This blog is a bit overdue because of how busy I've been on the ship. I will say that I am thankful that regardless of what I am involved in at any given moment, God is there and wants to meet with me. I'm learning that this underway period! I thank and praise God for that.
Wow, how to start on Romans 1. There is so much in this chapter. There are a few big picture ideas that Paul goes into depth writing about in his letter. They are:
1. The explanation of the Gospel (verses 1-6)
2. Paul's calling to preach to the Gentiles (verses 1 and throughout 8-15)
3. The Gospel's power and effects (v. 16,17)
4. The wrath of God and the decline of man
Greeting (v. 1-7)
In the Greeting, Paul begins by stating three interrelated truths about his position in the Gospel. First, he calls himself a servant or slave of Christ Jesus. The word for bondservant is doulos and signifies a willing servitude for the rest of one's life. In defining himself as a bondservant, Paul says that he has given up his own well being and authority and submitted himself fully to Jesus Christ and His divine authority. Second, Paul says that he is called to be an apostle. It was not Paul's choice to be an apostle, but a very specific calling by God. The story of Paul on the road to Damascus is biblical evidence of this calling. It also gives added understanding to why Paul was so committed to the Gospel since God specifically called him to preach to the Gentiles. Paul wanted nothing more than to honor God in this calling. Third, Paul says that he is set apart for the Gospel of God. Throughout his letters, Paul says things like "I have been crucified with Christ" and "For to me to live is Christ." Set apart, or holiness, signifies the reality that God has imparted His righteousness onto Paul and has given him authority to preach the Gospel.
Verse 2 begins Paul's explanation of the components of the Good News. He first says that this Gospel of Christ is the same one that the prophets spoke of beforehand. This is the real deal and Paul is bringing the truth in this letter to the Romans. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the promise of God made in the Old Testament Scriptures. One commentary I am reading (Schaeffer) points out that Paul was showing the relationship and unity between the Old Testament and the New Testament message of Christ. In verse 3, Paul shows that Jesus was a descendant of David and was 100% human. In v. 4, he shows Christ's divinity and origin in the Godhead, which proved true when He rose from the dead and the reality that He is reigning today at the right hand of God.
The message of Jesus Christ was given in grace to the apostles to bring about the obedience of faith from all of God's people from all the nations. This is so that Christ's name be glorified. The obedience of faith is an interesting concept. The two words are linked closely together. As James says, faith without works is dead. If we are not obedient, we prove to lack real life-giving, vibrant faith. In the same way, if our obedience is for any other reason other than faith in Christ, it does nothing for us because no man is justified by his works (as Paul will explain later in Romans). Obedience is faith in action.
It's fascintating how much Paul includes in the introduction. He is very clear in the first 17 verses of Romans that his letter will be about the Gospel. He explains who Christ is and what He accomplished. He explains his own responsibility as an apostle and our responsibility as called sons and daughters of God. He concludes the greeting by sharing the truth that God's grace and peace are given freely to the Romans and all who believe.
Longing to Go to Rome (v. 8-15)
This section deals primarily with exactly what the heading says. Paul is telling the Romans how he longs to come to them to impart a spiritual blessing and reap a harvest among them. His first sentence is one of thanks to God for the faith of the church in Rome. How incredible that the church's faith is known throughout the whole world! I wonder what America is known for...or what each of us are known for in our work spaces or in our families or with our friends. Is it our faith? I also find it interesting that Paul thanks God through Christ. I'm reminded of
1 Timothy 2:5 which says that we have one mediator between us and God, Jesus Christ. It is such a significant truth that is often distorted in churches today. People pray to Mary. People find other means of salvation or additions to Jesus. Yet the truth remains that we have one source of life, faith, and existence: Jesus Christ.
This whole section is filled with Paul's words of longing, yearning, and unrelenting desire to meet the Romans and personally shepherd them. It amazes me how much love Paul has for people he has never met. What a joy to know that you are loved and prayed for by other Christians around the world! I'm sure the encouragement the Romans received from this letter was great. Yet, Paul doesn't stop there. He shares how much of an encouragement it is to hear of their faith and desires to see it for himself to reap even more encouragement for himself. Encouragement goes both ways and I've see this at work in my Christian family. I am always encouraged by godly men who preach the Word and live by it, and I know that they are encouraged to see the work that God is doing in my life. I know it motivates me to keep charging knowing that I can be encouraging to them. What a blessing!
We should all seek to possess the same eagerness that Paul had to share the Gospel with other believers and with the world to reap a harvest!
