Romans

Chapter 1-2

Again, there is a whole host of things to deal with in this passage. However, I'm going to try to keep my observations limited to what really stood out for me this time through. Paul spends some time expressing his desire to visit Rome to preach the Gospel personally. It's amazing that a Christian community could grow and flourish in Rome with Ceasar claiming to be a god and everything. Just flying under the radar, I suppose.

Anyway we see God's wrath against the godlessness and wickedness -- not precisely against those who practice it. Of course it is because they have rejected God and God "let them go" (giving them over to a corrupt heart, a depraved mind and their sinful desires). I hadn't noticed before that there is no specific reference to atheism here. These people have "gods" of one sort of another. Images which look like people or birds or animals are mentioned specifically here, although at one point in Scripture Paul writes about the people whose "god is their stomach" so the idea of living like there is no God exists. Still it seemed that everyone had their own god. It could be argued that today's atheists have a god as well -- themselves.

Here also we have the condemnation of homosexuality which so many try to skip past or twist it's meaning. Perversion is how that "alternate lifestyle" is described. Any attempt to justify homosexuality must deal honestly with this passage.

Beginning with chapter two, Paul tears into people who are hypocritically judging others. They are not practicing what they preach. They overlook their own sins while denouncing the sins of others -- even when the sins are the same. Here we get the discussion of the Law written on our hearts. Conscience. That inner knowledge that what you're doing is wrong. This is where the Bible expressly talks about it, saying that even those who don't have the Law (or haven't heard about Jesus) still know right from wrong. How does this play out in terms of eternal judgment? Will a person who has never heard of Jesus go to heaven? Paul writes that they have a Law unto themselves, or that they are judged by a different standard. To those people who do not have the light of Christ is an inner leading which directs not only their morality, but also points them toward Christ. When a person truly seeks out more light than they have, more light will be given. I'm sure that the landing of missionaries all over the world has been physical answers to prayers of people seeking more light.

Finally Paul addresses the Jews who consider themselves special because of circumcision or their godly ancestor. Their hypocrisy, he writes, disgraces God. I think about all the people who run God's name through the mud because of the ridiculous public sins. Pat Robertson may be a committed Christian, but he really hurts the cause of Christ when he sticks his foot in his mouth
on a weekly basis!

But Paul says that circumcision is a sign that you accept the Law. Yet if you break the Law, cirucumcision means diddly-squat (loose translation). Faith is something inside which shows up on the outside. Thinking of faith as being an act of obedience, whethercircumcision or baptism or church attendance, is wrong. Christianity is based inside of us.

Chapter 3-4

Paul answers what is essetially a stupid question to head up chapter 3. "Should we sin more to show how much better God is than us?" No. We don't need to make God look good or faithful or sinless or forgiving or anything else we try to excuse our own behavior with. God is faithful. We are not. God is righteous. We are not. No one understands. No one seeks Him. And no one will be declared righteous by observing the law, as Paul points out. The law is there to show us that we are sinners in need of a Savior.

That's where Christ comes in. We all sin and fall short, but God presented Christ as our sacrifice of atonement, though faith. That fulfills justice. So we have nothing to brag about in salvation. Our justification has nothing to do with our observation of the law. Jew or Gentile.

Paul's discussion of Abraham being justified by faith is a beautiful description of how we are saved in the same manner as the father of the Israelites.

God calls things that are not as though they were. God's knowledge of the future is being discussed here, over the objection of the open theists.

Chapter 5-6

Romans always "reads better" when you can take a little time and go straight through Paul's argument. One section leans so heavily upon another. His style is familiar. The use of the argument which goes, "If this is so, how much more will there be if this is true also," is extensive, especially in chapter five. "Since we have now been justified by his blook, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!" If something terrible happens because of man, how much better it can be made with a perfect God. Jesus used the same style in His teachings as well. Much of the Adam/Jesus - Death/Alive passages are based on that rhetorical style.

It's hard not to stop at my favorite passages like 5:3-5 where we learn that suffering produces perseverance, character and hope which does not disappoint.

At 6:19, Paul writes that he's putting "this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves". I assume that means the examples he's using are geared especially for his audience.

The slavery to sin/slavery to Christ concept is something I don't think most people (myself included) really gets. Maybe because the idea of slavery is so abhorrant to us. We value our "freedom" way too much.

Chapter 7-8

Another important passage, but then there's not a lot of "dead wood" in Romans! Paul begins by explaining our freedom from the law by comparing us to a woman whose marriage vow lasts only until her husband passes away. So too, we are bound to the law only until we die to the law through the body of Christ. Those who claim the need for us to follow Hebrew law miss the point of this passage. The law makes us aware of our sin and drives us to a Savior.

Paul draws a line between slavery to sin and slavery to Christ. Slavery to sin a part of our sinful nature, yet spiritually we are slaves to Christ. Paul's wonderful discussion of "I don't do what I want..." in 7:14-28 gives hope to us! Well, to me anyway. This fight within continues although as Christians we are controlled by the Spirit. Yet the body still retains the sin nature. And we are obligated to the Spirit, not to sin. And although we deserve death, there is no condemnation for us if we are in Christ Jesus.

We are sons and daughters of God. Adoption. Heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. With the priviledges come the sufferings and we get to share it all. And as serious as the sufferings can be, all the greater are the rewards. One of the rewards is the intercession of the Spirit -- even when we cannot figure out how to pray.

Through it all, God works it all for our good. Somehow. Some way. We are called according to His purpose and we are to be like Him. Were we predestined individually or predestined because we were in Christ or both? Or neither. Who can know the mind of God? In any case, if God is for us, who can be against us? Can anything separate us from Christ's love? Not the physical troubles of 8:35, nor the spiritual of 8:38-39.

