December 11 - Romans 14-16: Don't Judge Others Based on Your Beliefs

Today’s Reading: Romans 14-16

The Message

English Standard Version

Only three weeks to go! You've almost made it! Keep going!

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Paul wants to make sure the Roman Christians get along by not judging the other according to their own beliefs.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Tolerate and don't criticize Believers who think differently than you. Jesus is our Master. Whatever you do, do it for God not yourself. Share God's Life.
Help anyone you can. Then we will all sing with one voice—outsiders and insiders together!
Please do not think I am criticizing you. I'm proud of God's Work through me.
Pray my travel and work in Jerusalem goes well.
The churches of Christ greet everyone.
Watch for those who are too selfish to work with. Stay alert.
All praise to God who brings the truth to the world. Praise to Jesus!

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Disagreements about religion are okay.

What a liberating passage! We don't have to agree on everything! We don't really need to agree on much! What is important is that we do what we do because we believe it is right, not because someone else forces us to do it. It's not what we eat that God cares for. I would also suggest it's not how we sing or worship God that God cares for, either. God wants us to do things that set things right. We cannot set things right if we violate our conscience. So Paul's instructions were to do as we believe, "each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience" (14:5, The Message). We will be judged by God, not by each other.
I am very disappointed that I never learned this passage when growing up. The churches of Christ are known for doing just the opposite of this. We argue over so many small details about how to live a Christian life. Jesus died to "free us from the petty tyrannies of each other" (14:11). I needed to know that.

Everything is holy unless we treat or talk about it in an unholy way.

It is this part of Paul's argument which all churched and unchurched people need to remember. Churched people should realize we have more rules than we need but those rules are not superfluous. They help us. Unchurched people should realize these rules are not wrong but they are not required to follow them. Each can do as they want—as long as they are setting things right. We should treat each other with love, not judgment.

Fights do not stop us from being God's Chosen People.

After all Paul has against the Jews and Gentiles in Rome, he wants to make sure they do not take him the wrong way. He is proud of their faith because it reflects well on God and the work God does through Paul. We should also remember, even through our petty fights over religion and our judgments of each other, God continuously wants to work through us. We are always God's Chosen People.

Be wary of people who only use pieces of truth for their own gain.

Paul's warning was something I struggled with when contemplating this project. I did not want to force every passage into my narrow focus and become what he is warning against; however, I wanted to do this project because I knew this idea of God setting all things right went throughout the entire Bible. I do not think I have had to "force" passages into a narrow tunnel.
Not all people have that plan, though. They want to take a small detail and make it sound like the entire Message of God. The way to tell if a person is doing this is to read the entire Bible. They are mostly likely running away from some passage they don't want to study. Stay away from people like that!

Do you judge each other or help each other set things right?

December 10 - Romans 11-13: The Gentile and the Jew-Man Should be Friends

Today’s Reading: Romans 11-13

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

God accepted the Gentiles in order to make the Jews jealous so they would be with Him, too.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Has God irrevocably rejected Israel? No. God will never irrevocably reject Israel. When they rejected God they opened the door for the Gentiles.
Gentiles, remember that God grafts in and cuts off. God added you, not the other way around. The Jews remain God's Oldest Friends. God wants a people who understand why they are with Him. How awesome is our God!
Be a living sacrifice for God, unified as a body. Set things right. Be an upstanding citizen because God gives the state power to punish. Love others as you love yourself.
Don't waste time, it's a precious resource.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

God did not permanently remove the Jews from being His Chosen People.

This section of Scripture is one of the most complicated and misused concepts in the entire Bible. Paul is trying to help mediate a feud between the Jews and the Gentiles, caused when the Jews were kicked out of Rome but let back in later. In the previous reading Paul wrote how God wanted the Jews to obey Him but they would not. Therefore, He called the Gentiles to be His Chosen People. The reason is multifaceted, but the effect was that the Gentiles were added to God's Chosen People and Paul hoped Israel would become jealous and claim God as their god instead of their cultural symbol. God had not rejected Israel for good but to set things right. The Gentiles may have joined the Jews as God's Chosen People but they had to set things right to keep their place. God wants people who understand why they are His Chosen People to be His Chosen People.
In viewing the Jew/Gentile debate in Romans in the 21^st Century, I have put forward the idea that churched and unchurched people are the Jews and Gentiles from the first century. Many churches today are dying. We can trace their deaths to several things all stemming from one major issue—not realizing why God chose them in the first place. God wants us to be His Ambassadors to the world. Many Christians want to be the rulers of the world. So God now calls those who are outside the church to set things right. This is why many people see outsiders as better givers, better philanthropists, and better humanitarians than Christians. Christians must see that these things are happening not because God no longer wants us but because God wants to make us jealous so we will return to Him and set things right. What about unchurched people? They have their relationships set right with God. Everyone wins!

The Gentiles and the Jews should work together to set things right.

Before the Gentiles look with distain at these Jews who rejected God, Paul reminds them that God could just as easily remove them from the tree. The Gentiles had nothing to boast over because they were there because of God's Grace and Mercy, too.
This is Paul's message to unchurched people today. Don't hate the church. See it as the Gentiles saw the Jews—God's Old Friend. We can challenge each other to set things right (see chapter 12).

We have nothing to add to God's Righteousness.

The Jews thought they could figure this setting-all-things-right business out on their own. They no longer needed God to help. They were wrong. What they got instead was God's punishment, rejection for a time, and a loss of their exclusive status as God's Chosen People. Do not try to outdo God's Righteousness. There is no way we can be more righteous than God.

The government has a mandate to bring justice to the world.

