Circumcised heart

DEVOTION

ROMANS

CIRCUMCISED HEART

Rom 2:25-29

25 Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. 26 If those who are not circumcised keep the law's requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? 27 The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker. 28 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.

NIV

Here is the heart of all this which Paul has been getting to with all his preceding discussions. What good is it to appear religious if in reality we are not? The idea of being circumcised for the Jew was all about saying we belong to God, we are religious, and we value the Law. Yet Paul is making the point there is no reason to value the Law unless you value it for what it was intended, to lead you to Jesus Christ. But the Jews were saying they value it because God gave it to them and therefor they are going to live by it, but they could not which Paul makes it clear to them. If they break the law, which all men do, no one perfectly keeps the law, then physical circumcision has no value at all. However, what is also clear is that God is making it crystal clear through Paul that what really matters is that our heart has been circumcised by the Spirit. Those who have had the Spirit circumcise their heart are the real Jews, the real people of God, the real chosen people of God. When Paul makes that statement latter about all of Israel being saved this could be what is meant. Although, we will see when we get there, he is still taking about the physical Israel, the nation of Israel, the people who make up the Israelites by birth are being grafted back into the tree. However, that is if they come to accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah, which is the whole reason this letter to the saints in Rome was written, to show them Jesus Christ is the Messiah, he is divine and part of the Godhead. Yet we are still given this qualifier as to who is Israel. It appears it is not about birthright, but about circumcision of the heart by the Spirit. There is a division spoken about between the Jew and the Gentile. That is by the natural birth process. However, in order for a person to see the Kingdom of God, they must be born again. Jesus told that to Nicodemus. Therefor a rebirth, the old person born in the physical sense must die and a new person reborn in a spiritual sense now lives. This new person now lives with a circumcised heart and is then true Israel. What good does it do for us to act spiritual if our heart is not circumcised? Then we get praise from men, but not from God. When we think about physical circumcision in a male, it is the removal of a covering over the most sensitive physical portion of the male body. This is the sense in which we must see the circumcision of the heart. It is the removal of the covering of sin from the most spiritually sensitive part of the body. God removes the darkness that hides our heart. He cuts away the hardness, and exposes our heart to him. When people refuse to allow the Spirit to circumcise their heart, it is hardened, darkened and filled with sin. But we have allowed God access to our heart and he has done a great work within, removing the diseased part and cleansing it from sin. Do we still commit sin, sure, but our heart wants God, it wants to follow God, it has been circumcised by the Spirit and desires to do that which is right. It is difficult to image that we want to do that which is right and do that which is wrong. Paul understands the concept. Yet the point is still the same, we are Israel and we are saved because we have allowed the Spirit to circumcise our heart.

walk in faith

DEVOTION

ROMANS

WALK IN FAITH

Rom 2:17-24

17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; 18 if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."  

NIV

This is just a portion of Paul’s argument about the value of being righteous before God because of being in Christ. Here he is chastising the Jewish believers who are still practicing living by the law. Although they have been called to be saints, they get it about Jesus being the Messiah and they are living in Rome among pagans, they feel the law still holds them to God. Bragging how righteous they are by keeping the law is mere foolishness. How can anyone brag about living a life one hundred percent according to the law? God is telling them through the Apostle Paul, they break the law daily. This is why they are told that God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of them. They are not walking the talk. They claim to live by the law, but they do not and thus they make a mockery out of God before unbelievers. It is hypocrisy at its finest. This should give us the same lesson. Do we live what we confess? If people know we are Christians, and they certainly should, then what do they believe about God based on our lives? Are we any different than they are? Sure, we do not go out to bars and party all night. We do not carry on having affairs with co-workers. We do not engage in filthy language or use the Lord’s name in vain. But is that it? Is that all that makes us different? Do we gossip about the boss, or a co-worker? Do we complain about the job, or a supervisor? Do we invest in retirement plans like everyone at work? Do we think we deserve a better pay? Do we think we are better than all those who do those things we don’t? Do we isolate ourselves from them, not making them our friends because they are not believers? Are we trying to live by a standard we believe God calls us to, yet failing to abide by it one hundred percent? Do the non-believers see our short comings in our walk that we have talked? Do we look even a little hypocritical? Are we giving God a bad reputation? Let’s face it, the reason we have any righteousness at all is because we are in Christ. Although we should not make an excuse for our only being human and not divine, we should be open enough to understand the only difference is we have accepted what Jesus did on that cross. Sure, we should live a life pleasing to the Lord. But what is that? It is living by a law, a set of rules and regulations God established for us? That was the Law, and its main purpose was to show the Israelites they needed the Messiah, a Savior. Why would God give us another set of laws to live by when we have the Messiah, the Savior? Jesus set us free from the Law, from all the Law. Let us not establish a set of laws for ourselves, but rather live a life of faith, showing complete trust in Jesus and we should show this life before all men, both believer and non-believer alike. This is a life pleasing to God. A life trusting in our ability to keep some set of rules is not only foolish but shows our hypocrisy before other believers and non-believers alike and we give God a bad name.

