own advice, stops praying to have his "thorn in the flesh" removed. Now he is able to write:

"We are:

• afflicted in every way, but not crushed;
• perplexed, but not driven to despair;
• persecuted, but not forsaken;
• struck down, but not destroyed…

Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory" (2 Cor 4:8,9,16,17).

Do we believe this? Can we decide to live as did Paul? Do we ever grumble, or doubt, or worry, or despair? If we do — when we do! — then we must, like Paul, see "Christ crucified". It is only through patient bearing up under our trials that we will ever come to know "the fellowship of his sufferings" (Phil 3:10). What a privilege it is to suffer with Christ (Rom 8:17)! It is a proof of our family relationship (Heb 12:7,8) and a guarantee of our future glory (Rom 8:17,18).

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This last section (vv. 29,30) provides an outline of God's purpose referred to in verse 28. God's purpose with those who love Him consists of five steps:

• foreknowledge,
• predetermination,
• calling,
• justification (or declaring righteous), and
• glorification.

The first four steps are already realities for believers now, and they guarantee the fifth and final step (vv. 17,18,21). All this may be said without implying that there is no chance of 'falling away', because there is such a chance.

So what shall we do? First, we must believe what God has promised. And then we must be "positive" in our personal lives, positive on the job, positive in our family, positive in our Bible classes, positive in our interactions with other brothers and sisters.

Only such an attitude will sustain us through trials and doubts. As our Lord's greatest trials approached, he could still think of his disciples, telling them: "Fear not."

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers (v. 29).

"Foreknew" ("foreordained": KJV) is the Greek "proginosko" = to know in advance. The apostle Peter uses the same work in a helpful context, that is, that God foreknew Jesus, and chose him before he was born:

"For you know that… you were redeemed… with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen ['proginosko': known ahead of time] before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake" (1 Pet 1:18-20).

Note the Passover connection; this will help us as we continue.

Now, the next step: God has also "predestined" us. This word means to "mark out or determine beforehand". The Greek word is "pro-horizo", and signifies to draw lines or set bounds, beforehand….

The key word "horizo" is the source of our English word "horizon". The horizon is the boundary beyond which the sun cannot go, that is, the line of demarcation between earth and heaven.

We probably all have a pretty good idea what "predestination" is not. It is not 'eternal security'; it is not 'once saved, always saved'. But… the question here is: What does it mean?

Let us now return to the context in 1 Peter 1:18-20 [Open your Bibles to this passage, please]: The purpose of the Passover lamb's blood was to put a limit, in advance, upon the work of the Destroying Angel. Those who had faith sprinkled the blood of the lamb on their doorposts. In doing so they were marked out ahead of time (Exod 12) — "predestined", we might say — and thus were saved out of Egypt. All around the Jews there were other "firstborns". These were not marked out to be spared, but rather left — without the Passover blood — to perish in Egypt.

Did the Lord God, by Divine choice, "predestine" certain Jewish families in Egypt to be saved, while "predestining" others to be condemned? Of course not. He did not necessarily select, one by one, every person or every family — Jew or Gentile — who would come under the Divine provision. What God did was provide the command regarding the Passover lambs.

It was left to the Jews, by their own free will, to choose whether they would put the blood on their houses, and then to choose whether they would remain in those houses through the night of the Destroying Angel.

The Jews, and other "strangers" in Egypt, had to act in faith upon the promises which God had given them. If they did, then they were "predestined" (literally: marked out beforehand) to be spared or saved. The others, who chose differently, were also "predestined" — to perish.

Of course, those who chose to be saved out of Egypt had to continue to remember God and His promises, and continue to keep the Passover as an act of faith in what God had promised to do.

But it was still God's "predestination" in the first place. To paraphrase: through Paul, the Lord God seems to be saying:

I knew My Son, and chose him before he was born, to be the Saviour of all my children. Now I speak to My children:

'I have predestined My Son to be the place where you will be safe from the Angel of death. That place is one of absolute security. But you need to go there, do what I say, and — above all — remain there. Otherwise, you will not be "marked out" for My Glory!'

We may be sure that, whatever is expressed by this word "predestination", it should not rule out the free will of individuals to choose and obey. I suggest that what "predestination" means here is:

God knew His plan of salvation from the beginning, and He explained it to those whom He called. But it was their business to choose to go to the place of refuge and safety, and remain there, if they were to be saved!

I would rather not go any further in trying to unravel the age-old question of "predestination" vs. "free will". Sometimes, when I try, it gives me a headache. So I will leave it there, filed under the heading: 'Things I am not wise enough to understand… at least not yet!

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And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified (v. 30).

The last three parts of God's five-part plan are relatively easy:

(1) "Called" means that God oversees the preaching of the gospel, in every age — so that it reaches those who might hear. But not all who hear are necessarily "called":

• they may not understand the message;
• they may not care about the message; and/or
• they may not actually believe the message.

But where to draw the line between those who have been "called" and those who have not been "called", is beyond our power. I suggest that this also ought to be left to God and His Son… and I will do so gladly!

(2) "Justified" means: "declared righteous". What does this mean specifically in Romans 8? It means Christ "condemned sin" (v. 3), so that, if we remain in him, we will not be condemned by our sins (v. 1).

(3) "Glorified" is in the past tense, not because it is actually a present possession, but because its future possession has been assured for us — but only if we remain faithful.

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The key idea of this section (vv. 26-30) is this: God has marked us out for glory. He has taken all the steps necessary for our salvation. There is now no condemnation (as we were told in the very first verse of Romans 8). If we do as God says, then we are made free — His free sons and daughters!

More than this, we are God's dear children! We are precious; we are cherished; we are loved!

Paul purposefully disregards the possibility of failure, and concentrates solely on the glorious steps of salvation, building to a climax in the final section of Romans 8 (vv. 31-39).

The Law of Moses not only condemned man (Rom 7:9-11), but it also enslaved him (Rom 7:14). The work of Christ removes this condemnation (Rom 8:1-4), replacing it with righteousness. And it also frees us so that, no longer slaves, we may become sons (Rom 8:15).

This section (vv.. 12-17) continues Paul's parable in Romans 6: Those who live their lives inclined toward the flesh (Rom 8:5,8) are pictured as slaves of Sin. Sin is personified as a mighty king who demands absolute obedience from his slaves, and in the end rewards them with nothing more than the 'wages' which they have earned, that is… death (Rom 6:16-23).

Now Paul continues: Christ has come into the 'slave market', and has redeemed us, or bought us out of that wretched place. This is the significance of the Greek "exagorazo", usually translated "redeem" (Gal 3:13; 4:5). Now, Paul says, we need no longer live lives of degradation and fear (Rom 8:15). Now we have become slaves of Christ, and slaves of righteousness (Rom 6:16,18,22).

This new life involves a form of service, but it is so much more than the old "slavery" to Sin. It involves becoming children of God, being held by bonds of love to a kind and generous Father (Rom 8:15,17).

Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation — but it is not to the sinful nature [flesh], to live according to it (v. 12).

Believers in Christ are obligated, not to the flesh or sin, but to the spirit of Christ and his teachings. Moreover, they are also obligated to destroy the "flesh" with its sins, wherever it crops up in their new lives.

For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live (v. 13).

Living one way brings death, while living another way brings life. More than natural death and natural life are intended here. We might paraphrase:

'If you live according to the sinful nature, you will certainly experience a spiritual death, but if you keep trying to put to death the sins in your own flesh, you will most certainly experience a spiritual life.'

Paul explains this "putting to death" of our flesh:

"Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry" (Col 3:5).

The Lord Jesus does not make believers righteous by miraculously killing their sinful natures. The believers themselves are asked to do this through the Spirit — that is, through acquiring and developing a spiritual mind.

Paul reminds believers that, if they do NOT continue to put to death their evil desires and evil works, then they will die. We must strive to live godly lives, not so that we will earn salvation, but so that we may remain safely in the place where Christ will save us!

The apostle Peter explains this in 2 Peter 1:

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness… knowledge… self-control… perseverance… godliness… brotherly kindness, and… love" (2Pet 1:3-7).

…those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God (v. 14).

Earlier Paul had talked about being "inclined toward the spirit" (v. 5), "the mind of the spirit" (v. 6), and the "indwelling" of the spirit — whether it is called the spirit of God or the spirit of Christ (vv. 9-11). All these seem to be synonymous with being "led by the Spirit". And again, we know we are talking about reading the Bible, thinking about spiritual things, and seeking to do those things in our lives.

We should not expect to be lifted up or swept away by some invisible power, nor even to be dragged along against our will. On the other hand, we cannot walk wherever we please. Instead, we should be "led" — meaning that someone else walks ahead, and we follow — like a servant led by his master, or a daughter led by her father.

There is a mystery in this partnership: We simply don't know how it works — nor can we see it working. But we understand that we must do our part, and trust in God to do the rest — however that might happen.

And we are assured — while we read and pray, and exercise ourselves toward personal righteousness — that, in ways we cannot know perfectly, the Lord works for good in and around and through us. How this happens, exactly, is another matter:

• By providential means, such as the altering of situations and circumstances around us — the sorts of things that Robert Roberts outlines in his wonderful book, The Ways of Providence? Certainly.

• By angelic visitation, even though we may never be sure that it happens (Heb 13:2)? Quite possibly.

• By other, more direct means? Perhaps.

But here I suggest that we may fall into a trap if we try to guess when this is happening. The trap is, we might presume to rely upon something like 'God has told me!' And then we start to cross over the line, into an area of self-delusion. If we go to that place, then we might start believing that we are "inspired" by the Holy Spirit, and that we can do no wrong.

It could be dangerous to over-think how God works. The safest course may be:

• recognize that "the Spirit" (of God, and/or of Christ) does act in partnership with us, and at the same time
• acknowledge that we can never know how and when that Spirit is working.

The "Spirit" of God may be working in our lives — I stress the "may" — but God does not want us to stop using our own moral judgment when making choices in our lives. Our life in faith is a partnership. God will surely work with us, but only if we are working already!

The old expression — about having your head in the clouds but keeping your feet firmly planted on the ground — is a good one. It emphasizes the balance in a believer's life, between what the Lord God does for us and what we ought to do for ourselves — between faith and works, and perhaps also between "predestination" and free will (to be discussed later).

Verse 14 also mentions "sons of God", more properly sons and daughters, with special reference to their relationship with their divine parent.

In this chapter (Romans 8), we note that Jesus was the Son ("huios") of God (v. 3). Those who are guided by God's spirit become sons and daughters of God. God "gave up" His own Son, Jesus, for us all (v. 32), so that we might be revealed as His children also (v. 19).

Now we see the distinction more clearly, between slaves to "King Sin" (Rom 6, etc.) and children of God:

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father" (v. 15).

"Slaves" fear their owners. "Children" of a loving Father love Him in return, and trust Him implicitly.

