Romans 1 vs 32 - chpt 5 vs 11 - Reading - 6
Publication Date: 1973
Victor Paul Wierwille was a Bible scholar and teacher for over four decades.
By means of Dr. Wierwille's dynamic teaching of the accuracy and integrity of God's Word, foundational class and advanced class graduates of Power for Abundant Living have learned that the one great requirement for every student of the Bible is to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Thus, his presentation of the Word of God was designed for students who desire the in-depth-accuracy of God’s Word.
In his many years of research, Dr. Wierwille studied with such men as Karl Barth, E. Stanley Jones, Glenn Clark, Bishop K.C. Pillai, and George M. Lamsa. His formal training included Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Theology degrees from Mission House (Lakeland) College and Seminary. He studied at the University of Chicago and at Princeton Theological Seminary from which he received a Master of Theology degree in Practical Theology. Later he completed his work for the Doctor of Theology degree.
Dr. Wierwille taught the first class on Power for Abundant Living in 1953.
Books by Dr. Wierwille include: Are the Dead Alive Now? published in 1971; Receiving the Holy Spirit Today published in 1972; five volumes of Studies in Abundant Living— The Bible Tells Me So (1971), The New, Dynamic Church (1971), The Word's Way (1971), God's Magnified Word (1977), Order My Steps in Thy Word (1985); Jesus Christ Is Not God (1975); Jesus Christ Our Passover (1980); and Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed (1982).
Dr. Wierwille researched God's Word, taught, wrote, and traveled worldwide, holding forth the accuracy of God's "wonderful, matchless" Word.
Romans 1:32-5:11
Lesson 6
Reading
Romans 1:16 – 5:11 deals basically with sins (s-i-n-s), the products or fruits of the old
nature. 5:12 – 8:39 deals with sin, singular, mainly the old nature itself. If I remember
correctly, I think it was Tragelles who first saw this great division in Romans. And that just
clarified a lot of things for people who study Romans, if they’ll study it in that light.
Because 5:12 – 8:39 deals with the old nature itself, the corrupt old nature, sin. While sins,
the plural, is always the product or the fruit of that old nature, understand it? It has fruit,
that old nature has fruit. The old nature is sin but the fruit are the sins of it. Now:
1:16 and 17: the power of God and the righteousness of God declared, as from God
and revealing God’s righteousness. The power of God and the righteousness of God
declared as from God and revealing God’s righteousness.
1:18: the wrath of God revealed.
1:19 – 3:20: the wrath of God described and set forth.
3:21 – 5:11: the power of God and righteousness of God set forth. And showing how
this righteousness is imputed to the recipient on the believing principle.
3:21 – 5:11: what God did for us (underscore for).
5:12 – 8:39: what God did in us (underscore in).
All right in chapter one of Romans, we have covered 16, 17, 18, 19 we’ve covered all
of those things. And we did a tremendous translation of was it verse 26? Right, now, verse
32 of that first chapter:
Romans 1:32 (not KJV):
Who knowing the righteousness or the righteous sentence of God, that they which
practice such things [you’ve got that written in there, don’t you?] are worthy of
death, not only do the same, but have pleasure or consent to them that do them.
Romans 2:1-2:
Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, [And here I believe he is talking about the
natural man.] whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another,
thou condemnest thyself; [why?] for thou that judgest doest the same [what?]
things.
But [verse 2] we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against
them which commit such things.
Now you got to remember that we’re dealing here now, with the wrath of God
described, remember? All the way through to 3:20, and I want to read this all the way
through to 3:20 tonight, so you get this wrath of God described and set forth. Verse 3:
Romans 2:3-5:
And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest
the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering;
not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath
against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Trouble with this fellow is he has to get saved, he isn’t saved, it’s the natural man.
Romans 2:6-9:
[Judgment of God] Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and
immortality, eternal life:
But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey
unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew
first, ...also of [what?] the Gentiles.
Right. If they stay unsaved, they got this wrath of God which is described and set forth.
