In the Hands of the Gardener

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

 IN THE HANDS OF THE GARDENER

 

Rom 11:22-24

22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

NIV

What we are considering here is our free will to remain grafted into the cultivated olive tree. If God had predetermined that one of us such be grafted in because of our faith in Jesus Christ, then we would have nothing to say about our salvation. It would not be our choice, and we know that God created Adam with the ability to choose right from wrong, and Adam chose wrong. Now, we have absolutely nothing to worry about as far as being cut out of the olive tree and thrown into the flames, for we will believe all the days of our life. It is sad in some respects that much of Israel has been cut off, yet they are not yet thrown away,  for God is the eternal optimist in the sense that he still holds out hope that Israel will see her poor state of continuing to try to live by the work contract version of attaining righteousness. However, should they return to a life of faith and accept Jesus as their Messiah, the Christ that came to take away the sins of the world, then God will readily regraft them back into the naturally cultivated olive tree. But there is a warning to all people in the world. By faith, being in Christ, and remaining in him, we will continue to grow as we are firmly attached to the root. The warning is that if for any reason we start to waver in our absolute faith in Jesus, and not just for our salvation, but for every aspect of our lives, we could be in danger of being cut right out of that cultivated tree. It is, in reality, our choice. Once again, we must deal with this work contract, and if we get distracted and start looking at our “Good deeds” as having any effect on our graft into the cultivated olive tree, then we should look out, for we could be getting into trouble. We cannot bear any of the fruit unless we remain grafted in. The fundamental difference between the wild and the cultivated olive tree rests on belief. If Israel would turn from their unbelief then God will graft them right back where they were in the first place, with us still there as well, so the tree just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Anyone who believes and calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, as each new person comes to believe they are grafted in. Our lives should reflect our being grafted and drawing our nourishment from the root, Jesus, the Word who became flesh and tabernacled among us. When it comes to this passage, we know that the proof is in the graft, at the hands of the gardener. Our lives are in his hands. Yet, it is our choice to be in his hands, to remain in him and he in us. 

The Wild and the Cultivated

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

THE WILD AND THE CULTIVATED

Rom 11:13-21

13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

NIV

How dare we Gentiles even consider being arrogant regarding our being recipients of the grace of God. Paul is telling those first Gentile readers of his letter that God has and will always love his chosen people, Israel. Yes, some of the branches of the cultivated olive tree have been snipped off. First, we do need to see that Israel is the cultivated olive tree, as God begin their cultivation with his promise to Abraham and has been personally involved in their development so they should produce much fruit. However, because we know of their rejection of his hand upon their lives, many of them were cut off from the natural tree, which Paul says now makes room for us to be grafted in. We are reminded of the words of our Lord when he used the root and the branches illustration to prove that apart from him, we can do nothing. But, on the other hand, because we are grafted in and are growing firming attached to the root, we will then produce much fruit. However, again, we would think that it is not us that produces the fruit, but the Spirit who dwells within us that produces that fruit in our lives. All the source of fruit on any tree comes from the life-giving sap that comes up from the roots. How then can we even think that we are able to produce fruit on our own, plus think that we are better thinkers than the people of Israel? How can we think that because we responded to the prompting of the Spirit and many Jews are still rejecting the message, we are any better than them, or for that matter, better than anyone who has either rejected or has yet to accept the “Good News”. We are but sinners saved by grace, and all peoples of the world have the same opportunity, for God so loved the world. Still, unbelief will result in being cut off from the root, and those dead fruitless branches will be cast into the flames. Therefore, let us always believe God, and always look to Him as the source of all things in our lives, and as he nourishes us, or as we receive nourishment from his word, and through the working of the Spirit within us, people will notice the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, kindness, and yes, even self-control. As we have seen before and understood before all this fruit the Spirit manifests within us, is not for us, the branch does not benefit by bearing fruit, but it is there for others to come along and pick it from us and enjoy the sweetness of the Fruit of the Spirit. We may have started out being a wild branch grafted into the cultivated olive tree, but we are now part of that tree, fully integrated as one tree. Paul has already told us there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, all are the creation of God, and all can be connected to the root. So now, the wild and the cultivated are one. 

The Riches of Grace

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

THE RICHES OF GRACE

Rom 11:7-12

7 What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, 8 as it is written: "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day."   9 And David says: "May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. 10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever."  11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!

NIV

This seems a difficult passage in the argument of Paul. He asked the question after making that great truth about grace. That been chosen to be saved through grace is no longer works, for if it still was by works, then grace would be no longer grace. Now, he tells the Jews a little history lesson about their self-satisfied, overconfident, and comfortable position they felt was being the chosen people of God. It is likened to men sitting around a banquet, feasting on the best of everything, and falling into a fancy sense of security which is their ruin, and the enemy can come right in and overtake them. They had become callous to the voice of God. Paul says that God caused their callous hearts. Yet, if they were his chosen people, whom he loved dearly, why would he make their hearts callous, or unless for the reason for them to know they were now in the dark, unable to see him or his truth. The law, which they wanted to appear to obey fully, was indeed their downfall, for grace is the only way to live, and they chose works. However, theirs is not a permanent loss, the Hope of Israel is and will again be the hope of Israel. Of course, we would never question the plan of God, for who are we but his creation. Can the created question the Creator, no, can the clay tell the potter how to create it and for what use? No. Yet, because of the trap Israel fell into and became blinded and callus, which is another point. It seems right to understand that when we break a bone, a callus forms about the break during the healing process. However, it has been determined that the callus covers the bone and makes that portion of the bone less sensitive. That was at the core of what happened to Israel. Still, it was God’s plan so that the “Good News” would come to the Gentiles. Once again, we are faced with the truth that God so loved the world, which meant all the people of every nation. Israel will not be a loser in this divine plan of God. But because they stumbled it meant greater riches for the world, and their temporary loss means riches for us Gentiles. God has never nor will he abandon his people. He has promised that he would be with us even unto the end. Israel’s eyes and ears will be opened some time, someday and when that happens, all the riches they will bring into the Kingdom of God. What a blessing that will be when we all see our Jesus face to face, but in the meantime, let us enjoy this grace as we live out his plan for us, his purpose for us, as his royal priesthood and a holy nation, in this world. We are the richest of all, as we have received His grace. 

Grace is Grace

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

GRACE IS GRACE

Rom 11:1-6

11:1 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah — how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 "Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me"? 4 And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal."   5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.  

