WWUTT 1326 By the Mercies of God (Romans 12:1a)

WWUTT Podcast

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:00

In Romans 12 .1 Paul says, By the mercies of God, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship, when we understand the text.

00:24

You're listening to When We Understand The Text, an online Bible ministry committed to teaching sound doctrine and exposing the faulty.

00:32

Find videos and more at our website, www .tt .com. Now here's our host,

00:37

Pastor Gabe Hughes. Thank you, Becky, and greetings, everyone. We are back. Welcome to the program.

00:43

As we are broadcasting for the very first time from Lyndale, Texas. Picking up right where we left off in our respective studies.

00:52

We've got Romans Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, the Book of Proverbs on Thursday, and then I'm going to try,

00:58

I'm really going to try, to get Becky in the studio with me for a Friday broadcast. If you have any questions you'd like to submit to the program, send them to whenweunderstandthetext at gmail .com.

01:10

Everything is still the same, just broadcasting from a new location. We're picking up where we left off in our study of Romans, and if you haven't been with us in previous lessons in Romans, that's okay, because we're going to do a full recap today.

01:24

We're in Romans 12, and I'm going to read a very short section. We're starting off with verses 1 and 2.

01:31

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome, That's as far as we're going to get today.

02:05

Tomorrow, I'm going to go ahead and read through all of chapter 12 so we can take a full look at this chapter.

02:11

But we're going to use these opening verses here to recap what it is that we've looked at thus far, what we have been studying in Romans over the course of the year, the first 11 chapters where Paul has been laying out a doctrine of justification by faith, that we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ.

02:32

When we get here to chapter 12, we take a turn. Paul is going from arguing for the doctrine of justification by faith to now giving it application, and that's where we'll be for the remainder of Romans for these five chapters, 12 through 16.

02:48

We start off this way, I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God.

02:55

And that's it. That's as far as I'm getting today because what Paul is saying there is by the mercies that I've laid out for you in the previous two -thirds of this letter.

03:08

Therefore, as a response to knowing these things about Christ and the salvation that we have by faith in him, you are to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

03:25

Not conformed to this world, but be transformed in the renewing of your mind, having the mind of Christ that you may know the will of God, that will that has been revealed to us in his word.

03:38

Today, we want to look at this section. I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, and we want to be reminded what the mercies of God are.

03:47

By the providence of God, it just worked out for us to finish up those first 11 chapters, to take a month off, to come back in chapter 12, and to use this verse,

03:58

Romans 12, 1, to recap everything that we have studied thus far, because this is what

04:04

Paul is referring to when he says the mercies of God, everything that he has laid out in the book of Romans up to this point.

04:12

Let's go back to chapter 1. I'm going to give you the highlights, that which we have seen to be the mercies of God for us in Christ our

04:23

Lord. The thesis statement to the book of Romans is Romans 1, 16. That's what we said back at the start of this book.

04:30

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the

04:40

Jew first, and also to the Greek. We have the mercies of God displayed for us right there in that passage, that we are saved by believing in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

04:53

God is merciful to us, in that he has not judged us for our sin, though that is what we deserve.

05:00

But someone came preaching the gospel to us, telling us about what Jesus did, dying on the cross for us, rising again from the grave, so that whoever believes in him will not perish under the judgment that everyone deserves born in the sin of Adam as our federal head, but being born again under the federal headship of Christ.

05:20

We have everlasting life. Verse 17 goes on to say, for in it, in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith.

05:33

As it is written, the righteous shall live by faith. We have this righteousness because we believe in Jesus and so know the mercy of God.

05:44

So this is the beginning of our study of the book of Romans. Romans 1 verses 16 and 17.

05:50

And Paul will go on to say that the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.

05:57

We who are righteous will live by faith in Jesus. Those who are unrighteous suppress the truth and they go on living in their unrighteousness, though they know

06:07

God in a knowledge sense. We know of God. And we can see the evidence of him plainly in all that has been made.

06:16

We know there is a creator. They don't know him intimately. They don't have a relationship with him, but they know of God.

06:23

And Paul says in verse 21, although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened.

06:35

This is what happens to all those who do not believe in Christ. They suppress truth with unrighteousness.

06:41

They refuse to give thanks to God. They continue in their sin and will perish in it, ultimately on the day of judgment.

06:49

But those who are saved know the mercies of God. So we have this contrast through chapter 1 between those who live by faith and those who do not.

06:59

And those who do not live by faith continue to practice unrighteousness. But Paul also means to bring those who previously knew the law into condemnation because though they knew the law, they did not follow the law.

07:14

There are those who knew God, but they did not give thanks to him. And then there are those who did know God, they knew his law, and they did not follow it.

07:21

And that's who Paul addresses in Romans chapter 2. And he says in verse 4, do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

07:33

The reason why you haven't been judged yet, you haven't been destroyed, though you've been a lawbreaker, is because God has demonstrated a kindness to you, intending that you would come to repentance.