Let us walk the talk and the talk is believing God, having faith in God. Let us not give him a bad reputation among men. Let us just walk in faith.

Who is inside

DEVOTION

ROMANS

WHO IS INSIDE

Rom 2:12-16

12 All 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. 13 For 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. 14(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

NIV

This is a little difficult to grasp in light of what was said in the first chapter about that fact that no man would have an excuse because what may be known about God is plain to them. Here it would seem there is a difference in the judgment of God between the Jew and the Gentile. We know God does not show favoritism and that all are judged according to what they have done. A person is either in or out, saved or not, based on accepting or rejecting Jesus. But here we see the Jew has the divine revelation which the gentile does not. This might lead us to consider God will judge those who have the divine revelation in light of that revelation while judging those who did not receive that revelation by how they live according to their own insights. Yet it is really not their own insights by the law of God written on their hearts. There is no question the Jewish people are God’s chosen and Jesus came unto his own, the Jew. The revelation came to the Jew, as Paul puts it. They did not have the bible, but they did have the Torah. They had the scrolls of past prophets and the law written through Moses. The Jewish people had all they needed to know Jesus was the Messiah, that he fulfilled all the words of the prophets concerning the Messiah. The gentiles had nothing, no previous knowledge of Jesus. They had no advance information as the Jews had. The Jews will be judged because they had the law and did not abide by it, seeing Jesus as the Messiah. The gentiles, not having all that information still have the law of God written on their hearts because of accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior and doing what was right according to their knowledge of his words, the gospel. We, on the other hand have all the information. We have the divine revelation, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Although we have not physically seen Jesus, as the Jews did in those days, we have seen him spiritually, through the words inspired to Moses and all the prophets, the songs, and the gospels, including the gathered letters from various apostles. We have the bible and the Spirit. We have the completeness of everything, Knowledge and revelation. We truly are without excuse. All men today are without excuse. The bible has been translated into so many languages, but still what may be known about God should be plain to everyone through what has been made. Yet God also says that he has written his law upon the heart of man. This is grace, the divine influence upon our heart. The result of that grace should he in how that influence is reflected in our lives. Whether Jew or gentile God’s grace is given, one way or another. All will be judged according to how they, first receive it, and second, how they respond. This being declared righteous by obeying the law is not about following all the rules and regulations of the law, but by seeing the law pointing to Jesus and understanding he has fulfilled all the law and being in Christ is the answer to obeying the law. Being in Christ is the only way to be declared righteous, whether Jew or Gentile. Our inner life, our secret life that which is hidden behind the façade we present to others, will be judged through Jesus Christ. Is he in our heart or not? That is the question. Are we truly a believer or just look like one? It is not what is on the outside, but what is on the inside. Are we whitewashed tombs, a clean cup on the outside, dirty on the inside? All of scripture points to the truth. Who is in our heart?

Doing good

DEVOTION

ROMANS

DOING GOOD

Rom 2:5-11

5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God "will give to each person according to what he has done."   7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.

NIV

Well here it is, plain and simple, without and of the frills. If anyone tries to convince us that any amount of good deeds count toward eternal life we just have to point them to this truth. God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” The reason that is in quotes is that Paul is quoting from Psalm 62:12 and Proverbs 24:12. But we have to notice the explanation of what we have done. We either are persistent in doing well in seeking glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. Here is where some believers get into trouble about the doing good deeds. Although the NIV seems to translate “in doing good” the rendering in the Greek is more like “in doing good or well in seeking glory and honor and immortality. This is in contrast within the context to those who are self-seeking and reject the truth and follow evil. So we are either seeking honor, glory and immortality or seeking self. Who is honor? Who is glory? Who is immortality? God! Jesus! For those who seek Jesus, eternal life, for those who seek self, rejecting seeking Jesus, wrath. We just have to think about the fact the even those who reject Jesus do a whole lot of “good deeds” in a humanistic sense. Some even put us believers to shame regarding helping our fellow man. However, their “good deeds” do not earn them eternal life, nor do ours. The only way to receive eternal life is in seeking Jesus and finding him. There is the follow up after that. We are supposed to love him with every fiber of our being and love our neighbor. That is where we are supposed to be doing the good, in showing our neighbor we love them. How do we do that? Is it in “good deeds”? Maybe, but maybe not. We know for sure that are good deeds are as filthy rages when it comes to getting in to heaven, because we are not saved by works, but by faith. Yes, James says show me your faith, I will show you my works, as faith without works is dead. Faith without seeking Jesus is dead. Many believe say they believe in God, which is faith, for to believe in someone you cannot see is faith. But believing in God is not enough. Jesus said that we have to be born again, that unless we are born again, we will not see the kingdom of God. Faith alone does get it, we need to seek Jesus, and we need to be born again of the Spirit. That is the works.  Now, going forth as James points out, loving our neighbor follows. Perhaps the truest form of love would be to make sure they do not receive wrath or eternal death. Would not true love want to show them a way they can escape death? Yes, they have rejected the truth, and are self-seeking and following evil, but shouldn’t we try to show them the love of Jesus anyway? We can still pray with them, showing them we care. We can still help them, showing we care, we love them. It’s great to do things for those in ministries that serve the needs of people. But are we activity engaged with sinners showing them the love of Jesus? Are we God’s people, his representative, and his ambassador in a foreign land? Let us be busy about the work of his kingdom, the work of love. Then we would be doing good.

