Romans 6 - Set Free from Sin!

In the previous chapter of Romans, Paul ended by comparing sin and death through Adam with the grace of God and eternal life through Jesus Christ. He said that where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. God’s unearned favor is limitless to those who come to Him by faith.

So far, Paul has clearly laid out the Gospel in the first five chapters of Romans, ultimately concluding that a person must be justified by faith. However, that’s not the end of the story. If we recall, he said in chapter 1, “The just shall live by faith.” There’s more to the Christian life than just getting our fire insurance. Many Churches and ministries get the Gospel message down solid, but fail to disciple believers on how to walk a victorious Christian life. If the devil cannot keep us from salvation, he will try to side-line us as believers by getting us caught up in sin. In the next three chapters Paul is going to explain that our faith in the Lord and what He did on the cross for us is also key in our walking in victory over sin.

Picking up on this idea of grace abounding much more than sin from chapter 5, Paul writes, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” The temptation for some is to say that since we are saved by grace through faith, apart from works, we can just live it up because God’s grace will cover it even more so. The tense of the verb “continue” means to habitually practice sin. To the professing believer who thinks they can practice sin, you have to question whether or not they have received the real Gospel? Only the Lord truly knows, but this demonstrates there has not been a real heart change. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Co 6:9-10) So important is this idea that Paul repeats it three times, here in 1 Corinthians, in Galatians 5, and in Ephesians 5. Those who habitually practice sin will not inherit the kingdom of God. In contrast, true believers have been given a new nature, and will no longer want to practice sin.

This is where repentance comes in. Implicit in the Gospel message is the understanding that we have been living in a way that is not pleasing to the Lord, and that He wants us to turn from our sins. There is a tendency in the church to shy away from the topic of repentance, but Jesus did not. After His temptation in the wilderness, He went to Galilee, and began preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Mat 4:17) “That was just for Jesus,” some might say, “He is the Son of God.” However, the apostles also preached repentance. On the day of Pentecost, Peter told the people, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38) And again after the healing of the lame man, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19) So, repentance is something we should be preaching as well.

To help illustrate the idea of repentance, suppose my wife and I adopted a child, at a certain point after bringing them into our home, we would have a conversation with them about what our expectations for them are as a member of the family. We would also at some point have a conversation with them about what the consequences might be if they do not meet those expectations. Nothing they do or don’t do will affect their status as a member of our family, but it can affect what type of relationship they have with us. When we get saved, we are adopted into the family of God. Nothing we do or don’t do will affect our status as a child of God, but the Lord has a different way for us to live.

Paul’s answer to his original question of whether or not we should continue in sin is, “Certainly not,” or some of your translations say “God forbid!” As believers, there has been a permanent change in our relationship to sin. Before we were saved, we were dead in our sin, but now we are dead to it. If we have died to sin, why would we want to live in it any longer?

Paul says , “Do you not know,” implying what he was about to say should be common knowledge for the believer. At salvation, we are baptized (immersed) into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit (1 Co 12:13), and are baptized into His death. We were buried with Him through baptism into death, and just as He was raised to life by the glory of the Father, we are also raised to walk in newness of life. We are united together with Him in the likeness of His death, as well as in the likeness of His resurrection. “United together” is a close union, and is used to explain the process by which a graft becomes united with the life of the tree. We are united with Christ, and receive our life from Him.

This re-birth into the life of the Spirit is one in which the old you and the old me dies, and we are raised a new creation in Christ. Water baptism, where we are immersed in water, signifies what has already taken place on the inside. Much like circumcision for the Old Testament believer, it is an outward sign of an inward faith.

So far, Paul has shown how we have been freed from the guilt and punishment of sin, and now he will explain how we are also free from its power. Most of us as Bible-believing Christians are not using the grace of God as a license to sin, but so often we walk in defeat because we do not believe we are really free. We all have those sins that we struggle with in which it feels like that sin has power over us, but the battle over sin is not primarily a power encounter. Rather, it is a truth encounter. Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (Jn 8:32)

Next, Paul directly addresses the old man. He says, “knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. Our old man represents who we were before coming to Christ, like Adam who was in rebellion to God. It is part of man’s nature to try to reform himself, but the Lord says he’s got to die. He died on the cross with Jesus. Crucifixion was an automatic death sentence, and was a death of the worst kind. The body of sin, also called the flesh or sin nature, is that part of us that is still affected by sin. It is why we are still tempted and feel the pull toward sinful behavior. Paul stated it has been done away with (rendered powerless). I’ve heard it said that it is like a quadriplegic, he can yell, scream, and sound intimidating to you or me, but he cannot make us do anything because he has been stripped of his power. Since we died with Christ, we are freed (justified) from sin.