07:46

So do not continue in your sin thinking, hey, you know, God's a merciful

07:52

God. He's going to show me mercy anyway. No, his kindness to you in this moment is that he hasn't destroyed you so that you will come to repentance.

08:00

And in this is demonstrated the mercy of God, that you have faith in Jesus and no longer walk in unrighteousness, but pursue the righteousness of God that comes by faith.

08:13

And Paul goes on to say that just because you have the law does not make you inherently right before God.

08:20

Verse 8, those who are self -seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.

08:28

There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the

08:34

Jew first, and also the Greek kind of a contrast between what we had in the thesis of Romans back in chapter one, verse 16.

08:42

But then Paul says in verse 10, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the

08:50

Jew first, and also the Greek for God shows no partiality. And even in this, we see the mercy of God demonstrated for us.

08:59

There is salvation for all who believe in Jesus. We are the people of God by faith in Christ, not by anything that we do outwardly, but what

09:10

God has done in us inwardly. Consider at the end of Romans two, verse 29, a

09:16

Jew that is a person who is of the people of God is one inwardly and circumcision is a matter of the heart by the spirit, not by the letter.

09:27

His praise is not from man, but from God. So no one can boast in what he has done to achieve this righteousness, this salvation, this justification.

09:37

This is all the work of God in us as it is written. Paul goes on to say in Romans three, verse four, that you may be justified in your words and prevail when you are judged a reference back to the

09:51

Psalms. Something that David wrote in Psalm 51, verse four, Paul then summarizes everything that he has laid out up to this point, where he says that there is none who are righteous.

10:03

So the argument that he's laid out from chapter one, verse 18 through chapter three, verse 20, he says in this way, verse 10, none is righteous.

10:15

No, not one. No one understands. No one seeks for God. All have turned aside together.

10:23

They have become worthless. No one does good. Not even one person.

10:28

There is no fear of God before their eyes. And he's speaking there of both

10:34

Jews and Gentiles, Jews and Greeks, whether you are descendants of Abraham or not, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

10:45

That's the way he sums it up there in verse 23. And then verse 24, we are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom

10:56

God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith.

11:02

This was to show God's righteousness because in his divine forbearance, he had passed over former sins.

11:08

It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

11:20

We have the mercy of God displayed for us here that we may know salvation in Christ by faith.

11:29

We go on now to chapter four, where Paul gives an example of justification by faith.

11:35

And he goes back to the old Testament because surely Paul's opponents to this doctrine that he's been laying out will say, this is something brand new.

11:44

This is not at all what the prophets and the law taught. But who does Paul go back to point to show that it has always been by faith that we are justified.

11:54

He goes back to Abraham. What then shall we say was gained by Abraham?

12:00

Paul asked our forefather, according to the flesh, if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

12:10

As we just read at the end of chapter two, praise is not from man, but from God.

12:17

It is God who does this work in us. Not we who have accomplished this work as though we have something to boast about.

12:23

So then Paul goes on to say in verse three, what does the scripture say? So he's looking, it's like he's looking right at his critics and saying, what does the scripture say about this?

12:33

Don't just try to tell me that, well, this is something new. We've never heard this before. What does the scripture say?

12:39

Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.

12:46

And so, likewise, just like Abraham who believed by faith and received the righteousness of God to the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.

13:01

That's Romans four, five. And again, this is the, uh, the mercy of God that is displayed for us in this beautiful doctrine of justification by faith.

13:13

Paul goes on to say later on in verse 11, the purpose was to make him Abraham, the father of all who believe without being circumcised.

13:23

Again, it's not a matter of circumcision of the flesh so that righteousness would be counted to them as well.

13:30

That's in reference to us. We all receive salvation by faith, just like Abraham did because the righteousness was credited to him before he was circumcised.

13:40

Before he or any one of his household was circumcised, he was declared as righteous by faith in God.

13:47

Verse 13 for the promise to Abraham and his offspring, that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

13:57

And we have these promises. We're reminded of the promises that were given to Abraham. I have made you the father of many nations.

14:04

And we are likewise children of Abraham. If we believe in God by faith,

14:09

God would say, so shall your offspring be. And we are as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand that is on the seashore.

14:18

So Paul draws these old Testament examples out to show that it has always been

14:24

God's plan that we would be justified, not by our keeping the law, but by faith.

14:30

So then in summarizing this, he says in chapter five, verse one, therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our

14:41

Lord Jesus Christ. Verse eight, God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners,

14:49

Christ died for us, the mercies of God and the cross of Christ.

14:55

Verse 12, therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin.

15:01

So death spread to all men because all sin. And this is just like before where Paul had been laying out these doctrines.

15:09

And then he summarizes it in Romans three by saying, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. So the argument here is that all who have descended from Adam have been born with a sin nature.

