Tag: Romans 1:16-17
God gave them over!
Scripture reading for November 16: Romans 1-3
My wife and I have raised 5 children, each born with a sin-nature and self-focus. Part of the job of parenting is to set boundaries and not allow the children to have everything they want. Their own way could be dangerous and lead to injury or possibly death. As parents our goal was to instruct our children to make wise choices that would enable them to go through life with God’s blessing and favor. This meant teaching them to love the Lord Jesus and His Word.
In Romans, the Apostle Paul described God’s discipline of those who refuse to acknowledge Him and His righteous action to discipline their lives. God made Himself known to all men through nature. (Romans 1:20) When men, made in God’s image, refused to acknowledge the truth about God as Creator, they come under God’s wrath. God’s wrath is His holy anger against sin and rebellion. God’s wrath is something that is happening on a continual basis and also something experienced eternally by those who die in a lost state after the final judgment.
As a result of suppressing the truth about God that God revealed to them through nature, men become darkened in their hearts and their thinking becomes futile. They imagine themselves as the center of all things and think they are wise and intelligent. This foolish thinking leaves God out and puts man at the center. When man chooses this route, God’s response is to give them over to what they desire in their darkened hearts. “Have it your way!” might be another way to say it!
As a result of being given over to their desires, men exchange the truth of God for a lie and begin to worship created things rather than the creator. (Romans 1:25) Every kind of sin and wickedness flows into the life that suppressed or blocked out God’s truth. The sexual sins begin to predominate, degrading into fornication, homosexuality and lesbianism. Those ‘given over’ not only participate in this wickedness but encourage others who also practice this same kind of wickedness so as to normalize their choices! (Romans 1:32)
As we look at our nation and it’s spiritual state, we can see that God has given many people over to their own lusts and darkness. Much light is available, but men and women refuse light and choose darkness. God forces no one to follow truth, but offers truth to all. He wants none to perish and has made provision for all who will choose salvation. The power of the Gospel message offers righteousness by faith to all who will believe! (Romans 1:16-17) Lord, have mercy on our nation!
Power for salvation!
Scripture reading for June 13th: Romans 1, Psalm 118, Proverbs 25
Key Scriptures: Romans 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.””
Paul made a faith confession concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He stated clearly that this Gospel was the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Faith to believe comes from hearing the Word of God in Christ Jesus. It is available to everyone, Jew or Gentile, because God does not respect persons. The Gospel reveals God’s righteousness in the person of Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God. Those believing in Jesus live by faith in Him, going from faith to deeper faith. They possess righteousness by faith.
Faith Confession: I believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of God, my Savior and the gate of salvation for all people, through His death, burial and resurrection from the dead. I possess His righteousness now by faith in Him alone and am saved from eternal death.
Psalm 118:14, 19-20 “The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.” . . .”Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the Gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.”
Living by Faith!
Scripture reading for June 13th: Nehemiah 3-5, Romans 1
Key Scriptures: Romans 1:16-17 “I am not ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 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.”
Paul, writing to the Roman believers, declared the Gospel of Jesus Christ as God’s power for salvation. This message of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ brought faith to those who would believe. Their faith in Jesus brought righteousness that enabled them to live by faith.
Nehemiah 4:14 “After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
Prayer: Lord, thank You for the faith granted me to believe in Jesus Christ. May I live fully by faith today. Amen.
Thankful for the Gospel!
Scripture reading for November 17th: Romans 1-4
Key Scriptures: Romans 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 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.”“
Paul was proud to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ because through the simple message of Jesus’ life, death, burial and resurrection, the power of God for salvation was released to all who would believe. This included Jew and Gentile as well as every race, social status, gender and people group! The gospel was inclusive because it was by faith that righteousness was granted as a gift! Faith is the great equalizer, available to all!
The simplicity of faith: “Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. “See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright--but the righteous will live by his faith–” (Habakkuk 2:2-4)