NIV

We would have to agree with Paul, who of course, is writing this letter under the influence of the Spirit of God, otherwise, it would not have even been considered by so many far more scholarly theologians over the years than we will ever know or become. For God to reject his people would be outlandish even remotely thinking he would. Rejection is counter to love, and we know that if there is one word in our language that can come close to defining God, that word is love. Paul reminds his first readers about what happened in the past when Israel bowed to Baal and was about rejecting God and killing those prophets that brought the word of God to them. Paul said that God reserved for himself seven thousand people. It is interesting that this could be seen as election, however, the Greek word translated as reserved here and in some other translations, although, kept, has always been used. Still, the major interpretation or meaning of the Greek word, kataleipo, is to leave behind or have remaining. Then, it would seem right to think that God told Elijah that he was not alone, that there were still seven thousand who did not bow their knee to Baal. It all boils down to the fact that God insists his grace is the key to all man’s ills. The Jews have tried and many are still trying to live under the law, doing the works they think God requires, with some of their own added rules. However, God says that it is by grace he has this remnant, and it is his grace alone, for nothing they did or did not do is considered when it comes to grace. This translates into our lives as well. If there was anything we could do, any works at all, that we could prove we are worthy of his grace, then it would be a work for grace contract. We should not even boast about anything we do, for in boasting, we are seeking the praise of men, rather than from God. In our modern world of media methods, it is too easy to boast publicly about what we have done or are doing, or will be doing. If we posted how we just did a massive word study on the Greek word, kataleipo, it would be boasting before men. That is never the point, however, it is interesting to discover truth for the sake of our own personal relationship with our Lord, so that we see his grace at the center of all our lives. The one truth we can cling to is that grace is grace, and that we need grace. 

Hearing and Understanding

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

HEARING AND UNDERSTANDING

Rom 10:16-21

16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?"   17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."   19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, "I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding."   20 And Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me."   21 But concerning Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people."  

NIV

Paul is not done yet with his discussion of the “Good News”. It would seem obvious to us, as it was to Paul, that not all Israelites accepted the good news. Once again, we see at least the main way to believe the message is through faith, which means as opposed to believing through the law. But did Israel hear the message? We cannot help to think that between the words of all the prophets concerning the Messiah, the Christ, and with John the Baptist having so many people come and hear him declare the way for the Lord, and then to see and hear Jesus teach and watch and even many experienced a divine supernatural healing, a complete restoration and even a few from death, many Israelites heard the message. Paul even says they heard the message. He quotes the words of David in Psalm 19 when the heavens declare the glory of God: the skies proclaim the works of his hands. It is all about the fact that everyone can know the message for God has been displaying the works of his hands, and day after day they, his works, pour forth speech: night after night they, his works, display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice, his works, is not heard. Their voice, his works, goes out into all the earth, and their words go to the end of the world. Paul could have been talking about the work of all the Apostles, including himself, of spreading the gospel message throughout the known world, or at least the known regions around the Middle East. Yet, if the message is left to only those with beautiful feet, it is still limited in some sense. But the works of his hands spread across all the earth and speaks into the hearts of every person in every nation. The question is whether Israel understood the message. Without dissecting each of the other quotes Paul includes, the point is that Israel did not understand, however, God has and is revealing himself to people that did not ask him to do so. Yet, when God reveals himself, we would think that revelation would produce the desired faith in him. Yet, he says that Israel is a disobedient and obstinate people which God still holds out his hands for. Why would they be so obstinate? It could go back to their trying to live by the law, believing the law was their way to righteousness. This “Good News” flies in the fact of their traditions in the law. No, we want the law, to tell us what we cannot do, and what we must do, then we can do that, or at least believe we are doing it and through our efforts at maintaining the law, we will find righteousness. No, No, No, it is no wonder they did not understand. Righteousness only comes through faith. We, modern-day believers, need to pay attention to that simple truth and not burden ourselves with that which will only produce failure, the law, or we could say all the rules we have established in order to be a “Good Christian”. We have heard the voice of God, and see the works of his hands, and we know without a shadow of a doubt that faith in Jesus Christ is all that we need and that God requires. The question of, what must I do to inherit eternal life, or what must I do in order to do the work that God requires. Jesus tells the crowd that asked that question regarding what is the work that God requires to believe in the one He sent. No other form of work will suffice, no rule following, and no obedience to the law will work. Only believing in Jesus will bring eternal life. Only by believing in Jesus can we be brought back from exile and into the presence and promise of God. 

Beautiful Feet

  

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

BEAUTIFUL FEET

Rom 10:14-15

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"  

NIV

Because the message is the “Good News”, it has to be told. In today’s world, it seems to us there is never any good news to listen to. It is mostly either about some horrific event where people were hurt or killed. Then there is the dirty war of politics that the media cannot spend enough time either vilifying or glorifying. It also seems to us that we hear all sorts of things we would rather not hear, but once we have heard, we cannot unhear. Just as what we have seen, we cannot unsee. Then for a portion of our lives, more for some than others, we have heard this voice of the enemy of our soul, prompting us onto wrong thinking and deeds. But now there is the “Good News” about Jesus Christ. But in order to know this “Good News” we must first hear it. Although for our entire life, we have always had that knowledge of God deep within us, we suppressed it through our own evil deeds. We held it back, giving various excuses for not listening. Yet, once we heard this “Good News” we could not unhear it, and it began to spring to life within us. God directed, even orchestrated the exact time we would hear this message so that we would be ready to hear the one he sent to preach the “Good News” to us. It is life-transforming news that God began within us and he will complete our full transformation. But Paul says someone has to be sent to preach it. Of course, this is in the midst of his speaking about Israel, which will we get to, but for now let us contemplate whether we have any responsibility to preach the “Good News”. First, is there a difference between preaching the “Good News” verbally or quietly being a witness for Jesus Christ, or being the image bearer of God? We have no doubt that Paul was called and he was sent, first to the Jews, but mostly to the Gentiles. We will see that is exactly what Paul illustrates the difference between Israel not listening and thus God sent him to the Gentiles, who praise God heard the “Good News” and believed. However, back to our call in our lives. Have we been sent? Our are feet beautiful? Because we are, in fact, the image bearings of God, we would have to believe we should be reflecting his glory in ever-increasing glory. How then can anyone see our reflection of the glory of God, if they have not heard first? There are all sorts of “Good” people in the world who reflect goodness, in some sense, although it may be simply a mask, covering up their own evil intentions. However, bearing the image of God within and without us brings us to focus on whether we have beautiful feet, or that we have indeed been sent to preach the “Good News”. Yes, we need to hear good preaching or teaching about this transformation in our lives, and how that forms the basis of our new life in Christ. It is although a revolution has happened within us, and the battle was won by Christ. Yet have we been sent? It would seem that some have not, they are listeners of the word, and in some sense, doers of the word, living, with the help and guidance of the Spirit, the best they can for Jesus. Yet have we been sent? What does that look like? Must we travel the world, as Paul did, spreading the message of life? We do send those and support those missionaries who have heard that call, and who have beautiful feet. But if we believe the word of God and we believe that Jesus was not just talking about his disciples traveling the world, then we have to believe that he has also called all of us to go out into the world, which may not be in the physical sense of travel, but in the realm of the world itself, the people who are everywhere in every facet of life, someone needs to tell them so they can hear and believe. Let us look closely and see if our feet are beautiful. 

