Do not pass judgment. Romans 14:1-4

Posted on 03/30/2020 by remso

Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another

If you did a quick overview of Romans 14, then you would know that the first three verses are inherently tied together.

One of the first things you see is the word judgment; however, if all you used was, say, the NASB, you might not understand why Paul uses the word judgment. I will try to explain.

Romans 14:1 NASB Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.

How would you know this person, who just walked in the door, is weak in their faith, and what does it mean to be weak in faith?

You wouldn’t know, that is unless you had some in-depth conversation. And, just because these “new” people don’t see things the way you do, does not necessarily mean they are weak in faith.

[As I write this, the United States is in shut down mode over the Covid 19 virus. Not knowing what is affecting me physically, and the fact that my sinuses began draining again, I opted not to take any lip off of people at church, and stay home. Since the church I attend is a modified “faith” church, although they will not tell you that, to some, my actions would indicate that I did not have enough faith. Given the global circumstances, I would be very annoyed if someone started coughing all over me. Does that make me weak in faith? I am hoping you get my point.]

Let’s look at other translations and see if we get any clarification.

Welcome with open arms, fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.(Romans 14:1 MSG)

Did you catch that, he is not just talking about someone who is merely weak in their faith, he is talking about fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. Well, there are two or three conflicting opinions to every truth you might be expressing.

An example.

Sitting in a home-group, “of men,” a man showed up who was reasonably new to the church. The assumption was made that this guy knows nothing. So, in an attempt to show off some biblical prowess, based on tradition and opinion, and not the word, the question was asked, how big do you think David was when he slew Goliath? The man who asked the question is someone I have known for about twenty years and, the religious tradition is that David was a boy of about 12 years. When no one dared to answer the question I said, I will take a crack at it, and said, about six foot four inches tall. Well, guess what happened, I got verbally accosted because I said something with which they did not agree. By the way, there is substantial biblical evidence that David was about that tall, but I will leave that to you to find out. Some of these people can be very opinionated and therefore come off as though they know everything.

Another example came to mind when an ex-pastor brought in stacks of the book, “The Shack,” by William Paul Young. That Pastor said it had impacted his life, and he wanted others to read it. I bought one. I struggled a bit with the book because the imagery was not what I was used to. If you read Eugene Peterson’s book, “What’s So Amazing About Grace,” you came to learn that in his church, in the South, racism was simply a way of life. While the racism may not have been so openly visible for me, I strongly suspect that racism ran through the church I attended as well; these hidden racist attitudes caused some of my struggle as I read The Shack. The Holy Spirit told me to shut up and keep reading, and I did, but I still approached a man at our church who had a Theological Doctorate and asked him about “The Shack” because I wanted answers. His response was, I will not discuss something that is filled with such weak theology. I never bothered him again.

To be honest, I struggled with the crowd passing judgment against me that evening, and yet, I have passed judgment against them. The brother who asked about David’s height, went on, several years later, to lead a study in Romans, just as I am still doing, months after the other has ended. I dropped out after a short time, rather than to get into contentious arguments. The arguments would have evolved primarily because my friend was teaching Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on Romans instead of the Bible. While some of Wiersbe’s information could be deemed useful, I also found aspects that grieve me, such as: telling the audience that the book of Romans was primarily written to the Gentile world.

Here is where the idea that Romans is a Gentile’s book comes into play.

Romans 14:2 NLT  For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables.

You get some freshly converted Jew, and they will come undone if you hand them a pulled pork sandwich. 

Would that bother a Gentile? 

I doubt it would, so if he is talking to Gentiles, then why even have this discussion? Perhaps there is more to this idea of eating anything. 

Peterson’s Message says this.

For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background might assume all Christians should be vegetarians and eat accordingly. (Romans 14:2 MSG)

Interesting, how Peterson says, “ while another, with a different background might assume all Christians should be vegetarians and eat accordingly.” 

Since you know your Bible, then I will bring up that Peter was the Apostle to the Gentiles, but that didn’t last long. How do we know this? Because of this.

About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. (Acts 10:9-16 NIV)

Immediately after this, Peter was called to the home of Cornelius, the Centurion.

The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius, the Centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.” (Acts 10:22 NIV)

This Centurion was a Roman Gentile. Watch what happened.

The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.” (Acts 11:1-3 NIV)

Obviously, for most of the Jews, their faith was not strong enough to handle Peter’s sitting with Gentiles, let alone the eating part. Why because these new converts may have been willing to eat pulled pork and lobster?

Romans 14:3 NIV  The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.

What did Eugene Peterson say?

“Welcome with open arms, fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with.”

Is this also Paul’s way of telling these Jews that the Gentiles are acceptable? 

The Complete Jewish Bible tells us:

The one who eats anything must not look down on the one who abstains; and the abstainer must not pass judgment on the one who eats anything, because God has accepted him— (Romans 14:3 CJB)

There does not seem to be anything abnormal, as one is merely abstaining. This can work both ways. But let’s pursue what might not be said in this rant. The first church council was made up of Apostles, Jews, and they held tightly to their Jewishness. So when they gave instructions to the “Gentile” believers, they merely said,

but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. (Acts 15:20 NASB)

This did not explain the reasons why you don’t consume the blood, as it is for most, just disgusting. Paul takes it a step further.

Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know; but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him. Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us, there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. However, not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience being weak is defiled. But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? For through your knowledge, he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. (1 Corinthians 8:1-11 NASB)

So it has more to do with freedoms and liberty, and Paul practically uses the same language here in his letter to the church at Corinth, as he did in the letter to the church in Rome.

While I intend to include this next verse in the future study, it is undoubtedly, and contextually, an aspect of this conversation.

Romans 14:4 NASB Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master, he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

Consider these words:

“Who are you to judge the servant of another?”

What does that mean?

Paul, as I have pointed out on several occasions, opened this letter in this manner.

Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, (Romans 1:1 NASB)

Do you not realize that we are all bond-servants?

And if we are bond-servants, then this portion of this verse stands true.

“To his own master, he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”

If scripture is true, and it is, then we will either stand or fall because we are the Lords. Thank God, He will make us stand, not only in this world but also in the world to come.

Posted in apologetics, Apostle Paul, bible study, Faith, forgive, gentiles, grace, Jesus, Jews, judgment, Law of liberty, Mercy, restore, righteous, Romans, the good news, Things I have never noticed before, Thoughts on scripture, understanding | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fulfilling the Law Through Love. Romans 13:8-14.

Posted on 03/26/2020 by remso

That’s quite the title considering that Paul is known for preaching grace. As Paul tries to tell us how to follow the law, the “law” and love, at first glance, those two words do not seem to belong together, as the “law” almost always has an oppressive connotation, but then, for some, so does heaven and worship.

Let me explain. When I was younger, growing up in church, and having a very religious mother who used the “law of God” as a threat, to hear her say you have to worship God created imagery were all we would do once we got to heaven, was to sit and cry out, Holy Holy Holy, for the rest of eternity. It did not help that the enemy comes along behind some demand like that and tries to convince you that God is like a twisted dictator that demands worship. As my understanding grew about the Lord, I learned what His nature and character were, and I found myself caught up in “worship” in such a magnificent way that I did not want to leave that place, that moment in time. Unfortunately, many of those moments are within my church body, and, regardless of what I want, they stop the music and tell everybody to shake hands with others, which breaks my heart and the moment. Being caught up in worship is the most wondrous place to be, and all I want to do is to cry out Holy Holy Holy. As I tell my wife on occasion, you made me fall in love with you once again; I feel that way about the Father.

The first verse we cover in this section is Romans 13:8.

Romans 13:8 NLT  Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.

Let’s take this apart. The first thing I see could be construed to be a command – a law.

    • “Owe nothing to anyone.”

Alternate versions give us: Stop owing anybody anything; Let no debt remain outstanding; Don’t owe anyone anything, and Pay everything you owe.

If I were teaching a financial freedom class, this would lesson number one – get out of debt. But this is NOT just about getting out of debt; this is about stopping the destruction of relationships, including the one you have with the Father.

Why bring our relationship with the Father into this?

Because money has brought more people to destruction than just about anything else, and what do you do when you are evicted from your home? You blame God. No, God does not turn His back on you in moments like this; you turn your back on Him because of your shame.

What else does this verse tell us?

    • “Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another.”

The NASB puts it this way: except to love one another. Again I ask, why do the law and love go together? The Apostle Peter had something to say in response to my question. 1 Peter 4:8 NASB

“because love covers a multitude of sins,”

Sin is anything that breaks God’s law. The fact that we are breathing attributes to the breaking of the law. How? Simply by being alive, because your very being longs to do its own thing; this concept doesn’t seem like such a big deal when you don’t have the Holy Spirit in your life, and that’s the problem, as the Holy Spirit would be leading you to do what is right. Grasp this; OUR sin put Jesus on that cross. Love, in the flesh, put Himself on that cross; and, at that moment, bore the penalties for OUR sin, and offered us His righteousness instead; and with that act, LOVE covered our sins, not just once as in the sacrifice of a lamb, but in perpetuity.

Almost every translation speaks of Romans 13:8 along the lines of loving your neighbor, and in that you have fulfilled the law, meeting all of its requirements. If we still have a responsibility to maintain the law, as inundating as most see it, then this should be very freeing to most. But, loving your neighbor evokes a question that I have to deal with constantly. How do I love the drug dealer and his hate-filled girlfriend, who has taught her children that my wife, the school librarian, is to be hated and feared, because she, and I, will call the police on them? (We haven’t done that, yet.)

Perhaps Paul has an answer for a question like this, as he always does. Once again, I lean on Eugene Peterson’s Message.

Romans 13:9 MSG  The law code—don’t sleep with another person’s spouse, don’t take someone’s life, don’t take what isn’t yours, don’t always be wanting what you don’t have, and any other “don’t” you can think of—finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself.

If I apply this to my neighbor, sleeping with his wife is unthinkable. The neighbor has nothing that I want to take; but then there is this statement “don’t always be wanting what you don’t have.” This last portion is the world I live in, and I fight it constantly. Every once in a while the truth creeps in and I see it; I have to love myself better. I know, that sounds weird, but the truth of it is, I must see myself the way the Father sees me, and He loves me.

A staunch version of Romans 13:9 comes from the MKJV.

For: “Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not lust;” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Let me add, all these things (sins) are easily done in the mind; and, you are still just as responsible for the results, whether you acted out on the thought or not. That piece of information should make you elated that Christ paid the penalty for ALL sin. [Keep in mind that Christ’s actions do not relieve you from the legal authorities and the demands of the court.]

Another aspect of Paul’s response.

Romans 13:10 NLT  Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.

The CEV translation says this:

No one who loves others will harm them. So love is all that the Law demands.

Oversimplified? Perhaps; but what was the jest of those laws, written in stone by God, that Moses carried down from the mountain? TREAT PEOPLE DECENTLY.

Now, it seems that Paul makes a shift in thought.

Romans 13:11 CEV  You know what sort of times we live in, and so you should live properly. It is time to wake up. You know that the day when we will be saved is nearer now than when we first put our faith in the Lord.

I sometimes think, life could not have been more simplified back then; with an outhouse only a short distance away, and a well in the city square from which to get water, life was good. But, just like today, there were thugs and bullies willing to take what is yours and kill you in the process. How did this happen if we all came from the same stock? And, if Noah told his sons about this God that talked with him, wouldn’t they have shared that with their children? But if you read your bible, then you know that one of Noah’s own sons committed some heinous sexual crime against his father.