For there’s no respect of Jew or Gentile with God [Romans2:11]. If you remember this
now and think in terms of Acts where Peter went to the household of Cornelius, it makes a
lot of sense doesn’t it? Wasn’t it Peter who said first thing, he realized God’s no respecter
of persons. See? There’s no respect of Jew or Gentile with God, for all come under the
wrath of God except they be born again.
Romans 2:12:
For as many as have sinned without law [you know, Gentiles] shall also perish
without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged [or perished]
by the law;
Because they’re not born again. It’s the wrath of God, see it? “For” – there is a
parenthesis here someplace. How far does that go? Into 15 doesn’t it?
Romans 2:13-15:
(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall
be justified.
For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained
in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
[Who] show the work of the law written in their hearts [in their actions], their
conscience also bearing witness, ... their thoughts the mean while accusing or else
excusing one another;)
Going back to verse 12:
Romans 2:12b, 2:16-21:
[...for as many as have sinned in the law shall be [what?] judged by the law]
In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men, by Jesus Christ according to
my gospel.
Behold, thou art called a Jew, and [you rest] in the law, and makest thy boast of
God,
And knowest his will [the law gave it], and approvest the things that are more
excellent, being instructed out of the law;
And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which
are in darkness,
An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge
and of the truth in the law.
Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that
preachest a man should not steal, dost thou [what?] steal?
Because these Jews you see, were not born again.
Romans 2:22-29:
Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery?
thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou
God?
For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is
written.
For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of
the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his
uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee,
who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is
outward in the flesh:
But he is a [Judean], which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart,
in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
If he gets born again, get it? If he doesn’t, he’s just a natural man, no matter how much
of the law he’s got, doesn’t mean a lousy thing.
Romans 3:1-2:
What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of
God.
They had the law given to them. They should have seen the Messiah; they should have
seen all of this stuff. But they didn’t.
Romans 3:3-20:
For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the [faithfulness] of
God without effect?
God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou
mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say?
Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet
am I also judged as a sinner?
[And why not say,]...let us do evil that good may come? Whose damnation is just.
What then? Are we better...? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews
and Gentiles that they are all under [what?] sin.
As it is written,...none righteous, no, not one:
There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. [This is
from Psalm 51.]
They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is
none that doeth good, no, not one.
Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit; the
poison of asps is under their lips:
Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.
Their feet are swift to shed blood.
Destruction and misery are in their ways.
And the way of peace have they not known.
There is no fear [or reverence] of God before their eyes.
Now we know that what things so ever the law saith, it saith to them who are
under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become
guilty [or subject to the judgment of]...God.
Therefore by the deeds of the law...shall no flesh be [what?] justified...by the law
is the knowledge of sin.
And that’s the great concluding verse in this section. And then the next section 3:21
opens with the word “but” which sets it in contrast, and there we begin the power of God,
righteousness of God, set forth and shows how it’s imputed to us. You see how the wrath of
God is described and set forth to both Jew and Gentile, after the day of Pentecost, because
they did not get born again? And that’s the foundational work to the Mystery; the Mystery
being Christ in you. The Gentiles fellow-heirs and of the same body. There’s neither Jew
nor Gentile, bond or free. But except people get born again whether they’re under the law
or whether they’re not under the law, makes no difference. Because every man’s a liar,
they’re all dead in they’re sins. Their throats are an open sepulcher and so forth. But you
see what he is saying, they carry a great religious impetus. These Jews were still going
through the machinery. They said look we got the law and all the rest of the stuff but he
said look you’re doing just the same thing the Gentiles are doing, sometimes even worse.
And that’s why the wrath of God is set forth in these verses and these chapters. Any
questions on this? All right, Joe?
[Joe:] Since this is written to a body of believers would this be written for their
understanding of where they were as natural men, where all natural men are at this
point?
It’s not written to the body of believers it specifically names Jew and Gentile. And
when they’re Jew and Gentile, they are not body of believers.
[Joe:] So then this would be one of those sections.
