Ruminating on ROMANS! (Some Thoughts on Paul’s Great Epistle) #24 “What If . . . ?” (A Study of Romans 9)

Many of you know that my New Jersey friend Frank and I are reading through God’s Word together (described here). We’re now in the book of Romans and are reading chapter 9 each day this week.

What a fascinating section! We have two categories of people here: (1) “the objects of his wrath” and (2) “the objects of his mercy.” And we have two “What if” questions. As I understand this passage, God “bore with great patience” the objects of His wrath. For what purpose? To “show His wrath and make His power known.”

There seems to be a second reason for God’s response to those “objects of His wrath.” He did this “to make the riches of His glory known to the objects of His mercy”! What a contrast!

In that second category belongs every born-again believer in Christ, the ones “whom He also called.” And one’s ethnicity is irrelevant — note: “not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles.” We have been “prepared in advance for glory”!

What’s one takeaway from this text . . . for you?

 

Ruminating on ROMANS! (Some Thoughts on Paul’s Great Epistle) #23 “That Sin Might Become Utterly Sinful” (A Study of Romans 7)

Many of you know that my New Jersey friend Frank and I are reading through God’s Word together (described here). We’re now in the book of Romans and are reading chapter 7 each day this week.

“That Sin Might Become Utterly Sinful” (A Study of Romans 7)

I am fascinated by verse 13 which says, “so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.” This section (Romans 7:7-13) has much to say about God’s LAW: the law is not sinful; the law makes us aware of what sin is; apart from the law sin was “dead”; the law caused sin to spring to life and led to the Apostle’s “death”; the very commandment intended to bring life brought death; the law is holy and God’s commandment is holy, righteous, and good; and it is through the commandment that sin might become utterly sinful. Whew!

We also learn a great deal about SIN! We don’t naturally know what sin is without the law; the law’s commandment against coveting helps us understand what coveting is; sin is personified: it seizes opportunities afforded by the commandment to produce in us every kind of coveting. Sin springs to life when the commandment came. A second time Paul says sin seized the opportunity and deceived me and put me to death. He then says, “in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. Wow. There’s a lot I don’t understand there!

How about you? As you read Romans 7, what is one truth that you take away from this text?

 

Ruminating on ROMANS! (Some Thoughts on Paul’s Great Epistle) #22 “Ten Questions on Romans 6”

Many of you know that my New Jersey friend Frank and I are reading through God’s Word together (described here). We’re now in the book of Romans and are reading chapter 6 each day this week. One way to study a chapter in the Bible is to ask a lot of questions. Here are ten questions worth pursuing in this sixth chapter:

Ten Questions on Romans 6:

1. What are the questions Paul asks in this chapter?

2. What expressions are used to show our union with Christ?

3. What is meant by the “old self”?

4. What are the commands in this chapter?

5. How do we serve as instruments of righteousness?

6. What does it mean to no longer be under the law but under grace?

7. How are we to understand “the pattern of teaching” (v. 17)?

8. What does it mean to be a slave of righteousness?

9. How have we been set free from sin (v. 22)?

10. What is meant by “eternal life” in verse 22?

Thank the Lord today for your ability — and mine — to ask good questions of the biblical text — and to look for answers!

 

Ruminating on ROMANS! (Some Thoughts on Paul’s Great Epistle) #21 “Eight Blessings of Belief” (A Study of Romans 5:1-5) Blessing #8

Many of you know that my New Jersey friend Frank and I are reading through God’s Word together (described here). We’re now in the book of Romans and are reading chapter 5 each day this week. Here is something that I noticed in reading this chapter:

Here are the eight blessings that I see in this passage:

1. Justified through faith (v. 1)

2. Peace with God

3. Gained access into this grace (v. 2)

4. Boasting in the hope of the glory of God

5. Glory in our sufferings (vv. 3-4)

6. A hope that does not put us to shame (v. 5)

7. God’s love poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit

8. The Holy Spirit has been given to us

We will think about each of these blessings — one by one — in subsequent posts. Let’s consider the eighth blessing: THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO US!

