The End - Let's Read Romans Backwards

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We’ve made it! Here we are at the end of Romans, and I’m going to combine today’s and tomorrow’s readings into one post.

I actually preached on Romans 16 this past Sunday, and rather than trying to recap in one post the sermon, I’ve decided to include it below.

I learned this week that the key to understanding Romans is to read it backwards.

When you start at the end, you see that Paul really wants for the Romans is unity.

Unity wasn’t any easier 2,000 years ago than it is today.

Which doesn’t make it any less important.

 
 
 
 

16:1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.

3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.

5 Greet also the church that meets at their house.

Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.

6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.

7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christbefore I was.

8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.

9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.

10 Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test.

Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.

11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.

Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.

12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord.

Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.

13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.

14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them.

15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people who are with them.

16 Greet one another with a holy kiss.

All the churches of Christ send greetings.

17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. 19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

21 Timothy, my co-worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, Jasonand Sosipater, my fellow Jews.

22 I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.

23 Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings.

Erastus, who is the city’s director of public works, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings. [24] 

25 Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel,the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Paul's Reason for Visiting Rome

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Today’s Reading: Rom 15:22-33

 
 

23 But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you, 24 I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assistme on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.25 Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem. 27 They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings. 28 So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this contribution, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way. 29 I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.

30 I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. 31 Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there, 32 so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed. 33 The God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Paul is writing before heads to Jerusalem. We know from the Book of Acts that once Paul arrives in Jerusalem, a riotous mob tries to kill him and he is taken into Roman custody. Eventually, he will be sent to Roman to be judged before Caesar.

The reason he is going to Jerusalem is to take a contribution he has collected from the Gentile churches back to the struggling Jerusalem (Jewish) church.

Paul’s reason for wanting to visit Rome is that he hopes the churches there will be his home base so he can take the Gospel to Spain, which would be the “end of the earth.”

Endurance and Then Encouragement

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Today’s Reading: Romans 15:1-21

Paul is addressing the split between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians in the Roman house church network. The “strong” are the Christians who no longer eat kosher or follow the Jewish ceremonial law. The “weak” at the Jewish Christians who continue to insist that Christians should follow Jewish ceremonial law.

 
 

15:1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I love the thought of the scriptures providing us with both endurance and encouragement.

Paul wants the Roman Christians to stop looking down on each other, but to be unified.

 

7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed 9 and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written:

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;
    I will sing the praises of your name.”

10 Again, it says,

“Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.”

11 And again,

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;
    let all the peoples extol him.”

12 And again, Isaiah says,

“The Root of Jesse will spring up,
    one who will arise to rule over the nations;
    in him the Gentiles will hope.”

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul’s point is that God has always planned to bring Jews and Gentiles together in the Messiah, “the Root of Jesse,” so the Romans need to start living as one family!

 

14 I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another. 15 Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

17 Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. 18 I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— 19 by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. 20 It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. 21 Rather, as it is written:

“Those who were not told about him will see,
    and those who have not heard will understand.”

Paul knows he’s been pretty bold in challenging the Roman Gentile Christians to do a better job of loving the Jewish Christians in Rome, but he reminds the Romans that he was given a special mission from God to preach to Gentiles, and he takes his calling seriously.

Romans Handout

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I’ll post on all of Romans 15 tomorrow.

Below is the handout I gave at last night’s Bible study.

The Key to Understanding Romans

 

Reason for the Letter: to bring unity to fractured house churches in Rome.

 

·      In the early chapters of the letter, Paul explains that it’s always been God’s plan to unite all peoples into one family (that’s what the stuff about Abraham and faith is about in chapter 4, e.g.)

·      In the later chapters of the letter, Paul builds on his theological foundation to urge the divided Roman churches to be unified in Messiah Jesus.

 

Important Historical Background

 

The Emperor Claudius expelled “the Jews” from Rome around AD 41.

 

“Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from Rome.”  (From the ancient Roman historian Suetonius)

 

Claudius died in AD 54, and some time around then Jews returned to Rome.

 

When the Jewish Christians returned, they encounter Gentile Christians in the Romans churches, and this caused divisions in the church.

 

To Really Understand Romans, You Need to Start at the End

 

Paul mentions more people by name in chapter 16 than in any other letter he wrote.  Most likely, he is greeting the leaders of the various house churches.