Paul restates this to the Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” I have been crucified with Jesus on the cross, therefore, my old self is dead. However, Jesus now lives in me, and the life I live in the body I live by faith in Him who died for me.

Now, if we (our old man) died with Christ, we believe we will also live with Him. Christ has been raised from the dead, and does not need to die anymore. Death no longer has dominion over Him. He has died to sin once for us all, and He now lives to God. The sacrifice of Himself for our sins is sufficient.

Paul continues, “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The word reckon does not mean “I guess,” as if to say, “I reckon I’ll have Texas barbecue for lunch.” It is the same word Paul used in chapter 4 when speaking of God’s imputed righteousness. Again, it is an accounting term that, in this context, means to count it as so. The Strong’s dictionary states the following: “This word deals with reality. If I ‘logizomai’ or reckon that my bank book has $25 in it, it has $25 in it. Otherwise, I am deceiving myself. This word refers to facts not suppositions.” In other words, it’s just math, folks! God says we’re dead to sin and alive unto God, we are to believe it, and that settles it.

For this reason we are to not let sin reign in our mortal bodies, to obey its lusts. We are not to present our members as instruments of unrighteousness, but rather as instruments of righteousness unto God. We are alive from the dead, so we should act like it by presenting ourselves before God in obedience.

Next, Paul states that sin shall not have dominion over us, for we are not under law, but under grace. Part of God’s divine unearned favor is that we have been set free from sin. The law could not free us, but only condemn us. The grace of God on the other hand, has truly set us free. We are free not to sin. At any given point that I am tempted to sin, I can say, no, through the power of Christ working in me. This may sound like the power of positive thinking, hoping to become something we are not. However, as Chuck Missler writes, “The Christian life is not trying to become what you are not. The Christian life is experiencing what you are—in Christ.”

Similar to his question at the beginning of the chapter, Paul asks if we should sin since we are not under the law but under grace? If you have ever had to confront someone on sin, one of the classic lines people use is that grace covers it (or something to that effect). With that mindset, we can justify anything we want. However, as we have already seen, grace is not the freedom to sin, but the freedom from sin.

Paul answers his own question the same way, “Certainly not!” Again, as if it should be common knowledge for the believer, he asks, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” It’s worth noting at this point, since Christ has set us free, it is a willing servitude (I sin because I want to). If we obey our appetites, we will become slaves to it. It’s amazing how quickly we can become enslaved to things, and how strong those addictions can become. Although we are technically still free, it certainly doesn’t feel like it. There are the physical and psychological addictions, as well as the spiritual forces that keep trying to pull us back to that particular sin(s). If we continue to serve sin, it will lead to death. However, if we are slaves to obedience, it leads to righteousness. It comes down to a choice: who are we gonna serve? The instant we choose the Lord and His ways; the freedom is there available to us if we reckon it so by faith.

Paul thanked the Lord that though they were (past tense) slaves to sin, they obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which they were entrusted. They responded to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the call of God and believed the Gospel message. As a result, they were set free from sin, and became slaves to righteousness. I’m reminded of the words of Jesus, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore, “if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” Jesus has made us free, folks!

Paul was using the imagery of slavery because it would have been common to the reader, and painted an accurate picture of either our relationship to sin or to Christ. Just as they had presented their members as instruments of uncleanness and lawlessness, leading to more lawlessness, now they were to present their members as slaves for holiness (sanctification). They had been counted righteous by faith, now God wanted to make them righteous practically. When they were slaves to sin, they were free from the concerns of being righteous. However, Paul asked them what fruit did they have in those things for which they were now ashamed? The obvious answer is, none. There is never good fruit that comes out of sin. It only leads to death. In Galatians it states, “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” (Gal 6:8) But, since they had been set free from sin and become slaves to God, they had their fruit to holiness which leads to everlasting life. If we work for sin we will be paid with death, but on the contrary, God’s free gift to us is eternal life In Jesus Christ our Lord.

So, we have established that we are free from sin, but are we so free that we have arrived and no longer sin at all? Theologians call this sinless perfection, the belief that we can reach a point in our Christian Walk where we never sin anymore. A passage that immediately comes to mind in relation to this topic is in 1 John where it states, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” (1 Jn 1:8-10) Because we have been set free from sin, we can, day-by-day, moment-by-moment, say no to sin because of what the Lord has done for us on the cross. Not only can we say no, we are called to do so. However, in the grand picture, God knows we won’t do this perfectly this side of Heaven, and later in Romans, Paul will describe his own struggles with sin.