Chapter 9-10

What a way to follow up the first eight chapters! Paul discusses the sovereignty of God as it pertains to allowing Gentiles into the Kingdom of God. It is not because of physical decending that places people in the Kingdom, but upon God's choice. Most take this as an individual call, but it can also be read as a "class election" of sorts. God has called those who choose to trust in Christ for salvation. Many Jews chose not to believe and face the consequences. God chooses to uphold justice for all. The cornerstone has become a stumbling stone, and it remains so for so many to this day.

Calling on the name of the Lord is the "ticket" to salvation. It is a head AND heart thing -- Confess with your mouth (action), and believe in your heart (faith) for salvation. That Gospel must be given, not just to the Jews, but to the Gentile world as well.

Chapter 11-12

Romans 11 is an intimidating chapter because it is hard to understand Paul's reasoning. Is he saying that Israel is saved apart from Christ Jesus? Obviously not, based on other Scripture, yet verse 26 says that "all Israel will be saved." It appears that this is not a reference to spiritual Israel, since the context has Paul speaking of a hardening of Israel until the full number of Gentiles has come into the Kingdom. So something is still to be accomplished with Israel -- a mass turning to Jesus?

Paul points out that not all Israel is hardened, since he, for one, is a Christian. There have been other Jewish converts to Christ over the years as well. God hardens who He wants to harden. Yet there appears to be a choice for Jews today, just as there is a choice for Gentiles. And since a Jew has the Old Testament background, as it were, to the faith, re-grafting them into the Kingdom is relatively easy according to Paul.

The doxology of 11:33-36 is breathtaking, frustrating, awe-inspiring and humbling all at the same time.


Romans 12 is a masterpiece of application of Paul's first eleven chapters. Beginning with the first two verses, Paul exhorts the follower of Christ to live out the doctrines preached by the Master. Offering our bodies as living sacrifices is an incredible visual image of what taking up our cross is like. And with God's mercy as the reason, why shouldn't we offer Him everything? Our worship is the offering of our very selves, and when we do so, we won't be made in the image of the world, but we will be transformed. Our minds will be different. We won't think like the world thinks. Why are we so surprised when the world has different priorities than Christians? Why are we shocked when the world rejects and mocks the Church?

Perhaps the reason lies in verse three, where we are told not to think too highly of ourselves. It is far too easy to go from "forgiven" to "superior" in our minds. We can reject the renewal of our minds and try to crawl down in the gutter with the world once again; communicating on their level.

When we are transformed, we seek to serve Him. We look for ways to use the gifts given us. We search for ways to express our love for Christ and for others. And we don't try to live in conflict with others. We seek peace when possible. Evil is overcome with good. How hard that is to practice!

Chapter 13-14

God sets up the governments. We assume the bad ones are included as well as the good ones. However, 13:1-7 is written to almost endorse the governing officials. We must take that principle and apply it even to the bad governments. It's hard to understand God setting up Hitler or Hussein, but He can use all these situations for His own glory.

Our debt to one another is to love one another. This is the fulfillment of the Law. This is how Jesus fulfilled the Law -- by love... perfect love. And now is the time for us to show that love, as the time before we leave this earth is getting closer by the day. So to show love, our behavior should be decent. The list of sins of 13:13 are selfish sins (as most sins are). Sex and booze, fighting and jealousy. That's not how we are to be. That is self-gratification.

Chapter 14 is a plea for the infighting to stop among the Romans. This call for unity (or at least a lack of divisiveness) is rooted in the debateable issues arguments. Chiefly is the issue of food. Some Jews would have insisted on a kosher diet, while others would remember not only Peter's vision, but also the words of Jesus that food doesn't make a person unclean.

Still we are not to flaunt our understanding -- EVEN IF WE ARE CORRECT! That's a tall order for us. Paul teaches that dietary restrictions are not binding, but above all we are not to try to force our understanding upon those who are convinced that we are wrong. Don't goad a man into trying a little ham. The issue of sabbath is mentioned in passing in 14:5.

The key is that whatever we do, we are to do it to the Lord. If we abstain from meat, we are to do it as a sign of our love for God. If we worship on Tuesday, it is to be a sign of our love for God. In 14:22, Paul even tells us to keep our beliefs to ourselves on these subjects! How much does that go against the grain!

Chapter 15-16

Chapter 15 begins with the application of the teaching of bearing with one another's weaknesses. We are to look to build up our neighbor. A nice summary of the purpose of Scripture is given at 15:4. "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." The Bible is to give us hope. And we are to be unified in this hope. Jew or Gentile. Man or woman. Accepting one another brings praise to God.

Paul recounts his use as minister to the Gentiles beginning with 15:14. Paul has desired to be the trail-blazer, bringing Christ to places where no one has yet heard. Because of that desire, he has not been able to come to Rome. But he hopes to change that by stopping off in Rome on his way to Spain. We know today that Paul never made it to Spain, but that desire is impressive. However, Paul still has a trip back to Jerusalem to make, and trouble will surely find him there. But Paul's love for the people of the Roman church is apparent from this passage in chapter 15, as well as the lengthy list of greetings in chapter 16.

Paul asks for specific prayers that he may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that his service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the church there. I often think of Paul as a free spirit guided by the Holy Spirit, but Paul was a working part of the Church. He held the elders in Jerusalem with high regard.

Many of the names of chapter 16 are strange to us. Priscilla and Aquila have settled in Rome, though -- reason enough for their old student to want to come see Rome.

Paul's final warning is against devisive people within the church, twisting doctrines and setting up a legalistic system. That temptation to draw attention to onesself by uniquely interpreting the Gospel has not died with the Apostolic age.