No judging

DEVOTION

ROMANS

NO JUDGING

Rom 2:1-4

2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

NIV

We just looked at, in the preceding verses, a lifestyle of wickedness the likes of have been prevalent from the beginnings of mankind. It was like that in the days of Noah, so much so God’s heart was filled with pain. He destroyed them all and started mankind over again with Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives. Mankind did not learn and it was like that again in this time of Paul and has not changed much in our current time. But Paul is also warning the believers of his time as well as us not to be judgmental regarding the attitudes and behaviors of the wicked as defined in those preceding verses. The whole idea is that as we judge, we will be judged. Sure we do not commit those heinous acts of sexual immorality, but these attitudes of envy, strife, deceit and gossip, especially that gossip are sure to be found in many of us believers. Some are even arrogant and boastful. We have even heard boasting not sinning in word, thought, or deed. How arrogant and boastful is that? But if we judge them, which is sounds like we are, we too will be judged by the same standards we judge. If we form any kind of judgement about someone we are surely sinning. It is not our place to judge, it is Gods. Because God shows his kindness to us and it has led us to repentance, we should also show kindness, which is part of the fruit of the Spirit, to others. Our kindness may not lead them to repentance, but then again maybe it will, as we would be reflecting Jesus to them. God has patience and tolerance with us. Should we not be that way with others? It is not that we should tolerate their sinful acts, giving approval to them, but we should not be judgmental of them either, or be like that Pharisee on the street corner.  

Luke 18:9-14

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." 

NIV

We should know we have no righteousness of our own, Jesus is our righteousness and he alone is without sin. Therefore let us not pass any judgement on others. Although we can encourage each other in our joint walk with the Lord. We can admonish each other to live a worthy of our calling. We can speak to each other as we are told.

Eph 5:15-20

15 Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

NIV

Live a life of thankfulness to God for his great love and mercy toward us and love our neighbor, that means do not judge him, just love him. In the life of a believer there should be no judging which implies not thinking of ourselves more highly then we should. If anything we should judge ourselves.

Rom 12:3

3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

NIV

Please, no judging

Dumb thinking

DEVOTION

ROMANS

DUMB THINKING

Rom 1:21-32

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. 28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

NIV

It seems right to clump all this horrific behavior all together rather than spend more time verse by verse. What is amazing is all these people once knew God. When we approach their turning from or ignoring him it should give us pause to consider the possibilities of people who, at this moment, know God could become like these people described here. Because knowing God should be enough to keep ourselves from futile thinking we surely would not behave in such a manner as these people of history did. But we notice knowing him would then include glorifing and giving him thanks. It would seem those two are a common thread to non-futile thinking. How would not glorifying and giving thanks to him become futile thinking and foolish darkened hearts? It is all explained to us in the rest of this passage. Although in history it may have looked like graven images of created things such as animals, birds and reptiles. These became their idols of worship. But that lead to all sorts of immorality we will not repeat. It is bad enough to have to read how horrific their acts were. Yet we seem to have many of this type of behavior in our modern culture as well. Some of these types of people show up in protest marches to demand their behavior be legalize. It would seem we believers would never indulge in these acts, or behavior, yet there is a list of attitudes which are not actually acts of depravity or immorality, yet they are unacceptable to God and included as coming from a darkened foolish heart that ignores God. This list includes wickedness, greed, slander, gossip, envy, strife, and deceit, malice, insolent, arrogant, boastful, senseless, faithless, heartless and ruthless. It would seem many of these behaviors have shown up in churches which split up, divide in camps over some non-Christian idea, yet both sides claiming it is in the name of Christ they are doing this. We also have to watch that we do not get caught up in this futile thinking. It might all start out innocent enough, at least we think it is, but it is not. None of those attitudes belong within the heart and mind of those who know God, glorify him and give him thanks. Forgiveness rules the day. Love and compassion rule the day of a believer. Being conformed into the image of Christ rules the life of a believer. Would Jesus do or think like any of that mentioned above? No, not in the least bid. Anything that resembles that thinking described in these verses is futile and foolish. When people think like that, God gives them over to their own thinking, he releases them from his influence and allows them to condemn themselves to perish. They not only know their attitudes and behaviors deserve death, they approve not only themselves, but others who think like them. How stupid can believers become? To think, “you are ok, I am ok” is just dumb thinking.

Believe God

DEVOTION

ROMANS

BELIEVE GOD

Rom 1:18-20

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

NIV  

The idea here is that all men have the truth of God within them, it is just that some have suppressed that truth by their wickedness. Considering that God is the creator of all things created and that he is the one who formed man from the dust of the earth and breathed the very breath of life into him making man in God’s own image, we would have to conclude he does not make man without having the knowledge of God within him. It is also true that God knew each one of us before we were in our mother’s womb. He knit us together in our mother’s womb.