In summary, we have been baptized into the body of Christ, and are united with Him in His death and resurrection, receiving our life from Him. Our old self is dead, and our sin nature no longer has power over us. We are to count ourselves dead to sin, but alive in Jesus Christ. Sin no longer has control over us because we are under grace. We have been set free from our slavery to sin, and are now slaves to righteousness. We have been given the free gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. These are quite simple concepts that are really revolutionary for us as believers. As I stated earlier, it’s just math. We take God at His word and stand on it. However, there are times when we lack the faith to walk this out. We shouldn’t, but for whatever reason, we do. Paul will speak to this in the following chapter.

Reader, are you habitually practicing sin today? The Scriptures are clear, those who practice sin will not inherit the kingdom of Heaven. This is the evidence you have not had a true heart change; you are not born again. The Scriptures say to examine ourselves to see whether or not we are in the faith. Are you trusting in the Jesus of the Bible, and are you coming to Him on the basis of faith alone? If not, you need to do so today. Then the Lord will give you a new heart, you will be born again, and you will want to serve and obey Him.

In what ways are we allowing ourselves to be slaves to sin? Remember, the just shall live by faith, and its our faith in the Lord that we reckon ourselves to be dead to sin and alive to Him. It’s our faith in Him that places us under His grace rather than the law’s dominion. It’s our faith in Jesus that has made us free from sin. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed! Let’s walk in that freedom!

Romans 5 - Death in Adam, Life in Christ

 

Previously in Romans 5, we saw how we are justified (just as if I never sinned) by faith and made at peace with God. We have access (the privilege of approaching God with confidence) by faith into the grace of God in which we stand. We cannot stand in our own righteousness, but we can stand in the grace of God and the righteousness of Christ. We also see God’s motive for going to the cross for you and me, and that is His unconditional love for us. In the remainder of the chapter, Paul explains how death reigned because of sin, but how we can reign in life through Jesus Christ.

Sin entered the world through Adam, and death came because of sin. This also introduced sickness and disease into the world that would have not been there otherwise. Technically, we all begin dying from the time we are born, and it is usually some sort of sickness or disease that eventually takes our life.

There are some who like to attribute death in the fossil record to a geological era before man’s existence, but the Scriptures disagree with that belief. They could not have existed before Adam because death did not exist before Adam’s sin. This is yet another proof of the validity of the first 11 chapters of Genesis, of a young earth, and the world-wide flood.

Death spread to all men, because all have sinned. The proof that sin existed before the law is that death reigned from Adam to Moses even though man did not sin after the transgression of Adam (knowingly and willingly). Any of us who have children know we did not have to teach them to do wrong; it comes naturally even though they may not know better or understand. However, God apparently did not impute sin (hold man to the same standards of righteousness) before the law was given. He held man accountable for what he did know (Gen 9:1-17). The fact that we inherited our sin nature from Adam seems to suggest that it’s in our DNA. Sin has affected every part of creation, even down to our genetic material.

Paul says Adam was a type of Him who was to come (Jesus Christ). This one is a challenge to wrap our minds around. How was Adam a type of Christ? The Scriptures tell us that Eve was deceived into eating the forbidden fruit, but Adam knew what he was doing (1 Tim 2:14). So why would Adam do this? It would seem that Adam knew what his wife had done, and knew what the consequences were, because the Lord had said, “for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Gen 2:17) Adam, knowing he would lose his wife, decided to sacrifice himself by sinning also, and in doing so, plunged the whole human race into sin. So then, Adam and Jesus were sinless from the beginning, and both did something that had consequences for all of mankind. Adam, in a sense, became sin by sinning himself, and then passed this sin nature unto the entire human race. Jesus, on the other hand, became sin who knew no sin, and offers salvation and eternal life unto all who believe.

Next, Paul will compare and contrast the first man, Adam, with the last man, Jesus Christ, and what each contributed to humanity. There are five “much more’s” in chapter 5 worth noting, two of which we covered last time. Much more then, we have been justified by His blood, and shall be saved from wrath through Him. We have been reconciled to God by Jesus’ death, and much more will we be saved by His life.

Adam’s trespass brought death and condemnation to many, but the grace of God, eternal life, and justification through Jesus Christ abounded much more to many. Death reigned because of Adam’s trespass, but much more so, will those who have received the abundance of the grace of God and the gift of righteousness reign in life through Jesus Christ. Through one man’s trespass, judgment and condemnation came to all men, but through one man’s righteous act, the free gift and justification came to all men as well. By one man’s disobedience, many were made sinners, but through Jesus’ obedience, many will be made righteous.

