Category: Romans
Rigtheousness, peace and joy!
Scripture reading for July 31st: Romans 14:1-23
The body of Christ is composed of people from different walks of life and different spiritual experience. Some come from religious backgrounds. Others come with no spiritual training and are eager to learn what is expected. Paul knew that the church at Rome was very diverse, with many Jews and Gentiles of different backgrounds. He wrote to help them understand how to practice the command of Jesus to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Romans 13:9-10)
“Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 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. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?” (Romans 14:1-4a) We enter into pride when we judge someone else. Some matters, such as eating meat sacrificed to idols, are disputable. The strong person knows that the idol is nothing and that the meat is made clean by prayer and thanksgiving. The weaker person may feel polluted by the meat and believe that they have sinned by eating it. As long as what they do is motivated by their faith, neither one is to judge the other and cause disunity or division over eating meat! We do not show love when bringing strife over matters like this.
“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.” (Romans 14:17-18) The Holy Spirit wants to lead us in loving our brothers and sisters, not in judging them on matters of conscience that are not clearly dealt with in Scripture. We can please God by walking in love and faith that God will deal with each person according to their faith.
“So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:22-23) Be quiet and live by faith!
Authoritity’s protective covering!
Scripture reading for July 30th: Romans 13:1-14
Paul’s practical application of faith included how to relate properly to authority in our lives. Today, it is popular to talk bad about our government, leaders, and those in authority over us. This kind of talk leads to disrespect for authority and can reflect a rebellious attitude towards God Himself! God is a God of order and through His word, gives us instructions on relating to government authorities.
God establishes all authority! (Romans 13:1) When we rebel against authority, we are really rebelling against what God established! This brings judgment on those who do such things! God has given responsibility to those in authority. They are to be a protective covering over those they are leading. This protection is in the form of making laws and enforcing those laws. They are to reward or bless those who keep the law, and punish those who break the laws.
Those under the law are instructed to submit to authority. This submission is to be voluntary and means to willingly stand under the authority and serve them by obeying the laws. If we do that, we are promised commendation from the authority and God! (Romans 13:3)
When someone breaks the laws, God has assigned those in government power to enforce the law (even with the sword). They are His servants, according to Paul! (Romans 13:4) We are to pay taxes to the government to provide for the leaders over us who keep this protective covering of law and enforcement. We are able to live in safety as long as we joyfully submit to this authority.
In America, we are blessed because our government was based on the Bible and God’s law. Our founding fathers wanted to establish a righteous government that would protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for those who submitted to it. Under this authority, people were to be free to own property and do business. They were to use their talents and abilities to bless others and make a living. They were to pay taxes to support this government and submit to it’s laws and enjoy it’s blessings.
Maintaining righteous government requires godly people voting to keep godly people in government who will guard our laws, and keep in mind the truth that all authority comes from God! Woe to us when we depart from these basics!
Overcoming evil!
Scripture reading for July 29th: Romans 12:1-21
Paul’s thoughts now turned to the practical aspects of living out what we truly believe, the truth in Jesus Christ! Chapters 12-16 are the practical application of the first eleven chapters. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing, and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-3)
As Christians, our bodies are now the property of God to be used for His purposes and glory! We are not our own, we were bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus! We must offer our bodies willingly to God. They are not dead, but living sacrifices, ready for the Master’s use. This is an act of faith and it pleases God. (Hebrews 11:6) It is a spiritual act of worship, on par with singing, prayer, or tithing!
Practical offering of our bodies included using whatever gift we have received from God to serve others. (Romans 12:4-13) A short list of gifts and their benefits include prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership, and showing mercy. All members are to bless others with their gifts and they will find their own needs met.
We must also renew our minds by studying God’s word and allowing our thinking to be transformed from the world’s ways to God’s word. Spiritual worship includes the mind as well as the body. Transformation takes time and study. We must apply ourselves to this purpose.
Attitudes of our minds were also practically listed by Paul. We must learn to love each other and honor one another above ourselves. We must share with those in need and practice hospitality. Troubles will come but we must maintain our joy and hope. We must act righteously towards those who mistreat us, not react in a worldly manner. This included blessing our persecutors and associating with the lowly.
We must learn not to hold grudges or seek revenge. All vengeance belongs to God. We learn to bless our enemies and do good towards them. In doing so, we overcome evil with good! (Romans 12:19-21) What a joy to be a living sacrifice with a transformed mind!
The Olive Tree!
Scripture reading for July 28th: Romans 11:13-36
Olive trees were common in Israel. They were a source of food and of oil for cooking and light. Olive trees live for hundreds of years and are tough enough to survive in the harsh climate and endure periods of little rainfall. The olive tree had deep roots that went into the rocky soil to anchor it and nourish the branches.