Ps 139:13-14

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb . 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

NIV

There is not a person born that God has not knit together in their mother’s womb. All mankind is his to do with as he pleases. Even if, like in the days of Noah, he decides to wipe all mankind from the face of the earth, it is his right to do so. All people have this knowledge within them. But there are people who refuse to acknowledge that truth which is within them and they act out in wicked ways suppressing that truth. They say, “I don’t believe in God, therefor there is no God”. Their logic is flawed. Truth is not dependent on being believed in for it to be truth. Although it would be difficult not to believe in gravity since we are subject to it all our lives and see things fall to the ground because of it, it still does not depend on being believed in for it to be truth. It was true before Isaac Newton discovered the principle of gravitation. God does not depend of man believing in him for him to be true, for him to exist. So, having nothing to do with God, they suppress the truth about him in order they may live as they please, without any eternal consequences. Although they know breaking the laws of men may have temporary consequences, they care not about breaking any law of God. They simply say there is no laws of God because they do not believe in God. Flawed logic. God says that all they have to do is look at his creation and they would know him, know he is there for them. But because they refuse to look, they are still without excuse. One day they will stand before God and will be without any excuse for why they refused to believe him. We too most live as through we not only believe in God, but believe God. It is one thing to claim to be saved, as we believe enough in God for our salvation, but do we believe him enough for all the rest of his promises? When we read his word, it is filled with many things he declared to us. Of course we know the old law has been fulfilled in Christ, and we are now under a new covenant with God. But he still has much to say about how we should live, how we should behave, how we should be filled with his Spirit and bearing much fruit, exhibiting his gifts, and fighting the good fight, running the race and all those other ideals he has for us. Do we live out our faith? Have we suppressed any of his truth because it is either too difficult to abide, or too inconvenient because of our wants? The fact is we cannot afford to suppress any of the truth God has for us. We should be excited to live according to his truth, all his truth, not just the ones we pick out as we see fit. Let us be ready to give an account of our faith. Let us confess, we believe God. It does not matter what everyone else believes. Just in the days of Noah, everyone had corrupted their ways, but Noah believed God. Let us not be concerned what everyone else says, let us just believe God. eIt

Righteousness

DEVOTION

ROMANS

RIGHTEOUSNESS

Rom 1:16-17

16 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. 17 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."  

NIV

How much better can it be said? The only power there ever was, and ever will be to ensure an individual’s salvation is from God. As much effort as man puts forth to advance himself, he cannot save himself from eternal death. As much as most, if not all, believers agree with this concept, a more deceptive plot is at foot, a plot deployed by the very root of evil himself. This is the idea we can have a certain righteousness of our own, which is to say, we can achieve a life without sin. This Gospel Paul talks about here is righteousness from God, Jesus Christ is that righteousness, he and he alone is all and the only righteousness we will need and will ever have. If we think for one moment we have any righteousness of our own, we are deceived and we call God a liar. When we start saying to our self we are completely free of sin, claiming perfection, a perfection which only Christ was and is, the perfect Lamb without blemish, a perfect sacrifice for our sins. If we claim any form of perfection or righteousness, Christ needed not to have gone to the cross for us, for our perfection, our righteousness has gained us the right to eternal life. We have saved our own self. Now just doesn’t that sound ridiculous? Because it is!

Jesus told this parable regarding just this kind of thinking:

Luke 18:9-14

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." 

NIV

 It is our faith in Christ which gives us righteousness, by faith and faith alone are we saved and by faith and faith alone we live.

Unseen and seen

DEVOTION

ROMANS

UNSEEN AND SEEN

Rom 1:14-15

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

NIV

What system do we as people use to determine who has more worth then another? Paul certainly is saying that is does not matter to him what nationality people are, or their state of mind, he is obligated to share the good news with them. But do we think that same way? Do we have a tendency to divide people by types? Do we put people in different categories? Do we see people based on their education or professional level of achievement? Perhaps we might value a person more because of their financial success, the size and location of their home, what kind of car they drive and he label of their clothes. We might even value someone more based on their position in the body of Christ. But what is certain, we the bulk of humankind, use some system based on the outward evidences. Do we think more highly of ourselves because we fit into one of those valued categories?

1 Sam 16:7

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

NIV

God does not, he looks at the heart of each person. It does not matter how smart or rich we are. It does not matter how fat or skinny, tall or short we are. Nor does it matter if we are young or old, good looking, or not so good looking. It does not matter what language we speak, nor the color of our skin. It does not matter what country we were born in. It also does not matter how much we do. What matters to God is the condition of our heart. What does our heart look like? What does that mean?