There may be some who would think it unfair that Adam’s sin would be passed onto us, resulting in our suffering and death, but how much more unfair is it that God the Son, who never sinned, was tortured and put to death in our place, and counts us righteous through our faith in Him (although we are not righteous). The law entered that sin might abound (to show man how sinful he really is), but grace abounds much more.  It does not matter how sinful we are, God’s grace is bigger if we come before Him with faith and a repentant heart. When comparing Adam with Jesus Christ, as bad as Adam’s sin, sickness, and disease are -- justification, the grace of God, and eternal life through Jesus Christ far exceeds it. Sin reigned in death, but grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This is such a great gift that we have been given that it should motivate us to gratitude and obedience to the Lord. However, there is a temptation at times to take it for granted by becoming loose with sin. To an even further extreme, some use grace as a license to do whatever they want. Paul will address this next in chapter 6.

Romans 5 - At Peace with God

Last time in Romans, Paul illustrated justification by faith by using the real-life example of Abraham. Abraham believed in the Lord, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. He was imputed righteousness by faith before he was circumcised. This means that both Jew and Gentile must be saved in the same way. The law can only leave us in debt to God and subject to His wrath. Our only hope is the righteousness of Christ credited to us by faith. He meets us when we are spiritually dead, and brings life to us where there was no life. We are born again and made into a new creation. This is possible because Jesus died for our sins and was raised for our justification.

Paul continues on that same topic, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” ‘Justified’ is a legal decree rendering someone just or innocent. Chapter 1:18-3:20 proved us guilty before God, but because of our faith in Jesus and what He did on the cross, our guilty sentence is changed to justified (just-as-if-I’d-never-sinned).

Before coming to Christ we were God’s enemies and under His wrath, but now, because of our faith in Jesus, the thing that made us His enemies (our sin) has been removed. We are now at peace with Him. Not only are we at peace with God, we have been given His peace. Jesus told His disciples, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (Jn 14:26-27) Paul also wrote to the Ephesians, “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.” (Eph 2:14) The peace of God in our lives is Jesus Christ who dwells in us through the person of the Holy Spirit.

Not only do we have the very presence of God dwelling inside us, we have access to the grace of God through faith in this same Jesus. ‘Access’ means to have the privilege of approach. We get to approach unto God anytime because of our faith in Him. This word appears three times in the NT, here in Romans 5, in Ephesians 2:14, and in 3:12. In each instance, it is referring to the access we have to the Father and to the grace of God through faith in Christ. The author of Hebrews also writes, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb 10:19-22)

The phrase ‘through whom also we have access’ means that it happened in the past, but the results continue into the future. It is also unchanging (we are not in jeopardy of losing this privilege). This speaks to the security of the believer. If our sin could not stop us from receiving this access to the grace of God, then it cannot cause us to lose it either. If it could, then we would never know when we had lost it. What sin would be bad enough, or how many times after committing the same sin would the Lord say “that’s enough?” This creates fear and condemnation in the life of the believer, neither which are of God. The Scriptures state, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim 1:7) In summary, we are justified, at peace with God, and have access to the grace of God by faith which cannot be lost. It is for these reasons we can rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

It is for these reasons we can also glory in tribulations. Now, we don’t typically think of glorying or rejoicing in tribulation, but when God allows trials into our lives, there is a purpose. One of His purposes in allowing us to suffer is to teach us patience (perseverance). This is a character trait that is largely going by the wayside today. We have a whole generation who don’t know how to persevere through trials, but give up at the first sign of adversity. We have all heard the saying, “no pain, no gain,” and this is true in our spiritual lives as well. James writes, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4) As we learn to persevere through trials, God uses this to build our character. Trials are God’s way of refining us to make us more Christ-like. I’ve heard it said that trials don’t cause us to sin, they only reveal what is already there. So, if we are feeling pressed and pressured from various trials, and the ugly comes bubbling to the surface, this is the Lord’s way of teaching us obedience which leads to more blessing in our lives.

So, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. Biblical hope, again, does not mean I wish something will happen, but it’s a confident expectation that God will do what He says He will do. When the Lord brings us through hard times, it gives us confidence He will then bring us through the next trial. This gives us confidence He will bring us through the greatest trial which is death, and bring us into eternal life.

