Apostle Paul’s Understanding of the Law in Romans

The book, Apostle Paul’s Understanding of the Law in Romans, gives a great overview of Christians' responsibility and use of the Old Testament law given their new freedom by faith in Jesus Christ.

Christ and the Law

Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Romans 10:4 (NIV)

In Romans 10:4, the Apostle Paul states “Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4, NIV). This statement is simply but ambiguous. How is Jesus Christ the end of the Law? The Greek word for end is “telos”.

So some scholars argue that Apostle Paul means that in Jesus Christ we see the perfect fulfillment of the Law because Jesus Christ lived up to the purpose and goal of the Law perfectly (see Matthew 5:17).  In this respect, this interpretation would mean that the Law was aimed at bringing us to Jesus Christ and that He came to fulfill the Law and thus gives the Law validity.  At Matthew 5:17, Jesus Christ said “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17, NIV). Yet other scholars argue that while the Jews tried to earn their righteous by keeping the Law they failed; Jesus Christ obeyed the Law completely by the Spirit and the letter. Therefore, Jesus Christ is the end of the Law in the sense He has fulfilled the Law and the Law is powerless to save.  On the other hand, some scholars argue that Jesus Christ brought an end to the Law because Jesus Christ’s advent or arrival brought the Law to humans and the Law has no more validity after Jesus Christ arrived. Yet, this interpretation is not likely because the Apostle Paul continued to follow the Law of God even after his Damascus Road experience with the risen Christ. So, it is highly unlikely that the Apostle Paul interpreted Romans 10:4 that the Law was shut down after Jesus Christ’s arrival to earth in human form.

The Greek word “telos” can mean either (1) “termination,” “cessation,” or (2) “goal,” culmination,” “fulfillment.” Most scholars believe that Jesus Christ is the goal, culmination, and fulfillment of the Law.   Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Law (see Matthew 5:17) in the sense that He brought the Law to completion by obeying perfectly the Laws’ demands and by fulfilling the Laws’ types and prophecies.  Even more, Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law in the sense that He gave the Law its full meaning.  Jesus Christ emphasized the Spirit of the Law and not the mere external acknowledgement and obedience. 

Based upon the entire teaching of the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul probably means that with the coming of Jesus Christ, people do not have to make oneself righteous with by the Law (see Romans 6:14; Romans 7:4, 6; Ephesians 2:15). With the coming (advent) of Jesus Christ, the Law no longer justifies or declares one righteous before God because the saving work of Jesus Christ has brought to a close any attempt to attain righteousness by way of the Law.  The Apostle Paul probably did not mean at Romans 10:4 that Jesus Christ’s arrival abolished or shut down the Law (e.g., see Romans 7:7). Throughout the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul states that he is establishing the Law and that the Law has value for all people (e.g., see Romans 5:20-21; Romans 8:3-4; Romans 13:9-10; Galatians 3:24-29; and 1 Timothy 1:8). The Law reveals the mind of God and the intentions of God. Besides, the Apostle Paul never preached in the book of Romans that there is no validity to the Law. Instead, the Apostle Paul reveals that justification or righteous comes to EVERYONE WHO BELIEVE in Jesus Christ and this statement of Apostle Paul is repeated throughout Romans (e.g., see Romans 1:16-17; Romans 3:21-4:25).

According to the Apostle Paul, faith in God’s saving activity in Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection obtains righteousness.  The kind of righteousness God requires is wholeheartedly seeking Him as the true and living God (Romans 10:13; see also Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21). Sadly, some Jews had established many rituals, customs and traditions in addition to God's Law to try to make themselves righteous in God's sight. But human work such a trying to obey the Law, no matter how sincere, can never be a substitute for the righteousness God freely gives to EVERYONE by faith. Through the power of the Holy Spirit living within a believer’s life, the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled (Romans 8:4).  According to Apostle Paul, through our faith in Jesus Christ God sends true believers His Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:2, 5). The moment one believes from the heart that Jesus is the Messiah (Christ); one also receives the Holy Spirit. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the unmistakable evidence of salvation (Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 3:16; I Corinthians 6:19–20). God’s Holy Spirit gives believers the power and strength to live for God and this power comes through our faith in God’s saving activity in Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection (Romans 1:16-17).