When we discuss the government and what ways we should obey it, we must read Paul's instructions regarding the Roman Empire. Paul does not want the Christians to either live as hermits and rebel against Rome or go along and worship the emperor as a god. Paul reminds them that the government is only a terror to those who do wrong things, not those who set things right. Then he says something that sounds strange—God gives the government their authority. God gave Rome—a brutal dictatorship who had little to no knowledge of human rights—the right to bring justice to the world. The government has the sole authority to bring justice on criminals. The church should not focus on punishment but on setting things right.

The Gospel in a word is love.

Jesus said the two foundational commandments for the entire law were about love: love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Paul echoes that by stating the Message of Jesus can be summarized in one word: love.

What is your relationship with churched/unchurched people like?

December 9 - Romans 8-10: Nothing Separates God from People Dedicated to Setting Things Right

Today’s Reading: Romans 8-10

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

God will have mercy on those He will have mercy on. Our job is to have faith that His Judgment is right.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

We now live in the Spirit of Christ who set things right once and for all. We have an intimate relationship with God as we wait for our Inheritance. Nothing can ever separate us!
Israel does everything backwards. God is the one setting all things right, not them. Those who trust God know the Word is within us already. Israel, on the other hand, has rejected the Word. God then called outsiders to make Israel jealous. The irony is that nobodies were chomping at the bit to obey Him while His Chosen People were too busy to acknowledge their god.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

We live under a law that frees us to live according to the Word written on our hearts.

In the previous chapter (as we divide it) Paul had a terrible problem—the Law of Moses, which God gave, made him sin more because it pointed out the boundary between good and evil. Eventually Paul could only do what he did not want to do. He ended by asking who would save him from that terrible life. The answer came—Jesus! So now we live under the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ. This law does not require us to answer technical, theological questions. This law tries to get us to live according to the Law written on our hearts. This law is also written on the hearts of the Gentiles. Our task is to help them acknowledge it instead of suppressing the truth.
When we focus on technical, theological questions—What is the exact moment we are saved? Who exactly is saved? What are we allowed to do in worship and what is forbidden?—we focus on ourselves. Within each of those questions is a selfish one—Am I saved? Who should I teach to be saved? Am I worshipping correctly? Instead, God wants us to focus on the Inheritance we will receive and become His Ambassadors to the world so they, too, can receive that Inheritance. The technical details are left for God to work out.

The earth will be set right, too.

When Adam sinned, the entire world was placed under a curse. Hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc. are all effects from that curse. Death, viruses, and sicknesses come because of the curse. The entire Earth groans as it waits for God to set it right. The Resurrection is not limited to humans. The entire world will be set right when Jesus returns.

The Spirit of God bridges the communication gap between us and God.

Jesus told the Apostles that the Spirit would lead them to understand all truth and give them the words to say when they were on trial. Paul tells the Roman Christians that the Spirit tells God the things which are too deep, too emotional for us to express. If you do not know what to pray because the words will not come, groan. God has provided a way to have our groans translated.

Because God is on our side, nothing can defeat us.

God has Ultimate Authority over the entire world. He has the ability to set everything right. He has set everything to work together to eventually set all things right. When we were unwilling to set things right He sent Jesus to be our Sacrifice so that we could join Him the moment we were willing. So Paul's questions are very important—who could possibly place a wedge between us and God? No one! Even when people try, God forgives us and Jesus sticks up for us. We can never unwillingly be separated from God!

God will never give up on the Israelites.

This is a theme which came up in the prophets. If God would not give up on the people who executed His Son, God will never give up on anyone now. What an awesome God!

People who did not seem interested in God embraced His Way. People who God called to be His Chosen People couldn't care less about His Way.

Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, knows first-hand how the Gentiles openly accepted God's Way through Jesus and the Jews rejected Jesus because the Gentiles accepted Him. Jesus pointed out the irony of Israel when the Roman Centurion confessed faith in Him when the Jews argued with Him on technical, theological questions. Israel thought they could set their relationship with God right by understanding every small detail God put in Scripture. Instead, they missed the point—Jesus! So Paul wants them to remember—God called the Gentiles because His Chosen People, Israel, were unwilling to obey Him.
If Israel's problems were generational, I think this section is applicable to us today. We see people we would never expect to care about God's Way—prisoners—accept God's Direction and set things right. Yet churches who have God's Scripture, a personal relationship with the Creator, and a theoretical community of people dedicated to setting things right for God cannot find people willing to set things right. I believe one of the most important issues churches must address are the people who want to be part of them but do not want to set things right. Eventually we will be exactly like Israel and have God complain:

Day after day after day,
    I beckoned [the church] with open arms,
And got nothing for my trouble
    but cold shoulders and icy stares. (10:21, The Message)

Tomorrow we will read more of why God accepted the Gentiles and what came out of it.

If I could be cursed in exchange for the souls in the church, I would.

You may wonder why, if I have so many critiques of the church—especially the churches of Christ—why am I still here? Why would I try so hard to challenge people who don't seem interested in God to quell their interest in religion? The answer is found within Paul's attitude: I want to stay because I love God's Church and want to see His Chosen People have their relationship set right when we return to being God's Lighthouses to the nations. I know we are the best way for God to set all things right on the earth. I also realize we are not the only way God sets things right on the earth.

Do you believe nothing can ever separate you from God's Love without your permission?

December 8 - Romans 4-7: Abraham's Righteousness and Our Freedom from Sin and the Law

Today’s Reading: Romans 4-7

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Laws increase sin—they don't change our mindset. Righteousness must be brought apart from a law.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Abraham was approved by God before he was circumcised because he trusted God. Anyone can be Abraham's descendants when they risk faith in God—with or without religion.
Adam brought sin and death to the entire world. Jesus took them away. Should we increase grace by sinning? No way! We are dead to sin and alive to God. Make Him your new Master.
The Law served a purpose but sin used it to enslave us more. This prison makes me do what I desperately do not want to do. Can no one save me? Jesus can—and does!

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Abraham was considered righteous before he was circumcised.

