I Corinthians 2:1-16

 I Corinthians 2:1-16

Paul arrived in Corinth from Athens, the heart and center of Greek culture and philosophy. There at the Areopagus, Paul addressed the philosopher-rulers in terms that were philosophical in nature. Their response was lukewarm. The problem with really smart people is that they are able, if they want, to rationalize and justify anything they want. But when he came to Corinth, Paul used, rather than philosophy, two things: the story of the crucifixion and the power that demonstrated the Spirit. The gospel makes sense as a worldview or philosophy, but the testimony of changed lives is more powerful and, for most people, more eloquent. Paul makes a point we might miss if we don’t pay close attention. Paul asked, “Who knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of a man? And who can know the thoughts of God except the Holy Spirit?” Having received the Holy Spirit, we can understand things of God. In chapter 1, Paul mentions that not many were wise by the world standards, but now we see that doesn’t really matter because we are capable of knowing the things of God because we have His Spirit. As we are making disciples, we need to remember that it is not just a matter of communication of the story, which is our part, but also the Spirit that calls, prompts, and leads a person to know God. We are not responsible for results but for faithfully teaching. That is both an obligation and a relief.

As great as an education and a high IQ may be, the gospel is not discovered that way. Paul quotes from Isaiah and makes this point. No one has seen, heard, or even conceptualized all that God has prepared for those who love him. Note what Paul is doing here. He will, in the chapters ahead, tackle some pretty tough issues, specifically the divisiveness of the church. He has called the church to unity in the first chapter because only united can they address their other problems. Right in the middle of this call for unity, he is telling them that God has something wonderful for those who love him. You won’t figure that out by philosophy or worldly wisdom or contemplation or hearing it in a talk or seeing it with your eyes. The wonderful reality is worth the effort of unity; it is worth the pursuit of holiness; it is possible because of the cross; it will come to us by the Spirit.

“Lord, Help me to pursue the things of Your Spirit. AMEN”

I Corinthians 1:18-31

 I Corinthians 1:18-31

At its core, the message of the gospel is foolishness, or put another way, it’s just plain crazy. This passage is a little difficult for us to understand because we have no personal experience with crucifixion. We have almost 2000 years of history of looking at the cross as a reminder of the death of Christ and the salvation that it brings. We have sanitized across the hard edges and the sharp, painful part. We have made it beautiful, made it a fashion accessory, and made it acceptable. Not so with the Romans. Within the Roman Empire, the cross was the agency of state domination. It was the means of capital punishment that produced mind-boggling agony and helpless humiliation. Nothing in the entire world was worse than crucifixion. What a swastika would be for a Jew or a mushroom cloud would be for someone from Hiroshima or a KKK flag would be for a Black man, that is with the cross was for everyone in the Roman Empire, a reminder or threat of pain and misery.

Along come Christians saying the message of the cross is salvation. Try telling a Jew that the message of the swastika was the best news that they could have. Tell a Black man that he needs to come and submit to the flag of the Ku Klux Klan. That might give you the kind of reaction you would get to the cross in the first century. The good news of the cross in the mind of the Roman world was just plain crazy.

The Jews wanted to sign. The law came with signs, the plagues on Egypt, the Red Sea parted, and the voice of God from the mountain. The Greeks wanted wisdom, to know how it all fit together. They wanted a bit of insight to explain philosophy, history, science, and religion to find the supremely elusive principle that could make sense of everything. Along come the Christians, and rather than offer miraculous proof or a unifying theory that explains everything, Christianity offered a condemned criminal hanging in agony. It seemed crazy. The cross was and is, until we understand who He was and what He did, madness. But as a perfect sin-bearing sacrifice whose death is a substitution for the sin and death of all men, Jesus on the cross makes signs inconsequential and a unified theory banal. This crazy thing God did in the atonement removes all the wise things we might want to appeal to for understanding. Signs and wisdom are replaced with God’s own wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. If someone says Christianity is the craziest thing the world has ever seen, we should reply thankfully, “Yes, it is.”

“Thank You< Lord, for the Cross. AMEN”

1 Corinthians 1:1–17

1 Corinthians 1:1–17

Paul begins this letter with a positive introduction. If all we had of First Corinthians was this introduction, we might come to the conclusion that this was a strong and healthy congregation. Paul was an optimist, but he wasn’t naïve. He begins the letter to the most immoral of churches with the list of positives about the life of the church. In verses 4–7 he expresses thanks for them, his confidence in their faith, and that they will ultimately be found blameless in the Lord. How do we reconcile this deeply corrupt, immoral church with Paul’s positive assessment? Paul is not being disingenuous and flattering the Corinthians, nor is he failing to take their problems seriously. The answer is found in verse nine, most specifically in the first three words: “God is faithful.” Paul’s confidence doesn’t rest in the Corinthians but in God, who called them. In fact, these three words could almost serve as the theme for the whole letter. The phrase “God is faithful” was a common and favorite theme of the ancient Jews. God, by His character, always accomplishes what He promises. There’s another concept here as well. It is in the faithfulness of God‘s people that we see expressed the faithfulness of God. Paul is confident God will accomplish His purpose even in this messed-up church. His thanks is for what has been begun because he is sure it will be fulfilled.