Heart and Mouth

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

HEART AND MOUTH

Rom 10:5-13

5 Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who does these things will live by them."   6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 "or 'Who will descend into the deep?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."   12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile — the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."  

NIV

We have come to one of the best know passages, at least for us. Paul starts off, once again, speaking to the Jews in this gathering of believers in Rome. We cannot be certain, but in the way that Paul puts it regarding living by the law, we would think some if not many of the Jewish believers have dragged, at least, portions of their Old Covenant under the law into their faith in Jesus. Paul just made it clear that the law cannot bring righteousness, but only death. So, if we want to add or use some of the Old Covenant within this New Covenant, then we will be judged according to those laws, rules, or regulations we think are based on God’s word, rather than judged by our faith. Now, to all of us, we need to be careful not to be too bold about any rights we have for going to heaven. Who of us can ask Jesus to leave the right hand of God? Who has ever had any ability to raise Jesus from the depth? This is all God, all Him, and yes, it would be for us. Right now, we are not in the physical presence of Jesus, although we will be someday. It is interesting that this Greek word Paul uses when he says, “the word is near you; it is in your mouth” is not the logos, but rhema which means that which we dialog, discuss, and speak about. That is they knew the doctrine of Moses, they knew the law, and they have hidden those things in their hearts since the law was given. Yet, these things are not what brings righteousness. We can know the word of God, forwards, and backward. We can quote all the best ones if there could be the best one. We can expound on the deepest of topics or points within the scriptures, but if we do not use our mouths to confess that God raised Jesus from the dead, and truly believe that in our hearts, we will not be saved. This is what our hearts and mouth are to be focused on. If we do not put all our trust, every ounce of our trust, with our whole being, then what are we doing in church, in our lives? However, we have to make sure this is not just about our mouth saying the right words that we believe God raised Jesus from the dead, we must first come from our heart, for it is our right believing heart that brings us justification or our approval by God. Then with our confession of faith, we are saved. This encompasses our wholeness of being, all of us, what we believe, and what we say. Yet, all that is acceptable is believing and it does not matter to God if we come full of knowledge and words regarding the scriptures, or how much we have educated ourselves as we were raised in the Christian faith, or whether we have spent years in study after finding Christ in our lives. Whether Jews or gentiles is not the issue. What matters is that we can trust him and call upon him, for he and he alone is who we can put our trust in. He is Lord over all of us, and so as with all the trust we can muster, we call on the name of the Lord, and he blesses all who call on him, richly blesses us and we are saved. 

A New Priest in Town

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

A NEW PRIEST IN TOWN

Rom 10:1-4

10:1 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.   3 Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

NIV

Now, we cannot see how this cannot be any clearer about the end of the law. Once again, we understand that Jesus said that he did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. There is a distinct difference in the two Greek words, the one Paul used in that Christ is the end of the law, and what Jesus said about not abolishing. First, let us take this Greek word, kataluoo, which means to dissolve, making no more, cancel it. The other Greek word that Paul uses here is, telous, meaning to end, termination, the limit at which a thing ceases to be. Why is this important? Did Paul contradict Jesus? Well, because Jesus said that he came to fulfill the law, the limits of the law have been met and according to John, the law was given through Moses, however, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Paul has already said that sin came before the law, but that until the law sin was not taken into account because there was no law. The preacher of Hebrews also made it clear that if perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood, for on the basis of it the law was given to the people, then why was there still a need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? The conclusion is if there is a change in the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law. This Hebrew preacher goes on to say the former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless, for the law made nothing perfect and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw to God. It is clear that the better hope is Jesus. Again, why is this important? It would seem to us that it is too easy to just tell me how many laws, rules, and regulations that I must follow in order to be a “Good Christian”. If we can abide good enough, with a few slipups along the way, which we keep asking to be forgiven for, then we are “Good Christians”. However, if we abide in Christ and he in us, then our perfection is already complete in Christ, and he put an end to that old system that could not make us perfect. There is a new priest in town; he is a priest forever and has accomplished what no man could do. He brought the limit to that old useless way of laws, that only could bring death instead the life Jesus brought. Yet, we cling to the law, in some sense, perhaps out of guilt, not wanting to put an end to what Jesus put an end to, or thinking we know better than the word of God?  Is that disbelief? Is that disobedience? No, we will do what Jesus did, and what the rest of God’s word says to us. We will put the law aside, paying it no due, and we will set all our hopes on Jesus, the author, and finisher of our faith. Does that mean we should run wild doing anything we want? Absolutely not, but if we pay close attention to what Jesus said are the greatest of all commands. It is for us to love the Lord our God with our whole being, and love each other as both, as he loves us, and as we love ourselves. If we simply live according to love, we will not disappoint God, and we will do no harm to others, but simply love them. We must remember, there is a new priest in town.

 

Righteousness

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

RIGHTEOUSNESS

 

Rom 9:26-33

26 and, "It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' they will be called 'sons of the living God.'"   27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved. 28 For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality."   29 It is just as Isaiah said previously: "Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah."   30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone." 33 As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."  

NIV

And now the rest of the story. Paul continues to show the Old Testament words the Jews in this church in Rome would be very used to. Rather than regurgitate this word again, and try to examine each of them, it would seem right to focus on his conclusion to this argument or perhaps a dissertation. Let us start with his statement or question: “what then shall we say?” We already know the Jews have been trying to find righteousness through the law. After all the law must be good for it came from God. Why would he give us the law if he did not intend us to follow the law to the letter? We know that all things work for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. We would have to think that the Jews certainly loved Jehovah, they would go to the temple or synagogue, and read the scrolls, and we must believe they worshipped God. However, because of our learning from the New Testament, or the new covenant, the law was given to show them they could not attain righteousness through their works, they're doing the demands of the law. Instead, they maintained their works, and saw themselves as righteous, especially the Pharisees and the Rabi’s and Chief priests, dressed in their fancy, pious, religious clothing. However, Paul makes it clear the Gentile believers among them have found this righteousness simply through faith. And once again, we are back to the central theme of faith. We know our faith is the only source of righteousness and life. Although we still feel we need to be doing these “good works” as a response to the love of God and his free gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Then the thought occurred to us that if we are the image bearers of God, that we reflect his glory to the world, then it is not through our “good works” we do that. God’s image has always been his love for his creation. Even in those times when it seemed his wrath was poured out, such as with Sodom and Gomorrah, it was his love being shown for his love of his creation. Mankind cannot expect to live shrouded in their darkness, hiding as it were from the face of God, trying their best to fulfill their every evil desire and not expect some action from God, whom they refuse to acknowledge, at least openly. All men have the knowledge of God within them, but they suppress that truth with their evil deeds. No, we cannot get confused about the difference between righteousness through faith, and that which looks like works. Again, because we are image bearers of God, we will reflect his love for his creation. All the works in the world are but clanking noise, if we do reflect nothing of God, for our righteousness comes through faith and we know that faith, hope and love are left, and the greatest of these is love. 