To further illustrate his previous assertion that those who set things right are acceptable to God regardless of their possession of the Law, Paul speaks of Abraham's circumcision. Prior to Abraham being circumcised, he was considered righteous. God's Grace covered him before he was circumcised.
Why is this important? For centuries people have claimed that baptism is a pseudo-magical act that forces God to take away our sins. There are also people who have claimed that saying a prayer has the magical ability to take away sins. The truth is that neither of these is true. Just as Abraham had his relationship set right with God before circumcision we, too, have our relationship set right when we trust in Him to set things right in our lives. There is no prayer or act that can replace that trust. Our problem is that we want to focus on the exact moment we are saved. Paul would suggest that is the wrong question. God's Grace covers us at an undisclosed time—and only He knows it. If a person is stressed over whether they are saved or not, baptism seals the relationship like a marriage ceremony. A bride and groom enter knowing they are already in a committed relationship—even if they have never met. They walk away unified in marriage but not really changed. No one enters a building single and unexpectedly winds up in a committed, married relationship. Marriages with short courtships (aside from arranged marriages) often do not work because they quickly went to the ceremony without going through the mindset shift. Unfortunately, many churches expect this to happen. We want people to walk into church with no faith in God do the magical act of baptism that saves them. Then we wonder why these people cannot last as God's Chosen People. The reason is simple—we stressed the ceremony without the prior mindset shift! Because God wants the relationship change instead of the religious act, anyone in the world can have that relationship with Him, even those outside His "religion". They, too, are spiritual descendents of Abraham.

Jesus' sacrifice gave us freedom from both sin and the Law of Moses.

Sin makes us slaves to it. Jesus came and set us free from sin. The Law makes us know the boundaries of right and wrong. The problem is that it centers our focus on the fence and we wonder what is beyond it until we jump over. That makes us feel worse since we feel awful for jumping the fence and can't figure out how to get back across. Jesus set us free from the Law's grip on our life, too. We now live in freedom! No boundaries to trip on. No fences to obsess over. Only a Light to guide our way.
Christians today have narrowed this freedom to the point we have rules stacked on top of rules (consider the many rules regarding the first day of the week). The rules, like the Law of Moses, are not evil in themselves, but they lead us to be enslaved to sin faster than if we did not have them. People in the world do not have those restrictions. We should not restrict them through our traditions in order for them to have freedom in Christ! Jesus set us free from the grip of our traditions, too!

Our freedom from sin and law does not make us sin more or live any ole way we want.

The obvious objection most Christians have to the two previous points above is that if you remove the law of traditions and focus on God's Grace then people will live any way they want and no one will set things right. The objection is valid and is as old as the church itself. Paul would suggest, to return to the marriage metaphor, that a couple lives a unified life not because they are forced to by law or by threat of the community. They live unified because life goes better when they live as one. Their relationship works better when they live as one. Their outside relationships work better when they live as one. When we live as one with God, life is better. It is this promise that makes people trust in God, not the threat of punishment.

Do you use your freedom to set things right?

December 7 - Acts 20:1-3; Romans 1-3: Jews and Gentiles Always Shared the Same Fate

Today’s Reading: Acts 20:1-3; Romans 1-3

The Message

English Standard Version

Today's reading includes three verses from Acts. I am going to skip them in the summary, since they only tell us that Paul continued travelling while his Jewish opposition followed him.

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Circumcision did not automatically make the Jews acceptable to God. They had to set things right to gain the benefits of being God's Chosen People. Non-circumcision did not automatically make the Gentiles unacceptable to God. They could set things right and be acceptable, too.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Paul to the believers in Rome:
The Prophets spoke of Jesus through whom we receive Life and attempt to spread it to others. Greetings! I want to preach the Message to you soon.
Everyone saw the Truth but chose to ignore it. God allowed them to spiral downward. Someday God's Judgment will come down on you, too, hypocrites!
God blesses and punishes based on actions, not mental understanding. Religion cannot save you; only a changed heart can. God entrusted His Scriptures to His Chosen People.
Only God, the god of everyone, through Jesus sets things right. Chosen People shouldn't boast.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Everyone knows God.

We do not need to tell the world that God exists. Everyone knows there was a Creator because the evidence is so plain. It was "woven into the very fabric of our creation" (2:15, The Message).

The problem is people do not acknowledge God as god.

If everyone knows God why is there such evil in the world? Because people suppress the Truth. When we cover up the Truth we eventually can't recognize it and fall for another truth. In this case it was worshiping the created instead of the creator. In addition, they allowed their willful ignorance of God to cloud their judgment to the point they became "inventors" of evil. God will allow the world to do evil because He will only be served voluntarily.

The Jews thought God was too nice to punish them.

Romans is written in a Gentile vs. Jew format at times. The first chapter (as we split it up) mentioned the Gentiles' wrongdoings. Then Paul rhetorically turns to the Jews and states (I paraphrase), "What are you looking at? You do the same thing. Do you think having a copy of the Torah in your synagogue will prevent God from punishing you? You're wrong—dead wrong." The Jews would not receive preferential treatment just because they were born the descendent of Abraham. God wanted them to set things right.
I find that the Jew-Gentile relationship is very similar to the churched-unchurched relationship today. Churches love to talk about how the culture is becoming more and more evil every year. They love talking about marriages that end in divorce, families that break up, and young people who do bad things. Yet what do we see in churches today? Marriages that end in divorce, families that break up, and young people doing bad things. If we want God to bless us, we must obey Him no matter if we are part of God's Chosen People or not.

God wants cut hearts, not cut foreskins.

