SUMMARY REVIEW: 13 IMPORTANT TRUTHS WE ARE REMINDED OF FROM THE BOOK OF ROMANS
1) The most sobering problem in the world today is the wrath of God on all humanity (1:18-32). We tend to think it is terrorism, stock market crashes, unexpected earthquakes, AIDS, or global warming.
2) Religion - even religion that has its basis in God's revelation - cannot put people right with God (2:17-27).
3) People are hopelessly depraved in every faculty of their being (3:9-20). This goes right against the grain of our culture's thinking. We often speak of what potential we have as humans, or about all that we can achieve if we just get more educated, or do A, B and C.
4) It is God alone who must take - and has taken - the initiative to put people "in the right" with Himself to save them from His wrath (1:16-17). He achieved this by pouring His wrath onto God the Son, Jesus Christ - who went willingly to the cross to pay the penalty for our rebellion (3:21-26).
5) Faith in Jesus and His work does not result merely in God's forgiveness of the wicked, but also in His declaration that they are completely just in His sight (3:21-4:25), because Christ's perfect righteousness has been credited to them (5:18-19).
6) True faith in Christ means that the believer has placed no confidence in his own works, either to gain favour with God or maintain it (4:1-25).
7) The certainty of Christians that they will soon dwell with Christ, and reflect His glory, in the new heavens and earth is infinitely more than worth the suffering, sin-killing, and perseverance that God requires of them to get there - and the Holy Spirit, through the power he gives, ensures that they will get there (5:1-11; 8:1-39).
8) Just because Christians are free from the bondage of sin does not mean they are free from its presence; indeed, they must constantly resist it because they are never far from being mastered by it again (6:1-23; 13:11-14).
9) Just because Christians are free from the Law does not mean they are free to do what they want, because they now belong to another - Jesus Christ (7:1-25).
10) God's promises to, and purposes for, the true Israel will not be broken - even if the present time may seem to suggest otherwise (9-11).
11) Christian love is borne of a reflection on God's mercy, and this leads to an intention to transform one's thinking, a desire to use one's God-given gifts, an inclination to respect and obey authority, and a preparation to do good even to enemies (12:1-13:10).
12) In the realm of disputable matters, Christians must view the "building up of each other" as more important than their own rights and opinions (14:1-15:13).
13) The communication of Christian truth must be enveloped in the kind of genuine caring and affection that shares of oneself, and imparts encouraging words (1:1-15; 15:14-16:27).
12/9/06
12/2/06
Romans 16
1I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. 2I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me. 3Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. 4They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. 5Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. 6Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you. 7Greet Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was. 8Greet Ampliatus, whom I love in the Lord. 9Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. 10Greet Apelles, tested and approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. 11Greet Herodion, my relative. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. 12Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord. 13Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too. 14Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brothers with them. 15Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the saints with them. 16Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.
1. As we hear Paul describing the people whom he wants the Roman church to greet on his behalf, we get some brief but revealing descriptions of what God wants the church to be (vv. 1-16, 21-23).
-Phoebe and Mary are models of helping others (vv. 1-2, 6; Ac 20:35; Heb 6:10)
-Priscilla and Acquila are willing to lay down their lives for their fellow Christians (Php 2:25-30; 1 Jn 3:16-19)
-Tryphena, Tryphosa, and Persis are very diligent in their work for God (v. 12; Rom 12:11; 1 Co 15:58; Gal 6:9-10; Heb 6:10-12)
-Apelles persevered through testing (Jas 1:2-4, 12; 1 Pe 1: 6-7)
-Rufus' mother treated fellow Christians as if they were her own family members (1 Th 2:6b-12)
2. Christians are not to have fellowship with those who claim to be of the faith but teach doctrines that contradict the gospel (vv. 17-19).
- there is a defined body of doctrine that Christians are to believe and practice (2 Tim 1:13-14; Acts 20:27, Jude 3)
- "Christian doctrine teaches us about God, His purposes and will for our lives, what we are like spiritually apart from God's grace, how God's grace changes us -- in short, everything we need to know in order to pursue true spirituality (Rom. 6:17-18; 1 Tim. 1:5, 10; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). Doctrine provides external, objective controls for our inward, subjective experiences so that we may discern genuine spirituality from fraudulent, artificial, or even demonic spirituality (Col. 2:22-23; 1 John 4:1-3)" - Robert Bowman, A Biblical Guide to Orthodoxy and Heresy (well worth reading - Part 1 and Part 2)
-"Keep away from them" (v. 17) - does this mean we are not to talk to, nor to have anything to do with, such people? Answers John Piper: "Avoiding someone does not mean: Stop caring about him, or stop praying for him, or even stop talking to them. When Peter acted contrary to the gospel in Galatians 2, Paul did not first avoid him. He first confronted him with a view to winning him back. That kind of contact is not forbidden. What Paul commands with the words avoid them, is not no contact at all, but the kind of contact that communicates life can go on as usual between us. It can’t. If you, as a professing Christian, persist in departing from the doctrine the apostles taught, we can’t simply hang out together like we used to." - taken from this sermon on November 5, 2006
17I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. 19Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
21Timothy, my fellow worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my relatives.
22I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings. Erastus, who is the city's director of public works, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings.
25Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him— 27to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
Main Points1. As we hear Paul describing the people whom he wants the Roman church to greet on his behalf, we get some brief but revealing descriptions of what God wants the church to be (vv. 1-16, 21-23).
