Romans, Chapter 5

Romans chapter five illustrates that one man was good enough to atone for our sins. Paul goes above and beyond the call of duty here to simplify Christ's sacrifice so all can understand it through his words and imagery. We must first remember, as Paul reminds us, that sin is the result of a choice. Sin did not exist until Adam and Eve disobeyed God. That single act brought sin into the world and made sure that all who are born are born into sin. It also paved the way for Christ, as it showed that we needed a savior.

"8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" – Romans 5:8-10

It's important to see here that Christ's life, and not just His death makes a difference. Yes His death on the cross was an act of physical sacrifice, but the fact that He lived as a man and then rose from the dead again, giving us victory over sin and death is important. It's not that he died, but that He is still alive that counts. Had He not risen from the dead and been given the keys to Hades there would be no victory over sin. We must remember that Christ is still alive and He lives in us when we accept the gift of His sacrifice.

Had Christ died and stayed dead even if He had live the perfect life and was sacrificed as the perfect lamb he would have still be just an ordinary lamb. The sacrifices of the Old Testament were temporary because the sacrifice stayed dead. Christ did not. He is the first to claim victory over death and that is why His sacrifice is infinitely more powerful than any other. We are justified because He still lives on in the hearts of every Christian.

"12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— 13for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come." – Romans 5:12-14

This is where the victory was needed. I cannot claim to know the mind of God. Since He is omniscient He knew that sin would come into the world, but He still gave man the choice through Adam. Even though God knew all along what Adam would do He still made it a choice and in the same vein provided a way out through Christ. God knew all along that Christ would be the answer to sin, even before the creation of man.

"18Consequently, 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 for all men. 19For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." – Romans 5:18-19

Doesn't this show how overwhelming the power of God is? One single act of sacrifice is enough to cover all the sins ever committed by billions of beings over the course of thousands of years. Is it any coincidence that as the world population grows, so grows the amount of discord and plain evilness through sin? One only needs to look at the front page of CNN today to see how dismal the world is. As I write this some of the front page stories involve pedophilia, murder, robbery, and slander. These are just a handful of beings making front page headlines. All of this was conquered though by the blood of Christ.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. Why did God allow man a choice if He knew man would sin?
   
2. Would Christ have been necessary if man had never sinned?
   
3. How can one act condemn all of mankind?

Romans, Chapter 4

What would it mean if we could be justified by our works? How would that play into our salvation? When thinking of the life of Abraham, as mentioned here at the beginning of Romans 4 you have to take these questions into consideration. If we were justified by our works then we could be saved even if we did not believe in God. Imagine if the requirements for salvation were as simple as filling out a college application. Even if we did not believe in God and his promises we could still be saved simply by following some mundane process.

This is not how God works, however, and this principle was illustrated in the life of Abraham. As I have mentioned before, Abraham lived his life entirely based on his faith in God. He did not try to prove his worth based on what he had accomplished in life. Instead he believed in God, followed his promised, and based his life on his faith in his Creator. He knew that his works did not factor into the equation when it came to a relationship with the living God.

"1What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? 2If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."" – Romans 4:1-3

Imagine the faith that it took Abraham to do what he did. He was asked to move hundreds of miles from his home, where he was very wealthy, based on faith that God would take care of him. He was told he would become the father of many nations even in his old age and when his wife was barren. This promise was fulfilled based on faith. Abraham was also asked to sacrifice his son, the one he had been promised and waited faithfully for, knowing he would follow God's orders up to the moment God provided another sacrifice. Because of this and not by what he had done Abraham was justified, and that is the kind of faith we must have in order to attain righteousness.

"13It 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. 14For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, 15because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. 16Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all." – Romans 4:13-16

We have to have had the law presented to us in order to know that we needed righteousness. As we discussed in Galatians 3:15-23 the law was put in place not to show the path to righteousness, but to show that righteousness was needed based on faith. We use Abraham only as one of the earliest examples as to what great faith can accomplish.

"18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 19Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. 20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised." – Romans 4:18-21

What God accomplished here is nothing short of a physical miracle. To be able to produce a son between Abraham and Sarah would be considered impossible even by today's advanced medical standards for two people that old. Why then is it a stretch that God can provide a way for all to be saved simply based on faith? If he is the master of the physical realm, as shown in this case, is he not the master of the spiritual as well? This is why we give God the glory for our faith.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. Was Abraham the exception to the rule, or can we have as much faith as him?
   
