Transcript

Podcast Introduction

Today is Epistles Sunday. Our reading will be Romans 5-6. After the reading, I have some comments. I’m calling today’s episode “Who Controls You?”

Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Greg Leaman on Unsplash

Comments on

Comments on Romans 5

Where to begin? Entire books have been written in mining all the truths found in Romans. Whenever I sit down to try to come up with comments to share on any chapter of Romans, I feel like I’m trying to fill a cup from a fire hose. So you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t address the finer points. I have to grab just a tiny bit and go with that, in the hopes that you’ll thirst for more and do some studying on your own. Also, you are welcome to comment on the show notes page for this and every episode, or send comments to me at comment.lifespringmedia.com.

So for today’s discussion, I’m going to look at verse 6: “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

Let’s break that down. “For when we were still without strength…” How great is God’s love for us? When we could do nothing on our own, when we were ungodly, when we were sinners, God made a way for us. We could offer nothing, nor did we even have a desire to make our way to Him. God’s love is the entire reason for sending Jesus.

“in due time…” God is never early, God is never late. God is always exactly on time, every time. At just the right time, God sent His son. Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” 

All the pieces were in place for the coming of the Messiah. Spiritually, the world was ready. Enough time had elapsed for people to see that the Law could not save us. All the Law did was demonstrate that we could not uphold it. Linguistically the world was ready. Language had developed to the point that the ideas necessary to communicate God’s plan could be conveyed to a large enough population that the message could be spread. Plus the world was ready politically, philosophically and geographically. Every piece was in place.

Let’s read the verse again: “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

“…Christ died for the ungodly.” “…for the ungodly.” The Greek word translated for is huper. It means “for the sake of, in behalf of, instead of.” Christ died for the sake of, in behalf of, instead of Steve Webb. Insert your name there. 

Charles Spurgeon was probably the greatest preacher of the nineteenth century, or even up until today. 

Here are a few of his words about “the ungodly”.

“You will say, ‘Oh, I am one of the worst in the world.’ Christ died for the worst in the world. ‘Oh, but I have no power to be better.’ Christ died for those that were without strength. ‘Oh, but my case condemns itself.’ Christ died for those that legally are condemned. ‘Ay, but my case is hopeless.’ Christ died for the hopeless. He is the hope of the hopeless. He is the Savior not of those partly lost, but of the wholly lost.” (Spurgeon)

“If Christ died for the ungodly, this fact leaves the ungodly no excuse if they do not come to him, and believe in him unto salvation. Had it been otherwise they might have pleaded, ‘We are not fit to come.’ But you are ungodly, and Christ died for the ungodly, why not for you?” (Spurgeon)

Indeed. Why not for you?

Thoughts on Romans 6

Ok, so there was a lot of talk of sin in today's reading. Before I give my thoughts on the reading, maybe we should define the term. 

What is sin? Sin is a word we don't hear much in our culture today, much less in our churches. I think part of the reason is that we don't want to make people feel bad, and we don't want those steeped in today’s culture to think we're narrow-minded or judgmental or phobic or racist.

Well my friend,