-Phoebe and Mary are models of helping others (vv. 1-2, 6; Ac 20:35; Heb 6:10)
-Priscilla and Acquila are willing to lay down their lives for their fellow Christians (Php 2:25-30; 1 Jn 3:16-19)
-Tryphena, Tryphosa, and Persis are very diligent in their work for God (v. 12; Rom 12:11; 1 Co 15:58; Gal 6:9-10; Heb 6:10-12)
-Apelles persevered through testing (Jas 1:2-4, 12; 1 Pe 1: 6-7)
-Rufus' mother treated fellow Christians as if they were her own family members (1 Th 2:6b-12)
2. Christians are not to have fellowship with those who claim to be of the faith but teach doctrines that contradict the gospel (vv. 17-19).
- there is a defined body of doctrine that Christians are to believe and practice (2 Tim 1:13-14; Acts 20:27, Jude 3)
- "Christian doctrine teaches us about God, His purposes and will for our lives, what we are like spiritually apart from God's grace, how God's grace changes us -- in short, everything we need to know in order to pursue true spirituality (Rom. 6:17-18; 1 Tim. 1:5, 10; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). Doctrine provides external, objective controls for our inward, subjective experiences so that we may discern genuine spirituality from fraudulent, artificial, or even demonic spirituality (Col. 2:22-23; 1 John 4:1-3)" - Robert Bowman, A Biblical Guide to Orthodoxy and Heresy (well worth reading - Part 1 and Part 2)
-"Keep away from them" (v. 17) - does this mean we are not to talk to, nor to have anything to do with, such people? Answers John Piper: "Avoiding someone does not mean: Stop caring about him, or stop praying for him, or even stop talking to them. When Peter acted contrary to the gospel in Galatians 2, Paul did not first avoid him. He first confronted him with a view to winning him back. That kind of contact is not forbidden. What Paul commands with the words avoid them, is not no contact at all, but the kind of contact that communicates life can go on as usual between us. It can’t. If you, as a professing Christian, persist in departing from the doctrine the apostles taught, we can’t simply hang out together like we used to." - taken from this sermon on November 5, 2006
3. Christians can take heart that Satan will soon be destroyed (v. 20).
-how often do we give thought to Satan?
-Satan is the enemy of God and the church - he who controls the world in its thinking (2 Co 4:4) and masquerades as an angel of light (2 Co 11:14) seeks to destroy the faith of Christians by lying to them (Jn 8:44) and accusing them (Rev 12:10).
-verse 20 is a fulfillment of Genesis 3:15 - which is really the first promise of the gospel.
4. The same God who has brought us from death to life, through the revelation of His word and the proclamation of His Son, will not fail to strengthen us to the end. For this reason (and many others), we must give him all praise and glory (vv. 25-27).
As a fitting conclusion to the study of Paul's letter of Romans, may we meditate once again on Rom 11: 33-36.
11/25/06
Romans 15:14-33
14I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. 15I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me 16to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
Main Points
1. God alone is to be glorified whenever people come to faith, and then to maturity in their faith. Such mighty works are only possible by his grace and power (vv. 14-22).
- "full of goodness" (v. 14) - should not be understood to mean that the Roman Christians were inherently good, and worthy of God's favour - that would contradict Paul's clear teaching about all of humanity's estrangement from God because of its sin (Rom 1:18-3:20). Rather, Paul is referring to the mature Christian character that the Holy Spirit has worked into the Roman church, ever since they came to faith. In the book of Acts, Luke the doctor describes Barnabas in a similar way (Acts 11:22-24).
- The end-view of God's grace is our sacrificial service to Him (v. 16, Rom 12:1); we are not to receive his grace and remain unchanged (1 Co 15:10)!
- Paul provides a good model for everyone involved in Christian ministry by how he speaks of his own work: he neither brags about himself, nor does he malign his efforts. Rather, he speaks only of "what Christ has accomplished through me" (v. 19).
- Paul's "ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known" is a reminder for the church - in its planning, strategizing and sending of missionaries - to give priority to "frontier missions", for it only once the gospel has been preached to all nations that Christ will return (Mt 24:14; Mk 13:10).
2. As Paul reveals his plan to visit Rome (to set up a support-base for his mission to Spain), we see how dependent he is on the church for fellowship, support, and prayer. Therefore, the work of missions is truly the work of the church - not just missionaries (vv. 23-33).
- Note how Paul eagerly anticipates seeing them, and taking pleasure in their company (vv. 23-25). This should our attitude towards one another as Christians (Ps 16:3; Ps 133; 1 Th 2:8; 3 Jn 13-14)
- Note how Paul admits how much he needs them and their support (v. 24). Presumably this includes monetary and material support, since he acknowledges - just a few verses later - how some Gentile churches are helping Jewish Christians in these specific ways (vv. 26-27). Likewise, we need to provide material support to fellow Christians in need (Rom 12:13; Mt 25:31-46; Jas 2:14-17; 1 Jn 3:16-20), as well as encouragement to them (Eph 4:29).
- Finally, note how Paul needs their prayers. He knows that prayer is the means by which God moves to spread the good news of the gospel (Col 4:2-4) and delivers His messengers from peril (2 Co 1:8-11; Php 1:15-20). The church must take this to heart, and so offer up petitions to God for today's Christian missionaries around the world.
17Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. 18I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— 19by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. 20It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. 21Rather, as it is written:
"Those who were not told about him will see,
and those who have not heard will understand."
22This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.
30I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. 31Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there, 32so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed. 33The God of peace be with you all. Amen. (NIV)
Main Points
1. God alone is to be glorified whenever people come to faith, and then to maturity in their faith. Such mighty works are only possible by his grace and power (vv. 14-22).