References

KJV Bible Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1994.

Life Application Study Bible. Carol Streams, IL: Tyndale House Pub., 2005.

Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008.

Loyd, Melton, Ph.D., Professor of New Testament. Columbia Campus: Erskine Theological Seminary, 2014.

Morris, Leon. The Epistle to the Romans. Grand Rapids, Eerdmans Pub., 2012.

Wiersbe, Warren W. Bible Exposition Commentary. Victor Books, 1989.

Who Is A Jew?

Apostle Paul:  For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the Law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people. Romans 2:28-29 (NLT)

The Jewish people hold an important role in the Holy Scriptures. Jews are in God's family and an heir to God’s promises (Romans 9:4). God revealed His glory to the Jews, made covenants with the Jews and gave them His Law (Romans 9:4). Even more, God gave the Jews the privilege of worshiping Him and receiving His wonderful promises (Romans 9:4). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are the Jews’ ancestors, and Jesus Christ Himself was a Jews as far as His human nature is concerned (Romans 9:5).

Yet in the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul has redefined the term Jew. According to the Apostle Paul, a real Jew with membership into God's family is based upon our heart devotion and obedience to Him (Romans 2:28-29). Everyone whose hearts are right with God through wholehearted faith are real Jews — that is, part of God's family (see also Genesis 15:6; Psalms 40:4; Jeremiah 17:5-10; Habakkuk 2:2-4; Galatians 3:6-7). Genuine faith in God makes one a real Jew (see Romans 4:9-17, 23-25; see also Matthew 12:48-50). In fact, Abraham himself was declared righteous by God through his faith alone in God and His promises (Genesis 15:6; see also Romans 4:11, 22-24). The Apostle Paul emphasized that we cannot depend our external actions without first depending on our internal heart trust in God. Through our wholehearted faith to God, we are declared righteous (justified, purified) and receive a new life from God (Romans 5:1; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:15-16). Even more, God sends His people the Holy Spirit to live within their hearts through genuine faith in Him (Acts 15:8-9; Acts 10:44, 47; Acts 11:17-18). The Holy Scriptures promise that anyone who seeks the Lord your God will find Him if we will seek Him with “all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29, NKJV).

Since the Old Testament, God has always defined membership into His family with all the privileges of membership based upon our faith – wholehearted devotion and obedience to Him (see also Deuteronomy 10:12-16; Jeremiah 4:4). Various rituals and ceremonies (e.g., baptism, the Lord's Supper, church membership) do not guarantee our membership into God’s family. The true and living God wants our genuine love and obedience to Him inside our hearts (see also Deuteronomy 6:4-5). Our genuine love for God is to be total involving our whole being – heart, soul, body, mind, and strength (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30). Eventually, our genuine love for God leads to love, kindness and goodness towards others (see Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39; John 13:34; 1 John 4:19-21). Genuine faith in God always leads to good deeds and moral actions in the world (see Matthew 3:8; Galatians 5:22-23). In fact, the Apostle Paul only knows of a Gospel that leads to moral actions (see Romans 12 through 15). People are not saved by good and moral deeds but they are certainly saved for goodness, mercy, and kindness (Micah 6:6-8; Ephesians 2:8-10).