What If God

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

WHAT IF GOD

Rom 9:22-33

22 What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath — prepared for destruction? 23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— 24 even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25 As he says in Hosea: "I will call them 'my people' who are not my people; and I will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one,"  

Oh, Paul has far more to illustrate the character of God, but it is all too much to bite off all at once. Yet the same theme of his argument will be the same. Once again, we are faced with a loving and caring God who is also just in his sovereignty. First, we have to understand this is not about electing certain people or a nation of people to simply destroy them. This would be so counter to the fact that God so loved the world, which means every man, woman, and child in every part of the world, throughout the time from creation, that he made a way for all of mankind to be fully restored to the position of his first man. However, the point is that Paul is saying that “what if God”, which is not a definitive statement that God did choose to show his wrath. Second, we should understand this Greek word translated as prepared. This same word is used to to be made perfect or rendered as. The fullest of this idea is that even if God decided to demonstrate his wrath on those he foreknew would reject him, it is for the purpose to make his power known. But we also have to remember that this is “What if God” and that in the “What if” he also showed that his power gives him all the authority to bear great patience with the objects of wrath.  This gives us another reason to believe, that although he foreknew their rejection, his eternal hope is they will repent and come to him. This also applies to those he foreknew would accept his mercy, which means we are destined for glory. His call for mercy is for all the Jews and Gentiles. However, because the majority of Jews, the nation as a whole who he has called his people, rejected his call, he now calls us Gentiles, the ones who accepted his mercy, as according to the words given to Hosea, God now calls us “My people” and he also calls us his loved ones, who were once not his loved ones, as Israel first occupied that designation. Therefore,  as we proceed through all of these illustrations of God dealing with his creation, they are in the context of “What if God”. 

In His hands

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

IN HIS HANDS

Rom 9:19-21

19 One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?" 20 But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'"   21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?

NIV

We must remember Paul’s first recipients of this letter are mostly Jews mixed with Gentile believers in a church established in Rome. Many of his comments and illustrations would be well known by the Jews with their long-standing history with Jehovah. Still, these truths continue to bear so much relevance in our lives. The Idea of talking back to God about our lot in life seems to be an exercise in futility and yet in some ways, some of us might be doing that in a silent way. Are we content, or rather have we learned to be content with how God made us? First, are we content with our form, or body type, as well as the appearance of our reflection in that mirror? We know the beauty aid business draws in billions of dollars with people discontent with how God formed them. Then there is our mental acuity, our abilities, talents, or God-given skills. Much again, there are more people who desire to propel themselves beyond themselves. No amount of education is enough. No amount of learning is too great. Then those who cannot survive unless they can own more than all others, the race and competition to be the most successful is astonishing. All these are indications of man’s speaking back to God as to what type of vessel he has formed us to be, either for noble purposes or for common use? The key is that it is God who decides. This is not to say we should not pursue what is God’s purpose for us? Far from that! This should be our solitary focus and we have but one main method. Although this can be seen as a multifaceted approach. First, we know his Word which gives us our direction in life. Second, we have prayer, seeking his purpose for our lives. Thirdly, we have the indwelling Spirit who guides us into all truth. There is no reason for us to wonder what purpose God formed us as he did. If we wanted to enter into a contest with God about will, his is always the most excellent winner. When then should we even try to persuade his will concerning our lives? It would seem never is the correct answer. Does that mean we cannot ask for clarity, or seek him for our daily lives or needs? Absolutely we can ask, for he told us to ask for anything in the name of Jesus and he would do it. However, again, the key is asking with the right motives, not to be asking for our own self-propelled lives, but to be asking for his grace and mercy to accomplish the task he formed us to be and do, either a noble one or a common one. We are in his hands from the beginning to the end. 

God's Purpose

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

GOD’S PURPOSE

Rom 9:16-18

16 It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."   18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

NIV

Are we getting the pictures yet? Paul wants to make it extremely clear that our life is not about our desires, whether good or evil. Our life is about the very purpose of God, doing good for us whether takes someone who desires to do good or someone who desires to do evil. It doesn’t even matter how much effort we put into either the good or the evil, for everything in our lives depends on God’s mercy. Even within the pagan society with all, its false gods, God oversaw, no intervened, perhaps, orchestrated this Pharoah to power over Egypt at the exact moment in time, who was already filled with a heart hard toward the Israelites, punishing them, mistreating them out of fear of their numbers. This was all God, using a man whose heart was hard and empowering that hardness. To say God selected a good heart and turned it hard, would be wrong thinking, This Pharoah's heart was already like stone, proved by his treatment of God’s people. Yes, it was for the good of Israel his people, but the fullness of all that was so God’s power would be displayed. Once again, this life is not about our glory, but about his. We are fully aware of the boastfulness of men. Some of us need to boast of all our education, experience, and history as we see written in resumes to obtain just another rung on the ladder of life. But what baffles us is why we believers boast about our education or credentials? We already should know if there is anything or anyone to boast about, it is Christ. Can we testify to what God has done for us and in us and through us? Why we sure better give him all the praise and glory for all he is done, for if we don’t, he will raise up stones to praise him. In fact, the whole earth gives him praise and displays his power and majesty. Let us fully grasp that as God raised up Pharoah to display his might that his name would be proclaimed in all the earth, why do we not think that God has raised us up, lifted us out of the darkness into his marvelous light so that he could display his power and his very purpose. Once again, this is all about God’s divine mercy according to his plan. Let our hearts always remain supple, and flexible in the hands of our God, so that we will always be displaying his power and mercy, proclaiming his glory forever and ever. 

God's Good Pleasure

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

GOD’S GOOD PLEASURE

Rom 9:10-15

10 Not only that, but Rebekah's children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad — in order that God's purpose in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls — she was told, "The older will serve the younger."   13 Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."   14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."  