- "full of goodness" (v. 14) - should not be understood to mean that the Roman Christians were inherently good, and worthy of God's favour - that would contradict Paul's clear teaching about all of humanity's estrangement from God because of its sin (Rom 1:18-3:20). Rather, Paul is referring to the mature Christian character that the Holy Spirit has worked into the Roman church, ever since they came to faith. In the book of Acts, Luke the doctor describes Barnabas in a similar way (Acts 11:22-24).
- The end-view of God's grace is our sacrificial service to Him (v. 16, Rom 12:1); we are not to receive his grace and remain unchanged (1 Co 15:10)!
- Paul provides a good model for everyone involved in Christian ministry by how he speaks of his own work: he neither brags about himself, nor does he malign his efforts. Rather, he speaks only of "what Christ has accomplished through me" (v. 19).
- Paul's "ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known" is a reminder for the church - in its planning, strategizing and sending of missionaries - to give priority to "frontier missions", for it only once the gospel has been preached to all nations that Christ will return (Mt 24:14; Mk 13:10).
2. As Paul reveals his plan to visit Rome (to set up a support-base for his mission to Spain), we see how dependent he is on the church for fellowship, support, and prayer. Therefore, the work of missions is truly the work of the church - not just missionaries (vv. 23-33).
- Note how Paul eagerly anticipates seeing them, and taking pleasure in their company (vv. 23-25). This should our attitude towards one another as Christians (Ps 16:3; Ps 133; 1 Th 2:8; 3 Jn 13-14)
- Note how Paul admits how much he needs them and their support (v. 24). Presumably this includes monetary and material support, since he acknowledges - just a few verses later - how some Gentile churches are helping Jewish Christians in these specific ways (vv. 26-27). Likewise, we need to provide material support to fellow Christians in need (Rom 12:13; Mt 25:31-46; Jas 2:14-17; 1 Jn 3:16-20), as well as encouragement to them (Eph 4:29).
- Finally, note how Paul needs their prayers. He knows that prayer is the means by which God moves to spread the good news of the gospel (Col 4:2-4) and delivers His messengers from peril (2 Co 1:8-11; Php 1:15-20). The church must take this to heart, and so offer up petitions to God for today's Christian missionaries around the world.
11/18/06
Romans 15:1-13
1We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." 4For 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.
Main Points
1. Those Christians who are "stronger" (i.e. more confident of what their faith allows them to do) must not only limit their freedom for the sake of their "weaker" brothers and sisters, but also seek - in every way possible - to build them up in their faith (vv. 1-4).
- Jesus Christ is cited as an example to be followed here (Ps 69:9)- though He is the King of the universe, He was willing to pay our penalty to secure our salvation; how can we, then, fail to sacrifice a bit of our freedom for others?
A question arises: What relationship does "hope" (v. 4) have with the "building-up" of fellow Christians (vv. 1-2)? In Paul's mind there's an obvious connection between the two. What is it?
a) Even though our hope of future glory is secure (Rom 8:18-39), there is a sense in which we are called to strengthen this hope, and make it "sure", by growing in maturity and holiness (Heb 12:14; 1 Jn 3:3; 2 Pet 1:3-11)
b) One such way to grow in holiness, in order to make one's hope "sure", is to maintain a consistent, diligent pattern of helping God's people (Heb 6:10-11). So Paul may be implying that if Christians want to have the full assurance of hope in their future glory, they must build each other up.
c) Also, God desires a "spirit of unity" among His people so that they will worship Him with "one heart and mouth" (v. 5) for all eternity. What better way is there to work towards this than to seek the good of fellow Christians?
2. A reminder is given, for the last time, that "strong" Christians and "weak" Christians accept each other (v. 7).
- this is what truly brings praise to God (v. 7), whereas contempt of others dishonours Him (1 Jn 4:20; Jas 3:9-10).
3. In particular, Jew and Gentile believers need to accept each other because God's plan of salvation has always included both groups (vv. 7-12; see also 2 Sam 22:50; Ps 18:49; Deut. 32:43; Ps 117:1; Isa 11:10; Isa 52:15).
4. God will accomplish His purpose of building unity, joy and peace in His church (vv. 5, 13; see also Php 1:4-6; 1 Thes 5:23-25; Heb 13: 20-21)
5May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs 9so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written:
"Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;
I will sing hymns to your name." 10Again, it says,
"Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people." 11And again,
"Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and sing praises to him, all you peoples." 12And again, Isaiah says,
"The Root of Jesse will spring up,
one who will arise to rule over the nations;
the Gentiles will hope in him."
13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (NIV)
Main Points
1. Those Christians who are "stronger" (i.e. more confident of what their faith allows them to do) must not only limit their freedom for the sake of their "weaker" brothers and sisters, but also seek - in every way possible - to build them up in their faith (vv. 1-4).
- Jesus Christ is cited as an example to be followed here (Ps 69:9)- though He is the King of the universe, He was willing to pay our penalty to secure our salvation; how can we, then, fail to sacrifice a bit of our freedom for others?
A question arises: What relationship does "hope" (v. 4) have with the "building-up" of fellow Christians (vv. 1-2)? In Paul's mind there's an obvious connection between the two. What is it?
a) Even though our hope of future glory is secure (Rom 8:18-39), there is a sense in which we are called to strengthen this hope, and make it "sure", by growing in maturity and holiness (Heb 12:14; 1 Jn 3:3; 2 Pet 1:3-11)
b) One such way to grow in holiness, in order to make one's hope "sure", is to maintain a consistent, diligent pattern of helping God's people (Heb 6:10-11). So Paul may be implying that if Christians want to have the full assurance of hope in their future glory, they must build each other up.
c) Also, God desires a "spirit of unity" among His people so that they will worship Him with "one heart and mouth" (v. 5) for all eternity. What better way is there to work towards this than to seek the good of fellow Christians?