The Greek word translated "adoption" here and in verse 23 means literally: "placed as a son/daughter/child". Paul is probably referring to Roman law, where it often happened that a rich or important man might select an employee or slave to be his legal "son", replacing even his own natural-born children, because he was more qualified to run a business or administer an estate. Such a "promotion" was accompanied, not just by a new legal status, but also by the cancellation of all debts, and a new right of inheritance.

A Parable

Let us close our eyes…

Now we imagine ourselves into the heart of a story. For a few minutes, we are going to travel through time. Let us imagine an "agora", a Middle Eastern market in the first century. Such a bazaar is the center of commerce. It is also the center of entertainment, news, opinions, and social interaction — in short, the center of life.

As always, somewhere in that busy agora is the slave-market, with its auction-block. Now we are standing there — and all around us there is brutality, callousness and fear — some of this we see, and some of this we feel now. Now we are afraid!

Here we see women auctioned off to be slaves to the ugliest passions of their owners. Here we see men doomed to lives of backbreaking, degrading labor, to satisfy the greed of their owners. Wasted lives, broken dreams, and families torn apart.

The slave-market is a parable of our own world. In this country and this century, we may think of ourselves as so much more civilized than this, but are we? In parts of Africa, young women are still kidnapped and forced into "marriages" entirely against their will. Young boys are still forced into service as foot soldiers for rebel forces. In other parts of the world, even the United States, young women are lured from their own homes with the promise of good jobs, only to find themselves forced into prostitution, with no escape.

Besides this, there are many forces — media, advertising, peer pressures — which act as "masters" to enslave the unsuspecting. Alcohol and drugs create new slaves every year. Our new technology, cell phones and the internet, can make employees 24/7 "slaves" to their bosses' demands.

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In Charleston, South Carolina, there is a museum called "The Old Slave Market Museum". This was probably the most heavily-used slave market in America. Through its auction platform there passed generation after generation of Africans, each auctioned to the highest bidder.

These days the Old Slave Market is a tourist attraction, but some African-Americans speak of standing in that very place, with the strange thought:

'I feel like I've been here before!'

We should stand in the slave market of our imagination, and think the same thing:

"I've been here before. I've been sold and bought as a slave to Sin. And I thank God that, in my Lord Jesus Christ, I have been freed from that terrible bondage!"

Are your eyes still closed?

Into this slave market of our imagination comes a man, a stranger who is obviously different than all the others. Walking up to you, he speaks kindly but forcefully: "I have bought you. Come, follow me!"

Now you are following this extraordinary man through the streets and the crowds until you reach the house of his Father. There you are given a room far surpassing anything you have ever known before. And, then, you scarcely lay down to rest before the man is back again. He has brought water to wash your feet. He has brought healing oil to soothe the cruel wounds inflicted by your former master. He has brought you a new, clean garment to wear: 'Now you are a child in my Father's house.'

All your past life of fear and hate has been washed away, miraculously, and in its place is the joyful cry of true freedom, for the first time!

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This is the change implied in the Greek word "huiothesis" (v. 15), a word very inadequately translated in the KJV as "adoption". The NIV and RSV (followed here) more correctly render it as "sonship".

The "sonship" and inheritance described by Paul is based upon the Roman law. Jewish law did not permit daughters to inherit along with sons, and the firstborn son received double. But under Roman law, sons and daughters all inherited equally, and adopted sons and daughters were treated exactly the same as the others. Paul refers to this in Galatians 3:

"For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (vv.. 27-29).

The two words in Romans 8:16, Abba and Father, point to two ways of addressing our heavenly Father. "Abba" is the Aramaic word, much like the Hebrew. It expresses the love and trust that a little child feels for a loving father, an intimate and tender affection. The Greek "pater" or Father, on the other hand, is a more formal expression. It signifies respect and a mature appreciation of the family relationship, which grown offspring might use.

The first word is Aramaic and the second is Greek, the two words together also suggest that this God, the Father of the Lord Jesus, is and will be a God of both Jews and Gentiles — who are "all one in Christ".

"We cry, 'Abba, Father!' (v. 15) suggests the anguished cries of Jesus:

• first in Gethsemane: "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will" (Matt 26:39).
• and then, not so much later, from the cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Psa 22; Matt 27:46; etc.).

The anguished cries of Jesus in his last day of terrible suffering reminds us also of Romans 8. In verses 31-33, Paul writes:

"If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies."

There is an assurance almost beyond expression in these words, for those of us — perhaps all of us, really — who have wrestled with fear.

The question is: What do we have to fear? God is our Father, and He stands firmly on our side! He is for us! He loved us so much that He deliberately offered His own Son on our behalf.

Will the One who has already gone so far in love for us turn back now? Will He bring charges against us at a judgment seat, when He has already taken steps — painful, sacrificial steps — to remove our condemnation (v. 1), and to declare us righteous (v. 33)? To ask such questions is to know the answers.

The Eternal Father will not turn His back on His children, who cry to him, in the name of affection and deepest respect, "Abba, Father"!

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children (v. 16).

Is there a problem here?

Should this be "the Spirit himself" (NIV, NET, and others), or "the Spirit itself" (KJV)? We might quickly say, "itself" of course! — because we know that the "Spirit" is the impersonal power of God.

However, in my opinion, there is more to the verse than this, and it is not far-fetched to consider that Paul may intend "the Spirit" here to be very personal — because it points to Christ.

There are other instances of Christ being clearly referred to as "the Spirit":

• When Paul wrote what "the Spirit clearly says" about a latter-day apostasy (1Tim 4:1-3), he probably had in mind Christ's great prophecy on the Mount of Olives (Matt 24:4,5,10-12,24).
• The messages to the seven ecclesias in Asia are sent from Christ, obviously (Rev 2:1,8). But the messages are also described as "what the Spirit says to the churches" (Rev 2:7,11,17,29, etc).
• Paul refers to Christ, after his resurrection and glorification, as a "quickening (i.e., life-giving) spirit" (1Cor 15:45).

So, why did Paul not simply say 'Christ' instead of resorting to the phrase 'the Spirit himself'?

Maybe because the "spirit" or teaching of God is shown most perfectly in His Son Jesus Christ, and thus God's "spirit" is Christ. Therefore Christ is, in a sort of Bible shorthand, "the Spirit himself". (We may return to these ideas when we get to verse 26 in a couple of days.)

This "spirit" (of Christ), we are told, testifies with our "spirit" — that is, the "spirit" of Christ's followers — and both "spirits" agree with one another.

The first witness, Christ himself, testified in Gethsemane and on the cross.

Ever since then, other witnesses — the believers in Christ — have continued to testify, in their prayers (and their Bible readings, lives, conversations), that — like Christ himself — they are all God's dear children. Like Christ, they all trust in God, hope in His promises, and look forward to His ultimate deliverance of all of them from the power of sin and death.

Finally, verse 17, paraphrased: IF we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. IF we share in his sufferings, then we will also share in his glory.

When we see how Jesus suffered for our salvation, we rejoice in that salvation, and we look forward to a future glory. But we soon come to realize one other thing: The expectation of a future salvation carries with it the additional expectation of suffering now. We hope to discuss this tomorrow.

Romans 8 is my favorite chapter in the Bible, definitely. The assurance in this chapter that transcends all of our sins, all of our fears, all of our feelings of inadequacy, all of our doubts. The heavenly Father loves us so much that He allows His most beloved Son to die… for us. There is nothing that can stand between us and God's Kingdom — except our own indifference, our own loss of faith. Christ will never abandon us unless we abandon him.

In the first verses of Romans 8, we are assured that "there is no condemnation for those who remain in Christ"; that despite our sins God will declare us "righteous" because of our faith in His Son.

We are assured that, even though we were once slaves to Sin, we are now freed forever from that bondage, and we are led by God's Son into a wonderful family, the family of God. In this family, we are assured that we will be an important part of the "new creation" of the whole world so as to reflect God's glory.

And, when we wander away from, or forget, our Lord and Saviour, he assures us that he will still remain to "intercede" or speak up for us before his Father's throne. In short, no matter how we fail, or how often, we know that God works in all things for our ultimate glory — if we continue to trust Him.

Nothing stands between us and eternal glory except our own loss of faith:

• not our sins, for they are forgiven;
• not our nature — it will be changed in a moment;
• not the law — it was satisfied in the death of Christ; and
• not even our trials, for they are specially designed by our Father for our benefit — our Father and His Son, who will never forsake us so long as we trust in them.

With these exalted, and exalting, assurances Paul prepares his readers, in the last part of this glorious chapter (Romans 8), to become "more than conquerors", or "super-conquerors through him who loved us".

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Verses 31-39 are the conclusion of Romans 8. In these verses, Paul draws together all these golden threads into a statement of faith. This statement of faith should be the personal profession of hope and trust which is the foundation of every believer's life. The believer may take Romans 8, and say: 'Here is where I take my stand. Here is the basis of my faith and my hope. I trust in my God to help me and save me.'

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? (v. 31).

Paul is now completely and passionately convinced of his salvation, and ours. All creation is being divided into two camps, and we, who are in Christ, are on the winning side.

This is the Scriptural viewpoint, and it can scarcely be stressed too much. As Christadelphians we must resist the false idea expressed in the simplistic phrase 'once saved, always saved'. We are being saved out of this world right now! But we can still lose that salvation if we walk away from our faith and our God.

We must also reject the too optimistic statement that 'Christ has done it all.' Christ has done all that he can possibly do, but he cannot make us immune to the possibility that we might choose to walk away, and never come back. It is our responsibility, to hold on to our personal faith — no matter what happens.

That, it seems to me, is the only truly unforgivable sin, because we cannot be forgiven if we abandon our faith and then never choose to come back and seek forgiveness.

There is a danger, however, in thinking too much about false ideas like "once saved—always saved", or "Christ did it all for me." The danger is this: We may spend too much time on the negative side of things. And we may conclude that, if our salvation is not guaranteed, then we are in terrible danger of failing, all the time. And when we remember, as we should, that we have duties and obligations to our Lord, there is always the danger of wondering: Am I doing enough?

Then, when troubles come, as they will, we may find ourselves trapped in a "place" of our own creation, a "place" where fear and doubt overcome us. "I am just not good enough", or "I am afraid that I will come up short!" This can be an enormous danger.

So we need to remind ourselves of the blessed assurance of this verse: "If God is for me (and so much of the Bible tells me that He is for me!), then who can be against me?"

The remaining verses in this chapter help us to face all the troubles that lie around us, and inside us — while understanding that absolutely none of those troubles are "deal-breakers". Let the world, and our own minds, throw the worst at us, and still… still… there is nothing there (up to, and including death itself) that can separate us from God's love shown in His Son.

This is why Romans 8 is my favorite chapter.