Apostle Paul:  Well then, has God failed to fulfill His promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people! Being descendants of Abraham does not make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,” though Abraham had other children, too. Romans 9:6-7 (NLT)

In the Old Testament, God made an unconditional promise to Abraham to bless Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 12:1-3). The Apostle Paul reminded the people that the true children of Abraham are not just his biological descendants (Romans 9:6-7; see also John 8:33-47). According to the Apostle Paul, Abraham’s true descendants are all those who trust in God and in what Jesus Christ have done for them (see also Romans 2:29; Galatians 3:7). A true Jew is one who has had an inward spiritual experience in the heart to the true and living God (Matthew 3:9). In other words, true Jews are those people that have ACCEPTED Jesus as the Messiah (Galatians 3:6-9). Those who believe in Jesus Christ are only Abraham’s descendants with all rights, privileges, and responsibilities (Galatians 3:7).

Apostle Paul:  In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this Good News to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith. Galatians 3:6-9 (NLT)

In Romans 4:1-25, the Apostle Paul stressed that Abraham believed God and God declared Abraham righteous because of his faith alone (see also Genesis 15:6). The Apostle Paul used Abraham’s faith to prove that God deals with all people on the same terms – faith (belief) in Him. Sadly, the Apostle Paul’s enemies (also called “legalists”) taught that only the natural descendants of Abraham are Jews because these individuals possess the Law and are circumcised. However, possession of the Law of Moses and physical circumcision do not make one Jewish and membership into God’s family (see Acts 15:1–29). Even birth into a Jewish family does not make one Jewish. According to Apostle Paul, God says that people of faith (circumcision of the heart) are God’s spiritual children and Abraham is the father of all believers – Jews and Gentiles ((Romans 2:28–29; see also Exodus 6:12; Leviticus 26:41; Jeremiah 6:10). “Circumcision of the heart” means to “to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart” (Deuteronomy 30:6; see also Jeremiah 4:4). According to Apostle Paul, a true Jew is one who inwardly depends on God and obeys Him, not one who relies on external appearance and the approval of people (Romans 2:29).

Even more, the Apostle Paul speaks of a true Jew as one “born after the Spirit” (Galatians 4:29). The true sign of belonging to God is the regenerating power of God’s Holy Spirit within a person’s heart (see Titus 3:5). Being of a seed of Abraham does not make one an Israelite, for Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. But only Isaac – the child of the promise or faith – was counted as Abraham’s true seed. In the Apostle Paul’s understanding, the children of promise are those who believe in the God of Abraham and their faith is accounted or imputed to them for righteousness (Romans 9:6–13). The Apostle Paul identified the true Israelites (Jews) not as those who had physically descended from Abraham but as those who demonstrate the same kind of faith demonstrated by Abraham. In other words, Abraham’s descendants are those who share Abraham’s faith in God (see also John 8:44). Abraham was the physical and spiritual father of the Jewish race (see John 8:33, 39, 53; Acts 7:2; Romans 4:12). Also, they are referred to as the “seed” or “descendants” of Abraham (Galatians 3:16; Hebrews 2:16). According to Apostle Paul, all believers in Jesus Christ (Jews and Gentiles) are called Abraham spiritual children (Romans 4:11-12). Therefore, the Apostle Paul goes on to say in Romans 4 that all that believe after Abraham are his true descendants. Therefore, the Apostle Paul not only redefined what it means to be a Jew but he also says that Abraham’s true descendants are all of those that exercise the same faith of Abraham and trust God and not necessarily those born into a Jewish family.

Apostle Paul:  Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the Law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. . . . I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the Law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ. Galatians 3:2, 5 (NLT)

According to Apostle Paul, through our faith in Jesus Christ God sends true believers His Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:2, 5). The moment one believes from the heart that Jesus is the Messiah (Christ); one also receives the Holy Spirit. In other words, all true believers in Jesus Christ receive the Holy Spirit at the time of salvation. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the unmistakable evidence of salvation (Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 3:16; I Corinthians 6:19–20). The Apostle Paul clearly taught in both Romans and Galatians that one receives the Holy Spirit by faith in Jesus Christ (see Romans 5:5; Romans 8; Galatians 3:2, 5). The Holy Spirit is the Author of a believers’ new birth (John 3:5; see also 2 Corinthians 5:17). The Apostle Paul stressed that just as one begins the Christian life in the power of the Holy Spirit, so one must grow by the Holy Spirit's power. God’s Holy Spirit gives believers the power and strength to live for God and this power comes through our faith in God’s saving activity in Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection (Romans 1:16-17).