2. A reminder is given, for the last time, that "strong" Christians and "weak" Christians accept each other (v. 7).
- this is what truly brings praise to God (v. 7), whereas contempt of others dishonours Him (1 Jn 4:20; Jas 3:9-10).
3. In particular, Jew and Gentile believers need to accept each other because God's plan of salvation has always included both groups (vv. 7-12; see also 2 Sam 22:50; Ps 18:49; Deut. 32:43; Ps 117:1; Isa 11:10; Isa 52:15).
4. God will accomplish His purpose of building unity, joy and peace in His church (vv. 5, 13; see also Php 1:4-6; 1 Thes 5:23-25; Heb 13: 20-21)
11/12/06
Romans 14:13-21
13Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. 14As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. 15If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. 16Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. 17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
19Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
22So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. (NIV)
Main Points
1. Those Christians who have strong convictions about what their faith allows them to do should still - out of love - limit their freedom, lest they encourage "weaker" Christians to fall away from Christ. (vv. 13-16)
- Good parallel passage: 1 Cor 8:9-13
- worthy to note that in vv. 15 and 20, "destroy" means "destroy"! This has lead to three "schools of thought" concerning what is suggested by the "destruction of the weak by the strong":
a) Christians can lose their salvation
b) "Weaker brothers (and sisters)" were never Christians to begin with
c) This is a warning passage that God uses as a means to keep Christians on the right path, by stimulating them to help each other grow
I hold to c) - it is consistent with many other warnings that are given to Christians against falling away, as a means of divine grace that enables them to persevere, and so keeps them from falling away (Jer 32:40; Rom 11:19-22; Col 1:22-23; Heb 6:4-9; 10:26-31)
2. Christians with strong convictions should consider that righteousness, peace and joy among God's people are far greater virtues than their own freedom is. (vv. 17-18)
-"righteousness" here likely means holiness, the moral righteousness of character that all Christians are instructed to grow in (Mt 5:6, 10; Phil 1:9-12; 1 Ti 6:11; 2 Ti 2:22; 3:16)
-"peace" refers to harmony and unity among Christians - this is God's will for His people (Jn 13:35; 17:20-23; Eph 4:1-16)
3. Christians with strong convictions must therefore do all that they can to bring about these virtues, by a) keeping their convictions to themselves; and b) refusing to exercise their freedom in the presence of "weaker" Christians. To do otherwise is possibly to bring about the downfall of others. (vv. 19-23)
Discussion Question: How many examples of modern disputable matters can you think of, over which Christians disagree - issues that weaker Christians must take care not to condemn stronger Christians over, and issues that stronger Christians must take care to limit the practice of for the sake of love?
19Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
22So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. (NIV)
Main Points
1. Those Christians who have strong convictions about what their faith allows them to do should still - out of love - limit their freedom, lest they encourage "weaker" Christians to fall away from Christ. (vv. 13-16)
- Good parallel passage: 1 Cor 8:9-13
- worthy to note that in vv. 15 and 20, "destroy" means "destroy"! This has lead to three "schools of thought" concerning what is suggested by the "destruction of the weak by the strong":
a) Christians can lose their salvation
b) "Weaker brothers (and sisters)" were never Christians to begin with
c) This is a warning passage that God uses as a means to keep Christians on the right path, by stimulating them to help each other grow
I hold to c) - it is consistent with many other warnings that are given to Christians against falling away, as a means of divine grace that enables them to persevere, and so keeps them from falling away (Jer 32:40; Rom 11:19-22; Col 1:22-23; Heb 6:4-9; 10:26-31)
2. Christians with strong convictions should consider that righteousness, peace and joy among God's people are far greater virtues than their own freedom is. (vv. 17-18)
-"righteousness" here likely means holiness, the moral righteousness of character that all Christians are instructed to grow in (Mt 5:6, 10; Phil 1:9-12; 1 Ti 6:11; 2 Ti 2:22; 3:16)
-"peace" refers to harmony and unity among Christians - this is God's will for His people (Jn 13:35; 17:20-23; Eph 4:1-16)
3. Christians with strong convictions must therefore do all that they can to bring about these virtues, by a) keeping their convictions to themselves; and b) refusing to exercise their freedom in the presence of "weaker" Christians. To do otherwise is possibly to bring about the downfall of others. (vv. 19-23)
Discussion Question: How many examples of modern disputable matters can you think of, over which Christians disagree - issues that weaker Christians must take care not to condemn stronger Christians over, and issues that stronger Christians must take care to limit the practice of for the sake of love?
11/4/06
Romans 14:1-12
1Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11It is written:
" 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.' "
12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. (NIV)
Main Points
1. While Christians may have differing convictions over disputable matters, these differences are never grounds for contempt and condemnation of each other (vv. 1-3).
- The specific situation addressed by Paul: it likely involved the decisions of many Jews to abstain from meat and wine, and observe holy days, in order to preserve their identity in a pagan world. They may have been influenced by Daniel's decision to "not...defile himself with the royal food and wine" of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 1:8) However, as a result, they were condemning the Gentile majority of the Roman church for refusing to go along with this. For their part, the Gentile believers were quite contemptuous of their Jewish brothers.
