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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the Bibleignmenistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Alright, in the book of Romans, the book of Romans, I want to review a little bit and then add a little bit. So if you look there in the book of Romans in chapter 1, when Paul says, I’m not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believe it. And he says to the Jew first and also to the gree. And when he says he’s not ashamed of the gospel, I believe it’s because the gospel is for everybody.

This good news, this gospel, is for everybody. And so he says, I am a debtor, and I am ready to preach the gospel, and I’m not ashamed. So that’s found in verses 14, 15, and 16. So when you get to verse 18, he describes those people that have rebelled against truth. See, God gives light, and he puts that light inside of every person that’s born. So there is a knowledge that you know that there is a creator. You know that there’s a God.

So it’s something that you have within, and you’ll notice what he says in verse 19, because that which may be known of God as manifest in them. And then not only what’s on the inside, there’s that which is on the outside, the external, the traces that God is left. These Things that we see and behold is the creation of God that lets us know there is a Creator. And so as he says here in verse 20, for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, his eternal power in God heads so that they are without excuse.

So whether they have the law or don’t have the law, Lord is going to be just in whatever He does. And so there’s people that have had light and rebelled against the light that is inside the light that is on the outside. And then He tells them that He will allow people to go as far from God as they want to go. And He says their foolish heart is darkened and they rebel against truth. They glorified Him not as God but became vain in their own imagination and worship the creature more than the Creator and looking from that direction toward God and looking at the other direction and thinking that they came from creeping things upon this earth.

And that’s why he says in verse 23, change the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like a corruptible man and then man begins to worship man. So then he says in verse 24, and I’ve read a lot of commentaries and I listened to a lot of preachers over the years and I’ve seen where people say, you know, you can sin away your day of grace. You’ve sinned away your day of grace. See right now you can be saved today, but if you keep rebelling against it and you can sin away your day of grace and then you can’t be saved.

Well, I kind of believe that you can be saved until you draw your last breath when there’s nothing else left. And so he’s talking about how wicked people are and so he says here and God also gave them up and so many people ought to make it whether he gave them up so they go to hell so he gave them up because now they can’t believe they can’t be saved but it’s not really what he’s saying is that he lets people move from light to darkness and will allow an individual he will allow you to rebel against truth he’ll allow you to make gods out of anything if you want he will allow you to follow the lust of the flesh and you can change the glory of God into creeping things and do all kind of wicked things and he says and they change the truth into

a lie. God will allow and permit people to do that and just like he says they’re in verse 26 for this cause God gave them up To vowel affections. So if you are not going to do what God wants you to, God will allow you to live, think, and act like an animal. Not the way God wants, but when you rebel against light, you move into darkness. And that’s why he says, and their foolish heart was darkened. So when you live contrary to reveal light, there’s a price to pay.

And so then he says here that men with men, women with women, and all these things. that are wrong. And so he says that they do these things. So down there in verse 32, who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them to do them. So God will allow people, just look at the world today. Aren’t there people living wicked sinful lives? God allow people to live as wickedly as they want to live.

But it ain’t over yet. There are consequences. And so there’s consequences even to lost people, not just God’s children. So He’s laying a foundation. The foundation He’s laying is showing you that Gentiles and Jews have all sinned and that there is none righteous, no not one. So whether you go that away and we cause of what God has revealed and they rebel against truth, but if you will accept light, light leads to more light and you can find more light and more light and I believe that God will get light to the person who accepts light but you can be darkened.

And so that’s why the only thing that a lost man can see and understand when he wants to see God and know God is the light of the gospel. That’s why it’s such a powerful thing. Now you’ll notice over here in verse 14 where it says in chapter too. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these have not the law or a law unto themselves, which show the work of the law written in their hearts.

Their conscience also bear in witness, and their thoughts to mean while accusing or excusing one another. Anytime you can accuse or excuse somebody based upon a moral judgment, it’s letting you know you have moral intellect. Where did this sense of right and wrong come from? God says it came from him. So you know that there’s things that are right and you know there’s things that are wrong even if you’ve never even heard of the Ten Commandments. There’s certain basic truths that are within man and if man has a conscience it’s because he has a sense of values of right and wrong.

He may not be accurate all the things and maybe can’t have it boiled down as clear as we can because we know the Scriptures, but there’s still a responsibility there. So then in chapter 2 and verse 17 he says, you boast in the fact that, okay you’re a Jew. Now he didn’t nail the Gentiles. Now he’s nailed in the Jewish person. You rest in the law. You boast about the law, yet you haven’t kept the law. You know what the law says, but you don’t keep And that’s no better than the Gentiles who, well, they know there’s a God that then turn against that knowledge against God.