Paul used an analogy of a tame olive tree representing Israel. (Romans 11:16b-24) Gentiles were ‘wild olive shoots’ that God grafted into the ‘Israel olive tree”. Those Jews who hardened themselves from Israel were likened to tame olive branches or shoots that were pruned or broken off by God because of their lack of faith. Paul warned the Gentiles who had been grafted in not to become arrogant and think that somehow they had earned their place and the Jews were inferior. They should live in holy fear of God who could also remove them from this special tree! (Romans 10:20-21)
Paul also encouraged the Gentiles and Jewish Christians in Rome that God was also able to graft the broken natural branches of the Jews back into this tree. In fact, this is God’s plan after the full number of Gentiles are saved! (Romans 11:25-27) God loves the Jews and they will again have opportunity to be grafted in because of God’s faithful promises to the patriarchs! (Romans 11:28-29)
God is so amazing! His ways are above our ways and we our response should be worship! Paul worshiped God for His amazing plan to save Jew and Gentile through the Gospel! “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen!” (Romans 11:33-36)
Have you taken time lately to praise God for His mercy to you? Have you thanked Him for His mercy to Israel and through Israel by sending Jesus Christ as our Savior? Today is a great time to write or speak a personal doxology of praise to our amazing Lord and Savior! There is none like Him!
Reaching the Jews!
Scripture reading for July 27th: Romans 10:13-11:12
God’s plan for reaching His people, the Jews, was the same as reaching the Gentiles. “Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved.” “How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:13-14) Both Jew and Gentile must believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and One who took their penalty for broken law. They must call on Jesus in faith and they will be saved.
It is a very simple Gospel message that must be heard by those who need it. The way God chose to send this message was through those who did believe. These would preach this message to the Jews and Gentiles who did not know about it. “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.” (1st Corinthians 1:21)
But hearing the message alone was not enough for salvation. Many Jews heard the message but did not accept it. Faith comes by hearing the message, but believing is a choice, not something forced upon people. God sent His messengers throughout the world to preach the message. Jews heard it, but they were stubborn and obstinate and refused to believe and act on it. (Romans 10:16-21) God opened the hearts of the Gentiles and many of them received.
Next, Paul addressed the concern that because of their stubbornness, God had rejected His people. Paul stated that God had not and that a remnant was saved by grace through receiving the message of Christ. Those that closed their hearts were made blind and dull. They could always repent and turn back. God’s plan was to save the Gentiles and through their blessing, provoke the Israelites to jealousy and a return to faith through Jesus Christ. (Romans 10:11-12)
The Church should always pray for the Jews and be ready to share Christ with them. God has not rejected Israel. They have a blindness that can be cured by faith in their Messiah, Jesus Christ. We have received the riches of God’s grace because of their stubbornness, but not to boast! May God bring peace to Jerusalem! (Psalm 122:6-9)
Jesus is Lord!
Scripture reading for July 26th: Romans 9:25-10:12
It has been noted that Paul quoted from ten different Old Testament books in chapters 9-11 of Romans. Paul’s thorough knowledge of Scripture enabled Him to write thirteen of the letters in the New Testament and be used by God as an apostle and missionary church planter all over the known world of that day.
Paul had a first-hand encounter with Jesus Christ and learned that Jesus Christ was Lord on the Damascus road. (Acts 9:3-5) He was a pious Jew who was zealously persecuting Christians and having them put to death! He had a zeal that was not in accordance with knowledge. (Romans 10:1-4) Just like his own past life, Paul’s own countrymen were seeking to establish their own righteousness through zealously trying to keep God’s law instead of submitting to God’s righteousness through Christ. “Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness of everyone who believes.” (Romans 10:4)
Faith in Christ is God’s prescribed path of righteousness for all men. “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and heart,” (Deuteronomy 30:14) that is is the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:8-10) None of our works can save us. It is faith in our heart because of Christ’s sinless life and sacrificial death for us that is our way of salvation. This is expressed by a verbal confession: “Jesus is Lord!”
It is simple and easy to become righteous in God’s sight. “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.” (Romans 10:11) (Isaiah 28:16) Both Jew and Gentile have the same way of faith. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13) (Joel 2:32) (Acts 2:21) Paul preached from the same text that Peter used on the day of Pentecost! Salvation has been made available universally to all who declare: “Jesus Christ is Lord!” He alone is able to save us from the power of sin and the penalty of sin which is eternal death in the Lake of Fire. Why not make that declaration today with your mouth to reaffirm your trust!
Discerning True Israel!
Scripture reading for July 25th: Romans 9:1-24
“For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.” (Romans 9:3-5) The apostle Paul had great concern for his own countrymen. They had great privileges through being part of Israel and their heritage through Abraham.
But Paul recognized that it was not just a blood tie that made a person part of the true Israel. “For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” (Romans 8:6-7) (Genesis 25:23) God sovereignly chose Isaac through election as the one to carry the blessing over Ishmael.