-"faith" - in Rom 14 it does not mean belief so much as "one's convictions about what that faith allows him or her to do" (Moo, NIV Application Commentary: Romans, p. 448)
-"judge" does not mean avoiding any judgment at all (compare Jesus' words in Mt 7:1 - which are parallel to this Rom. 14 passage - with what Jesus later says in Mt 7:6.)
- however, as v. 3 makes clear, the judgments Paul refers to are contempt and condemnation.
-we are left with a question: How can we reject someone whom God has accepted?
2. Believers ultimately answer to the LORD alone, because only He has the right to judge them (vv. 4-12).
- important to note: "we cannot extend the tolerance Paul demands here to all issues....he takes a different approach to people who are violating a clear teaching of the gospel" (Moo, p. 453). See Gal 1:6-10 and Rom 16:17. Also, disobeying the clear commands of Scripture should not be tolerated (1 Jn 2:4; 1 Co 5:1,2).
Discussion Question: What are some other "disputable matters" among Christians in our present age?
5One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11It is written:
" 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.' "
12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. (NIV)
Main Points
1. While Christians may have differing convictions over disputable matters, these differences are never grounds for contempt and condemnation of each other (vv. 1-3).
- The specific situation addressed by Paul: it likely involved the decisions of many Jews to abstain from meat and wine, and observe holy days, in order to preserve their identity in a pagan world. They may have been influenced by Daniel's decision to "not...defile himself with the royal food and wine" of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 1:8) However, as a result, they were condemning the Gentile majority of the Roman church for refusing to go along with this. For their part, the Gentile believers were quite contemptuous of their Jewish brothers.
-"faith" - in Rom 14 it does not mean belief so much as "one's convictions about what that faith allows him or her to do" (Moo, NIV Application Commentary: Romans, p. 448)
-"judge" does not mean avoiding any judgment at all (compare Jesus' words in Mt 7:1 - which are parallel to this Rom. 14 passage - with what Jesus later says in Mt 7:6.)
- however, as v. 3 makes clear, the judgments Paul refers to are contempt and condemnation.
-we are left with a question: How can we reject someone whom God has accepted?
2. Believers ultimately answer to the LORD alone, because only He has the right to judge them (vv. 4-12).
- important to note: "we cannot extend the tolerance Paul demands here to all issues....he takes a different approach to people who are violating a clear teaching of the gospel" (Moo, p. 453). See Gal 1:6-10 and Rom 16:17. Also, disobeying the clear commands of Scripture should not be tolerated (1 Jn 2:4; 1 Co 5:1,2).
Discussion Question: What are some other "disputable matters" among Christians in our present age?
11/3/06
Romans 13:11-14
10Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.(NIV)
Main Points
1. Christians are to "know their age" (vv. 11-12a).
What marks it?
- that the kingdom (i.e. "reign") of God, having arrived in Jesus Christ by His first coming (Mk 1:15; Lk 17:20-21), is growing and expanding through the proclamation of the gospel (Acts 1:8; Col 1:3-8)
- that sin, death, the world, and Satan himself have been dealt a death-blow by Jesus' death and resurrection; they are on their way out ("night is...over; day is...here" - Lk 10:17-20; 1 Co 15:24-26; Heb 2:14-15; 1 Jn 2:17; 1 Jn 3:8)
- Nevertheless, sin, disease, a decaying earth, and death are still with us - and Satan is called the "god of this world" (Lk 4:5-7; 2 Co 4:3-4) and a "roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pe 5:8)
2. Then, Christians are to live accordingly (vv. 12b-14).
- this is a call to "put off" sin and "put on" righteousness - a call that has already been made by Paul in Romans 6 (vv. 12-14) and Romans 8 (vv. 12-13) is made again here.
- "armour of light" - until the Lord returns, we are not to think that this life is anything less than a real spiritual war against the world, the devil, and our heart's corruption (1 Th 5:1-11; Eph 6:10-20)
- What are fighting for? Holiness, which is purity of heart and mind (Eph 1:3-5; 1 Pet 1:14-16)
- Why? "Without holiness no one will see the Lord." (Heb 12:14; Mt 5:8; Eph 5:25-27; 1 Jn 3:1-3
- note carefully: the sins listed in verse 13 demolish the idea that there is any "license" in the Christian life to do what we want with our bodies
- and yet, the list doesn't stop just with the "outward" sins (ponder "dissension and jealousy"! See also Gal 5:19-21; Eph 4:29; Col 3:5; Mk 7:20-23)
APPLICATION
- the fact of Christ's return and our future salvation should be a cause for great celebration and great hope, yet also for great seriousness and humility. Time is running out for us to meet the King in all of His majesty!
11And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.(NIV)
Main Points
1. Christians are to "know their age" (vv. 11-12a).
What marks it?
- that the kingdom (i.e. "reign") of God, having arrived in Jesus Christ by His first coming (Mk 1:15; Lk 17:20-21), is growing and expanding through the proclamation of the gospel (Acts 1:8; Col 1:3-8)
- that sin, death, the world, and Satan himself have been dealt a death-blow by Jesus' death and resurrection; they are on their way out ("night is...over; day is...here" - Lk 10:17-20; 1 Co 15:24-26; Heb 2:14-15; 1 Jn 2:17; 1 Jn 3:8)
- Nevertheless, sin, disease, a decaying earth, and death are still with us - and Satan is called the "god of this world" (Lk 4:5-7; 2 Co 4:3-4) and a "roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pe 5:8)
2. Then, Christians are to live accordingly (vv. 12b-14).
- this is a call to "put off" sin and "put on" righteousness - a call that has already been made by Paul in Romans 6 (vv. 12-14) and Romans 8 (vv. 12-13) is made again here.