And they don’t want to retain God in the knowledge because that means a Creator. That means you’re a creation of God and you are responsible to God and therefore because of the lust of the flesh, they don’t want to retain that knowledge. They want to do away with anything that has or reminds them of God or responsibility. That’s why there’s people in the world. And they want to live wickedly, they don’t want churches around and they don’t want Bibles around and they don’t want Christians around, they don’t want to think about God or anything like that.

They don’t want that because of what they want to do. Because a person who does write is a natural rebuke to a person who wants to do wrong. And so he goes down to here in these things down. I’ll look down in chapter three real quick. What advantage in half the Jew or what prophet is there of circumcision? Much every way, chiefly because then under them were committed the world of God. they had the world and they also had conscience, they had the word of God too.

And what if a man doesn’t believe in the evidence that God gave to him? Here’s all this evidence that there is a God and that’s the world in which we see. But a man doesn’t agree with the evidence. Does that mean the evidence is no good because man didn’t believe it? If God gave the word of God and people don’t believe in the word of God, the supernatural revelation would does that mean that the evidence that God revealed in His Word must not be any good because people don’t believe it?

So that’s why He says in verse 3, but what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God or the faithfulness of God without effect? Does that mean that the evidence is not evidence because people don’t believe it? Does that mean the Word of God has no power because people don’t believe. So the Word of God is truth. It is the evidence of a miraculous, supernatural, God, that’s personal, and we can know Him, and He’s revealed Himself, and all these things are true.

So, you’re good out through here, and of course you’re seeing that God is laying down a foundation that everybody is guilty. Now, some people say, well, see those people over there in chapter 1, they are so wicked and God gave up on them they can’t be saved. No, then I would be ashamed of the gospel. The reason he’s not ashamed of the gospel, because the gospel can still save those people that are that wicked. And remember this, is it possible that a guy like Hitler could be saved?

Now remember, you think about Hitler, think about these ISIS people over there that are cutting off people’s heads and putting them in steel cages and burning them alive or drowning them, can those people be saved and go to heaven? Now keep us in mind. they can’t. You can’t. If God can’t save them, God can’t save you. Because in God’s eyes, there is no different for all have sinned. Everybody has sinned. So if God is going to bestow grace upon anyone, he has to bestow grace upon all men, not just some.

It has to be an open invitation to everybody because otherwise God would be a respecter of persons. So what does he tell you there in chapter 2? He says in verse 11, there is no respect of persons with God. So the conclusion of all of this is that all the world is guilty. So you see there in verse 19 of chapter 3. Now we know the what things so ever the lost sayeth, it’s safe to them that are under the law that get this every mouth may be stopped.

the world may become guilty before God. So God is simply showing you that whether Jews are Gentile they are all guilty before God and cannot save themselves. Therefore, that’s why verse 20 is there. Therefore, because everybody’s guilty, nobody can be justified, declared righteous by their deeds, therefore no salvation can be offered to anybody according to the works because nobody qualifies. So he says, therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. For by the law is the knowledge of sin.

That’s how you know how bad you are. God gave the law and you see how bad you are and you might not have thought you were so bad that until you see what the law is. So the law is the mirror that you look into and see, I am not good to go. Are you trying to tell me I’m not good enough? That’s exactly what I’m saying. I’m just telling you what the book said. So now there’s this thing in the Bible, it’s called imputation.

It’s an accounting term which simply means that God is going to put something to your account. Now, all the world all guilty. So you see it’s like their sins of the whole world were imputed to Christ and Christ paid the debt. But you see that’s only one part of this transaction. He had all of our sins imputed to Him. When you and I believe that He did it for us, He imputes his righteousness to us. We are sinful and he is perfect and righteous.

So what we’re really doing is changing places. He becomes my substitute. He takes all my sins and pays for my sin. Comes back from the dead. But the payment is not put to your account until you believe. And when you believe that he did it for you, then and he imputes his righteousness to your account. When he says Abraham believed God and it was accounted unto him for righteousness. That’s the same word, talking about it, it was imputed to his account, placed to his account.