 

  • Jewish names: Mary, Andronicus, Junia, Aquila, Prisca, Herodian, Rufus and his mother (of Mark 15:21)

  • Latin names: Ampliatus, Julia, Urbanus

  • Greek names: Remaining names

 

The Roman Church is divided along ethnic lines, and Paul writes his great letter to urge them to be unified.

"Do Not Destroy the Kingdom of God For the Sake Of...."

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Paul’s point in writing to the Romans is to introduce himself and his gospel, and to address some of the divisions in the Roman church between the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians.

His message in today’s reading? Don’t let this stuff divide you—as important as it is, it’s not as important and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

I wonder what contemporary debates might fall into that category today?

Today’s Scripture: Romans 14:13-23

****Don’t forget—last Romans Bible study is this Wednesday, 6-7 PM.****

 
 

13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.

So, there were Jewish Christians who felt that faithfulness required them to continue to obey the Jewish kosher laws. Paul—Jewish by background—has come to understand that in Jesus all the food laws that separated Israel from the nations have been fulfilled.

BUT

Paul also knows that there is nothing wrong with the Jewish Christian practice of continuing to keep kosher, and he doesn’t want those Christians who do NOT keep kosher to scandalize the Jewish Christians by eating food in front of them that the Jewish Christians would consider unclean.

 

16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

So, Paul tells the Roman Christians who do NOT keep kosher that if they mess with someone’s faith, they are doing wrong. Ultimately, the Kingdom of God is more important than what you eat or drink.

 

19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.

Try really really really hard not to let these things come between you and another Christian!

 

23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

What does this verse mean? I found this helpful:

In contrast to the Christian who acts from conviction is the weak Christian “who has doubts” or “who wavers.” The doubts of such Christians arise from the fact that they do not have a strong enough faith to believe that they can ignore the ritual elements of the OT law. Doubters such as this, Paul says, are “condemned” when they eat. This is not simply a subjective self-condemnation; as the reference to it later in the verse makes clear, Paul refers to God’s disapproval of such an act. Condemnation comes not because of the eating itself; as Paul has already explained (vv. 14, 20), eating anything one wants is quite all right for the believer. Rather, what brings God’s condemnation is eating when one does not have the faith to believe that it is right to do it. This, Paul claims, is “sin.” Why? Because, Paul goes on to explain, “everything that is not out of faith is sin.” Paul here asserts a general theological principle. But it is necessary to describe accurately just what that principle is….Paul claims that any act that does not arise from a conviction rooted in one’s faith in Christ is sinful. For a Christian not a single decision and action can be good which he does not think he can justify on the ground of his Christian conviction and his liberty before God in Christ. Violation of the dictates of the conscience, even when the conscience does not conform perfectly with God’s will, is sinful. And we must remember that Paul cites this theological point to buttress his exhortation of the strong. The strong, he is suggesting, should not force the weak to eat meat, or drink wine, or ignore the Sabbath, when the weak are not yet convinced that their faith in Christ allows them to do so. For to do so would be to force them into sin, to put a stumbling block in their way (see vv. 13, 20-21). First, their faith must be strengthened, their consciences enlightened; and then they can follow the strong in exercising Christian liberty together.

—Douglass Moo

 
 

I think one area in our lives where Paul’s words are relevant are with regard to pandemic responses—let’s not let whether that person wears a mask or doesn’t wear a mask divide us one from the other. Let people do what they think is the right course of action, and bear with them until they come to see otherwise. The people that are behaving in a way that you think is dead wrong probably think the same about you. You very well may be right, but don’t let that fact divide you from other Christians, if it can possibly be helped.

The Weak and the Strong

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Today’s Scripture: Romans 14:1-12

I’m reaching a churchwide Bible study this Wednesday, 6-7 PM. Come hear Romans tied up with a bow!

 
 

14:1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 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. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
    every tongue will acknowledge God.’”

12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

The “weak” are Messianic Jews (i.e., Christian Jews) who still follow the Mosaic Laws and who are really troubled by the Gentile Christian practice of not following the Mosaic Laws. These Messianic Jews are passing judgment on the Christians who do not keep kosher.

Paul’s point: stop being so concerned about issues about which God permits differences between Christians! Whether this person observes the Mosaic Law or not doesn’t matter if that person is committed to Christ.

