Alive to God: Studies in Spirituality

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I ask, then, ( HV)has God rejected his people? By no means! For ( HW)I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, [ x] a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 ( HX)God has not rejected his people whom he ( HY)foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 ( HZ)“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God's reply to him? ( IA)“I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is ( IB)a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 ( IC)But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. For when you were ( AA)slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 ( AB)What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For ( AC)the end of those things is death. 22 But now ( AD)having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit [ g]to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For ( AE)the wages of sin is death, but ( AF)the [ h]gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Freed from the Law Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ( N) 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, ( O) he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ( P) 10 The death he died, he died to sin ( Q) once for all; ( R) but the life he lives, he lives to God. Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. Romans 8:27 : 1 Sam. 16:7; 1 Chr. 28:9; Prov. 15:11; 17:3; Jer. 11:20; 17:10; Luke 16:15; 1 Thess. 2:4

What then [are we to conclude]? Shall we sin because we are not under Law, but under [God’s] grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that when you continually offer yourselves to someone to do his will, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey, either [slaves] of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness (right standing with God)? 17 But thank God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient with all your heart to the standard of teaching in which you were instructed and to which you were committed. 18 And having been set free from sin, you have become the slaves of righteousness [of conformity to God’s will and purpose]. 19 I am speaking in [familiar] human terms because of your natural limitations [your spiritual immaturity]. For just as you presented your bodily members as slaves to impurity and to [moral] lawlessness, leading to further lawlessness, so now offer your members [your abilities, your talents] as slaves to righteousness, leading to [ d]sanctification [that is, being set apart for God’s purpose]. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time ( DB)are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for ( DC)the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation ( DD)was subjected to futility, not willingly, but ( DE)because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that ( DF)the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that ( DG)the whole creation ( DH)has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have ( DI)the firstfruits of the Spirit, ( DJ)groan inwardly as ( DK)we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, ( DL)the redemption of our bodies. 24 For ( DM)in this hope we were saved. Now ( DN)hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we ( DO)wait for it with patience.In the same way you also must regard yourselves as dead in relation to sin, but as alive in relation to God, because you are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:1 Grace justifies believers, making them free of the guilt of sin, blameless, so that they may have eternal life. Romans 6:16 : ver 6, 12, 14, 17, 20; Ge 4:7; Ps 51:5; 119:133; Jn 8:34; Ro 5:21; 7:14, 23, 25; 8:2; 2Pe 2:19 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? ( Z) By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey ( AA)—whether you are slaves to sin, ( AB) which leads to death, ( AC) or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God ( AD) that, though you used to be slaves to sin, ( AE) you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching ( AF) that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin ( AG) and have become slaves to righteousness. ( AH)Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.