15:20

All have sinned. Sin indeed was in the world. Even before the law was given.

15:26

But then he says in verse 18, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men.

15:32

So one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

15:39

And that is the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life that we have by faith in Christ.

15:45

Verse 21, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ, our

15:54

Lord. Chapter six. What shall we say? Then are we to continue in sin that grace may abound by no means.

16:04

How can we who died to sin still live in it? Paul goes on in verses 12 and 13 to say, let not sin reign in your mortal body to make you obey its passions.

16:15

Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

16:31

The argument here being that though we are justified by faith, that is not an excuse for you to live in sin, believing,

16:37

Hey, God will just be merciful to me and, and I will be forgiven. No, if you've truly been raised from death to life, then you're going to show in your life that you are a slave to righteousness and not to unrighteousness.

16:50

Verse 14, for sin will have no dominion over you since you are not under the law, but under grace.

16:58

And again, this is by the mercy of God. Roman six 23 for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ, our

17:12

Lord. We go on to chapter seven. And here, Paul argues that just as we are not justified by our works, so we are not sanctified by our works, but even our sanctification, our ability to keep the law and do righteousness.

17:29

Even this is a work of God. We serve in the new way of the spirit and not by the old way of the written code.

17:37

Chapter seven, verse six, Paul says that the law exists to reveal to us our sin.

17:42

He made that argument back in chapter three, and he expounds on it a little bit more here. The law was not meant to save us, but rather through the law, we come to our knowledge of our own sin.

17:53

Verse seven, for I would not have known what it means to covet. If the law had not said, you shall not covet.

18:00

The law is spiritual, but I am sold under. I am sold under sin.

18:05

I am of the flesh. Paul says there. And as he laments over his fleshly tendencies to do what he does not want to do, he says, therefore, in verses 24 and 25, wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death.

18:21

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. So then I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh,

18:30

I serve the law of sin. If it were up to us in our flesh to be sanctified, we would never make it there.

18:36

But God justifies us. And he also sanctifies us that we may walk in holiness and uprightness before him.

18:44

God is the one who justifies. He is the one who sanctifies. So then we get to this passage in chapter eight, verse one, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

18:58

If the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised

19:03

Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you.

19:12

This new life that we have, the living spirit that is within us. This is all by the mercy of God.

19:19

And as it says in verse 31, if God is for us, who can be against us?

19:25

Verses 37 through 39 in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

19:31

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our

19:48

Lord. This continue continues to further the presentation that Paul has made here that we are sanctified by the work of Christ.

19:58

We're justified. We are sanctified by what he does. And therefore there will be no falling away.

20:05

Those who are truly in Christ. Jesus will be kept for the day of glory.

20:11

Nothing. Not even you can separate yourself from the love of God in Christ.

20:17

Jesus, our Lord. It has been the work of God since before the foundation of the world that you would come to faith in Christ and belong to him.

20:26

And that's the argument that Paul makes in Romans chapter nine, that it is not by our purpose that we would be saved, but that God's purpose of election might continue not because of works, but because of him who calls that's

20:42

Romans nine, 11. God who has God is the one who has said, I will have mercy on whom

20:48

I have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. This is not a new doctrine. It was said through Moses all the way back in the book of Exodus.

20:56

So then he has mercy on whomever he wills and he hardens whomever he wills.

21:03

Chapter 10, verse four, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

21:10

This is by the mercy of God, that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart, that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved for with the heart one believes and is justified.

21:24

And with the mouth one confesses and is saved. That's Romans 10 verses nine and 10 verse 13 says, everyone who calls on the name of the

21:33

Lord will be saved. We have come to the knowledge of our salvation because someone preached the gospel to us.

21:40

And it was by God's ordination that this message in Christ would come to our ears and that our heart would turn from sin to believe it and live.

21:50

Paul demonstrates in chapter 11, how this has been for both the

21:55

Jews and for the Gentiles, that everyone who believes, and it is only by faith that we come to salvation.

22:04

And then this wonderful doxology at the end of chapter 11, lifting up these praises to God who has worked this on our behalf.

22:13

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable are his ways for who has known the mind of the

22:25

Lord or who has been his counselor or who has given a gift to him, that he might be repaid all these wonderful things that God has done to work for us.

22:36

Salvation that we might believe by faith. And so have the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ, our

22:42

Lord, how incredible are these things to ponder and consider? Paul has given it 11 short chapters dedicated to laying out a doctrine of justification by faith, but we could go on studying these things forever and never come to the end of how marvelous it all is.

22:59

That's basically what Paul is saying here by this doxology. And then closes chapter 11 with this for from him and through him and to him are all things to him be glory forever.

23:12

Amen. I appealed to you, therefore brothers by the mercies of God, which we have just explored in the first 11 chapters of Romans present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

23:32

And that's where we will pick up tomorrow. You can find a complete list of videos, books, devotionals, and other resources online at www .utt