When I think about this statement (“You know what sort of times we live in,”) in relation to the world I live in, what has changed?

Modernization has certainly upgraded the weapons thugs and bullies can use against me/us; technology has improved the ability to communicate to others the gathering points for mass attacks; and people, like George Soros, are willing to fund brutal and coordinated attacks on the unwary populace. In short, the world has gone mad.

Could the general population have felt the same emotion in Paul’s day? Maybe.

What does Paul tell us to do, and consider this answer in light of what verse 10 says?

“Love never does anything that is harmful to its neighbor,”(ISV)

Never intentionally do anything harmful to your neighbor. Paul tells us:

“It is time to wake up.”

Paul, then says something unusual – it is only unusual because the church has been in existence for over 2000 years, and yet, even then, there was an anticipation, and an understanding, of the events that would precede and announce the coming of the Lord.

“You know that the day when we will be saved is nearer now than when we first put our faith in the Lord.” (CEV)

One of the ways of interpreting this sentence would be to take it on a daily basis; that idea works, but clearly, some aspect of understanding is missing. Having been berated by a friend and a pastor, I know that NOT everyone is willing to even come close to making an effort to understand the end times and the events that move God’s plan forward.

An alternate way to interpret what Paul is saying is to look at the context. The context has everything to do with the day in which we will be saved.

Hebrews 10:25 GW  We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming.

Hebrews 10:37 GW  “Yet, the one who is coming will come soon. He will not delay.

Obviously, Paul, and the early church anticipated His soon return.

But which return are we, the church, looking for?

Paul again writes.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 GW  The Lord will come from heaven with a command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the dead who believed in Christ will come back to life.  (17)  Then, together with them, we who are still alive will be taken in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. In this way we will always be with the Lord.  (18)  So then, comfort each other with these words!

We will be caught up to meet him in the air. This is not on the ground as the prophet Zechariah describes; these are two separate events.

Zechariah 14:4 GW  On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, just east of Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives will be split in two, forming a very large valley from east to west. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and the other half will move toward the south.

If we can understand that we are to be looking for His soon return for the church, then how are we to live?

Romans 13:12 NASB The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

The NLT conveys this: “The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here.”

Night can, and should only be, interpreted as everything less than the glory of living with the Father – in our changed bodies.

This understanding is why I gave you passages like 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. Since we know that the day of salvation will soon be here, then we need to lay aside the deeds of darkness, and, put on the armor of light.

What of this darkness and the deeds Paul speaks of?

John 3:19-21 NASB “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. (20) “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. (21) “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

I might think that these deeds are anything that would drive you toward the darkness.

The word deeds is the Greek word ergon and can also mean acts or toil. Obviously, the acts or toil are for NO good purpose. When I look up the word exposed, I find the Greek word elegchō. Elegchō is of uncertain affinity and also means to confute, admonish: – convict, rebuke, reprove. Confute means to prove to be wrong; to convict of error.

The dark things that Paul talks about in Ephesians 5 when he speaks of how it is disgraceful to speak of those things are nothing new. Israel reverted back to their disgraceful ways when they camped at Mount Sinai. (Read Stephen’s discourse, in Acts 7, in your spare time.)

Ephesians 5:11-12 NASB Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; (12) for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.

Keep in mind, that as a follower of Christ, you have been redeemed and made new, however, it is only the union between you and the Holy Spirit of God, that keeps you from returning to your completely deprived state.

1 Thessalonians 5:5 NASB for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;

As I read my bible one theme stands out over the others, and that is that we are called to live in enthusiastic awareness, but of what?

Romans 13:13-14 NLT  Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

  • “Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see.”
  • “Don’t participate in the darkness” – (or anything that darkness includes.)
  • (Instead,) clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
  • “And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”

Live with eager excitement, as you long for the day that Jesus will return for His church. This is what he told the disciples, with the addendum, I am telling you the truth; after that, God’s wrath will be poured out over the earth. An acquaintance of mine, as well as others, believe that we are in those seven years now. If that was the case, then God would still be holding US accountable for sin. The logic only works if you disregard Jesus work on the cross. Because of the cross, sin was paid for, so that we do not have to pay with our lives.

Romans 6:9-11 NLT  We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

Colossians 1:19-21 NLT  For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ,  and through him, God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.

I focused, for a second, on Romans 13:13-14, where it says, “And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” Why would Paul have to mention such a thing?

The best way of thinking this through is to understand that each of us was born broken (you can thank Adam for that.) That brokenness is the basis for sin, and sin, in its refined state, is desire. So, there you have it; you have an innate and perpetual desire to do what you want. For some, that means theft, while for others, it means murder. Let’s just say, you haven’t done those things, and your desire is to merely fret over the fact that you don’t have an RV like your neighbor – that you have come to despise because they have and you don’t. If you thought it, you have done it, and that makes you a sinner. Now I am sure you are smart enough to have figured this all out, but some of us clearly have not. Some, foolishly believe that migrating over to Christianity totally frees you from your lust, filled desires, but it does not.

If you think that life is all rainbows and sunshine and that humanity can be completely free of God and live like civilized people, you are wrong because we are oriented, by our brokenness to do anything but love. All you have to do is to exam the story from Genesis chapter six – the section that contains the events that lead to the flood, and the destruction of “all” flesh; there you will find that humanity and their understanding of God came almost exclusively through word of mouth. Many, so-called Christians, love to fight about every point, so let’s fight about this word of mouth idea.

After the garden incident, how many times do you see God speaking to “his” people?

Just about zero times. Surely, God spoke with Enoch, but people who choose to listen to God are always rare. Why do you suppose that is? If you have followed the ancestral lineage through to Noah, haven’t you wonder what happened to Enoch’s brothers and sisters? How about Methuselah, he too had brothers and sisters, and yet, like Noah, NONE of them got on the ark. It is very obvious that there was only a thread of people – Noah’s family, and Noah specifically, that paid any attention to the voice of the Lord.

Genesis 6:5 NLT  The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.

Can I understand that everything was polluted, especially when there were men like Enoch, Methuselah, and Noah?

Percentages were less than 100%, and like the story of Lot, it was enough for God to assert that the entirety of the population was polluted. Now there is an interesting word polluted. When we see such terminology, we think about places like “cancer alley” that runs along the length of the Mississippi River and empties out into the Louisiana bayous, or the power plants of Chernobyl and most recently Fukushima. You get the idea. While even back then, in Noah’s time, there had to be some form of pollution, but it was nothing like today. And so, we are not talking about humanities physical destruction of the earth, and therefore have to be talking about something even greater, something that affects the moral fiber of mankind.

Genesis 6:11-13 KJV  The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.  And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.  And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

The Hebrew word for corrupt is šāḥaṯ and means spoiled, ruined, and perverted. That destructive force reared its ugly head when we read, “the sons of God, looked on the daughters of men.” Sons of God is the Hebrew words bēn elohim. “bēn” pronounced ba’ne is found over 5000 times in scripture and carries the most basic meaning and general translation of son – the direct male offspring of human parents, it is more generally a relational term because of its variety of applications. This word can express an adopted child.

While this information, obtained from the Word Study Dictionary, seems to prove the point of those unwilling to pursue answers, it opens the door to more questions, because of Job 2:1.

Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. (NASB)

If God can use the term in Job to refer to a fallen angel, Satan, then who are these sons we see here I Genesis 6?

I do not want to end here, focused on a broken, fallen world, not when Jesus has redeemed us all. Focus on this:

If you want to lose sleep over something, make it this, how can I clothe myself in the presence of the Lord.

Posted in Apostle Paul, bible study, condemnation, disciplined, End times, Faith, false teaching, finisher, gentiles, God's character, grace, guilt, Hearing God, In Christ, Islam, Jesus, Mercy, Peace, redemption, restore, righteous, Romans, sexual sin, Sin, Thoughts, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Submission to authorities. Romans 13:1-7

Posted on 03/24/2020 by remso

Romans, chapter 13 is entitled:

Submission to the Authorities

I am already struggling with this title, but let’s be patient and see what the chapter is telling us.

Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities.
For there is no authority except from God,
and those which exist are established by God.
Romans 13:1 NASB

The idea that every person is to be in subjection is rather comprehensive, as no one is excluded. However, Paul is writing specifically to the church body that gathers in Rome, and generally to the entire body of Christ.

This letter about subjection may be especially important since this group of believers, which is majority Jewish, had recently made a return after either Claudius or Nero expelled the Jews from Rome. Why don’t I pronounce one or the other as the author of a decree to expel the Jews? Because Nero shared power with Claudius, his adoptive father, and therefore Rome was also under the governance of Nero (37-68AD), but one of the most disturbing leaders was Claudius. Nero became the emperor in 54AD after the death of Claudius. History tells us that the Emperor had been using the Jews for torches, and Claudius made it known that the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus – a Grecian derivative for Christ.

Based upon what they understood from the Torah, the Jews knew they were not to lay down and be doormats for this Roman oppression. This scenario should have us scratching our heads in bewilderment as we try to understand what Romans 13:1 is asking us to do.

Subjection, according to the dictionary, means to be: inferior in order, dignity, power, and influence. It also means to be subordinate, but NOT enslaved.

Do I think, for a second, that God desires for you to feel inferior? Not a chance, and neither did Paul. 2 Corinthians 11:5 Paul says, “I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles.” And in 2 Corinthians 12, Paul not only speaks again about how he is in no way inferior to the apostles, but he states that he has never treated any of the body of Christ as inferior.

Strong’s shows us the Greek word hupotassō, which means to subordinate; reflexively to obey: – be under obedience (obedient), put under, subdue unto, (be, make) subject (to, unto), be (put) in subjection (to, under), submit self unto. This Greek word is a derivative of two others, hupo meaning under, and tas’-so, which means to arrange in an orderly manner, that is, assign or dispose (to a certain position or lot.

We are being asked to submit ourselves to the authorities in an orderly manner. Another way to look at this, we are being asked to put ourselves at their disposal.

Is Paul saying, for any foolish endeavor?

I seriously doubt it, but if you study life of the Apostle Paul, you find him arguing his case “before the courts,” but NOT screaming, yelling, and making an absurd scene. He carries himself with dignity.

What purpose does Paul’s submission serve?

It allowed for the gospel message to go to the Gentiles, caused the gospel to spread, and the gospel was preached to the highest levels of government.

What is the reason behind such a request by “God?”

As the NLT puts it,

Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. (Romans 13:1 NLT)

Look at how distinctly the explanation comes.

Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God;

and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.

Romans 13:2 NASB

  • “Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God.”

God has put them there in positions of authority, even if they are morons. There is a purpose behind everything.

We, in America, are coming to Presidential elections once again. The vote in which President Trump was elected did not start with him in the race. He threw his hat into the ring at the last minute. For me, before Mr. Trump jumped in, there was NOBODY sane worthy of a vote, but to be straight with you, most of us knew what kind of brash person the man was, and we all knew he had weaknesses, but the man has demonstrated that there is more to him than the shallow louse who loved to say, you’re fired.

So let’s try to glance at two scenarios.