Right. It’s like I said a little while ago, earlier, after verse five, I said to you that these
people just were not saved. They had to become saved.
[Joe:] And is that section written to the ones that aren’t born again, is that here where the
wrath of God in 1:19 – 3:20 where the wrath of God is described and set forth. That’s
where it changes to the church?
Right. In 16 and 17 you have the power of God and the righteousness declared as from
God, revealing God’s righteousness. And then he starts setting forth the wrath of God to
Jew and Gentile, because they’re not born again.
[Joe:] So that division would be between 17 and 18 where the just shall live by believing.
Right, right, right. Okay, that’s good. Yes, Sue?
[Sue:] I have question in my mind, if there is an answer, of why does this section in here
on homosexuality, in a way it just seems like it’s kind of put in there and it doesn’t
really fit with the whole rest of that section from 1:19 – 3:20.
Oh, it fits real good, because it shows the wrath of God when man goes down to the
ultimate degradation. That’s the lowest he could go on the totem pole as a Jew or a Gentile.
[Sue:] It’s just like it’s an example.
Right. Oh, definitely. And that’s why he hits it so hard. And then he talks about people
being backbiters, haters of God, who knowing the righteous sentence of God. The reason
they know the righteous sentence of God is because that which may be known of God has
been from the beginning understand? They knew it, but they didn’t get born again. And yet
they were religious. Those Jews went through all that law trip, you know, they went in
every Saturday morning at 11 to 12, did all of that. No, Sue, I think it’s tremendously,
dynamically important that that’s in there. Because that’s just where the natural man with
the lowest degradation who has really turned his face away from God no matter how
religious he is, where he ends up. Joe?
[Joe:] It says right here in verse 29 and 30, 31 where it says: things like full of envy,
murder, debate, deceit. Are these devil spirits named specifically? Are these devil
spirits?
No. All of them are sponsored by the devil, you know. He’s the cause.
[Joe:] Like murder, see that’s what stuck out.
Right, not all devil spirits, could be one or two or three or four in there but it’s all
fostered by the devil, or his spirit trip. And it’s always done on a religious basis, that’s what
you got to see in here. They said look, we have the law. We worship three times a day, we
bring our tithes, our gifts. We go through all of the nice shenanigans and God said, no trip
fellows, because you’re not born again. And you’re just doing the same thing here, you’re
under the law and you’re doing the same thing your accusing the other fellow of you
shouldn’t do, but you’re doing it too. You know, if you think of that record in the Gospels,
Joe, this woman taken in adultery. What did Jesus say? He who is without what? {Sin.}
[REPEATS:] He who is without what? {Sin.}
I think basically everybody interprets that saying that of you priests, if there are any of
you who haven’t committed adultery, but that’s not what that says, sin, see? It doesn’t say
that everybody committed adultery with that woman, or a woman, understand? But sin is
sin, understand? That’s what he was after.
[Joe:] Now, would that be the old nature? Or would be the fruits of the old nature?
It’s the fruit of the old nature. Fruit of the old nature. All right, Terry?
[Terry:] On the sins and the sin, the fruit of the old nature, is that just like the action or just
the result?
Right, it’s the result. The result of.
[Terry:] Like of any action or sin?
Right. Kurt?
[Kurt:] I had a couple of questions. I don’t really understand what wrath of God means.
Well, you just thank God you don’t have to understand it; live under it.
[Kurt:] That’s causing me difficulty in this section of scripture, because it just seems this
section of scripture shows me where these people are. I don’t see that’s the wrath of
God where they are but because of their own stupid behavior.
Sure, but that’s why it’s called wrath of God. God set up the law that they were to be
born again after the day of Pentecost. Remember now, when people are not born again they
bounce up against it and that’s why it’s called the wrath of God. What’s your other
question?
[Kurt:] The other question was the scriptures in verse 3:5 – 3:8. I have a hard time
understanding “our unrighteousness commending the righteousness of God....Is God
unrighteous?” It just doesn’t click for me.