Paul's discussion troubles many Christians. In fact, we are often so excited to get to chapter three (no one is righteous) that we gloss over Paul's explanation that those who set things right are acceptable to God, no matter if they have been physically circumcised or not. The cut foreskin was meant to help Abraham remember that God had a Promise with him. His descendants were circumcised to join in that Promise. There was nothing magical about circumcision that prevented God from seeing Abraham's or his descendants' sins. They did not get a pass while the Gentiles were punished for being born Gentile. Anyone who sinned would be punished—no matter if they were circumcised or not. Anyone who set things right would be accepted—no matter if they were circumcised or not.
Is it still true for today? Absolutely! Why do we expect God to now accept only those who are baptized? Remember, everyone still knows God and has no excuse for doing evil. It's still true—God accepts anyone who sets things right, no matter if they have been baptized or not! There is nothing magical about baptism that forces God to reject us before and accept us after.

God gave His Word to His Chosen People.

Then why would anyone want to become a Christian, you may ask. Why not just be a good person? The answer is simple,

So what difference does it make who’s a [Chosen Person] and who isn’t, who has been trained in God’s ways and who hasn’t? As it turns out, it makes a lot of difference—but not the difference so many have assumed.
First, there’s the matter of being put in charge of writing down and caring for God’s revelation, these Holy Scriptures. (3:1-2, The Message)

Christians are God's Ambassadors to the world. We have a personal relationship with the Creator. We know His Name. We are called to tear down barriers between God and the world. We have the assurance that God is with us always. Just like the Jews, we assume the benefits are salvation, community, and wonderful potlucks. We have assumed wrong. The benefits are far greater! Our task is not to sit back and complain about the world becoming more and more wicked or unequal. We are to actively break down the barriers between our neighbors and God by showing them God's Scripture—both in word and deed.

God used Israel's faithlessness to set things right.

This will come up in a couple of days, so I will tease it here and write more on it then.

Jesus died on the cross to set things right between Him and an entire world unwilling to set things right.

We love to take these verses and state that Paul means no one, absolutely no one, does what is right. If this is true, chapter two is wasted papyrus. Paul wants the Jews to realize they were no better than the Gentiles. God accepted them when they set things right, not just because they were His Chosen People. But in the end Paul reminds us that there is no group of people who set things right. Individuals? Maybe. Groups? No. The point is moot anyway because God set things right for the entire world. We can live with God, not because of our actions but because of God's. We don't boast because we are God's Chosen People. We boast because our god is God.

Do you think baptism is magical?

To the Jew First and Also to the Greek - Romans 1:17

Read Romans 1 – ESV, The Message

I am continuing my discussion of Romans 1:16-17.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith.” (ESV)

One of the troubling parts of this letter – and why many people do not wish to see Romans in the 21^st Century as Churched vs. Unchurched – is that Paul does not fit easily into a quick summary. Those who are “Churched” want to summarize Romans as everyone is an evil person, the church is the way out and only those who are part of a church can be saved. Unfortunately, this is an oversimplification of Paul’s message to the church in Rome. Verse 17 challenges that summary.

Another troubling part of scripture.

To the Jew First and Also to the Greek

As I stated in previous posts, God still has a special place for the Jews. This is why Paul first went into the synagogue to teach the Gospel (read Acts) and why he states that salvation is for the Jews first. Paul is not, as some theologians want, throwing the Jews out on the curb to be taken out with the trash.

That God’s salvation extends to the Greek (or non-Jews) is what makes this statement important. Salvation was not and continues not to be for those who obey God’s written law only. God’s salvation comes to those who obey God’s moral law. More on that later.

21^st Century

God continues to have a special place for those who are part of a church. Regardless of how faithful a church has been to God’s moral law He still has an important place for them. This is why I have decided to remain in my Churched background. As much as the church frustrates me, disappoints me and turns me off I still want to say, as Paul said, that salvation is for the Churched first and also to the Unchurched. I am grateful that my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were Christians and passed our tradition down to my generation.

Salvation is not limited to those of your church. I don’t want to sound like a broken record, so I will punt this discussion to a later date.

Revealed From Faith For Faith

God revealed His righteousness to the Jews so they would know that He is the Lord of lords. At the same time, though, this wondrous love was to be revealed to the Gentiles. This is why Paul states that God’s righteousness was revealed from faith for faith. It was revealed to the Jews so they would tell the nations to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8. Unfortunately, they skipped this part – preferring to bask in the glory that is being God’s people and not praising that glory to the nations.

21^st Century

God has revealed His righteousness, His trustworthiness, His faithfulness to those who are Churched so that they would take that good news – the Gospel – to the world. This is God’s purpose for the church – not a repository of the righteous but a light for the nations. Until we realize our purpose as a church is to go out and spread the news of the righteousness of God by word and deed we will continue to grow smaller while we wait for people to visit our church buildings.

Not Ashamed of the Gospel - Romans 1:16

Read Romans 1 – ESV, The Message

After Paul reassures the church he plans to visit with them and tells them his absence is due to God changing his plans (vv. 8-15), he gives an interesting couple of statements:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith.” (vv. 16-17, ESV)

I want to spend the next two posts on these two verses.

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

Coming from a Jew, this statement is not as innocuous as we would think. Jews would have accepted a gospel that was “the power of God for salvation.” Jews wanted the Gospel to save them, as long as it included the Law of Moses and could be done in their spare time. Jesus’ message was not acceptable to proper Jews because it had less to do with physical acts and focused too much on the heart. Jesus wasn’t the Savior they were waiting for because his salvation did not match what they expected. Paul wanted them to see their inability to understand Jesus and the Gospel and that put him in great opposition to many Jews all his days (see all of Acts). Paul would soon be imprisoned and sent to Rome (ironically) because of this stance on the Gospel.

21st Century

Churched Christians are in a somewhat similar position today. If a church heard a minister speak of “the Gospel as the Power of God for salvation” they would accept it. Churched Christians want God to save them through Jesus – provided it includes going to worship service and service projects done in their spare time. When the Gospel of Christ is seen through the Sermon on the Mount things get complicated. "That was then. We’re very different now, thanks." Christians are too polite to place preachers in jail, but they would certainly not ask that minister back.