  1. President Obama: An admitted Muslim, with falsified birth records, and a determination (his own words) to bring this nation down to a level with third world nations, was the President of my country. I did not choose him, vote for him, or like him. As long as we had the right to freedom of speech and the ability to vote, I made an effort to get the devil and his demons out of office. Fortunately, he could only be president for two terms, and yet, I had to abide by the laws, mandates, and presidential orders. If there had been a reinstatement of the draft and they had called my name, I would have gone to war – mind you, I would have been muttering the entire way angrily. And one religious zealot, in particular, would repeatedly say, you have to pray for our President. My response, in jest, was, I have, and, unfortunately, he is still alive.
  2. The current President, Donald Trump: Is brash, outspoken, and demanding; yet, the nation is running more the way many of us had hoped it would. I pray for his success, well being, and sanity (I think the job of President could easily make anyone nuts.)

Do I feel like I am doing this subjection thing correctly?

Not by a long shot, but know this, I don’t fight with the police, because I have not done anything wrong, as yet. And I do not believe it is appropriate for a Christian to be involved in the activities of Antifa, as their purpose is to fight against leadership and disrupt people’s lives. The day may come when aligning oneself with the scriptures may be a criminal act. At that point, despite what the current administration says, I will become a criminal.

Romans 13:3-4 NASB For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; (4) for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.

You probably noticed how I said, I don’t see a need to fight with the police, as I have done nothing wrong. Romans 13: 3,4(a) speaks specifically to that end.

  • “Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; (4) for it is a minister of God to you for good.”

Let’s just say you ran a red light, now do you feel you are in any place to fight with the police officer that is pulling you over? Some morons do.

  • “But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.”

Keep in mind that Paul is writing to believers. Some religious zealots would have you think that as a follower of Christ, we would never do anything wrong. My question to people who buy into thinking like this is, what planet do you live on? 

While it is true that we, who accepted Christ, have buried ourselves with Him in baptism, have died and risen with Him – theoretically; but, as long as we are suited in these bodies, we will always be subject to the sin and death that surround us. 

What advantage then is salvation? 

It gave us a righteous standing with the Father, and that is our entrance into the Kingdom of heaven. Until that day comes and we are changed, we are capable of missing the mark/sin; and sin can get you landed in prison.

Romans 13:5 NASB Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.

Eugene Peterson does a very good job of giving us another take on this verse.

That’s why you must live responsibly—not just to avoid punishment but also because it’s the right way to live. (Romans 13:5 MSG)

These last two verses define the idea being subject to authorities very well. Because it’s the right way to live.

Romans 13:6-7 BBE  For the same reason, make payment of taxes; because the authority is God’s servant, to take care of such things at all times.  (7)  Give to all what is their right: taxes to him whose they are, payment to him whose right it is, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor is to be given.

So being subject to authority looks like this.

  • Pay your taxes. The reason: “because the authorities are working for God when they fulfill their duties” (GNB) This does not say they are Godly people, it merely states that unwittingly, they are working for God, as they fulfill their duties.
  • “Give to all what is their right: taxes to him whose they are, payment to him whose right it is, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor is to be given.” The Message conveys this, “Fulfill your obligations as a citizen. Pay your taxes, pay your bills, respect your leaders.” It’s simple really, do what is right by the law.

To those who do not buy into the idea of being under the law, I know you think the “law” is explicitly talking about the Torah. Why then did Jesus, in compliance with Roman law, tell Peter to pay the taxes that Rome was demanding? Jesus answered the Pharisee’s argument by telling Peter to go fishing. When you pull up the first fish, look in its mouth and pull out the coin that you will find there. Peter did just that. Jesus then said, whose image do you see there? The answer was Caesar. Jesus then said, give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and by that, the taxes got paid that day, answering the foolish argument of the Jews.

Are we to comply with the law?

There is no doubt in my mind unless the law demands mandatory worship of the image of the beast – although I do not believe that it will be called the beast, take his number, and worship the beast, that perhaps, all other laws are such that we could comply. [Read Revelation 13 and pay particular attention to the details about the worship of the beast, taking the mark, and the worship of the image that is made to speak. Anyone, who does all three, goes to hell, no questions asked.]

And why could we comply? If we go back to Romans chapter 1, in which Paul introduces himself to this mostly Jewish community. He says, I Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ. Slaves have no right to do anything but comply; maybe this understanding is our biggest clue.

Posted in bible study, false teaching, Freedom from sin, God's character, grace, In Christ, Jesus, Jews, Mercy, righteous, Romans, spiritual gifts, Thoughts, Thoughts on scripture, ungodliness, unrighteousness, wrath. | Leave a comment

The marks of a true Christian – what does that mean? Romans 12:9-21.

Posted on 03/17/2020 by remso

Many of the translations entitle Romans 12:9-21,

The Marks of a True Christian.

I find myself saying, with some frequency, look at their fruit. Unlike Ash Wednesday, which we just went through, we are not looking for marks on someone that might indicate whether or not they are a Christ-follower, although we could be if we lived in a region where brutalizing Christ-followers is a common practice. So, then, the reality of an opening statement like this, is that we are looking for evidence that is demonstrated in the way they act.

Actions take in a wide variety of manners and methods, and this idea is played out in Matthew 25:31-46, where we read about the sheep and goat judgment. In Matthew’s gospel, the dead of all the nations is called before the throne of judgment. God, who is represented by Jesus – the shepherd, separates the crowd into two groups. To those He calls sheep, He says, welcome into the kingdom. The “sheep,” almost as if in unison, say, what did we do to deserve entrance into the kingdom of God. To which Jesus replies, you gave me a drink of water, fed me, and visited me in prison. This allowance into the kingdom should stun us, as the fruit is NOT what we recognize, or expect to see when we are looking for fruit. Well, there it is, the word fruit, and I associated it with these marks that the translators tell us we should be able to see.

If we think we must be fruit inspectors, we have a problem, for when we are focusing on other people’s fruit, which comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, then who is tending to my fruit trees. 

Before I dive into Romans, I want to point out the peculiarity of the terminology “Marks.”

If you have been a follower of Christ for any length of time, then you should be familiar with the idea that the Holy Spirit seals us.

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, (Ephesians 1:13 NASB)

And, in Revelation chapter seven, we see the one hundred and forty-four thousand who are sealed in their foreheads.

Revelation 7:3 NASB saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”

A friend asked me, what does that seal/mark look like, and can we see it?

Great question, but I don’t have a good answer, as you can’t see the “seal/mark” of the Holy Spirit on or in the life of a believer unless you look at any fruit they might be producing.
Evidence of a particular kind of fruit came out several years ago when Dr. Hugh Ross was speaking to our men’s group about a book he had written, entitled “Why the Universe is the way it is.” He talked about how science validates the Bible, the age of the earth, and, he referred, many times, to the Book of Revelation, a subject which he had been teaching in his church for several years. Several men in the group were polite enough to hold their tongues until after the talk, and then those men began, in small circles, to dispute what the intelligent Doctor was saying. For me, the Holy Spirit repeatedly confirmed the words of Doctor Ross that morning, as He reminded of things that my heart had already seen in scripture.

John 14:26 NASB “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

What kind of fruit were these naysayers demonstrating; men who wholeheartedly, profess to be followers of Christ?

Let’s dive in, starting with Romans 12:9.

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. (Romans 12:9 NASB)

  • “Let love be without hypocrisy.”

Webster’s Dictionary defines hypocrisy as a feigning to be what one is not, or dissimulation, a concealment of one’s real character or motives. More generally, hypocrisy a simulation or the assuming of a false appearance of virtue or religion.

Doesn’t this give you the impression that these hypocrites are not a part of the church body?

The tricky part of this is that this impression stuff is the devil’s playground, as it prompts us to migrate into judgment, and that is not our job.

What are we, as the church, supposed to do about it?

Do not try to pick their fruit. Paul gives us some sound advice, stay away from things that are not right.

Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.” Now in a large house, there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:19-21 NASB)

Note how the NASB uses the term wickedness. Just the mention of the word evokes images of horrific acts. Look that word “wickedness” up, and you can find, according to the Word Study Dictionary, that a sufficient and simplistic understanding is “what ought not to be.” That sounds like something my granddad used to say. He applied that farm mentality to me on more than one occasion, but notably when I tested out the cigarette lighter in his car and got burned. When applied to people within the church body, you know, the ones you thought had more sense than that. It is very challenging to understand who the wicked are because many give off an air of knowledge and the arrogance that goes along with such learning.

Let’s say, for fun sake, that we get to be weed pullers, and have the insight to get these wicked weeds out of our bodies; what do we have that guides us? We have a parable entitled, The parable of the Weeds.

Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. “But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away. “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. “The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ “And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves *said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?‘ “But he *said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. ‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”‘” (Matthew 13:24-30 NASB)

An obvious outcome of Matthew 13’s events, is that God, who knows those who are His, will appropriately gather the wheat. The judgmental, take great pride in their belief that God will burn up those who are deemed the tares. Tares is the Greek word zizanion and means “something that resembles wheat.” In other words, something that looks similar.

The statement that they will be burned up has associations with hell’s fire. But, we have another point of view, that may make more sense, especially when we are talking about the church, and members of the body that have bizarre interpretations in doctrines. (Many, think that those who talk about end-times events are bizarre.)

For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:11-15 NASB)

Here, in 1 Corinthians, it is the person’s work that will be burned, but the individual will be saved.

Does this mean that everyone will be saved?

Certainly not, for not everyone is a part of the church body.

The term work, which we see in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, is not necessarily associated with a job. The Greek word for work is ergonand also means an effort or an act. So, if you think that what you are advocating is your assignment from God, you could be wrong. Not to worry, as only your vain efforts will burn, and you won’t.

  • “Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.”

The word Abhor is the Greek word apostugeō and means to detest utterly.

That certainly sounds like a complete separation, if you can do it. Another point of view that Paul gives us, comes from 1 Thessalonians 5.

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 NASB, But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.

If we were to examine everything more closely, then perhaps there would be fewer of us caught the snare of the devil.

Romans 12:10 NASB “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;”

  • “ Be devoted to one another in brotherly love;”

Eugene Peterson’s “The Message,” tells us, “Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.” The band Mercy Me, sang a song in which it says, “the last thing I need, is to be heard.” A person could take this several ways, and to be honest the context if I recall correctly, had more to do with our crying out to God. I applied the phrase to my own life, at times when someone with an aggressive style dominates the conversation. You see, God is quite capable of making Himself heard, so I don’t have to worry about some Word from God, that I think the crowd, no matter the size, needs to hear.

  • “give preference to one another in honor;”

Preference is the Greek word proēgeomai and means to lead the way for others. It also means to prefer.

If I am leading the way for others, then perhaps I can see this as giving them the chance to grow, just as I need to grow.

Paul also used the word honor. Honor is the Greek word timē, pronounced tee-may’, and means to give value or esteem.

Romans 12:11 NASB “not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;”

Another way to put this can be seen in the NLT.

Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. (Romans 12:11 NLT)

Eugene Peterson takes it another direction when he says,

“Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master,” (Romans 12:11 MSG)

Romans 12:12-13 is drenched in our serving of others, but it is not what most think.

rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, (13) contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. (NASB)

Peterson conveys the idea of being cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. (Romans 12:12 MSG)

Romans 12:14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” (NASB)

Again I turn to Peterson’s Message, where it says, “Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath.”

Romans 12:15. Most translations say something very similar.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. (NASB)

The Message has another take on this.

“Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down.

Romans 12:16 “Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.” (NASB)

The Easy to Read Version says, Live together in peace with each other. Don’t be proud but be willing to be friends with people who are not important to others. Don’t think of yourself as smarter than everyone else. It almost feels like we are under the law once again. Oh yeah, those laws we thought we were free from, are written upon our hearts, and they sound much like Romans chapter12, verses 9-21.

