Romans 16:25-27 To God Be The Glory

“Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ…to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.” Rom 16:25a, 27

Yes, Lord, we have finished our study of Romans and worship You…You, the One able to establish us in the astounding good news!

You have shown us who You are. You have explained to us who we are. You have shown us our rebellion and helped us to understand it. You have shown us that it was in our nature to be Your enemy.

You have sent the Jewish Messiah, Jesus our Lord and Savior, to atone for the sins of Jews, and amazingly to atone for the sins of Gentiles.

You have wove a wise and mysterious, just and loving way for us, to stand in righteousness and peace, “not guilty” before You.

All Your wisdom in reconciling your enemies to Yourself, was motivated by love…yes passionate love….not only toward the masses but toward each of us individually.

You, in wisdom, have changed Your relationship with us from being our Judge to being our “Abba, Father”. You have done this through the Holy Spirit You have placed inside us.

You, in the depth of Your wisdom and unsearchable ways, foreknew us, gave us a pre-determined destiny to be like Jesus, called us, justified us, and glorified us.

Our only boast is in You. Our only debt is to love You, and love our neighbor…even our enemies.

You have shown us and instructed us how to live.

From Gentiles far from the land of Israel…

To You the only wise God be glory…forever and ever…through the One we love and love dearly….through Jesus, the Messiah, Amen!

With this, our study of Romans is concluded!

Romans 16:1-24 Personal Greetings

“Greet one another with an holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.” Rom 16:16

Romans 16 names 37 believers by name…Phoebe, a deaconess, is commended to the Romans and is likely the one who carried Paul’s letter to Rome. Paul sends greetings to 28 men and women who reside in Rome. Eight believers with Paul also sent their greetings. These were real people… brothers and sisters in Christ. They had names and had families and dealt with life like the rest of us. Some were tent makers (Priscilla and Aquila), 13 were slaves and freedmen, one was a mother, several were relatives of Paul, and one was noted as the director of public works. The 37 were both Jews and Gentiles. Some were noted for their hard work in serving Christ, one was mentioned as the first convert in Asia, two had been in prison with Paul, some risked their lives for Paul and some were mentioned by name only.

If I were writing a mighty epistle, who would be in my greeting list. If the letter was to believers in Guatemala, I would greet David and Kathy who gave up a hefty salary, a fully vested retirement and the good life in the United States to go and serve the poor. If the letter was to believers in Phoenix, I would greet Ruffino, who was delivered from a life of alcoholism through a miracle and is a strong follower of Christ. If the letter was to the believers in Albuquerque, I would greet among many, Brad who through great financial difficulties has faithfully served the Lord by leading a group of men on Wednesday mornings. If I were writing to believers in Montana, I would heartily greet my brother Dave who has faithfully served our dear Lord and Savior for years by emailing out his verse of the day (VOTD). If I were writing the church in Canada, I would greet Lawrence, the pastor of a small church who has faithfully encouraged me in my “Faith” and “Romans” emailing adventure.

Take a moment and greet a dear one in Christ with an email or a phone call and let them know they are more than a name, they are deeply special to you.

Romans 15:14-33 Paul's Ministry to the Gentiles

“…because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” Rom 15:15b-16

Nice clothes, well-groomed, funny and articulate, animated, entertaining…I’m describing my observation of television ministers of the gospel. I wonder at times what motivates many of them, both Pentecostal and conservative….are they pure in heart and motives? I’m not trying to be judgmental…I’m trying to expand the box that I tend to put God in…but these are honest questions that I wrestle with. Would Paul have been a big hit on TV? In the last half of Romans 15 Paul describes his ministry to Gentiles. He describes his motivation and he describes the Roman believers place in his ministry. Let me expound.

Paul viewed his ministry to the Gentiles as a “priestly duty…so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” V.15b-16 Paul saw himself as a priest. A Jewish priest had the function of offering sacrifices pleasing to God. Paul viewed the Gentiles as the sacrifice he offered. Sacrifices can be of varying quality. The prophet Malachi rebuked the Jewish priests for sacrificing blind, crippled and diseased animals. He said they would not even offer such decrepit sacrifices to their governor. How would that honor a governor? Mal 1:7-8 Paul wanted the sacrifices he offered to be of the highest quality and bring the greatest honor and pleasure to God.

High quality sacrifices that bring the optimum glory and pleasure to God are:
1. Full of goodness v.14
2. Complete in knowledge v.14
3. Competent to instruct others v.14
4. Willing to give money to the ministry v.23-28
5. Willing to join with those struggling to spread the gospel by praying for them v.30-32

What were the tools of Paul’s ministry? His tools went beyond intellectual appeal, though the book of Romans is intellectually appealing. It went beyond persuasive words to the power of signs and miracles and the power of the Holy Spirit. V.19 I don’t know of anywhere in Scriptures that says these tools are now obsolete.

Ponder and consider…are you a high quality sacrifice? Are you performing a priestly duty that brings honor and praise to God? Don’t get on a guilt trip…there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Comprehend with great joy the gospel and share it with others!

Romans 15:1-13 More Instructions for Peaceful Coexistence in the Church

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:5-6

Have you ever been in a church that split? It is no fun and they’ve been part of church history for the past 2,000 years. Most splits these days are in congregations composed entirely of Gentiles. When Paul wrote Romans, Jewish and Gentile believers met together to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. The very dynamic of having Jews and Gentiles together under the same roof worshipping the Jewish Messiah was conducive to problems. That is why the lengthiest behavioral instructions in Romans are concerning just getting along with each other in the church.

What are Paul’s final instructions? He tells the “strong”, those whose faith allows for great freedom in disputable matters, to bear with the failings of the weak (v.1). In the context of Romans 14, the failings of the weak were in their judging of the Gentiles regarding food they ate and the Gentile’s treatment of all days being the same. It’s not easy but we should bear with those who judge us because their faith does not allow them the same freedom we enjoy.

For all the believers Paul instructs that we should not just please ourselves but we should please our neighbor. This requires you to think and act like Jesus who’s mind was “others focused”. If you are going to bear with the failings of the weak and focus on pleasing others over the course of your lifetime, you are going to need two very important things…endurance and encouragement. These two things come from the Scriptures (v.4), and from God (v.5). If you need one or the other or both, spend time in the Scriptures and ask God and He will give them to you.

Finally, Paul instructs the believers to “Accept one another…just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (v.7) Paul presents acceptance of one another as a pre-requisite to bringing praise to God. Paul quotes numerous verses from the Old Testament showing how it was prophesied in the Old Testament that God would accept the Gentiles. The Jews could not get around it; they had to accept the Gentiles because God had accepted them. As far as that goes, anyone who is a follower of Christ who Jesus died for, is to be accepted because God saw fit to accept that person.

With these thoughts, Paul ends his instructions for living a righteous life. The remainder of the book of Romans is not instruction oriented but is regarding Paul’s ministry, commendations and greetings.

Romans 14 - Instructions for Peaceful Coexistence in the Church

“One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.” Rom 14:2-3

Among the challenges of the early church in which believing Jews and Gentiles met together to worship, was regarding meals and days. Imagine how a Jewish believer would react in meeting with a group of Gentile believers enjoying a meal of pork. How would a Jewish believer feel if the Gentile believers with which he fellowshipped were working on their houses on the Sabbath? How would a Gentile believer view Jewish believers who were “needlessly” following all these restrictive rules?

The believers (i.e. Gentiles) who enjoyed freedom in their meals and how they treated various days were instructed not to look down on those who do not enjoy the same freedom. V.3 They were instructed to understand that those who did not enjoy the same freedom had a motive in their heart to honor the Lord. V.6 They should limit their freedom in the presence of those who had a conscience about a disputable matter, always acting in love. V.13-15 When you boil it all down, the kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking, it is about right living, peace between believers and joy in the Holy Spirit. V. 17 Anyone serving God in this way will please Him. V.17

The believers (i.e. Jews) who lived with dietary restrictions and considered some days as more sacred than others, were instructed not to judge those who enjoyed greater freedom. V.3-14 Judgment belongs to God and each believer is accountable to Him. V.10-12 A person will not be responsible on judgment day of giving account to God for the way another Christian lived.

Times have changed and many of the issues in this passage exist today between Gentile believers. The same principles apply. Whether its having a glass of wine or smoking a cigar, “whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.” V.22 Love is the guiding principle!

Romans 13:8-14 Instructions to Love

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law.” Rom 13:8

Have you ever been genuinely, profoundly loved by someone other than a wife or a family member…loved with a nonsexual love? I have and it changed my life. It changed me to the point that I make a very conscious effort to love others, hoping they will experience what I experienced when I was loved…hoping they will experience the transforming power of love that I have experienced. Paul continues his instructions on Christian living in Romans 13:8-14 by focusing on love.