To Everyone Who Believes

One problem even believing Jews would find with his statement is the notion that God’s salvation came to everyone who believed. If he had stated “to every Jew who believed” he would have been tolerated. But this notion that God’s salvation comes outside the Law of Moses would have put Paul’s perspective at odds with the Jewish mindset of being the only Children of God. That God’s salvation could come to the Gentiles caused Paul to be expelled from Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:13-52).

21st Century

Try an experiment: Go to members of a church and suggest that salvation can be found outside the church. Tell them it comes by trusting the creator of the universe, not in following what your church teaches regarding salvation. This will go over like a lead balloon. I believe, because I held this belief for most of my life, that this comes from our wish to be the only Children of God. We have so institutionalized ‘church’ that we can no longer how God could work outside this arrangement. In so doing we have missed Paul's lesson to this church.

Obedience of Faith for the Sake of His Name: Romans 1:1-7

 

Paul Says Hello

Read Romans 1 – ESV, The Message

There are three things I want to point out from Paul’s opening (1-7):

Jesus was descended from David according to the flesh.

Although the Prophets predicted the Messiah would be a descendent of David and God promised Abraham that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3), the most important reason Jesus was a physical descendent of Abraham was God proving once again that he would give his steadfast love “to a thousand generations” after one who obeye Him (Deuteronomy 7:9). God continues to have a special bond with the physical descendants of Abraham because of his faithfulness. Although Paul would later clarify that the benefits of this come only to those who obey as Abraham did, the point that Jesus is a physical Jew is relevant.

21^st Century

When I read this, I cannot help but realize that the church does have a similar claim: we are open followers of Jesus. I know – I know – many Churched Christians do not act like it. Yet, just as God continues to have a special bond with the physical descendants of Abraham because of his faithfulness (despite them messing it up), God continues to have a special bond with the physical descendants of Churched Christians because of our ancestors’ faithfulness (despite us messing it up). We do not live on a historical island (21^st century *insert geographical region here*). All of history is connected and God continues to reward the righteousness of our ancestors.

Paul’s goal was to bring the obedience of faith for the sake of Jesus’ name.

‘Obedience of faith’ is the major point throughout the book of Romans. Eventually Paul will explain that obedience must come through trust in Jesus (the one sent by God) and not through following rote laws and dead rules (the Law of Moses). Jesus said “so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16).

21^st Century

It seems apt to state that ‘obedience of faith’ is something churches today often struggle with. We either focus on obedience or faith - but not both. One side says you must follow x-number of rules set by their church and the other side states that all you need is one emotional connection to a theoretical being – using the word ‘faith.’ (I realized I am stereotyping, but I'm writing only 500-ish words at a time, remember?) What we should focus on today is that obedience must come through trust in Jesus to direct our lives and not through following your church’s rote traditions and dead rules.

This was to be accomplished among all nations.

In the same paragraph where Paul compliments the Jews for being the people who brought Jesus into the world he reminds them that Jesus’ message is for the entire world. The Jews no longer can call themselves the children of God. It also reminds the Gentiles that although they may not have been the physical family of Jesus they can still have a part in the inheritance which comes through Jesus.

21^st Century

Churched Christians must remember that although Jesus is outwardly obeyed by Christians His message of obedience through faith in Jesus the Messiah – not of joining a church – is for the entire world. The church cannot claim to be the exclusive children of God any longer. Those who do not wish to be part of a church – the Unchurched – can rest assured that they do not need to follow a set of traditions to be God’s children.

Romans 1-4: Life Before Jesus the Messiah

Romans 1-4 provides the opening summation of all Paul attempts to tell the Roman Christians. He gives the summarized version of his entire message in one- or two-verse nutshells spread over all four chapters.

1:16-17 – For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

2:6, 13 – He will render to each one according to his works. … For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when the Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.

2:28-29 - For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

3:21-24 - But now the righteousness of God has been made manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it – the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is not distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus ….

4:13-15 - For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.

I will make my way through each part of these four chapters in the next few weeks.

N. T. Wright and Romans for the 21st Century

This week I have been listening to the “Romans in a Week” lecture series by N.T. Wright that my father-in-law gave me a few months ago. Needless to say, I bumped it up to the front of my queue (past 955 tracks, 330 hours of music podcasts and lectures – I know, I’m a hoarder). Listening through it I find myself both sad and excited.


Why must you spoil my fun, N.T. Wright?

I am sad because I thought (though am embarrassed to admit) I had come up with something new or, to say it better, realized something lost: Romans is written not as a systematic theology but to make peace between two groups, the Jews and Gentiles who are fighting over who are the true children of God.

Wrong.

Almost everything I have been teaching in the Romans class on Sundays was taught in a better style and with more scholarship and depth – he even reads the Greek from memory – by Wright in this series.

Doh!

Tim Spivey this week wrote a post “Theological Cartography Syndrome” meaning the inability to think critically about our favorite theologian(s). That worried me. Am I following Wright without critique? At this point I realized I did not come to these conclusions because I read or listened to N.T. Wright. I came to these conclusions before I listened to these lectures. Huzzah! I agree with Wright because we read and teach Romans the same way – as ancient history. It has a cultural context which must be addressed before we attempt to make sense of the text. This is what I (woefully) have tried to do in my posts so far – describe the history and mindset of the Jews and Gentiles in Rome reading Paul’s letter for the first time.

My Task: Romans Applied for the 21st Century

Where my work differs from N.T. Wright (at least in this series) is that  I want to go beyond mere exegesis and look at a new way to apply Romans today. I wish to compare the 1^st Century to the 21^st Century. I see many parallels between the Jews then and Churched Christians now which Wright may not agree with. This task is fraught with peril, for I realize there are not one-to-one equal comparatives between these two groups and it is uncomfortable to place yourself in the cross hairs of Paul’s rhetorical arguments; however, the similarities are too great to dismiss. What I wright will be similar to Wright’s findings. But know that these things come from me, not from a devotion to N. T. Wright.