2. How is God asking you currently to have more faith and in what way is he trying to fulfill a faith promise?
   
3. How can we use Abraham's example of faith in our lives?
   

Romans, Chapter 3

I apologize if I come here this morning with a heavy heart, as I have had a very rough morning. This forum is not about me, however, but about the glory and beauty that is Christ Jesus. We are promised that God is faithful to those who follow Him and that faithfulness is reiterated here in the third chapter of Romans. He is faithful because even though we are separated from him because of our sin and do not deserve it, He provides a way for atonement. His love is unchanging as we discussed in Hebrews 13:8 last week, because Jesus is the same yesterday as he is today and will be tomorrow. We continue to see this love in chapter 3.

"5But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7Someone might argue, "If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?" 8Why not say—as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say—"Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is deserved." – Romans 3:5-8

Our condemnation is only necessary if we turn away from God. Yes he is glorified because he has provided a path for us to be reconciled by Him through Christ, but there is no glory given unless we accept hat gift. If we turn it down it is like we are mocking God, saying that we can absolve ourselves of our indiscretions when, of course, we cannot. This is why our condemnation is justified because we turn our backs on Him if we do not heed the message we are given. Paul goes into this a little deeper in the following verses, as well as providing the way out of sin.

"19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. 21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" – Romans 3:19-24

This is the crux of Scripture right here! Even if we obey the law we are still short of the glory, but God has provided a way to Him through Christ. We already know from Hebrews that Christ has been assigned the job of mediator for us, but here we see just what that mediation means. It means that we achieve a righteousness that we cannot achieve in any other way. If any of you have studied most of the Old Testament you know that there were a series of rituals designed to gained righteousness, but they all fell pitifully short compared to the sacrifice Christ made for us.

The beauty of this Scripture comes in the line that there is no difference in our sin. There is no such thing as a small, unimportant sin because each one is enough to condemn us. I would be condemned just as much for cheating on a test in high school as Hitler would have been for being responsible for the deaths of millions. Both are enough to separate someone from God. The amazing thing is that the blood of Christ is enough to forgive each and everything between. That is nearly impossible to comprehend on a human scale, as Hitler is universally accepted as one of the most evil men who ever lived, but Christ died even willing that he should not perish and face the torment of hell. I am not saying that Hitler was forgiven and is in heaven, as I don't know what his final moments were like, but the power of grace and forgiveness through Christ even applied to someone as twisted and evil as him should he have accepted Christ's gift.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. How do we face God's wrath before we are forgiven?
   
2. What form does the glory of God take when we do accept the gift of forgiveness?
   
3. Why is grace enough?

Romans, Chapter 2

Yesterday we left off with Paul discussing the consequences of sin, and that is where the second chapter of Romans picks up. The unfortunate consequence of being born into sin and depravity is judgment. As the beginning of the chapter states, when we pass judgment we are condemning ourselves because we too are guilty of sin. There is not a single person that is immune to this judgment because of the nature of mankind. In the end we will all be judged by what we have done. The ultimate factor in deciding our fate will be whether we have Christ or not.

"6God "will give to each person according to what he has done." 7To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger." -- Romans 2:6-8

This is a difficult passage to understand because it sounds so black and white. Anything done for the self comes off as evil while anything done for the glory of God is good. Does this make me an evil person because I promote my sports blog in order to better my career? I don't think so because I have Christ in my heart. I know that if I promote myself I can gain more of an audience to spread his word through other means. God can use something totally mundane like a sports blog to accomplish wonders for His kingdom because it can elevate me to greater influence for His cause. It also strengthens my writing, allowing me to be more coherent when writing about His matters. This is where our motives behind what we do come into play. If we have Christ in our heart and we are constantly working for His ultimate glory then we are doing what is asked of us.

"12All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous." – Romans 2:12-13

As we know from our study elsewhere in the New Testament, the new law, the one open to the gentiles that overwrote the old law is the sacrifice of Christ. We are simply asked to obey and submit to Christ, knowing that we are sinners and He is the only way to righteousness. Once that is done we have fulfilled our part of the covenant and are transformed into righteous being. This does not make us perfect, but it does mean we are forgiven. We saw in Hebrews that Christ is the mediator for us, and here in the second chapter of Romans we see the judgment that we will face where his mediation is necessary.