Here’s what we learn about love in this passage:

1. Christians are to view loving others as a debt you owe them. Debt can numb you if it exceeds your capacity to pay. God has given us the capacity to pay this debt through the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
2. All the commands in the Scripture are not just an exercise in manipulation on God’s part. They are in essence instructions on how to love. “The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” V.9
3. Love is not just “doing”, it is also “not doing”. Romans 12 emphasizes the “doing” aspect of love and in this passage in Romans 13 the emphasis is on the “not doing” aspect of loving. Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet, do not participate in orgies and drunkenness, do not participate in sexual immorality and indulgence in sensual pleasures, and do not participate in dissension and jealousy.

We’re running out of time…either the Lord is coming very soon or your life on earth will end…give yourself to loving others.

There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.
~ Mother Teresa

Romans 13:1-7 Instructions for Christians Concerning Government

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.” Rom 13:1

Imagine that you were in a country where the government made it mandatory to worship the leaders of that country. Not to worship the leader was considered a punishable crime. That was the setting in which Paul wrote Romans 13 in which he instructs believers to submit to governing authorities.

How does Romans 13 flow from Romans 12? Romans 12 is full of short, to the point instructions for Christian behavior. Paul; however, elaborates on loving your enemies. That’s a difficult and unnatural instruction which is worth expounding on. (12:17-21) To suggest that a Christian should submit to pagan governing authorities was another instruction requiring obvious elaboration. Thus, the explanation and instructions in 13:1-7 are given.

First of all believers are instructed to submit to governing authorities. The reason for submitting to government authorities is that God has established the authorities. The irony of this instruction is that Paul wrote this with Nero as the emperor. Under his reign Paul was beheaded and Peter crucified upside down. He is the one who burned Christians in his garden like torches in the night.

Second, authorities are instituted by God to ensure that people did not live in fear of their government when doing right and to ensure that if you did wrong you lived in fear of the punishment the government would wield in dealing with your wrong.

Third, we must submit to governing authorities for conscience sake since they are established by God. We do not want to find ourselves living contrary to authority God has placed over us.

Fourth, Paul instructs Christians to give everyone what you owe them. “If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”

What do we do when government asks us to do something contrary to our faith? Using the words of Peter and the apostles as they stood before religious authorities of their day "We must obey God rather than men!”

Romans 12 Instructions for Christian Living

“Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices…do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:1-2

If Romans was divided into 2 chapters rather than 16 chapters, the second chapter would begin in Romans 12. The first 11 chapters are filled with truth and doctrine about who God is and who we are. It tells us how we can go from relating to God as Judge to relating to God as “Abba, Father”. The first 11 chapters often take a lot of work to understand.

The last 5 chapters are very practical and instruct us in how to live. We get a good understanding of what the Christian life should look like from these chapters. We tend to pass over the first 11 chapters and focus on the last 5 chapters because of the relative ease with which they are understood. However, the last 5 chapters are meant to be understood in the context of the first 11 chapters. That is why the first statement in the second chapter of our 2 chapter book of Romans begins with “therefore”. Paul is saying, as a logical conclusion to chapters 1 to 11, where we get a large picture of God’s mercy, then you should do the following:

1. Offer your pride and joy…yes, your very body as a living sacrifice to God. V.1
2. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world. V.2
3. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind with the truths in the first 11 chapters of Romans. V.2
4. In the context of the church, do not have an inflated view of yourself. The church is like a human body comprised of diverse features. You are only one of those features and you need the rest of the body and they need you. V.3-8
5. Love others with a love that is: authentic, pure, devoted, brotherly, humble, God-ward as well as man-ward, expectant, enduring, faithful, giving, welcoming, unstoppable, sensitive, harmonious, selfless, impartial, merciful, righteous, peaceful, trusting, supernatural, and powerful. V.9-21

With the truths of the first 11 chapters driving you, programming your brain, opening your eyes, working in you - follow these instructions for living. Let the Holy Spirit help you do this. People will begin to think that you are related to Jesus because you will look more and more like the one they read about in the Bible.

Romans Tangent #4 The Gospel and Legalism

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.” Rom 14:17-18

Someone once explained to me that there were three aspects of the gospel (i.e. the astounding good news about Jesus). The three aspects are history, meaning and affects. The history is primarily contained in the 4 gospels where it talks about Jesus walking about on this earth and doing good. The history includes the life, death, burial, resurrection, present risen life and coming glory of Jesus. The meaning of the gospel includes atonement, justification and sanctification. In other words the meaning of the gospel is about applying meaning to the history. The application of meaning to history could be considered doctrine or truth. Finally, the gospel is about how the history and meaning of the gospel affects us.

The first 11 chapters of Romans are largely about the history and meaning of the gospel. Chapters 12 through 16 are primarily about behavior or the gospels affect on us. Truth in Romans and much of Paul’s other writings is always presented before discussing behavior and the affects of the gospel on us. The first 11 chapters are challenging at times to understand. The last 5 chapters seem straight-forward and easy to understand. Thus we tend to go straight to the last 5 chapters without spending much time in the first 11 chapters. This concerns me. The emphasis on the affects of the gospel without an emphasis on the history and meaning of the gospel can lead one down a road that will eventually give you problems.

An unbalanced emphasis on behavior is the foundation for legalism. Legalism is the conscious or unconscious notion that my standing with God is based on my behavior. It is a behavior based relationship with God. At some point, a person who takes his relationship with God very seriously will find that he simply can’t perform at the level the Bible teaches. It becomes a drudgery – a crushing load on one’s back. It will eventually cause one of two things. It will cause one to become dishonest in their self analysis of their behavior or it will cause one to throw up their arms in despair.

A balanced emphasis on the history, meaning and affects of the gospel leads to a grace based relationship with God. This is the path to “…righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,…” Therefore, hang in there and work hard to understand the truths in the first 11 chapters of Romans.

Romans 11:33-36 Doxology

“Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” Rom 11:33

“Who would’ve thought?” I’ve asked this question many times over the course of my life when caught off guard by an unexpected development, when surprised by ingenious technology, when dumbfounded by the size of the universe or taken-back by some mystery of God revealed in the Scriptures.

Who would’ve thought that the long-awaited Jewish Messiah would be rejected by the Jews and embraced in large numbers by Gentiles? Who would have thought that this was orchestrated by God? Who would have thought that the entire human race could be infected with an anti-God bias to the point that every person on the planet could be considered enemies of God? Who would have thought that God would passionately love His enemies and provide a just and loving way to redeem us and transform us? Who would have thought that we could live in relationship with God, imperfect yet under no condemnation? Who would have thought that God would establish a predetermined destiny for His people to become Christ-like in their character? Who would have thought that God would foreknow, predestine, call, justify and glorify His people before the human race existed? Who would have thought that a day will come when the Jews will embrace Messiah Jesus in massive numbers? Who would have thought His plans included me? How can this be?!!!

33Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and[i] knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
34"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"[j]
35"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"[k]
36For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Are you grasping the truths of Romans up to this point? One of the ways to measure your comprehension is by asking the question “Am I moved as Paul was, to worship God… to acknowledge His greatness…to embrace His mysteries in awe and humility?” Take a moment and turn Paul’s praise into your own heartfelt worship!

Romans 11:1-32 God's Future Plans for the Jews

“I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved…” Rom 11:25-26a

Years ago when we lived in Arizona, we had a “fruit cocktail” tree in our backyard. It produced lemons, oranges and grapefruit all from the same tree thanks to the ancient science of grafting. Paul used an illustration of a “cultivated olive tree” in which natural limbs were broken off and wild olive tree branches were grafted in. So what is all this business about trees and grafting of branches?

The olive tree represents the people of God. The root of the olive tree is not clearly defined. The NIV Study Bible Notes, for verses 16 through 18, state in several places that the root represents the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). I don’t claim the expertise of the writer of the notes, but I wonder if the root is the God of the Jews. The root is called holy and the branches are identified as holy because of the root. The branches cannot survive without the nourishing sap of the root.

Some of the natural branches of the cultivated olive tree were broken off. This illustrates God’s present rejection of the Jews because of their unbelief. The breaking off of the natural branches is partial; some of the branches remain intact meaning that even at the present time God has maintained a remnant of Jews who are numbered among His people. Even Paul is proof of a natural branch intact. V.1

In place of the broken off branches, the branches of a wild olive tree are grafted into the cultivated olive tree. The branches of the wild olive tree represent the believing Gentiles who are numbered among His people. The Gentiles should ever be mindful that they are not naturally fit to the tree. They should never grow arrogant toward the Jews, though the Jews, in general, are in a present state of rejection. At the time of Paul’s writing, the Jews were even considered enemies of the gospel v.28. The Gentiles could just as easily fall into unbelief and lose their place in the tree. Gentile believers should “Consider…the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.” V.22

Paul instructs Gentile believers not to be ignorant about something…so pay attention. Once the full number of Gentiles chosen of God have been grafted into the tree, the Jews will return to God in mass and the world will be blessed beyond all comprehension. V.12, 25-27 This prediction is certain. A bright future is coming! Only the living God could orchestrate such a thing!