Prov 23:7

7 For as he thinks within himself, so he is.

NASU

This gives us the clue to the meaning of the condition of our heart. It is how we think? There is a connection between what is called our heart and our mind. Of course our heart is but a muscle which pumps blood, but it is our mind which is our thinking center where we devise all our plans, desires, and goals. It is our mind which decides to yield to a temptation or resist it. It is in our mind that we accept the teachings of Jesus or reject them. So God looks at our mind, he looks at the inside of us the real us, not the one we project to others. We might think that our façade gives us a great appearance and others can only see that outward façade. God examines how we truly believe in our mind, how we truly think about life, about him and about others. He sees if we have any envy or greed. He sees if we have any prejudices. He see if we have any bitterness or jealously. Yes, he looks at us through the blood of Jesus. Because we are in Christ, he has declared us holy and blameless in his sight. Yet he still sees the condition of our heart, our mind. He is in the process of renewing our mind. We are being renewed into the image of Jesus.

2 Cor 4:16-18

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

NIV

 But that requires his working in our life, which in some sense is the unseen, although eventually  it should be seen in that which is seen.

Encourage who

DEVOTION

ROMANS

ENCOURAGE WHO

Rom 1:11-12

11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith

NIV

Is there some secret to this spiritual gift? We think not, it is surely so clear to see the gift which Paul speaks about, he wishes to impart to those faithful believers in Rome is encouragement and to be encouraged. A mutual encouragement spawned by the faith of another. Words of encouragement might do well to boast a fellow believer’s ego. This might or could make him think more highly of himself then he should or spur him onto more deeds. But those deeds could be done through the humanist as well. Does it actually bring true encouragement? These words spoken to endeavor to bring encouragement might actually have a negative impact. True encouragement as we see in this passage comes from one believer being in the presence of another believer whose faith in Jesus Christ is so strong and so outwardly expressed it builds the other’s faith. Are we not so encouraged when we stand in the presence of someone who has that unwavering trust in our Lord? When for no apparent humanistic reason, this person is so happy and content, believing beyond the physical evidence in the incomparable love and provision of our Lord that our faith is build. To be encouraged by another’s faith. Here, in this passage, this faith, the Greek word is Pistis[1] which is defined as one’s persuasion such as moral conviction and when used in the Christian or religious sense, especially reliance upon Christ for salvation. It is also used abstractly in the sense of one’s consistency is such a profession. So in both senses Paul and those in Rome will be encouraged by each other. Will we?

Lord, help us to demonstrate our faith, our complete total trust in you first of all our salvation, and also for every aspect of our life, in order that others may be encouraged.

This encouragement does seem to be for the community of believers. It is good to encourage each other’s faith. We all go through ups and down in life and at times our faith may get sidetracked so to speak. So encouragement is good, but it is also interesting the Greek word translated encouragement is sumparakaleo [2]which means to console jointly. We notice the word used by Jesus when he would send the comforter, the parakletos.[3] Some translations use counselor, others, comforter. So this mutual encouragement looks more like comforting or counseling one another by or with our faith. To be called to each other’s side, especially to one’s aid. Encouragement.

---

[1] NT:4102

NT:4102 pistis (pis'-tis); from NT:3982; persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself:

(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

[2] NT:4837

NT:4837 sumparakaleo (soom-par-ak-al-eh'-o); from NT:4862 and NT:3870; to console jointly:

(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

[3] NT:3875

NT:3875 parakleetos, parakleetou, ho

summoned, called to one's side, especially called to one's aid;

1.             one who pleads another's case before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant; an advocate:

2.             universally, one who pleads another's case with one, an intercessor: 1 John 2:1

3.             in the widest sense, a helper, succorer, aider, assistant; so of the Holy Spirit John 14:16,26

(from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Reputation

DEVOTION

ROMANS

WHAT’S IN YOUR REPUTATION?

Rom 1:8-10

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

NIV

It certainly appears those even without the wall street journal, or foxnews.com or, for that matter all the media of today, the news of those believer’s faith was reported all over the world. They had a reputation of being Christ followers and this reputation had spread from town to town, country to country until the whole known world which Paul was speaking of was keenly aware of who they were, their faith and what they believed and of whom they believed in. How did this happen? How did the faith of a small band of believers stuck at almost the bottom of a large peninsula, in the city of Rome, a city of immense population, reach all over the known world? Inherent within mankind it seems is the need to gossip, and it would seem gossip was working.  Stories of these faithful few spread possibly, because of Roman soldiers who reported for duty in far off lands, or maybe because of traders bringing and taking goods into and out of Rome, to and from parts unknown. However, one thing was for certain, these Christians did not stay secluded from their society. They must have been a force to reckon with. They had to have had a divine influence upon their hearts and it must have been reflected to the world around them. Has this kind of faith dwindled? Have we, as believers of today, either secluded ourselves  completely out of view of unbelievers or have we  so embraced the lifestyle of the ungodly world around us, no one knows who we are? Sure there are churches, some with a cross, on almost every street corner. But what does the unbelieving think about all those churches? They see a different name, a different twist as to denomination. They know those churches have something to do with God, but that may be all. Then again with all the differences, what reputation does that reflect? Does it show that none of us can get along? Does it show there is division among us? We cannot let a building define our reputation. We have to project a personal reputation.