It is worth noting that of all the issues that Paul will address in this letter, it is the issue of the division that he addresses first. We might expect Paul would begin with some more scandalous issue in the church or the more public or those more theologically oriented. But it begins by addressing the divisions and the party spirit that plague the church. He did this because each of the problems would require the whole church’s participation to resolve. To address these other issues first would only draw more battle lines and more deeply divide the church. A church that is divided is going to be utterly ineffective at both correcting its own spiritual corruption and making disciples in the world. A divisive spirit in a congregation will sooner or later kill that congregation.

“Lord, help me to live out the truth that You are Faithful. AMEN”

Romans 16:1-27

 Romans 16:1-27

When we think of church, we generally think of a specific building, in a specific location, with a group of people meeting for a specific time. That would have been unrecognizable to Paul. The church in Rome was a network of relationships, connections, and loyalties between what we would consider small groups or home churches. Paul specifically greets about 20 people, and there is no reason to believe that this was the entire church. The church in Rome may have had scores of what we would call cells, all interconnected and mutually supportive but also living and working in different spheres. The arrangement would be more effective in disciple-making and would have supported the priesthood of every believer and would have been very important in the years to come during persecution.

Into this open network of churches, sooner or later, some bad actors would show up. Paul describes them as people who cause “dissensions” and “hindrances.”. The word dissension literally means “standing apart” on non-important issues. This word is only used twice in the New Testament, here and in Galatians, where it is listed with the works of the flesh. It is a sad wonder that churches that would never put up with idolatry, witchcraft, drunkenness, or sexual misconduct will tolerate or even elevate a person who causes “dissensions.” The word “hindrance” is the Greek word from which we get “scandal”; it means a stumbling block. These people look for reasons to have the believers in a squabble over some scandal. They do not want to work things out, which is what they may claim based on what we see in verse 18. Rather, they want to enhance their power by means of agitation and conflict.

In verse 20, Paul talks about the crushing of the powers of darkness under the feet of the believers. This verse is often quoted in reference to “spiritual warfare.” But we need to pay attention to the context. In verses 17–19, Paul talks about two things before he talks about the defeat of the powers of darkness. The key to the defeat of the enemy is the unity of the church and holiness in God’s people. We can ramble on about spiritual warfare, recite clichés, and declare the enemy’s defeat, but unless we are united in the body of Christ and our living lives of holiness, then the enemy will only laugh at the show that we put on.

“Lord, grant that I will live in unity and holiness and by these work against the powers of darkness. Amen.”

Romans 15:14-33

 Romans 15:14-33

In the Protestant church, we have talked about the priesthood of all believers, that every Christian is a priest before God. Much of this has been a reaction to the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church and a sort of democratic view of church leadership. Rarely do we talk about the service we all have as priests. When we do talk about the role of believers as priests, it is essentially limited to public worship service, serving communion, or some formal function in the ministry of the church worship service itself. Paul in this passage gives us a glimpse at the priestly function of the disciple, which is very different than what we see in most churches. In verses 15-16, Paul describes his role as a priest in terms of his evangelistic efforts among the Gentiles. The offering that Paul was bringing to God in his role as a priest was making disciples. Don't miss the upside-down marvel of the statement. In every other priestly sacrificial system, a physically living animal, and sadly sometimes a person, was brought before a deity where it died. Here the spiritually dead are brought to the Lord, and they are made spiritually alive. The newly enlivened sacrifice came to be the next generation of priests replicating and repeating the process.

This work is not easy but rather requires great sacrifice on the part of the priest. In verse 16 Paul uses the word “minister,” which originally was the word used to describe the patron who, for the love of his city, would pay for major public works projects, even going so far as to outfit, man, and maintain a warship. We must not imagine our role as priest is to sit comfortably in a chair and occasionally offer a prayer or read a scripture. Our role as priests is to make disciples, leading the spiritually dead to Christ where He will give them life.

Paul makes a point of telling about his future mission efforts and his hope for help from the church at Rome. The end of Acts gives us the record of what happened next for Paul, and it wasn’t what he had hoped for. But we will do well to note how Paul conducted his missions. First, Paul took the gospel to places where there was a cultural crossroads without a Christian witness. Second, he also avoided working where others did their ministry. How different we are in our churches. Nearly everything we do as believers is done in, with, and for other believers. Perhaps we should change our approach to be more like Paul’s, to go where no one speaks the good news and in that community love people into knowing Jesus.

“Lord, help me to be a good priest and minister in Your service.  AMEN”

Romans 15: 1 - 13

 Romans 15: 1 - 13

Being part of a Christian community is not easy; it isn't meant to be easy. The powers of darkness hate the church more than anything on Earth, with the possible exception of the faithful disciple. If the church were united, the powers of hell would be completely overwhelmed. We must never doubt that factions, frictions, conflicts, and quarrels within the church, both universally and locally, are a high priority in the war department of hell. Unity can't be faked. The facade may last for some time, but at the spiritual and unseen level, disunity will undermine the church.

It has been my sad responsibility, on a few occasions, to serve local congregations that underwent conflict. Long before anyone knew that there was a problem, things changed within the church. Attendance began to decline, visitors suddenly stopped coming, and the spirit or the feel was just different. God will not bless a church where his people are beating each other up. Why would He bring a new believer or someone wanting to learn about Christ to such a congregation? In these cases I have watched churches die as a result of unresolved conflict. It may take some time, but if repentance does not happen and reconciliation is not part of the church life, conflict will ultimately kill a congregation.

As long as a church is pulling together, there is hope. It may have to struggle through many hardships, and it will require perseverance in the face of external pressure, and it will need relentless encouragement within, but the church united can and will press on.