Romans 9:30-10:21 People's Choice

“…Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. …Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the “stumbling stone”.” Rom 9:30-32

In Romans 9 Paul discusses how any person, Jew or Gentile, has a right standing with God. It is the result of God’s purposeful and independent choice. Independent in the sense that it is not based on the actions or desires of the person being chosen. This is part of Paul’s explanation of why Gentiles in large numbers were embracing a Jewish Messiah and why most of the Jews were rejecting Him.

In Romans 10 Paul continues the same discussion but rather than emphasizing the divine perspective of God’s choice, he emphasizes the human perspective of choice in terms of “faith” in contrast to “works”. The nice thing in this chapter is that Paul presents a thorough narrative of how to be justified by faith. The sad thing in this chapter is that Paul shows that the Jews rejected this message of justification by faith and chose to try to establish a righteousness of their own. And perceiving the murmurings of the Jewish skeptics to his narrative, Paul goes to the Old Testament once again to reinforce his point.

So how does one become justified by faith? First of all a person must plan on using 2 parts of their body…their mouth and their heart. With your mouth you must confess that “Jesus is Lord” and with your heart you must believe “that God raised him from the dead. It is “with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (10:9-10)

What does it mean to confess that “Jesus is Lord”? Here I’ll borrow from the notes of the NIV Study Bible for 10:9. “Jesus is Lord. The earliest Christian confession of faith probably used at baptisms. In view of the fact that “Lord” (Greek kyrios) is used over 6,000 times in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the OT) to translate the name of Israel’s God (Yahweh), it is clear that Paul, when using this word of Jesus, is ascribing deity to him.”

Have you been justified (i.e. made right with God)? I encourage you to confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord”. One of the ideas for using your mouth is so that someone else can hear you. Make this confession in the presence of another person. Believe in your heart God raised Jesus from the dead. There is plenty of evidence supporting this historical event. Do this and know that you will be saved!

Romans Tangent #3 Paradigm Shifts

I am blessed with a 200-mile one way commute on weekends. This gives me lots of time to listen to a variety of audio books and have some lengthy cell phone conversations with family and friends. One audio book in particular, I found very fascinating -”The Invention of Air” by Steven Johnson. It is about Joseph Priestly (1733 to 1804) who was friends with Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. He was known as an intellectual and was among several things a theologian (extremely liberal), philosopher, political theorist and a scientist. Among his numerous scientific accomplishments was his discovery of oxygen in 1774. Funny thing about it was that he called it “"dephlogisticated air". He coined this term because of the scientific paradigm that he was working within known as phlogiston (pronounced phlŏgistón) theory.

Phologiston theory was the science of combustion in the 1700’s. The theory said that everything that is flammable is flammable because it contained a substance called phlogiston. As a material burned, it released phlogiston to the air. When all of the phlogiston was depleted, combustion would cease. The air in the process of combustion would become phlogisticated. Priestly was able to isolate the component of air that would not become phlogisticated and he called it “dephlogisticated air”. Two other people, Scheele and Lavoisier, around the same period of time made similar discoveries of oxygen but Priestly is generally credited with the discovery. Priestly explained his discovery within the context of phlogiston theory until he died in 1804. Antoine Lavoisier abolished phlogiston theory and gave us the name oxygen and a new scientific theory that was closer to the truth. A massive paradigm shift had taken place. Research data could “fit” and be dealt with honestly within the context of the new paradigm. Priestly had to “force” the data into his erroneously held theory of combustion.

Ok, what does all of this have to do with being a Christian? When I read about phlogiston and paradigm shifts it reminded me some of my journey as a Christian. I had a certain paradigm or system for understanding the God of the Bible and Biblical doctrine. The first time I came across the truths at the end of Romans 8 and in Romans 9 (i.e. God chooses His people), it rocked me to the core. It was an anomaly to my belief system. My belief system had no room for this teaching. I was faced with a crisis and I could deal with the crisis in several different ways. I could ignore it and say I don’t want go there and deal with it….kind of a willful ignorance. Or, I could cram it into my existing system or paradigm using interpretive gymnastics. What happened in reality was a lengthy vetting process. I read books, engaged others in conversations, thought and analyzed, studied what pillars in the Christian faith believed in the matter and over a course of years a paradigm shift took place. I’m sharing this because I suspect that my teaching on Romans 9 may be creating a crisis of theology in some of my readers.

One other thought that I would like to share is that a vetting process of Biblical truth has taken place over a couple of millennia. A general orthodoxy has emerged through a lengthy vetting process, by godly and scholarly believers. The kind of paradigm shifts that I am talking about as a Christian will not shift you away from this general orthodoxy. It will not shift you into another religion or cult. It is an individual shift that moves one closer to the truth.

“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Eph 4:11-13

Romans 9:1-29 God's People, God's Choice

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, ...” Rom 9:15

If Romans could be illustrated as a “roller coaster”, I would describe chapters 1-3 as a long descent, chapters 4-5 as a beautiful ascent, chapters 6-8 as exciting with some twists and turns and chapter 9 as the “corkscrew”. Chapter 9 is the subject of many books and debates between theologians through the centuries. Let me share my observations and let the debates begin!

Paul has 2 primary things he is addressing in Romans 9. First, Paul brought up a truth at the end of chapter 8 that was surprising and needed further elaboration. In Romans 8:29, Paul presents justification as an act of God apart from any act of man. If God foreknew you, then He predestined you, called you, justified you and glorified you. You can be certain that if He foreknew you, you will be glorified and everything in between. Second, Paul was ever dealing with the “problem” in the Jewish mind of Gentiles being considered the people of God. This seemed to diminish Jewish specialness.

Paul begins by establishing his credibility in discussing the Jews. He is not an anti-Semite. He lays bare the extreme passion he has for Israel (i.e. the Jewish people). He presents his own Jewish roots. He explains the age old privileges of being Jews.

Then he explains that the people of God are not established by genetics and ancestry…rather, God chooses who will be His people. Of Abraham’s 2 boys, he chose Isaac for the promises. Of Isaac’s twins while still in their mother’s womb, God chose to love one (Jacob) and hate the other (Esau). God made this choice before these twins ever expressed any desires or performed any deeds. His choices were and are independent and purposeful.

The question that arises in most minds is “Isn’t this unfair?” “How can God judge us if He chooses who will be His people?” The answer is “Who are you to be questioning God?” You must accept it by faith, that God is never unfair or unjust and His choice of who will be His people is never unfair or unjust. Does this answer all the questions? No…but I know enough about God from the rest of the Bible to know that He is just and fair and I will view all mysteries involving God through that lense.

For those who may accuse Paul of coming up with something new, he goes to the Jewish Scriptures to Hosea to show God choosing people who are not His people (Gentiles) to be His people. He shows from Isaiah that though the Israelites are as numerous as the sea only a chosen remnant would be saved.

How do I deal with these truths? In the same context that Paul presents them. We have been justified, transformed and presented truth to perfect our conduct. Nevertheless, we groan because we are imperfect and still sin. However, God has made choices that involve you and despite your present imperfections, you can be full of peace. You have a predetermined destiny to become Christ-like. You are securely heaven bound. Only someone greater than God can change this!

Romans 8:28-39 Things You Should Know as an Imperfect Christian

“…If God is for us, who can be against us?” Rom 8:31

At work we use a phrase to determine the firmness of a decision that has been made. We ask if the decision is “cast in stone?” In other words we are asking “Can this decision be changed?” A question that might arise in our continuing imperfection is, “Is our justification cast in stone?” “If justification is by faith and our faith wobbles, are we still justified?” “Is our relationship with God cast in stone?”

Paul answers this by showing that justification is an action of God that falls in a specified sequence of His actions. V.29 There are no action words for us here…these are God’s actions alone.

1. Foreknew - If God foreknew you, you can be certain that He predestined you, called you, justified you and glorified you. When He foreknew you, he knew your, sins, your dark closets, warts and all.
2. Predestined- If God foreknew you, He established a predetermined destiny for you. It’s a moral destiny to become Christ-like in your character.
3. Called- If God predestined you, He called you. In our relationship with God, He calls for us before we call to Him. Those who are called can know that God is working all things for your good. V.28
4. Justified-If God called you, He justified you…declared you righteous. Justification has been an emphasis of Romans. Here we see it as an action of God toward all He foreknew.
5. Glorified-If God justified you, with certainty you can know that you will be glorified. Heaven is a certainty.

In these actions of God, Paul has moved us from a human perspective to a divine perspective in order to say, “Yes, your justification is cast in stone!”

So how should we respond to these actions by God? Clearly we can conclude that God is for us and if God is for us, it doesn’t matter if anyone or anything is against us. How can the fact that he is for us be illustrated any more dramatically than the gift and sacrifice of His Son? All the things that would stir humans to shake their fist at God and question His existence cannot separate us from His love. In fact we are more than conquerors in all these things. Our justification is cast in stone and the motive behind it all is love!