If a man lives like a homo trip, which shows how bad he really is, then does that
commend the righteousness of God [Romans 3:5]? That shows the righteousness of God.
Romans 3:5b-7:
...what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance?
[For] God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world? [I don’t see a problem
there.]
For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory;
why...am I [yet] also judged as a sinner?
The truth of God does not abound through a man’s lie unto God’s glory. That’s just
what they were saying and doing that’s all.
Romans 3:8b (not KJV):
And why not say, Let us do evil that good may come?
See, if that would help God, not going to help God. I think it’s a tremendous section
teaching us that God doesn’t need evil to bring good to pass. Like, “let us do evil that good
may come.” See, it’s the old trip of if you got real sick then you’d have more love for God
and you’d love God more because he made you sick. I don’t believe that; I think this
teaches just the greatness of the opposite of it. It doesn’t abound to God if I tell a lie, no
glory to Him. Because, he says in verse 9:
Romans 3:9:
What then? are we better than they? [Are we better?] No, in no wise: for we have
[been] proved, both Jews and Gentiles, that they all under [what?] sin;
Right. No one Jew or Gentile is better than any other. But the lowest degradation that a
man can get into is that homo and lesbian trip mentioned, but that’s sin, right? Also, just a
lie or do evil is also, what?
[Students:] Sin.
Sin, okay.
[Student:] Is it the natural man judging him as a sinner, in verse 7?
Yeah. Okay, anyone else? Yes, John.
[John:] In the gospel period when Christ was walking around on earth, did they have an
understanding that man had an old nature? Did they have an understanding that there
was an old nature? They did?
[It was] already taught back in the Old Testament, before of the day of Christ. You
know, this old nature trip is real interesting. If you’ve watched children, you just have to
admit they got an old nature. Boy they kick and they scream and they throw the bottle on
the floor. If they just don’t get what they want, right when they want it. You really get to
see a natural man in children. And don’t tell me how loving they are, you’re only blowing.
They’re only loving because you want to transfer your thinking into their head. But you
know yourself – I watch little old Luke, he’s beautiful. The moment Mary sets him down in
that chair if you don’t put a piece of soap in his mouth or something to eat, he just gripes
like crazy. Because, boy when he sits down, he just wants that shoved in his mouth just as
fast as you can get it to him. And then when he’s full of the stuff, he’ll take it and push
“her” off the plate. “He’s had her.” And that’s the natural man. The old nature, and we’re
born with it. The Word says it body and, what? {Soul.} All you have to do is just keep your
eyes open; you’ll see it in all of your kids if you ever have any. But the joy is that you can
finally get it around to where you can get them to born again. It’s interesting. All right,
anyone else? Yes, Kathy?
[Kathy:] Now, could you give me an example then of the product of the old nature or sins?
Well shoot, we’ve just been reading about it. Backbiters, pride, boasters, inventors of
evil, things: those are products. All of this stuff that we’ve been reading about, honey.
[Kathy:] Okay, because the old nature is the lump sum of just nature?
Right, and that is just sin. The old nature is sin. The old man is dead, understand?
Trespassed in sin, that’s the old nature. Now, that old nature will produce products, fruits.
So you get born again of God’s spirit and renew your mind, that’s the only trip that works.
[Student:] In [Romans] 3:10: “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” And
so how does that tie with Abraham’s righteousness?
He was only righteous because of believing, these are not believing in here. Abraham
believed and it was accounted to him for righteousness. These fellows were not believing.
Neither Jew nor Gentile were believing in here. That’s why the wrath of God –
[Student:] You are talking strictly about the context of Jew and Gentile.
That’s right.
[Student:] In verse 5, that parenthesis, where it says: (I speak as a man), is that Paul
speaking as a natural man?
It’s the Word of God, but Paul using a phrase like “look, that’s V.P.” but still it’s the
Word of God.
Alright, anyone else? Yes, we’ll go back to Patty.
[Patty:] It says that the old nature was when they knew about it in the Old Testament. Was
there a point where they had new nature because they were walking in the law?