When to Submit to the Governing Authorities

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In Romans 13, Paul famously tells the Roman Church to “submit to the governing authorities.”

Why does he say that? What does that mean? Does that mean civil disobedience isn’t compatible with the gospel? What about when the government is wicked?

 
 
 

Today’s Reading: Romans 13

13:1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Love Fulfills the Law

8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

The Day Is Near

11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already comefor you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

 
 

As background to why Paul felt he needed to talk to the Romans about submitting to the governing authorities, this paragraph from Douglas Moo was helpful to me:

His purpose may be to stifle the kind of extremism that would pervert his emphasis on the coming of a new era and on the “new creation” into a rejection of every human and societal convention—including the government. Paul has had to respond to such extremism before…. (see 1 Corinthians). One can well imagine Christians arguing: “The old age has passed away; we are a ‘new creation in Christ’ and belong to the transcendent, spiritual realm. Surely we, who are now reigning with Christ in his kingdom, need pay no attention to the secular authorities of this defunct age”…. As a manifestation of his common grace, God has established in this world certain institutions, such as marriage and government, that have a positive role to play even after the inauguration of the new age.

In other words, some Christians were taking Paul’s teachings too far and rejecting every form of civilization and convention. Paul needed to nip that in the bud.

But, does that mean Christians must submit to a wicked law? Does Paul really mean that?

No, and it has to do with what Paul actually writes.

As Douglas Moo goes on to helpfully put it:

Paul calls on believers to “submit” to governing authorities rather than to “obey” them; and Paul’s choice of words may be important to our interpretation and application of Paul’s exhortation. To submit is to recognize one’s subordinate place in a hierarchy, to acknowledge as a general rule that certain people or institutions have authority over us…. It is this general posture toward government that Paul demands here of Christians. And such a posture will usually demand that we obey what the governing authorities tell us to do. But perhaps our submission to government is compatible with disobedience to government in certain exceptional circumstances. For heading the hierarchy of relations in which Christians find themselves is God; and all subordinate “submissions” must always be measured in relationship to our all-embracing submission to him.

 
 

So, we need to obey the law, unless the law itself breaks God’s Law. Whenever possible, submit to the authorities over you, but never forget that God is the ultimate authority.

“Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

Practical Advice for Living Well

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Paul has been talking throughout the letter to both Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians; in today’s reading, he gives practical advice on how to live well with other people, even if they are different from you. Pick a line and try it today!

 

Today’s Reading: Romans 12:9-21

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Don't Conform; Be Transformed

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Today’s Scripture: Romans 12:1-8

 
 

12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

“Therefore” means that Paul is following up from his beautiful doxology in the last chapter. “In light of what I just said, therefore….” Because God is so good, worship is the proper response.

 

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

What’s fascinating to me about this verse is that Paul says we can know God’s will after we are committed to transformation. It is by eschewing conformity and then having a “renewed mind” that we will be able to discern God’s will for our lives.

 

3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

This passage comes after Paul’s long discussion about Israel and his remarks to Jewish and Gentile Christians in the previous 11 chapters. Now, he says, “You are all important, and no one is more important or necessary than anyone else.”

A good reminder for each of us today!

"All Israel Will Be Saved"

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Today, Paul wraps up the section in his letter devoted to the question of God’s commitment to his chosen people, Israel.

Today’s Reading: Romans 11:25-36

 
 

25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written:

“The deliverer will come from Zion;
    he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this is my covenant with them
    when I take away their sins.”

Paul is here directly speaking to Gentile Christians in the Roman Church, and he says that the reason why relatively so few Jews have become Christians is because God is temporarily pivoting away from Israel to reach out and include the Gentiles. But, supporting his point from the Old Testament, he makes the startling claim that “all Israel will be saved.” How or when this will happen, he doesn’t say.

 

28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

Paul uses strong language to make the point that God is using the Jews to provoke the Gentiles to faith, and will then use the Gentiles to provoke the Jews to faith, because he is committed to the Jews as his chosen people, and because God uses bad things for good.

 

33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay them?”
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Paul wraps up the end of this section of the letter with a doxology—”word of glory”.

What a good way to wrap up today’s post!

"Don't Think You're Better!"

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Today’s Reading: Romans 11:11-24

 

11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all!Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!

