8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
AWESOME TRUTH THAT SETS CAPTIVES FREE, November 25, 2002
This review is from: Romans: Exposition of Chapter 6 : The New Man (Romans Series) (Romans (Banner of Truth)) (Hardcover)
MUST HAVE COMMENTARY ON ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CHAPTERS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. I HAVE READ MY COPY SO MANY TIMES I'VE LOST COUNT. AFTER READING LOTS OF STUFF ABOUT THIS SUBJECT, THIS BOOK SHINES LIKE A BEACON OF TRUTH AND LIBERATION. IT MAKES PLAIN TRUTHS THAT HAVE BEEN DISTORTED BY MANY WELL MEANING EXPOSITORS.
THIS BOOK SUPPORTS COMMENTARY WITH SCRIPTURE AFTER SCRIPTURE AND IS BOTH PRACTICAL AND LOGICAL IN ITS APPROACH TO PAUL'S ANSWER TO THE QUESTIONS," SHOULD WE CONTINUE IN SIN SO THAT GRACE WILL MULTIPLY?" AND "SINCE GOD'S GRACE HAS SET US FREE FROM THE LAW, DOES THIS MEAN WE CAN GO ON SINNING?" THIS BOOK CHANGES ME EVERY TIME I READ IT AND PERSONAL REVIVAL OCCURS. DON'T MISS IT!
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Controversy with Jewish Moralists, March 26, 2005
This review is from: Romans: Exposition of Chapter 6 : The New Man (Romans Series) (Romans (Banner of Truth)) (Hardcover)
The sixth chapter of Romans has to be counted among the most difficult portions of the New Testament, and it was particularly meritorious in Dr. D. M. Lloyd-Jones that he produced, in 1972, this comprehensive exposition consisting of 22 chapters and 313 pages, all in language which can be understood by the layman, and in which he not only, as was his thorough wont, examines practically every word that the Apostle wrote, but also repeatedly emphasizes the context in which the whole was written and expounds the flow of the entire argument. Thus he makes clear to the reader that this is not so much a treatise on “sanctification” as a written controversy with Jewish “moralists”, for whom the Gospel, as explained in Romans chapters one through five, was something of a “red rag” because they misunderstood it as seducing people to sin. The Apostle rejects this accusation and demonstrates twice (once in verses one through fourteen, then again in verses fifteen through twenty-three) that converted, baptized Christians have become “new men” in Christ, for whom a life in sin is simply “unthinkable”: how could they possibly continue to live in sin after their Lord had sacrificed his life to deliver them from it? After each argument Paul adds exhortations to his Christian readers (verses 12-13 and 19), thus making plain that he does not intend to teach that Christians are infallible. But on principle, they have “died with Christ” and have been “raised with him”, so that for them “new life” in Christ is the only logical consequence.
For Lloyd-Jones, it is rather unusual that he spends a good deal of time in this volume refuting the views of certain British moralists from among the aristocracy. However, if you ignore the occasion for this controversy, you will soon see that Lloyd-Jones’ arguments are equally valid in any other situation. Any attempt to reduce Christianity to a system of morals or ethics must fail miserably, both because of the nature of man and because of the true nature of the Christian Gospel itself.
It is hardly surprising that in such a context Lloyd-Jones occasionally makes statements which may seem a little questionable. Above all, his assertion that in the first verses of this chapter it is not baptism in water which is in view is simply not tenable. (Lloyd-Jones was obviously determined not to say anything which could have been misinterpreted as a defence of the doctrine of baptismal regeneration.) Ministers, church elders and Bible study leaders may find this all a bit heavy going, unless they have a great deal of time available, and I would, for this chapter, recommend looking instead at John R. W. Stott’s “The Message of Romans”, published by IVP, which gives a thorough and perhaps slightly more balanced view of Romans 6. Stott has obviously read and used Lloyd-Jones, but he also examines the views of other teachers and theologians, including such as have written since Lloyd-Jones’ unfortunate passing.
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