Romans 8:18-27 Dealing with Imperfection

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” Rom 8:22-23

I’m a big football fan…Arizona Cardinal fan to be exact. For many years they’ve had an uncanny way of making many games over weak opponents, cliffhangers. The Lord has heard plenty of groans from me when the Cardinals have collapsed with a significant lead to barely win a game. Case in point was the recent win over the Green Bay Packers that was won by the Cardinals in overtime. They had a 17 point lead early in the game, the Packers surged ahead of them and they barely squeaked out a victory.

OK, enough football – what does this have to do with today’s passage. Today’s passage looks to the future in a very positive way. But it talks about the present using the word “groaning”. We as believers are groaning, creation itself is groaning and even the Holy Spirit is groaning. Groaning is a result of present imperfections, disappointment in unfulfilled expectations, and from the Holy Spirit’s viewpoint sharing in our disappointment. I groan over a football game when a good team makes mistakes that gets them defeated…when the team does not live up to who they are. Groaning is knowing all the good things that have transpired since being justified by faith and yet experiencing flaws and imperfections.

When reading through Romans 6, 7 and 8, I am impressed with my flaws and failures in light of who I would expect to be based on the teaching. Paul, probably recognized that a believer could have very frustrating expectations of perfection after reading about the changes that have transpired in the one who has been justified. Here he acknowledges that perfection is future. Even our adoption as sons is not fully realized and perfected until the future. Though our expectations in the present are somewhat tempered by the fallen world we are part of, our expectations and hope in the future are for perfection.

Thank you Lord for your understanding and mercy and for the future that we as believers look forward to! Thank you that there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”!!!!

Romans 8:5-17 The Holy Spirit

“You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Rom 8:9

As we are perched on this summit chapter (ch.8) in Romans, let’s take a moment and gaze down on the path that has brought us here, after all that is part of the “summit” experience.

1:1-15 Introduction
1:16-17 Theme: Righteousness from God (NIV Study Bible)
1:18-3:20 Sin and Judgment
3:21-5:21 Justification and Its Benefits
6:1 – 8:5 Personal Conduct

Intimated in the discussion of personal conduct (6:1-8:5) and what it means to be a Christian is the idea of transformation. God gave us the Holy Spirit who is the law in life form. When I say “law” here, think of the 10 commandments. The Holy Spirit is the 10 commandments full of life. Romans 8 talks of having the Spirit of Christ. Read the gospels and see the excellent life of the One we love. He was the 10 commandments alive and visible. The Spirit of Him indwells us and the evidence of His life is visible. People will see you living the 10 commandments from the heart not out of fear and slavery but in “life and peace” (v.6).

The Holy Spirit works in our mind and the transformation begins inward and works its way outward. “…the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;…” (v.6) The Holy Spirit empowers you to obey your new master and to not obey your old master, sin. (v.13)

The benefits of the Holy Spirit go beyond transformation to creating a Father-son relationship with God. By this Spirit, we are now children of God. The Spirit has made it our nature to call God, Daddy! Do you suppose we’re in line for a nice inheritance? I should say so! I’m getting dizzy…I think the altitude is getting to me!

Romans 8:1-4 Summarizing a Grace Based Relationship with God

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...” Rom 8:1

My brother had a goal of climbing the tallest mountain in each state of the United States. I was going to join him on the climbs in the states nearest New Mexico. We climbed Guadalupe Peak in Texas, Wheeler Peak in New Mexico and Humphreys Peak in Arizona. Each time, after much hard work, we would reach the summit full of joy and awe. We generally, would pause and rest there (unless there was a blizzard) and enjoy the views. This is how I feel upon reaching Romans 8. It’s a summit, highlighting lofty truth about our grace-based relationship with God. While we’re in this chapter, take some time and enjoy the views and find refreshment.

This summit chapter begins with a statement for all who have entered into a relationship with God based on grace. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…” We do not try to avoid His wrath by our actions nor do we try to gain His favor by our actions. His favor toward us is not earned. We enter into this grace relationship by faith.

We’ve seen in the previous 2 chapters that this grace is not conducive to sinning more, rather it has the opposite affect. It delivers us from being ruled by the sinful nature that resides in every human being…the same nature that manifests itself to an even greater degree when under law. It results in being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ death for His enemies - that’s you and me - made this kind of relationship possible.

We learned the driving force behind the unearned actions of God on our behalf in chapter 5. It was love…passionate love…directed not only toward the masses but toward you and me as an individuals. Give the Lord praise for His love and grace!

Romans 7 Law and the Sin Nature

“For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death.” Rom 7:5

In Romans 7, Paul continues to answer the question “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” (6:15) The concept of “law” carries with it the idea of awarding and punishing actions. A law-based relationship with God would intuitively seem conducive to sinning less. A grace-based relationship with God would intuitively seem conducive to sinning more. In a grace-based relationship, God deals with us with favor regardless of our actions.

The problem with law is it arouses our sinful passions. Humans literally react to law by becoming more sinful and that is the corrupt nature of every human. Paul said “For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘Do not covet.’ But sin seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire.” Paul goes on to talk about how a person in a law-based relationship with God is ruled by the sin nature, causing a person to do the very things they don’t want to do. This is the root of the struggle and defeat described in v.14-24 where Paul says “For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”

So Paul begins chapter 7 by illustrating how a law-based relationship can legally be changed with death. A woman who leaves her husband and joins another is committing adultery. However, if there is a death (i.e. her husband’s), she can join herself to another man legally. Our water baptism is a statement that we died to the sin nature as our master and it is also a statement that we died to something else. We died to a relationship with God based on law so that we could legally be joined to Jesus in a relationship based on grace. “So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.” (7:4)

The grace-based relationship is conducive to moral purity and righteousness and it is conducive to bearing fruit for God. Get ready for a struggle if you insist on a law-based relationship with God. Get ready to bear fruit if you think in terms of a grace.

Ponder this and give thanks!

Romans 6:15-23 Grace and Sin Part 2 of 2

“For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” Rom 6:15

The first half of Romans 6 addresses the question “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?”. The second half of Romans 6 addresses the question “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?”. The answers to these questions are an emphatic “By no means!”

Under a law-based relationship with God, behavior is rewarded. Good behavior earns good things from God and bad behavior earns punishment. “For the wages of sin is death…” (6:23) Intuitively, this would be a good system for discouraging sinful behavior. Unfortunately we have a sin nature that is aroused when under God’s law (7:5). Trespasses increase under the law. (5:20) The law makes us conscious of sin. (3:20) Regardless of the rewards and penalties, the sin nature rules in this system.

Under a grace-based relationship with God, God declares a sinner righteous – certainly not what the sinner deserves. With righteousness comes the free gift of eternal life. (6:23) Under a grace-based relationship with God, it is just as if, and every bit as true as being crucified with Jesus and being set free from the old master of sin. It is just as if, and every bit as true as being resurrected to life with a new master, God. Under the grace-based system, a transformation takes place as evidenced by choices you make that would have never been made when you were a slave to sin. (6:17-18)

When you were a slave to sin: (1) you were on the path to death, (2) you were enslaved to impurity, (3) you were enslaved to “ever-increasing wickedness”, (4) you were free from the control of righteousness, and (5) you earned what you deserved, death.

When you are a slave to God: (1) it will lead to practical righteousness (i.e. right behavior), (2) your life shows evidence of being controlled by righteousness, (3) you are on a path leading to holiness, (4) you are ashamed of sinful acts committed when enslaved to sin, and (5) the free gift of eternal life is waiting for you at life’s end.

We will understand the transformation issue better when we get to Romans 8. Paul explores the believer’s relationship to the law even further in chapter 7.

Romans 6:1-14 Grace and Sin - Part 1 of 2

“But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,…What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? Rom 5:20; 6:1

One of the ways that we know we are properly teaching justification by faith is by the questions that arise from the teaching. When someone properly understands justification by faith and the gift aspect of it (i.e. the grace or unmerited favor aspect of it), a question that is likely to be asked is “Isn’t this a license to sin?” When we get that question, we know we are teaching justification properly.

What is Paul’s answer to the question “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” His answer is “By no means!” Now this is where it gets interesting - look how Paul expounds on his answer. He goes to the subject of baptism and the meaning of it. Yes, he’s talking about water baptism.

Water baptism is a statement concerning a commitment related to death, burial and resurrection. I’ve always thought of water baptism as a dual sermon. It is a sermon that proclaims that the Messiah Jesus, in whom you have placed your faith, died, was buried and rose from the dead. The parallel sermon is that you died, you were buried and rose from the dead. The waters of baptism are like an invisible dye and once you’ve been immersed in them, you are forever stained and identified with this dual message.

Now for some expounding. Paul makes it clear about certain things we as believers should “know”. See how he says “don’t you know” (v.3), “for we know” (v.6), “we believe” (v.8), and “we know” (v.9). And what is it that “we know” and “believe”. In a nutshell, we should know and believe three things:

1. Baptism means that you considered yourself to have been crucified with Jesus. As a Wycliffe missionary once told me,” it is just as if, and every bit as true as” being literally crucified with Jesus. To make the decision to be baptized is to make the decision to be crucified.
2. To be crucified with Jesus means that the sin nature no longer rules over us. We are freed from the sin nature as a master in the same way that a slave who dies is no longer ruled by his master.
3. Crucifixion is followed by resurrection. Resurrection means that we come back to life not merely for the sake of living but for the purpose of living under God’s rule.