13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble.21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

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

 

Paul here is directly addressing the Gentile Romans Christians, and he tells them not to get puffed up and think they are any better than the unbelieving Jews, just because God has graciously grafted them into his covenant people. And if God can graft in “wild” branches, who knows what he might do with the “natural branches”, i.e., with unbelieving Jews at some point in the future.

The Remnant

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Paul explains in Romans 11 that God is not through with Israel yet, despite the fact that so few Jews have accepted the gospel.

Today’s Scripture: Romans 11:1-10

 
 

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

Paul makes the point that it’s not that no Jews have accepted Christ, and he puts himself forward as a prime example to prove his point! He references the Old Testament story of Elijah to state that God always has a remnant of the faithful. (I find this point very encouraging.)

 

7 What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, 8 as it is written:

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
    eyes that could not see
    and ears that could not hear,
to this very day.”

9 And David says:

“May their table become a snare and a trap,
    a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
    and their backs be bent forever.”

Paul cites Old Testament verses to make the point that although the elect have responded in faith to Messiah Jesus, the rest have been blind and unable to see what’s right in front of them.

Why Didn't Israel Recognize Jesus as Messiah?

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Today’s Reading: Romans Chapter 10

ATTN: I’m teaching a churchwide Bible study tonight at Munger, 6-7 PM.

 
 

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

Israel’s problem is that they missed the forest for the trees—they were “zealous” but not for the right cause. (Just like the Pharisees.) Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly, and now all it takes to be included in God’s people is faith. What does saving faith look like? Paul explains next.

 

5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.” 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 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. 10 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. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Paul makes the point that saving faith isn’t complicated—that God in his mercy has brought salvation “near” to us: you just have to trust that Jesus is who he says he is.

 

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

16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:

“Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.”

19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says,

“I will make you envious by those who are not a nation;
    I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.”

20 And Isaiah boldly says,

“I was found by those who did not seek me;
    I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”

21 But concerning Israel he says,

“All day long I have held out my hands
    to a disobedient and obstinate people.”

Paul’s point here is that Israel did know about God’s gracious acts, but has refused to submit to them. He’s going to have more to say about that in the next chapter.

In the mean time, the lesson for us is clear: we must be the ones sharing the Good News in our day and time.

Will Unbelieving Jews Be Saved?

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Today we’re looking at Romans Chapter 9, which is Paul’s attempt to answer this question:

If unbelieving Jews won’t be saved, does that make God’s promises to Israel in the Old Testament null and void? Is the Lord a liar?

Paul’s answer? It was always about faith, and never about simple ethnicity.

 
 

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

Paul begins by sharing the pain that he has experienced because so few of the Jews have accepted Jesus as Messiah, despite the fact that they have the amazing heritage of God’s chosen people.

 

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

10 Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

14 What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15 For he says to Moses,

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
    and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

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

Is God unfaithful to his promises? Paul says, “No!”

Paul points out that there were always two “Israels”—the people literally descended from Abraham, and then the ones God chose as his people. So, Ishmael is descended from Abraham, but God chose Isaac; Esau is descended from Abraham, but God chose Jacob.

Think of it like the church: there are folks who are church members in name but not in spirit, but then there are those who have actually put their trust in Jesus. It’s not possible for us to see into human hearts and know the truth about people, but God can. There is the true church and the false church. Paul says it is exactly the same for Israel—it is the people of faith who are truly the chosen people, not just the ones descended from Abraham by blood.

There is an Israel within Israel.

 

19 One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” 20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?

22 What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? 23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— 24 even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?25 As he says in Hosea:

“I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;
    and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”

26 and,

“In the very place where it was said to them,
    ‘You are not my people,’
    there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”

27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:

“Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,
    only the remnant will be saved.
28 For the Lord will carry out
    his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”

29 It is just as Isaiah said previously:

“Unless the Lord Almighty
    had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
    we would have been like Gomorrah.”

Paul knows that people will object and say that it’s unfair that not everyone in Israel will be saved. Here, he’s not talking about faith or personal response—just the fact that God only saves those who have faith in him. And Paul’s point is that it’s not unfair at all—God can do whatever he wants.

 

30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:

“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall,
    and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

So, how is it that the Gentiles ended up turning in faith to God while the Jews, who had previously received the Law, did not? Paul says it’s because they forgot that the whole thing (starting with Abraham) was always about faith.