What is our reputation? Our reputation cannot be because of good deeds or works performed in human standards. Many unbelievers do good deeds and have a reputation among other men, unbelievers also claim in working for the benefit of mankind, laboring to achieve a better society such as habitat for humanity and the like. No, we must ask; is my reputation of one who demonstrates faith, as it was the faith, not the human efforts of these in Rome, which was reported. It was faith, do we have a reputation of having faith which is defined within the Greek word used, Pistis,[1] as a persuasion or moral conviction especially the reliance upon Christ for salvation. Do people know for what we stand? Do people see us reflecting Christ? What reputation do we have? Not just with other believers, but with unbelievers. Do they tell others about us? What kind of gossip is told about us? Do they say that we are a person of faith? Do they say we demonstrate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and, yes, even self-control? Do they say we are a person who loves God with all our being, and loves them? Surely they do not know all the nuances of love as God defines it. Yet, even at wedding of unbelievers many have that definition quotes from Corinthians 13. But then many who we would call unbelievers, call themselves Christian. They have a reputation also. Are they truly representing Jesus correctly? Do they just believe they are Christian because they use a church on occasion? If we define believer as one who has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, having been born again, Spirit-filled, then we may be fewer then we think. But we are the ones who need to reflect the correct image of Jesus to the world so then our reputation counts. What is our reputation?   

---

[1] NT:4102

NT:4102 pistis (pis'-tis); from NT:3982; persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself:

(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Grace and Peace

DEVOTION

ROMANS

GRACE AND PEACE

Rom 1:7

7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

NIV

The grace and the peace is the subject of today. What exactly is grace and peace? Let us examine the Greek to know for sure what Paul meant when he blessed them with this introduction. The Greek word for grace is Charis. There are several Greek words which are translated as grace, but this one is not used in the sense of unmerited favor. This is evident within the contextual use of the word grace. This letter was written first to the believers in Rome. Because they, and us for that matter, were believers they had already experienced the unmerited favor type of grace, salvation through Jesus Christ. Now Paul uses this word which is properly defined affords pleasure, joy, and delight. It is seen as producing a spiritual condition of one govern by the power of divine grace.[1] This grace is also defined as the divine influence upon the heart and how that is reflected in in our lives.[2] This makes the most sense and is the correct way to see this grace as in its context. So Paul starts by saying that may God influence your heart and may he be reflected in your lives. This speaks to us as well. God should be influencing our heart first of all. There are so many things of the world which could be an influence on our heart or mind, our thinking, which is what the heart refers to. Every advertisement is intended to influence us. Ads about merchandise or financial freedom, looking good, beauty aids, health issues, retirement, whatever. Every statement of someone of importance is intended to influence us. The media is intent on influencing how we think about something or someone. This includes all forms of social media. We are consistently bombarded with information of some kind which bears some influence on our thinking. Do we reflect those influences in our lives? Do we talk and act in accordance with how those factors influence us?  Have we been sucked in? The fact is that we should be living, having the divine influencing our heart, our thinking and reflecting him in our lives. That means people should see Jesus in us. They should see the fruit of the Spirit as he influences how we live. They should see the power of God in us, as he works in our lives. Is that what we reflect, rather than what influences the world is pushing on us? The peace which Paul speaks here is another issue all together. The Greek word is erieenee which carries great meaning. [3] First the tranquil state of being free of havoc of war. This might mean nations, but it also can mean being at peace with God. Before we were saved, we were enemies with God. We were objects of his wrath, being at war with him. But when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, it was a peace treaty, he made a covenant with us. We are at peace with God. But again within the context, although that meaning could be implied, it is most likely Paul was giving them the idea they could be assured of their salvation through Christ and fearing nothing from God and content with their earthly lot, whatsoever sort that is. All forms of peace which this word is used for here could apply. The fact is we are at peace with God, which means we are not at war with him. We live in harmony with God. Then of course, his divine influence would have the greatest and single effect on our lives. Being in harmony with God means we are singing the same tune. We sound good together. We in the same key, and using the same words. He is singing the lead and we are harmonizing with him. So let us live as if grace and peace have been given to us by God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

---

[1] NT:5485

NT:5485 charis, charitos,

grace

1.             properly, that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech

a.             the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace,

b.             a token or proof of grace, 2 Cor 1:15

 (from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

[2] NT:5485

NT:5485 charis (khar'-ece); from NT:5463; graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude):

(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

[3] NT:1515

NT:1515 eireenee, eireenees, hee

peace,

1.             a state of national tranquility; exemption from the rage and havoc of war: Rev 6:4

2.             peace between individuals, i. e. harmony, concord: Matt 10:34

3.             after the Hebrew shaalowm, security, safety, prosperity, felicity, Luke 19:42

4.             Specifically, the Messiah's peace: Luke 2:14

5.             according to a conception distinctly peculiar to Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoerer sort that is: Rom 8:6

6.             of the blessed state of devout and upright men after death Rom 2:10