What an incredible gift! The Third Person of the Divine Trinity — the Spirit of God — has been given to us!  What does that mean? [I just finished producing four videos on the topic “Developing a Biblical Relationship with God the Holy Spirit.” We will be posting those videos on this blog].

Pastor John Piper makes the point in his little book God Is the Gospel that when you trusted Christ, you got GOD! Here Paul makes the point that having been justified by the finished work of Christ, you and I got the Holy Spirit!

What a conclusion to this list of blessings here in Romans 5!

Thank God today for this incredible gift — the Holy Spirit Himself!

 

Ruminating on ROMANS! (Some Thoughts on Paul’s Great Epistle) #20 “Eight Blessings of Belief” (A Study of Romans 5:1-5) Blessing #7

Many of you know that my New Jersey friend Frank and I are reading through God’s Word together (described here). We’re now in the book of Romans and are reading chapter 5 each day this week. Here is something that I noticed in reading this chapter:

Here are the eight blessings that I see in this passage:

1. Justified through faith (v. 1)

2. Peace with God

3. Gained access into this grace (v. 2)

4. Boasting in the hope of the glory of God

5. Glory in our sufferings (vv. 3-4)

6. A hope that does not put us to shame (v. 5)

7. God’s love poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit

8. The Holy Spirit has been given to us

We will think about each of these blessings — one by one — in subsequent posts. Let’s consider the seventh blessing: GOD’S LOVE HAS BEEN POURED OUT INTO OUR HEARTS THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT!

What a wonderful way of expressing the gospel! God’s LOVE. That was His motivation in sending His Son. And that love has been POURED OUT! Not doled out in small doses. But an abundant POURING OUT into our lives. And this is through the Holy Spirit. [I’ve been working on a series recently entitled “Developing a Biblical Relationship to God the Holy Spirit.” I’ll post those four videos in the near future.]

Thank the Lord today for the Holy Spirit’s action in pouring out the love of God into your heart. But ask yourself, “How can I show God’s love to people who haven’t experienced that ‘pouring out’?”

 

Ruminating on ROMANS! (Some Thoughts on Paul’s Great Epistle) #19 “Eight Blessings of Belief” (A Study of Romans 5:1-5) Blessing #6

Many of you know that my New Jersey friend Frank and I are reading through God’s Word together (described here). We’re now in the book of Romans and are reading chapter 5 each day this week. Here is something that I noticed in reading this chapter:

Here are the eight blessings that I see in this passage:

1. Justified through faith (v. 1)

2. Peace with God

3. Gained access into this grace (v. 2)

4. Boasting in the hope of the glory of God

5. Glory in our sufferings (vv. 3-4)

6. A hope that does not put us to shame (v. 5)

7. God’s love poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit

8. The Holy Spirit has been given to us

We will think about each of these blessings — one by one — in subsequent posts. Let’s consider the sixth blessing: WE HAVE A HOPE THAT DOES NOT PUT US TO SHAME (v. 5)!

Pastor Tim Keller has a great statement about HOPE in his book The Reason for God. Please take a few minutes and listen . . .

What would be a HOPE that does put one to shame? A hope to win the lottery only to find that one has wasted $3 on a Pick-Six? A hope to get a promotion even though one doesn’t have the experience to do that next-level job? A hope to win another’s heart even though there is no chance that other person would have any interest in one’s overtures?

Biblical hope is not wish-fulfillment or a gritting one’s teeth and believing really hard. Biblical hope is a certainty about the future promised by God Himself. And that kind of hope does not — and never will — put the child of God to shame!

 

Ruminating on ROMANS! (Some Thoughts on Paul’s Great Epistle) #18 “Eight Blessings of Belief” (A Study of Romans 5:1-5) Blessing #5c

Many of you know that my New Jersey friend Frank and I are reading through God’s Word together (described here). We’re now in the book of Romans and are reading chapter 5 each day this week. Here is something that I noticed in reading this chapter:

Here are the eight blessings that I see in this passage:

1. Justified through faith (v. 1)

2. Peace with God

3. Gained access into this grace (v. 2)

4. Boasting in the hope of the glory of God

5. Glory in our sufferings (vv. 3-4)

6. A hope that does not put us to shame (v. 5)

7. God’s love poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit

8. The Holy Spirit has been given to us

We will think about each of these blessings — one by one — in subsequent posts. Let’s continue to think about the fifth blessing: WE CAN NOW GLORY IN OUR SUFFERINGS (vv. 3-4)!