"If God Is For Us"

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Today we reach the crescendo of Romans 8, and if ever there were scripture verses worth knowing by heart, it would be these.

Today’s Reading: Romans 8:31-39

 
 

31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

This is the heart of the gospel, and the reason for Christians to be confident:

God so loved the world that he gave his only son. If God is like that, what won’t he do on our behalf?

 
 

33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Who will condemn us if Christ won’t? Answer: no one.

 
 

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

Paul quotes Psalm 44 to make the point that Christians face very real threats and sufferings. Nevertheless:

 
 

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amen.

(Learn those words by heart.)

Why Do God's Beloved Children Suffer?

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Paul has been writing about the Lord’s great love for us. The obvious question then is, “Why do God’s beloved children still suffer?” This is the question Paul sets out to address in today’s passage. Let’s go through verse by verse.

Today’s Reading: Romans 8:18-30

 
 

18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

All you need to know: what God has planned not just for us but even in us will be SO MUCH BETTER than anything we currently suffer.

19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

Even the subhuman creation is currently suffering, waiting for the future time when God’s people will be perfected in glory and take their rightful place as stewards of creation. Remember, the purpose of humanity is to rule in God’s place over all of creation, but our sin has made that currently impossible and has had consequences in the subhuman creation. But it will not be like this forever.

22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Paul uses the arresting image of childbirth and explains that it is as if the entire creation is in pain, waiting for the Kingdom to come. In the same way, we are also waiting for God to bring us through and into glory. We wait for that day with hope.

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

But we are not alone! The Father has given us the Spirit, who comforts us and even helps us pray with words deeper than words.

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

One of the greatest verses in the entire scripture: God is taking EVERYTHING and turning it to the good of his beloved children, even their sufferings.

29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Paul tells us that God has been actually working out this plan from before The Beginning. There is a good thing coming!

I’ll give Douglas Moo the last word on this passage:

“God’s intention, Paul emphasizes, is to bring to glory every person who has been justified [made right, declared innocent—AF] by faith in Jesus Christ. Our assurance of ultimate victory rests on this promise of God to us. But Paul, ever the realist, knows that that ultimate victory may lie many years ahead—years that might be filled with pain, anxiety, distress, and injustice. Thus he also encourages us by reminding us that God sends his Spirit into the heart of everyone he justifies. The Spirit brings power and comfort to the believer in the midst of suffering and he brings assurance in the midst of doubt. Christians who are unduly anxious about their relationship to the Lord are failing to let the Spirit exercise that ministry. It is by committing ourselves anew to the life of devotion—prayer, Scripture reading, Christian fellowship—that we enable the Spirit to have this ministry of assurance in our hearts”

This Week We Read the Greatest Chapter in the Bible

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Romans Chapter 8 has been called “the inner sanctuary within the cathedral of Christian faith; the tree of life in the midst of the Garden of Eden; the highest peak in a range of mountains.”

It’s a jewel in the crown, the crescendo of Paul’s great letter. And we get to read it together this week!

Today’s Reading: Romans 8:1-11

 
 

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

Let me quote extensively from Douglas Moo, whose commentary has been helpful to me:

“The central theme of vv. 1-11 is…. ‘life.’ The ‘no condemnation’ that heads this paragraph is grounded in the reality of the believer’s transfer from death to life. In vv. 2-4, this transfer emanates from ‘the Spirit of life,’ who applies to the believer the benefits won by Christ on the cross, thereby enabling the fulfillment of the law’s just demand.”

This is such a powerful idea: God himself fulfilled the law’s demands by sending his own Son. God pulled sin into one place and nailed it to the cross, thereby defeating it. As a result, we who now live by the Spirit are actually enabled to live faithfully.

 
 

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

9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you,then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

More Moo:

“Verses 5-9 teach that the flesh is necessarily in opposition to God, turning every person into a rebel against God and his law and reaping death in consequence. This explains why it is only by ‘being in the Spirit’ (v. 9) and ‘walking according to the Spirit’ (v. 4b) that life and peace can be had. And the life that the Spirit gives is by no means ended by the grave, for the presence of the Spirit guarantees that the bodies of believers will be raised from physical death (vv. 10-11).”