The Righteous Shall Live By Faith (v. 16,17)
These two verses are the reason Paul is writing this letter. The reality presented in these two verses gave Paul and the apostles more than enough reason to give their lives for Christ. Paul uses 5 key terms in these verses:
1. The Gospel: The Good News of Jesus Christ
2. Power of God: Divine, Sovereign authority and control
3. Salvation: Saving humanity from sin's debt through the shed blood of Jesus Christ
4. Righteousness: God's holiness imparted to all who believe in Christ Jesus as Lord
5. Faith: Man's only hope of righteousness. Living in light of the truth even though it is unseen.
The righteous shall live [eternally] by faith. Praise God for that!
God's Wrath on Unrighteousness (v. 18-32)
This last section of chapter 1 shows the necessity of the Gospel. Paul outlines the fact that man has suppressed the truth about God, exchanged it for a lie, and is living in willful disobedience directly opposed to God's righteousness. To make light of this reality is to make like of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul begins by stating that the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against man because of man's unrighteousness and ungodliness. Why? Because through our unrighteousness, we have suppressed the truth. Verses 19 and 20 answer the question "how can you make that claim?" Paul says that what can be known about God is plain to them. Each person is born with a conscience that testifies to the truth of our Creator. In addition, God's invisible attributes have been made known to us. All of creation displays God's eternal power and divine nature. Whether it is the vastness of the skies or the microscopic components of an atom, all things point to the majesty of our God. We have no excuse. We stand condemned because God has made Himself known to us and we have chosen to reject Him and honor created things instead. As we deny the truth, our thinking becomes foolish and our hearts are darkened. This is the natural result of any attitude isn't it? If we believe something long enough, we begin to live it entirely. If we believe that we are the important ones, we will do anything to succeed, even at the expense of others. If we believe we are worthless, we will live defeated lives failing to acknowledge the truth that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Verses 22 and 23 show man's pride. We claim to be wise and knowledgeable. The truth is that we are fools who have exchanged the glory of God and our Lord Jesus Christ for idols. We worship money, possessions, other people, and even ourselves instead of the One who created us all! How sad. Yet, it explains exactly why our society in America is declinging, doesn't it? We're prideful to our own demise. How sad considering that God has made Himself known to us!
What happens in the following verses shows the continued degradadation of man's thinking and lifestyle once the truth of God is suppressed and denied.
God lovingly gave man up in the lusts of his heart to immorality. I say lovingly because what other response could love allow? Love doesn't force obedience or gratitude. It allows for one to make his/her own decisions even though it may hurt deeply to watch.
Verse 24 contains a critical truth. "The lusts of their hearts" is important to understand. Man is sinful to the core. Sin is not an external issue to be dealt with like religions attempt to do. It is an internal nature that can only be conquered by a heart transplant from a divine source. Jesus Christ is that source and why it is not arrogant to say that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.
What happens when God gives us room to live how we choose? We dishonor our bodies and exchange worshipping our Creator for worshipping ourselves and other idols. We are destined to make this choice because we were born into it. At the fall, Adam and Eve ensured our inheritance of sin. Paul is taking time to explain the wrath of God and man's unrighteousness to set up his arguement that all fall short of God's glory and all need the justification of Jesus Christ.
Verses 26 and 27 show another outcome of man's ungodliness. We begin to see sexual sin growing more and more perverted. Women cease to be the beautiful, pure creations that God designed and begin to profit from their bodies and seek sexual fulfillment outside of marriage. Men give up natural, God-given relationships with women and lust after each other. Is homosexual practice wrong? Yes. Clearly these two verses say so. "Men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error." Man becomes so depraved that he has no shame even though he is wrong and has sinned against God. That is the only road man is on apart from Jesus Christ.
As I think about dishonorable passions, I also have considered what are honorable passions. Passions that lead us to pursue a godly companion in covenant marriage. Passions that lead us to seek Jesus Christ whole-heartedly as our number one desire. Passions that lead us to love our wives like Christ loved the church and passions that lead us to respect our husbands and submit to their authority. Passion is a great thing when it is lived out within the standards and guidelines of Scripture.
The final five verses discuss how ignoring the clear truth of God and worshipping created things lead to all kinds of awful things. If one is able to suppress the ultimate truth of God then it becomes easy to suppress the truth in areas of loving others or doing the right thing. If a person idolizes himself, what's left but to seek the things that gives him the most pleasure and makes him feel best about himself? If that includes murder, stealing, arrogance, or treachery, who's to say he is wrong? That's the route of the debased mind. Man continues to "improve" upon this way of thinking at an alarming rate and apart from divine aid, man will continue to do so. Who could expect anything different from a creature that tries to logically and rationally deny the existence of a Creator?
The good news after all of this is that there is a Creator and He is good. As I continue with Romans, I know this will become Paul's primary focus. But first, in Chapter 2, Paul will destroy the argument that the Law saves.
