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NASB | Romans 16:23 ¶ Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer greets you, and Quartus, the brother. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 16:23 ¶ Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church here, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you. |
Subject: Paul's circumstances writing Rom 8:31-39 |
Bible Note: nps50 I would caution against assuming that the occaission, now that I understand you more clearly, for Paul writing about Christian perseverance in Romans 8: 31-39, was that "Paul was being adamant in saying nothing could separate him from the love of Christ" as if he was at the time facing serious adversity. Here is why - Chapter 8 of Romans starts with the phrase "Therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ ". Paul starts writing chapter 8 in answer to chapter 7 in which he states that the flesh is battling the spirit and that one sins when one does not want to, but that it is sin which dwells in the believer which does the sinning and not the spirit which wars against it. At the end of chapter 7 Paul says, wretched man that I am, who will save me from the this body of death? So then on the one hand he serves the law of God, but on the other with the flesh the law of sin. Hence "therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus". Paul moves on through the passage to say that we have the mind of Christ and the Spirit of Christ. Then Paul moves on to that he considers the sufferings of this present time not to be worthy of the glory that awaits. He is making a theological point about the sufferings that occur to all are not worthy of the glory to come. He does not mention and is not trying to point out some specific personal suffering, he is talking about all Christians suffering. He moves on to explain that all of creation is also suffering and waiting for all Christians to be changed, so that they too will be changed. He goes on to say that we are the first fuits of the Spirit and that we groan inside for the redemption of our bodies. It is at this point that we see he has been talking in answer to chapter 7 all along about the answer to the power of the flesh as being the process of redemption. Which is why I said in the previous post not to divorce 8:31-19 from the broader concept Paul is writing about in chapters 6-8, which is sanctification. Paul is talking about how suffering works and the mind of Christ works in sanctification here in chapter 8. Then Paul moves on to how the Holy Spirit plays a role in this sanctification process as intercessor. Then he moves on and begins to talk about "all things" work for good, meaning suffering and good things too to work out this sanctification. Next he moves to the process of the will of God - foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, sanctification, glorification, and election. Then he comes to a big theological point from 31-39 where he says, since all of what I have said so far is true - then who can bring a charge against the elect to condemn them? And this is the major point of the whole chapter and the sole reason for the end of the passage you are asking about. The whole book of Romans is one big book on Paul's theology, which is why I gave you a break down, chapter by chapter of what is going on in Romans from beginning to end. In 31-39 he lists and expounds most adamantly on all the reasons why a charge cannot be brought agains the elect, giving every single thing that could try to unhinge the position of a believer out of the will of God as being saved and refuting every single thing as having any valid ability to separate us from the love of Christ. He was not imprisoned when he wrote Romans - he was at Corinth with the believes I listed in chapter 16 for you, if you go there and read chapter 16, it lists the top people who were there with him at Corinth, Cenchrea is at Corinth. If you see chapter 15 at the end he is on his way to Jerusalem to give them the collection from Macedonia. If you see chapter 1 he wishes to come to them when he finishes doing this and make a collection to take to Spain after visiting Rome. Hope this clears it up for you. God Bless you. blessings abound, bowler |