I. The complete salvation of God in the book of Romans is carried out on and brought into the believers of Christ by the power of God through His complete gospel — 1, Rom. 1:16.
II. Such a complete salvation of God is composed of:
А. God's judicial redemption, accomplished by the death of Christ (5:10a), including:
1. God's forgiveness of the believers' sins — 4:7.
2. God's justification of the believers — 3:24.
3. God's reconciliation of the believers to Himself — 5:11.
B. God's organic salvation, carried out by Christ's life (5:10b), including:
1. Regeneration — Titus 3:5.
2. Sanctification — Rom. 6:19, 22; 15:16.
3. Renewing — 12:2b.
4. Transformation — 12:2b.
5. Conformation — 8:29.
6. Glorification — 8:30.
III. This dynamic complete salvation of God is:
А. Taking the all-inclusive Christ of God as its centrality and universality — 1:3.
B. Based upon God's righteousness (1:17a), which is Christ:
1. To cover the believers that they may be justified objectively — 3:20-22.
2. And to be given to the believers as their righteousness subjectively to become their living that they may be justified before God subjectively — 4:24-25.
C. Through the believers' faith (1:17b; 10:8), which is Christ (Gal. 2:20b), whom they appreciate and receive in their hearing of the gospel.
IV. God's judicial redemption is covered by the first four chapters of the book, and God's organic salvation is covered by the last twelve chapters, from chapters 5 to 16.
I. The factual and positional transfer — Rom. 6:3-8:
А. Out of Adam through Christ's death.
B. Into Christ through His resurrection.
C. In Adam we inherited:
1. Sin that constitutes us sinners — 5:12a, 19a.
2. Death that on the one hand, weakens us, disabling us to do things pleasing God, and on the other hand, reigns over us — 5:12b, 14a, 17a.
3. Condemnation under the law unto death — 5:16a.
D. In Christ we have been gifted with:
1. Righteousness — 5:17b.
2. Life — 5:17b.
3. Justification under grace unto life, in which we reign with grace over all things — 5:17b, 18b, 21.
II. The practical and experiential transfer:
А. Out of the flesh (the practical and experiential Adam) through our being crucified with Christ — 7:1-6.
B. Into the Spirit (the practical and experiential Christ) through our union with the Spirit — 8:16a.
C. By:
1. Setting our mind not on the flesh but on the mingled spirit unto life and peace — 8:5-6.
2. Walking and having our being not according to the flesh but according to the mingled spirit unto the fulfillment of the righteous requirement of the law — 8:4.
3. Reigning in life with grace over all things unto eternal life — 5:17b, 21.
I. Of the Spirit of life, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ (the pneumatic Christ), and the Spirit of resurrection indwelling our spirit — 8:2, 9-11:
А. To free us from the law of sin and death, releasing us from the lusts of the flesh by the law of life — 8:2; 7:17-25.
B. To give life to our mortal bodies and to put to death the practices of the body — 8:11b, 13b.
II. With our spirit, the regenerated spirit of the believers in Christ indwelt by the Spirit — 8:16a, 11b:
А. To witness that we are children of God, even heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, possessing the spirit of sonship to cry, Abba, Father — 8:16-17a, 15.
B. To pray with groanings by the interceding Spirit — 8:26.
III. Forming a mingled spirit — 8:4-5:
А. He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit — 1 Cor. 6:17.
B. By the mutual abiding of the Spirit with our spirit — Rom. 8:11b; 1 John 3:24.
I. In the spiritual, practical, and experiential union — 8:16a.
II. By the mingled spirit — 8:11b.
III. Through the abundance of grace and the abundance of the gift of righteousness — 5:17b:
А. In being sanctified in the Spirit — 6:19, 22; 15:16.