Take a moment and give some thought to your own baptism. Think of the meaning of it. Let your brain process what you’ve done according to Romans 6. Now, go live for God!

Romans 5:12-21 Summarizing Sin and Justification

“Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life to all men.” Rom. 5:18

Paul concludes this first section of Romans concerning sin, judgment and justification by contrasting two men who have had unparalleled impacts on the human race. One man’s single action affected the human race negatively resulting in appropriate condemnation. The other man’s single action affected the human race positively resulting in undeserved blessing. The two men are Adam and Jesus. Adam’s act was an act of sin. Jesus’ act was an act of righteousness. Adam’s act resulted in a sinful nature in all of his descendants along with condemnation and death. Jesus’ act resulted in the gift of righteousness offered to all men. Consequent to Jesus act, came life, and not just life but reigning in life.

Paul’s teaching in Rom 1:18 to 3:20 leaves no doubt that every single human being is guilty of sin. Quoting the Old Testament, he states “There is no one righteous, not even one;…” A questioning person has to ask why. What is so pervasive about sin that it affects every person on the planet? Why aren’t there some people who are sin free? The answer – Adam sinned and it affected his nature. Every human being is descended from Adam and we inherited his corrupt nature.

Put a hungry lion in a room. In one corner of the room, place the carcass of a flea-bitten deer. In the other corner of the room, place a bushel of premium grain. The lion will go to the carcass every time. Why? Because it is in his nature to eat meat. It is in our nature to reject God and His law every time.

What is the best way to highlight this sinful nature? Bring in the law. Bring in the moral code that reflects the truth about God and His character. That’s like bringing in a bushel of fine grain. The lion will always go to the meat. If we had only meat in the room, we could only speculate about the lion’s nature. But when we add the wheat, it highlights the lion’s nature to eat meat. Rom 3:20 says “…through the law we become conscious of sin.” In this verse the law makes us conscious of sin by providing a well-defined reference point of righteousness. Rom 5:20 says “The law was added so that the trespass might increase.” In this verse the law not only makes us conscious of sin but it exposes how our sinful nature reacts to God’s laws with further disobedience.

And finally we are told that “where sin increased, grace increased all the more…” (v.20) How ever large is the size of sin or the quantity of it, the size of God’s grace and the quantity of it is far greater. How bad are you? How great are your sins? God’s grace is far greater!

Romans 5:1-11 Benefits of Justification

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…” Rom 5:1

Here are some of the words of an old hymn I grew up singing:
Count your blessings Name them one by one.
Count your blessings See what God hath done.

Let’s count the blessings in the first half of Romans 5 as Paul writes about the benefits of being justified through faith.

1. Previously, the wrath of God was being stored up for us (Rom. 2:5), now we have peace with God. V.1,9-10
2. Previously, we were prepared to stand before a judge who would condemn us, now we stand in His unmerited favor (i.e. grace). V.2
3. Previously, we fell short of the glory of God…we would never see it (Rom 3:23), now we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. V.2
4. Previously, we concluded our sufferings were the result of an angry God (Rom 2:9), now we rejoice in our sufferings because we know they are for our good to build godly character in us. V.3-5
5. Previously, nothing good was in us, now God has given us the Holy Spirit. V.5
6. Previously, there was nothing to be happy about, now we rejoice in standing in God’s grace, we rejoice in our sufferings, we rejoice in God Himself who was at one time very angry with us. V.2, 3, 11
7. Previously, not only was God’s wrath being stored up for us (Rom 2:9) but we were opposed to Him (enemies), now we have been reconciled to Him. V.10-11

Why did God justify us and give us these blessings? What motivated him to do that when we were “powerless”, “ungodly”, “sinners”, and “enemies”? The answer is in the following verses:

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” V.8
“…God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” V.5

Yes, love was the driving force! You’re not just a number. You are someone worth dying for. You are on the mind of God in a favorable way. Come on now…lets rejoice!

Tangent #2 Justification

“For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.” Rom 3:28

Justification is the act of God declaring a sinful man righteous. As you read through Romans you will find that it talks about being justified by things other than faith. There are 4 different things including faith by which we are justified. Here they are:

1. Justified by faith – Rom 3:28 “…we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.”
2. Justified by grace – Rom 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
3. Justified by His blood – Rom 5:9 “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!”
4. Justified by works – Rom 4:2 “If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about – but not before God.”

Justification by faith is an action of man directed toward God.
Justification by grace is an action of God directed toward man.
Justification by blood is an action of God directed toward Himself.
Justification by works is an action of man directed toward man.

Justification by faith is the primary focus of Romans and I have discussed it at length in my previous writings. Justification by grace emphasizes that justification is unmerited. It contains with it the concept of a gift from God as opposed to the concept of a wage or reward from God. Justification is not earned or merited but it is something that God gives us that we do not deserve.

Justification by blood has to do with atonement or propitiation. The concept of atonement or propitiation is, according to a Google definition, the satisfaction of God’s wrath by means of a sacrifice. Pagans would try to satisfy their angry gods by sacrificing animals and even humans. However, to satisfy the wrath of the living God against our sin, a perfect sacrifice was required. Jesus was that sacrifice. Literally, Jesus bore our sins and God’s wrath was poured out on Him until every last drop of God’s wrath was satisfied.

Justification by works is being declared righteous by other people. The only benefit of it is that you can boast about how righteous you are. Other than that, it does not affect your standing before God.

Here is a hymn inspired by someone in 1875 who understood justification. Ponder the words and the truths of Romans and lift your heart in worship!

Guilty, vile, and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was he;
Full atonement can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Romans 4 Justification by Faith in the Old Testament

“What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”” Rom 4:3

Picture an attorney in a court room arguing his case before the judge. He presents the facts of his case and he presents the laws that are relevant to his case. However, there is one other important ingredient necessary to convince the judge of the validity of his position. He must present the legal precedence for his position. He must present something that happened in a courtroom many years ago that was favorable to the present case.

Paul has just presented the argument in Romans 3 for justification by faith…how a sinful man can be declared righteous by having righteousness from God credited to him. He can hear the Jewish critics saying “Paul, there is no precedence for this. You’re coming up with something new.” In Romans 4 Paul presents the precedence by going to a couple of highly respected people in the Old Testament…Abraham and David. The Jewish race began with Abraham. He is considered their patriarch. The Messiah was promised the throne of David and the prophets said the Messiah would arise from the descendants of David.

Regarding Abraham, Paul quotes Genesis 15:6 where it says “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” The Jewish critic would respond that Abraham was circumcised and this was necessary for right standing with God. You must be identified as a Jew to have right standing with God. Paul answers by pointing out that Abraham was declared righteous before he was circumcised. Again the Jewish critic declares that the law is necessary for one to be righteous. Paul answers “It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.”

David speaks of the “blessedness” of being justified by faith when he says in Psalms 32 “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”

Justification by faith is not something new. There is precedence for it in the Old Testament. Some would argue that it is too good to be true. Others would say that is why the gospel is “astounding good news”.

Romans 3:9-20 Summarizing Man's Condition Before God

“What shall we conclude then? Are we (Jews) any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.” Rom 3:9

Someone may be tempted to conclude that when Paul speaks of the sinfulness of mankind, he is speaking in generalities. Paul removes that temptation by saying “There is no one righteous, not even one…there is no one who does good, not even one.” To remove any doubt about who is included in the sinfulness category, Paul states twice, there is “not even one” person who is righteous or good.

Verses 10 through 18 are Paul’s proof texts regarding his conclusions on the universality of sin. He uses Jewish Scripture (i.e. the Old Testament) in summarizing his teaching. A Jewish reader would have been hard pressed to argue against Paul. Paul is continually working to show the Jews that he is not coming up with something new. His teaching is found throughout the Old Testament.

But a Jew who is troubled by Paul’s conclusion would remind Paul that the Jews are “entrusted with the very words of God” also known as the “law”. Surely the possession of the law means Jews have a right standing with God. Paul responds by saying “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather through the law we become conscious of sin.”

We are introduced to a new concept at this point in Romans. The “law” made people become conscious of sin. It didn’t cure the sin, remove the sin, rehabilitate the sinner etc. The “law” made people become conscious of sin by presenting a lofty standard of righteousness to measure their lives against. A Jew does not benefit from the law by having a right relationship with God rather the Jew benefited from the law by being made conscious of sin.

If Romans were an oil painting that begins with a blank pallet in chapter 1 and is a completed work of art in chapter 16, the background for the masterpiece is completed at this point. It is a very dark background that leaves the world facing the righteous judgment of God. The title of Jonathan Edward’s most famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” would be a good title for Romans up to this point.