(from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Exclusively His

DEVOTION

ROMANS

EXCLUSIVELY HIS

Rom 1:7

7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

NIV

This letter was intended to be read by the Christians who were living in Rome, however, because it has also been included in the canon, the Bible, it is intended for all who are loved by God and  have been called to be saints. This would include us. We could not ever think first, that God did not love us, and second, that he does not call us to be saints. What does it mean to be called a saint by God? What does he mean when he called us to be saints? On the surface the word implies someone who is saintly, or holy. But looking into the Greek word Hagios, it carries the meaning reverend, worthy of respect. It also means to be set apart for God, to be, as it were, exclusively his. In a moral sense it implies pure, blameless, sinless, upright and holy.[1] All of which seem to apply to  God would view someone who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. So do we live as a saint of God? Do we live in accordance with how God views us as saints? Do we even consider ourselves a saint? If we accept the fact this letter was not only written for the 1^st century church in Rome, but also for all who believe, then we have to conclude we all have been called to be saints. That would mean in the first sense of the word, God respects us, he loves us. This we are assured of because of all the rest of scripture and that he loves us and in that love, respects us, his creation enough to die for us, in order to by us back, redeem us. We were once his, but were carried off by sin, torn from him, so he bought us back with his blood, redeemed us from that sin, and once again we are his and called to be his saint, pure, sinless, upright and holy, set apart exclusively for him. We will have to leave the grace and peace for our next thoughts, as just considering what it means to be called to be a saint is more than enough to ponder for one day. Because of the meaning of saint, we have to wonder if we have become too distracted by the world that we are not really, totally set apart. The fact is we are set apart exclusively to be his, but then should we not be more involved with him? Sometimes we become too involved in our daily lives to spend even a few moments exclusively with him. There is so much in the world that draws our attention. But then he has placed us in this world and we do have to work for our sustenance, as descendants of Adam, it is a result of his sin. That law has not ended in the sense that once we become born again, we don’t have to work the ground all the days of our lives, by the sweat of our brow. That is foolishness to think we should be able to just sit back and God would send us a paycheck. But at the same time, even in our busy daily lives, we have to recognize we are set apart, exclusively for him. What does that look like in the context of our lives? The one thing we can do, is as we are doing, spending time each morning in consideration of his word and how it applies to our life. Each morning the quite time with God and his word starts our day in the right direction. Do we stay in that direction, do we remain focused in that direction? Maybe not all the time, but we are making that effort to live as though we are set apart exclusively for him. Sometimes, we might think we are our own, but the fact remains, we are exclusively his.

---

NT:40

NT:40 hagios, hagia, hagion

1.             properly reverend, worthy of veneration: Luke 1:49

a.             used of things which on account of some connection with God possess a certain distinction and claim to reverence, as places sacred to God which are not to be profaned, Acts 7:33;

b.             of persons whose services God employs

2.             set apart for God, to be, as it were, exclusively his; followed by a genitive or a dative: Luke 2:23

3.             of sacrifices and offerings; prepared for God with solemn rite, pure, clean

4.             in a moral sense, pure, sinless, upright, holy: 1 Peter 1:16

(from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Not ours but his

DEVOTION

ROMANS

NOT OURS BUT HIS

Rom 1:5-6

5 Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6 And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

NIV

Oh how sweet the sound, through Him and for His name’s sake. We have to ask ourselves, do we often consider that which we have receive as a benefit for us, a talent or ability as something we should use for the advantage of our own being, to be used to advance our position in society or improve our living conditions, or increase our financial security. Here we see it was not of Paul’s doing, but rather through Him, through Jesus, and for Jesus that Paul received grace and apostleship. It was not of Paul nor was it for Paul.  The Greek word used here for grace is of great importance, it is the accusative case of ‘charis’, which is ‘charin’ which insists the divine influence upon his heart and how that is reflected in his life is subject to, or on account of or due to Christ. In other words the reason Paul received the divine influence on his heart, was for Christ’s sake, not for his own sake. And this imparting of divine influence was accompanied by apostleship, or a commission, a special calling for a special task for the sake of the kingdom, not for Paul himself. This commission was to call people from among all the gentiles. Now, although most, if not all, of the people we know, as well as ourselves have not been commissioned to call people, such as an evangelist would,  but we know we have been called or commissioned to be a witness.  

Acts 1:7-8    7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." 

NIV

Some would say Jesus said that only to his disciples, or to include the whole of the one hundred and twenty or so that were in that upper room. But the Holy Spirit did not come to just those people in those days. The Holy Spirit has been poured out upon all people who accept Jesus. We too have been baptized with the Holy Spirit and have the evidences thereof. So then we all have received this power to be a witness for Jesus. And, of course we have to ask in this case, do we testify to bring attention to ourselves, or do we witness of God’s work in our life to bring attention to Him. Do we tell of His work for His names sake? Do we always give Him the glory? When God influences our heart do we reflect Him to the world so He will be the center of peoples focus? We pray this is the result of our life. People will see the Lord, not us. Whatever we have or do is a result of God’s grace and it is for His sake, not ours.