Romans 12:17 “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.” (NASB)

The CEV restates verse 17 rather plainly. “Don’t mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others,”

Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.” (NASB)

Almost every translation conveys the statement, “if possible.” Well, what if I decide it is NOT possible; that seems like the least likely candidate is making the decisions. The ERV restates it plainly, “Do the best you can to live in peace with everyone.” Now, that sounds more like a directive, but with the understanding that we live in reality, and not everyone is friendly.

Romans 12:19-20 NASB “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. (20) “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.”

The ERV says, “don’t try to punish anyone who does wrong to you. Wait for God to punish them with his anger. It is written: “I am the one who punishes; I will pay people back,” says the Lord.” The idea of heaping coals on someone’s head plays mind games with me, and so I try to avoid the thought, but the idea behind it is much like God’s dream for turning Israel toward Him through jealousy.

And finally,

Romans 12:21 MSG  Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

When we allow the enemy, free space in our heads, he has won that skirmish, and that can’t happen unless we let him.

Posted in Apostle Paul, bible study, Faith, forgive, gentiles, God's character, grace, Heaven, In Christ, Jesus, Jews, Mercy, Peace, rapture, redemption, righteous, Romans, spiritual gifts, the nations, Thoughts, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gifts of Grace, Romans 12:3-8.

Posted on 03/15/2020 by remso

Paul opened the twelfth chapter of Romans with a stern warning that we are to present our bodies as living sacrifices. 

Here is how the NASB puts it:

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. NASB

I can just hear some old, Jewish, man, emphasizing loudly, the phrase, “I exhort you, by the mercies of God,” as though your life depended upon it. 

There is, no doubt, a saucy flavor to Paul’s writing, but it is more noticeable when you realize that Paul was a Jew first; that understanding then permeates everything he says and should pervade your entire discernment of the Bible.

Perhaps the best way to understand Romans 12:1 comes through Eugene Peterson’s Message, when he says, 

“Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.”

There is a reason for a comment like this, and we see it in Romans 12:2, where Paul says,

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. NLT

He might as well have said, the world will suck you in and turn you into something other than what God designed you to be if you play with the fire, and that is why you are going to need a tremendous amount of grace if you plan on pulling yourselves out of the fire because it is there every day, working against you. If you are not a follower of Christ but do not spend time in God’s, then you are going to have nothing but problems, especially with a statement like this because you think you are in control; you are not!

All of God’s goodness, the righteousness He bestows, His power, and the life that is in Him – that will be manifest is the age to come, is the Grace of God. A very inadequate descriptive I know, but the idea is much like holding a carrot before a horse, if you want it, you will pursue it – that life, which is the great mystery.

On that note, Paul begins expounding upon Romans 12:3.

Romans 12:3 NASB For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

Without a broader understanding of God’s word, I might think Paul was the only one who received this grace, but that is not the case. Pay attention to the next few passages.

(Romans 1:3-6 NASB) “concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;”

If you are in Christ, then you are one of the “whom” of which Paul speaks. Romans 10:12 tells us that His grace abounds to all.

Romans 10:12 NASB For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;

Let’s assume, for a moment, that God has poured great spiritual understanding upon you; to top it off, He even tells you when to take out the trash just minutes before the collection truck shows up. How are you supposed to act? The answer to this is also a part of Romans 12:3.

“I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think so as to have sound judgment,” Romans 12:3b NASB

There you have it, don’t think more highly of yourselves than you ought to. What does that mean, or perhaps, what then is the limitation?

Romans 12:3c NASB, “as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”

The limitation is, God has given this same measure to everyone who believes; therefore, you are no one special, merely, as Paul put it, an obedient slave, doing what a slave to Christ is supposed to do.

Okay, wait a minute here, I thought we were talking about grace – you know, God’s Riches AtChrist’s Expense, and now we are talking about slavery and obedience.

Paul introduced us to his letter to the church in Rome by addressing himself as a slave to Christ.

Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, separated to the gospel of God, 
(Romans 1:1 LITV)

For those who want to dance around the words, yes, many use the phrase “bond-servant,” because it is easier on the ears.

Get real! What do you think a “bond-servant is”?

It is someone who, in most cases, has given themselves over to another, typically because they have become indebted and can’t pay. This type of slavery often happens to children, to this day. It is not uncommon in India for a lower caste family to sell one of their children so that the family survives.

What if you like the way this owner treats you and you have become comfortable with the lifestyle – one in which you typically have no right to an opinion?

Then you submit yourself to them and have a hole punched in one of your ears that signifies your permanent submission. Paul knew what this meant, not only to the Jews, who frequently were the slave owners but on several occasions, as a nation, found themselves in bondage. Although the Jews will fight with you, saying we were never in bondage, Egypt is one of those times, and, for Paul to say it, it was like throwing cold water in the face of someone on a cold day. It was meant to wake them up and shock them at the same time.

In addition to slave terminology, Paul talked about a level playing field.

As students of the Bible, we know that Paul, speaking to the Jewish believers within this Christian community, equated this playing field to a perceived advantage the Jewish believers thought they had over, what they deemed the inferior Gentiles, who somehow had become followers of Christ, as the Jews had.

To some, this idea of a level playing field is completely devoid of God and involves a government in which bullies and terrorists control the power; take from those who have, and allegedly give it to the poor. Sadly, this idea includes those who don’t care to work. Lamentably, the bullies who want to run this Socialist style of government still get to keep what they acquire.

God’s kingdom, which is currently in the spirit and unseen to us, will come in the physical realm when Christ returns to clean house. We see this in Revelation 19:11-21. There, everyone covered under the blood of Jesus, and by right of that blood, is the same. In other words, NO ONE, who is a citizen of that kingdom has any advantage, or, more access to God, and His love, than anyone else. Paul understood all this, and if there were a person who could have a problem, it would have been him. You see, Paul, when we first learn of him, was named Saul, and at the top of his class in the school of Pharisees. By Paul’s own admission, he could have taught the teachers.

Did Paul know about the laws of God?

Without a doubt, but he did not know the love of God, and that is only found through an understanding of Jesus Christ. Fortunately, Paul gained that understanding one day, as he traveled on the road to Damascus, while on a mission to persecute these new Christ-followers – Jewish converts, which many devout Jews claimed were trying to corrupt the practices of the Synagogues.

Let’s get back to this idea that God has allotted to each, a measure of faith.

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. (Romans 12:4-5 NASB)

The fact that the members do not have the same function should be a good indicator that our faith is not exactly for the same service, either. Note also this idea that we are ONE body in Christ; however, we are individual members one of another. Perhaps the BBE translation might help.

So we, though we are a number of persons, are one body in Christ and are dependent on one another; (Romans 12:5 BBE)

We are dependent on each other, each of us with our allotted, measure of faith. WHY? Because, as we share our weaknesses and strengths, we grow. We grow through the act of praying for each, not mindless candy prayers, but prayers in which we pour out our hearts to God on behalf of the other.

The next verse seems as though it is a shift from an intense and power-filled lifestyle, to simply giving out information. Pay attention, and I will sort it out. Since we are one body, and those allotments of faith for a particular thing can be varied, then we need to look at the definitions that follow in that light.

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:6-8 NASB)

We saw, in Romans 12:3 that we all (those us in Christ) have an allotment of faith, but here, in Romans 12:6-8 we can see that this faith He speaks of is diversified and shows up in what we come to learn in Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, that this diversity is the gifts of the spirit.

Can I logically explain this assertion?

Perhaps I don’t need to, but, as we saw in Romans 12:3, Paul, in speaking of faith, uses the Greek word pistis; this is the same word translated believe in 2Thessalonians 2:13. So, faith and belief are the same. (Although, faith often seems like a choice motivated by evidence, while belief is merely an action based on faith.)

I am thinking of Abraham and the offering of Isaac as a sacrifice when I write this. Abraham demonstrated a corresponding trust/belief in what God had said to him; and, if you will remember, most of what we know about God’s interactions with Abraham was in the form of some extraordinary and vivid dreams. It truly is a simple process when you think about it; what makes faith difficult is the demonic voices in your head that tell you it can’t be done. Recently, my wife had to undergo quadruple bypass surgery. It took faith on my part to say, do it! I knew the risks, and so did Abraham.  

(The next time you read about Abraham, and his demonstration of willingness, take note of Sarah. We see nothing of her after this event. Did Abraham comprehend that this possible break in their relationship would be a part of the price he had to pay, I entirely off? Perhaps Sarah was just old, as Abraham was, and no longer a contributor to the story? If age was the factor that made her go away, then how do you explain that moment in time when Jesus, at eight days old, was brought to the temple, and Anna, an aged prophetess, and Simeon, an aged priest, just happened to be there at that moment. Both exclaimed, upon seeing the baby Yahshua, that they had seen the coming of the Messiah they had longed for?)

Luke 2:27-32 NASB And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, (28) then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, (29) “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; (30) For my eyes have seen Your salvation, (31) Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, (32) A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel.”

1 Corinthians 12:9 makes it clear that pistis is one of the gifts of the spirit, alongside prophecy, teaching, and so many others.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NASB)

When you look at the endowments, there is a common theme. “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” The Amplified Bible puts it like this.

Now there are distinctive varieties and distributions of endowments (gifts, extraordinary powers distinguishing certain Christians, due to the power of divine grace operating in their souls by the Holy Spirit), and they vary, but the [Holy] Spirit remains the same. 1 Corinthians 12:4 AMP

So why then do we idolize some people and treat others as mundane because they are not as flashy as some with their giftings as some people?

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A living sacrifice. It’s not what you think. Romans 12:1,2.

Posted on 03/13/2020 by remso

The NASB entitles Romans 12:1,2 as a living sacrifice.

As you pursue the depths within chapter 12, you come to understand that WE are that living sacrifice. Finding the treasures buried within those depths may require a focused examination into what Paul is saying by looking at the Greek background of those simple words. Typically, we skim over words like sacrifice, possibly because we do not want to understand the impact that a word like this can have on us. 

Let’s see what we can find.

First, pay attention to context. When Paul opens with the word “therefore,” it immediately tells us that what we see in chapter twelve is a continuation of a thought process. The origins of this current conversation, between Paul and the church, begins in chapter 11 verses 33-36.

The Complete Jewish Bible version of verse 33 says,

“O the depth of the riches and the wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments! How unsearchable are his ways!”

For me, this puts God at a distance, with little hope of understanding who he is; fortunately, that is not the case.

The CEV version of verse 33 tells us,

“Who can measure the wealth and wisdom and knowledge of God? Who can understand his decisions or explain what he does?”

It should be easy to understand that God, and His mercy and grace, is beyond our understanding; once again, this puts almost anything we think we know about the Father into the category of being a mere glimpse of who He is.

With that in mind, we begin our exploration of chapter 12.

Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice — alive, holy, and pleasing to God — which is your reasonable service.
(Romans 12:1 NET.)

  1. “Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters,”

    Here, Paul is not talking in generalized terms, to the world; this is directed at followers of Christ. In his conversation (as the NET version states), I exhort you. Exhort, according to Webster’s dictionary, means to: “encourage, to embolden, to cheer, to advise. The primary sense seems to be to excite or to give strength, spirit, or courage.” I can take this many ways, such as Paul is advising the followers of Christ, or he is trying to excite them into following the words he is about to give them.