The hope that comes from tribulation does not disappoint us, because it gives us the ability to comprehend the love that God has for us. He pours out His love in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us at salvation. This seems to be speaking to an experience: It’s in those times of great trial that the Lord ministers to us that we sense His comfort and love, and we can, in turn, share this same love with others in their trials. We may not always sense His presence and love, but we can still rest in it by faith.

The proof of God’s love is in that, when we were still helpless, Christ died for the ungodly. Paul has already spent the first three chapters proving how hopelessly lost and incapable of saving ourselves that we were. Jesus came and died at the right time. The bible doesn’t tell us why God picked the time that He did to send His Son into the world, but there are some observations worth noting. First, at the time of Jesus’ birth, the known world was under the control of Rome, and it was a relatively stable and peaceful time in the empire. The empire had spread throughout much of Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East, and it had a great network of roads, kept safe by Roman soldiers. This greater ease of travel would have aided early Christians in spreading the Gospel, whereas it would not have been possible in other eras. Second, although Rome had conquered the known world, the Greek culture still prevailed. This meant that the common Greek was the trade language, and was spoken by most people in the empire, making communicating the Gospel possible to more people. Third, there was a great anticipation among the Jews that the Messiah would come. Fourth, the Jews had been under the Law for over 1,300 years, which was ample time for they and the whole world to see that no one could live up to its demands. The school master had done its job.

For Christ to die for the ungodly is an incredible thing, because most people wouldn’t die for a righteous man (someone who is moral in conduct. More people may be willing to die for a good man (someone who is also kind and benevolent to others), but it is against our nature to die for a wicked person. However, this is precisely what Jesus did for you and me.

God demonstrates (proves in action) His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. God justifies man by faith in His Son, and love is His motivation for doing so. To help illustrate this, I want to go back to Genesis.

God told Abraham, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” (Gen 22:2) Most of us know the story, Abraham took Isaac his son, and left for the land of Moriah. When they could see the mountain that God had told him of in the distance, he laid the wood for the offering on Isaac, and he carrying the knife and fire, climbed the mountain with his son to the place that God had said. Abraham built an altar, placed the wood on it, and then bound Isaac to it. Just as he was getting ready to slay his son, the angel of the Lord spoke to him from Heaven, and told him not to lay his hand on him.

The parallels here are quite obvious. The area of Moriah is where Jerusalem would later be, and where Salem was in Abraham’s time. So, it was the same region, and some believe it was the same place that Jesus was crucified. Isaac carried the wood up the hill, and went in agreement with his father. He submitted to the will of his father, even to the point of allowing him to plunge a knife into him. Jesus carried His cross towards Golgotha, and submitted to the will of His Father, even unto death. The author of Hebrews later tells us that Abraham was acting in faith that God would raise him from the dead (Heb 11:17-19)

In Bible interpretation there is something called the principle of first mention. The first time something appears in the Bible, it often is the clearest and simplest explanation of a certain biblical truth, and the Holy Spirit is teaching us something that will help us understand the same truth found later in the Scriptures. This is by no means a hard and fast rule, but there are some examples that are quite compelling. As we discussed last time, Genesis 15 is the first time that the words “believe” and “righteousness” appear in the Bible, and Genesis 22 is the first time the word “love” appears in the Bible. This is no accident that this passage closely mirrors the cross, for the greatest proof of God’s love is what Jesus did on the cross for you and me.

Much more then, since we have been justified by His blood (the price has been paid), we shall be saved from wrath through Him. As believers we are not appointed unto wrath (1 Thes 5:9), and this is one of the primary reasons I believe Christians will not be here during the tribulation, a time of God’s wrath on sinful humanity. If we were reconciled to God when we were His enemies through the death of His Son, how much more will we be saved by His life. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is God’s stamp of approval that everything Jesus did and said are true. More than that, we joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have received reconciliation (being restored to Divine favor).

God, beyond a shadow of a doubt, has proven His love for us by sending His Son to die for us when we were His enemies. The word ‘love’ has been heavily abused in the English language, but is rich with meaning in the Scriptures. The Vine’s dictionary states the following regarding the love of God in its verb form: “In respect of agapao as used of God, it expresses the deep and constant "love" and interest of a perfect Being towards entirely unworthy objects, producing and fostering a reverential "love" in them towards the Giver, and a practical "love" towards those who are partakers of the same, and a desire to help others to seek the Giver.” God loved us when we were altogether unworthy of it, and it was this sacrificial love that caused Him to go to the cross for you and me. It is this same love that we can have toward Him and to one another. In the remainder of the chapter Paul will speak to the relationship between sin and death, and contrast this with the grace of God that reigns through righteousness unto eternal life.