God gave Abraham his righteousness by faith. Look what he says here, in chapter four. Chapter four, look down there again in verse 22. and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.” Wasn’t automatic is when Abraham believed the promise that God made concerning the seed, which was Christ. And so he says, now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him. But unto us also to whom it shall be, so it hadn’t been done yet, shall be imputed if we do what?

See those next three words? if we believe. If we believe on the one that died on the cross and paid for our sins and came back from the dead when we believe it, his righteousness is imputed. Now, notice what he says here in verse 5 of chapter 4. These are familiar verses to most of you. I know that. But to him that work if not, but believe it on him that justify it the ungodly. Get that. So the Lord is going to declare you to be righteous as though you’ve never committed a sin.

Now we know that happens by the giving of the new birth. But you see that phrase? His faith is counted for righteousness. counted for righteousness.ryu His righteousness is imputed to you. So if he gave to you his righteousness, that means that your righteousness is of God. Now hold your place right here and look in 1 Corinthians and chapter one. 1 Corinthians and chapter one. And notice what he says here. Notice in verse 29, that no flesh should glory in his presence.

but of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Christ is that for me. He is the one who redeemed me. He’s the one who sets me apart and makes me pure and holy. He’s the one who gives me His righteousness. So I’m going to heaven on what He did for me. Now back in the book of Romans in chapter 3, look at this one more time, verse 21.

He says, but now the righteousness of God. Now He just established the fact that there is no righteousness of man. Man has no righteousness. There’s none righteous. No, not one, not one. But now there is this righteousness of God. And he says, without the law, it means there is a righteousness that God will give to you and I, without the law, means without working, without earning it, without deserving it. The righteousness of God, without the law, is manifest, been witnessed by the law and the prophets.

In other words, this isn’t a new doctrine. This was taught in the Old Testament just as well. even now, we looked in verse 22, the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ, get this unto all. When he says up here in verse 19, all the world may become guilty. And then he says in verse 23, all have sinned. And then he says in verse 22, unto all. Do you think that unto all could be all? That is unto all, but it’s upon them that believe.

So God’s salvation is unto all, but it’s upon them that believe. So He establishes the fact that there is none good, no not one. There’s none that can save themselves. Everybody’s guilty, the whole world. And it doesn’t matter how bad you are. It doesn’t matter how many sins you’ve committed. But you see, when he makes a statement here in verse 24, being justified. He just established in verse 20, you can’t be justified by your works, but you can be justified freely by His grace.

So it’s telling that you can be. And those people that were so wicked that we just read about. That’s why Paul says, I’m not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to those that deserve it, to whosoever. So all of these people, because of how bad they are, you probably know people that you think if anybody goes to hell, they deserve to go. And there’s probably somebody thinking that same thing about you.

Aren’t you glad your eternal destination does not depend upon what somebody else thinks about you? That’d be pretty bad. But now notice what he says here. Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Now look in verse 28. Therefore, the conclusion of the whole matter. A man is justified, declared righteous, by faith without the deeds of the law. Now look there in Romans in chapter 4 again. So when he makes the statement in verse 5, that he that works not but simply believes his faith is counted for righteousness.

Now I know what he says in verse 6, even as David also described the blessedness of the man under whom God get this imputed righteousness without works. How many times can he say it? How many different ways can he say it and people not get it? To me it’s It’s so clear, so simple. You will never and never have deserved to be saved. And that’s why it’s so hard for people to realize that once you’re saved, why you can’t lose it.

Grace is really a marvelous thing. It is really a wonderful thing because without grace, there is no salvation. Now, look at another verse. I love this verse 8. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. You see, well, what happens when you sin after you’re saved? He cannot put that to my account. He has to put it to Christ’s account. Christ paid for that. You see, He has a big O’esque girl account, and it’s good enough for all the sins of all the world.

And whenever you sin, grace does much more abound. Now, you and I will never, this side of eternity, totally understand it all. But isn’t it something that God will impute His righteousness to me, but He can never impute my sins to me? And there’s a reason why. Now, you get to chapter five and then chapter six. And there is what we call the identification truths. It means where you identify in Christ’s death, Berlin Resurrection. Now, we know the Bible says in the book of Galatians somewhere, I am crucified with Christ.

Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ live within me. In the life which I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. But before we get into all of those identifications, I want you to notice it from chapter 6, we have gone from the beginning. Now you have been declared righteous. In chapter 5 says, since you have now been justified by faith, we’re in you stand in this grace.