The second half of the chapter deals with the Jews and the law, which I think can be carried over to the new covenant and the gentiles. If you continue to sin once you accept your forgiveness from Christ you are setting a bad example for what it means to be a Christian. Think of the ultra-right wingers in this country. Think of the people that are exclusivistic Christians that feel their way is the only way. Is it really good to label yourself as a Christian if you are bashing gays or blowing up abortion clinics? We are taught to hate the sin but love the sinner, and that is what the second part of Romans 2 warns about.

"25Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. 26If those who are not circumcised keep the law's requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised?" – Romans 2:25-26

This paints an allegorical account of how we are to treat our salvation. Our salvation really has no meaning if it does not prompt change in our lives. If we truly accept the gift of Christ's salvation we honor it by living up to the righteousness we are granted.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. How do you seek God's glory even in everyday tasks?
   
2. Should we consider Christ's new covenant as the law for Gentiles?
   
3. How do exhibit the qualities of hating the sin but loving the sinner?

Romans, Chapter 1

Today we are shifting gears over to the book of Romans, which is well known for having the "Romans road" to salvation. It is also the first work in the New Testament written by Paul. The significance of this is that we are first introduced to his writing, even though we are introduced to his character in Acts. I plan to cover Acts at a later date, but I wanted to get into Romans because it puts the person that Paul was into the light of the great evangelist he would become. We see this in the beginning as he shows his longing to visit Rome.

"11I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. 13I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles." – Romans 1:11-13

Why is this important? Paul was already known for his travels and had visited many of the great cities of the early church, but why was he so focused on Rome? The answer is that it was then the center of the known world. Paul knew that his message would have its greatest impact from the center of civilization as he knew it not just in his time, but for future generations as well. During Paul's time Rome was beginning its period of largest influence on the course of human history. Paul knew that his message would have its farthest reach if he made it to Rome, and it is no coincidence that Rome, and the influence it would have on future history, would rise to power when Christ's message was at its freshest. God had a plan all along, and notice that Paul singles out the Gentiles here in verse 13. The center of the Gentile world at the time was Rome, and God had a plan for all to be saved and used secular history to carry it out.

"14I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. 16I 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." – Romans 1-14-16

Do you see his mission here? It makes perfect sense for him then to go to Rome. Not only was Rome the center of civilization, it also had established a network of communication through roads and cities that allowed news to travel widely for the first time in human history. Rome had the greatest influence on the Gentile world simply because of its size and power, so what better way to spread the news of Christ than to go to Rome?

"18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For 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." – Romans 1:18-20

Paul shifts gears here as window-dressing for the future. As we will see later, all of mankind is forced into depravity because of sin. We clearly know the truth, but the separation of sin keeps us from applying it in our lives. The second half of this chapter deals with what happens when we do not give our lives over to God. We become slaves to our own desires and it separates us from the glory of God. Our desires make us less than God wants us to be, but this is only shown here to illustrate the consequences of sin. As we will see later on in Romans, there is hope and a way to reconnect with God to avoid this wrath.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. What do you know about the first century Roman Empire and the role it played in the gospel?
   
2. How does Paul's desire to go to Rome reflect modern day evangelism?
   
3. Why is there wrath against mankind if God loves us?
   

Hebrews, Chapter 13

Today we will finish our journey through the book of Hebrews, and personally it has been one of the most enlightening and delightful walks through scripture I have ever experience. As it seems to be the style of many New Testament works, the author has made this final chapter a virtual potpourri of exhortations and one-line guides for living the life that Christ calls us to live. There is no central theme to the exhortations here except the fact they are generally just good rules to live by. On the surface it seems like the basic message of, "love one another, treat each other right," is reiterated here, but there is always a deeper meaning when we look at Scripture.

"7Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." – Hebrews 13:7-8

Those last ten words tell a beautiful story and give us hope. I must admit that I have been sitting here staring at those ten words on my screen for a few minutes pondering the truth behind them. Even though today is actually my birthday I received some bad news on top of some other struggles I have been facing lately, but those ten words are being burned on my heart as I write this because of the immutable truth they represent. Christ is unchanging in a world of chaos. I just found out I may not have a job much longer while others who are equal to me were chosen to continue in a full-time basis, but Christ is unchanging. Even in my despair this morning and the raw hurt I am feeling I know that Christ is the same today as he was yesterday and will be tomorrow. He is loving, forgiving, and fully in control.