In the church in Rome, the potential for conflict was between Jews and Gentiles. With a long history of conflict, tension, and sometimes outright hate and open war, unity between Jews and Romans was going to be a challenge. But by bearing with the weak, working for the good of others, and building up each other, even this great divide could be bridged.

There is a final note we must not miss. We won't do this on our own. In verse 13, Paul tells us that it is God who fills us, and we have the power of the Holy Spirit. We have our part to play in unity. We must desire it and seek the good of our brothers and sisters. But we must not assume that some man-made contrivance or program will accomplish all that much. It is as disciples seeking God that we are empowered by Him for the unity of the church.

“Lord, give me the grace to live in unity and godly love with my brothers and sisters. AMEN”

Romans 14: 1 - 23

 Romans 14: 1 - 23

There is an old cliché, “In matters of faith, unity; in matters of opinion, liberty; and in all things, love.” That, to a certain degree, captures the spirit of Romans 14. If only it were that simple. We are often in disagreement on what is a matter of faith or orthodox Christian conduct and what is a matter of opinion or personal choice. We assume that what we call a matter of faith ought to be so for everyone. Rather than an endless list, Paul provides general principles and several examples and then a good hope.

In the church at Rome, some believers came to Christ out of Judaism, and they still felt that the regulations of the law should be observed. Paul describes these persons as having weak faith. Having been saved by grace, they continue to try to have a righteousness based on the law. There are two principles in dealing with anyone who has a weak faith: patience and gentleness. Using the example of keeping holy days or diet, Paul teaches that the road forward is not in criticism, argument, or debate. Rather leave them to the Lord. Jesus has saved them, and He can bring them through. It is almost as if Paul is saying, ‘Mind your own business.’.

But Paul also tells us not to put stumbling blocks in the path of other believers. The conscience is a strange thing. It is powerful but not completely trustworthy. Some people have done terrible things with a clear conscience. Our conscience is trainable, and it does not come fully formed when we are born. A young lady in a remote corner of New Guinea may dress modestly in her culture and conscience, but in North America a woman dressed that way would be a scandal, a stumbling block. We must be very careful about violating our own or asking someone else to violate their conscience. Not because conscience is always right, but because if we violate the conscience too often, it will become weakened and ineffective. God may be training and shaping a new believer’s conscience in one given area. If they have misguided scruples in another area and we teach them to ignore their conscience in that area, we may inadvertently teach them to ignore God's training in the first area as well. The kingdom is not so much about setting up a list of can and can't do. It is about righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

“Lord, give me grace in the difficult situation of living in a Christian community. AMEN”

Romans 13:1-14

Romans 13:1-14

Rarely has the importance of historical context been more important in understanding a passage than it is here. The relationship between the disciple and the state is not always easy to sort through. Sometimes this state is positively disposed toward the disciple and the church. Sometimes the state actually opposes and persecutes believers. So discernment is needed to understand how we relate to our governing authorities. There are occasions that the same government will change its perspective and relationship to the church. Here at the end of the book of Romans, the state serves and is seen in a positive light. As the first century closed, Rome is in Revelations described as the “Whore sitting on Seven Hills.”. Rather than hard-and-fast rules for Christian citizens, we need principles that apply properly to diverse circumstances. First, in verse 5, Paul uses the term “conscience,” which is the inner conviction of what we know is right. We are trained as disciples to love all men. When we are so trained, then our conscience can be helpful to know how to relate to the government. Second, in verse 7, Paul says “give back” or “render” what is due to government officials and the state. We cannot give to the state that which is only God's, but all else is fair game. We will never say, “Caesar is my Lord,” but we will respect and pay our taxes.

Beginning in verse 8, Paul shapes Christian conduct around the twin themes of “Love” and “Time.”. Time is a strange thing; in the moment it seems that we have so much of it, but in retrospect we always ask, “Where did the time go?” I write this on New Year's morning. I've been at my desk for about an hour; both the past hour and the past year seem to have flashed by. Based on the age at which my ancestors tended to die, my life is somewhere between 2/3 and 3/4 over. The priority of “now” needs to be applied to our lives. Living well in the now requires us to live in love. If we are behind in our debts, get caught up now. Love neighbors now. If there is unrepentant sin or a habit of evil, turn to the Lord now. If we scheme to find a way to indulge our flesh, stop that now. It may be that we will live out our days, and if we do, we will come to the end and wonder where they all went. So now is the time to live holy. We may not live till sunset, so now is the time to live holy. The Lord may return today, so now is the time to live holy. The best time for the holy things is always now. 

“Lord, help me to live now in such a way as to honor You. AMEN”

Romans 12: 9 - 21

 Romans 12: 9 - 21

In verses 1 through 8, Paul guides us toward maturity in our internal life. It is reasonable that we would begin on the inside. Maturity, faith, and spirituality all begin with a heart change. We need not master or perfect our inner self before we begin working on our external relational life. We will never achieve perfection in this life, either internally or externally. But the inner life is the springboard for our relational life. In the balance of this chapter, Paul directs our relational life into two points. In verses 9-13, he talks about relationships within the church, and in verses 14-21, he addresses life in the relationships to the world at large. Certainly there would be some crossover and multiple applications, but the life here described would be highly attractive to the watching world.

