Monthly Archives: June 2026

ROMANS…THE OUTCOMES – 11b

Bible Study, ,

The second of the three major outcomes of our standing in grace is what the New Living Testament translation calls “privilege”. 

“Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Privilege” may not be an accurate translation of the Greek word “histami”, meaning “to stand”, but it points to the benefits we enjoy because of the grace in which we stand. Again, since we are the objects of God’s favour, He has blessed us with innumerable privileges denied to those who are not in Christ. 

Paul sets out these “spiritual blessings” in lavish language in Ephesians, each one for His “good pleasure”. Everything God does for us is about Him. He is pleased with what He has done for us and has given to us. 

Look at this list of blessings…

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace which he lavished on us…

…And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭3-8a, 13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…every spiritual blessing…all the doing words in this statement. He has “done” for us what makes Him glad. 

He chose us to be holy and blameless…

Despite who we are in Adam, He chose us to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus in this life… and we will be like Him when we see Him as He is. 

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

He predestined us for adoption as His sons…

When He chose us, God had an idea in mind. He wanted a family of legally adopted sons and daughters, who would be replicas of His son.

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

True sonship implies that we  belong to Jesus through His death and our new birth. We have a name, a home, and an inheritance. 

We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins…

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We are no longer slaves to sin, and living under Satan’s influence and control. We have been moved out of darkness and transferred into the realm of God’s loving and benevolent rule. 

We were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit…

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The presence of God’s Spirit in us is His “engagement ring”, promising us that He has chosen us to be His bride and that Jesus will “marry” us when He returns. 

Theses four “spiritual blessings” encompass the gospel in its breadth and depth. They are the privileges that we have entered into as children of God. No one else on earth can claim these benefits. They belong to God’s children alone. 

To be continued

ROMANS…THE OUTCOMES -11a

Bible Study, ,

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

THEREFORE…the bridge between what has gone before and what follows. Paul summarises the benefits of our new status in Christ in three major themes… peace, privilege, and purpose. 

Our standing grace, to begin with, came about through God’s love for broken humanity. When we were utterly helpless and without hope, He stepped in and rescued us from our self-made destruction, not because we were good enough but because we were so bad that we needed His mercy to intervene. 

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Now, since Jesus died in our place, we no longer bear the guilt of the fruit of our rebellion. Paul says that we have a “standing in grace”. We have been completely exonerated of guilt and fully and permanently accepted into God’s presence and purpose. 

What is the grace in which we stand? Grace is God’s settled attitude of undeserved favour towards us in which we abide and continue,  and through which we receive all the benefits of His salvation. This permanent standing is the testimony to our union with Jesus which began when we turned back to God from our own way,  (repented), and made the exchange of self-rule for Jesus as Lord, by faith. 

This standing in grace brings with it major changes inside. 

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The first outcome of this new status is peace…not just inward serenity but complete wholeness because of restored relationships to God, others, and oneself. 

“In the Bible, peace is not merely the absence of conflict. It is a state of total well-being, wholeness, and harmony with God, others, and oneself. True peace comes from God, brings inner tranquility despite outward circumstances, and is grounded in justice and reconciliation.”

(Source: Google AI)

This peace is not dependent on what happens to us, good or bad. Its source is Jesus…it is His legacy for those who have chosen to lean all their weight on Him. 

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭33‬ ‭NLT‬

Jesus gives this gift of peace to us not only when we believed but also in our day-to-day struggles. Again, to experience this peace,  we make an exchange…anxiety for peace and rest in our new standing with God and our union with Jesus as Lord. 

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This “maintenance” peace which we receive by honest confession in prayer, and gratitude for God’s love and goodness, garrisons us against the nitty-gritty of life in a fallen world. 

The gift of peace has another major benefit…it acts as a referee to monitor our thoughts and behaviour in the family of God like a ref in a ball game. Jesus’ peace helps us stay on track in our relationships with one another in the body of Christ. 