NIV

One of the best-overused portions of scripture by those proponents of the doctrine of election. But this is not about election, this is about the divine pleasure of God. According to the custom of the day, and that certainly continues in many areas today, which is predominantly displayed in the Royalty of England. The firstborn is the next in line for the crown, period. All others can live a good life, living as a royal, but they will never inherit the crown. The twin sons of Rebekah Jacob and Esau had not even been born when the pleasure of God overruled the custom of man. Typically, the firstborn son would inherit all the Father’s wealth, even with twins, one always comes forth from the womb first, which was Esau, followed by clinging to his heal was Jacob. What is interesting is that neither of these two sons had an opportunity to develop any character that could be judged either good or bad. Neither could display any reason for the choice of God to select the younger over the older. This is a full-on example of the good pleasure of God. This gives us the hope that we cannot earn any of his good pleasure because of our good works, or by our being a good person. It was by the good pleasure of God that he sent his Son Jesus to die on the cross so that whosoever wanted to accept the pleasure of God, his amazing grace, no matter how good or bad a person might think themselves to be. We know many people have a hangup about God hating Esau. What is always forgotten is that God was demonstrating that He overrules the law of men, and the customs of men and that we are all subject to the good pleasure of God, however, because of his great love, he offered himself as the only acceptable sacrifice so that whosoever believes in him will inherit eternal life. It is all about the will of God, the good pleasure of God regardless of anything man does. No one can say that God chose him because of his goodness, or abilities that could benefit the kingdom. No one can say that God chose him because he is special in some way. No man has anything to offer God that would put him in contention to be loved more than any other by God. Although it might go against man’s desire for recognition, it is all about God’s good pleasure and he has shown that good pleasure is a free gift in his Son. It is God’s good pleasure to offer salvation to anyone who accepts it. We need to get used to the fact that we live according to God’s good pleasure. 

Children of the Promise

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

CHILDREN OF THE PROMISE

Rom 9:6-9

6 It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."   8 In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. 9 For this was how the promise was stated: "At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son."  

NIV

This is going to be a tough portion of this letter to get through. This argument that Paul is beginning to lay out will take all this this chapter and into the next chapter and if we take too little it might seem easy to take it out of context and be seen as supporting the doctrine of divine election. We are going to get to those verses that some who believe in an election will use to prove that God only selects or elects some for mercy and some for wrath. In other words, God did not love the world that he sent his only Son so that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. However, before we get it heavily invested in this argument let us first consider this first part where he is setting it up. This is all about the Jews having all the history with God and yet they are not living in Christ, but are still burdening themselves with the law. Paul says this is not because God’s word had failed. For not all who are descendent of Israel are Israel. It does not matter who we are descendants in the natural realm of humanity. Although we have gotten somewhat distracted by that trying to determine our lineage through various platforms such as Ancestry.com or other methods of searching through records of births and deaths of those who preceded us. We want to know our heritage, and our national backgrounds. Who were our forefathers? Paul is telling those Jews and Gentiles in the church in Rome, their ancestry is not about human lineage, but about being children of the promise. He is going to expand on that, but we need to see that it really does not matter, although it is quite interesting, who are human ancestors were, they do no define who we are, they do not make up our character, have any bearing on whether we are children of the promise. Someone may have known us from childhood, might make a comment that we are just like our father or our mother, but as it might appear we resemble them in some sense, they have no bearing on whether God’s mercy rests on us because we have decided to become a child of the promise, being born not by the will of man, but by the promise of God. Isaac was the result of the promise, for it was impossible for both Abraham and Sarah to conceive by their human wills. This is what Paul is saying here. Therefore true Israel consists of the children of the promise, those who have been adopted as sons, through faith is Jesus Christ. Because we believe God, as Abraham did, and as his believing God was credited to him as righteousness, so then because we believe God, we are the true descendants of Abraham, children of the promise. 

Speaking truth

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

SPEAKING TRUTH

Rom 9:1-5

9:1 I speak the truth in Christ — I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

NIV

We can understand in some sense the sorrow and unceasing anguish that was in Paul's Heart. It is true the Jewish people have been given the adoption of sons, they are God’s chosen people to be the ones to have the divine glory. They are the people God chose to establish the covenant with and they were the one who received the law. God directed them to build his temple, first the one in the wilderness, the tabernacle which God gave Moses the exact plans for, down to the very detail. Then he directed David to collect all the materials needed for a more permanent temple in Jerusalem, but because David was a man of war he waited until Solomon was old enough to build it, again under the direction and plans of God, down to the last detail. God then gave the Jews all the directions for temple worship and all the promises. They are the line from which God sent Jesus to be born in the form of man. How much Israel should praise the Lord, and yet much of Israel is like most of the world, humanistic. Having been they we have seen their shame, and they're being inattentive to the things of God, except for the case of tourism, which generates a great deal for their materialistic economy. It seems to us all they did was pander to the Christian world, without sensing that deep commitment to God themselves. Yet, we see that same thing happening in this Gentile world in which we live. Many may mouth some words about religious matters, appearing to be religious people, but have not understood the need to be born again, to render their old self died with Christ and resurrected into a new life in Christ. Materialism has gripped the world. It makes a great deal of fuse over Christmas, but because we use that time to celebrate the birth of Jesus because they know people will spend gobs of money on all the trappings connected with Christmas, it is almost disrespectful. They make no fuss about Easter, no grand displays, no ornaments celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. Some garden centers might offer Easter lilies, but nothing like that fanfare display for Christmas. They make a bigger deal and more profit from Halloween than Easter. It is sad to watch the world mistreat Jesus, using him as a tool for materialistic gain, without even mentioning him in the process. We understand the sorrow and anguish Paul had, for it hurts our hearts to watch this world walking against the very truth of God. Paganism has been on a rampage against God. Yes, many of us have come out of that life and died to be resurrected into a life in Christ, filled with truth and grace. It makes us think that because we are circumcised of the heart, by God, that now we are the true Israel, who all will be saved. Because of faith, we now are the descendants of the promise, given to Abraham, that our faith is rendered to us as righteousness because we believe God. How can we speak anything but the truth because the Spirit dwells within and witnesses to our spirit, and the words we speak are confirmed by the Spirit?