In verses 9-13, we see sort of a chain of 10 characteristics we ought to pursue, especially in the context of our life within the church community. As we look at these 10 characteristics or behaviors, we see that while unique, they also are linked and lead into each other. For example, when love is without hypocrisy, we will naturally hate evil passionately and hold tightly to what is good. We are not seeing independent truths unrelated to each other but rather as we mature in one, we will tend to mature in another. Also notice that these traits can't exist or operate in isolation or independently from the other people. Too many believers have no contact with other Christians and therefore no opportunity to practice and develop these characteristics. One hour a week in a worship service is not nearly enough connection to grow or develop in these areas.

In verses 14 through 21, we see seven traits that generally deal with life as it relates to non-Christians. But it can have applications with fellow believers. By and large, these characteristics and traits teach us how to deal with problem or difficult people. Ideally, we would only find these outside of the faith, but not always. This behavioral description is profound in many ways but especially in its stark realism. This is no silly pie-in-the-sky, cutie pie, and rainbow's denial of the ugly reality that we face. This is the advice of someone who has suffered greatly but found grace for the living.

The life described in Romans 12 is both idealistic and reasonable. A life so lived would bring inner peace and would be very attractive to unbelievers. Rather than trying to attract crowds with shows, we ought to live a life of holy beauty. That will lift Christ up and He will draw all men to Himself.

“Lord, help me to live a life that will draw all people to Christ. AMEN”

Romans 12:2

 Romans 12:2

What is the will of God? That is a big question for every Christian who takes their faith seriously. We are not our own; we belong to God, and pleasing Him is the reason for our lives. When we face big questions that can shape the rest of our lives we wrestle with getting it right. Romans 12:2b says, “That you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”.

Paul starts out by saying, “Do not be conformed to this world.”. That word conformed is used to describe how our clay would be shaped when it was pressed by a signet ring or seal. The clay responding to outside pressure takes the shape and appearance of the force working on it. Paul continues that we should be transformed. That word is used to describe that change that appeared when Jesus was transfigured on the mount. The real character that was cloaked and was there all along came out. This avoiding of being conformed to the world while our holy spiritual nature is manifested occurs by the renewing of our mind.

The renewing of the mind is not a wild mystical experience but rather something that happens as we pay attention to the details of our moral life. Change, either positive or negative, doesn’t happen in gigantic leaps but rather in many tiny compromises. By paying attention to the little things and choosing the right little things, we find that, in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, our minds are renewed. This is simply spiritual maturity working itself out over many decisions. The truth is expressed in the the redundant-sounding saying: “The more we think like Christ, the more we think like Christ.”.

The longer we do this, the more habit-forming it becomes. When we make 100s of little choices to do what is right and holy and pure, those choices just become more apt to be made. The believer who has staunchly been honest with pennies and nickels will not rob a bank or defraud a widow. A Christian who never tells little lies will not spin a web of deception. The habit of holiness doesn’t happen automatically and is a lifelong pursuit and work, but when a decision has to be made, the default setting is to do the right thing.

So how do I know the will of God about big life shaping choices or any other decision for that matter? It is not like going to an oracle and asking a question. It is the conviction that comes from a life of living in cooperation with the Holy Spirit in doing right. When the time comes, you just know, because you have done it all along. 

“Lord, help me to be trained in Your will in every detail, so that in the big choices I will know Your mind.” AMEN

Romans 12:1-8

 Romans 12:1-8

After Paul’s lofty and somewhat difficult teaching about election, hardening of hearts and Israel, he moves toward highly practical applications. He ends chapter 11 with the greatness of God and salvation by grace. So how do we respond to these two grand themes? We live lives of holiness. Chapter 12 is an insightful chapter about holy living. Because of who God is and what He has done, holy living is our response. God’s person and action provide the only lasting and adequate motivation for holy living. Any encouragement for holy living is prized, but only God Himself is sufficient motivation for holiness.

We have had our own death, burial, and resurrection, and the life we now live is that of a holy sacrifice. The last phrase of verse one is literally translated “which is your logical service.” It is only logical or reasonable that we should live holy lives; any immorality is an illogical or self-contradicting state for a believer. The word ‘service’ in this verse is the origin of our word liturgy, which means form of worship. What is the correct form of worship for Christians? Is it contemporary worship, traditional worship, high church worship, or liturgical worship? Paul answers that the right way to worship is holy living.

Paul goes on to give us a practical application for this practical wisdom. He warns that we must not be driven by the trends of the day. In verse two, the word “conform” is a complex word in Greek. It comes from the word meaning “assuming the outward form” by following the same pattern. As Christians, we must be vigilant that we do not do what the world around us does just because the world is doing it. Many Christians, church leaders, and churches have been wrecked because they have unthinkingly started down the path of “everyone is doing it.” Instead, Paul says we need to be transformed. This is the Greek word from which we get the English word “metamorphosis.” It means, “Become what is your true inner nature.”. More completely, it means “change after being with.” Because we have had our own death, burial, and resurrection, and we have been with Christ, we have in us a new inner and true nature. We are to live up to that nature.

So how do we do that? In the following verses, Paul gives two general courses of action. First is pursuing humility. Pride is the vilest of all sins, because all other sins grow out of pride. Thinking correctly or humbly about ourselves isn’t constantly belittling ourselves, but thinking as God would think about us and our behaviors. The second way we live up to our new nature is to serve as God enables us. When we serve as we are empowered by God, there is no room for pride in that service, but the joy of honoring our Father in Heaven.