In the West we suffer from a poor theology of . . . suffering! We do. We need to get back to the Scriptures and recover a biblical glorying in our suffering!

We listed several clear, biblical statements about the believer’s suffering in our last post. But how do we GLORY in our suffering?

Here in Romans 5 Paul explains a bit more what glorying in our suffering involves. He writes, “we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Suffering is productive! It is not wasted. There are results that can come about, presumably only by suffering. Want to persevere more? You need to do some suffering! Want to have your character built to be more like Christ? You’re going to have to go through some suffering! Want to have some biblical, not worldly, hope? Apparently that kind of hope can only come through suffering!

Please don’t misunderstand me. I don’t believe Paul is saying that we pursue suffering or that we take a psychologically-twisted joy in suffering. No! But suffering is inevitable as a believer. And the real question is — What will you and I make of our suffering?

May I ask you — how are you suffering right now? The death of a loved one? A struggle at work? Covid-fatigue? Financial challenges? Use your suffering to become more like Christ! And glory in that!

 

Ruminating on ROMANS! (Some Thoughts on Paul’s Great Epistle) #1

Many of you know that my New Jersey friend Frank and I are reading through God’s Word together (described here). We’re now in the book of Romans and are reading chapter 1 each day this week. Here is something that I noticed in reading this chapter:

The Apostle Paul is called by God to be an apostle (“a sent one”). Followers of Jesus are also called to do the same. Not in the technical sense of “apostle” (that office is over), but in the sense of being “on mission” for God.

Like Paul we are called to call others to faith in Christ! And please notice that we are not just calling people to believe or have faith, but to the obedience that comes from faith (v. 5).

But our primary calling is to belong to Jesus Christ (v. 6). Upon conversion we become His. We no longer belong to ourselves, but to Him who bought us with His blood!

And, lastly, we are called to be His holy people. Holiness does not come automatically. Of course, salvation is instantaneous and is not assisted in any way by our efforts. But holiness, growing into the likeness of Christ, is a daily battle against our sin natures and a constant make-every-effort life for the believer.

 

 

Time for a Great Quote from Michael Yaconelli: on Spiritual Growth

“Spiritual growth is not running faster…Spiritual growth happens when we slow our activities down. If we want to meet Jesus, we can’t do it on the run. If we want to stay on the road of faith, we have to hit the brakes, pull over to a rest area, and stop. Christianity is not about inviting Jesus to speed through life with us; it’s about noticing Jesus sitting at the rest stop.” (from Yaconelli’s book Messy Spirituality: God’s Annoying Love for Imperfect Peoplei).

 

Finding Deep Joy in a Sad, Shallow World (A Study of Philippians) Part 8 JOY and the Community of God

As we continue the theme of JOY as expressed in the epistle to the Philippians, we come to Paul’s fifth use of the term It is found in chapter 2 where we read —

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Here we learn that we impact one another’s JOY! Paul appeals to these believers to be of one mind and to serve Christ in humility. In that way, he says, they will “make my JOY complete.” Is it not true that all of us have, in a sense, a kind of incomplete JOY? It is JOY in process. It is hopefully growing and expanding and increasing.

What, then, is the role of other believers in our own personal JOY? According to Paul, it ought to matter to us how they are doing in the Christian life. Are they finding their deepest needs met in Christ? Are they working toward a unity and oneness in their service for Him?

Is your JOY complete? Increasing? Negatively or positively impacted by the lives of other believers around you?

In our Western culture it seems our individualism has affected how we view the Christian community. We may think of JOY as strictly personal. But there is a corporate side to one’s JOY. We ought to care deeply how other believers are doing in their lives, recognizing that their growth has an effect (or should have an effect) on our JOY.