Entries For: January 2008

Romans 2:1-29 

As I read this passage I tried to imagine what it was like to receive this letter. I would think that there was only one copy at first that was read to a big crowd. After reading the previous chapter, I bet they were all feeling pretty good about themselves. Paul just finished saying things like "I thank my God...because your faith is being reported all over the world", and that he wants to visit them. Then goes on to say things like, " they became fools", and "God gave them over in their sinful desires...and shameful lusts". I can imagine a lot of them saying, "I'm glad we're not like those sinners he's talking about." Then Paul turns it on them beginning in chapter 2 and says what right do you have to judge others when you are doing these exact same things. Wow! I bet that was one angry crowd. Either that, or some seriously awkward silence. This reminds me of John chapter 8 when the Pharisees wanted to stone the woman caught in adultery. Jesus responded to them saying, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." At which point, everyone dropped their stones and left. I imagine the Romans had a similar reaction to Paul's comment in Romans 2:21 when he said, "you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourselves? The good thing is that Paul does not leave them at this point. This is simply a prelude to say that they are not alone. He goes on to show them, in chapter 3, that all have sinned, and that no one is worthy of what God has to offer. By setting them up like this, Paul breaks down their ego so that they can see and receive God's grace. So, in the end, Chapter 2 is for their benefit. Otherwise, they would not have been able to see God's grace.

Romans 3: 1-20 

Paul has been beating up on the Jews, challenging their sacred and self-identifying tradition of circumcision, but at the beginning of this chapter, he softens a bit. There really is a good reason for being a Jew – these people have been given the “very words of God.” The Jews are rightly proud of their heritage. “What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today” (Deut 4:7-8). They have long known that God in his essence is faithful: “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands” (Deut 7:9). If a Jew is not faithful, does this mean God is unfaithful? No, says Paul. God is true and right whatever our response. This is true even of our sin. We are not doing God a favor when we sin, as if our unrighteousness makes his own righteousness look all the better. Some in Rome appear to argue that God is unjust in his judgment because our sin in some way magnifies God’s goodness. Paul says this is not so. God is judge of the world, and we are all condemned before him. We are all on a level playing field: “there is no one righteous, not even one.” Paul then returns to the law as the section concludes. No one achieves this illusive righteousness by observing law, though the law itself is not the problem. The law is good: “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul…giving joy to the heart…giving light to the eyes…The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb” (Ps 19:7-10). The psalmist also writes: “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts” (Ps 119:45). The point, therefore, is not to condemn the law but the human heart that mocks God and strays from his purposes. In the next chapter we turn a corner because Paul identifies the bridge between God and humanity – faith in Jesus.

Romans 1:1-17 
 

Verse 4

In his introduction, Paul states that Christ’s resurrection from the dead is what declared him to be the Son of God.  We spend a lot of time focusing on Christ’s death as part of our faith and, although we acknowledge the resurrection, it occurs to me when reflecting on this verse that this is the only thing that sets Christ apart from many who had gone before him.  What truly “declared” Jesus to be the Son of God?  Could it be the miracles he performed?  Many of the prophets performed miracles (with God’s help, of course).  People had witnessed the parting of the Red Sea with Moses (along with all of the plagues brought upon Egypt), the rain of fire that consumed the altar with Elijah, the parting of the Jordan River, the sun stopping in the sky for Joshua and his men to fight the battle, and on and on and on.  Jesus empowered his disciples to perform miracles as well.  Although Christ performed miracles never before seen (such as raising the dead and healing the blind) the miracles in and of themselves do not prove his identity as the Son of God. Could it be his death on the cross? We can see Christ’s death on the cross as the sacrifice that it was - clearly no one else could have saved the whole world through his/her death.  But the death without the resurrection would be just another martyrdom.  Countless people over the ages have died for their faith or for causes about which they were passionate, but their deaths (even those that were directly linked to following God, such as Peter’s crucifixion) do not prove any of them to be the Son of God because anyone can die.  It is the resurrection that holds all of the power, that shattered the grip death had on us and overcame death for all of us.  I wonder why, during the communion meditation, we often center our thoughts on the death of Christ rather than the resurrection.  I suppose it depends on what you believe holds the saving power.  Yes, we were saved by Christ’s death, but in my way of thinking we were truly saved at the moment the whole act was completed, when Christ claimed the victory over death and in so doing paved the way for eternal life.   