Eternal Love

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

ETERNAL LOVE

Rom 8:31-39

31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."   37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

NIV

There is no one that can be against us, and nothing can cause us to be destroyed because God is for us. How can anyone or anything go up against God and win? We are soundly affixed in the love of God. There is nothing in all of creation that can separate us from his love. And when we consider what it means to be firmly in His love, it means everything. He gave us the most excellent demonstration of his love for us through sending his only begotten Son to die on the cross, shedding his blood so that we would have complete, once and for all, the forgiveness of our sins. Then, he raised him from the dead and Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father and is forever making intercession for us. We can just imagine that scene where Jesus continually shows the Father his nail-scared hands and the wound in his side where his blood was shed, telling the Father that all that was done in accordance with his love for the world. But the Father already loved us even before the foundation of the world. His love has been and will continue to be eternal. Even in our darkest times when we are either sick or are being disobedience in some way, not only some sin, but not doing that which we have been called to do, or doing that which we have been not called to do, that is acting on our own volition without consulting the Spirit, he still loves us. Jesus still died for us and by believing in the blood of Jesus, all our sins are forgiven and we have to right to be called children of God. Yes, there might be some disasters that happen in our lives. Storms can destroy our homes, and floods can ruin all we own. Hardship can come our way in a variety of ways, but that does not influence the fact that God loves us, and so then we should always be looking to the love of God rather than the things of this world. Things can temporarily disturb our daily routines, but nothing can disturb the love of God. There may be times when our love for him may falter at times because of some hardship we are experiencing and our focus on the hardship deflects our love for God. But no matter what God is always there loving us with all his love, and his focus is always on us. 

The Perfect Plan

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

THE PERFECT PLAN

Rom 8:28-30

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

NIV

This seems to be complex, yet it is simple. This is the predetermined plan for salvation for his creation. However, first we should consider the fact in all things, that is all the happenings in our lives, God works for the good, but the catch is that applies to those who love him and have been called according to his purpose. This means that not everything works for good as sin does not. If we love God, then we would not desire to sin but to live in accordance to his purpose. How do we know his purpose? That is an easy answer in the he has defined it in his word, as well as he has given us his Spirit to guide us into all truth. However, the very first purpose he called us to was to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Everything else follows that one purpose. Where some get into trouble is this foreknew and predestined. How can we not say that God foreknew every person on the earth before creation? If we want to think that then we have no truth in us for we would be limiting the knowledge of God. It is that God only foreknew those who would decide to accept Jesus, although we have to believe that he did know beforehand that we would respond to his plan for our salvation. We who have accepted his plan, he also predetermined before the foundation of the earth that we would he conformed to the likeness of his Son. In the grand scheme of things, there are those who accept and those who reject the plan of God. However, there have been before us and will be after us that have been and will be conformed to the likeness of his Son, so that Jesus is the firstborn of many brothers who will follow after his life, death, and resurrection. God also predetermined beforehand that he would call us, that is we would hear the call, and we would then be justified and gloried. This is not the doctrine of predestination, but the fact that God knows all things, every person, and every choice we will make, for if we want to boggle our minds, we need only think that there is no time with God, he operates outside the boundaries of time, therefore all that has happen and all that will happen, God has already knows. If we use a metaphor of a movie we have seen at least a dozen times, we know all the lines, and we know the end, however, we watch it unfold. God is the Alpha and the Omega, that is he began it all and he will end it all. Our task it to yield to the influence of the Spirit, living in accordance with the plan of God. This may well be completely different than our plan, but then our plans are flawed, his plan is perfect. 

Groanings

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

GROANINGS

Rom 8:26-27

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

NIV

This sounds a bit like Paul might be a Pentecostal, or at least is advocating we need to allow the Spirit to pray through us. These groans that words cannot express would seem to be a more direct line to God than our eloquent long-winded repetitive prays. There is something about tradition, especially in a worship service where everything is preplanned so there is some order to the service. However, when it comes to our prayers, they are weak in comparison to the prayers of the Spirit within us. When we pray, are we sure that we are praying in the direct will of God, or are we just praying for a particular event, or person because we think that is what is expected of us? But how effective are our weak prayers generated by our heart and mind without consultation with the Spirit? What are these groans that words cannot express? Is this what Paul is referring to speaking in an unknown language, or speaking in tongues? We know the day the Spirit arrived on the scene, that Day of Pentecost, the disciples spoke in words or groanings that their own words could not express. Of course, there were people from many different languages in Jerusalem who did hear the groaning of the Spirit and understood the Spirit praising God. This might be why some doctrines are against what appears to be the Pentecostal prayers as simple babbling. The question that has always been a core issue, is if we believe in the gifts of the Spirit, but only a select number of them, excluding the gift of tongues and interpretation, are we doing an injustice to God? Have we replaced the groaning of the Spirit that our words cannot express, with our weak words that are understandable, but unexpressive? This comes back to another core issue of whether we have replaced truth with tradition. What is the truth about the Spirit who intercedes for us in accordance with God’s will, and have we forfeited his power with our own weak words that may or may not be in accordance with God’s will? What we know is that without the Spirit, we have no power whatsoever. Let us always be in cooperation with the Spirit and his groanings. 

Eager and Patient

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

EAGER AND PATIENT

Rom 8:18-25

18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

NIV

It does not seem that we are suffering much at all. However, we wonder if living in the mortal form is suffering in some sense. Certainly, our lives in this present world are much different than the lives of those who lived in the time of Paul. Jesus had already been born in the form of man and lived as a carpenter until it was time to begin his public ministry. Once he revealed himself to man, he was called by John the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He healed, taught, and even raised a few from the dead, but then it was his time to be the Lamb and he was slaughtered on that cross, shedding his blood so we could have the forgiveness of sin. But he was raised from the dead and ascended back into heaven to be our advocate before the Father. Paul’s life was much different than ours, and he received some very harsh treatment at times. Yet, everything was still fresh and new, and the excitement of their bodies' pending resurrection was their hope that it would happen soon. But any suffering in this human form cannot ever even come close to being worthy of a comparison of the glory that is to come. The question which looms before us is whether we are eager or waiting patiently for new creation when we will be in the glory of God. Although, in some sense, we are in his glory now as He dwells within us. Still, we do not know how the full glory of God will come into our lives. We might think that we have a little more of a picture of the glory of God than Paul did, for at his time, John had not received the revelation of Jesus Christ, in all his glory. Still, we have a sense of eagerness for that which we do not fully comprehend, for we are looking through foggy lenses and yet we are still filled with hope that our eyes will see clearly. However, do we groan with creation, are we groaning, being tired of this situation and eagerly anticipating our resurrection that must come after our tired bodies are laid to rest? Are we eager for that time of our last breath, so that we can be with Jesus? At the same time are we waiting patiently with this hope? We know that God knows the time frame of our lives. He knew the minute we would be born and the very moment we would die. Nevertheless, we wait both eagerly and with patience. 