And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. Genesis 15:6 (NLT)

References

King James Version Study Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1988.

KJV Bible Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1994.

Life Application Study Bible. Carol Streams, IL: Tyndale House Pub., 2005.

Woman’s Study Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1995.

Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008.

Loyd, Melton, Ph.D., Professor of New Testament. Columbia Campus: Erskine Theological Seminary, 2014.

Wiersbe, Warren W. Bible Exposition Commentary. Victor Books, 1989.

Victory Over Sin!

Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of His wonderful grace (favor and mercy)? Of course not! . . . Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in (yield) to sinful desires (cravings, lusts, evil passions). Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right (good) for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master . . . . Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace (favor and mercy). . . . Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through (union with) Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 6:1-2, 12-14, 22-23 (NLT)

In Romans 3:21-5:21, the Apostle Paul has given us readers all the wonderful and grand blessings that come with genuine faith in Jesus Christ. These blessings included salvation, grace, fellowship (peace) with God, righteousness, joy, and many other gifts. Sadly, people were beginning to believe that their faith in God’s saving activity in Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection now also gave them the right or license to sin. In other words, some devious people believed “the more I sin, the more God has to forgive me, right? Then I can live any way I want and continue sinning!” The Russian monk Rasputin, for example, concluded, “I’ll sin more to earn more forgiveness.”  Rasputin lived a bizarre life of immorality and wickedness.

In every age, many people have criticized the doctrine of righteousness (justification) by alone faith in Jesus Christ on the incorrect belief that this doctrine leads to sin or a license to live an immoral lifestyle. Some people incorrectly guessed if we are treated as righteous with God by faith and we no longer have to follow the Old Testament Law of Moses, then evil works will not condemn us either. So, why then should we be concerned about our sin or attempt to live a godly life? Previously, the Apostle Paul taught in Romans 5:20: “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” Therefore, some believed that no matter how great our sin, God’s grace is greater than all our sins. In other words, the Apostle Paul’s enemies argued people can sin boldly and continually because God’s grace will always be available, despite their sinful and wicked lifestyle. Theologically, this belief is known as antinomianism.

The Apostle Paul was horror-struck and disgusted at the mere suggestion of continuing in sin and wickedness once we have experienced God’s grace through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. In Romans 6, the Apostle Paul reacts to the “Now I have an excuse to sin” line of thinking with shock and outrage. Starting with Romans 6 and continuing through Romans 8, the Apostle Paul teaches the true meaning of God’s grace and our victory over sin. Just because where sin abounded God’s grace super-abounded and forgave our sins (Romans 5:20), a true believer in Jesus Christ WILL NOT be drawn to a continue lifestyle of sinning and wickedness. The Apostle Paul teaches that the availability of God's grace (favor and mercy) must never become an excuse for careless living and moral slackness. According to the Apostle Paul, a true believer that has wholeheartedly accepted Jesus Christ naturally has an appreciation of God’s grace (favor and mercy), so that the end result in a surrendered and obedient life unto God out of a heart filled with gratitude and love. Through our genuine faith in Jesus Christ, God sends believers His Holy Spirit to live within believers’ hearts to empower them to live godly lives (see Romans 8). Through God’s Holy Spirit, believers live from a heart oriented towards God which naturally leads to living according the fruits of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:16-23). “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (Galatians 5:22-23, NLT). Our genuine faith in Jesus Christ means we have died to sin and wickedness and alive through God’s Holy Spirit to live dedicated and committed to God (Romans 6:1-2, 22). The very best proof of genuine belief in Jesus Christ is a believer with a changed life. The Apostle Paul encouraged believers to “count yourself dead to sin but alive to God in Jesus Christ” (Romans 6:11).