  2. “by the mercies of God,”

    Most definitions of mercy lean toward pity; however, that seems wholly inadequate here, especially when we look at passages like Ephesian 1:3,4.

    “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love.” (NASB)

    Dr. J Vernon McGee, in his simplistic manner, says this of the phrase “By the mercies of God.” “The plural is a Hebraism, denoting an abundance of mercy. God is rich in mercy; God has plenty of it, my friend. He has had to use a lot of it for me, but He still has plenty of it for you.”

    The Word Study Dictionary adds, “It is used in reference to God as the Father of mercies showing His character and that upon which believers can depend as they make their bodies a living offering to Him.”

    2 Corinthians 1:3 NET. “Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,”

  3. “to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God -”

    Again I draw from J Vernon McGee, who tells us, “the body is the instrument through which we express ourselves. The mind, the affections, the will, and the Holy Spirit can use the body.”

    But does that fully explain what God is asking us to do here? Sure, the Holy Spirit wants to use our bodies, but certainly, we are being asked to lay ourselves down. The commentary by Albert Barnes states that “The word used here commonly denotes the action of bringing and presenting an animal or other sacrifices before an altar. It implies that the action was a free and voluntary offering. Religion is free, and the act of devoting ourselves to God is one of the most freeing acts that we ever perform.”

    Consider these words from Psalms.

    Psalms 50:22-23 NASB “Now consider this, you who forget God, Or I will tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver. (23) “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God.”

    This first part got my attention, as it declares, “Now consider this, you who forget God, Or I will tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver.” Now that God has your attention take note, “ He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who orders his way aright, I shall show the salvation of God.” What can I take away this? That God is deadly serious about this, that and the fact that God’s salvation is deeply integrated into this idea of sacrifice.

    What is He asking me to sacrifice?

    My body and my will.

    Is He specifying how to go about this?

    Absolutely and we see that when He uses terminology like “ alive, holy, and pleasing to God.”

    An immediate observation is that sacrifices get killed. Well, that should be easy for us to associate with, seeing as we died with Christ and were buried with Him in baptism. However, the word used was alive, so He has to be talking about us, filled with vibrancy.

    If you chose to ponder the term holy, how would you apply it to yourselves?

    Most of us can’t imagine anyone seeing us as holy, and yet God does, and this happens when we give ourselves to Christ.

    Webster’s dictionary defines sanctification as made holy; consecrated; set apart for sacred services.

    Ephesians 1:4 tells us that He chose us before the foundation of the world to be holy before Him. Paul, in his letter to the church in Ephesus chapter 1:13, says, “having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit.”

    In defining the person filled with the Holy Spirit, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews calls it sanctification.

    Hebrews 10:9-10 NASB, then He said, “BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second. (10) By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

    The point here is that having given ourselves over to Christ, we have been made Holy, whether we feel like it or not.

  4. “which is your reasonable service.”

    It seems that most of us perceive this idea of service as being God’s will for our lives. The problem with that is that few can define what God’s will is for us. Most will tell you that God’s will is His word, and that would be true; however, the Word rarely speaks directly to the various aspects of our lives. One pathetic example would come from those who say, “what is the will of God for my marriage.” The simple answer is to love your wife; this theme is spread generously across the New Testament.

    Paul helped to define this idea of sacrificial service in the letter that he wrote to the church in Rome.

    Romans 1:9 NASB For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you,

    Service, for Paul, was to serve in delivering the gospel of Christ. Yes, I noticed that the NASB uses the descriptive language, “preaching of the.” Still, the NASB writers define for us, in the front of their bibles that those italicized words are only meant to help aid the sentence structure and our understanding. 

    For me, and it has taken years to realize this, that my reasonable service is to teach, but I have sensed this in my heart for years. The peculiarity is that Jesus appeared to me in a dream when I was about 24, and laid my life out before me. I thought I would never forget a word He said and did not write any of it down. When I awoke, I could only remember Him being there and the immense joy I felt. I cannot recall Him telling me how I would severely damage my own life, and how it could seriously impact my acceptance as a teacher, but I have tried the standard church venues, with no luck; and have only “found” myself in teaching small home groups and in taco stands.

Since we understand that Paul’s admonition is that we offer ourselves as living sacrifices, what is next?

And do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2 NASB

How many of you have read Romans 12:2 and thought, what does that mean?

It is not that difficult. Webster’s dictionary defines conformed rather simply as “made to resemble; reduced to a likeness of; made agreeable to.”

So then, the question is, made to resemble or agreeable to what?

Look around you, you don’t have to look far; what does the world do? Some of these, I am calling the world, sit by you in church. Franklin Graham, who preaches a message much like his father’s, has been banned in Europe from several stadium venues he had tried to secure, to do massive salvation crusades. And why? Because he calls sin sin. And who do you think holds the significant responsibility for obstructing his access to these stadiums? Church leaders who do not feel that Franklin Graham reflects today’s norms. So, everywhere you turn, bastions of religion have given way to squeaky wheels, and blatant sinners have been given pulpits. In doing so churches have become agreeable to the politically correct norm; we have become agreeable.

Is that all there is, as though that is not enough?
Ideals and sensibility are being stripped away on a  daily basis. Alright, I get it, I am not supposed to act like the world, but an obvious thing is going to happen; you will not have many friends outside of the church body, and even then many of them are busily conforming to the same world you may find yourselves fighting against.

Let me point out that our President Trump, in his 2020 state of the Union address, said; this will not be a nation where you get punished for praying in school, along with other things that clash against the NEW normal.

Simply resisting is not the answer, you have to change the way you think. 

Paul tells us, “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Assuming that I am a believer and the world is beginning to affect me, then I certainly don’t need to be bolstered and supported in the world’s ways. Something I find myself saying, I don’t need to have some preacher rant about sin; I already know how to do that.. I say all this because the word transformed implies that you are being moved back to some non-changed state, and I have come to the realization that I need to move away from the world’s way of thinking.

Transformed – “Changed in form or external appearance; metamorphosed; transmuted; renewed.

Ah, so there is the implication of being renewed, but it still carries the definition of being changed in form. We can’t do that; only God can. Fortunately for us, Jesus did and does change us. The cross removed the penalty of sin, something we all carry; however, it is the necessary move toward belief in Jesus and the price He paid for us, that makes us His own. That action on His part metamorphosed us into Sons of God. In case you don’t remember, this is what butterflies do; they change from an often ugly caterpillar into beautiful butterflies.

Alright then, who is this person who is conforming to the world?

Those who choose not to renew their minds. I suppose this could be analogous to maintaining a vehicle. If you allow it to run out of oil, what happens? A multitude of horrendous and expensive events. Can the car be renewed? Sure, if you have the time, money, and patience; and, you see “renewals” frequently when people with money, find people with the skills and pay them to rebuild some “classic” car.

The Greek word for renewing is also renovation, and that is what entrepreneurs do to neglected homes – many call it flipping a house (hopefully for a profit.)

This idea of seeing our bodies as a house is not so foreign, and Paul speaks of it in 2 Corinthians 5:1.

For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (NASB)

So what is the advantage of renewing my mind?

Paul gives us the answer to that when he says “so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

The word prove has a variety of definitions, but they all run along the same vein. One goes like this:

“To evince truth by argument, induction or reasoning; to deduce certain conclusions from propositions that are true or admitted.”

As I have read through the Old Testament and observed how people like Gideon, Joshua, and Abigail (our examples are vast in number and varied in their reactions), all came to the conclusion that God was good and acceptable because they argued, reasoned and saw that God was true. It is not that different for us, and the book of Hebrews talks about this process of faith when the author speaks of a great cloud of witnesses. In my childhood, growing up in the church community, there was the sister Dixon’s of my life, each one different, and yet all made an impact that showed me that God was true.

Evince, according to Webster’s, is “to show in a clear manner; to prove beyond any reasonable doubt; to make evident.”

This is the type of terminology that we hear in a courtroom, but how do I apply this information to myself?

I have sat on one jury in my sixty-six years. The judge instructed us that all the evidence comes out of the interactions between the attorneys and the person sitting in the witness stand and that you must acquit the defendant IF there is any reasonable doubt. One of those “witnesses” came in the form of an outlaw biker type. He had seen his friend standing at the curb looking a bit battered. A police officer was nearby, but that officer had already told us that this intersection was not his jurisdiction; so, the officer’s only concern was to assess whether anyone needed medical assistance. Since that was not necessary, he merely stood by until the Highway Patrol showed up – that took almost 20 minutes once the call was made. Back to the biker. Seeing his friend in “need,” he and his buddy pulled over, poured some whiskey they had under the seat into the tall soda cup that they had already flicked some ashes into; and, took it over to the friend in need. Drinking an unspecified amount of Whiskey, for 10 to 15 minutes, can get me drunk; it probably worked that way for the friend standing at the curb. But the jury foreman, a school teacher, said, “that is NOT reasonable, no one would do that!” He had obviously lived a very sheltered life. This short version was a demonstration of the prosecution’s inability to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was guilty, and it speaks to me of the shortsightedness of the world, which became extremely evident in the most recent presidential impeachment hearings.

God has always, in talking with us broken people, made it clear that He would uphold His end of the commitment, even if we did it not. We see conversations like this, between God and people, throughout the Old Testament. Two of those interactions that jump to mind are with Abram and Gideon. God, in those circumstances, spoke in this manner, “as for me.” This manner of speech was not the demonstration of a bad attitude, but unquestionably took into consideration the frailty of the human in question; and, it demonstrated God’s determination to follow this agreement through to the end.

In proving what the will of God is, isn’t this solely speaking to the individual?

It is; so this instruction is meant for us to establish ourselves in the nature and character of God. Some may feel that there is a demand to prove to the world that God is faithful, the problem there is that many will not accept truth or evidence because their minds are locked into some twisted logic. If you think about it, wouldn’t a purposeful attempt at understanding God be comparable to knowing His will? Of course, it would, for understanding the nature and character of someone, would give you the reasons why they make the decisions they make, and God is not so different. He longs for us to know Him.

What is good?

The current convention is that we must be politically correct. Is that good? I don’t think so, as the moral standard has inverted and changes from day to day. (An example of current, so-called regular practice, is the wanton murder of babies in a brutal manner, while disguising this murder under the title women’s health.)

Isaiah 5:20 NASB Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

If you look up the Greek word for good you get agathos. One of the meanings and there are only two, is, does it have any benefit.

How much effort does it take to ask, does this have any benefit?

Well, I suppose the answer to that question is subjective, as an alcoholic, when handed a bottle, would probably say, there is unquestionably a benefit. So realistically this conversation is pushing toward a moral evaluation of what is good, however, that moral evaluation has to be based upon a standard, but whose standard? There is only one valid, true, and unchangeable standard – God’s. (I am not talking about religious legalism as the standard, but the consistent pattern, which God demonstrated to humanity throughout the Old Testament; an example of this can be seen in the entire process that led up to the “escape” from Egypt, by God’s people.)

Let’s ponder the term acceptable for a moment. Acceptable is defined by Strong’s as fully agreeable and, well-pleasing. While the world, in their quest for pleasure, would think this is exactly what they want to hear. The reality is, this is talking about what God wants to hear and see, and He would love to commune with you and I.

Perfect is the Greek word teleios and means complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, etc.); neuter (as noun, with G3588) completeness: – of full age, man, perfect. So when we talk about being perfect, we are talking maturity and growth in our relationship with God.

Where does this maturity show up?