Verse 6

I wonder whom Paul is speaking to when he says, “You also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.”   Romans was written to the church at Rome, which apparently consisted of both Jews and Gentiles.  It strikes me that this statement could be surprising for either group to hear.  For Jews it was a risk believing in Christ because he was so different from the promised Messiah they had envisioned.  They had to alter their entire way of thinking, their expectations and understanding of how God chooses to work in the world.  For the Gentiles, it must have felt like a most surprising honor to be included in those who belong to Jesus Christ.  Sure, they didn’t have to shed any preconceived notions of what the Messiah would look like, but they had to come to think more highly of themselves now that they were not outsiders to the faith, as they were accustomed to being.  They had to trust that they were valued by God and that Christ truly desired them to belong to Him.  It must have been a huge adjustment for both the Jews and the Gentiles to hear such a message. 

Verses 8-12

Paul is clearly fired up over the faith of the church in Rome.  He states that he longs to see them so that they “may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.”  After everything else Paul had witnessed and experienced, it is amazing to me that he would get so excited over what’s going on in Rome.  It makes me wonder exactly what was going on in Rome.  Surely he’s not just excited because everyone in Rome believes the right things and has sound doctrine – he must be excited because of the things that are happening in Rome because of the people’s faith.  I wonder if Paul were writing to Richardson East if he would be as excited to come visit us, if he would feel that by being in our presence we would be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith?  How could we encourage Paul by our faith?  Sometimes I feel like church is too much about believing the “right” things and not enough about the actual doing of our faith.  I am a part of RE because I have never seen a church that better lives out the life of faith.  Our church is focused on actually reaching out to people in the community, meeting their needs, serving one another… this is beginning to sound like our mission statement! J  I believe that Paul got excited about, and God gets excited about, Christians whose faith is evident in their actions, whose lives speak volumes to those around them about the love of God.  I wonder what things we would have to do to have our faith reported “all over the world,” or even all over the Metroplex?  It would surely be more than sitting within the confines of our church walls every Sunday… 