- "armour of light" - until the Lord returns, we are not to think that this life is anything less than a real spiritual war against the world, the devil, and our heart's corruption (1 Th 5:1-11; Eph 6:10-20)
- What are fighting for? Holiness, which is purity of heart and mind (Eph 1:3-5; 1 Pet 1:14-16)
- Why? "Without holiness no one will see the Lord." (Heb 12:14; Mt 5:8; Eph 5:25-27; 1 Jn 3:1-3
- note carefully: the sins listed in verse 13 demolish the idea that there is any "license" in the Christian life to do what we want with our bodies
- and yet, the list doesn't stop just with the "outward" sins (ponder "dissension and jealousy"! See also Gal 5:19-21; Eph 4:29; Col 3:5; Mk 7:20-23)
APPLICATION
- the fact of Christ's return and our future salvation should be a cause for great celebration and great hope, yet also for great seriousness and humility. Time is running out for us to meet the King in all of His majesty!
10/22/06
Romans 13:8-10
8Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 10Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (NIV)
Main Points
1) Christians must not hesitate to pay off debts (v.8).
2) Nevertheless, there is one thing that Christians can never "pay off" and then be done with, and that is the payment of love (v.8).
3) The "second tablet" of the Law (Exo 20:12-17; Deut 5:16-21) can be summarized as "love your neighbour as yourself" (v.9).
-"Love...as yourself" is a summary, not a reduction.
-Some use this passage to claim that Christians should have nothing more to do with the Law whatsoever. They also use passages like Gal 3:23-25; 5:18; and 5:22-23 to state their position. But these passages do not teach that we are finished with the Law; rather, they reinforce that because we are in Christ, the Law no longer has any power to condemn us. In this sense, we are free from the Law.
-Still, we hear from no less than the Lord Jesus Christ that He did not come to abolish the commands of the Law but fulfill them - and He then says that those who practice them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Mt 5:17-20).
-So while the Christian's endeavour to obey the Law is motivated by love (13:9-10) and empowered by the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:3-4), we can also say that love must be guided by the Law (Jn 14:21; 1 Jn 5:2-5).
4) Love to our neighbour fulfills the Law (v. 8,10).
-"Neighbour" - suggests someone in our proximity, but it's worth noting, too, that it literally means "other of a different kind" (Hughes, Preaching the Word: Romans, 1991, p. 252) - what story does this bring to our mind? (Lk 10:25-37)
-Question: Does Paul overlook the First part of the Law (Ex 20:1-11; Dt 5:1-15) or the First Great Commandment of Jesus (Mt 22:35-37) when he says what he says in verse 10? In other words, is he suggesting that loving others is sufficient to fulfill the Law, without love for God?
NO! Implicit in Paul's statement is that love for others is the "practical proof" of one's first love to God (Jas 3:9-12; 1 Jn 4:20-21; 1 Jn 5:2).
Main Points
1) Christians must not hesitate to pay off debts (v.8).
2) Nevertheless, there is one thing that Christians can never "pay off" and then be done with, and that is the payment of love (v.8).
3) The "second tablet" of the Law (Exo 20:12-17; Deut 5:16-21) can be summarized as "love your neighbour as yourself" (v.9).
-"Love...as yourself" is a summary, not a reduction.
-Some use this passage to claim that Christians should have nothing more to do with the Law whatsoever. They also use passages like Gal 3:23-25; 5:18; and 5:22-23 to state their position. But these passages do not teach that we are finished with the Law; rather, they reinforce that because we are in Christ, the Law no longer has any power to condemn us. In this sense, we are free from the Law.
-Still, we hear from no less than the Lord Jesus Christ that He did not come to abolish the commands of the Law but fulfill them - and He then says that those who practice them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Mt 5:17-20).
-So while the Christian's endeavour to obey the Law is motivated by love (13:9-10) and empowered by the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:3-4), we can also say that love must be guided by the Law (Jn 14:21; 1 Jn 5:2-5).
4) Love to our neighbour fulfills the Law (v. 8,10).
-"Neighbour" - suggests someone in our proximity, but it's worth noting, too, that it literally means "other of a different kind" (Hughes, Preaching the Word: Romans, 1991, p. 252) - what story does this bring to our mind? (Lk 10:25-37)
-Question: Does Paul overlook the First part of the Law (Ex 20:1-11; Dt 5:1-15) or the First Great Commandment of Jesus (Mt 22:35-37) when he says what he says in verse 10? In other words, is he suggesting that loving others is sufficient to fulfill the Law, without love for God?
NO! Implicit in Paul's statement is that love for others is the "practical proof" of one's first love to God (Jas 3:9-12; 1 Jn 4:20-21; 1 Jn 5:2).
10/14/06
Romans 13:1-7
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.(NIV)
Main points
1. Christians show their submission to God by submitting to all governments in their land (v.1a).
- "every authority" is included in the realm of government (1 Pet 2:13-14)
- submission - a disposition to place oneself under the leadership of another; does not connote inferiority or less worth, when applied to other humans.
- in Paul's time, certain forces at work may have encouraged Roman Christians to oppose the government; hence the need for this instruction.
- also, the radical call given by Paul to think and live against the grain of the world (Rom 12:1-2) may have prompted some to go too far and oppose governments altogether.
- a particularly hard instruction for those like us who live in an anti-authoritarian culture.