In how we act; how we talk; the decisions we make; and, how we perceive and communicate with the Father.

Posted in apologetics, confidence, disciple, Faith, Freedom from sin, gentiles, In Christ, Israel, Jesus, Jews, recovery, redemption, righteous, Romans, Thoughts, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Has God rejected His own people? Romans 11:1-10.

Posted on 03/10/2020 by remso

We open our study of Romans 11 with the last three verses of Romans 10. Why?

Because chapter 11 is a continuation of thought, and, as you will see, opens with what seems like an important.

If we have some form of Christian world view, one that is aware of the angry tones which accompany the voices of those who say, God is done with Israel, and their fate is hell. Is this question that Paul asks, “did the people of Israel really understand,” a valid one? Paul tells us that they did understand, and he uses himself as an example, but, as he says in verse 21, “they were disobedient and rebellious.”

Romans 10:19-21 NLT  But I ask, did the people of Israel understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, God said, “I will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation. I will provoke your anger through the foolish Gentiles.”  (20)  And later, Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying, “I was found by people who were not looking for me. I showed myself to those who were not asking for me.”  (21)  But regarding Israel, God said, “All day long, I opened my arms to them, but they were disobedient and rebellious.”

When we open chapter 11, we immediately we see Paul using another rhetorical question. Watch how he answers it analytically and insight-fully.

”I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel?
Of course not!
I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin.”
(Romans 11:1 NLT)

Far too many have tried to answer this question; however, they would tell you that God has rejected His own people. How and why would you do that, when the Holy Spirit has seen fit to put an answer there on the page for you to see. A man I sat under for a short time, would say things that conflicted with the Word of God. Called on his error by showing him the truth in the Word, he would respond with, “that’s my opinion, and that is all that matters.”

So then, God has not rejected his people, and the fact that Paul is speaking into our lives proves that point.

God didn’t turn his back on his people. After all, he chose them. Don’t you know what Scripture says about Elijah? He complained to God about Israel.
(Romans 11:2 NIrV)

Look at what Leviticus says,

But for all that, when they are in the land of their haters, I will not let them go, or be turned away from them, or give them up completely; my agreement with them will not be broken, for I am the Lord their God. (Leviticus 26:44 BBE)

I believe that 1Kings 19, beginning with verse 10, is what Paul is referring to when he speaks of Elijah’s complaint.

“Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.” (1 Kings 19:18 NASB)

It is evident that Elijah felt very alone,

“Lord, THEY HAVE KILLED YOUR PROPHETS, THEY HAVE TORN DOWN YOUR ALTARS, AND I ALONE AM LEFT, AND THEY ARE SEEKING MY LIFE.”
(Romans 11:3 NASB)

Paul pointed out in the ninth chapter of this letter to the church in Rome that only a remnant would survive; is God telling us, based upon the number that He gave to Elijah, that the remnant will equal 7000? I am not so sure, and here is why.

“It will come about in all the land,” Declares the LORD, “That two parts in it will be cut off and perish, but the third will be left in it.
(Zechariah 13:8 NASB)

Even though Zechariah speaks of a third that does not perish, a more significant number of passages speak of only a few surviving. As of October 2019, Israel claims a population of 9,108,500 inhabitants. If a third survived what is coming, we could potentially be looking at somewhere around 3 million people; a tenth would be 900,000. To only have 7000 walking into the millennial reign is a shockingly small number.

But what is the divine response to him? “I HAVE KEPT for Myself SEVEN THOUSAND MEN WHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO BAAL.”
(Romans 11:4 NASB)

Don’t we also sometimes feel alone, especially when we see the truth in God’s Word, and it conflicts with what is being taught from the podium and then professed by the lost sheep that we sit by in our churches? I have experienced this feeling on multiple occasions. A pastor of mine was trying to explain the communion, and it’s origins, in his closing comments to a men’s retreat. He said, “Jesus did not want to die for you.” Now, I can give the man some grace and say that he misspoke, but the damage was done, and he made no attempts to correct his error. If you are one of those lost sheep, and cannot, or will not read for yourself, then this conversation is pointless to you. However, I have studied my bible and know what it says,

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2 NASB)

The Apostle John tells us this about God and His attitude toward us.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NASB)

Does that sound like someone who did not want to die for you? No, I didn’t think so.

Now watch as Paul, speaking to an audience in which the majority are Jewish Christ-followers, says, it is not so different today. Remember, context is everything and may exclude me from applying this next verse to the time frame in which we live.

“In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.”
(Romans 11:5 NASB)

Just as the story about Elijah lamented what appeared to be his solitary efforts to promote God, we too are not alone,and, though you may not see them, the others are out there. Many, not needing the spotlight, pray their tears out before God; they pray in this manner because they too feel alone.

The NLT translation does a better job of moving us through Romans 11:5, so let’s look at that.

It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them.
(Romans 11:5 NLT)

Note the phrase undeserved kindness.

And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For, in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.
(Romans 11:6 NLT)

“And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works.” Who is the “they” in this sentence? The Jews, but as Paul already pointed out, anyone can jump on board.

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
(Romans 3:21-24 NLT)

  • “God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law”
  • “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ.”
  • “this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.”
  • “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
  • “Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight.”
  • He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.”

What is Israel seeking?

What then [shall we conclude]? Israel failed to obtain what it sought [God’s favor by obedience to the Law]. Only the elect (those chosen few) obtained it, while the rest of them became callously indifferent (blinded, hardened, and made insensible to it).
(Romans 11:7 AMP )

So the question is, what is Israel seeking?

Some might say they are seeking a Messiah. Sadly, He came, and they would not recognize Him. Will they know Him when God’s wrath is poured out on them once again?

Have a look at Eugene Peterson’s translation.

Romans 11:7 MSG  And then what happened? Well, when Israel tried to be right with God on her own, pursuing her own self-interest, she didn’t succeed. The chosen ones of God were those who let God pursue his interest in them, and as a result, received his stamp of legitimacy. The “self-interest Israel” became thick-skinned toward God.

Has Israel ever stopped trying to be right, pursuing her own self-interests?

If what Peterson sees is those who allow God to pursue His interests in them, do we see Israel as doing that? Apparently not.

2 Corinthians 3:15-16 NASB, But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

So Israel will have to turn to the Lord, and that day will come.

Romans 11:8 NET. as it is written,

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,

eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear,

to this very day.”

Romans 11:9 NLT  Likewise, David said,

“Let their bountiful table become a snare, a trap that makes them think all is well. Let their blessings cause them to stumble, and let them get what they deserve.

Romans 11:10 NLT 

Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and let their backs be bent forever.”

Paul is quoting much of Romans 11:8-10 from Psalms 69, but he, like Jesus frequently did, is only taking a portion for Psalm 69 speaks of their homes being deserted. Now, this may be the destruction that is coming to Israel, but who would wish that on someone?

Posted in Apostle Paul, bible study, Freedom from sin, Israel, Jesus, Jews, judgment, Romans, Sin, the nations, Thoughts on scripture, wrath. | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The longing of my heart and prayer to God. Chapter two. Romans 10:14-21.

Posted on 02/28/2020 by remso

Paul throws out another of his questions.

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? 
How will they believe in Him, whom they have not heard? 
And how will they hear without a preacher? (Romans 10:14 NASB)

We have nothing beyond the conversation from the thief on the cross near Jesus, to explain anything this man believed, but he obviously did believe. Paul, in Romans 10:14, seems to imply that the respectful thief must have heard; this strikes me odd when the only one doing any preaching is Jesus. The aforementioned thief and Saul, and Saul, the pharisee, both heard and saw Jesus in action. Because our decisions have consequences, the thief paid quickly for his actions, and yet received the gift of life with the Father. Saul, on the other hand, had followers of Christ jailed and killed, and still, God significantly used him to spread the gospel. Did Saul/Paul pay for his sins here on earth? It would seem he did.

Paul again asks.

How will they preach unless they are sent? 
Just as it is written, 
“HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!”  (Romans 10:15 NASB)

Who and what did Paul have on his mind when he asked this question?

J Vernon McGee says this:

“Paul shows that there must be messengers of the gospel who have credentials from God. Paul, you recall, began this epistle with the claim that he was a called apostle of Jesus Christ (see Rom_1:1). There follows a logical sequence. Preachers must be sent in order for people to hear that they might believe, for they would not know how to call upon God. Paul pinpoints all on believing; this, therefore, necessitated his ministry.”

I am not sure I agree with what we deem qualifications. I, for example, have learned simply by engaging my head in the Word of God and asking questions about virtually everything I read, in contrast to someone from theology school. Assuming that I am qualified to preach the gospel, the opportunities have not arisen as I thought they might; this leads me to occasionally think I have not been sent. Personally, I think that we are all evangelists to some degree.

That being said, does everybody receive what we are saying?

NO, and Paul had the same problem.

However, they did not all heed the good news; 
for Isaiah says, “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?” 
(Romans 10:16 NASB)

Once again, I turn to J Vernon McGee.

“The Jews, his own people, hated the apostle Paul even though they applauded Saul, the Pharisee. He is revealing the logic of his position. They rejected his claim, or the right of any of the apostles, to proclaim a gospel that omitted the Mosaic system which had degenerated into Pharisaism.”

Recently, a brother in Christ threw out a challenge/question at me. He asked, why do preachers preach from the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) when Paul received new teaching, which is referred to as a mystery? 

Having learned not to answer such things so quickly, I hesitated, and in a matter of seconds, this guy began answering his own question. Such events are typically a good sign that the person asking the question wasn’t interested in obtaining an answer, but was bent on spewing his opinion. This man is typically boisterous, and unwilling to conform to what the Word of God says. Several minutes passed, and other conversations arose; however, I resurrected the subject of the gospels. I pointed out that all scripture is useful and, therefore, fair game to teach or preach from.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfected, thoroughly furnished to every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 MKJV)

He retorted with, but the gospels were concerned with the law, and Paul preached that we are free from the law.” Don’t you wish that were true, but it is not for Jesus said, I have come to fulfill the law.

Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill. (Matthew 5:17 MKJV)

Look at these verses.

For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when the nations, who do not have the Law, do by nature the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law unto themselves; who show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and the thoughts between one another accusing or even excusing one another, (Romans 2:13-15 MKJV)

Having demonstrated that the law is written upon the heart, allow me to show you one more verse that might convince you that WE cannot set aside the law.

There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith, do we truly fulfill the law. (Romans 3:30-31 NLT)

A question, how did Paul open this letter to the church in Rome?

This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God, to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. (Romans 1:1 NLT)

Writing with emphasis to a Jewish community, Paul uses a term that should be offensive to anyone, slave; for slaves, whether by force or by choice, have submitted their entire lives to the disposal of someone else. I will tell you something deadly serious to me; I have come to understand that I can’t do this on my own, and desperately need a savior, even to the point of considering myself enslaved to him.

Why say all this? Because Paul makes it very clear that “they,” the Jews,

“did not all heed the good news.”

Paul referenced a passage from Isaiah to indicate his awareness that barely any of the Jewish community are accepting the message of freedom and grace.

“Who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? (Isaiah 53:1 ISV)

There is a reason for this conversation. The point is this, Before you trust, you have to listen.

But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to. (Romans 10:17 MSG)

So, the logical assumption is that Israel has had plenty of voices speaking to them about faith and grace.

