Last night I listened to Ryan Rufus most recent message, from City Church International. And I must say, I was greatly encouraged. He preached on his favorite four chapters of the Bible, Romans 5,6,7,8. He did not get in depth or into content, but wanted to give the context for these amazing chapters. His goal was to help clarify them further to arm and equip folks to go and study the chapters for themselves. I greatly appreciated this! Romans 5,6,7,8 are the bedrock chapters of truly understanding grace! The theologies and doctrines of grace come from these four chapters, as a package, and it is not a good idea to isolate certain passages and build theologies around them! (that point is so true and hugely helpful to point out!!) So when you are reading a Scripture that gets confusing and doesn't line up with the grace you find in these chapters, you probably are not reading it in it's proper context. I find this helpful advice!!
I wish I had time to transcribe this message on here, but instead I will throw up a few notes and encourage all to go check it out! I really love Ryan's style of preaching, he is so refreshingly straight forward and funny too!!
So, what is Romans 5-8 talking about?
-It's talking about 2 states of being, 2 positions that people can be in, 2 races - those who are in 1st Adam and those in last Adam (or in Christ). The theme is contrasting those 2 states or positions, are you in Adam or are you in Christ?
He also pointed out, that in these chapters when it talks about sin, it's not talking about individual sins, it's talking about a state of sin.
Romans 5 - is all about people's position, in Adam or in Christ. In chapter 5, verse 19 in the KJV, it says; "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Ryan pointed out that it's important to see, the word "made". There is nothing you and I can do to, to become sinners, or to become righteous. Both are imputed, or a gift.
Romans 6- is contrasting a position of sin, or a position of righteousness. People in Adam are in sin, people in Christ are in righteousness
Romans 7 - is contrasting those who are under the law and those who are under grace. People in Adam are in sin and under law, people in Christ are in righteousness and under grace. You can't be both under law and under grace, to go back under law from grace or to fall from grace is spiritual adultery.
Romans 8 - NO CONDEMNATION, for those who are in Christ, who walk after the Spirit. People who are in Adam are in sin under the law and walk in the flesh, people who are in Christ are in righteousness under grace and walk in the Spirit.
That is a very brief summary. I highly recommend checking this message out( the message, in between worship, is only 40 minutes or so). I especially love the part that he discusses on the confusion over the last half of Romans 7, one of the Scriptures I have really wrestled with since coming out of a sin conscious driven church culture. Good stuff!! Check it out!!!