“Lord, help me to live a humble, holy and serving life. AMEN”

Romans 11:25-36

 Romans 11:25-36

This is one of the most difficult and challenging passages that we will come across in Romans. Part of the issue Paul was addressing was the mistaken idea that God was finished and done with Israel. Other peoples that God had hardened, such as Pharaoh and Egypt or the people of Sodom, were destroyed. God had hardened Israel (verse 25), and the Romans thought that meant they were done. Paul says, “Not so fast.”. A detailed exposition, theology, history, and eschatology for this passage would require a volume unto itself. But there are some key principles we can talk about briefly. 

Number one let’s be humble. Paul says he doesn’t want the Romans ignorant about “this mystery.”. Some things can only be understood by revelation. We can’t ever figure them out on our own; we must have some things explained to us by someone else. That is the case here; it is only by revelation that the complex beauty of God‘s will can be understood.

Second, God does not give up on people quickly or easily. There is a point where, after a person repeatedly hardens their heart and turns away from God, God will give up on them. But that moment is later rather than sooner. Only a fool would see how far away from God they could go and still be safe. But we give up on people much quicker than God does; Israel is living proof.

Third, and related to the second point, we read that God desperately wants to see people rescued. The hardening of Israel and calling Gentiles and thereby creating jealousy in Israel is all an effort to rescue a people. The cross is the most extreme example of the desperate measures to which God will go to rescue a people. But this is not the only example of God‘s gracious love and efforts to rescue a person; He moves in thousands of ways daily. Many of us will hardly walk across the street to befriend someone to share with them the best news of all. God did more than we can possibly ask or even imagine to rescue us.

Finally, we see in the concluding words of this chapter that it is about God. We come up with our plans and schemes and programs, and we imagine that we are, in some way, a big wheel in or an important part of the plan. Paul stops almost in mid-explanation and bursts into praise simply because of how unfathomable God's ways are. In the last verse, he says everything is from God, is in God, and returns to God in praise. If we don’t understand every detail, that’s OK because it is not about us; it is always about God and what He does.

“Lord, help me to live in praise of You all the time. AMEN”

Romans 11:1-24

 Romans 11:1-24

Our relationship with God requires that we approach it with great humility. Occasionally people imagine that they are much more significant than they actually are. Paul warns early Gentile Christians about this danger. It is a warning that we need to heed. He begins by asking, “Did God completely and totally reject Jews and replace them with Gentiles as his chosen people?” Clearly that is not the case, for Paul himself was Jewish. There would remain a remnant of believers among the Jews. But being a part of God‘s calling was not based on genetic ancestry or national origin, but rather on faith. We must understand that there is no such thing as a “Christian nation.” There may be a nation that was shaped culturally, legally, and socially by a Christian ethic. But there is no nation whereby citizenship in the nation brings about salvation in Christ. To imagine in any degree that being a part of a given nation makes a person a Christian is pure folly. The person living and working in a pagan or atheist culture and nation who is a disciple is far better off than a non-Christian living in the most conservative Christian culture, family, or nation. Like many Christians today, Israel had become satisfied, comfortable, or even arrogant in their position, and began to drift away from God. In response, God gave them over to a “spirit of stupor” or, as we might say, ‘fat, dumb, and happy.’ As a whole, they were lost, but they did not know it.

God’s call to Gentiles is a wake-up call to Israel. It is a way to make them aware of their serious spiritual condition. When it comes to Gentile relationships with Jews, there seem to be two opposite and extreme follies into which Christians fall. On the one hand, there’s almost an anti-Semitic hatred or hostility toward the Jews. Jews are described as Christ-killers, and they are vilified wrongly. The other extreme is almost as Zion-phila. In some cases, Gentile Christians try to act Jewish, to the point of acting as if it will be two ways of salvation: Jewish law keeping and Christian sacrifice. Some Gentiles have gone so far as to begin to keep kosher, sort of. The proper response for Gentile Christians is to share Jesus the Messiah back with the Jews.

Paul uses the illustration of a wild olive branch. This is hard for us who don’t tend olive trees to understand this image. Imagine a farmer with a beautifully tended olive grove; it is like the Garden of Eden; it is so beautiful. He goes out into the wilderness to an ugly desert place and brings back a wild olive branch and grafts it into his olive grove; life for that branch just got better, but not because it earned it but by grace. It was for the pleasure and purposes of the gardener. We are grafted into God’s family by grace.

“Lord, help me to live with great confidence in Your plan and with sincere humility. AMEN”

Romans 10:14-21

 Romans 10:14-21

Israel serves as a sort of object lesson for us. They, having rejected Christ, might want to plead ignorance. But ignorance is rarely a real defense. It cannot be a defense if it is willful, as in not reading a contract that is signed. It is not a defense if, when presented with truth, we choose a lie. Once we have heard the truth, any defense of ignorance is destroyed. Israel or any Jewish individual wanting to claim a defense of “I didn’t know” is hopelessly inadequate because the truth is proclaimed through the Old Testament and the history of God’s interaction and interventions. In verse 14 we can almost hear someone ask, “How could Israel have known?” The rest of the chapter answers the question. The Old Testament consistently tells of the coming of the Christ and even of His inclusion of the Gentiles. God even foretold how including Gentiles would result in Israel becoming jealous. The inclusion of Gentiles is dramatically seen in the promise to Abraham.