Cheers from Sydney.
Wow, how to start on Romans 1. There is so much in this chapter. There are a few big picture ideas that Paul goes into depth writing about in his letter. They are:
1. The explanation of the Gospel (verses 1-6)
2. Paul's calling to preach to the Gentiles (verses 1 and throughout 8-15)
3. The Gospel's power and effects (v. 16,17)
4. The wrath of God and the decline of man
Greeting (v. 1-7)
In the Greeting, Paul begins by stating three interrelated truths about his position in the Gospel. First, he calls himself a servant or slave of Christ Jesus. The word for bondservant is doulos and signifies a willing servitude for the rest of one's life. In defining himself as a bondservant, Paul says that he has given up his own well being and authority and submitted himself fully to Jesus Christ and His divine authority. Second, Paul says that he is called to be an apostle. It was not Paul's choice to be an apostle, but a very specific calling by God. The story of Paul on the road to Damascus is biblical evidence of this calling. It also gives added understanding to why Paul was so committed to the Gospel since God specifically called him to preach to the Gentiles. Paul wanted nothing more than to honor God in this calling. Third, Paul says that he is set apart for the Gospel of God. Throughout his letters, Paul says things like "I have been crucified with Christ" and "For to me to live is Christ." Set apart, or holiness, signifies the reality that God has imparted His righteousness onto Paul and has given him authority to preach the Gospel.
Verse 2 begins Paul's explanation of the components of the Good News. He first says that this Gospel of Christ is the same one that the prophets spoke of beforehand. This is the real deal and Paul is bringing the truth in this letter to the Romans. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the promise of God made in the Old Testament Scriptures. One commentary I am reading (Schaeffer) points out that Paul was showing the relationship and unity between the Old Testament and the New Testament message of Christ. In verse 3, Paul shows that Jesus was a descendant of David and was 100% human. In v. 4, he shows Christ's divinity and origin in the Godhead, which proved true when He rose from the dead and the reality that He is reigning today at the right hand of God.
The message of Jesus Christ was given in grace to the apostles to bring about the obedience of faith from all of God's people from all the nations. This is so that Christ's name be glorified. The obedience of faith is an interesting concept. The two words are linked closely together. As James says, faith without works is dead. If we are not obedient, we prove to lack real life-giving, vibrant faith. In the same way, if our obedience is for any other reason other than faith in Christ, it does nothing for us because no man is justified by his works (as Paul will explain later in Romans). Obedience is faith in action.
It's fascintating how much Paul includes in the introduction. He is very clear in the first 17 verses of Romans that his letter will be about the Gospel. He explains who Christ is and what He accomplished. He explains his own responsibility as an apostle and our responsibility as called sons and daughters of God. He concludes the greeting by sharing the truth that God's grace and peace are given freely to the Romans and all who believe.
Longing to Go to Rome (v. 8-15)
This section deals primarily with exactly what the heading says. Paul is telling the Romans how he longs to come to them to impart a spiritual blessing and reap a harvest among them. His first sentence is one of thanks to God for the faith of the church in Rome. How incredible that the church's faith is known throughout the whole world! I wonder what America is known for...or what each of us are known for in our work spaces or in our families or with our friends. Is it our faith? I also find it interesting that Paul thanks God through Christ. I'm reminded of
1 Timothy 2:5 which says that we have one mediator between us and God, Jesus Christ. It is such a significant truth that is often distorted in churches today. People pray to Mary. People find other means of salvation or additions to Jesus. Yet the truth remains that we have one source of life, faith, and existence: Jesus Christ.
This whole section is filled with Paul's words of longing, yearning, and unrelenting desire to meet the Romans and personally shepherd them. It amazes me how much love Paul has for people he has never met. What a joy to know that you are loved and prayed for by other Christians around the world! I'm sure the encouragement the Romans received from this letter was great. Yet, Paul doesn't stop there. He shares how much of an encouragement it is to hear of their faith and desires to see it for himself to reap even more encouragement for himself. Encouragement goes both ways and I've see this at work in my Christian family. I am always encouraged by godly men who preach the Word and live by it, and I know that they are encouraged to see the work that God is doing in my life. I know it motivates me to keep charging knowing that I can be encouraging to them. What a blessing!
We should all seek to possess the same eagerness that Paul had to share the Gospel with other believers and with the world to reap a harvest!