Verse 16

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…”  I have thought about this verse a lot in life.  Paul seems to almost have a tone of irony here when he says he is not ashamed.  How could you be ashamed of something so wonderful?  Yet we all know that we can be, and at times have been, ashamed of this very thing.  One summer in high school I discovered a Dillard’s outlet where all of the unpurchased items in Dallas area Dillard’s were sent.  I remember driving over for their Fourth of July sale and buying a ton of out-of -season winter clothes at a hugely discounted price.  I went home and totaled up the original prices on the tags and found that I had gotten over $1200 worth of clothes for a mere $160!  I was so excited about this amazing sale that I went around telling all of my friends to make sure they knew about this particular Dillard’s.  Each time I wore a sweater (I still have several of these to this day) I would again tell the story of my great savings.  One day when I was excitedly telling a friend about the sale, I was struck by the thought that I never tell anyone about my faith with nearly so much excitement, if I tell anyone about my faith at all.  It was a humbling moment to realize what things I am excited by.  Bothered by this realization, I have thought a lot about what makes it easier to talk about a great sale than about the gospel.  Obviously, no one is going to be offended by a sale, no one will disagree with me or be made to feel uncomfortable because they aren’t excited by great values.  Yes, it can be uncomfortable to talk to someone about the gospel, but it had to be something more than that.  I thought about missionaries who boldly travel to foreign lands sharing the good news of Christ with those who have never heard.  And that’s when it hit me – those who have NEVER HEARD.  I feel confident that if I ran across someone who had never heard the gospel I would excitedly share my faith with them, glad to offer them such a wonderful message of redemption and hope.  The problem is, the people we encounter in our day-to-day lives HAVE heard.   What’s more, many of them have heard a version of the gospel that has been polluted by what they see in the lives of the “Christians” they have encountered: the televangelists; the hypocrites; the judgmental, hateful people who carry the name of Christ.  I am not ashamed of the gospel, but I AM ashamed of the gospel as it is often presented and lived out.  The reason it is difficult for me to freely share my faith is that everyone I know has already heard some version of the gospel.  Do I offend them by acting as if they have never heard of Jesus?  Do I assume that they do not already have a life of faith or a relationship with God?   Do I dare to hope that I can present the message in a fresh, new way that is truer, more compelling than what they have already heard?  I have wrestled with these things for a while and have not come up with many good answers.  All I know to do is to seek to be the hands and feet of Christ to those around me, to attempt to align my life with the heart of God as much as I can so that people who are seeking God may perhaps see from my life that the version of the gospel they may have heard is not as good as it gets.  If I can live a life of trust, of mercy, of grace-filled, selfless actions towards others, maybe someone will be drawn to those attributes and come to know that those are the attributes of God.  If I can treat people as though they are precious and strive to see them as God sees them, maybe they will realize the great love God has for them and the value that they have because they are loved by Him.  Of course, this is a lofty goal, and I in no way pretend to be even close to attaining it.  However short I may fall of this idea, it is the only way I know to authentically live out a life of faith.  When God allows us to partner with Him in His work; to show up and be present with someone in pain; to willingly put ourselves in contact with people that don’t usually darken the doors of churches; to go out on a limb and allow ourselves to be uncertain enough to hear another perspective on things, to be in conversation with people about our faith rather than approaching people like salesmen for Christ; to admit to ourselves and to others that we do not, in fact, have all of the answers, but that we are fellow seekers of God; it is during these fleeting moments in my life that I feel the real gospel peeking through.  It is than that I can confidently say, “I am not ashamed of the gospel.”

Thank you, Paul, for your tireless efforts in spreading the gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  I’ve just finished reading your letter to our church and understand why you have not been able to make it here personally.  You’ve been busy!  Isn’t this your third missionary journey?  Be careful with your plans to come soon as you travel to Spain.  It being 57 A.D., I would hate to see you get crossways in Jerusalem with the Jews from Asia, because your teachings do tend to get under their skin.  If they do seize you, I pray that your Roman citizenship will work to your advantage in escaping.  Perhaps Roman soldiers could help you eventually get to Rome.

When I read verse 15:16, I am so encouraged!  I understand your purpose as a minister to the Gentiles through your analogy of offering us as a perfect sacrifice to God. The older scriptures talk about priests coming into the presence of God bringing pure, sanctified offerings in the Temple on behalf of the people.  Now, your imagery drives home the point that all of us can be brought before the throne of God and be fully acceptable, even sanctified, in His eyes.  I rejoice with you and see the same “glory in Christ Jesus” you proclaim in v.17.

You have been so consistent in your writings about God including Gentiles in the plan for salvation.  You opened your letter “To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints (1.7)” and “I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all (1.8).”  In your note to the Colossians, you called us to “present every man perfect in Christ Jesus (Col 1.28).  And the best of all, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek…the just shall live by faith (1.16, 17).”  I hope someday all your letters will be together in one roll.  Wouldn’t that be something if everyone had the chance to read it together?

I will take to heart your words regarding sharing the gospel where it hasn’t been yet revealed (15:20, 21). You certainly have been an example to follow in taking the gospel far and wide with all your traveling, but I think I can find ways to spread the Word right here in my own town.  In fact, when you say how encouraged you are by our good works (15:14) and prayers (15:30), it makes me want to become even more active with the body of believers here.  I’m even going to recommend that we take the next few months and really study your letter – I’ll let you know how it goes.

Your servant friend.