Let’s make two applications for our own lives and faith. First, since we have the word of God, we dare not ever pretend that ignorance is or in some way will be an excuse. On more than a few occasions, people claiming to be Christians have lived immoral, unholy lives and shrugged their shoulders and either pleaded ignorance or apathy. “I didn’t know the Bible said that” or “I don’t care what the Bible says” will be found to be excuses that do not hold water. For those who claim to be disciples we may plead for mercy in repentance but we may never plead ignorance.

There is a second application for us: the priority of the word of God in the ministry of the church, in evangelism, and in disciple-making. The decline of the church in a nation, community, or as an individual congregation is most often associated with a decline in the teaching and/or living of the word of God. In too many cases we have replaced the word of God with programs, glitz, and show. As a result, churches have produced some fair entertainment but have not made disciples. Large churches with large budgets have great programs but produce few disciples. Small churches with small budgets try to imitate the large church, but without the financial or talent resources, they just look sad and awkward. What the church must do is focus on faithfully proclaiming the word of God. Solid biblical teaching passed on from one person to another is hard work, produces results more slowly, and is a lot less gratifying to our senses. But in the long run it is much more effective and most important of all, it is God‘s plan.

“Lord, revive in me constantly a love for Your Word.  AMEN” 

Romans 10:1-13

 Romans 10:1-13

It may seem that Paul is a little harsh with his fellow Jews in this passage. Perhaps behind it; it is his desperate desire to see them come to Christ. Too many Christians have no burden for the lost. We are content if our faith remains “our faith” and no one else comes to be a believer. One of the signs of the certain impending death of a congregation is when they do not care if people come to faith in their church but care deeply that the church will be there to meet their needs and wishes. Paul’s gruffness is coming from a heart that is broken for his people. We need to ask ourselves, who are the people for whom our heart breaks?

Paul’s heart breaks because he sees in the Jewish people miss guided zeal. In every realm of life, there is the ultimate objective; perhaps a gold medal, a national championship, or becoming a valedictorian, to name a few. It was true for the Jewish faith as well. One thought among the Jews was that the Jews would be divided into three groups in the judgment. First were those who were good because of their good works. Second were those who had not done enough good works and were bad. Finally, there were those who were bad, but if they did one more good deed, the scale would tip in their favor, and they would be good. The problem was one could never be completely sure that the scale had tipped in your favor. Even if you said you were sure, one could never absolutely be certain. It was a sort of constant insecurity. The result was a zeal that was misguided. It was a zeal to keep Torah and to teach and tell others, even to force them to keep the Torah. It was a Jewish belief that by doing good deeds, a person could put God in their debt. It was also believed that when all the Jews were pure enough, the Messiah would come. By rule keeping, they believe that they would reorder the world. Among devout Jews, there was a lot of zeal for this kind of theology.

But Christ is the end of this kind of legalism and works-based righteousness. Paul sees his fellow Jews working passionately in pursuit of what can never save them. He is heartbroken over their losses and over their wasted effort and misguided zeal. Like watching a friend pursue a woman who will make a bad wife and make him miserable in marriage, Paul’s heart is breaking. Like watching a friend wreck their life with an addiction, but always in pursuit of another fix, Paul’s heart is breaking. We might know the heartbreak of a friend's bad marriage or addiction. But do we know the heartbreak is for people who do not know Jesus? Until we have a burden for the lost, God will never help us with that burden.

“Lord, break my heart for lost people. AMEN”

Romans 9:19-33

 Romans 9:19-33

How to avoid two-tiered Christianity? That was a very real challenge for the early church. Having grown out of the soil and seed of Judaism, the early church faced the very real danger of becoming a faith with a lower class and an upper class, gentile and Jewish believers, respectively. Ultimately such a view would undermine and destroy salvation by faith in Christ. We will do well to recall and be warned by the arrogance that could be found among some Jewish people. One prayer offered by Jewish men said, “I thank you, God, I was not born a woman, a gentile, or a dog.” One myth that circulated among the Jews of the ancient world was that an angel would be stationed at the gates of hell that would pull all Jews condemned to hell out of the procession of the damned. Stop and consider the arrogance of such a thought. Salvation in this view is not based on faith, or even works, but on family heritage. This myth literally challenges the wisdom, righteousness, and authority of God. Another myth said at the gate of hell there was an angel who would reverse the circumcision of all Jews who were to be damned. Thus making them non-Jews so that no Jew would be in hell.

Worse than works salvation is the salvation based on race. In contrast to the salvific work of family, Paul proposed that Israel, the Jewish nation and its national heritage, was not “the ends” but “the means” or a tool to bring the Messiah into the world. With Paul, it is always and only about Christ. This, by the way, is a view that we ought to adopt. Israel was so arrogant and self-conceited that they would never accept the Messiah God did send until or unless the Gentiles were made recipients of God‘s grace by faith. It is God’s agenda to save all people; to reach the Gentiles, he would use the family of Abraham. In their special role, they would become arrogant and then hardhearted. So in order to reach the Jews, God would use rejecting them, till in humility caused by stumbling over Jesus, some would return to him. Two points need to be remembered. First is the poison of arrogance, which is not a malady of Jews only. Second, the story is not about Jew or Gentile; it’s about Christ.