This is why I have entitled the study Romans for the 21^st Century. Just as Paul radically challenged the Jews and Gentiles of the 1^st Century to live united together in Rome I want to challenge those who wish to obey God inside and outside of a church in the 21^st Century to live united together wherever we live. ('united together' was intentional)

The Letter to the Romans: Summarized #Romfor21stC

Romans can be summarized into four sections:

1. Romans 1-4: Life Before Jesus the Messiah

2. Romans 5-8: Life In Jesus the Messiah

3. Romans 9-11: Life Unified in Jesus the Messiah

4. Romans 12-16: Life Together in Jesus the Messiah

 

I feel these four parts build the entire message Paul wishes to give: the true children of God are not defined by their membership of a tribe, group or church. They are known by their actions.

 

1. Life Before Jesus the Messiah

Because the Gentiles suppressed the knowledge of God and became unrighteous, God chose Abraham’s descendants (the Jews) and gave them the Law of Moses to train them to become his ambassadors. They boasted in their election and disregarded the Law instead. So Jesus came to fulfill the Law and bring all the peoples of the world together in one election. Having not understood their first calling, the Jews misunderstood their second calling – requiring the Jewish rite of election and the Law of Moses for the Gentiles. Paul must remind them that the Law is no longer valid – though still upheld – and their election is no longer exclusive – though still relevant.

 

2. Life In Jesus the Messiah

The Law of Moses, though given by God, had a weakness. No one could obey it perfectly. Because the father of all, Adam, sinned all suffer the consequences – death – which comes as a result of sin. The Law of Moses, once intended to be the Jews’ guide for righteousness, became chains to the cycle of sin and sacrifice. Jesus took away this weakness by both perfectly following the Law’s requirements and becoming the sacrifice which took away our chains. He became a new Adam and all can enjoy the consequences – freedom – not to sin but to live as adopted children with grace covering our sins. This freedom cannot be taken away from us no matter what!

 

3. Life Unified in Jesus the Messiah

God (and Paul) still longs for the time that Israel returns to its first love. God invested so much in them that he does not wish for them to stay estranged. God’s election extends to Gentiles; however, if they fall into the same mindset as the Jews He would remove them and reinstate the Jews. God called the Gentiles with an ulterior motive – to cause jealousy within in the Jews so they would return. Then God would have his true Israel – a nation of Jews and Gentiles reconciling the world to God. What a God!

4. Life Together in Jesus the Messiah

Both the Gentiles and the Jews have a role in God’s kingdom – so bring out the best in each other. Love your neighbor as yourself. Be responsible citizens. Be tolerant of other believers and correct their misconceptions in love. Stay away from those who want to become one-trick ponies. Remember that God’s kingdom is not physical only. Let God’s service be your purpose in life. Then all will rejoice in God once and for all – no more as outsiders and insiders but as God’s children! May we all work together to accomplish that goal!

Defining 'Gentile' in the 21st Century #Romfor21stC

One of the most frequent questions I get from people when discussing Romans for the 21^st Century is the question, “Who are the Gentiles of today?” This question is very difficult to answer, if it is answerable at all. The reason is multi-faceted as you will see.

The Jew-Gentile construct was of Jewish origin.

Used countless times in the Bible, the term ‘Gentile’ simply means, “a person who is not Jewish.” In essence, it means “not one of us.” If someone were to ask a Roman if they were a Gentile they would probably look quizzical and wonder what was wrong with you. ‘Gentile’ was “insider-language,” a word that only had meaning within Jewish culture. Paul would write to people very familiar with Jewish culture and therefore would make sense. But to talk about Gentiles today would be the same as asking, “Who are the people who are not one of us?”

The idea of the ‘other’ is not accepted today.

One of the most important aspects of learning to live and work cross-culturally is the understanding that no one is the ‘other,’ especially those around you. It is this barrier which prevents contact, sharing and relationships and foments ill-will, hatred and even violence. Churches unwittingly do this when discussing ‘Christians’ vs. ‘the world.’ Within Christian context that makes sense, the ‘world’ representing everything that does not help us love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. However, to everyone that is not part of your church it sounds like you are equating them with Satan. No one who tries to be a good person thinks they are Satan and they would resent anyone who would put them in the same category. So attempting to find who are the Gentiles today would insult those who might be labeled 'Gentile.'

The categories of ‘Jew’ and ‘Gentile’ are irrelevant to salvation and righteousness.

Paul’s major idea is the true children of God are not defined by their membership of a tribe, group or church. They are known by their actions. So to attempt to revive the debate is to misunderstand the reason Paul wrote to the Romans in the first place. Paul wants both sides to stop arguing over who are God’s children and help each other obey God through faith in Jesus.

Best possible answer:

Because this concept is essential to understanding the book of Romans in the 21st Century, I will use the terms, ‘Churched’ and ‘Unchurched.’ These are words which are more closely associated with what I am attempting to show through these posts and do not have an air of “holy” vs. “profane” which plagues ‘Christians’ vs. ‘the World.’ ‘Churched’ will mean those who consider themselves as part of a church – whether a denominational or non-denominational church. If you meet on Sundays (or are part of a church that meets on Sunday) you are churched. ‘Unchurched’ will stand for those who do not consider themselves as part of a church – which they call ‘organized religion.’ Any further attempt to define this group is an minefield and becomes a tedious exercise in hairsplitting.

Romans 1-3 – starting Monday! Summary of Romans Wednesday.