In fact, the Apostle Paul encouraged believers in Jesus Christ NOT to let sin rule in our bodies (flesh) (Romans 6:12). Sin must never be a way of life (lifestyle) for genuine believers in Jesus Christ because we have died to sin and no longer live in sin (Romans 6:2). The idea of a believer in Jesus Christ continuing in sin is entirely contrary to the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ. Sin is hateful, destructive, and deadly. To further illustrate this point, the Apostle Paul uses baptism (Romans 6:3-4). In our confession of faith in Jesus Christ, believers in Jesus Christ have been baptized into Jesus Christ’s death and united with Him (Romans 6:4; see also Acts 2:38).

Moreover in Romans 6:5-6, the Apostle Paul compares our genuine faith in Jesus Christ to slave imagery. As believers, our bodies are no longer to serve sin because God has graciously declared us righteous (justified, acquitted, declared not guilty) through our faith in Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Through our genuine faith in Jesus Christ, we have been united or joined with Him and given a new life (Romans 6:4-5, 11). Thus, our evil lusts (motives, desires, and goals), bondage to sin, and our love of sin also died with Jesus Christ through our genuine faith in Him. Now, united by faith with Jesus Christ in His resurrection life, believers have unbroken fellowship with God and freedom from sin's shackles (see also Ephesians 4:21-24 and Colossians 3:3-15). Our “old self” and our sinful nature, died once and for all through faith in Jesus Christ. God has freed believers from sin’s power (Romans 6:6) and now we can choose to live for Jesus Christ (see Galatians 2:20). Even more, a genuine believer’s life is a life no longer oriented toward self, selfish desires and sins but towards God. In other words, genuine believers in Jesus Christ live for God’s glory and not self! Believers’ world view is different and is no longer slaves to sin (self) but toward God, heaven, and righteous living.

Therefore, the Apostle Paul calls ALL believers in Jesus Christ to become in practice what they already are in their status before God – dead to sin and alive with God (Romans 6:8-10, 12-13). Nevertheless, the Apostle Paul realized believers still live in a fallen and sinful world. For clarity, true believers are not sinless but we are free from sin’s shackles and power! So, the Apostle Paul encourages believers in Jesus Christ not to live a careless and selfish life but a new life oriented in godly living.

In summary, ALL PEOPLE (Jew and Gentile) are made right with God by faith alone in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:21-4:25; see also Galatians 2:16-17). Through our wholehearted faith in Jesus Christ, God has given us believers through His Holy Spirit a new life and sin's power is broken and buried (Romans 6:2-6; see also 2 Corinthians 5:17). God’s Holy Spirit gives true believers the desire and heart to WANT to live good and moral lives rather evil; therefore, believers in turn obey God’s moral laws (Romans 6:14-15). True believers choose God as their Master and to give themselves wholeheartedly (fully) to God – heart, soul, mind, and strength (Romans 6:16-18; see also Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27). The Apostle Paul develops Jesus Christ’s words, “No person can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). Even more, God gives believers a new nature as we are now dead to sin (self) and made alive to God (Romans 6:5, 11). According to the Apostle Paul, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 20, NLT). Finally, God gives believers a new freedom to not let sin control us but surrender our hearts to God for God’s control (Romans 6:12-16). Yielding to sin ultimately brings death; while yielding to obedience to Jesus Christ brings life and righteousness. Through a true believers’ wholehearted devotion to God, a believer is no longer a slave to sin but a slave of righteousness that leads to life and death (Romans 6:19-23). Sin pays wages — death! However, God pays wages too — new life with God that begins on earth and continues forever with God (Romans 6:23).Therefore, believers are to “not treat the grace of God as meaningless” (Galatians 2:21, NLT).