“Lord, help my life to be only and always about Jesus. AMEN”

Romans 9:1-18

 Romans 9:1-18

Paul ends chapter 8, telling us nothing can separate us, as believers, from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. Now he will talk about the reality of separation of non-believers from God, and he will use the Jewish people as an example. He begins by expressing his great sadness, even horror, over the fact that many Jewish people were or would be lost. In verse three he says he would willingly be accursed if it would mean the salvation of the Jews. That word accursed means “condemned and marked for destruction”. Paul says, “To hell with me” for their benefit. That sadly is nearly the opposite mindset of many churches and Christians today. More often than not, churches can be counted on to have planned and made their decisions based on what benefits themselves and not the lost they are called to reach. I once had a church lady tell me, in reference to a young couple struggling with drugs and alcohol, “We don’t want people like that in our church.”. In other words, “Let them go to hell.”. Any Christian or church that orders their life around their own interest and benefit rather than those they are called to reach doesn’t really know Christ or the Gospel.

Paul, heartbroken, talks about the rejection by God of Israel, His chosen people. This is one of the most challenging passages in the Bible. It appears that God would, on a whim, make a person unholy and then condemn them for their unholiness. But there is more to it than that. Paul is summarizing long stories and passages, and we need to know the whole story to get the point. The story of Pharaoh will serve nicely. The Scriptures tell us God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, but there is more to it than just that. During the plagues on Egypt recorded in Exodus, we see an important change in Pharaoh. We see this phrase repeated, “he (Pharaoh) hardened his heart” (Exodus 8:15, 32). But in Exodus 9:12 we see that “the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart.”. That change is important. If we insist on rejecting God and hardening our hearts against Him, eventually God will assist us in that. If we want to engage in heartlessness towards the lost, God will give us the desires of our heart. But He will also hold us accountable for our sin. The greatest sin is not some act of selfishness or sensuality. The greatest sin is rejecting God’s call to Himself through repentance. In other words, a gross act of immorality is less dangerous than the secret and gross act of resisting the Holy Spirit‘s conviction for seemingly minor acts of sin.

“Lord, keep my heart tender toward You and my will sensitive to Your conviction. AMEN”

Romans 8:18-39

 Romans 8:18-39

If a person had a mind to, they could easily make this grand passage, the study of a lifetime. Some Bible passages stir us very deeply; this is one of them. A detailed study of this passage is certainly worthy of reading, but for this occasion we should focus on three main themes of hope, protection, and victory.

Paul begins by saying that the sufferings of this age cannot compare with the glory that is to come. Before we rush over this too quickly, we need to remember Paul knew suffering in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27. Paul describes some of his hardships. From the Jews up to this point, he had recorded 195 lashes with a whip. And had three Roman beatings, not to mention three shipwrecks and a stoning. Paul did not talk about suffering from a detached or academic perspective. When Paul said “sufferings could not compare,” he had a clear point of reference. What could be so wonderful to make such suffering worthwhile? Here we see the hope. Interestingly, rather than point to Heaven to answer the question, Paul points to earth. Paul is indirectly pointing to the lost paradise of Eden. Everything that was lost in Eden will be regained in the culmination of all things. This is another reason to take seriously and study carefully the doctrines of Eden and Paradise. Even nature, in some way, understands and groans for the return of Paradise. Things we consider to be natural disasters and environmental degradation are, in fact, signposts pointing to the coming world. We can confidently hope for a new or remade heaven and earth and our own bodies redeemed.

But in the meantime, we do have to work through a world of hurt and hardship. In our weakness and suffering, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us; we enjoy protection. Sometimes the suffering and sorrow of life is simply beyond words. We can’t describe them to God or men. But these groans, emotions, and expressions of grief are present in our life and are presented to the Father. These wordless expressions  of grief are translated, if you will, by the Holy Spirit. In the best of times, our prayers are often of poor quality, being selfish and only wanting relief from immediate problems. But we know God works all things to the ultimate good. Don’t miss how closely suffering, hardship, prayer, and God working things to our benefit are linked. Sometimes what is to our benefit is not the end of suffering but passing through the pain and to the maturity that is gained.

This brings us to our ultimate victory. If God is working even in our hardship for our well-being, who or what is going to stand against him? God is so committed to our well-being that He sent His Son to rescue us. We can be confident that if God would do this great thing, then certainly He would do the lesser things for us as well. And Jesus, having won the right to be the judge by bearing our sins, will not condemn us. What He did was for love’s sake; how could He judge us harshly? If He went to the cross for us because He loved us, He will use His power as judge to rescue us. With the Spirit pleading for us, the Father giving His Son for us, and the Son rescuing us, we need fear nothing in all of creation. With a Father, Son, and Holy Spirit pulling us in, nothing can possibly separate us from that love.

“Thank You Lord, thank You. AMEN”

Romans 8:12 A Bonus Devotion

  Romans 8:12

Adoption in Romans 8 is a word that has lost most of its meaning to us in the wealthy west. What percentage of our population is adopted? With our modern social safety net the prospects for a child without a parent is not as bleak as a child in the ancient world. Today due in large part to the distant past influence of Christianity a child who has no family might become a ward of the state or in the care of a foster family. This can be difficult for a child but it can also be a great benefit and kindness to the child. But in ancient Rome the options were fewer. Essentially there were two options: adoption or slavery. For some slavery was a life of meaningful work if they held some highly valuable skill. But for the majority life would be wretched beyond words, becoming farm or domestic slaves, gladiators or sex slaves. It was a sad service not a habitat for a son.  A slave had no personal life. He had no personality, he did not own his body, he had no ancestors, no name, no mind, and no gods of his own. Adoption was not uncommon in Rome. It ensured a single succession of the Empire. Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, and Nero were just a few examples of Emperors who came to power by means of adoption.  But for a Christian it is more than the political power and prestige that is granted. We have also the endearment of calling God Abba