Romans 3:5-8 Questions Born from Erroneous Extrapolations

“Why not say…’Let us do evil that good may result’?” Rom. 3:8

As mentioned earlier, Romans 3 begins with 8 questions from an imaginary disputant. The second group of questions (the last 5 questions) deals with erroneous extrapolations of Paul’s teaching.

To extrapolate means “to infer by extending known information…” In math you can take an existing graph containing a curve and extend the curve beyond the set of data used to create the curve. The extended portion of the curve is the extrapolated portion. People were taking Paul’s teaching and extending it out beyond what Paul was actually saying and this extrapolation was filled with error.

The truths presented by Paul were that “our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly…”, and “…my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory…” It is a good thing to see God’s righteousness more clearly. It is also a good thing when the glory of God is increased in our eyes. The erroneous extrapolation was “Let us do evil that good may result.” The darkened nature of man is seen even in his grappling with truth. Paul said those who report that he teaches these things are justly condemned.

What is the accurate extrapolation from the truths taught by Paul? Paul has just concluded 2 chapters in which he thoroughly expounds on the depravity of mankind. No one is left untouched. The fall of man was cataclysmic and horrendous, affecting the nature of everyone. Man’s nature is to trade the truth of God for an image in the form of a cow. Man’s nature is to put confidence in a mark in the flesh (circumcision) while stealing and committing adultery. The darker the picture that is painted of man, the more brilliant is the character of God who is the righteous standard by which everything is measured.

If someone concludes from Paul’s teaching that it is ok to sin, they misunderstand Paul’s teaching. When Paul later teaches on the grace of God, the erroneous extrapolations rain down in a torrent….mainly along the lines that it is ok to sin. Paul teaches us to appreciate the horrendousness of sin and the beauty and magnificence of God’s righteousness and grace.

Romans 3:1-4 Questions About Jewish Specialness

“What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew…”? Rom. 3:1

The first 8 verses of Romans 3 begin with 8 questions from an imaginary disputant. The 8 questions can be divided into 2 groups. One group of questions (the first 3 questions) challenges Paul’s teaching by suggesting that Paul’s teaching diminishes the special privilege of being a Jew. The second group of questions (the last 5 questions) deal with erroneous extrapolations from Paul’s teaching.

Let’s talk about the first group of questions. “What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew?” This question is asked because Paul has just systematically in Romans 1 and 2 shown how Gentiles and Jews are both equally guilty and equally worthy of condemnation. Jews had always been the chosen people of God but if they are as guilty as Gentiles before God and if they are equally worthy of condemnation then the logical conclusion is that any advantage in being a Jew must not exist. Paul answers this logic by stating there is much advantage “in every way” In being a Jew. To prove his point, Paul says that Jews have been entrusted “with the very words of God.” A Gentile cannot make this boast. In the first century, only the Jews possessed the written word of God. Later in Romans, Paul expounds further on the advantages of being a Jew.

If righteousness comes from God by faith and some Jews do not have faith, then some Jews will be condemned. So, are the promises of God regarding Jews, only good to the Jews who have been made right with God through faith? Paul says that God is faithful to his promises concerning the Jews regardless of their faith.

A Gentile lady in the gospels (Matt 15) needing the supernatural help of the Messiah was forced to consider the specialness of the Jews. Jesus told her “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” The children were the Jews and the Gentiles were the dogs. She understood this. That is why she responded “Yes Lord…but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” The Jews are special but thank God, the blessings for them spill over to us Gentiles!

Romans 2:5-16 God's Judgment

“But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.” Rom. 2:5

Romans 1 states “The wrath of God is being revealed…” and in Romans 2 God’s wrath is being stored up for the day it “will be revealed.” OK, this is another easy one for us engineers…chapter 1 is talking about the wrath of God being present and continuous, and in chapter 2, it is talking about God’s wrath revealed in a single day in the future. In chapter 1, God’s wrath is being revealed by God stepping out of the way and allowing sin to run amuck. In chapter 2, God’s wrath is going to be revealed in a single day in the future “when his righteous judgment will be revealed.”

Romans teaches and clarifies for us something very important about God. It teaches that God judges.

Here is what can be observed in Romans 1 and 2 about God’s judgment:

1. Its reality is sensed apart from a written revelation. 1:32
2. It involves wrath against evil deeds. 1:32
3. Based on truth. Rules of justice (i.e. rightness) are not bent. 2:2
4. It’s inescapable for those who do evil. 2:3
5. It’s always right. 2:5
6. It is a judgment as to the rightness and wrongness of deeds 2:6
7. It includes a sentence. Those who do good…eternal life. 2:7 Those who do evil…wrath and anger. 2:8
8. It’s impartial. Jews and Gentiles alike will be subject to it. 2:10-11
9. It will be fair. If you were privileged and had the written revelation of God, that will be the basis of judgment. If your only source of truth is nature and in-born knowledge, that will be the basis of judgment. 2: 12-16

My own conversion was born out of a terrible sense of God’s impending judgment on me and a sentence of eternity spent in hell. Lord, these are frightful truths we are pondering…we stand in awe of who You are!

Romans 2:1-4; 17-29 The Moral Condition of the Jew

“You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: ‘God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.’ “ Rom. 2:23-24

Romans 2 begins with a Jew making an observation of those nasty people in chapter 1. I can hear him remark, “Those people in chapter 1 are a bunch of idolatrous, perverts!” Then Paul addresses this Jewish observer:

“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” V.1

The Jews at this time had an advantage over everyone else. They not only had the truth of God revealed in nature but they had a written, revelation from God, Himself. I’d say that is quite a privilege! The Jews had a relationship with God like no other. They knew his will; they could talk about God from a position of authority and superiority. They even marked their bodies (i.e. circumcision) to identify their selves as having a special relationship with God.

But the problem for the Jews was the same problem for the Gentiles. There was something in their nature that acted completely contrary to the teaching of the written revelation.

“you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?” v.21-23

Whatever anti-God bias was in the Gentile pagan, also resided in the Jew and resides in us from birth. As I’ve already said, just as a dog barks and a pig oinks, people have a built in nature to oppose God. The dark backdrop of humanity’s condition before God is further crafted in Romans 2.

How does God respond? That’s coming in the next email.

Romans 1:18-32 God's Just Response to Rejection

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.” Rom. 1:18-19

The previous email presented how God has revealed Himself through His creation and how His creatures took the truth of God revealed and exchanged it for a lie. The invisible Creator in some instances was depicted by a man-made sculptor of a cow. How does God respond to this rejection of Him as God? He rightly responds with wrath.

In Romans 1 God’s wrath “is being revealed”. “Us” engineers are known for being weak on grammar, but we’re smart enough to know that this phrase indicates something in the past that continues to the present. The question is, how is His wrath presently revealed? The answer:

“Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.” V.24

“Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.” V.26

“Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.” V.28

God’s wrath is revealed by Him stepping back and letting sinful desires run amuck. Mankind chose to go its own way and God stepped out of the way and let them be ruled by corrupt desires rather than by Him. Interestingly, if you step back and see what a mess the world is in… what a mess individual lives are in, it’s because of 2 things. It is because of a choice mankind has made to reject the truth of God. It is also because God in wrath said in effect “if you choose to be ruled by lies, I’ll step out of the way and let those lies run their course.”

“Astounding good news” is best understood against the backdrop of extremely bad news. Romans 1 helps understand the backdrop. Worship God for the astounding good news of a Redeemer!

Romans 1:18-32 God Revealed and Rejected

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him…” “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator…” Rom. 1:21, 25

Romans 1: 18-32 is one of my favorite passages in Romans. It makes me think…it gives me some answers…it explains some things and prompts more questions. The passage is about a group of people, unlike the Jews, who do not have a written revelation of God; however, they are not ignorant about God. God has told them plenty about Himself through His creation.

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Rom. 1:20

How did people receive this gracious act of God revealing Himself? It’s really…. very strange!!! Rather than worshipping Him, adoring Him and bowing to Him, they rounded up some of the artsy people around them and said “make us another god.”

“…they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” Rom. 1:23

This is so strange, it’s laughable. Rather than embrace the true and living God who created the galaxies, the supernovas, quasars, gamma bursts, red giants, black holes etc. …they preferred in some cases….to sculpt a cow and say “this is God”. Now, I’m perfectly aware that they had no concept of supernovas, black holes etc. but they had a breath-taking night sky, beautiful daytime vistas, observations of an assortment of creatures, each with a unique and wonderful design. What’s wrong with these people? Why reject the truth when it is far superior to any conjured up imagination?

Mankind has something in its very nature that rejects God at the most basic level. Since the fall of man at the beginning of human history, this has been his nature. It’s a dog’s nature to bark, a pig’s nature to oink and a person’s nature to reject the truth of God. How does God respond to this?

Be patient…we’ll get there in the next email!

Romans Tangent #1 - Hermeneutics

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” II Tim. 2:15

Definition of hermeneutics is “a method or theory of interpretation and understanding of texts”.

I’ve been studying Scriptures for many years and over that time I’ve become opinionated about various approaches to interpreting Scripture. At this point in Romans, I would like to interject several opinions on Bible study in general.