“But, I say, isn’t it rather that they didn’t hear? No, they did hear— Their voice has gone out throughout the whole world and their words to the ends of the earth.” (Romans 10:18 CJB)

Paul still queries,

So the big question is, 
Why didn’t Israel understand that she had no corner on this message?

Moses had it right when he predicted, When you see God reach out to those you consider your inferiors—outsiders!— you’ll become insanely jealous. 
When you see God reach out to people you think are religiously stupid, you’ll throw temper tantrums. (Romans 10:19 MSG)

Paul then tells us, He was found by a people who were not looking for Him.

Then Isaiah was bold enough to say: “I have been found by a people who were not searching for me; I have made known myself to people who were not asking to know me.” (Romans 10:20 Williams)

Cold shoulders and icy stares.

Then he capped it with a damning indictment: Day after day after day, I beckoned Israel with open arms And got nothing for my trouble but cold shoulders and icy stares. (Romans 10:21 MSG)

If this says anything to you, it should say rejoice, because we are seeing the birth pangs the Holy Spirit told us about in Matthew 24:8.

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The longing of my heart and prayer to God. Chapter one. Romans 10:1-13.

Posted on 02/17/2020 by remso

Dear brothers and sisters,

The longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.

I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal.

They don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself.

Refusing to accept God’s way,

they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law;

for Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given.

As a result, all who believe in him (Christ) are made right with God.

(Romans 10:1-4 NLT)

What is the foundation of Paul’s statement?

Paul tells us that the law that Moses wrote about (the Torah) and said that whoever can perform the law will live by it. At first glance, that does not seem like such a bad thing, as there were only ten ordinances to follow; and, the law/Torah brings about a momentary righteousness.

(As I try to put flesh and blood on this act of sacrifice that brings righteousness, I picture a man leaving the temple with a satisfied look on his face because he knows that he has just covered his sins for the year. Only moments later, some camel jockey cuts him off on the way home, and he retaliates with some curse and a few hand gestures. At that moment, he realizes that he just threw a year’s worth of righteousness out the window; and, he must wait until next year. What if something happens and he dies of a heart attack the next day? Can you see the problem in that system? The sacrificial system did not change the person.)

Perhaps, a corresponding verse from Deuteronomy might give us an angle that sheds some light.

And if we are careful to obey all this law before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.” (Deuteronomy 6:25 TNIV)

So then, the Torah would be their/our righteousness, but what does that do with God, since God, knowing that we cannot maintain a righteous condition, and therefore He has to be our righteousness?

Paul has an answer to that question as well. (You may have noticed that Paul’s style of writing is one in which he asks questions. In asking questions, he is trying to get you to think. It does not demand an answer, as Paul does not ask questions for which he does not have an answer.)

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) “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?'” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
(Romans 10:6-11 TNIV)

It isn’t about one’s ability to follow the rules; it is faith in the fact that God raised Him from the dead so that you too could have life. Did you pay attention to the line that says, for Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given? So Christ, as the final sacrifice, paid the price necessary for our righteousness; all that is left is to accept and believe this is so.

Earlier in Paul’s letter to the Romans, he pointed out that God leveled the playing. In other words, NO ONE people group has an advantage merely because they are Jewish.

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:22-24 TNIV)

(Side note: Romans 3:23, a passage that we religious folk use to point out that everyone is a SINNER isn’t trying to make that point at all, it is pointing out that WE ALL have a massive problem and NEED a savior. Since the playing field is leveled, then NO ONE has an advantage, and all must come to Him. God is not withholding His love and grace from anyone.)

Notice how Romans 10:11, in the TNIV, says, “anyone who believes in him.” There are a few translations of this, and this is what they say, Everyone, Whoever, or Whosoever. What does that mean? It means that anyone is welcome into God’s family.

Since the concept of belief has multiple possibilities, then perhaps God has the grace to accept faith in a variety of forms. Let me be first to respond negatively to this statement.

There is only one way to the Father, and that is through Jesus Christ.

But what does that look like?

When we look at Matthew 25, the story of the sheep and the goats, and understand that these people being brought before the great white throne (I know it does not specifically say that, but the component pieces are there, if you are willing to look,) are those from among the nations that have died. (I can guarantee that at this point you are not comprehending the immensity of this statement.) The nations, to a Jew, has always meant someone outside of God’s grace. For the believer, it was us, but now means those whom we perceive as not accepting Christ’s love. How would I know any of that? Think in terms of chronology. Since we, the church, are not subject to the wrath that God will bring upon this earth, then we are going to be caught up to meet Him/Jesus, in the air, and forever be with Him. These, from among the nations, did not get caught up. Standard religious thought arbitrarily assigns these to hell. Obviously our thinking is wrong on this, as SOME are given access, And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.’ (Matthew 25:35-36 MSG)

Some might see this as works, and if we have learned anything, it is that works don’t cut it, faith does. There is something far deeper about God’s love than we could have imagined.

For the thief on the cross, his faith was beyond simplistic.

One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

(Luke 23:39-43 NASB)

Allow me to break this passage from Luke’s gospel down for you.

  1. One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, saying,
      Well, He is the King of the Jews – both then and now, and Jesus did not defend Himself, He did not need to. Neither of the thieves knew what Jesus was about to do, and the resulting salvation that would come to, NOT only Jesus but billions of followers.
    1. The other thief, rebuking the first, answered,
        Where and how did this thief come to the understanding that there was a God to fear?  Since I assert that belief is not so tightly defined, then how do we explain what this man has said? Despite what he may have heard about Jesus, he believed.
      1. What happened next? The thief, having acknowledged that Jesus had done nothing wrong, said to Jesus,
          Most of the time, because we Gentile believers struggle with Jewish understanding, and therefore ignore it, read this as, when you come into your kingdom. This concept of a kingdom, for many, throws this scene beyond the thousand-year reign of Christ over the earth. Jesus’ response to the thief proves that concept to be wrong. My question to you then is, when will Jesus return to earth as the King? What the Jews longed for then, and expect now, is for Yahshua to come as the warring, conquering Messiah. This triumphant arrival is what we see in Revelation 19:11 when Jesus comes back to earth as the Messiah riding a white horse. (If you hold to the idea that this Bible we read is a Jewish book, then information, such as we see in Revelation 19, will begin to make sense to you.) Merely being a Jew does not exclude you from breaking laws, and this man surely broke enough to get himself hung. Although, considering the Roman propensity for hanging people to make a statement, I am not surprised he is there next to Jesus.
        1. Jesus response to the man who is demonstrating a form of belief,
            There was an emphasis on Jesus’ words to the man. Now whether Jesus said, “what I am about to tell you is true,” is debatable, but the effect emerges from the scripture, and virtually every translation proves this out. Jesus was telling the man, beyond all doubt, that TODAY the man would be with Him in paradise. “Paradise is a Persian word and was used for an enclosed park or pleasure ground. The word occurs in two other passages in the N.T. (2Co_12:4; Rev_2:7), in both of which the reference is plainly to heaven” (Robertson, Word Pictures, vol. 2, p. 287).

          So let’s get back to Romans 10:11 for a moment. Look at this verse in the New International Readers Version.

          “But I will bless any man who trusts in me. I will show my favor to the one who depends on me.” (Jeremiah 17:7 NirV)

          The Word Study Dictionary says this about the Hebrew word for trust.

          bāṭaḥ: “A verb indicating to trust, to be confident. It expresses the feeling of safety and security that is felt when one can rely on someone or something else. It is used to show trust in God. …, and people.”

          The Strong’s concordance tells us this about the word trust.

          To hide for refuge (but not so precipitately as H2620); figuratively to trust, be confident or sure. H2620 is the Hebrew word khaw-saw’ and means to flee for protection.

          Strong’s shows us a word I was not familiar with, precipitately. The word means hastily, with rash haste, without due caution.

          It seems that the only time we run without due caution is when we are in imminent danger. God, on the other hand, desires that we run to Him regularly, not because we are weak and out of control, but because He is love and longs to show us that love. To prove my point, you will be hard-pressed to find anyone willing to give their life to save you. Oh sure, there is always that one person that makes the news, but they aren’t your friend. God, on the other hand, put Himself on that cross, for you, when you hated Him or were so distanced from Him that you did not want Him to see your face.

          Answer me this is that something that we do, flee to God for protection? Israel fled to God, but only when things got completely out of control. I have done that myself, and things were indeed out of control. So for us, this concept seems to be a standard, but is it God’s?

          Did the thief on the cross, that gained acceptance into paradise, put his trust in God?
          Obviously, he did, for Jesus himself said, “what I am telling you is true, this day you will be with me in paradise.”

          Did the thief who gained the assured acceptance into paradise, go through all the standard religious practices? There is no practical way he could have done that. I believe it is safe to assume that this man was a Jew as well, and would have known what the law required for repentance, and how that blood, spilled in sacrifice was the decreed way to gain righteousness at this time. Sadly, the man was in no position to do any of that.

          Another piece of evidence, on behalf of the thief, was that he could recognize that Jesus had done no wrong. How would he have known that and by what standard could he have made that kind of assessment? (We assume that the thief was not a Jew. It would appear that our assumption is wrong, once again.)

          In studying the early chapters of Romans, I commented on how Paul spoke of God leveling the playing field. Well, here it is again.

          For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

          (Romans 10:12-13 NASB)

          Can you not see that the thief on the cross, called upon the name of the Lord?

          Next time we will pick up at Romans 10:14 and finish this out.

          Chapter two.

          Paul throws out another of his questions.

          How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed?
          How will they believe in Him, whom they have not heard?
          And how will they hear without a preacher?

          (Romans 10:14 NASB)

          We have nothing beyond the thief’s conversation, to explain how this man believed, but he did. Paul, in Romans 10:14, seems to imply that the respectful thief must have heard; this strikes me odd when the only one doing any preaching is Jesus. This thief and Saul, the pharisee, both heard and saw Jesus in action. Because our decisions have consequences, the thief paid quickly for his actions, and yet received the gift of life with the Father. Saul, on the other hand, had followers of Christ jailed and killed, and still, God significantly used him to spread the gospel. Did Saul/Paul pay for his sins here on earth? It would seem he did.

          Paul again asks.

          How will they preach unless they are sent?
          Just as it is written,
          “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!”
          (Romans 10:15 NASB)

          Who and what did Paul have on his mind when he asked this question?

          J Vernon McGee says this:

          “Paul shows that there must be messengers of the gospel who have credentials from God. Paul, you recall, began this epistle with the claim that he was a called apostle of Jesus Christ (see Rom_1:1). There follows a logical sequence. Preachers must be sent in order for people to hear that they might believe, for they would not know how to call upon God. Paul pinpoints all on believing; this, therefore, necessitated his ministry.”

          I am not sure I agree with what we deem qualifications. I, for example, have learned simply by burying my head in the Word of God and asking questions about virtually everything I read, in contrast to someone from theology school. Assuming that I am qualified to preach the gospel, the opportunities have not arisen as I thought they might; this leads me to occasionally think I have not been sent. Personally, I think that we are all evangelists to some degree.

          That being said, does everybody receive what we are saying?

          NO, and Paul had the same problem.

          However, they did not all heed the good news;
          for Isaiah says, “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?”
          (Romans 10:16 NASB)

          Once again, I turn to J Vernon McGee.

          “The Jews, his own people, hated the apostle Paul even though they applauded Saul, the Pharisee. He is showing the logic of his position. They rejected his claim, or the right of any of the apostles, to proclaim a gospel that omitted the Mosaic system which had degenerated into Pharisaism.”