2. Christians must submit to governments because God has appointed them (vv. 1b, 2).
- to rebel against the government is to rebel against the God who put it there.
- they are God's servants to do us good even though not one of them may acknowledge God. God is sovereign over all earthly powers (Ps 103:19; Dan 2:20-21).
3. Generally speaking, the failure to abide by laws created by the government will result in punishment by the government - with God's approval (vv. 3-4).
4. It is not just the fear of punishment that should prompt Christians to submit to the government, but a conscience informed by God's commands (v.5).
- the word translated "conscience" here has a broader meaning than the typical meaning - it refers to "consciousness of God and His will for us" (Moo, NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 2000).
5. Submission to governmental authorities involves giving them what is due them (v.6).
-Taxes (so there is no place for any tax evasion)
-Respect (so there is no place for slander of any kind)
-Honor (not just with our lips but with our prayers - 1 Ti 2:1-4)
But Are There Not Exceptions to the Church's Submission to Governments?
Yes, there are. Christians cannot obey the government in specific instances where:
1) they are ordered to do what God forbids, or warned not to do what God has commanded - Acts 4:18-20; Acts 5:27-32 ("we must obey God rather than men!")
2) they are ordered to go against their conscience, even in matters where there is no solid Christian consensus - Rom 14:22-23
Other Qualifications
a) Just because we are to submit to government doesn't mean that we should be oblivious to government corruption, nor does it mean that we can't seek to do what we can as citizens to bring about change. For those of us in the Western world, this is our privilege as citizens of democratic societies. (However, let us be thankful, because most people in history have not had this privilege - including those in Paul's time.)
b) Regarding the matter of "bearing the sword" - many theologians have stated that this gives governments the right to put criminals to death. While it endorses criminal punishment, it's uncertain whether or not this includes death. (On the other hand, some would argue for the death penalty solely on the basis of Gen 9:5-6.)
c) While living with government evils, Christians must take heart that no government lasts forever. God will bring down every government at His appointed time (Dan 2:20-21). They can also be assured that the new heavens and earth will be governed perfectly by a Perfect King (2 Pe 3:10-13; Rev 21:1-8).
Questions to ask Ourselves
1. Do we pray for our governments?
2. Do we speak well of our governments wherever possible?
3. When governments fall into corruption, are we contemptuously proud or are we saddened?
Main points
1. Christians show their submission to God by submitting to all governments in their land (v.1a).
- "every authority" is included in the realm of government (1 Pet 2:13-14)
- submission - a disposition to place oneself under the leadership of another; does not connote inferiority or less worth, when applied to other humans.
- in Paul's time, certain forces at work may have encouraged Roman Christians to oppose the government; hence the need for this instruction.
- also, the radical call given by Paul to think and live against the grain of the world (Rom 12:1-2) may have prompted some to go too far and oppose governments altogether.
- a particularly hard instruction for those like us who live in an anti-authoritarian culture.
2. Christians must submit to governments because God has appointed them (vv. 1b, 2).
- to rebel against the government is to rebel against the God who put it there.
- they are God's servants to do us good even though not one of them may acknowledge God. God is sovereign over all earthly powers (Ps 103:19; Dan 2:20-21).
3. Generally speaking, the failure to abide by laws created by the government will result in punishment by the government - with God's approval (vv. 3-4).
4. It is not just the fear of punishment that should prompt Christians to submit to the government, but a conscience informed by God's commands (v.5).
- the word translated "conscience" here has a broader meaning than the typical meaning - it refers to "consciousness of God and His will for us" (Moo, NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 2000).
5. Submission to governmental authorities involves giving them what is due them (v.6).
-Taxes (so there is no place for any tax evasion)
-Respect (so there is no place for slander of any kind)
-Honor (not just with our lips but with our prayers - 1 Ti 2:1-4)
But Are There Not Exceptions to the Church's Submission to Governments?
Yes, there are. Christians cannot obey the government in specific instances where:
1) they are ordered to do what God forbids, or warned not to do what God has commanded - Acts 4:18-20; Acts 5:27-32 ("we must obey God rather than men!")
2) they are ordered to go against their conscience, even in matters where there is no solid Christian consensus - Rom 14:22-23
Other Qualifications
a) Just because we are to submit to government doesn't mean that we should be oblivious to government corruption, nor does it mean that we can't seek to do what we can as citizens to bring about change. For those of us in the Western world, this is our privilege as citizens of democratic societies. (However, let us be thankful, because most people in history have not had this privilege - including those in Paul's time.)
b) Regarding the matter of "bearing the sword" - many theologians have stated that this gives governments the right to put criminals to death. While it endorses criminal punishment, it's uncertain whether or not this includes death. (On the other hand, some would argue for the death penalty solely on the basis of Gen 9:5-6.)
c) While living with government evils, Christians must take heart that no government lasts forever. God will bring down every government at His appointed time (Dan 2:20-21). They can also be assured that the new heavens and earth will be governed perfectly by a Perfect King (2 Pe 3:10-13; Rev 21:1-8).