This morning as my alarm went off I took the first few moments of my day to thank Him for giving me 28 years on this earth. I don't know if I have 1 day, 50 years, or any other amount of time left, but I asked God to use all of me for His benefit for all of the time I have left. Since then I was hit with this news, but I am comforted by the truth of Hebrews 13:8 because He has not changed from that moment I was lying in bed this morning until now, even though my life situation has changed in just a few hours. This is a testament to the power and glory of Christ because I took Him up on His promise to take care of me then and He is still taking care of me now. In backing up to verse seven, I remember what He has spoken to me and I must imitate His faith.

"15Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." – Hebrews 13:15-16

This is perhaps the most powerful exhortation we are reminded of here at the end of Hebrews, and it is a reminder of the Great Commission Christ gave us in Matthew 28:16-20. The most important thing that we can do with our salvation once we accept it from Christ is to share it with others. Even in my own overwhelming negativity, lately I have been diligent in carrying out this mission through this blog. I consider it my most important work to share the gospel of Christ even in this small way.

As we learned throughout the entire book of Hebrews there is a New Covenant based on faith, and in that Covenant Christ is the center, mediator, and perfector of our faith. We have seen how this New Covenant replaces the old one and we have seen the role that faith and discipline now plays in our walk with Christ. It is my prayer, as we close this walk through Hebrews, that the author's words have a profound impact on your heart, dear reader. I urge you to look through these 13 chapters and come to your own conclusions based on what God says to you as you study His word.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. How has Christ exhibited his enduring, unchanging presence in your life lately?
   
2. What does it mean to continually offer a sacrifice of praise?
   
3. Why are we asked to share our faith with others?

Hebrews, Chapter 12

Discipline has long been a watchword of mine. It is my firm belief that many problems with society today come from a lack of discipline and self control. It is discipline that helps build and shape the faith that we discussed in chapter 11 yesterday. Discipline comes from enduring hardship and pain, but having the faith to see through it. Discipline is also a lesson that s learned and can be applied in later situations. It takes a strong amount of discipline in order to walk in faith at times, and that is what God asks of us.

"7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness." – Hebrews 12:7-10

I once again want to reference my earlier writings on the four spiritual disciplines. They come into play here because it is our way of communing and understanding what God is trying to tell us. These are set up for our own good so that we may learn. If you are not learning then you are dying, as it is important to continue learning throughout your life. A beautiful illustration of this comes from the care group that my father teaches as a lay pastor. He has men and women well into their 80's that he teaches, but they are still striving to learn even in their advanced age because they are practicing the spiritual discipline God has asked of them.

As we see in the verses above though, discipline also comes in the form of hardship. Some of the hardest lessons we learn in life are lessons resulting from being disciplined. Almost everyone knows that feeling of burning on the back of one's neck from getting in trouble for misbehaving at school. Sometimes it is not is much from the punishment we faced at school, but from what would happen once we got home and our parents found out. Did this punishment come out of some sadistic nature of someone that wanted to see us suffer? No! This form of discipline came out of love so that we might learn from our mistakes before they are repeated and the consequences became worse. Sometimes this is why we suffer hardships, because a loving God wants us to learn a specific lesson even if it is a simple one such as learning to walk in faith. Other times it is a consequence of our sin, because even forgiven sin has consequences. God can forgive me even if I go out and take another life, but there are still earthly consequences I must face as a result of those actions.

"14Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." – Hebrews 12-14-15

The second part of this chapter warns us against refusing God. I think a critical point made in this section is that if we don't receive God and strive to be holy we will deny the chance for someone else and in turn infect them away from God. Our lives are meant to be living sacrifices to the Lord. If we live a good life and boldly proclaim our faith Christ has promised that his seed will bear fruit (see the parable of the Sower in Mark 4, Matthew 13, or Luke 8). If we deny God then we are not living the life He wants for us. In turn we are influencing others around us helping them deny God as well. As we also see in the parable of the seeds it is not a guarantee that everyone we come in contact with will come to Christ. We must live our lives though like they will so that we have a purpose. My life has purpose if just one person comes to know Christ through me. From there the message spreads further and Christ's love grows to other people.

TODAY'S QUESTIONS:

1. In what ways have you seen the Lord disciplining you so that you may learn a certain point?
   
2. What can we learn from the discipline of others?
   
3. Why is it important that we live the message if some will turn away from it?