We turn now to 5:10, which says that we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son. This verse indicates that the Son of God once died. But how is it possible for the Son of God to die? To me, this verse would be more understandable if it spoke of the death of Jesus. However, it speaks of the death of God’s Son. Whether we can understand this or not, it is a fact that, even when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the wonderful death of the Son of God. Furthermore, according to 5:10, now we are being saved in His life. This indicates that the One who died still has life. This implies Christ’s resurrection.
Romans 1:3 and 4 say that God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who came out of the seed of David according to the flesh, was designated the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness out of the resurrection of the dead. All the titles related to Christ in these verses are related to God’s dispensation. Apart from God’s dispensation, there is no need for His Son to be Jesus Christ. It was for dispensation that the Son of God needed to be a man (Jesus) and to be the anointed One (Christ). Furthermore, only through dispensation could the Son of God, Jesus Christ, become our Lord. Because Christ has been dispensed into us, He is not only the Lord, but our Lord.
According to verse 3, the Son of God came out of the seed of David according to the flesh. Here we have the element of the flesh. According to verse 4, Christ was designated the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness out of the resurrection of the dead. Here we have the element of the Spirit. Although Christ was already the Son of God, He still needed to be designated the Son of God in resurrection.
The various phrases in these verses imply the Triune God in His dispensation. Although the word dispensation is found neither here nor in the remainder of the book of Romans, the fact of dispensation is still implied. Everything related to Christ in 1:3 and 4 is for God’s dispensation.
Now we come to chapter eight, a chapter that is inexhaustible in its revelation and spiritual significance. Verse 2 speaks of the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. In this verse there are a number of things difficult to explain: law, Spirit, life, and Christ Jesus. Notice that here Paul does not say Jesus Christ, but Christ Jesus. In verses 7 and 8 Paul mentions God. Then in verse 9 he goes on to speak of the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. As we shall see, in these verses Paul is speaking of the Triune God in His dispensation.
Paul uses the terms God, the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of Christ interchangeably. He begins with God, goes on to the Spirit of God, and then proceeds to the Spirit of Christ. But instead of stopping here, in verse 10 Paul speaks of Christ, saying that Christ is in us. In the span of a few verses, four divine titles are interchangeably used: God, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, and Christ. These four terms denote one being, the Triune God Himself.
The Spirit of God is God Himself. Do not interpret this title to mean that the Spirit is something different from God. In the New Testament, phrases such as the love of God and the life of God mean that love and life are God Himself. In the same principle, the term the Spirit of God means that the Spirit is God. The same is true regarding the Spirit of Christ. This title means simply that the Spirit is Christ. According to the context, the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of God.
From the Spirit of Christ Paul proceeds to Christ. Thus, Paul takes us from God to Christ through the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. Paul’s thought goes from God to the Spirit of God, from the Spirit of God to the Spirit of Christ, and from the Spirit of Christ to Christ. Therefore, we have God, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, and Christ. However, these four terms all refer to the unique Triune God.