Faith requires Obedience

DEVOTION

ROMANS

FAITH REQUIRES OBEDIENCE

Rom 1:5-6

 5 Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6 And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

NIV

At the central theme of all the letters Paul writes as he is inspired by the Spirit, is Jesus Christ, the grace of God, his Lordship, and his authority over all creation. If we see grace, in one of the definitions, as unmerited favor, Jesus on that cross was a favor we were not worthy of. We did not deserve it, we could and cannot do anything to be worthy of that grace. It is a free gift of God. A gift we cannot re-gift or reciprocate with a greater gift or even one of equal value. We have learned in the Roman culture during the time of Christ, gifting was always responded by gifting back with something better than the gift and then it started all over, back and forth one gift better than the next. A never ending battle of who is the better gift giver. But here we cannot out-gift God. Sure our response to his free gift is to offer ourselves as living sacrifices as we will see when we get to chapter twelve. But for now let us just rejoice in the fact God gave us his grace, unmerited favor, freely. Yet we also must see that this grace, as defined by the meaning of the Greek word, is actually the type of grace which is God’s divine influence upon our heart and how that is reflected in our lives. So it is through Jesus and for his name’s sake that he influences our hearts so he is reflected in our lives. All this is done through our faith in him. But also this faith produces something else. This faith produces obedience.

To be obedient must be understood from a military perspective. A commanding officer is easy to identify by the rank wore on his uniform. His rank demands first a respect for his position of authority, and second a response of being obedient to his command. When we consider Jesus, who all authority in heaven and on earth has been given, we cannot see his rank, we cannot see him, nor in the physical sense hear his command. We have to accept his rank, his authority by faith, without seeing. He tells us by doing this we surely will be blessed.

John 20:29

29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." 

NIV

It is by faith we accept salvation. If is by faith we accept the truth of God, the grace of God, the forgiveness of God. But is it not also by faith that we accept his authority in our lives? Then why do we struggle so much with obedience? If we are walking with God, rather than having God walk with us, then he leads and we follow. He commands, we obey. But why do we think we can cherry pick which of his commands we obey and which we ignore? In the military, especially in battle, the commands of the ranking officer are for two reasons. First, to insure the lives of his men are safe, second to win the battle. Yes, at times the soldier is commanded to be in harm’s way, and may lose his life, but the commands are to be obeyed. Jesus has given us commands, basically only two. They are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, spirit and strength and the other is to love our neighbor as ourselves. We could list all the other commands throughout scripture, but Jesus said:

Matt 22:40

40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." 

NIV

The question is, are we doing that? Are we being obedient because of our faith?

Death or life

DEVOTION

ROMANS

DEATH OR LIFE

Rom 1:1-6

1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6 And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

NIV

Gospel he promised beforehand. Through his prophets. Regarding his son. Human nature. Descendant of David. Through the Spirit. Declared with power the Son of God. By the resurrection from the dead. Jesus Christ our Lord

Is there any question who Jesus is from this introduction in the Letter to those in Rome? When we hear those words, “fully man” which are not in the scriptures, but rather Jesus refers to himself as “the son of man” we see and understand this person, rather this entity is a human being of the same genetic makeup as his creation, Adam.

He was conceived in the womb of a woman and delivered into the world as an infant in need of being cared for, provided for, loved and nurtured. The difference of course is no human man provided the male genetic material needed for conception, but rather the Spirit of God. Here is him who was declared with the power “the Son of God”. Conception without a human male is certainly a demonstration of power in and of itself, but this is only a part of this declaration. We also see the formal introduction in the Gospels

Matt 3:16-17

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased ."

NIV

This must certainly be what Paul refers to as “declared with power the Son of God”, for God provided the male component needed to create the person of Jesus as a man. Then declared to the world verbally Jesus was his son. This certainly seems to have been with much power, a voice from Heaven surely demonstrates power. His Lordship over mankind was established without question by his conquering death itself. We believe man was created as an eternal being, God did not intend for Adan to die. When God created him, he gave Adam the choice to either eat from the Tree of Life, or from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. He did instruct him not to eat from that Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. He did instruct that he was free to eat from any other tree, including the Tree of Life. Had he eaten from the Tree of Life he would be alive today and all mankind would still be within a Paradise with God. But we know that is not the truth of it, Adam chose unwisely and in disobedience to his creator, perhaps thinking this would make him more like God himself as the serpent suggested, and because of this action, death of mankind was the result.

Gen 2:15-17

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

NIV

We, through Adam, exchanged life for death, immortality for mortality and incorruptibility for corruptibility, however, through Christ, through his resurrection from the dead, that result was reversed. Through Christ, we exchanged death for life, mortality for immortality, and corruptibility for incorruptibility.

1 Cor 15:50-58

50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."  

55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"   56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

NIV

Through Christ we will indeed live forever….and we will, in fact, eat from the Tree of Life. This should give us both a great deal of encouragement as well as a great deal of exhortation to live a life pleasing to the Lord. 

Rev 2:7

7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

NIV