“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬

Peace continues as we treat each other with love and respect.  Any “foul” in our lives in community together is quickly picked up by the Holy Spirit. He “blows the whistle” by temporarily withholding our peace. He stops our game, calls out the foul, and reminds us of the “rules”. Once the guilty party has made the correction, inward and outward peace is restored and the game can continue. 

How important, then, that we maintain our peace by dealing with inward anxieties, which call in question God’s faithfulness, and outward “fouls” in our relationships in the body of Christ. Peace within is a declaration that all is well between us and God and between us and one another. 

To be continued

ROMANS…THE PROMISE – 10

Bible Study, ,

“So, the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If Abraham’s faith rested on God’s promise of a son and descendants, what is the promise that God had made to us that changes our status from guilty to righteous?

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is a loaded statement! 

In the midst of humanity’s puny efforts to reach God, which failed every time, God did something monumental…momentous…outrageous…unthinkable! He came here Himself…in person…in human form…just like us. He lived the exact life He wanted us to live…and then we killed Him for being who He was… the God-man, the Son of God, but…His death wasn’t an assassination…a crime, or a mistake. It was a sacrifice, an offering given willingly for us. It was an exchange…His death for our life…our sin for His righteousness!

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The promise is therefore that…

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Two words in this promise, correctly understood, are the key to this exchange…”Lord” and “faith”, and the two are closely intertwined. If we confess that Jesus is Lord and declare our faith in Him, we are trading all our self-sufficiencies, our independence from God and all the ramifications of that independence…for utter reliance on Jesus as our supreme authority. We give back to Him what rightfully belongs to Him…our bodies as His temple, our self will for His will, and our lives for His purposes. 

Faith is more than assent to a Biblical truth. Faith is our anchor to the one who did everything for us…our trust in and obedience to our Master who bought us with His blood. This faith is the key that unlocks the door to everything inside the covenant that God cut with Abraham. 

“I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭12‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When Jesus died, we died in Him. When He rose from the dead, we rose in Him to a new life in a new realm. Our old lives of selfish independence and the consequences ceased to exist. 

“For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We have an obligation to a new master, to live in and for Him because He paid for our release from sin’s bondage. This new status has major benefits which we shall continue to explore. 

To be continued

ROMANS…PAUL’S ARGUMENT – 9

Bible Study,

Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ NLT

Paul begins to explore the deeper meaning of Scripture. He didn’t thumbsuck to help his readers get into the nitty gritty of righteousness by faith. Despite the rules and rituals of the Old Covenant which seem to dominate, the way to gain acceptance with God by faith is buried deep in the pages of the Old Testament. 

He begins with Abraham, the father of the nation. How did Abraham step into the realm of God’s favour? Did he work for it? No, he trusted something that God had said. 

 Works and faith…what’s the difference?  

Works…doing what God requires…earns wages. One gets paid for what one does.  Unfortunately, as Paul concluded…all our that works earn, no matter how hard we try to do the right thing, is death. 

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Faith, on the other hand, dumps self-effort as futile because, even if one could live perfectly from this moment, one’s past is always there to accuse and condemn. 

God has made another way, a way that rests on Him, not on us. He asks us to trust Him because of what He has done. He promised that Abraham, despite being old and childless, would be the father of a great nation. “Look up at the stars, Abraham. Can you count them? Your descendants will be like that, as numberless as the stars!” 

The Scripture concludes…

“For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭4‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What God had promised Abraham was something he could never work for or earn. He had to believe what God had said and stake his life on it. That step of utter commitment to God’s word catapulted him into a new standing with God.  He was declared righteous. From then on, Abraham’s obedience didn’t earn God’s favour. It flowed from God’s favour. 

Only after his new status did God instruct Abraham to circumcise himself and later his descendants. This act did not make him righteous. This act was a sign that he and his descendants were already in covenant with God. A sign…not a reason. 

“Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So, Paul’s argument from Abraham’s experience lays the foundation for us to understand the nature of God’s righteousness…what it is and what it does. 

To be continued