Category: Romans
Overcoming evil!
Scripture reading for July 29th: Romans 12:1-21
Paul’s thoughts now turn 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!
Israel, 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 go and 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 that Jesus Christ is God’s way of righteousness because of His 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. Make that declaration today with your mouth!
Discerning the 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’s sovereign choice of Jacob from Isaac’s offspring through Rebekah, the twins Jacob and Esau, shows that blood relation was not the criteria for belonging to the true Israel. God’s mercy through election chose Jacob as the one to carry the blessing.
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 describes 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 that we go through 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 an eternal inheritance that 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. There 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 sonship. 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 set us free 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?
Seeing ‘sin’ as utterly sinful!
Scripture reading for July 21st: Romans 7:1-14
Paul’s writing in chapter seven was directed now to his fellow Jews who were under the Law but had become Christians. God’s law had been an object of attention and worthy of obedience. They had embraced the law as Jews as their source of salvation and righteousness.
Paul used the analogy of marriage to help these new believers understand their new relationship with Christ. In a sense, they had been ‘married’ to the law. God’s law of marriage states that a husband is bound to his wife and a wife to her husband as long as they are alive. When one dies, the other is free from the law of marriage and may remarry. Now, Christ fulfilled the law by His perfect obedience and became the end or death of the law to all who would believe on Him for righteousness. (Romans 7:4)
All the law could do was stimulate our sinful passions so that we broke the law by committing sin. The law was a poor husband because we could not keep it due to our sinful nature. It could only show us this nature and could not deliver us from it. (Romans 7:5-6) “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.”
“What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! I would have not known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘Do not covet’.” (Romans 7:7) God’s law is holy but we have sin in our members. We try to keep the commandments, but the sin in us will rise up and bring us death. “The wages of sin is death!” (Romans 6:23a)
So the purpose of the law is to help us see sin in our members. “But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it (the law) produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.” (Romans 7:13b) Sin can only bring death. We died to the law through the body of Christ to be freed to be married to the resurrected Christ through the Holy Spirit! Having been freed, we enjoy eternal life!
Godly counting!
Scripture reading for July 20th: Romans 6:1-23
One of the questions that Paul knew would be asked concerned continuing in sin after salvation. The human mind is always looking for ways to justify rebellion and sin. These Romans were reasoning that since God’s grace was available without cost, why not allow God to show more of His grace by sinning? Paul put a quick end to that kind of thinking! “We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:2-4) People who have died no longer sin! We died with Christ and were raised with Him to a new life. This is acted out through our baptism.
Christ’s death delivered Him from the possibility of sin, once for all time. His resurrection was in the newness of eternal life, lived totally for God. These facts should motivate each believer in Jesus to do some counting for themselves. (Romans 6:11) They should count themselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Sin should be done away with. One of the ways to do this is to quit offering parts of your body to sin. Remember to offer all your body and its parts to God to use for righteous purposes. We can do this because of God’s grace. We are no longer under the law. We have been freed from condemnation through Jesus’ death!
So back to the question: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey–whether you are slaves to sin, which lead to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (Romans 6:15-16) We choose who we will obey and sell out. If we obey sin, we reap the wages of death. If we obey Christ, we obtain through grace the free gift of eternal life! (Romans 6:23) It’s a pretty simple choice that should not take a genius to make! Why not do some godly counting today!