LAB175 Do I Have Any Righteousness of My Own?
Romans 5:20-6:2
LAB175 Why Romans 5:21 refers to imputed righteousness
#righteousness
#righteous
#romans
Published August 1st, 2017; Updated August 15th, 2017
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Phrase
editing
NT
Romans 5:20-6:2
esv
mine
Now the law came in to increase the trespass,
but where sin increased,
grace abounded all the more,
so that,
as sin reigned
in death,
grace also might reign
through righteousness
leading to eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
What shall we say then?
Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
By no means!
How can we who died to sin still live in it?
phrasing
Notes
Refer to http://www.desiringgod.org/labs/do-i-have-any-righteousness-of-my-own See also http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/unlock-the-riches-of-scripture Study Questions What is righteousness and why is it important? Is the righteousness in Romans 5:21 ours or Christ’s? Does Romans 6:1–2 shed any light on the answer? In what ways do you still functionally put trust in your own works for salvation? How can you grow in living from Christ’s righteousness and not your own? Thoughts: Righteousness is the opposite of sin. It is important because it is life. Sin is death. Righteousness in Romans 5:21 is Christ's imputed to us. Romans 6:1-2 shows that the questions that arose would only make sense if the righteousness in 5:21 is imputed to us by Christ. For example, why would anyone ask if he can sin more that grace may abound unless the righteousness is imputed/ counted on our behalf? For if the 5:21 righteousness is our own righteousness, then no one would ask this question. Christ's righteousness imputed to me gives me the assurance that I am alive in Him in order to then do works of righteousness. I just read the article on "Unlock the riches of Scripture" see above. One question is what should my response be, an affective response be to this passage. I find this question helpful. My affective response would be one of caution and relief -- I am to be relieved by the idea of grace, but cautious not to take it for granted and abuse it by using free grace as an excuse for sin. My other affective response is one of curiousity for I have more questions. One of which is: If I am dead to sin, why do I still keep sinning? Time does not allow me to explore further just yet.
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