The Righteous Shall Live By Faith (v. 16,17)
These two verses are the reason Paul is writing this letter. The reality presented in these two verses gave Paul and the apostles more than enough reason to give their lives for Christ. Paul uses 5 key terms in these verses:
1. The Gospel: The Good News of Jesus Christ
2. Power of God: Divine, Sovereign authority and control
3. Salvation: Saving humanity from sin's debt through the shed blood of Jesus Christ
4. Righteousness: God's holiness imparted to all who believe in Christ Jesus as Lord
5. Faith: Man's only hope of righteousness. Living in light of the truth even though it is unseen.
The righteous shall live [eternally] by faith. Praise God for that!
God's Wrath on Unrighteousness (v. 18-32)
This last section of chapter 1 shows the necessity of the Gospel. Paul outlines the fact that man has suppressed the truth about God, exchanged it for a lie, and is living in willful disobedience directly opposed to God's righteousness. To make light of this reality is to make like of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul begins by stating that the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against man because of man's unrighteousness and ungodliness. Why? Because through our unrighteousness, we have suppressed the truth. Verses 19 and 20 answer the question "how can you make that claim?" Paul says that what can be known about God is plain to them. Each person is born with a conscience that testifies to the truth of our Creator. In addition, God's invisible attributes have been made known to us. All of creation displays God's eternal power and divine nature. Whether it is the vastness of the skies or the microscopic components of an atom, all things point to the majesty of our God. We have no excuse. We stand condemned because God has made Himself known to us and we have chosen to reject Him and honor created things instead. As we deny the truth, our thinking becomes foolish and our hearts are darkened. This is the natural result of any attitude isn't it? If we believe something long enough, we begin to live it entirely. If we believe that we are the important ones, we will do anything to succeed, even at the expense of others. If we believe we are worthless, we will live defeated lives failing to acknowledge the truth that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Verses 22 and 23 show man's pride. We claim to be wise and knowledgeable. The truth is that we are fools who have exchanged the glory of God and our Lord Jesus Christ for idols. We worship money, possessions, other people, and even ourselves instead of the One who created us all! How sad. Yet, it explains exactly why our society in America is declinging, doesn't it? We're prideful to our own demise. How sad considering that God has made Himself known to us!
What happens in the following verses shows the continued degradadation of man's thinking and lifestyle once the truth of God is suppressed and denied.
God lovingly gave man up in the lusts of his heart to immorality. I say lovingly because what other response could love allow? Love doesn't force obedience or gratitude. It allows for one to make his/her own decisions even though it may hurt deeply to watch.
Verse 24 contains a critical truth. "The lusts of their hearts" is important to understand. Man is sinful to the core. Sin is not an external issue to be dealt with like religions attempt to do. It is an internal nature that can only be conquered by a heart transplant from a divine source. Jesus Christ is that source and why it is not arrogant to say that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.
What happens when God gives us room to live how we choose? We dishonor our bodies and exchange worshipping our Creator for worshipping ourselves and other idols. We are destined to make this choice because we were born into it. At the fall, Adam and Eve ensured our inheritance of sin. Paul is taking time to explain the wrath of God and man's unrighteousness to set up his arguement that all fall short of God's glory and all need the justification of Jesus Christ.
Verses 26 and 27 show another outcome of man's ungodliness. We begin to see sexual sin growing more and more perverted. Women cease to be the beautiful, pure creations that God designed and begin to profit from their bodies and seek sexual fulfillment outside of marriage. Men give up natural, God-given relationships with women and lust after each other. Is homosexual practice wrong? Yes. Clearly these two verses say so. "Men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error." Man becomes so depraved that he has no shame even though he is wrong and has sinned against God. That is the only road man is on apart from Jesus Christ.
As I think about dishonorable passions, I also have considered what are honorable passions. Passions that lead us to pursue a godly companion in covenant marriage. Passions that lead us to seek Jesus Christ whole-heartedly as our number one desire. Passions that lead us to love our wives like Christ loved the church and passions that lead us to respect our husbands and submit to their authority. Passion is a great thing when it is lived out within the standards and guidelines of Scripture.
The final five verses discuss how ignoring the clear truth of God and worshipping created things lead to all kinds of awful things. If one is able to suppress the ultimate truth of God then it becomes easy to suppress the truth in areas of loving others or doing the right thing. If a person idolizes himself, what's left but to seek the things that gives him the most pleasure and makes him feel best about himself? If that includes murder, stealing, arrogance, or treachery, who's to say he is wrong? That's the route of the debased mind. Man continues to "improve" upon this way of thinking at an alarming rate and apart from divine aid, man will continue to do so. Who could expect anything different from a creature that tries to logically and rationally deny the existence of a Creator?
The good news after all of this is that there is a Creator and He is good. As I continue with Romans, I know this will become Paul's primary focus. But first, in Chapter 2, Paul will destroy the argument that the Law saves.
Cheers from Sydney.
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