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, will He not graciously give us all things? (v. 32)

If God gave us His only-begotten Son, how could He possibly hold back anything? The greatest possible gift — His own Son! — guarantees all the lesser ones that follow. Here Paul refers to God's commendation of Abraham in the offering of his son Isaac: "…because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son…" (Gen 22:16).

In other words, Abraham suffered along with (perhaps even more than) Isaac in the anticipation of the sacrifice. But the outcome of their dedication was the promise of blessing to all nations (Gen 22:17,18).

The New Testament counterpart, then, is that God participated in the offering of His Son (Isa 53:10; Acts 2:23). In a sense, it was God's "pleasure" to do so, because it would bring eternal blessings to others:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

Nevertheless, the effort involved a sacrifice and distress on God's part. Here is a side of God's character hinted at in such passages as Isaiah 63:9: "In all their [Israel's] afflictions God was afflicted also."

In Genesis 22, the ultimate act of sacrificial love on God's part was portrayed by Abraham on the human level. And in that story, and Paul's allusion to it, we have seen the curtain pulled back from the Holy Place, so that we catch a glimpse of God's own personal and private feelings.

Can God sorrow? Can God feel pain? Can God be compassionate? Can He love? Yes to all of these questions!

The Eternal God is many things. But here, to Paul, He is a Father; a Father who graciously loves His children, finding great joy in even their smallest steps toward Him. And an all-powerful Father who has provided, and will continue to provide, all things He possibly can provide for our salvation.

Just as the Father shared with His Son in his sufferings and sacrifice, so we are called to do the same thing, even if only in small ways.

For example, we take bread and wine to draw nearer to Christ, and to think about and to experience — as best we can — his sacrifice, the pouring out of his life — for us.

And we try, every day and perhaps in very small ways, to take up our own "crosses" or burdens, and carry them — cheerfully and in faith — with Christ's help.

So, in some earlier words of Romans 8, "we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory" (v. 17).

"Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died— more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us" (Rom 8:33,34).

These two verses take us into a courtroom. In similar Old Testament scenes both Jews and Gentiles found themselves lacking when they stood in God's court of justice (Isa 41:21-24; 43:8-11; 44:7; 45:20,21).

Here, of course, the position of all men before God is portrayed: Without Christ we are all — without exception — "under sin… and [we all] fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:9,23).

But for us who believe, something wonderful has happened. By his life, his teachings, his death, and his resurrection, Christ has stood up for us! And he stands, now, for us, when we stand with him.

No man could condemn Jesus Christ of sin. And no one will condemn us if we stand with Christ.

God will not condemn us (v. 33), because it is He who has arranged all things (including the death of His beloved Son) for our benefit. And Christ will not condemn us (v. 34), because to do so would be to deny the value of his own blood, and to act contrary to all he has previously done, and all he is doing now as our mediator.

There is no doubt that, if we were judged solely on the basis of our own deeds, we would all fail miserably. The all-seeing eye of God has caught each of us "in the very act" of sin, so many times that they can scarcely be counted. But the only man who can righteously condemn us, being himself without sin, refuses to do so. As he said to the woman caught in the act of adultery: "Neither do I condemn you" (John 8:11).

Or, as Paul tells all believers:

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:1).

For those who do not believe, or have turned away from their faith, the Judgment Seat will be a true "courtroom", where one's sins are offered in evidence and judgment (i.e., condemnation) is passed.

But for those who have truly believed, who have truly shown faith, who have continued to serve their Lord — and who have stood up again and again after they have fallen — the Judgment Seat should hold no fear. No "charges" will be brought against them. (And — my opinion — if their sins are remembered, it will be brief and "instructional" only.)

Where is the "prosecuting attorney" in this courtroom, who is ready to condemn believers for their sins? There is no one; that seat is empty! And the One who might have sat there has instead become the defense attorney! Now he is pleading — to a sympathetic Judge (who is his own Father!) — the mitigating circumstances that nullify the sins of the "defendant", no matter who that defendant is. Let's read the transcript of that trial; here's his final argument:

Your Honor, whatever this man did or did not do that fell short of Your glory, I can testify that he believed in You through me. In that faith he threw himself upon Your mercy, and trusted in Your promises. He followed my example, and did what he could, given the limitations of his nature, and the body of weakness in which he lived. Now, Father, he leans upon me for what he could not do. I personally vouch for his love, and his sincerity. He's part of our family too! For my sake, O Lord, and for the glory of Your Holy Name, in Your great mercy and Your everlasting love, declare this one, my brother and Your child, "righteous"!

The writer to the Hebrews anticipates this very scene:

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Heb 4:14-16).

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"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" (Rom 8:35).

Who can separate us from God's love in Christ?

• Not "trouble": tribulation, pressure, affliction, or "trials".
• Not "hardship": distress, anguish of mind.
• Not "persecution": enemies who pursue us.
• Not "famine".
• Not "nakedness", that is, poverty in all of its aspects.
• Not "danger" or "sword": perils of travel, from thieves or wars.
• No! Not even death itself!

Even if we face death every day, even if we are considered like "sheep to be slaughtered" (v. 36), it doesn't matter. Christ was the preeminent "sheep led to the slaughter", and when he died, it was for our deliverance! He died so that, among other things, we can even face death unafraid, because of what our Saviour has gone through for us.

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (v. 37).

The Greek word here, which is translated "more than conquerors", basically means: "super-conquerors".

What does it mean to be "more than conquerors", or a "super-conqueror"?

When our granddaughter Miriam was about three years old, she watched a couple of cartoons and decided that she had "super powers". Fortified with what she imagined as a great "strength", she informed us that she could run faster than anyone. Then she set out immediately to show us.

All went well until she tripped on some unseen object and fell flat on the ground. Much weeping was followed by much comfort from grandparents, and I am pleased to report that she survived.

But the interesting thing is this: To this day, she has never claimed to have "super powers" again!

Through Christ we have won a victory which is more than a victory. We do not need to be "super-heroes" ourselves. We do not need "super powers" in order to defeat or fight through our trials with a superhuman strength.

Instead, we live as though our trials are not our adversaries, as though they are something entirely different. Our 'enemies' become our 'allies' when we recognize God's providential hand in all our lives.

And so we use, and God uses, each experience of our lives, no matter how painful, for our ultimate benefit. "All these things" of verse 37 are simply the "all things" — good and bad — of verse 28, where Paul says that "God works in all things for good."

We truly have no real "enemies" when Christ is on our side, because our would-be enemies have shrunk into insignificance when compared to him — just as the great storm on the Sea of Galilee gave way to perfectly calm waters at Christ's command. And all would-be "enemies" have become as nothing when compared to his love. For he has performed, for us, the one supreme act of love, when he laid down his life, deliberately, for his friends and his family. This was, and will forever remain, the one great, all-surpassing act of love — more extraordinary than we could ever imagine… except that it happened!

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom 8:38,39).

The last two verses express with great precision the full assurance of faith which is, or should be, the possession of those who have been declared righteous in Christ. No physical condition, no power of any sort, no dimension of time or space, and nothing else imaginable in God's creation… can separate us from the love of God in Christ. We must believe this.

What if Paul were writing to us today? What would he say? Here, in this beautiful chapter, he has surely left us a message too, and a guideline: No depression, no recession, no inflation, no bankruptcy, no unemployment, no riot nor crime in the streets, no cancer, no heart disease, no arthritis, no diabetes, no old age, no nuclear holocaust, no international terrorism — nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Here is the victorious life in Christ. Do we have the faith and the courage to live it? Let us find those stumbling-blocks in our lives, those delusions, which hinder us and leave us trapped in fear and uncertainty. And let us put them firmly to the side, and choose this instead. If we do, the Father who remembers us, and the Son who has engraved us on the palms of his hands (Isa 49:16), will rejoice at our faith, and will justify us from all sin.

Literally nothing at all can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In this last verse, two different "pairs" are each inseparable from one another. They are each bound together for eternity:

• God's love and Jesus Christ, and
• God's love and us.

And it is precisely because we have become "one" with our Lord Jesus Christ that we will never be separated from God's love, which was in him before it could ever be in us.

Thanks be to God for His amazing grace, and His inexpressible gift of love.

When I was a young brother, I was (perhaps?) a little presumptuous — maybe even a bit arrogant. I figured that I would start young and learn all there was to know about the Bible. Then I decided that I would begin with the most important parts, get them all sorted out first, and then work my way down to the "other" parts later.

In retrospect, I can say that there are about half a dozen things wrong with that general approach, but never mind for now. That's more or less what I thought at the time.

This was back in the 1970s, and there were no personal computers, and certainly no computerized index of Bible study materials. So of course, I set out to make my own index — including all the Bible passages expounded in Christadelphian books and magazines, of which I had inherited and accumulated practically everything worth having.

No problem, right?

I scanned through all the books I could find, and all the magazines I had. And in a few months, I had filled several large notebooks with lists of Bible references from Genesis to Revelation — organized by book, chapter and verse.

Now that I had these lists, what to do with them? The question came to mind, "What Bible chapter is the subject of the most Christadelphian commentary?"

I thought the answer would be something in Revelation or Daniel. But I was wrong. The chapter with the greatest number of comments was — you guessed it! — Romans 8.

No matter my motives in the first place, it seems that I had unwittingly stumbled across something really important: In fact, Romans 8 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible.

So I asked myself two questions:

• Why is Romans such an important book? And
• Why is Romans 8 the most important chapter in Romans?

And, many years later, with lots of life and experiences in between (and I'm still learning), these classes are some of my answers to those questions.

Why Romans? Because Romans is, without a doubt, the most comprehensive and profound of Paul's letters. And because it is the fountain of God's love, out of which flows — without ceasing — the greatest truth of the gospel: that we are made righteous by our faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why Romans 8? Because Romans 8 is the highest mountain peak of this great letter. Climb to the top of this mountain, and we look in every direction — seeing more of God's love and grace, and more of His wonderful purpose.

Everything before Romans 8 is a preparation for it; everything after Romans 8 is detail and exhortation arising out of it.

We see the past in the great salvation which our Saviour fought for and won in an arena of hate-filled men, in a dark garden, and upon a terrible cross.

The present is an uncertain world filled with thorns. But even in such a world, the absolute assurance of God's grace comforts us. Our Father is working for good in our lives, all the time (v. 28), and nothing in this world can separate us from God's love through His Son (v. 39).

In the loveliest terms, Romans 8 describes the fullness of blessings, present and future, to be found in Christ:

"the glorious freedom (liberty) of the children of God [God's dear children]" (v. 21).

These words, rightly understood, are clear and bright with promise. They encompass all time, and they overcome all troubles and fears — and sins.

In the first section of Romans 8, we consider two ideas:

• We are in Christ (vv.. 1-4), so that
• Christ will be in us (vv.. 5-11).

---

We are in Christ (vv.. 1-4)…

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… (v. 1).

