Chapter # 14 Paragraph # 1 Study # 6
March 21, 2021
Humble, Texas
(Download Audio)

⁽¹⁰⁷⁾

Thesis:   In the light of a myriad of complications within the details of the minutes, hours, days, weeks, month, years, and decades of a person's experience as a creature of God, keeping the Ultimate Objective and the Primary Mechanism of all of "Creation" in mind is critical.

Introduction:   We have seen thus far in our studies of Paul's instructions to The Church regarding "getting along with one another" that men have a "penchant" for "not getting along with one another". This base (in the sense of "evil") motivation has its roots in the original "fault" of a highly privileged "creature" identified in the Scriptures by a plurality of "names/descriptive titles" that are summarized in Revelation 12:9 and 20:2. That "fault" is declared in Isaiah 14:13 to be the heart-intention of exalting his "rule" over, not only the creation of God, but of God Himself. This "fault" is manifest in a multitude of ways, but its root is always the same: the desire to be in control of one's experiences in the details of living.

Because this desire to be the executor of the power of dominion over one's circumstances is the root of every evil that is ever done, it comes as no surprise that, at some point, Paul had to address it when it manifested itself in the conflicts of The Church over non-issues.

We have already seen that these conflicts arose because there were some in The Church in Rome whose grasp of "The Faith" was diseased and there were others whose better grasp of "The Faith" had not yet matured into a loving tolerance of those whose grasp was diseased. It was this situation to which Paul turned his attention in Romans 14.

This evening we are going to look again into Paul's words so that we might better understand how to seek the ability to "get along with one another".

• I. The Manifestation of The Fundamental Orientation.
  • A. The fundamental "grasp" of "The Faith" is its focus upon "Grace" as God's most fundamental characteristic in dealing with His Church.
    • 1. This means, first, the He does not take into account either the merit, or demerit, of those who are members of His Church when He responds to them: "Grace" is fundamentally "apart from meritorious works": Romans 11:6.
    • 2. This also means, second, that He takes action for the benefit of those who are members of His Church according to their real need (which boils down to teaching them how to live without being in control) and selected aspects of the manifestation of their lack in that need.
    • 3. Thus, "Grace" is God in action for the benefit of those whose failures have bankrupted any supposed "claim" they might think they have upon that "benefit".
  • B. The fundamental manifestation of a proper grasp of "The Faith" is, then, the "giving of thanks to God" while we are immersed in the details of living.
• II. The Declaration of The Fundamental "Mechanical" Principle of "The Faith".
  • A. In general.
    • 1. First, no one "lives for him/her self".
      • a. The grammatical facts of this text/context is that Paul is consistent in his use of the dative case in verses six through eight.
        • 1) The one who "observes the day" does so "for the Lord".
        • 2) The one who "eats" does so "for the Lord".
        • 3) The one who "does not eat" refrains "for the Lord".
        • 4) No one of us lives "for himself".
        • 5) No one "dies for himself".
        • 6) If we should live, "for the Lord" we live.
        • 7) If we should die, "for the Lord" we die.
      • b. The conclusion to this grammar is: "Therefore, whether we live or whether we die, we are "the Lord's".
        • 1) The phrase "we are the Lord's" means, specifically, that He is "Lord" over the details of our experiences whether they produce "life" or "death".
        • 2) This means that He is "Lord" (the One in control) and not we ourselves and we should not wish for anything less.
    • 2. Thus, "generally" "The Lord" gets to be "The God" in every situation and circumstance, and His "Lordly exercise of power" is always for our unmerited benefit.
  • B. In terms of the "bottom line".
    • 1. The rationale ("for") given in verse nine is that it was "unto this" that Christ "died and lived".
      • a. The "this" for which Christ died and lived is "that He should be Lord of dead and living.
      • b. Thus, His "death" was for that He should be "Lord" of the dead, and His "resurrection life" was for that He should be "Lord" of the living.
    • 2. This rationale is stated in terms of the basic mechanism of the ultimate objective.
      • a. The ultimate objective is "Life" for those who have died and lived, both in a "spiritual" sense and in a "physical" sense.
      • b. The basic mechanism of this "Life Production" is His "being Lord".
    • 3. This rationale has already been explained in Romans.
      • a. In respect to His Church, "all things are produced for the good of those who are His Church" (Romans 8:28).
      • b. In respect to those not of His Church, even their living and dying is for the good of those who are "of His Church" (Romans 9:22-26).

(return to the top of the article)


This is article #108.
If you wish, you may contact Darrel as darrelcline at this site.