Opinion #1: The original texts of Paul’s letter to the Romans, Galatians, Ephesians etc. are understandable to the common believer with an average level of education. They are not necessarily only understood by scholars who in turn explain them to us in terms easier to understand. Think of whom these letters were written to….ordinary people, tanners, carpenters, farmers, slaves, masters etc. There is no indication that these believers needed a scholar accompanying each of Paul’s letters. Why do I consider this important? I think we avoid engaging our own brain in understanding the text and immediately rely on the brain of someone else through a written commentary or by not studying at all. When you engage your brain in a text, it does 2 things. It gives you a greater confidence in the meaning of a passage and it works it deeper into your brain.

Opinion #2: Language scholars who are profound experts in Greek, Hebrew and English developed our modern English texts of the Bible. Knowing all the nuances of the ancient languages and knowing the English language, they selected the very best English words for the text. I’m always a bit troubled when I hear someone read a passage of Scripture and declare that an English word should have been translated thus and thus which results in a completely different meaning of the passage. I’ll trust the scholars that gave the English word in the text. Bottom-line, you don’t need a Greek and Hebrew lexicon to have a meaningful study of the Scripture. There’s plenty written in plain English to grapple with.

Opinion #3: Generally, there is a flow of thought throughout a Pauline epistle. The words that build on previous words are important. In our Scripture studies, we tend to migrate to isolated verses and have no sense of how these verses fit into the flow of thought of the author. What if my mother wrote me a long, hand-written letter and I ignore 95% of it and took some scissors and cut out a sentence that made a good stand alone sentence and put it on the refrigerator? What would my mother think if she came to town for a visit and saw the sentence? She would probably ask, what did you think of the rest of the letter? Do you know the context of that sentence you cut out? I’m trying to emphasize here the systematic study of the Pauline letters in particular.

The gist of what I’m sharing could be construed to mean that I am anti-scholarship and anti-teaching. If one arrives at that conclusion, they’ve arrived at the wrong conclusion. The gist of what I’m saying is that ordinary Christians do not engage their brains to the degree possible. Commentaries, lexicons and the study of isolated verses are highly important but I wouldn’t exclude poking your nose directly into the Word of God and engaging your brain on the flow of thought and meaning of large passages.

Romans 1:16-17 The Theme of Romans (Revised 2-12-2010)

“For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’ “ Rom. 1:17

Righteousness….you don’t hear that word much in our current vernacular. However, you will hear that word in its various forms throughout Romans. It is a legal term as well as a practical term. It’s presented in a legal sense in the early chapters of Romans and in a practical sense in the latter chapters.

In a legal sense, it means “to be right” or “not guilty” in a court of law. Legally, someone who is perfect could credit their righteousness to you as long as they are willing to have your guilty behavior credited to them. When this legal exchange takes place, you, the original guilty party, have all the benefits of a “not guilty” verdict. You are legally “right” though your actions in a practical sense are wrong.

The radically bad news is that each of us has done wrong and deserves a declaration of “guilty” and the resulting sentence of hell. The astounding good news (i.e. the gospel) is that each of us wrongdoers are offered a righteousness from God. We are offered a “not guilty” verdict that is a just verdict because a legal exchange with God has taken place. The righteousness from God is received by faith… and from start to finish; faith is all that is required. This is why the Scriptures say those who are declared righteous, live by faith.

This brings us to where we’re headed in the first 3 chapters of Romans. In these chapters, I picture a courtroom with a perfect Judge. All of his judgments are perfect, never wrong, totally just. What is the verdict for those who stand before Him?

In Rom. 1:18-32, Gentiles…guilty!
In Rom. 2:1-4; 17-29, Jews …guilty!
In Rom. 3:9-20, Gentiles and Jews, every human being…guilty…no exceptions!

The gaps in the Scripture passages listed above are:
Romans 2:5-16 God’s judgment.
Romans 3:1-8 Answers to the Jewish skeptic’s questions regarding Paul’s teaching.

As we move forward in Romans, my prayer is that we comprehend with great thanksgiving, the “astounding good news”.

Romans 1:1-15 The Gospel

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God – the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son…” Rom. 1:1-2

Language, in particular the English language, is evolving because words lose their meaning and new ways are needed to communicate the original meaning of words. Here’s a goofy example: “Hey man, you’re really bad!”

Meaning 100 years ago: Someone was abruptly addressing an older male person and telling him in no uncertain terms that he was depraved.

Meaning today: Someone is addressing any age and any gender and saying in affect “you have some tremendous things about you that I really like.”

So when we read in Scriptures about the “gospel” and look up the definition, we find that the word means “good news”. This can be a rather mundane definition but if we go to the intent of the words when they were defined, the gospel means “incredibly, the best news that any human being could ever hear”. This is the gospel, good news on steroids, mind-blowing, astounding, good news!

This good news is prophesied in the Old Testament, it’s about Jesus, the Son of God. It’s about His death, burial, resurrection, present risen life and coming glory. It’s about the free gift of eternal life and being set free from slavery to sin. It’s a message that is to be shared with non-Christians and …yes, a message to be taught to Christians. It’s a message that applies to every human on earth and when we share this message with others we are in essence serving God. This is much of the message in Romans 1:1-15.

Give it some thought!



[Note: I will be using the NIV Bible as the source of Bible references throughout the study of Romans.]

Romans - Background #3

It becomes apparent in reading Romans that the Roman church was predominantly Gentile with a Jewish presence. In Romans 1:13 Paul states that he had “…planned many times to come to you…in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.”

How did this church which sprang up on its own come to be predominantly Gentile? The Roman historian Suetonius reported that during the reign of Claudius, ”Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus (i.e. Christ), he expelled them from Rome.” This refers to the Edict of Claudius, dated 49 AD, in which all Jews were expelled from Rome (Acts 18:1-2). Apparently, the conflict in Rome among Jews concerning whether Jesus was the Christ (i.e. Messiah) was so severe, that Claudius dealt with it by booting them out. Gentiles (known as God-fearing Gentiles) who met weekly with the Jews, remained in Rome in a church that had been gutted of Jewish believers. Some of these Gentiles likely believed that Jesus was the Messiah and comprised the church in Rome. The edict remained in effect until Nero canceled it 5 years later in 54 AD. During this time, the church in Rome grew in numbers without a Jew present.

What were the Jews in Rome in such bitter argument about?

First of all it was about the Messiah-ship of Jesus. The Messiah was to come as a King and reign over a kingdom in an earthly sense. Jesus came as a servant and was executed between 2 criminals. Jesus did not fit the Messiah template. However, for anyone probing the Jewish Scriptures it was obvious that besides a Kingly Messiah (Is 9:6-7) there was ample description of a suffering Messiah (Is 53). The Jews were bitterly divided over this issue.

Secondly, the Jews were always special to God. They were God’s chosen people. It was extremely troubling to many of the Jews that Messiah Jesus was being embraced by Gentiles and the Gentiles were remaining Gentiles. They were not being circumcised and made to be Jewish converts who observed the law. This whole concept diminished the specialness of being a Jew. It required a paradigm shift in the Jewish mind of incredible proportions. Now, Gentiles were flocking to the Jewish circles to learn more about the Jewish Messiah, they had embraced. What confusion must have reigned!

This background helps one to understand the imaginary Jewish disputants and their questions that arise throughout the book of Romans. Paul can hear their voices as he writes and feels compelled to answer.

Romans - Background #2

How was a Jewish presence established in Rome and how was a church birthed in this town so distant from Jerusalem?

The Jewish presence in Rome possibly stems from a victory party led by Pompey the Great. In 61 BC, Pompey the Great brought Jewish captives to Rome as slaves to celebrate the conquest of Judea. Many of the freed descendents of these slaves scattered throughout the Roman Empire and likely some remained in Rome. These descendants were known as Freedmen. A reference to the Synagogue of the Freedmen is found in Acts 6:9.

One clue as to how the church may have started is in Acts 2. It says that when the miracle of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit took place at Pentecost (30 AD), there were visitors there from Rome who were among the spectators (Acts 2:10). Peter stood up and preached to the Pentecostal spectators that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah and that everyone must repent and be baptized. About 3,000 people responded to this message and it is likely that some of the Roman visitors were among the respondents. When they returned to Rome, they told the Jews about what they had seen. From this, the church in Rome was likely born.

Two events, one in 61 BC and another in 30 AD were likely very significant in the eventual writing of Romans. One event must have seemed like the darkest moment in Jewish history for those living at the time. Yanked out of their homeland and paraded through the streets of Rome as slaves. It doesn’t get much worse than that. However, what man meant for calamity, God meant for good. The stage was set for a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the birth of a church in the capital of a pagan Empire. Eventually, during the reign of Constantine 300 years later, the Empire was declared to be a Christian empire.

Never rule out the dark moments of life as wasted moments or meaningless moments. God has a reputation of turning dark moments on their head!