There is no condemnation now, in this age, because of Christ's death and resurrection. No condemnation from the sin that troubles us — if we have faith in Christ. In his life, death and resurrection, Christ has condemned "Sin" (v. 3), so that those "in Christ" will not be condemned!

Of course, we know that we are still subject to death. As time passes, we are often reminded of the reality of death, when we lose loved ones. But that death will have no final dominion over us, because we know that we will be raised from the dead when our Lord returns.

Martha tells her sister Mary, when Jesus comes to grieve over his friend Lazarus, "The Master is come, and he is calling for you!" (John 11:28). So he will seek each one of us when he returns.

And very soon, that same Master was standing before the tomb and calling for Lazarus also: "Lazarus, come forth!" (v. 43). In that same way he will call for us, if we die before he returns.

And we know that our own sins cannot condemn us — because whatever sins we might have committed, or how many times we have failed, we can still be forgiven by the grace of God in our Lord Jesus Christ — if we truly repent and turn back to him.

---

In the cartoon "Peanuts", Lucy is going around one day with a special paper, and asking everyone she meets to "Sign this, please." She finally comes to good ol' Charlie Brown, and tells him, "Sign this, please."

Of course, being Charlie Brown, he signs. But then he has to ask, "What did I just sign?"

Lucy tells him: "This document absolves me of all responsibility. No matter what happens, anywhere and at any time, it is not my fault."

Now Charlie Brown turns to us, the readers, and says, "That must be a wonderful document to have."

Yes it is, Charlie. And we have that document! That document" is the Bible or, more precisely now, Romans 8.

The central theme of Paul's letter to the Romans is justification by faith: We are declared righteous because of our faith in Christ.

It is also true, as James shows, that our faith is demonstrated by our works, and that we are, in some sense, also justified by our works.

Somehow, perhaps as a reaction to evangelical teachings about "faith alone", we Christadelphians have come to lean quite strongly toward the 'works' side of the scale. In doing this we run the risk of teaching (by implication at least) that our salvation is based on what we do; and perhaps even that God is just waiting to condemn us for one shortcomings.

This is just not so. Some have labored under a false assumption, a downcast pessimism best expressed in the sad confession: 'I don't think I'm good enough to get into the kingdom.'

It is precisely here that we must ask ourselves:

'Do we really believe what Paul tells us in Romans 8:1, that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ?

We must not "explain away" this verse. We must not "water it down", so that its power is lost or wasted. This verse is much more than a promise for the future — it is much more than wishful thinking. This verse is real; it is happening now — for us. All of Romans 8 enhances this mountain-top view that, for the believer, justification and righteousness and divine sonship are present possessions.

This righteousness does not depend on us living up to a certain standard of righteousness. It does not depend on us performing a certain number of good works. It only depends on us remaining "in Christ".

…because through [or "in"] Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death (Rom 8:2).

To enter 'into Christ' is not just to believe certain doctrines about him. Instead, it is to enter 'into him', as one who is in danger will enter into a place of refuge, protection and safety. Christ is the 'place' where Paul was liberated from the condemnation of the Law.

And just as we must be "in Christ", we must let him be "in us":

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal 2:20).

Because of Christ's sacrifice, we have been "saved" from condemnation!

For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh [KJV] to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh… (v. 3)

That little phrase "the likeness of" should be eliminated. God sent His Son "in the flesh of sin". He was born of a woman, and born under the law (of sin and death); that is, he was born in the ordinary flesh of ordinary human beings. He bore, not just a resemblance to human flesh, but he was a human being, even as he was also the "son of God".

It was necessary, Paul says, that Christ should challenge and defeat "Sin" in the arena where it reigned supreme, that is, in the flesh.

Jesus Christ was required to fight his own battle against sin and secure the victory on behalf of himself and all who would belong to him. He could only fight such a battle in "the flesh", where human nature, sin and death reigned (Rom 6:12-18).

Ultimately, the final victory could only be won when Jesus at last offered himself as "a sin offering" (v. 3, NIV), the only true and lasting sacrifice for sins.

It cannot be stressed too much: It was necessary that Christ should challenge and defeat "Sin" in its own home — in his heart and his mind. There it must be resisted and controlled, and finally destroyed.

"Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil" (Heb 2:14).

---

… And Christ is in us (vv. 5-11).

The order of verses in Romans 8 is significant:

• First, Paul explains that "there is no condemnation" (vv.. 1-4) for those who are "in Christ".
• Only then, and secondly, Paul explains that those who are "in Christ" can remain there only by allowing Christ to be in them, and allowing this principle — "Christ in us" — to guide their lives (vv.. 5-11).

Put it another way:

• We have been "justified", forgiven, declared righteous through our faith in Jesus Christ, as described in that wonderful document which we possess, the Bible.
• Only then can we show that we are "in Christ" by making every effort to live righteously, as he wants us to live.

This is where our "good works" come in, not to earn eternal life, but to help us remain in that place of safety, which is Christ.

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what that flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires (v. 5).

The word "minds" describes the mental and moral dimension of our lives. The NET translates, "have their outlook shaped by…"

Those whose minds are set on spiritual things will endeavor to develop in their lives the same virtues as Christ. These virtues are enumerated in Galatians 5:22-25:

• love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, etc.

…and in 2 Peter 1:5-8:

• goodness,
• knowledge,
• perseverance,
• self-control,
• love, etc.

These, and other traits, are taught by the Word of God, given by His Spirit. They have the seeds of eternal life within them (1 Pet 1:23). To follow this way of life is to live "in Christ", and to have Christ live in us.

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind of (or controlled by] the Spirit is life and peace (v. 6).

• The first, and simplest, way to understand this passage is to read "mind" as 'outlook, way of thinking, or mindset'.
• The second thing is to read "is" as 'leads to'.

A mind with one outlook leads to one outcome; and a mind with another outlook leads to a very different outcome.

In another sense, also, it may be said that the mind of the flesh is death, even now, and that the mind of the spirit, even now, is life. Paul wrote elsewhere that the woman who lives "for pleasure", the woman who is foolish, selfish, and self-seeking, is dead while she lives (1 Tim 5:6).

And the apostle John says that the man who does not love his brother is dwelling in death (1 John 3:14). In other words, those who think and act and live in the way of the flesh are as good as dead already. They are dead men (and women) walking!

On the other hand, the words of Jesus describe those who demonstrate the spirit-life:

"Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24; cp. 1 John 5:11-13).

Our redemption is seen as certain. How can that be? Because a mind firmly set on the proper goal, glorifying God in His Kingdom forever, has already arrived in the Kingdom! In other words, his mind is already there, and one day his body will be there also!

And where our mind is… that is very important!:

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus" (Phil 2:5).

And again,

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God" (Col 3:2,3).

The apostle can write such things because he appreciates a fundamental truth: The Word of God has been designed not only to teach us facts — though, of course, that can be very important. But above and beyond its first purpose, the Word of God has been designed to change us for the better — by the power of its influence — and to develop within us a divine attitude to life:

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things" (Phil 4:8).

To summarize the last verses in this section (vv.. 9-11), Paul says we are "inclined toward the spirit" if all these things dwell in us:

• the spirit of God (v. 9),
• the spirit of Christ (v. 9),
• Christ (vv.. 9,10), and
• the spirit of Him who raised Christ from the dead (v. 11)…

All four of these items seem to be synonymous. Once we see this, then there is no mystery about any of them. "Spirit" is "teaching", and vice versa, and God and Christ are seen in partnership with one another — Christ's "spirit" is also the "spirit" of God. And behind all these is the Word of God, which presents the mind of God, and the example of Christ which shows us how to live.

God dwells in us through His Word, just as He dwelt in His Son. If Jesus had never sought out the Word of God, and made it his constant refuge, then being the specially begotten Son of God would have meant nothing at all. Jesus became "the Word of God" not just by birth, but by constantly putting God's Word into his mind, and then putting it into practice.

It is not really any different with us. We do not absorb the Word of God magically or by some supernatural power; we absorb it by reading and thinking about it, and applying it every day.

But what about verse 11?

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

This leads us to ask a very reasonable question:

Do we have "the Spirit" today?

To which the reasonable answer is:

Yes AND No!

I will try to explain…

God's Spirit (even His "Holy Spirit") can live in us, even today. This, however, does not mean that we have any special first-century Holy Spirit gifts at our disposal. We cannot heal the lame and give sight to the blind. We are not inspired prophets who can predict future events (no matter what some Christadelphian speakers and writers seem to think!). And we certainly cannot literally raise the dead!

But we can change our lives for the better, and we can help to change other peoples' lives for the better. We can show forth the Glory of God in our daily lives. We can tell people about the Kingdom of God. It has been said that we might be the only "Bible" that many people ever see or "read".

We have no miraculous powers, but we all can perform a certain kind of "miracle". The miracle of a changed life — our own! — can help others to change their lives too. When this happens, then God's Spirit, in some mysterious way, is working through us!

So we live in Christ, and Christ lives in us. One day — it may be soon — the transition will be complete, and our Saviour will return to raise the dead and open the gates of eternity. "Behold, I create all things new!"

Each of us is like a little caterpillar wrapped up in a chrysalis. We are all waiting for the new day in which we will be "born", a second time, as a beautiful butterfly — maybe a "monarch" butterfly! — in God's Kingdom.

We have already begun that process.

We are in Christ, and Christ is in Us (Romans 8:1-11)

When I was a young brother, I was (perhaps?) a little presumptuous — maybe even a bit arrogant. I figured that I would start young and learn all there was to know about the Bible. Then I decided that I would begin with the most important parts, get them all sorted out first, and then work my way down to the “other” parts later.

In retrospect, I can say that there are about half a dozen things wrong with that general approach, but never mind for now. That’s more or less what I thought at the time.

This was back in the 1970s, and there were no personal computers, and certainly no computerized index of Bible study materials. So of course, I set out to make my own index — including all the Bible passages expounded in Christadelphian books and magazines, of which I had inherited and accumulated practically everything worth having.

No problem, right?

I scanned through all the books I could find, and all the magazines I had. And in a few months, I had filled several large notebooks with lists of Bible references from Genesis to Revelation — organized by book, chapter and verse.

Now that I had these lists, what to do with them? The question came to mind, “What Bible chapter is the subject of the most Christadelphian commentary?”

I thought the answer would be something in Revelation or Daniel. But I was wrong. The chapter with the greatest number of comments was — you guessed it! — Romans 8.

No matter my motives in the first place, it seems that I had unwittingly stumbled across something really important: In fact, Romans 8 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible.

So I asked myself two questions:

• Why is Romans such an important book? And
• Why is Romans 8 the most important chapter in Romans?

And, many years later, with lots of life and experiences in between (and I’m still learning), these classes are some of my answers to those questions.