Also, Apostle Paul’s enemies accused him of preaching a “cheap grace.” The Apostle Paul taught throughout the book of Romans that God’s grace eliminated our need for obedience to the Law of Moses (Jewish Law). Sadly, some devious people believed everyone can now live sinful, wicked and selfish lives. The Apostle Paul reminded the readers in Romans 6 that our genuine faith in Jesus Christ is a new orientation toward God and NOT a license for an immoral lifestyle! Our genuine faith creates a new set of values with a DESIRE to please God and not a requirement or demand to please God according to the Law of Moses. According to the Apostle Paul, believers either are a slave a righteousness or a slave of sin but NOT BOTH (see also Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13). Whoever we serve is our god! Besides, the Apostle Paul knew nothing of a faith that causes a person to live careless and selfish (see Apostle Paul’s ethic section at Romans chapters 12 through 15). Believers are now slaves or instruments of righteousness and no longer slaves of sin (Romans 6:13).

Apostle Paul:  For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God. . . . He (Jesus Christ) gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. Titus 2:11-12, 14 (NLT)

God’s grace has brought salvation and our righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection (Titus 2:11). Therefore, we are to say “NO” sin, ungodliness, and worldly lusts, and “YES” to self-controlled, upright and holiness (Titus 2:12).  Repeatedly, the Apostle Paul explained that genuine faith in Jesus Christ must be accompanied by godly living (see Romans chapters 12 through 15; see also Titus 2:1-2, 4-5, 10; Titus 3:8). The Apostle Paul taught continually that ALL believers in Jesus Christ are to deny sin and live righteous lives for good deeds. True salvation should always produce good actions (Romans 12:12:1-2; see also Titus 2:10, Ephesians 2:10).

Because Jesus Christ sacrificially died and redeemed (rescued) all humans – Jews and Gentiles) from our sin disease by faith (1 Peter 2:24), we are now free from sin's power and control (see also Mark 10:45). There must be in a believer's life that final and complete surrender of their whole bodies and hearts to Jesus Christ. In other words, we are “dead to sin” and “crucified with Christ” (see Romans 6:7; Galatians 2:20). But we are not only dead to sin; we are also ALIVE in Jesus Christ.

God sent His only begotten Son (Jesus Christ) into the world that we might live through and be united Him by the Holy Spirit (1 John 4:9). As true believers, Jesus Christ now lives WITHIN US through the power of His Spirit (see Acts 10:34-38). God’s Holy Spirit gives genuine believers the power and understanding to live godly, upright and self-controlled lives that does good in the world and not evil (Titus 2:11-14). According to the Apostle Paul, believers are to use their bodies as “instruments of good” for God and not evil (Romans 6:13; see also 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Philippians 1:20-21).

Therefore, a true believer’s salvation involves the double work of redeeming (delivering) us from God’s wrath, judgment and guilt (Romans 3:24) and producing holiness, goodness, and love (Titus 2:14). True believers are not only free (redeemed) from judgment for our sins, but we are also purified or cleansed from sin's power and influence (Titus 2:12, 14). In other words, the same grace that redeems (rescues) us also reform our lives and make us holy and godly. Sin is no longer be a true believer’s master (Romans 6:14; see also 1 John 2:15-17). To help believers fight against sin, wickedness, and evil lust, the Apostle Paul reminds believers that God’s Holy Spirit is available for the calling to help believers to say “YES” to goodness and holy living for Jesus Christ (see Romans 8).

References

King James Version Study Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1988.

KJV Bible Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1994.

Life Application Study Bible. Carol Streams, IL: Tyndale House Pub., 2005.

New Student Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1992.

Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008.

Loyd, Melton, Ph.D., Professor of New Testament. Columbia Campus: Erskine Theological Seminary, 2014.

Wiersbe, Warren W. Bible Exposition Commentary. Victor Books, 1989.