          Recently, a brother in Christ threw out a challenge/question at me. He asked, why do preachers preach from the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) when Paul received new teaching, which is referred to as a mystery? Having learned not to answer such things so quickly, I hesitated, and in a matter of seconds, he began answering his own question. Such events are typically a good sign that the person asking the question wasn’t interested in obtaining an answer, but was bent on spewing his opinion. This man is typically boisterous, and unwilling to conform to what the Word of God says. Several minutes passed, and other conversations arose; however, I resurrected the subject of the gospels. I pointed out that all scripture is useful and, therefore, fair game to teach or preach from.

          All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfected, thoroughly furnished to every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 MKJV)

          He retorted with, but the gospels were concerned with the law, and Paul preached that we are free from the law.” Don’t you wish that were true, but it is not for Jesus said, I have come to fulfill the law.

          Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill. (Matthew 5:17 MKJV)

          Look at these verses.

          For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when the nations, who do not have the Law, do by nature the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law unto themselves; who show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and the thoughts between one another accusing or even excusing one another,

          (Romans 2:13-15 MKJV)

          Having demonstrated that the law is written upon the heart, allow me to show you one more verse that WE cannot set aside the law.

          There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith, do we truly fulfill the law. (Romans 3:30-31 NLT)

          A question, how did Paul open this letter to the church in Rome?

          This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God, to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. (Romans 1:1 NLT)

          Writing with emphasis to a Jewish community, Paul uses a term that should be offensive to anyone, slave; for slaves, whether by force or by choice, have submitted their entire lives to the disposal of someone else. I will tell you something deadly serious to me; I have come to understand that I can’t do this on my own, and desperately need a savior, even to the point of considering myself enslaved to him.

          Why say all this? Because Paul makes it very clear that “they,” the Jews,

          “did not all heed the good news.”

          Paul referenced a passage from Isaiah to indicate his awareness that barely any of the Jewish community are accepting the message of freedom and grace.

          “Who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

          (Isaiah 53:1 ISV)

          There is a reason for this conversation.

          The point is, Before you trust, you have to listen.

          But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to.

          (Romans 10:17 MSG)

          So, the logical assumption is that Israel has had plenty of voices speaking to them about faith and grace.

          “But, I say, isn’t it rather that they didn’t hear?”

          No, they did hear—”

          Their voice has gone out throughout the whole world and their words to the ends of the earth.”

          (Romans 10:18 CJB)

          Paul still queries,

          So the big question is,
          Why didn’t Israel understand that she had no corner on this message?

          Moses had it right when he predicted, When you see God reach out to those you consider your inferiors—outsiders!— you’ll become insanely jealous.
          When you see God reach out to people you think are religiously stupid, you’ll throw temper tantrums.

          (Romans 10:19 MSG)

          Paul then tells us, He was found by a people who were not looking for Him.

          Then Isaiah was bold enough to say: “I have been found by a people who were not searching for me; I have made known myself to people who were not asking to know me.” (Romans 10:20 Williams)

          Cold shoulders and icy stares.

          Then he capped it with a damning indictment: Day after day after day, I beckoned Israel with open arms And got nothing for my trouble but cold shoulders and icy stares.

          (Romans 10:21 MSG)

          If this says anything to you, it should say rejoice.

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          Is there injustice in God? Romans 9:15 – 27. Part two of two.

          Posted on 02/17/2020 by remso

          We looked at Romans 9:14 where Paul asked the question, is there injustice in God? Paul answers his own question with, Of course not!; Paul continues with what we see in Romans 9:15-16.

          Romans 9:15-16 NET. For he says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” (16) So then, it does not depend on human desire or exertion, but on God who shows mercy.

          Where does this showing of mercy come from?

          Exodus 33:18-19 NET. And Moses said, “Show me your glory.” (19) And the LORD said, “I will make all my goodness pass before your face, and I will proclaim the LORD by name before you; I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.”

          Moses merely asked to see God’s glory. That was an all-encompassing request, for, as we learned, His Glory shows up in everything. If God was going to be narrow-minded about whom He showed his grace and mercy, why start with Moses, for he murdered a man? Why show any of those things to any of us, as we are all embedded with this sin nature?

          What is the one passage that gets read for most salvation pleas?

          John 3:16 NASB “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

          If John 3:16 shows us anything, it shows us a God that was willing to put Himself on that cross for a world that did not love Him.

          Does that demonstrate a God who handpicks those He will show grace and mercy to, when, in fact, it is a demonstration of how He shows grace and mercy to all who will follow after Him?

          To reiterate.

          Romans 9:16 NASB So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.

          We cannot do this on our own, and it is God who demonstrates mercy. Now here comes the one verse that seems to slap us around more than any other. I will give you the MKJV first.

          Romans 9:17 MKJV  For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “Even for this same purpose I have raised you up, that I might show My power in you, and that My name might be declared throughout all the earth.”

          What scripture?

          And Jehovah said to Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, So says Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. For I am going to send at this time all My plagues upon your heart, and upon your servants, and upon your people, so that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. For now, I will stretch out My hand, that I may strike you and your people with plagues, and you shall be cut off from the earth. And for this, I have made you stand, to make you see My power, to declare My name in all the land. Do you still exalt yourself against My people, that you will not let them go? (Exodus 9:13-17 MKJV)

          There is a phrase here that I want to focus on for a moment, and I want to look at the NASB to do it.

          “But, indeed, for this reason, I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth. (Exodus 9:16 NASB)

          The Hebrew word for reason is abur and also means on account of.

          God was not punishing a human just because He felt a need to be vindictive; there were many reasons. When we look at the context, which I have given in Exodus 9:13-17, you can see several clues as to why God used Pharaoh in this manner.

          1. Pharaoh, regardless of whether he respected the word of Moses or not, was under a mandate to release God’s people; he chose to disregard that mandate.
          2. We learn that Pharaoh was warned that plagues would come: upon his heart, the heart of his servants, and the heart of the Egyptians – your people. While the plagues go beyond annoying, they were meant to demonstrate that God is in control, NOT some Pharaoh. Let us make something understood, God’s people did not belong to Pharaoh, but they had foolishly given their hearts to Egypt. Scripture proves this out, and we see it when Stephen addresses the Jewish council who intends to kill him. He provides the council with a history lesson, which none of them disputed, and Stephen added, “your people, brought the tent of Moloch and the star of Rephan out of Egypt with them. You can find this story in Acts chapter seven but look specifically at verses 39, where their hearts turned back to Egypt, and verse 43, which tells us that they brought the tabernacle of Moloch.

          Romans 9:18 CJB  So then, he has mercy on whom he wants, and he hardens whom he wants.

          Should this perceived attitude problem cause us problems? Why should it, aren’t we currently living in God’s enduring grace?

          Keep something in mind. Joseph, under the control of a different Pharaoh, was raised to the second- highest position in the country. Nobody did anything in Egypt without Joseph knowing about it. Did that Pharaoh care? Not at all, in fact, Pharaoh relaxed knowing that a Godly man was in charge. But almost four hundred years have passed, Joseph has long since died, and Israel is still in Egypt and growing in numbers. This new Pharaoh, who knows nothing of Joseph, nor cares, is concerned about one thing, this vast number of people could turn against him, and therefore, must be quickly controlled and sedated.

          Dr. J Vernon McGee tells us that, “God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, it means that God forced Pharaoh to make the decision that was in his heart. God forced him to do the thing he wanted to do. There never will be a person in hell who did not choose to be there, my friend. You are the one who makes your own decision.”

          So the assumption made by the foolish is that humanity has no choice, when, in fact, their course of action to reject God is their own making. God merely helps to get them there.

          Romans 9:19 TLV  You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?”

          Assuming that we lack a choice, some will say, why then still find fault in people, for who can resist God’s will? 

          The Message translation gets right to the point in response to the question we see in verse 19.

          Romans 9:20 MSG  Who in the world do you think you are to second-guess God? Do you, for one moment, suppose any of us knows enough to call God into question? Clay doesn’t talk back to the fingers that mold it, saying, “Why did you shape me like this?”

          I think the obvious answer NO ONE knows the heart of God, the way the Son did. One way for me to understand this is that our antenna is broken, and as James says, we look through the glass darkly. But also pay attention to this sentence: “Clay doesn’t talk back to the fingers that mold it.” Now that should straighten the hairs on the back of your neck.

          Romans 9:21 MSG  Isn’t it obvious that a potter has a perfect right to shape one lump of clay into a vase for holding flowers and another into a pot for cooking beans?

          Well, of course, He does, and I suspect He has the right to reconfigure us as it suits His needs, not ours.

          Romans 9:23-24 MSG  and another style carefully crafted to show his glorious goodness, isn’t that all right?  (24)  Either or both happens to Jews, but it also happens to the other people.

          And we are the other people who were adopted into this relationship. Adopted but Sons none the less, and since we are sons, we are obedient.

          Romans 9:25-26 MSG  Hosea put it well: I’ll call nobodies and make them somebodies; I’ll call the unloved and make them beloved.  (26)  In the place where they yelled out, “You’re nobody!” they’re calling you “God’s living children.”

          Romans 9:27 NLT  And concerning Israel, Isaiah the prophet cried out, “Though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sand of the seashore, only a remnant will be saved.

          Concerning Israel, only a remnant will be saved. What does that mean?

          Several things. The meanings can be wrapped up in an understanding that not all will come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and it can also point to Israel’s end-times destruction. I believe this is what is conveyed in Ezekiel 38, 39.

          Romans 9:28 NLT  For the LORD will carry out his sentence upon the earth quickly and with finality.”

          The notion of a sentence, as used here, has to do with judgment. When does God bring judgment?

          Only when He has removed those who are to be excluded in that judgment, will He pour out His wrath upon the earth for seven years. We have two ways of considering this time frame, in contrast to what Romans 9:28 tells us.

          1. Seven years is a drop in the bucket compared to the last two thousand or so years we have been waiting for Christ to return and catch the church away.
          2. Since Paul uses the term finality, then we are thrust forward in time to the end of those seven years, to the time when Jesus will come riding back on the scene on a white horse. It is then that much of what we see as justice will be delivered. If you are familiar with this story in the Revelation, then you are aware of the speed with which it transpires.
          3. For those that love to argue, there is one last judgment However, it is for slightly different reasons, and that is the great white throne judgment. This judgment comes after Christ, and a few others have been reigning over the earth for a thousand years. Satan gets released at this point and deceives the nations. Remember, the nations are those that are outside of a relationship with Christ, and there is surely the opportunity during the 1000 year reign.  Those nations, under the guidance of Satan, try to kill God; however, God consumes them all with fire, and they too are brought before the Great White Throne. This moment in time ends all judgments forever, and the rest of us all live happily ever after.

          Romans 9:29 NLT  And Isaiah said the same thing in another place: “If the LORD of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of our children, we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah.”

          Paul got this from Isaiah 1:9 NLT 

          If the LORD of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of us, we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah.

          But this has a familiar ring to it.

          Isaiah 10:21-23 NASB A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. (22) For though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea, Only a remnant within them will return; A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness. (23) For a complete destruction, one that is decreed, the Lord GOD of hosts will execute in the midst of the whole land.

          Romans 9:30-33 NASB What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; (31) but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. (32) Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, (33) just as it is written, “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

          • “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; (31) but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law?”
            • Why did Israel not arrive at that law?

              HE WHO BELIEVES IN JESUS CHRIST WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.

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