Why Romans? Because Romans is, without a doubt, the most comprehensive and profound of Paul’s letters. And because it is the fountain of God’s love, out of which flows — without ceasing — the greatest truth of the gospel: that we are made righteous by our faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why Romans 8? Because Romans 8 is the highest mountain peak of this great letter. Climb to the top of this mountain, and we look in every direction — seeing more of God’s love and grace, and more of His wonderful purpose.

Everything before Romans 8 is a preparation for it; everything after Romans 8 is detail and exhortation arising out of it.

We see the past in the great salvation which our Saviour fought for and won in an arena of hate-filled men, in a dark garden, and upon a terrible cross.

The present is an uncertain world filled with thorns. But even in such a world, the absolute assurance of God’s grace comforts us. Our Father is working for good in our lives, all the time (v. 28), and nothing in this world can separate us from God’s love through His Son (v. 39).

In the loveliest terms, Romans 8 describes the fullness of blessings, present and future, to be found in Christ:

“the glorious freedom (liberty) of the children of God [God’s dear children]” (v. 21).

These words, rightly understood, are clear and bright with promise. They encompass all time, and they overcome all troubles and fears — and sins.

In the first section of Romans 8, we consider two ideas:

• We are in Christ (vv.. 1-4), so that
• Christ will be in us (vv.. 5-11).

---

We are in Christ (vv.. 1-4)…

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… (v. 1).

There is no condemnation now, in this age, because of Christ’s death and resurrection. No condemnation from the sin that troubles us — if we have faith in Christ. In his life, death and resurrection, Christ has condemned “Sin” (v. 3), so that those “in Christ” will not be condemned!

Of course, we know that we are still subject to death. As time passes, we are often reminded of the reality of death, when we lose loved ones. But that death will have no final dominion over us, because we know that we will be raised from the dead when our Lord returns.

Martha tells her sister Mary, when Jesus comes to grieve over his friend Lazarus, “The Master is come, and he is calling for you!” (John 11:28). So he will seek each one of us when he returns.

And very soon, that same Master was standing before the tomb and calling for Lazarus also: “Lazarus, come forth!” (v. 43). In that same way he will call for us, if we die before he returns.

And we know that our own sins cannot condemn us — because whatever sins we might have committed, or how many times we have failed, we can still be forgiven by the grace of God in our Lord Jesus Christ — if we truly repent and turn back to him.

---

In the cartoon “Peanuts”, Lucy is going around one day with a special paper, and asking everyone she meets to “Sign this, please.” She finally comes to good ol’ Charlie Brown, and tells him, “Sign this, please.”

Of course, being Charlie Brown, he signs. But then he has to ask, “What did I just sign?”

Lucy tells him: “This document absolves me of all responsibility. No matter what happens, anywhere and at any time, it is not my fault.”

Now Charlie Brown turns to us, the readers, and says, “That must be a wonderful document to have.”

Yes it is, Charlie. And we have that document! That document” is the Bible or, more precisely now, Romans 8.

The central theme of Paul’s letter to the Romans is justification by faith: We are declared righteous because of our faith in Christ.

It is also true, as James shows, that our faith is demonstrated by our works, and that we are, in some sense, also justified by our works.

Somehow, perhaps as a reaction to evangelical teachings about “faith alone”, we Christadelphians have come to lean quite strongly toward the ‘works’ side of the scale. In doing this we run the risk of teaching (by implication at least) that our salvation is based on what we do; and perhaps even that God is just waiting to condemn us for one shortcomings.

This is just not so. Some have labored under a false assumption, a downcast pessimism best expressed in the sad confession: ‘I don’t think I’m good enough to get into the kingdom.’

It is precisely here that we must ask ourselves:

‘Do we really believe what Paul tells us in Romans 8:1, that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ?

We must not “explain away” this verse. We must not “water it down”, so that its power is lost or wasted. This verse is much more than a promise for the future — it is much more than wishful thinking. This verse is real; it is happening now — for us. All of Romans 8 enhances this mountain-top view that, for the believer, justification and righteousness and divine sonship are present possessions.

This righteousness does not depend on us living up to a certain standard of righteousness. It does not depend on us performing a certain number of good works. It only depends on us remaining “in Christ”.

…because through [or “in”] Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death (Rom 8:2).

To enter ‘into Christ’ is not just to believe certain doctrines about him. Instead, it is to enter ‘into him’, as one who is in danger will enter into a place of refuge, protection and safety. Christ is the ‘place’ where Paul was liberated from the condemnation of the Law.

And just as we must be “in Christ”, we must let him be “in us”:

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20).

Because of Christ’s sacrifice, we have been “saved” from condemnation!

For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh [KJV] to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh… (v. 3)

That little phrase “the likeness of” should be eliminated. God sent His Son “in the flesh of sin”. He was born of a woman, and born under the law (of sin and death); that is, he was born in the ordinary flesh of ordinary human beings. He bore, not just a resemblance to human flesh, but he was a human being, even as he was also the “son of God”.

It was necessary, Paul says, that Christ should challenge and defeat “Sin” in the arena where it reigned supreme, that is, in the flesh.

Jesus Christ was required to fight his own battle against sin and secure the victory on behalf of himself and all who would belong to him. He could only fight such a battle in “the flesh”, where human nature, sin and death reigned (Rom 6:12-18).

Ultimately, the final victory could only be won when Jesus at last offered himself as “a sin offering” (v. 3, NIV), the only true and lasting sacrifice for sins.

It cannot be stressed too much: It was necessary that Christ should challenge and defeat “Sin” in its own home — in his heart and his mind. There it must be resisted and controlled, and finally destroyed.

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil” (Heb 2:14).

---

… And Christ is in us (vv. 5-11).

The order of verses in Romans 8 is significant:

• First, Paul explains that “there is no condemnation” (vv.. 1-4) for those who are “in Christ”.
• Only then, and secondly, Paul explains that those who are “in Christ” can remain there only by allowing Christ to be in them, and allowing this principle — “Christ in us” — to guide their lives (vv.. 5-11).

Put it another way:

• We have been “justified”, forgiven, declared righteous through our faith in Jesus Christ, as described in that wonderful document which we possess, the Bible.
• Only then can we show that we are “in Christ” by making every effort to live righteously, as he wants us to live.

This is where our “good works” come in, not to earn eternal life, but to help us remain in that place of safety, which is Christ.

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what that flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires (v. 5).

The word “minds” describes the mental and moral dimension of our lives. The NET translates, “have their outlook shaped by…”

Those whose minds are set on spiritual things will endeavor to develop in their lives the same virtues as Christ. These virtues are enumerated in Galatians 5:22-25:

• love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, etc.

…and in 2 Peter 1:5-8:

• goodness,
• knowledge,
• perseverance,
• self-control,
• love, etc.

These, and other traits, are taught by the Word of God, given by His Spirit. They have the seeds of eternal life within them (1 Pet 1:23). To follow this way of life is to live “in Christ”, and to have Christ live in us.

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind of (or controlled by] the Spirit is life and peace (v. 6).

• The first, and simplest, way to understand this passage is to read “mind” as ‘outlook, way of thinking, or mindset’.
• The second thing is to read “is” as ‘leads to’.

A mind with one outlook leads to one outcome; and a mind with another outlook leads to a very different outcome.

In another sense, also, it may be said that the mind of the flesh is death, even now, and that the mind of the spirit, even now, is life. Paul wrote elsewhere that the woman who lives “for pleasure”, the woman who is foolish, selfish, and self-seeking, is dead while she lives (1 Tim 5:6).

And the apostle John says that the man who does not love his brother is dwelling in death (1 John 3:14). In other words, those who think and act and live in the way of the flesh are as good as dead already. They are dead men (and women) walking!

On the other hand, the words of Jesus describe those who demonstrate the spirit-life:

“Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24; cp. 1 John 5:11-13).

Our redemption is seen as certain. How can that be? Because a mind firmly set on the proper goal, glorifying God in His Kingdom forever, has already arrived in the Kingdom! In other words, his mind is already there, and one day his body will be there also!

And where our mind is… that is very important!:

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5).

And again,

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3:2,3).

The apostle can write such things because he appreciates a fundamental truth: The Word of God has been designed not only to teach us facts — though, of course, that can be very important. But above and beyond its first purpose, the Word of God has been designed to change us for the better — by the power of its influence — and to develop within us a divine attitude to life:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things” (Phil 4:8).

To summarize the last verses in this section (vv.. 9-11), Paul says we are “inclined toward the spirit” if all these things dwell in us:

• the spirit of God (v. 9),
• the spirit of Christ (v. 9),
• Christ (vv.. 9,10), and
• the spirit of Him who raised Christ from the dead (v. 11)…

All four of these items seem to be synonymous. Once we see this, then there is no mystery about any of them. “Spirit” is “teaching”, and vice versa, and God and Christ are seen in partnership with one another — Christ’s “spirit” is also the “spirit” of God. And behind all these is the Word of God, which presents the mind of God, and the example of Christ which shows us how to live.

God dwells in us through His Word, just as He dwelt in His Son. If Jesus had never sought out the Word of God, and made it his constant refuge, then being the specially begotten Son of God would have meant nothing at all. Jesus became “the Word of God” not just by birth, but by constantly putting God’s Word into his mind, and then putting it into practice.

It is not really any different with us. We do not absorb the Word of God magically or by some supernatural power; we absorb it by reading and thinking about it, and applying it every day.

But what about verse 11?

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

This leads us to ask a very reasonable question:

Do we have “the Spirit” today?

To which the reasonable answer is:

Yes AND No!

I will try to explain…

God’s Spirit (even His “Holy Spirit”) can live in us, even today. This, however, does not mean that we have any special first-century Holy Spirit gifts at our disposal. We cannot heal the lame and give sight to the blind. We are not inspired prophets who can predict future events (no matter what some Christadelphian speakers and writers seem to think!). And we certainly cannot literally raise the dead!

But we can change our lives for the better, and we can help to change other peoples’ lives for the better. We can show forth the Glory of God in our daily lives. We can tell people about the Kingdom of God. It has been said that we might be the only “Bible” that many people ever see or “read”.

We have no miraculous powers, but we all can perform a certain kind of “miracle”. The miracle of a changed life — our own! — can help others to change their lives too. When this happens, then God’s Spirit, in some mysterious way, is working through us!

So we live in Christ, and Christ lives in us. One day — it may be soon — the transition will be complete, and our Saviour will return to raise the dead and open the gates of eternity. “Behold, I create all things new!”

Each of us is like a little caterpillar wrapped up in a chrysalis. We are all waiting for the new day in which we will be “born”, a second time, as a beautiful butterfly — maybe a “monarch” butterfly! — in God’s Kingdom.

We have already begun that process.