Suffering and Glory

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

SUFFERING AND GLORY

Rom 8:12-17

12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation — but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba,  Father." 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

NIV

Therefore, brother, we are indebted to God not to live according to our sinful nature, but to live according to Him, although Paul uses the Spirit, who is God. Yes, this translation uses obligation, but in the Greek the first meaning is to be indebted to someone, to owe another. Of course, we owe God because by his grace he provided a way for us to escape the jaws of death, the penalty for living by our sinful nature. However, this being in debt to God is not something we can pay with doing good works. We cannot do anything other than accept His provision Jesus and through our faith in Jesus we are saved. But it is a little more then that, for it is by our faith in the blood of  Jesus that our sins are taken away, for without His shedding of blood there would be no forgiveness of our sin. However, we are also expected to live by the Spirit, and in doing so put to death the misdeeds of our body. Here is where the rub is. How can we put to death ever last sin? If that were the case, we would never sin again, and therefore would be perfect beings living by the Spirit. We have to believe that we put to death that old sinful nature that served us in fulfilling every type of pleasure, either physical in our bodies, or materialistic in our pursuits. That we did,  we put to death that sinful nature, for once we became aware of the Light of the World, having it shown upon our hearts and minds, we knew that death was our fate. We were slaves to that sinful nature, but praise God, He set us free and we are free indeed. No longer does that old sinful nature enslave, although we still fail at being perfect, and we still sin. The difference has to be living for sin or living for God. We have chosen to live for God, to live through the influence of the Spirit within us. The beauty for this choice is that we are no longer slaves, but we are sons of God. We may freely approach our “Abba Father” without fear or trepidation. We have been adopted as children of God and therefore heir of God and co-heirs with Jesus. This idea of sharing in his suffering so that we can share in his Glory is a bit troublesome. How can we share in the suffering of Jesus? Although some Christians have suffered greatly, persecuted in the most horrific ways. But is that what Paul is saying? If we are not suffering the way Jesus did, being beaten, whipped, spat on, laughed at, and nailed to a cross, we cannot share in his glory. We think there is something else about this suffering that is more than duplicating the exact suffering of Jesus. Many believers have lived their entire lives without facing actual suffering, yet they share in Christ’s glory. We think it comes down to how we feel deep within us regarding what Jesus went through for us. For me personally, although I own the movie by Mel Gibson, “The Passion”, it took me months before I could watch it and when I did, I wept, felt horrified at how that suffering was portrayed, and knowing it had to be like that or even worse. I dare not watch it again, it is too difficult. Yet I experience that suffering within me and am forever grateful that God has blessed my life, and blessed me abundantly, and he has not required me to physically suffer. However, the inner pain of what Jesus did for us brings me to my knees and therefore we are sharing in his suffering, and we are sharing in his glory. 

Living by the Spirit

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

LIVING BY THE SPIRIT

Rom 8:9-11

9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

NIV

Paul has more to say about this contrast between living according to our sinful nature and living according to the Spirit. However, first, we need to see that we do not live according to our sinful nature because we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior and the Father gave him the Spirit to send to us. We have this paraclete, this comforter, this Holy Spirit dwelling within us and because of that God lives in us. It is also affirming or assuring that we have the Spirit and therefore we belong to Christ. Now the fact that we belong to Christ and we have the Spirit dwelling within us, our bodies are dead because of sin, yet are spirit is alive because of the righteousness of Christ. If it is because of sin that our bodies are dead, it started with Adam. This gives us the thought that had Adam not sinned his body would not have died, he was created to be an immortal being who was in complete fellowship with his creator, God. However, our creator, the Almighty God did not intend for his creation to die, but to live for eternity in his presence so that He might walk with us in the cool of the day, as he did with Adam. Therefore, because he is God, he knew Adam would do wrong, and thus his body would have to die because of sin. But, Jesus, the second Adam, came to bring us back into the right relationship with the Father, and so not only is our spirit alive, but by the same power that Jesus’s body was raised from the dead, that power will raise our bodies from the dead and we will forever be as God intended, immortal beings living in His presence. The aches of pains of this aging body remind us that at some time we are going to have to lay it down for the last time, for death with come to this mortal body, yet we also are confident that when we lay it down, we will no longer be in it, but our spirit which remains alive with be with our Lord. However, that too is only a temporary situation as one day God will raise our bodies, in whatever form they are in or not in, His almighty power, the same power with which he spoke everything that is into existence, and which raised Jesus will bring immortal life in our bodies and we will ascend in a physical form as Jesus ascended into heaven to be forever with God. Of course, there is more to this story, as one day a new earth and new heaven, a new creation will exist with a new city so large that all men who lived according to the Spirit will have a dwelling place, forever and ever. 

One Way to Live

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

ONE WAY TO LIVE

Rom 8:5-8

5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

NIV

This makes it clear that we have but two choices in life. The first is to live according to our sinful nature. This would be the nature that we are born with, we cannot help that because we are sons of the first man Adam. The second is to live according to the Spirit, and that has to be a choice to put that sinful nature to death and be born again into life in the Spirit. The first question is whether we really put our sinful nature to death or do we still have it somewhere hidden in our inner man? That is have we simply suppressed the sinful nature in favor of living according to the Spirit? What is interesting is this is all done in our mind, that is our bodies cannot live on their own, or be driven by their own passions, as it all starts in our minds. What do we allow to have control?  Of course, we have chosen to set our minds on the things of the Spirit. We do not want our minds focused on our sinful nature, for that would only bring us death. That would be simply the dumbest thing we could do, live so that death reins in our lives. Therefore, we have selected to set our minds on the things of the Spirit and give him full access to our thought process. Of course, we would what life over death, but is that the real or the only reason we chose to live according to the Spirit? At the beginning that could be a main factor for our decision to follow Jesus. When we did make that change in our thinking, we felt such relief from the burdens in life that brought us such a sense of hopelessness. Living with a mind that was hostile to God left us without any real purpose in life because nothing matters other than those moments of pleasure fulfilling our sinful nature. We did not even know that was leading us to death. But when we were exposed to the light, when the Spirit spoke into our hearts and minds, we became aware of freedom from death that was available through faith in Jesus Christ, and that we needed to be born again into Christ. This pleased God when we moved from being controlled by our sinful nature to being controlled by the Spirit. The other aspect of this transition is it not only brought us life, but for the first time in our lives, we experienced peace. This is that peace, which is the tranquil state of our soul, assured of our salvation and thus fearing nothing from God and content in our earthly lot, whatsoever that is. When we were living by our sinful nature, there was no such sense of peace, or rest for us, we were continually anxious and nervous about what happens at the end of this life, trying desperately to conceal our lack of hope by trying to fulfill passions and pleasures. But now, we are at peace with our lives, both the one we now live and the one we will live in a glorified state in the presence of our Lord. Christ, and all the hope he gives us now reigns within us and so we live pleasing God, which is the one way to live.