B. In being renewed by the mingled spirit in our mind — 12:2b; Eph. 4:23.
C. In being transformed — 12:2b:
1. To the image of Christ from glory to glory — 2 Cor. 3:18a.
2. By the Lord Spirit — 2 Cor. 3:18b.
D. In being conformed — 8:26-29:
1. To the image of God's firstborn Son — v. 29b.
2. Through the Spirit's interceding — vv. 26-27.
3. That all things may work together for the conformation of those who love God — v. 28.
E. In being glorified — 8:30:
1. To be redeemed in our body — 8:23c.
2. To participate in our divine sonship ultimately — 8:23b.
3. Through the sealing of the indwelling Spirit — Eph. 4:30.
F. In more than conquering the environmental hardships and sufferings — 8:31-39:
1. By having God being for us, who did not spare His own Son, who gives us freely all things with Him, and who has chosen us and justified us — vv. 31-33.
2. By having Christ who died for us, who was raised, and who is sitting at the right hand of God interceding for us — v. 34.
3. By being captivated by the inseparable love of Christ and by the inseparable love of God in Christ — vv. 35-39.
4. By being faithful to Christ and God unto death — v. 38.
G. In gaining the righteousness of God which is the subjective Christ — 9:18-33; Phil. 3:9; 1 Cor. 1:30:
1. Out of faith to faith — 1:17a.
2. According to His mercy in order to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy — 9:18-23.
H. In enjoying the riches of God — 10:12-15:
1. By calling on the name of the Lord — v. 13.
2. By believing in the Lord's word — v. 14.
3. By announcing the glad tidings — v. 15.
I. By living a grafted life — 11:17-24; Gal. 2:20a:
(Not living an exchanged life: the good life replaces the bad one, and the bad one becomes functionless.)
1. Being the branches of the wild olive tree — vv. 17, 24.
2. Grafted into Christ, the cultivated olive tree, who is one with Israel — v. 24; Psa. 80:15-17; Matt. 2:15.
3. Standing by faith to partake of the root (which bears us — v. 18) of fatness of the olive tree — vv. 20, 17.
4. We, as the grafted branches, and Christ, as the cultivated olive tree, live together one mingled life in one mingled living.
III. Through the abundance of grace and the abundance of the gift of righteousness — 5:17b:
J. In living the Body life — chs. 12—13:
1. Being captivated by the compassions of God — 12:1a.
2. Presenting our bodies a living sacrifice — 12:1b:
а. Holy.
b. Well pleasing to God, our reasonable service.
3. Not being fashioned according to this age — 12:2a.
4. Being transformed by the renewing of the mind — 12:2b.
5. Proving what the will of God is, that which is:
а. Good.
b. Well pleasing.
c. Perfect — 12:2c.
6. Not thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think — 12:3a.
7. Thinking so as to be sober-minded, as God has apportioned to each a measure of faith — 12:3b.
8. Considering that we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function — 12:4.
9. Realizing that we who are many are one Body in Christ and individually members one of another, having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us — 12:5-8:
а. Prophesying as prophets according to the proportion of faith — v. 6.
b. Serving as deacons and deaconesses faithfully in their particular service — v. 7a.
c. Teaching as teachers faithfully in teaching — v. 7b.
d. Exhorting as one who exhorts faithfully in exhortation — v. 8a.
e. Giving as givers in simplicity — v. 8b.
f. Leading as leaders in diligence — v. 8c.
g. Showing mercy as one who shows mercy in cheerfulness — v. 8d.
10. Living a life of the highest virtues — 12:9-21:
а. Loving people without hypocrisy — v. 9a.
b. Abhoring what is evil and clinging to what is good — v. 9b.
c. Loving one another warmly in brotherly love — v. 10a.
d. Taking the lead in showing honor one to another — v. 10b.
e. Not being slothful in zeal — v. 11a.
f. Being burning in spirit, serving the Lord — v. 11b.
g. Rejoicing in hope — v. 12a.
h. Enduring in tribulation — v. 12b.
i. Persevering in prayer — v. 12c.
j. Contributing to the needs of the saints — v. 13a.
k. Pursuing hospitality — v. 13b.
l. Blessing those who persecute us; blessing only and not cursing — v. 14.
m. Rejoicing with those who rejoice; weeping with those who weep — v. 15.
n. Being of the same mind toward one another — v. 16a.
o. Not setting our mind on the high things but going along with the lowly — v. 16b.
p. Not being wise in ourselves — v. 16c.
q. Repaying no one evil for evil — v. 17a.
r. Taking forethought for things honorable in the sight of all men — v. 17b.
s. If possible, as far as it depends on us, living in peace with all men — v. 18.
t. Not avenging ourselves, but giving place to the wrath of God; for vengeance is God's, He will repay — v. 19.
u. Feeding our enemy in hunger and giving him a drink in thirst; for in doing this we will heap coals of fire upon his head — v. 20.
v. Not being conquered by evil, but conquering evil with good — v. 21.