We are at the end of this series, and I would be remiss if I did not say the following, very clearly and simply. No matter how it may sound to you, the readers, I am by no means a paragon of virtue. I am certainly not saying that I have done anything like all the good deeds which our Lord tells us we should do — in fact, I have done very few of them. I want this to be more than a cliché, more than a perfunctory disclaimer, when I tell you that I am exhorting myself first and foremost, before I ever think of exhorting anyone else.

The people who are kind

There is a beautiful thought that has been pointed out by various writers, Christadelphian and otherwise. The early name given to believers in Christ, "christianos" (Acts 11:26), sounded so much like another word that it could have been easily mistaken for that other word — the difference being only one vowel. That other word was "chrestianos", meaning "the people who are kind, good and benevolent". Harry Whittaker, for one, suggests this was no accident, but a name deliberately chosen to advertise the One Faith in the first century. He writes:

In popular speech "Christianoi" [i.e., Christians] readily became "Chrestianoi", the kindly folk. This confusion between "Christos" and "chrestos" was recognized by the apostles, and even encouraged by them:

"His kindness (chrestotes) towards us through Christ ['Christos]" (Eph 2:7)…

"Be ye kind (chrestos) one to another… even as God for Christ's (Christos) sake…" (Eph 4:32).

Studies in the Acts of the Apostles, p. 168

It is a fact, remarked upon by various historians, that the early church or ecclesia had such a tremendous impact on the Roman world because the church was a group of men and women who acted out of love and kindness toward all mankind. The Roman world was a harsh and even brutal place where charity, philanthropy, unselfish love, or even simple kindness were little known, except perhaps toward one's immediate family or friends. In such an environment, the early "Christians" could easily come to be called "the people (indeed, almost the only people!) who are kind", and their reputation could gain a hearing for their beliefs from those in the Empire who benefited from that kindness.

All of which gives us one more reason to be kind to others, to everyone, all the time, and no matter the circumstances:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" (1Cor 13:4-8).

As if we needed another reason!

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The brothers and sisters in Romans 16 surely went about doing good to strangers, helping wherever they could. Even as they went about preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, they also did what they could to feed the hungry, care for the sick, and comfort the suffering. What good does it do to preach about a coming kingdom of righteousness, peace and plenty if we pass by those in need right now — without being touched by them and without touching them in turn?

So we take it for granted that, as those commended Romans helped Paul and his fellow preachers and teachers, they also helped those to whom Paul was preaching. To tell a mother with a starving child about the Savior who multiplied loaves and fishes means very little if we don't share our food with them:

"If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?" (James 2:15,16, KJV).

So what can we do to help? There are so many different ways, some of which Paul has pointed out for us in his commendations of the brothers and sisters in Romans 16:

Example(s)

How Did They Help? Verses in Romans 16 Phoebe By going out of her way to receive and then deliver a very important message for Paul, and by generously giving of her time and money to help and support others, especially travelers and visitors. Verses 1,2 Priscilla and Aquila By providing an example of full cooperation as a missionary team, shown in their own marriage between a Gentile believer and a Jewish believer. By helping, supporting and working alongside Paul in his preaching. By willingly relocating from place to place so as to preach more widely. By tactfully instructing the gifted Apollos, so as to improve his witness to others. By making their home, wherever they were, a center of fellowship and service. And by risking martyrdom for Paul and the cause of the Truth. Verses 3,4 Epenetus By encouraging others, by the simple act of believing and being baptized, thus pointing the way for others to follow his example. Verse 5 Mary By working, without ceasing, to help others in any way possible. Verse 6 Andronicus and Junia By their companionship in support of Paul when they were his fellow-prisoners. Verse 7 Ampliatus By returning the great love which his friend Paul shown him, even if the kind of help which he offered is unknown to us. Verse 8 Urbanus By working alongside Paul and others in the service of Christ. Verse 9 Stachys By being Paul's dear friend and confidant, in rejoicing and weeping alike. Verse 9 Apelles By being tested under great stress and persecution, and coming through it successfully with his faith intact, thus setting an example for others whose faith would be tested. Verse 10 Herodion By continuing in his faith, if for no other reason. Being a believer in Christ in the first century was never an easy task. Verse 11 Tryphena, Tryphosa and Persis By working very hard in the Lord to help Paul and others. Verse 12 Rufus By distinguishing himself in such a way as to be especially chosen and consecrated (much as Paul himself was) for an important service in the Lord. Possibly by taking a leading role of service, which would make him a target of the enemies of the Truth. Verse 13 Rufus' mother By realizing that, from time to time, Paul needed something which she could provide, that is, a warm and loving family, with a mother figure — which Paul may have had to give up when he chose to follow Christ. Verse 13 All those brothers and sisters in small house-churches By working very hard, and perhaps doing much more than those in larger ecclesias, to strengthen and build up even the smallest ecclesias. Verses 14,15

Paul also conveys greetings to the brothers and sisters in Rome from other believers who are with him in Corinth, while especially singling out some of them for their service to himself and others:

Other Example(s)

How Did They Help? Verses in Romans 16 Timothy By working alongside Paul in his gospel proclamation, and by remaining behind to continue his instruction, and to guide and counsel new converts. Verse 21 Tertius By acting as Paul's secretary, helping to spread his message to others, and at the same time freeing the apostle for other significant work. Verse 22 Gaius By cheerfully making available his house and all he had to provide shelter and care to those who were preaching and teaching. By also making his house available for the regular meetings of the brothers and sisters in Corinth. Verse 23

Conclusion

The men and women named and listed in Romans 16 were people whom the Apostle Paul loved. They were also men and women whom Jesus Christ loved, and whom his Father in heaven loved as well. They were loved not just because they believed and were baptized, but also because, for their part, they loved to the extent that they were willing to go the extra mile, to make the extra sacrifice, of time and money and comfort, to further the preaching of the gospel while also helping others. They remind us once again of what we should know already: that love is not an emotion — it is an action. We show love by doing something, for someone else, even at times for someone we do not know and will probably never meet, or never meet again. They remind us of one more thing which we should already know: that faith without works is dead. We must keep our faith alive by doing good and kind things for others, not just our brothers and sisters (although that is surely a good place to start), but also by doing good and kind things for neighbors and friends and acquaintances and strangers.

The men and women mentioned in Romans 16 were Paul's friends, as well as believers he may never have met, but of whom he had heard good reports. He wanted to know their names, he wanted to remember those names, and presumably he wanted us to know those names also — although he had no hope of meeting any of us before the Kingdom. Surely he wanted all who read his words in the Letter to the Romans to know one more thing:

If we would like our name inscribed in a similar letter or book, we have only to be thankful for the blessings we have received, both spiritual and temporal, and to return the favors conferred upon us by conferring blessings upon others — blessings of faith and hope which come through the preaching of God's Word and blessings of love which come through simple, heartfelt acts of generosity which need no words at all.

Profound words convey wonderful news, while small actions convey the wonderful reality of love — whether it be a cup of cold water, a visit to a friend who is ill, a coat when a child is cold, or comfort when a neighbor mourns. Paul wanted us to follow Christ even as he followed him, teaching his words while living out the spirit of those words every day. He wanted us to be peacemakers and not troublemakers, to show mercy for the seventy-seventh time and more, to refrain from anger and bitter words, to seek reconciliation and not division, to go the extra mile, to bear the extra burden, to do what King David did — and give to God something that is not easy to give but rather costs us dearly! He wanted us to turn the other cheek, to love the people who persecute us, and also to pray for them. He wanted us to be perfect, even as our Father in heaven is perfect — and if we can't do that (and it is breathtakingly obvious that we cannot!), then he wanted us at least to try!

But most of all, at the end of everything else, Paul wanted our names to be written "in the book of life" (Phil 4:3), and never to be blotted out (Rev 3:5), because that Book of Life is the property of the Lamb of God who was slain for us (Rev 13:8). And he wanted us all to enter that glorious city which is the New Jerusalem:

"On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life" (Rev 21:25-27).

Paul summarized his policy regarding preaching in Romans 15:20:

"It has always been my ambition ['I have strived': cp KJV] to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation."

Since that was his avowed intention, why did he choose to write his most comprehensive statement about the gospel to an ecclesia which he had not yet visited?

The church at Rome contained an extremely volatile mix of members in the first century. There were Jews, some who were still quite committed to the observance of the Law of Moses. There was also a large number of Gentile converts from the gross idolatry of the Roman world. In a number of cases, such Gentiles were from influential Roman families, but considering the makeup of Rome's population at that time, many more would probably have been slaves.

Harry Whittaker describes what he calls "the strange social situation" in Rome:

The Jewish Christians had lived all their days following the strict food laws and prohibitions which all through the centuries have done more than anything else to maintain Jewish separatism. These Jews would inevitably be infected with the spiritual snobbery which was very much a characteristic of Jewry at that time… They knew themselves to be the chosen race, "beloved for the fathers' sakes". [To these Jews] Gentiles were mere "dogs", ignorant idolaters, steeped in all kinds of abomination. Even believing Gentiles would be seen to be religiously much inferior to themselves, and accordingly many (or most) of these Jewish believers would look down on their Gentile brethren, who had not grown up in the nurture of the Scriptures, as though they were of lower status in the Faith.

On the other hand some of these Gentiles were from some of the highest families in the Empire. And practically all of them would be accustomed to thinking of themselves as members of the Master Race, the nation which had built the strongest Empire the world had ever known. Especially were they used to looking down their noses at Jews who [had] somehow managed to get themselves disliked by most Gentiles. Here, then, was a situation which from earliest days was fraught with difficulty. Oil and water do not mix. Then how much less the hope that Jews and Romans would join together in a fullness of fellowship so as to adorn the doctrine of Christ!

Bible Studies, p. 304

It was in this ecclesial environment that Aquila the Jew and Priscilla the Roman lived. They may have seen real evidence of the Body of Christ being split into two cliques organized according to nationality. What could be done about it? Since this married couple represented both sides of the great divide in their own marriage, and since they had been close associates and coworkers with the apostle Paul, it seems likely that they decided on a course of action designed to bring the Roman ecclesia or church closer together as One Body. They may even have requested that Paul write a letter to the Roman brethren in order to lay out the full gospel of Jesus Christ. But at the same time, his Letter to the Romans would also present that gospel in the context of the perceived differences between the two parts of the ecclesia (Romans 9-11), along with strong exhortations to develop and maintain true unity in the bond of the Spirit (Romans 12-15), despite those differences.

A microcosm of the Roman ecclesia

The "mixed" marriage of devoutly Jewish Aquila and aristocratic Roman Priscilla is a microcosm of the "mixed" ecclesia in Rome. It is evident from our previous article (#3: "Priscilla and Aquila") that this mismatched couple did remarkably well in blending their diverse backgrounds and experiences into "one body" ("A man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and they will become one flesh": Gen 2:24; cp Matt 19:5; Mark 10:8; Eph 5:31).