God has infinite knowledge of what was, what is, and what will be. From this knowledge He is capable of choosing who He will use and will fulfill His purposes. He is the ‘Potter’ and we are the ‘clay’. (Romans 9:20-21) We must trust by faith that God knows what He is doing.
Because of sin, we were all objects of God’s wrath. How come God shows mercy on some and not others? Paul offers a possible answer by posing two questions: “What if God, choosing to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the objects of His wrath–prepared for destruction? What if He did this to make the riches of His glory know to the objects of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory–even us, whom He also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?” (Romans 9:22-24) God’s glory is related to His mercy. He has shown great mercy to those who have not repented and embraced Christ, particularly the Jews who were blinded. This opened the door for both Jew and Gentile to find God’s mercy! Praise the Lord for God’s patience towards us!
More than conquerors!
Scripture reading for July 24th: Romans 8:24-39
Winning teams are composed of outstanding individual players who work well together. Paul described our winning team that will enable us to be more than conquerors! We know about this team by faith in what God has told us! As we read about this team, let new faith arise in God’s wonderful care for you.
We have been adopted into God’s family and now are waiting in hope for the redemption of our bodies. All of creation is awaiting this glorious change. God has given us the Spirit to help us through this waiting time and the sufferings we will endure here on earth. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” (Romans 8:26-27) The Holy Spirit is on our winning team! He is helping us through prayer to see all things work for our good and God’s purposes!
Also on our winning team is God the Father. “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all–how will he not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32) God is on our side, providing for all our needs. Our greatest need was forgiveness of sins and God supplied this at the cost of His own Son! We can trust Him to provide whatever we need and give us the eternal inheritance He has promised as well!
We have not only the Father and Spirit on our winning team, but also the Son of God! Jesus Christ has ascended to heaven and is at the Father’s right hand. He is praying for us and showering us with love! What an amazing team we are a part of! The Holy Trinity insures that we are more than conquerors in any battle we will face! There is no trouble, persecution, sickness or demon from hell who can separate us from our winning team! That should give us hope and make us shout!
The working of the Spirit!
Scripture reading for July 23rd: Romans 8:9-23
The Holy Spirit works within the believer to produce life and peace. (Romans 8:6) One of the first things that He does is help each person who trusts Jesus Christ to know that they are a child of God. “because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of son-ship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Romans 8:14-16)
Before we were saved, we had an underlying fear of death. We knew that those who sinned deserved to die and would be judged. God made this evident to Jew and Gentile alike through the law and conscience. But in Christ, the fear of death is removed by the Spirit of Life. We are now adopted into God’s family through the Spirit and have an inner knowledge of God as our true Father in Heaven. We can even call him “Abba”, the Aramaic word for “Daddy”! We have two witnesses, our spirit and the Holy Spirit that we belong to God. This brings great joy and peace! Not only are we children, but heirs and co-heirs with Christ in the kingdom of our Father!
Suffering is in the package, however. If we belong to Christ, we will share in His sufferings while here on this earth as we await our full redemption. (Romans 8:17-18) In fact, Paul tells the Roman believers and us that all of creation is awaiting this future redemption. It is groaning in pains like that of a woman giving birth. “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.” (Romans 8:22-23)
This suffering is nothing compared to the glory that is to be revealed in us! The best is yet to come! The Spirit is helping us and leading us to this time of complete redemption. He reassures us that we belong to God and encourages us in our suffering, revealing Christ’s glory and a vision of this glorious freedom when we receive our redeemed body!
The Spirit of Life!
Scripture reading for July 22nd: Romans 7:15-8:8
The Jewish way of life produced frustration for the godly Jew who sought obedience. Paul knew what he was talking about as a Pharisee who was zealous for keeping the law. He knew that the law was holy and he wanted to keep it. But he found that the harder he tried, the more he broke that law that he had set out to keep! His description of this is classic!
“So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Paul’s experience was that of failure and frustration over the sin in his members. If his experience ended here, there would be no hope. ” Thanks be to God–through Christ Jesus our Lord!” (Romans 7:25a)
It was Jesus Christ who set Paul and us free from sin in our members. Jesus was made sin for us and bore that sin in His body on the cross on our behalf. Those that have believed on Jesus Christ are no longer under condemnation or left in a wretched condition of helplessness. The new law of the Spirit of life liberates us from sin and death. Now the requirements of the law are met in us through the Spirit. We are free now to live by the Spirit and not be under condemnation from failing to keep God’s law. We know God’s grace and forgiveness through Christ’s sacrifice.
Our minds must be set on the Spirit, however. A mind set on the Spirit produces life and peace in our everyday walk. We cannot set our minds back on the sinful nature. If we do that, death will result. The mind that is set on the sinful nature is hostile to God and cannot please God. (Romans 8:6-8) So we see that the Spirit gives freedom from condemnation, frustration, and a feeling of hopelessness. Are you making the choice to set you mind on the Holy Spirit today?