“Lord, help me never forget the great privilege of calling you ABBA, AMEN”

Romans 8:1-17

 Romans 8:1-17

In this chapter Paul offers one of the great phrases of all the Bible. “We cry out, ‘Abba, Father…”. This is such a beautiful and deeply endowed phrase to unpack it we would have to notice what Paul says before the phrase itself. He tells us in verse one that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Up to this point, much of the book of Romans has been about the power of sin and our helplessness against it. In fact, we have no choice, before we are Christians, except to sin. Paul uses the word flesh to describe that pre-Christian life. The word flesh is used three ways, and it is only by noticing the context that we get the meaning. One use is for the literal flesh, the tissue of the body. A second way refers to perspective, as when he says, “Abraham was our ancestor according to the flesh.”. The third way he used the word was to describe the sinful nature of man, the growing appetite to engage in evil. We often associate flash with sex, but it can be any desire for selfish experience, such as gluttony or fits of rage. See Galatians 5:19-21 for a more complete list. In contrast to “flesh,” Paul uses the word “spirit.”. The Jewish understanding of spirit carried two implications: first, it was the person who went beyond death and life; second, it carried the idea of power. For example, the Holy Spirit is a person, but also His presence is the power for the Christian life.

So what do flesh and spirit have to do with Abba Father? Paul says that we have the Spirit of adoption because of who Christ is and what He did. We are adopted, and that is a much more powerful and meaningful theme than we may know. We often think of being adopted into the family of God as a symbolic, sweet, and warm metaphor. Not so! In Roman culture, adoption was a legal, serious, binding, and life-altering event. Under Roman custom, a son was never emancipated from his dad. If you were 85 years old and your dad was 105, he still legally had absolute authority over you and all that was yours. That authority extended to the point that a father could have his son put to death. Adoption meant moving from one absolute authority to another. That has powerful implications for how a son lived under his adopted father. Roman adoption was a two-step process, all of which was witnessed by seven witnesses. In the first step, the biological father would sell his son to the adoptive father. Often he would be sold back to the biological father, sold again, purchased back, and sold a third and final time. This was a way of making sure that the biological father was in full agreement with the adoption. In the second step, the adoptive father and the son, who was at this point nothing but a slave, would go to a magistrate where the boy would be legally adopted. The adoption was so complete that it is like a new life begins. Any debt, crime, or obligation the boy had was removed, and it no longer applied to him. He is the heir of his adoptive father’s estate, title, and privilege. If the adoptive father had biological children, the adoptive son did not lose any of his rights to them or hold a lesser position than they did. In the eyes of the Romans, the adoptive son was legally your son, a begotten son. The emperor Claudius adopted Nero as his son and heir. There was no biological relationship between Claudius’ daughter Claudia and Nero; nevertheless, when Claudius wanted the two of them to marry, it required special permission from the Senate because they were legally brother and sister.

There are some implications for us. We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. That means we are entitled to the privileges of Jesus in regards to being a son. We really like the sound of that. We have access to the Father just as Jesus does. But it also means that we are under the absolute authority of God. The call to holy living and personal holiness is not optional and is not just for a special elite kind of Christian. With the wonderful privilege of sonship comes the obligation of holiness.

“Lord, help me to live the holy life You expect of Your son. AMEN”

Romans 7:14-21

 Romans 7:14-21

No one who has ever seriously attempted to live righteously will doubt the power of sin. In this passage, one of the key questions about the struggle with sin is whether this is a Christian or non-Christian who has a struggle. Paul speaks in the present tense, which may indicate that it is a Christian’s struggle. But he uses language such as “sold into the bondage of sin” that is not descriptive of the Christian life. A detailed explanation of this question will have to wait for another time, but for the moment let us assume that both the Christian and non-Christian struggle. There is a principle that we do need to apply to ourselves: we are powerless to overcome sin by ourselves.

When a person becomes a Christian, they do not instantaneously change all the habits and patterns of life in that moment. Their status and standing before God are changed, but their habits are still theirs. Becoming a Christian will not change the behavioral habits that make up our moral character. Before Christ, sin was on the inside, working its way out to every aspect of our being. Fight as we might, we were not successful in overcoming sin. But in the moment we became a Christian, sin was removed from the inside and is now on the outside, trying to find its way back in. When sin was evicted, it left behind its habits from relationship patterns and emotions. From the outside, sin will try to use these as a way back into our lives.

The Christian who comes to this new life from a former life of hurt, abuse, hate, and dysfunction will have habits and ways of dealing with life that are sinful. The struggle they will have as a Christian is that when they face the same old hurts and pain, they will, by habit, tend to react in the old sinful ways. What they want to do, live holy, they don’t do, and what they don’t want to do, practice sin, they fall back into. Before Christ, “powerless before sin” is the only way to describe their circumstances.

But here’s the difference: before Christ, they were guilty and fighting the battle alone. As Christians, they are forgiven, and the Holy Spirit fights along side them. The new believer will struggle and will at times act rather badly, but they are capable of making real progress. They are forgiven, and they have the opportunity with God’s help to overcome the habits of sin. They can, indeed must, start living up to what they have been made. In this case, direction and progress are more important than position.

“Lord, make me full dependent on You and fiercely resistant to sin. AMEN