This particular "one body" or "one flesh" of Aquila and Priscilla achieved extraordinary success in preaching, guiding, and caregiving — quite literally because, wherever they went throughout the Empire, they never encountered a believer or a prospective believer with whom they had nothing in common. When Paul wrote: "Unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews… to them that are without law, [I became] as without law… that I might gain them that are without law" (1Cor 9:20,21, KJV), he could well have been describing the partnership of Aquila and Priscilla. Their respective heritages and upbringings had prepared this couple to be all things to all men and women — in one convenient package!

To develop such an effective "unity" between two very different people would not have been easy. It would have required an extended, concentrated effort — never mind a profound love for the Lord, the gospel, and one another.

However, once such a status was reached — and remembering the need to nurture and strengthen that unity — Aquila and Priscilla must have realized how much the Roman believers needed that same unity, but on a much wider scale. I think this is what they hoped the apostle Paul would help them to achieve.

As with a marriage, so with an ecclesia — whether that "ecclesia" is a single meeting, several congregations, or the broader body consisting of all individual believers who share a common faith and hope, wherever they live. One ingredient is especially necessary to bring together diverse elements, and that is the ability to overlook and then to live with the minor differences of opinion or practice which are naturally found in a community of likeminded but individual believers. We must remember that, as believers in Christ, we are all instructed to examine the Scriptures, to think for ourselves, and to prove all things (1Thes 5:21). If these guidelines are actually followed, then we may expect that a community based on such instructions will readily agree on the fundamentals of the faith, which by definition are supported by not one or two, but many passages. At the same time, we may also expect that its members would learn to tolerate the relatively minor differences of opinions on doubtful matters, because they have also been instructed to distinguish between what Robert Roberts called "true principles" and "uncertain details". *

How Paul dealt with the problem in Rome

The background of Paul's Epistle to the Romans is suggested in his introductory statement of purpose:

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile" (Rom 1:16).

Jews and Gentiles were in the same situation regarding salvation: they were all sinners, and all in need of God's mercy (Rom 1:18-3:20). The Jews were the "first" to believe the gospel, because the Law's inability to save weak and sinful mankind had prepared them to accept a Savior. "Then" the Gentiles began to realize, through the preaching of Jewish converts, that they had the same need for a Messiah as did the Jews. Given their respective circumstances, how could either group look down upon or feel superior to the other? Each needed the grace of God in equal portions.

"Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith" (Rom 3:29,30).

In many cases, Jewish and Gentile believers had followed very different paths to accept the same gospel. As Paul also explained, God had indeed promised that Abraham would be the spiritual father not just of Jews, but of all who had faith. In fact, he was destined to become "the father of many nations" (Rom 4:17) — Gentiles as well as Jews. No matter where they started, Jews and Gentiles heard the call to repent and, led by faith, they followed — until they all arrived at the same destination: the mercy seat, where salvation was found in Jesus Christ.

Going on from the earlier chapters of Romans (chapters 1-5), Paul led his readers on through baptism, the beginning of a new life, and to the great joys of belonging to the family of God in Christ (Romans 6-8). These steps were what all believers held in common with one another — no matter their ethnicity or language, social standing or background. And thus, Paul arrived at the section mentioned above (Romans 9-11), where he analyzed the respective situations of Jews and Gentiles. In doing so, Paul assured all believers that, no matter how far away any believers might think to remove themselves from the mercies of God, He is able to graft them back into His own "tree", His own spiritual family, and include them in the One Hope again.

Then finally, Paul led the Roman believers — the formerly devout Jews as well as formerly idolatrous Gentiles — to Romans 12:3-8, and the wonderful allegory of the One Body (which he developed even further in 1 Corinthians 12). In both Romans and Corinthians he painted the beautiful picture of disparate elements brought together, against all expectation, to create a new and glorious unity. In such a unity, all the components miraculously worked together for the benefit of the whole, and with a greater energy than the sum of the parts.

Finally Paul brought his audience to the powerful and practical exhortations of the last major section of the letter (Rom 12:9-15:13) — exhortations about hope and love, prayer and peace, patience in affliction, decency and restraint, kindness toward all mankind, help and comfort for those whose faith was weak, respect for those with slightly different ideas and emphases, restraint in judging and criticizing others, and — no matter what — joy in sharing fellowship with one another.

It is instructive for us modern readers to see how all of Paul's exhortations in these chapters were intended to lead that odd collection of first-century Roman believers to a greater unity with one another. It was perfectly obvious that, left to themselves, they had nothing in common; they were Jews and Gentiles, poor and rich, slave and free. They had different customs, different traditions, different foods, and different perspectives on the world. Left to themselves, they were aliens to one another and — perhaps most telling of all — they simply did not like each other!

How could this be changed? What could make sworn enemies like Jewish rebels and Roman soldiers come to respect and even love one another? What could make the richest and poorest elements of Mediterranean society live together in goodwill and unity of mind? The answer, I believe, was love. One Man lived, taught, healed, and finally died, only to be raised from the dead — all to show the world what an absolute self-sacrificing love could achieve. And in doing this, he called upon all mankind to follow his example.

Is it enough, however, to study the first-century church from a safe distance? Should we not also ask ourselves: Is there a lesson in all this for believers in modern times? And if there is a lesson for us, what does it mean in practical terms?

Perhaps we can consider those questions in our next article.

* Note: “True Principles and Uncertain Details; or, The Danger of Going Too Far in our Demands on Fellow-Believers” is a lengthy article written by Robert Roberts, one of the last articles he wrote before his death. It first appeared in the magazine which he edited, The Christadelphian, Vol. 35, No. 407 (May 1898), pp. 182-189. This article has been reprinted at least twice, by later editors of the same magazine: by C.C. Walker (Vol. 60, No. 708 — June 1923, pp. 248-256) and by John Carter (Vol. 92, No. 1097 — Nov. 1955, pp. 414-418).

Romans 16:3-16

The section of Romans 16 which starts here contains various greetings to the believers in Rome. Paul seems to have known many people by name in the Roman ecclesia, yet so far as we know he had never visited there. This may be because travel in the Roman Empire was fairly easy during Paul's lifetime, and he had met some of these brethren elsewhere as he moved about. He could also have known of other believers by reputation.

As mentioned earlier, most of the names are Latin or Greek, but some of these people were probably Jews who, like Paul, also had Greek or Latin names (e.g., vv 7,11). In his letters Paul greeted more individuals by name in the churches he had not visited — such as Colosse and Rome — than in those that he had visited. This may have been his way of establishing more personal contact with congregations that had not met him personally.

The catacombs of Rome were vast networks of underground tunnels deep below the city as well as its outlying districts. The catacombs were used first of all by Roman Christians for religious meetings, perhaps especially in times of persecutions. Eventually they came to be used also for burial purposes. From the second through the fifth century, Christians in Rome buried their dead in these catacombs. These labyrinths were largely ignored after the eighth century, laying forgotten for about 700 years. It was only when workers in a vineyard north of Rome accidentally happened upon a catacomb in 1578 that they finally began to come to light again. Many such tunnels have been discovered in later times. Historians and Bible scholars have subsequently found many names on burial sites that echo the names found in this chapter, and other Christian names found in the New Testament.

Romans 16:3

Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus.

Greet Priscilla and Aquila: This couple — a humble Jewish tradesman and (most likely) an aristocratic Roman lady from a rich and powerful family — embodied in their marriage and their lives the practical application of the New Testament teaching of "the One Body" (Rom 12; 1Cor 12; etc.). They worked quite effectively in several different areas across the Empire, and were always held in great esteem by the apostle Paul.

In his Acts of the Apostles, page 288, Harry Whittaker discusses much of what is known (and some of what is speculated) about the remarkable couple Aquila and Priscilla. Parts of what he wrote are summarized below:

• Aquila was a Jew from the remote northeastern province of Pontus, and, like Paul, a tentmaker (Acts 18:3).
• Priscilla is the diminutive form of the name Prisca. This name strongly suggests that she was a member of the important Roman family Acilius, in which (according to some historians) the name Prisca occurred quite often. This might account for the unexpected order of their names: Five times (Acts 18:18,19,26; Rom 16:3; 2Tim 4:19) out of seven (the exceptions being Acts 18:2; 1Cor 16:19), the upper-class Roman wife is named before her middle-class Jewish husband.
• How did two individuals so different in background, nationality, and social status come to marry? Probably — though it is only a guess — business took Aquila to Rome, where he not only learned the Truth in Christ but also met a fellow-convert with whom he fell in love.
• The decree of Claudius (Acts 18:2) caused Aquila and Priscilla to flee Rome with other Jews. They may have been especially singled out for expulsion because of their prominence in the religious controversies involving the Christians.
• In Corinth they teamed up with Paul and were a great reinforcement to his campaign there (Acts 18:1-3).
• Two years or so later, along with Paul, they crossed over to Ephesus, and stayed on there when Paul set out for Judea (Acts 18:18,19). In Paul's absence Priscilla and Aquila preached in Ephesus, the first of their converts being Epenetus (Rom 16:5).
• In Ephesus, they met the learned Apollos, and helped him to a greater understanding of the Faith, and to a larger sphere of work (Acts 18:24-28).
• Later, of course, they were back in Rome (Rom 16:3), receiving Paul's greetings and loving remembrances. Why did they return to Rome? Possibly because the Ephesian riots made it best for Paul as well as his inner circle of workers to leave that area.
• The last direct mention of the couple in the New Testament is Paul's farewell greeting to them shortly before he died (2Tim 4:19).

William Barclay summarizes the life of the Christian couple, in their ongoing service to the brotherhood:

Prisca and Aquila lived a curiously nomadic and unsettled life. Aquila himself had been born in Pontus in Asia Minor (Acts 18:2). We find them resident first in Rome, then in Corinth, then in Ephesus, then back in Rome, and then finally again in Ephesus; but wherever we find them, we find their home a center of Christian fellowship and service. Every home should be a church, for a church is a place where Jesus dwells. From the home of Prisca and Aquila, wherever it was, radiated friendship and fellowship and love. If one is a stranger in a strange town or a strange land, one of the most valuable things in the world is to have a home away from home into which to go. It takes away loneliness and protects from temptation. Sometimes we think of a home as a place where we can go and shut the door and keep the world out, but equally a home should be a place with an open door. The open door, the open hand, and the open heart are characteristics of the Christian life.

Daily Study Bible: Romans 16

It is possible that Aquila and Priscilla encouraged their good friend Paul to write to the Roman ecclesia (or ecclesias), partly for the purpose of addressing the inherent differences between Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome and elsewhere. We will take this up later in our next study: "A Suggested Reason for Paul Writing to the Romans".

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Priscilla: The name "Prisca" occurs seven times in the New Testament (Acts 18:2,18,19,26; Rom 16:3; 1Cor 16:19; 2Tim 4:19). Some of the New Testament manuscripts read "Priscilla" in some of these verses. Priscilla is the diminutive of Prisca, but the two are essentially the same name and refer to the same person. Generally translators avoid confusion by sticking with "Priscilla".