No, they never had a new nature; they just believed God in their minds, and renewed
their minds on the Word of God that didn’t change anything spiritually inside, because they
didn’t have the Christ in them. But God reckoned righteousness to them. No difference
between the Old Testament and the New on the believing principle, the difference is in the
birth. When you’re born again you have eternal life but unless you renew your mind you
can be a Christian and still be a homo. It would sort of be damnable. You would lose all the
good rewards, be a poor example, poor witness and stuff, still have eternal life. Alright, Joe.
[Joe:] Where is what the Bible calls transgression, where does this fit in with the way
you’ve described sin and sins.
Where does transgression of the law fit in with how I define sin and sins? Can you
reword it another way so I understand it better Joe?
[Joe:] What is transgression?
Transgression would be sin which produces fruit. Transgression would be sin singular
which produces fruit because of its consequences and results. That was it. Good, all right
anyone else? Joe?
[Joe:] Are there two specific Greek words for sin and sins?
No, it’s context you have to watch. We’ll show you more of this context stuff when we
get into this section from 3:20 on here. 3:21. And especially when we get into chapter 5
and 8, we’ll show you context. It’s just not used accurately. I’m just sitting here and
thinking; Joe, I wonder if we could do a piece of research and check every one of them out
and do them accurately through the epistles, first of all on the usage of sin the old nature
and sins the product of the fruits of it; I think we could do it. Be like pistis. I think it can be
done.
[Joe:] What would you want to do with transgressions?
It’s the same thing. Patty?
[Patty:] [Reads from scripture and asks question.]
Yeah keep talking, you haven’t said anything yet.
[Patty:] Is that the way it is? It could be different with each person?
What could be different?
[Patty:] For instance, we believe Romans 10:9 in order to have salvation. What exactly did
they believe in the law?
It varied – it varied, at certain places, in the Old Testament. But once the law had been
given because of the hardness of their hearts, the Law of Moses, then a man was required
in order to have reckoned righteousness to be obedient to that law. But Abraham did not
have the Law of Moses, right? And yet God reckoned righteousness to him, that’s where
the variation come in the Old Testament. But there’s no variation since the day of Pentecost
for you and me. God simply said it to their account in the Old Testament, and Jesus Christ
he cashed in. And from the time you and I are born again its imputed to us not reckoned.
That’s why I gave you that from 3:21 – 5:11 I gave you the word imputing tonight or
something like that, I forgot the exact words I gave you, but I know its in there. You see
why you could go through Romans, the average person and just never see a lot of this stuff.
Romans is the foundational revelation of the Mystery. And he’s showing us, God’s wrath
against all unrighteousness, showing us the depth of man’s sinful nature. Then showing us
that that man is without excuse, because it was revealed and then he’ll come right back and
show now it’s even more fully declared in Christ. We’ll see that coming up, that every man
is without excuse. I just believed today every man is without excuse. The Word says they
that hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled. I think when Jesus Christ died and
all of the rest of that stuff, there’s no excuse for anybody not getting born again. It’s like I
said before, you guys think you have to be stupider than stupid not to get born again. Duke?
[Duke:] People are born with trespasses and sin but is there any way that you can raise a
child so that old man or that sin doesn’t get to the place to where it produces fruit of
that sin?
It will beat you from the very beginning, to a degree, but not nearly as much as it
would in a family where you were not born again.
[Duke:] It can be lessened up by bringing up a child in the way that he should go.
That’s all – that’s all; it will still be lessoned in a Christian family than it would be in a
non-Christian family. When you understand this stuff from Romans and things then you
begin to see how great grace really is, you know. Elsewhere your children unclean, it’s real
sort of neat. Okay, anything else? Yes, Joe.
[Joe:] Something that really helps set this in my mind about your division and how the
wrath of God is described and set forth, is the understanding of the word “wrath” has
been used before you teach in the class and how Thessalonians was written before
Romans and Thessalonians it says, we aren’t appointed to wrath.
Good.