 

The Solution

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

THE SOLUTION

Rom 8:1-4

8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

NIV

Here is the solution to that situation that we were in, whereas we desired to do good, and evil was right there with us, and the good we wanted to do we did not, and the sin we did not want to do we did. The solution is to be in Christ Jesus because by being in Christ Jesus we are under no condemnation from God. The law could not and still cannot save us from this condemnation and therefore save us from death. There is no other way, no other remedy for our sinful state, no other solution than to be in Christ Jesus. It is interesting and also somewhat bewildering that Jesus came in the likeness of sinful man. The bewilderment is regarding the fact that Jesus came in our likeness. Does that mean he was capable of sin? The Greek word that is translated as likeness is homoiooma, which means that which has been made after the likeness of something, or a figure, image, representation, or resemblance. This would make us believe that Jesus came in our resemblance or likeness but was not actually like us in having a sinful nature because it would be impossible for God to have a sinful nature. Then we would have to conclude that Jesus was not capable of sin, although he was fully man. He certainly would have experienced all the temptation we face and that was demonstrated for us when we went out in the wilderness and was tempted by Satan, but Jesus not only resisted those temptations but put Satan in his place and by Jesus’s life, death and resurrection, he defeated death. So then, being in Christ Jesus we live free of condemnation and therefore free from death. It is also interesting that we are living as one who has fulfilled the law perfectly because we are living in the Spirit and not according to our sinful nature. Of course, this does not mean that we will not ever sin again, for we know that quite well. Although the righteous requirements of the law are fully met in us because we do not live according to that sinful nature but according to the Spirit. If we still lived according to our sinful nature we would have no interest in Christ Jesus, but only be interested in fulfilling our every desire. However, Jesus coming in our likeness lived according to the Spirit and perfectly met the righteous requirements of the law, so that when we enter into this union with him, we not only died to self, that sinful nature, and we were born again into Christ Jesus through the Spirit. It is a simple solution for life,  to live according to the Spirit, live in Christ Jesus. 

The Battle

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

THE BATTLE

Rom 7:13-25

13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. 14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

NIV

This is really confession time for Paul and it should bring us to the realization that we are no different than this mighty man of God who wrote this letter. Within the context of what Paul is confessing we get the impression, there is a difference between our mind, or heart, and our body. But that almost sounds like dualism where the mind and the body are separate entities. However, that cannot be what Paul is describing of himself and his struggle with sin. It would seem right to think that our body is controlled by our mind, that we are one being fully integrated mind, body, soul, or spirit. Because we have been created in the image of the One True God, who is three in one, Father, Son, and, Holy Spirit, we are that same three in one, which means we cannot think one thing and do another. We understand the metaphor Paul is using that it is his desire to do good, but evil is right there with him. However, our bodies cannot act alone, it is always subject to our mind. There is a war that wages within us as well it was in Paul. We do want to do good; we do what to avoid willful sin, it is not our desire to just go on having an attitude or behavior that is not good, but it happens. It is not that we are not in control, and we act thoughtlessly, but maybe that is what we do in some sense. We do not want to think judgmentally about someone, and yet we find that is exactly what we are doing. When we realize our error in thinking, we repent and seek forgiveness. It is a lot like overeating which is being a glutton and is bad for our bodies, yet it seems our body craves those sweets or whatever and we just cannot help ourselves, so we indulge. But it is the mind that is craving after those things, not this body alone. The war is in our thinking, for we cannot see our body acting out sin while we are wanting to serve God in our mind. If we took the approach of dualism, then we could excuse our body's behavior while we praise God in our minds. We cannot think that we will ever escape sin completely on this side of heaven, for we are captive to our humanity. Even though we desire to do good, that is not doing bad, or sinful thinking and consequently sinful behavior, we still get entangled in that sinful thinking which sometimes leads to that wrong behavior. There are other times that we simply have the wrong attitude while appearing good to everyone in our behavior. That is what a façade is. Just like some of those old buildings that have problems on the inside, but have been faced with a shining new front, so they appear to be a new building but have those hidden issues. When we harbor any ill feelings, judgment, envy, jealousy, bitterness, unforgiveness, even anger, or feeling hurt, or overlooked, without acting any of those out, we are still waging that war within our mind. It is a problem we will face until we reach heaven. But we cannot excuse ourselves and say, “well, we are just human”. But the fact is that is what we are. However, we can be thankful to God for he has rescued us from this dreadful state, and set our feet on solid ground, His Word. We know right from wrong and even when we do wrong, we have the confidence that is not our downfall for all our sin has been forgiven in Christ Jesus. Because we are still battling against sin, we are not condemned, but forgiven. It isn’t easy to be holy and righteous, but in Christ, that is what we are. However, it still seems like a battle. 

To Sin or To Love

 DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

TO SIN OR TO LOVE

Rom 7:7-12

7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet."   8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.

NIV

Well, at least we know the temptation that Paul fell prey to and that he was very aware of his sin. But to say the law is holy and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good makes it very clear that God’s intent for the law was to bring Paul and us to that point of repentance because we cannot find life in the law. How can something that brings death be so holy? How can a command of God that brings us death be righteous and good? It would seem simple enough because the law came from God. However, it also appears right to understand the law was put in force to show us we cannot find righteousness under the law. If God had never given the law, we would never know that we are guilty of sin. Yet, was that the reason we came to Jesus? From Paul’s testimony of his conversion, he did not come to Jesus because he was a dead man walking under the law, but because Jesus appeared to him and spoke to him. Luke tells us in the acts of the Apostles that after Saul received his sight at the hands of Ananias, he spent a few days with the disciples, those who followed Jesus. When did Paul get this truth about the law bringing death and Jesus bringing us life? When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we were not ever concerned about any law from God, in fact, we were not even concerned about God. Certainly, there are religious people aware of God, even worship him, and are conscience of sin at some level, knowing some about the commands of God, yet are still dead men walking because they have not died to sin and have been born again into the Spirit. The law, the commandments, can lead us to awareness of sin, but cannot save us from death, in fact, it brings us death. Why then would we want to live under the law? It does not make sense at all to live under that which brings us death. Yet, it appears some in the church today want to establish their own set of laws or rules to live by and may be confused. True, we must make every effort to live righty, to live in the Spirit, to live as a born-again believers in Jesus. This means we do not go looking for ways to sin but look for ways to live in the Spirit and to live a life of love. That is the greatest command that Jesus tells us to love God with our whole being and to love others as he loves us. If we live in love, that is primary, and loving each other will eliminate or eradicate many sins. If we love each other then we would never do any harm to one another or do something that would cause another to sin. That seems simple enough, but it seems we cannot even do that faithfully, or perfectly, so again, we are in desperate need of the grace of God. Everything in this life brings us to our need for the grace of God, for Jesus. Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing, no works are good enough, no life is good enough, no amount is spirituality is good enough, and no abiding by rules and regulations is good enough, although they are not all bad either, they simply do not enhance the grace of God. Faith, hope, and love are the greatest attributes, but the greatest of these is love.