My fellow workers in Christ Jesus: "Synergos" signifies those who work together, who share in a labor; the KJV has simply "helpers". Note the similarity to the English word "synergy", defined as: the working together of two or more things, people, or organizations, especially when the result is greater than the sum of their individual efforts or capabilities. The word appears 13 times in the New Testament, twelve being in Paul's writings (Rom 16:3,9,21; 1Cor 3:9; 2Cor 1:24; 8:23; Phil 2:25; 4:3; Col 4:11; 1Thes 3:2; Philemon 1:1,24), and the other in 3 John 1:8. The word often referred to those who helped in spreading the gospel.

Romans 16:4

They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.

They risked their lives for me: "Risked their lives" is literally "laid down their own necks" (KJV), i.e., put their necks or throats (Greek "trachelos") down under the Roman ax of execution. Was this one single occasion when Priscilla and Aquila exposed themselves to imminent danger, and were prepared to die for Paul and the cause of the Truth? Or does it describe their general attitude of self-sacrificing help for the apostle in his work?

If this refers to one incident, then possibly it occurred during the fierce riot that broke out in Ephesus, endangering the apostle's life (Acts 19:28-31; see 1Cor 16:9; 2Cor 1:8-10). Their presence with him at Ephesus just prior to this incident is confirmed by 1 Corinthians 16:19. But the fact is, we know nothing for sure about what they actually did for Paul.

Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them: Their courageous conduct, whether a single particular incident or the general tenor of their lives in the Truth, came to be generally known and acknowledged by other believers. It is interesting that this act or acts must have been widely known in the first century, yet we have absolutely no record of this today.

"The man who saves one life saves the world." This is a line from the Jewish Talmud, the great book of rabbinical interpretations of the Hebrew Scriptures. We may say that, when Priscilla and Aquila saved Paul's life (in whatever way that happened), then at the same time they saved much of the Christian fellowship of the first century. If Paul had died prematurely, then many new believers might never have been "born". We can never know, this side of the Kingdom, what a great impact, even a ripple effect, any single committed life can have upon the world.

"Phoebe" means "bright" or "radiant", a name perhaps intended originally to honor the Greek sun god Apollo.

The early Christians retained their names, although they were derived from the names of false gods, because they had lost all religious significance and reference. In like manner we retain the use of the names of the days of the week, without ever thinking of their derivation.

Charles Hodge, Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, p. 692

These verses were Paul's commendation of Phoebe, who evidently was carrying his letter to the church in Rome.

There seems little doubt that [Phoebe] was the bearer of the letter; as some business of her own was causing her to go to Rome, the opportunity was taken of sending the epistle with her.

John Carter, The Letter to the Romans, p. 154

This view is held by practically all commentators. While all the other believers who were said to be in Rome had actually been living there, Phoebe must have been newly arrived there, bringing with her Paul's letter. In his letter, the apostle had commended her to the Roman believers as a sister to be received "in a way worthy of the saints" (Rom 16:2). Plainly, the logical deduction is that Phoebe had delivered the letter herself.

Ernest Renan writes in his book, Saint Paul, that Phoebe "carried under the folds of her robe the whole future of the Christian theology — the writing which was to regulate the fate of the world."

Although Phoebe is called a "deacon" (v 1), or servant, this does not necessarily mean that she held a formal office (see the citations and comments below on verse 1). Paul stressed her service, not her office. She was his sister in the Lord, which seems clear from his referring to her as "our" sister.

Romans 16:1

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea.

I commend to you our sister Phoebe: "Commend" is "sunistemi", literally to stand with, to speak for, and therefore to support or recommend. Letters of commendation were common in Paul's day (2Cor 3:1; see Acts 18:27; 1Cor 16:3,10,11; 2Cor 8:16-24), and they were useful for identification, introduction and character reference.

There is also good reason today for believers who relocate to a new area to be commended to their new home ecclesia, and thus to formally join that local meeting. However, this is sometimes neglected. Some who move to a new area may be reluctant to involve themselves fully in the worship and work of the new congregation, perhaps because they disapprove of some practice or procedure there. Others may simply want to float around with no strings attached. Yet others may want to remain loyal to their old congregation. None of these are good reasons for remaining aloof from the local assembly. Believers, wherever they live, need a family and a home. Without such an anchor, they are more susceptible to drift away from the Truth and finally fall into spiritual ruin.

A servant of the church in Cenchrea: "Servant" is the Greek word "diakonos", from which we derive our English word deacon. This is the only time in the New Testament that this word is applied to a woman. When used of a man, it appears sometimes to refer to a specific office in an ecclesia, and at other times to one who is generally a servant or helper of others.

Very plainly, then, Phoebe was described as a "servant" in her hometown ecclesia in Cenchrea. Cenchrea was a port city serving nearby Corinth (Acts 18:18; 2Cor 1:1), where Paul was staying with his host Gaius (Rom 16:23; see 1Cor 1:14).

So what should we make of the fact that Phoebe, a woman, is actually referred to as a "servant" or deacon of an ecclesia? Was this an officially recognized position for a sister?

Regarding this commendation of Phoebe, Robert Roberts states that Paul's mention of her to the Romans:

…implies a prominent, active, if not official position on the part of the sister in question… [Paul] entreats the whole Roman ecclesia on her behalf, saying of her that "she hath been a succourer of many, and of me also" [Rom 16:2, KJV].

Seasons of Comfort, No. 18: "Spiritual Ignorance and Woman's Position"

Some other comments:

Within the New Testament, the "diakon" word group rarely functions with a technical nuance. In any case, the evidence is not compelling either way.

NET Notes

There were no instructions given in the New Testament for the appointment of women as deacons; and, since there are instructions for the appointment of both elders and deacons, this omission is conclusive.

James B. Coffman, Coffman's Bible Commentary

Phoebe came from Cenchrea which was the port of Corinth. Sometimes she is called a deaconess, but it is not likely that she held what might be called an official position in the church. There can have been no time in the Christian church when the work of women was not of infinite value. It must have been specially so in the days of the early church. In the case of baptism by total immersion… in the visitation of the sick, in the distribution of food to the poor, women must have played a big part in the life and work of the church, but they did not at that time hold any official position.

William Barclay, Daily Study Bible: Romans

Leon Morris offers some of the same reasons for sisters to serve the ecclesia, more or less officially. This would be when certain tasks were required which might seem inappropriate for brothers to undertake:

The social conditions of the time were such that there must have been the need for feminine church workers to assist in… the baptism of women or anything that meant contact with women's quarters in homes.

The Epistle to the Romans, p. 529

Even today in western societies, there may be times when one or more sisters can visit or assist or attend to the needs of other women much more effectively than could male deacons or elders.

When Paul wrote to Timothy, who was in Ephesus, he mentioned a group of widows who were "well known" for their "good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting [themselves] to all kinds of good deeds" (1Tim 5:9,10). This does not necessarily refer to an officially sanctioned order of sisters, but rather to a generally recognized group of sisters who — because of their circumstances, age and experience — could devote themselves to good works within the brotherhood. All the above was probably true of Phoebe, whom the apostle esteemed most highly.

To summarize the above citations and thoughts: it would be difficult to make the case, from this one example, that the official position of church deacon, or ecclesial servant, was open to women. Nevertheless, in all the areas of ecclesial service mentioned above, capable and willing sisters could do great work, both then and now.

Cenchrea: Cenchrea was one of the seaports for the city of Corinth, on the eastern side of the Isthmus of Corinth, on the Aegean Sea. It was seven miles east of Corinth. (The other seaport was Lechaeum, a mile and a half to the west on the Corinthian Gulf.) Goods flowed across the isthmus on a road by which small ships could be hauled fully loaded from one side to the other, and by which cargoes of larger ships could be transported by wagons the same distance. In this way, goods flowed through the city of Corinth from Italy and Spain on the west and from Asia Minor, Phoenicia and Egypt on the east.

Trade and commerce made Corinth a wealthy city, and sailors and traveling business people contributed to the general air of cosmopolitan life, with some attendant immorality. The worship of Aphrodite supported prostitution in the name of religion. It is reasonable that Cenchrea, as one of Corinth's seaports, could be characterized in much the same way.

[Cenchrea's] international prominence and prosperity probably peaked in the second century A.D. Although damaged by earthquakes and seismic sea waves in 365 and 375 A.D., the port revived and continued to play a significant role until Cenchrea was finally destroyed by marauding Slavs in the 580s.

Anchor Bible Dictionary

Romans 16:2

I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me.

I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you: These were traits which Paul advocated and exemplified:

"If it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully… Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality" (Rom 12:8,13; see Heb 13:2).

Joseph Bland was a Christadelphian who lectured and spoke extensively in England in the late 19th and early 20th century. This was extracted from one of his exhortations to fellow-believers:

This is a duty for the ecclesias to consider. Do they cordially receive those who visit them from a distance? Do they welcome into their midst visitors from other towns, those who are well reported of, those who come to reside in their midst? Do they cordially receive them and make them at home, or do they receive them coldly and suspiciously, and show none of that affection which the truth should develop? For my own part, I can say I have received nothing but kindness from brethren and sisters elsewhere, and to me it is one of the unique features of the brotherhood that such hospitality is manifested on every hand to those of like precious faith, perfect strangers though brethren may be to each other.

"The Salutations in Romans 16", The Fraternal Visitor, September, 1897, Vol. 12, p. 270

For she has been a great help to many people: "She hath been a succourer of many" (KJV). The Greek word is "prostatis"; it refers to a patron, or a benefactor, suggesting a generous woman of means. This word occurs only this once, and probably describes one whose job in secular society was to make sure that visitors were well treated when they visited a city. This implies that she was the sponsor of a house church in Cenchrea near Corinth, which perhaps met in her residence, and in that capacity she welcomed and cared for many visiting brothers and sisters also.

The fact that she was able to carry the apostle's letter from the area of Corinth to Rome suggests independence and freedom to travel, which in turn implies that Phoebe was a woman of some wealth and status.

Just as Phoebe had been a generous helper of others, Paul asks the Roman brethren to be generous helpers of her, giving her every possible assistance in her work.

Including me: Paul knew of whom he spoke, since Phoebe had been of great help to him in the past, as well as here one more time, by acting as Paul's emissary. In similar ways, women such as Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and others must have helped Jesus also (Luke 8:2,3).

In Acts of the Apostles, page 285, Harry Whittaker suggests that Phoebe had nursed others back to health, including Paul. He adds:

It seems fairly likely that Paul had one of his recurrent attacks of malaria — "weakness and much trembling" (1Cor 2:3; cp Acts 27:3, RV). This fight against ill-health makes all the more admirable the dedicated efforts of the apostle in his zealous propagation of the gospel.