Tuesday - Romans 13 - Liberty & Authority

 

I

N addition to the devotion & diligence that we should exude in response to God's good mercy & grace upon us (see Romans 12), we must avoid a major pitfall as well. The very real freedom that we enjoy under the shadow of God's grace can lead us to a place of smug complacency. While we are free in Christ, we are not entirely free in this world. Jesus has saved us from the penalty of sin & there is nothing that can cancel or undo that. However, our testimony among our peers is much less concrete. In fact, it is in a constant state of reevaluation & review. Being free because of God's grace does not remove our responsibility to behave well. There are still men who hold significant power over us & to whom God expects us to show due reverence. Human authority over other humans is a divine institution. Our salvation does not deliver us from this reality.

 

God created three institutions that exercise His authority in their jurisdictions in this world. God made the family unit, secular human government, & the church. While much could be said about the role of parents & pastors in the life of any believer, this chapter is aimed more specifically at secular authorities. The principle of submission taught in Romans 13:1 is very broad, but clearly the kinds of authority figures Paul had in mind were kings & presidents, governors & judges, mayors & policemen, etc.

Monday - Romans 12 - This is What We Do About It

 

R

OMANS 12 gives us a good behavior list to use as Christians. Now mind you, this list is only beneficial AFTER we recognize and submit to God's grace. Otherwise, all we would have here is yet another moral code. It’s irrelevant whether the code came from Moses or Paul. We are saved by grace UNTO good works; not through good works. However, the good works are important as an expression of our imputed righteousness.

 

Romans 12:1-2 are marvelously practical verses for Christian living. 1. God calls on us to make sacrifices. We know that Jesus died as the sacrifice for our sin, but He also set an example for all of us in His life & in His death. 2. Our minds are in constant need of renovation. This is where a new pattern of living starts.  If I can learn to yield my mind to God, then my mouth & my actions will follow suit.  Admittedly, disciplining my mouth & my actions are included in learning to discipline my mind.  It's not ok, nor even logical for me to let my outside run wild while I wait on full acquiescence from my inside. But full success will start on the inside (Proverbs 23:7). We must guard our thoughts (2^nd Corinthians 10:5 & Romans 12:3).

 

So, what are the nuts & bolts of Christian behavior? Well: honesty, love, hating evil & grasping good, generosity, humility, diligence, passion, joy, patience, prayer, kindness, forgiveness, empathy, unity, sincerity, peacefulness, faith, & victory. If we all lived with these spiritual traits dominating our lives, the church of the living God would be an incredibly powerful influence in our world.

 

Friday - Romans 11 - God Knew

 

O

NE of the most amazing realizations in theology is that, long before God made the world, He knew of every single sin that would ever be committed. And yet, He made us anyway. More personally, God knew of my every desire; He knew of each infraction. But amazingly, I was born. Now, in this chapter Paul is dealing with the plan of God in relation to the Jews and Gentiles. God knew how far away from Him Israel would run, and yet He chose them anyway. And, God knew how many (and who) among the Gentiles will place faith in Him and who wouldn't. With all this knowledge in place, God still hit the proverbial start button. In fact, He designed our world with free will, and even knowing what all the ramifications were, He didn't renege.

 

One of the most important things in prophecy is the fruition of God's promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Israel has been on a shelf (so to speak) for a very long time, but God's promise of greatness for the Jewish people has not been forgotten. Now, this tells us less about the Jews than it does about God. The security of my salvation and yours is dependent upon how well God keeps His promises to Israel.  If He doesn't take care of them, why would He take care of us?  We believe and know that He can & will do both.

 

Another lesson in God's foreknowledge is that His infinite characteristics do not negate our responsibilities. Our decisions are our own, but the consequences are part of God's eternal program. He has taken everything into consideration. Everything.

Thursday - Romans 10 - Ignorance

 

P

AUL taught that all humanity is trapped under a thick blanket of spiritual darkness.  Truly, it was our own foolish choice to enter this darkness (think Adam and the forbidden fruit), yet the entrapment is still tragic. Paul was particularly saddened by the position of ignorance in which his own Hebrew people stood. God had given them so very much. Yet in ignorance, the Jews were very zealously attempting to establish their own spiritual resume.

 

There is another category of ignorance which could be dubbed "impotent ignorance" (vs. 14 & 18). There are two reasons for this kind of spiritual ignorance. On the one hand, it is a result of a lack of spiritual instructors (or instructions). On the other hand, on some level God has revealed Himself to everyone. Still, due to an inability to do anything about it, the ignorance of this group continues. They might know enough to know that there is more to be known, but they don't know how to go about discovering it.