Reading Romans Requires More than One Verse #Romfor21stC

One of the challenges in reading Romans is the complex nature of Paul’s writing. Since he discusses complex issues of identify he is very thorough and takes a lot of space to delineate his points. This letter is not the only time he discusses the matter of Jew vs. Gentile. Galatians mentions the Jews and the Law of Moses specifically. 1 Corinthians and Colossians mentions judging others – possible allusions to the Jews as well. As “an apostle to the Gentiles“ (11:13) he is on the front lines in the Jew vs. Gentile battle of the time.

This complexity challenges the verse-by-verse nature of Christianity today. Think about it. When was the last time someone asked you, “What is your favorite paragraph in the Bible?” When ministers read long sections of scripture, they must first apologize or excuse themselves. In fact, when was the last time you listened to an entire sermon where only one, large section scripture was discussed? Verses are short, easy to memorize and fit easily on motivational posters.

Romans: doesn't fit on a motivational poster.

A few years ago I decided not to read anything smaller than a paragraph in a lesson. I also decided, with a few exceptions, to speak from only one section of scripture. By focusing on one section I now go deeper into the Word of God. Romans exemplifies the benefits of focused reading, reading more prevents being bogged down in the details. In other words: the meaning of Romans is in the letter – if you read enough of it.

Paul states, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:23). This verse may be the most quoted verses without any context ever given. Paul writes this as one part of a much larger discussion acclimating the Jews and Gentiles to the understanding that the true children of God are not defined by their membership of a tribe, group or church. They are known by their actions. Both groups had unrighteous and righteous members. Because of Abraham (and the disobedience of the Gentiles) God chose the Jews to be His ambassadors to the world. They failed due to their own disobedience and inability to keep God’s law. God then called the Gentiles to join his ambassadors to the world. However, the Jews still had a special place in God’s heart and He longed for them to all choose to follow Him again. This is why God tells Israel,

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face. Deuteronomy 7:9-10

When Christians, especially theologians, read Romans in short, choppy sections and dissect the minute details in each verse they miss the message Paul gives.

Friday I will look into one place where this is a glaring problem: who are the Gentiles today?

Identity Crisis: A Harsh Reality for Christians

On Monday I began this project on the Letter to the Romans by giving what I believe is the crux of the entire letter: a church caught in a crisis of identifying who are true children of God. What I wish to do today is share a difficult but important point for Christians today.

Christians - or more specifically "church-goers," as the Jews of the 1st Century, have lost their way as Jesus' ambassadors to the world.

“I love your Christ, but I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ” (Gandhi, 1925). Jesus is seen as a master teacher by most of the world. They love Jesus and wish to emulate him. Ask anyone that is not a skeptic or an ardent atheist and they will have a positive view of Jesus. Their view of Christians is not so favorable.

To a certain degree, they are correct. Many Christians who claim to follow Jesus are often ignorant of the Bible and lax in their morality. The phrases “I’m a Christian” and “go to church” often become social statements instead of deep reflections of who we are and what we are. Christianity often becomes less of a spiritual religion and more of a feel-good, shallow philosophy of life or a weak deterrent of bad behavior. The major reason behind this, in my opinion, is the institutionalization of Christianity. In other words, church is the problem.

Jesus is seen as contemporary, interesting and relevant. The church is old-fashioned, boring and stuck in the past. Jeff Bethke wrote a poem entitled “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus.” Listen to his resuscitation of his poem:

Before criticizing his stance on the church, think about what fuels this response. Is this an attempt to defend Jesus or your institution? At first, I thought he was too generalized, too focused on “liberal” ideals, too accommodating of sin. Then I realized this was my institutional baggage, not Jesus' words. Paul wrote in Romans (to the Jews): “… You have no excuse …. For in passing judgment on another you [the Jews] condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things” (2:1). I thought of the people I grew up with who still consider themselves ‘Christian’ but look exactly like those who don’t. I thought of the people I worship with who look more like non-believers than believers. Then I looked into my own heart to see whether I was a true disciple.

Christians often like to overlook the “bad seeds” – those who no longer come or those whose only act of following Jesus is their physical appearance at a building. We act as though they don’t exist when someone looks at our congregation. That’s not fair. We cannot treat the church as “a museum for good people” and dismiss members who don’t fit this high calling with the institutional phrase “we can’t make them leave, they’re struggling.”

When Christians wake up to realize we have grown more accustomed to being part of an institution instead of being disciples of Jesus is when our true identity can emerge. 

The Crux of Romans: the Identity Crisis of Jews vs. Gentile (#Romfor21stC)

The discussion of Romans often begins in the wrong place – at least not in the most important area to help understand the text. In this, the first foray into Romans, I wish to rectify that by diving into the question, “Why did Paul write this letter anyway?”

Understanding Judaism is essential for understanding Romans. In the USA we distinguish between religion and race. Jewish culture, expecially in the first century, does not differenciate race and religion. They would not understand the idea of “Roman Jews” or an “Asian-Jew.” They considered themselves Jews only regardless of where they lived or their mixed racial composition. Abraham as their father identified them as the Children of God and the Torah (the Law of Moses) provided a common tradition. Everyone obeyed God in the same physical way - circumcision, the holy days and sacrifical ritiuals. Gentiles were considered uncultured heathens who were in no way similar to Jews. When Jesus proclaimed that the righteous live at a higher level than doing only the physical actions commanded in the Torah and that he was greater than Abraham the Pharisees forced the Romans to crucify Jesus. He threatened what held their entire culture together.

Possibly because of their prejudice, the apostles taught the Gospel exclusively within their Jewish “race” for up to 10 years. Cornelius’ conversion in Acts 10-11 caused a great stir by challenging the apostles’ concept of “the children of God.” Jews were forced to concede that their ancestry alone no longer gave them exclusive claim to being God’s chosen people. Many Jews thought circumcision, the identifying marker of a Jewish man, was identified a disciple of Jesus. Paul and others fought against this at the Jerusalem counsel in Acts 15 because it would also require the Gentiles to obey the entire Torah and would diminish Jesus’ message (Gal. 5:1-15). If you accepted one part of the Torah, you must accept the entire Torah.

