Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from the Epistle
of St. Paul to the Romans, chapters 6 through
10. Chapter 6 What shall we say then? Shall we
continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly
not. How shall we who died to sin live any longer
in it? Or do you not know that as many of us
as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized
into his death? Therefore we were buried with
him through baptism into death, that just as
Christ was raised from the dead by the glory
of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life. For if we have been united together
in the likeness of his death, certainly we also
shall be in the likeness of his resurrection,
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. For he who has died has been freed from
sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that
we shall also live with him, knowing that Christ,
having been raised from the dead, dies no more.
Death no longer has dominion over him. For the
death that he died, he died to sin once for all.
But the life that he lives, he lives to God.
Likewise, you also reckon yourselves to be dead
indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus
our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your
mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts,
and do not present your members as instruments
of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves
to God as being alive from the dead, and your
members as instruments of righteousness to God.
For sin shall not have dominion over you, for
you are not under law but under grace. What then?
Shall we sin because we are not under law but
under grace? Certainly not. 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 but god be thanked that though
you were slaves of sin yet you obeyed from the
heart that form of doctrine to which you were
delivered and having been set free from sin you
became slaves of righteousness i speak in human
terms because of the weakness of your flesh For
just as you presented your members as slaves
of uncleanness and of lawlessness leading to
more lawlessness, so now present your members
as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For
when you were slaves of sin, you were free in
regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have
then in the things of which you are now ashamed?
For the end of those things is death. But now,
having been set free from sin and having become
slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness
and the end everlasting life. For the wages of
sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord. She will be called
an adulteress, but if her husband dies, she is
free from that law, so that she is no adulteress,
though she has married another man. Therefore,
my brethren, you also have become dead to the
law through the body of Christ, that you may
be married to another, to him who was raised
from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.
For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions
which were aroused by the law were at work in
our members to bear fruit to death. but now we
have been delivered from the law having died
to what we were held by so that we should serve
in the newness of the spirit and not in the oldness
of the letter what shall we say then is the law
sin certainly not on the contrary i would not
have known sin except through the law for i would
not have known covetousness unless the law had
said you shall not covet but sin taking opportunity
by the commandment produced in me all manner
of evil desire For apart from the law, sin was
dead. I was alive once without the law, but when
the commandment came, sin revived and I died.
And the commandment, which was to bring life,
I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion
by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed
me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment
holy, and just and good. Has then what is good
become death to me? Certainly not. But sin, that
it might appear sin, was producing death in me
through what is good, so that sin through the
commandment might become exceedingly sinful.
For we know that the law is spiritual, but I
am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing
I do not understand. For what I will to do, that
I do not practice. But what I hate, that I do.
If then I do what I will not to do, I agree with
the law. that it is good but now it is no longer
i who do it but sin that dwells in me for i know
that in me that is in my flesh nothing good dwells
for to will is present with me but how to perform
what is good i do not find for the good that
i will to do i do not do but the evil i will
not to do that i practice now if i do what i
will not to do it is no longer i who do it but
sin that dwells in me i find then a law that
evil is present with me, the one who wills to
do good. For I delight in the law of God according
to the inward man, but I see another law in my
members, warring against the law of my mind,
and bringing me into captivity to the law of
sin which is in my members. O wretched man that
I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So
then with the mind I myself serve the law of
God, but with the flesh, The law of sin. Chapter
8 he condemned sin in the flesh that the righteous
requirement of the law might be fulfilled in
us who do not walk according to the flesh but
according to the spirit for those who live according
to the flesh set their minds on the things of
the flesh but those who live according to the
spirit the things of the spirit for to be carnally
minded is death but to be spiritually minded
is life and peace Because the carnal mind is
enmity against God, for it is not subject to
the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those
who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you
are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed
the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone
does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not
his. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead
because of sin, but the Spirit is life because
of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who
raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He
who raised Christ from the dead will also give
life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit
who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are
debtors, not to the flesh, to live according
to the flesh. For if you live according to the
flesh, you will die. But if by the Spirit you
put to death the deeds of the body, you will
live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of
God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive
the Spirit of bondage again to fear. but you
receive the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry
out, Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself bears witness
with our spirit that we are children of God.
And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and
joint heirs with Christ. If indeed we suffer
with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present
time are not worthy to be compared with the glory
which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest
expectation of the creation eagerly waits for
the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation
was subjected to futility, not willingly, but
because of him who subjected it in hope. Because
the creation itself also will be delivered from
the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty
of the children of God. For we know that the
whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs
together until now. Not only that, but we also
who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even
we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly
waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our
body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope
that is seen is not hope. For why does one still
hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what
we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses,
for we do not know what we should pray for as
we ought, but the Spirit himself makes intercession
for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Now he who searches the hearts knows what the
mind of the Spirit is, because he makes intercession
for the saints according to the will of God.