11. Being subject to authorities — 13:1-7:
а. Recognizing God's sovereignty over all the authorities — vv. 1-6.
b. Rendering to all the things due: tax to whom tax is due, custom to whom custom is due, fear to whom fear is due, and honor to whom honor is due — v. 7.
12. Owing nothing to anyone except to love one another; loving our neighbor as ourselves — 13:8-10.
13. Living a watchful life in the day — 13:11-14:
а. Being raised from sleep — vv. 11-12a.
b. Casting off the works of darkness and putting on the weapons of light — v. 12b.
c. Walking becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in fornication and licentiousness, not in strife and jealousy — v. 13.
d. Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ and making no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts — v. 14.
III. Through the abundance of grace and the abundance of the gift of righteousness — 5:17b:
K. In living the church life — 14:1—15:13:
1. Receiving the believers under the reigning in life.
2. According to God's receiving — 14:1-23:
а. Receiving the weak one, not for the judgment on his doctrinal considerations concerning eating and keeping of days — vv. 1-6.
b. By living to the Lord and caring for standing before the judgment seat of God, without judging one another and despising others, nor putting a stumbling block or cause of falling before a brother by not walking according to love — vv. 7-16, 20-23.
c. Living the kingdom life not for eating and drinking, but for righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, pursuing peace and the building up of one another — vv. 17-19.
3. According to Christ's receiving — 15:1-13:
а. The strong ones needing to bear the weaknesses of those who are weak; not pleasing ourselves but pleasing our neighbor for his building up as Christ did — vv. 1-4.
b. That the God of endurance and encouragement may grant us to be of the same mind toward one another according to Christ Jesus so that with one accord we may glorify God in receiving one another as Christ also received us to the glory of God — vv. 5-7.
c. Who (Christ) became the minister of both the circumcision and the Gentiles that the God of hope may fill us with all joy and peace for us to abound in hope in the power of the Holy Spirit — vv. 8-13.
L. In the apostle Paul's setting up a pattern of living the church life for the living of the Body life — 15:14—16:27:
1. Preaching the gospel to raise up the local churches in the Gentile world through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit, in the power of signs and wonders, and in the power of the Spirit of God — 15:14-24:
а. From Jerusalem to Asia Minor — v. 19a.
b. From Asia Minor to eastern Europe (Illyricum) — vv. 19b-23a.
c. Intending to go to Spain through Rome — vv. 23b-24.
2. Bringing the Gentile churches into the fellowship of the Body of Christ with the Jewish churches in the communication of the provision of the Gentile churches to meet the necessity of the Jewish churches — 15:25-33.
3. Blending together many saints and many local churches under his ministry for the practical living of the Body of Christ in the universal fellowship of the Body by recommendings and greetings between the saints and the churches mutually through him — 16:1-16, 21-24.
4. Being very strict with the divisive and dissenting ones who make divisions, without compromise or yielding — 16:17-19 and note 171.
5. Affording the God of peace a situation in which He will crush Satan under the feet of the churches by the saints' enjoyment of the grace of Christ in the blending and the universal fellowship of the Body — 16:20.
6. Carrying out, based upon the righteousness of God and through man's obedience of faith (1:17), the mystery kept in silence in the times of the ages, concerning the complete salvation of God in the preaching of the complete gospel of God (1:1), in the fulfillment of the eternal economy of God for the glory to the only wise God through Jesus Christ — 16:25-27.
Note: In the conclusion of this book, the glory to the consummated God indicates that the consummated God is glorified in the humanity of the glorified church under its reigning in life in the fulfillment of the eternal economy of God in carrying out His mystery hidden in the ages.