 

The third and final category of ignorance dealt with here is this so-called "innocent" ignorance. I do not mean to use this word "innocent" in any sort of an absolute moral sense.  The gentiles are lumped together in a category that we might call the irrelevant.  We were on the outside looking in. More accurately, we were on the outside and were not even aware that there was anything to investigate. So, perhaps we should say uninvolved. We were bystanders in a program involving God and His chosen people. We were ignorant of His plan, ignorant of His mercy, and ignorant about our own condition (Acts 17:30 & Romans 10:20).

Wednesday - Romans 9 - The Doctrine of Election

  

I

T is always sad to me when I perceive that a good word or a wholesome symbol has been hijacked and redefined. Satan is an expert at polluting good things. Concerning the word "elect" (which is used powerfully in this chapter), God revealed this thing to His children, but sadly Satan has devised a way to use it as a tool to divide believers and smear God's name.

 

Debates about Calvinism aside, unmistakably the Bible teaches the doctrine of election. The verb "elect" means, "to choose." This must not be overlooked. And, the most basic teaching behind the doctrine of election is that God is the initiator in the plan of redemption. It is not my desire to either water down this realty or to make it to appear more rigid than it is. God in His grace chose to move toward sinful men. He has chosen to show love & mercy to an undeserving race. Make no mistake, He could have allowed us all to die & go to hell. This would have been just. He owed no one a second chance. His generosity drove Him to extend clemency to us.

 

Now, to zoom in a little closer on this issue, God not only made a general choice to institute the plan of redemption, He also made some distinct decisions concerning certain groups within the whole of humanity. In fact, this realization is what drove Paul to deal with the issue of election in this chapter.  Zooming in even further, the doctrine of election applies individually as well.  There is not even one single human being who would have any hope whatsoever, were it not for God's spiritual advances toward that individual.

Tuesday - Romans 8 - The Blessing of His Spirit

 

T

HIS chapter is a description, not a demand (vs. 4). Paul is declaring our situation. He is not giving us the means whereby we might improve or secure our situation. So, the fact that we walk in the Spirit is universal among believers, right? Yes (vs. 9 & 14)! The context of this chapter demands this interpretation. Some people take Romans 8:1 conditionally. That is, if you and I live in submission to the Holy Spirit then we will be ok, but if we don't then we will be in trouble. Truly there are plenty of verses in the New Testament that can be used legitimately (and in their context) to teach that truth, but that is not the point of Romans 8.  Especially since the word "condemnation" is used here, a preacher should be very hesitant trying to apply Romans 8:1 conditionally to the redeemed (vs. 33-34). We are free. Free from the law; there's no condemnation (vs. 2)!

 

Now, while we do have to wait for our full inheritance, we do not have to wait for the Spirit of God. The Spirit is with us and in us now and helps us continually (vs. 26-27). His infinite wisdom serves to orchestrate every minute detail in our current life in such a way that, in the end, our Father will receive pleasure – and we will receive blessing (Jude 1:24 & Romans 8:28). He knows everything. He knows us. He knows the will of the Father. He knows the process of our sanctification. He is on our side. His effectual love for us is infinite and sure. Our future is secure (Romans 8:29-39). Hallelujah!

Monday - Romans 7 - Victory Belongs to Us (part 3)

 

B

ECAUSE God has decreed that the price of sin is death, then death is the solution for sin. It is the cure. The only two options are our death or Christ's. The death of God has accomplished something that may at first seem to be a little strange. His death has brought about great freedom and victory (in the life a believer). According to Paul (Colossians 2:14), the Law of Moses – which condemned us – was nailed to the cross of Christ.

 

Paul is careful to point out that the problem with the law was not the law itself. The problem is in us. The problem is our fallen condition. The old law reflects the perfect holiness of Jehovah. But it also exposes the tragic imperfectability of fallen men. The good thing about the law is that it humbles us to recognize our desperate need for a Savior & Master (Gal. 3:24 & Romans 7:7). And, having arrived at the cross, we are now free from the law (Gal. 3:25).

 

Paul's old sin nature gave him fits just like yours and mine does. We know that he considered himself to be the chief of sinners (1^st Tim. 1:12-15).  Yet his words in Romans 5-7 are all about victory for believers. The message is "We have been saved, and we CAN live like it (2^nd Tim. 2:19)!" Our victory comes "through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 7:25).  God, who saved us by faith, is now willing to energize our fellowship with Him by that same faith (Gal. 3:2-3).