And we know that all things work together for
good to those who love God, to those who are
the called according to his purpose. For whom
he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed
to the image of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom
he predestined, these he also called. Whom he
called, these he also justified. And whom he
justified, these he also glorified. What then
shall we say to these things? If God is for us,
who can be against us? He who did not spare his
own Son, but delivered him up for us all. How
shall he, not with him, also freely give us all
things? Who shall bring a charge against God's
elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who
condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore
is also risen. Who is even at the right hand
of God, who also makes intercession for us? Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or
famine? or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As
it is written, for your sake we are killed all
day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him who loved us. For I am persuaded
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor
any other created thing, shall be able to separate
us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus,
our lord chapter nine i tell the truth in christ
i am not lying my conscience also bearing me
witness in the holy spirit that i have great
sorrow and continual grief in my heart for i
could wish that i myself were accursed from christ
for my brethren my countrymen according to the
flesh who are israelites to whom pertain the
adoption the glory the covenant the giving of
the law the service of God and the promises,
of whom are the fathers, and from whom, according
to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the
eternally blessed God. Amen. But it is not that
the word of God has taken no effect, for they
are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are
they all children because they are the seed of
Abraham. But in Isaac your seed shall be called,
that is, those who are the children of the flesh.
These are not the children of God, but the children
of the promise are counted as the seed. For this
is the word of promise. At this time I will come,
and Sarah shall have a son. And not only this,
but when Rebekah also had conceived by one man,
even by our father Isaac, for the children not
yet being born, nor having done any good or evil,
that the promise of God according to election
might stand, not of works, but of him who calls.
It was said to her, The older shall serve the
younger. As it is written, Jacob I have loved,
but Esau I have hated. What shall we say then?
Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly
not. For he says to Moses, I will have mercy
on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have
compassion on whomever I will have compassion.
So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him
who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the
scripture says to the Pharaoh, For this very
purpose I have raised you up, that I may show
my power in you, and that my name may be declared
in all the earth. Therefore he has mercy on whom
he wills, and whom he wills he hardens. You will
say to me then, Why does he still find fault?
For who has resisted his will? But indeed, O
man, who are you to reply against God? Will the
thing formed say to him who formed it, Why have
you made me like this? does not the potter have
power over the clay from the same lump to make
one vessel for honour and another for dishonour
what if god wanting to show his wrath and to
make his power known endured with much long -suffering
the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction
and that he might make known the riches of his
glory on the vessels of mercy which he had prepared
beforehand for glory even us whom he called not
of the jews only but also of the gentiles As
he says also in Hosea, Isaiah also cries out
concerning Israel. Because the Lord will make
a short work upon the earth. And as Isaiah said
before, What shall we say then? The Gentiles
who did not pursue righteousness have attained
the righteousness, even the righteousness of
faith, but Israel pursuing the law of righteousness
has not attained to the law of righteousness.
Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but
as it were by the works of the law. For they
stumbled at that stumbling stone. As it is written,
Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock
of offense, and whoever believes on him will
not be put to shame. Chapter 10 Brethren, my
heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is
that they may be saved, for I bear them witness
that they have a zeal for God. but not according
to knowledge. For they, being ignorant of God's
righteousness and seeking to establish their
own righteousness, have not submitted to the
righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of
the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
For Moses writes about the righteousness which
is of the law, The man who does those things
shall live by them. But the righteousness of
faith speaks in this way, Do not say in your
heart who will ascend into heaven, that is, to
bring Christ down from above, or who will descend
into the abyss, that is, to bring Christ up from
the dead. But what does it say? The word is near
you, in your mouth and in your heart. That is
the word of faith which we preach, that if you
confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe
in your heart that God has raised him from the
dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one
believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation. for the scripture
says whoever believes on him will not be put
to shame for there is no distinction between
jew and greek for the same lord over all is rich
to all who call upon him for whoever calls on
the name of the lord shall be saved how then
shall they call on him in whom they have not
believed and how shall they believe in him of
whom they have not heard and how shall they hear
without a preacher and how shall they preach
unless they are sent As it is written, How beautiful
are the feet of those who preach the gospel of
peace, who bring glad tidings of good things.
But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For
Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our report?
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by
the word of God. But I say, have they not heard?
Yes, indeed. Their sound has gone out to all
the earth, and their words to the ends of the
world. But I say, did Israel not know? First
Moses says, I will provoke you to jealousy by
those who are not a nation. I will move you to
anger by a foolish nation. But Isaiah is very
bold and says, I was found by those who did not
seek me. I was made manifest to those who did
not ask for me. But to Israel he says, All day
long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient
and contrary people. I hope you enjoyed today's
reading as much as I did. And I look forward
to seeing you again tomorrow to continue on our
journey. God bless you and have a great day.