Romans - Background #1

An understanding of some background of the Roman Empire, Rome and the Roman church is very useful to understanding the book of Romans. I’ll begin with the Roman Empire and Rome.

The traditional date for the founding of Rome was 753 BC. It was founded by a person named Romulus and consisted of a village of thatched-roof huts on the Palatine Hill. The Roman Republic formed around 509 BC and lasted until 31 BC. By 168 BC the Republic extended from northern Europe to the coasts of Africa and east to the Euphrates River. Toward the end of the Republic a series of strong generals transformed the government into a dictatorship. The Roman Empire was born out of the dictatorships and lasted from 31 BC until 565 AD.

Here is a brief rundown of emperors for the period of time of interest to us:

Octavian – 27 BC to 14 AD – Jesus was born ~5 BC
Tiberius – 14 to 37 AD – Jesus was crucified and resurrected in 30 AD. Saul was converted in35 AD. (Acts 9)
Caliqula – 37 to 41 AD – Cornelius, a Roman centurion (Gentile), receives the Holy Spirit in ~40 AD (Acts 10).
Claudius – 41 to 54 AD – The apostle James was the first apostle to be martryed in ~44 AD. (Acts 12:2)
Nero – 54 to 68 AD – Paul likely wrote the book of Romans in 57 AD.

Rome in the first century was known for its impressive buildings, aqueducts, baths, theaters and thoroughfares. Its most prominent features were the Capitoline Hill with temples to Jupiter and Juno, the Palatine Hill with imperial palaces. Both of these hills overlooked the Roman Forum which was considered the hub of the entire empire.

It was here in Rome that our heroes, Paul, Peter and many others were martyred for their message. Peter was crucified upside down in 64 AD and Paul was beheaded in the same town in 67 AD. Rome represents the darkness of the human race, the sophistication of the human race, the rejection of the gospel and a planting ground for the tiny seed of the kingdom of God. Consider these things as we work our way through the book.

Romans - Introduction

In 386 A.D., Aurelius Augustine received Jesus Christ as his Savior after reading a passage from the Book of Romans. He went on to become one of the church’s most outstanding leaders and theologians.

A thousand years later, Martin Luther wrote, “Night and day I pondered Romans until I grasped the truth. I felt myself to be reborn. This passage of Paul became to me a gateway to heaven.”

The famous sixteenth-century Bible translator William Tyndale wrote of Romans: “It is the principle and most excellent part of the New Testament... No man can read it too oft, or study it too well; for the more it is studied, the easier it is; the more it is chewed, the pleasanter it is. . . the more it is searched, the preciouser things are found….”

Several centuries later (May 24, 1738 to be precise), a minister named John Wesley wrote this about his study in the Book of Romans: “I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for my salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins….”

It has been said that Romans will delight the greatest logician and captivate the mind of the consummate genius, yet it will bring tears to the humblest soul and refreshment to the simplest mind.

(The above quotes were borrowed from http://goossengrapevine.blogspot.com/2007/01/significance-of-book-of-romans.html.)

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My first journey through the book of Romans was around the summer of 1975 when I led a group from Campus Crusade for Christ in a study of the book. I’m not sure the group that I led that summer would even remember it but 34 years later my life continues to be impacted by that study. In 2003 I led a group of men in my church in Alamogordo, NM in a 1-year study of the book. Once again, at least 1 person was impacted by that study….me!

My prayer is that this book that has altered world history would impact you… expand your view of God…set you free!

GFT #11d - Final Thoughts - Believe Today

"According to your faith will it be done to you" Matt. 9:29

I thought I had written my last devotional on faith but something happened this morning that prompts me to add one more.

In fact, this devotional was born out of a misunderstanding with my wife. Let me explain. We built a house 5 years ago in a rural community in New Mexico. I was never real happy with the master bathroom shower because it never put out hot water only warm water. All I could figure was that the plumbing was flawed and I would be paying lots of money to get it fixed. Today, I finally decided to have a plumber come out and look at it. The moment I described the problem and showed him the shower knob, he laughed and said I was going to be shocked how simple the solution was. He ran out to his truck to get an allen wrench and a short time later it was putting out a nice full stream of hot water. It was so easy that he said he wasn’t going to charge for the fix.

My wife suggested that the long time it had taken me to get this problem fixed would be a good faith email. I had no clue what she was talking about. She explained that we had hot water available to that shower for 5 years but we weren’t experiencing it. She said all it took was asking the right person and in a matter of minutes he helped us to realize what had always been available to us. She said that God’s word promises us many things and we simply don’t act on it. We don’t believe it.

Matthew 6 – Jesus promises daily provision
James 5 – states what a sick person should do for healing
Luke 6 – promises God will give back generously to the one who gives

Take it from me…don’t wait 5 years to act on these precious promises. Thanks for allowing me to share with you from the wonderful word of God.

Selah,
Randy

GFT #11c - Final Thoughts - The Object of Our Faith

“They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mk 4:41 “The men were amazed and asked ‘What kind of man is this?’” Mt 8:27a


I read the passages above and my impulse is to be shocked but not in the same way as the disciples. My shock is that these disciples could daily shadow Jesus and still be asking the questions “Who is this?” and “What kind of man is this?”. How does this relate to faith? Faith is only meaningful when Jesus is the object of it. Jesus…how well do you know Him…how well do you understand who He is…do you believe what He says?

Several weeks ago, I was driving home for the weekend. I drive a very rural part of the state of New Mexico on my weekend commute. Out in the sticks, I pulled off the road. There was a clear night sky and no moon. As many times as I’ve beheld the magnificence of the heavens, that night I was shocked. This One who I speak to so frequently, who I love dearly, astounded me with His creation. My first thought was “Do I even know who I’m talking to?” This One who I am intimate with overwhelms me…shocks and startles me.

Let me take my thoughts one step farther. Jesus was always so “taken back” at the littleness of people’s faith. It made no sense to Him. The incomprehensible Father was comprehended by His Son. The concept of “moving mountains” is an understatement by Jesus but startles us to numbness. Take a moment to consider God…then you will see “faith in God makes sense.” Moving mountains and casting them into the sea is available to the one who has faith the size of a mustard seed.

Selah,
Randy

GFT #11b - Final Thoughts - Acquiring Faith

“Have faith in God…” Mk 11:22

So how do you acquire great faith? Some verses indicate that faith comes from God and other verses make it sound like it is our responsibility. Jesus is the “author and perfecter of faith”. One of the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in I Cor 12 is faith. Yet “faith comes from hearing the message.” Jesus tells the disciples “Have faith in God”. Jesus groans when people have little faith as if it is within their grasp to have greater faith. One could make the mistake of taking one side of these dual truths at the exclusion of the other and end up being in error.

My guess is that someone like the centurion was rather matter of fact in his observations and resulting thoughts. He heard that Jesus was healing the sick and casting out demons and without a great amount of intellect involved concluded that Jesus was someone of enormous authority. He was so convinced of this that he would not even have Jesus come to his house or according to one of the gospel accounts speak directly with Jesus. His respect for Jesus was enormous. It wasn’t built on a lot of experience just some simple thinking and some conclusions about who Jesus was. In the background of all of this simple thinking, the Holy Spirit was at work in the Centurion’s life and enabling him to believe.

My intuition tells me that having faith…great faith…is much simpler than we would like to make it. We tend to complicate it because of the lack of it in our lives and we somehow need to address the dichotomy between the multitude of Scriptures that speak of the mighty things that can be done through faith and our human experience which is often void of the reality of “mighty things” promised. Like the disciples, we probably need to go to Jesus in a private moment and ask “Why couldn’t we cast out the demon?” Jesus answer will likely be the same “Because you have little faith.”

These are not guilt words designed to motivate you to pursue great faith….rather, these are powerful truths containing incredible potential that should energize you to pursue great faith.

GFT #11a - Final Thoughts - Faith and Love

“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Gal. 5:6

My study of the passages of Scripture in which Jesus comments on people’s faith has left me with a lot of unanswered questions and a few summary thoughts. I won’t burden you with my unanswered questions but I will share with you some thoughts and conclusions.

The only 2 people in the gospels that Jesus said had great faith had several things in common. One thing they had in common was that they were both Gentiles. Another thing they had in common is that they were not part of Jesus’ inner circle and finally, their great faith was demonstrated to the benefit of someone other than their selves. The centurion exercised his faith on behalf of his sick servant and the Canaanite lady exercised her faith on behalf of her demon possessed son. There is no indication whatsoever that the centurion’s servant and the woman’s son had faith for their own healing.

This is what faith is all about…loving God and loving others. Paul said “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” He said in another place that if you have faith that can move mountains but do not have love, you are nothing. In our deep inward yearning to live a life of significance, we certainly don’t want it said of us “you are nothing.”

Moving mountains, uprooting trees are only meaningful when done in the context of love. If you’re going to move a mountain, move a mountain that will lift someone else’s burdens that will change someone else’s destiny, which will restore someone else’s marriage, which will relieve someone else’s financial hardship, that will deliver from bondage someone in slavery.