Samuel J. Kim
Published: 2024-02-12
Total Pages: 271
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The central themes of Romans are “the Gospel” and “the righteousness of God.” The Book of Romans provides a clear and detailed explanation of how sinners, destined for hell due to their sins, can receive the remission of sins and become righteous. No one can be justified before God by merely keeping the Law. However, anyone can experience spiritual rebirth and obtain salvation through the remission of sins by placing their faith in “the righteousness of God,” which is abundantly revealed in the Gospel of truth. So, what kind of faith makes us born again as righteous? It is the faith of Abraham “who, contrary to hope, in hope believed” (Romans 4:18) in God's Promise. Attaining righteousness apart from sin is a divine work that we cannot achieve on our own, and Jesus Christ accomplished this grace unilaterally. Because God the Father, who loves us deeply, understands that we cannot free ourselves from sin and become righteous on our own, He unilaterally blotted out all our sins on our behalf. How did God remove our sins? God the Father sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus, in the same human flesh as us. Jesus is God Himself, who came as the Lamb without blemish to atone for our sins. Jesus ordered John the Baptist to baptize Him, saying, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). He received baptism from John in the form of laying on of hands, taking upon Himself the sins of the world at once. Thus, all the sins of the world were transferred to the flesh of Jesus. Therefore, on the day following Jesus' baptism, John the Baptist declared to his disciples, while pointing to Jesus passing by, saying, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) Jesus bore the sins of the world through the baptism He underwent and went to the cross. After being crucified and shedding all His blood on the cross, the Lord Jesus cried out loudly with His final breath, saying, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). He rose from the dead after three days. Jesus “came by water and blood” (1 John 5:6-8) to redeem and cleanse us from all our sins. The truth that Jesus atoned for all world’s sins through His baptism and the shedding of His blood on the cross is known as the Gospel of the water and the blood, the Original Gospel. Christians can truly comprehend the Book of Romans within the context of the Original Gospel. Sadly, in today's Christianity, the truth of Jesus' baptism has been lost. Those who rely solely on the partial gospel, centered only on the blood of the cross, can never fully grasp or live by the teachings of Romans. As you read through the two volumes of “Sermons on Romans,” my earnest desire is that you, the readers, will firmly stand upon the foundation of the Original Gospel, believe in the righteousness of God, and become righteous servants who proclaim it. Our Lord Jesus also strongly desires that you move “from faith to faith” (Romans 1:17).