Studies in Romans

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Dec 18, 1907

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 33, No. 51.

Studies in Romans

Rom. 1:1-4.

THERE is a further truth that is worthy of special study in the first chapter of Romans—a truth that has not been mentioned in these articles thus far. The statement of this truth is found in the verses that follow:

"Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the Gospel of God, which He promised afore thru His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." Rom. 1:1-4.

The foregoing verses inform us that the Son of God, our Saviour, "was born of the seed of David according to the flesh." Thus do we see that there is a human side to the nature of the Master. He was born "according to the flesh." And not only so, but He was born according to the kind of flesh that was in the line of descent of King David.

By studying the lineage of Christ "according to the flesh," as presented in the first chapter of Matthew, and also in the third chapter of Luke, it will be seen that the human ancestors of the Messiah were subject to all the iniquities that are common to the human race. The Lord Jesus Christ by His divine power entered human flesh to conquer sin in our behalf. "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak thru the flesh, God [did by] sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh." Rom. 8:3.

Man had fallen into sin, and could no more lift himself out of his condition than a man who has fallen over a precipice can lift himself back again. There must be a power from above that reaches down and lays hold of him if he is ever rescued. And hence our Saviour, while retaining His divine connection and power with His Father, not only reaches down to humanity, but actually comes down and enters humanity so that He may lay hold upon man and lift him back to God and righteousness. Sinful, human flesh can not of itself ever conquer sin. It can not resist the inborn tendencies and desires to give way to the demands of the flesh, to its passions, its appetites, its unholy cravings.

When Christ took upon Himself the nature of sinful man He became subject to all the temptations that mankind is subject to. Hear His own word upon this point. "Having then a great High Priest, who hath passed thru the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a High Priest that can not be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but One that hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." Heb. 4:14, 15.

Christ came in the flesh. And to do this He had to come into the flesh. He was not in the likeness of sinful flesh before He came to this earth, but He entered into the flesh of humanity when He came here. He was a babe in human flesh; He was a little child in human flesh; He was a youth, and then a young man, and finally the matured man, in human flesh. He traversed the whole sphere of humanity. And He did this, not merely that He might be tempted in all the points at which we are met by sin, but that He might be "tempted like as we are."

And not only was He "tempted like as we are," but He is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities." The very infirmities of the flesh that we feel He felt also. He is "touched" by these feelings. He came into the flesh of mankind so that the children of men could come to Him in their distresses and temptations and actually touch Him.

Altho He was the divine Son of God, and altho with His infinite powers it might

be supposed that He could have known without coming into the flesh how sinful men feel, yet He does not leave us to the sympathies of even the infinite powers of divine knowledge apart from actual experience. He comes into actual touch with humanity so that we may know that He really feels our very feelings. When we have feelings that are distressing or perplexing us,—feelings that we know not how to describe to any earthly friend or bosom companion,—we can come to the Master, saying to Him, “Thou knowest how I feel! Thou hast passed thru this ordeal; Thou hast met this difficulty in the flesh; Thou knowest my distress or my perplexity from actual experience.” O what a depth of satisfying helpfulness to know that we have a Saviour who has taken such infinite pains to come into actual touch with us! Is it any marvel, then, that the apostle draws the conclusion from the verses quoted from Hebrews, “Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need.” Heb. 4:16.

Then, what a world of meaning there is in another statement that the Saviour made for all His followers. His statement and promise is: “Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” “Lo, I am with you,” says the Master. I am not with you occasionally, He would say to us, but I am with you “always.” And He would say to us that He is not with us merely in some particular period of the world’s history, but He is with us always, “even unto the end of the world.” Always with us. Always by our side. Always right where He can feel the faintest touch of the feeling of our infirmities.

“I beheld the Lord always before my face; For He is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; Moreover my flesh also shall dwell in hope.” Acts 2:25, 26.

The Lord is always before the Christian. The Lord is always with the Christian. He is not there as a stern judge, nor to “spy on us” or to find fault with us; He is there that we may “not be moved;” He is there that we may feel His touch, and that He in turn may be “touched with the feeling of our infirmities.”

It is this knowledge of the personal presence of Christ that enables His followers to “endure as seeing Him that is invisible.” It is this knowledge of the personal sympathy of Christ that draws men to forsake all beside and devote themselves to eternally love Him.