The Church in Rome

The church in Rome consisted of both Jews and Gentiles. Around ad 49 the Jews were expelled from Rome (Acts 18:2). Approximately five years later they were allowed to reenter the city and found a church no longer centered around the Torah – causing a great rift. Paul writes the letter we call Romans hoping to redefine their identity as disciples of Jesus the Messiah.

Why this is important to understanding Romans

Stating that the overarching theme of Romans is “faith vs. works” glosses over this essential component of the letter. Paul is not giving a theological or theoretical treaties on the role of faith and works in salvation. He is helping a church caught in a crisis of identifying who are true children of God. Paul writes to the Jews to show them God’s kingdom now includes Gentiles who do not follow the Torah. He writes to the Gentiles to show them God still has a heart for the Jews and a place for the Torah. It is a great message of unity through mutual respect - a theme which has an important application to today's world.

Random Thought on Preaching - Preach the Gospel of Jesus

A random thought before diving into Romans.

Jessica and I visited a congregation near Nashville, Tennessee – which shall remain nameless. That particular Sunday was the preacher’s first there. Because of that he decided to start a series of lessons on the book of … Romans!

“A lesson on Romans! How wonderful!” I thought.

“Oh, great, Graham’s going to get more fodder for his Romans obsession,” my wife thought.

One of us turned out to be correct.

As a Romans-aholic, I know the basic idea of the letter. So I had my mental notes ready for him to use as he needed. Apparently he could not see them. His sermon consisted of 10 minutes of vague facts about the letter and then 15 minutes recounting how other major, historical theologians have misinterpreted the book. The three I remember were Augustine, Martin Luther and John Calvin. If I had never read the book of Romans before I would have left that sermon knowing more about how other people misunderstand the book than I would have understood what Paul wrote in the first place. To quote David Lipe, a retired professor from FHU, and James 3:10 (in the KJV), “These things ought not so to be!”

Me, when you preach this way.

I understand the idea behind this type of preaching. You don’t want people coming away from the sermon with the wrong idea. You want to prevent people from going down the wrong interpretation path. When I knocked doors for a summer in the northeast USA I had this on the mind. I began almost all conversations by finding out where they went to church and start into the talking points against that particular denomination. Then I had a revelation:

If I am a Gospel preacher, I should probably preach the Gospel of Jesus not the how-others-have-gotten-it-wrong Gospel of Jesus.

This brings me to an important question for Christians, especially ones in the Restoration Movement:

At what point do we stop preaching against “false doctrine” and teach what we are trying to restore? 

If you were to ask 90% of members of almost any denomination (and the Churches of Christ as well) to give their views on a theological topic they would either look at you blankly, make up something that sounds correct or tell you to see their pastor/preacher. They don’t know the teachings of Augustine, Luther, Calvin, or any other famous theologian. They probably have never read the doctrinal statement of their church (have you read your church’s charter?).

Knocking doors I became frustrated that I had to teach several people what their church taught before I could tell them why it was wrong. Does that sound dumb or what? No wonder I had little to no success. I wouldn't want to go to a church whose first act was to tell me what was wrong with the group I consider myself part of.

Preachers, teach what Jesus taught, not what is wrong with everyone else’s teachings. Then we will all understand the Bible.

Identity Crisis: Romans for the 21st Century (#Rfor21stC)

Paul writing the letter to the Church in Rome. In my mind, Paul is always writing Romans.

The Letter from Paul to the Church in Rome, also called the Epistle to the Romans, has been my biblical residence for the past three years. I fell in love with the letter studying at Fuller and moved in completely when we relocated to Petaluma. Almost every theological discussion I have eventually includes this amazing book. I currently teach a series on Sunday nights in the book. After about 9 months of study We are only to chapter 9. What can I say - I love this book.

I decided to share here on this blog how God has challenged me through this book. This is to help me get back into writing and share what I believe are great challenges to traditional views of righteousness, salvation, the church and the role each plays in life. These challenges are much deeper than the usual “faith vs. works” dribble I read and hear. The letter to the Romans is deeper and richer than that simple duality. This richness and depth is what I want to share with you in the next few months.

Almost everything I write will come from my personal readings of the letter. Although I am not against using commentaries or scholarly books, I enjoy reading the scripture by itself more. Also, I feel most commentaries and sermons have unnecessary doctrinal agendas or biases when coming to the text. When all you discuss is “faith vs. works,” everything in scripture looks like a “faith vs. works” argument. They also tend to focus so much energy on harmonizing the other letters of Paul that they detract from the profound message Paul is conveying in this letter. Although everything Paul has written is harmonious, he did not expect them to hold up the letter to the Thessalonians and state, “Why yes, Dorcus, this is similar to what he wrote to the Thessalonians.” So I do not plan to, either.

Here’s how I hope to present Romans:

Each post will be around 500 words. This is not because I doubt my reader’s intellect or their ability to concentrate. It is because I don’t like reading 2000-3000-word posts. I get bored easily. Each post will center on a section of each chapter but will not follow a strict verse-for-verse commentary method. I may (and will) write more than one post on a certain section. I will reference different parts of the book as I go, reminding of what came before more often than foreshadowing what is to come. I hope to write and post two a week, maybe Mondays and Wednesdays. If someone asks an interesting question or I get side-tracked (this blog is called Random Thoughts from Graham after all) I’ll post something on a Friday. However, as Papa from The Shack says, “Nothing is a ritual.” Prepare for changes.

I hope you enjoy reading my thoughts and I look forward to being challenged along with you as we dive into the deep, rich pool that is the Letter to the Romans – starting Monday.