You stand in grace. That is your new position. You are a child of God and there’s nothing that can change that. You can’t alter it and you can never lose your standing in Christ. You are His child justified forever and you can never in the future ever be condemned. And there’s a reason why. But I want you to see here in the book of Romans in chapter 6. I want you just to see this just a couple of these words here.

you’ll notice in chapter six, he makes a statement up here in verse 16. No, you not that the home ye yield yourself. See that word servant? His servant ye are and look at verse 17. But God be thinking that you were the servants of sin and now he’s talking about in verse 18, you became the servants of righteousness. Verse 19, the middle of the verse says servants to uncleanness. Servants done in verse 20, for when you were servants. And down in verse 22, but now being made free from sin and become servants.

Now see, this is not about how to be saved. This is because of your position in Christ, the reasons why you should live according to your standing in the Lord. And because you have a new position in Christ, now your service for the Lord should be because of your understanding of your position that you have in Christ. Do you know who you are? See, when you trust it Christ as your Savior, you are now a saint of the Lord.

And God has declared you righteous. So when he asked the question, how shall we that are dead, the sin, live any longer therein? How can we continue in sin? And the reason is, is he wants you to understand You are a dead man. Well, you say, well, when did I die? Oh, that’s an interesting thing to think about. That’s why we call it the identification truths. So whenever Christ died on that cross, who did He do that for? He did it for you.

He took your place. In God’s eyes, that was you on that cross because Christ took your place. but you should have died and paid for your sins. You’re the one that was buried and you’re the one that came back from the dead. Well, when did you do that? Well, see Christ did it for you, but whenever you believed it, his death was put to your account. So it was just like that old flesh nature that you have, that old sinful man, that old man we call it, and the Bible call it, that old man, he was crucified.

Now you and I really weren’t crucified, we really didn’t die, but we’re supposed to live as though we did. You are to reckon it to be true because that’s how God sees it. You see that old man of yours? God says, how shall we that are dead live any longer than it? You died. You sure? Well, I didn’t feel anything. You’re supposed to reckon it to be true because in God’s eyes it is. You see, when he died on that cross, you died.

When he was buried, you were buried. When he came back from the dead, you were buried. dead, you came back from the dead. When he ascended into Heavens, you send it into Heavens. Now God sees you seated in the Heavenlies in Christ. Theses in chapter 1. You know that’s enough to make your mind hoard a little bit. But that doesn’t change the fact. It’s still the truth. You see, God sees you in Christ. When you trust in Christ as your Savior, the Holy Spirit placed you into the body and you were in the body on the cross.

And so you did all of those things, but you didn’t do anything. He did it for you. That’s substitution. That’s grace. And that’s why I say when Christ died and you accepted His death as your death, the law can’t touch your dead man. You died. And that’s why there’s no more sins that can be imputed to your account. Why? You don’t impute sins to a dead man. You died. But what do we do about all the stuff that’s going on in our lives?

The practicality of all of this. So now go back to Romans in chapter 6. When he makes the statement in verse 1, what shall we say? Then shall we continue in sin? Because obviously it’s not going to put to my account, I might as well have myself a blast. And there’s people who think that right? It’s not going to matter. Well, it’s not going to affect your eternal destination as far as going to heaven. But buddy, you’re not there yet.

And you’d be surprised what it can cost you an eternity because of disobedience to the Lord. Now get this. So in verse two, he answered the question, God forbid. I wonder what that means. No, it means no. How shall we that are what? So I ain’t making this up. This is in the Bible. How shall we that are dead live any longer than in? If the old man was crucified, then how are you going to live in this old man?

You’re supposed to recognize, well, he died. So whenever Christ died on that cross and paid for our sins and came back from the dead now to walk in newness of life. Christ will never make another payment for sin because He made one payment for sin forever and now sit down on the right hand of the Father. Are you a new listener to Bibleline? Do you enjoy the teachings of Dr. Arnold? Well, if you’ve never contacted us before, we want to give you Dr.

Arnold’s book, The Gospel Driven Man. Every day we receive many emails from folks who have questions about repentance and salvation, about faith in works, and about how to share the gospel with friends and loved ones. This book, The Gospel Driven Man, covers all those topics, and we want all new listeners of Bibleline to receive a free copy. There’s no obligation, no donation necessary, simply call us at 1-800-576-3771 or write to us and request your free copy of the Gospel-Driven Man.

The mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Again, don’t forget to include your mailing address. And God bless you and thank you for listening to Bibleline. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4081 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed.

Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believe it that the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.