Questions to ask Ourselves
1. Do we pray for our governments?
2. Do we speak well of our governments wherever possible?
3. When governments fall into corruption, are we contemptuously proud or are we saddened?
10/7/06
Romans 12:9-21
9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Main Points: The Marks of Sincere, Non-Phony, Non-Playacting, Non-Hypocritical Love (v. 9a and following)
1) It's undergirded by strong moral conviction, rooted in God's Word; not relativistic tolerance (v. 9b; Isa 5:20)
2) It demonstrates a familial affection for fellow Christians (v. 10a;
1 Th 2:7,11-12; 1 Ti 5:1-2)
3) It puts others before ourselves (v. 10b; Php 2:3-4)
4) It is zealous in its service to God and others, not half-hearted (v.11; 1 Co 15:58; Gal 6:9-10; Heb 6:10-12; 1 Pe 5:1-4)
5) It "stays the course" in fighting the mindset of the world, by:
a) rejoicing in the hope of future glory that is certain and secure (v. 12a; Rom 8:18-30; 2 Co 4:13-18; 1 Th 4:13-18; 2 Pe 3:13)
b) exhibiting a perseverance when hard times come (v. 12b; Rom 5:3-5; Jas 1:2-4)
c) having communion with God continually (v. 12c; Mt 26:41; Lk 18:1-8; Col 4:2; 1 Th 5:16-18
6) It pursues opportunities to welcome and take care of Christians whom we haven't met before (v.13; Mt 25:31-40; 1 Jn 3:17-20)
7) It blesses those who ridicule, harass, or do worse (v.14).
-How does it do this? By praying for them (Mt 5:44-45) and doing good to them (Lk 6:27-28)
8) It makes the grief of others one's own, as well as their gladness (v. 15, 1 Co 12:21-26)
9) It shows genuine affection and interest towards those of a lower status (v. 16; 1 Co 4:7; Jas 2:1-12)
10) It does all it can to be at peace with believers and unbelievers alike, within the realm of obedience to God's commands (vv. 17b, 18; 1 Th 5:15)
11) It doesn't seek revenge; it entrusts all judgment to God (v. 19; 1 Pe 2:19-23).
12) It does good to our enemies, instead of merely tolerating them (v. 20)
Note: "heap burning coals on his head" - could either mean "will lead to God's further judgment" or "will lead them to feel ashamed and possibly even to repent" (in light of passages like 1 Sam 24; Mt 5:15-16; 1 Pe 3:15-16, more likely the latter.)
A word to conclude -
If these exhortations overwhelm us, let us remember these promises of God to us:
Rom 8:32, Php 1:6, Php 4:13, Mt 7:7; Heb 13:20-21
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Main Points: The Marks of Sincere, Non-Phony, Non-Playacting, Non-Hypocritical Love (v. 9a and following)
1) It's undergirded by strong moral conviction, rooted in God's Word; not relativistic tolerance (v. 9b; Isa 5:20)
2) It demonstrates a familial affection for fellow Christians (v. 10a;
1 Th 2:7,11-12; 1 Ti 5:1-2)
3) It puts others before ourselves (v. 10b; Php 2:3-4)
4) It is zealous in its service to God and others, not half-hearted (v.11; 1 Co 15:58; Gal 6:9-10; Heb 6:10-12; 1 Pe 5:1-4)
5) It "stays the course" in fighting the mindset of the world, by:
a) rejoicing in the hope of future glory that is certain and secure (v. 12a; Rom 8:18-30; 2 Co 4:13-18; 1 Th 4:13-18; 2 Pe 3:13)
b) exhibiting a perseverance when hard times come (v. 12b; Rom 5:3-5; Jas 1:2-4)
c) having communion with God continually (v. 12c; Mt 26:41; Lk 18:1-8; Col 4:2; 1 Th 5:16-18
6) It pursues opportunities to welcome and take care of Christians whom we haven't met before (v.13; Mt 25:31-40; 1 Jn 3:17-20)
7) It blesses those who ridicule, harass, or do worse (v.14).
-How does it do this? By praying for them (Mt 5:44-45) and doing good to them (Lk 6:27-28)
8) It makes the grief of others one's own, as well as their gladness (v. 15, 1 Co 12:21-26)
9) It shows genuine affection and interest towards those of a lower status (v. 16; 1 Co 4:7; Jas 2:1-12)
10) It does all it can to be at peace with believers and unbelievers alike, within the realm of obedience to God's commands (vv. 17b, 18; 1 Th 5:15)
11) It doesn't seek revenge; it entrusts all judgment to God (v. 19; 1 Pe 2:19-23).
12) It does good to our enemies, instead of merely tolerating them (v. 20)
Note: "heap burning coals on his head" - could either mean "will lead to God's further judgment" or "will lead them to feel ashamed and possibly even to repent" (in light of passages like 1 Sam 24; Mt 5:15-16; 1 Pe 3:15-16, more likely the latter.)
A word to conclude -
If these exhortations overwhelm us, let us remember these promises of God to us:
Rom 8:32, Php 1:6, Php 4:13, Mt 7:7; Heb 13:20-21
10/1/06
Romans 12:1-8
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Main Points
1) The right response to grace shown by the Holy God is a holy life (v. 1, 2a).
-A set-apart life – we are to be different from the world (v. 2a), because we are not our own (1 Co 6:18-20; Eph 5:3; 2 Co 5:15)
-24/7 worship – whatever we do is to be done for God’s glory alone (1 Co 10:31; Col 3:17; Col 3:23-24)
-from the heart – knowing that God always sees and knows our inner disposition (Jn 4:24; Heb 4:12-13)
2) A holy life begins with a holy mind (v. 2).
- A holy mind is not the world’s mind, which is characterized by lusts of appetite, lusts to possess, and pride of possessing
(1 Jn 2:15-16; James 4:4). Rather, it is learning to be content in all circumstances (Php 4:10-13) because it is satisfied in God (Ps 73:25-26).
- It holds true to what the Scriptures teach of God. Our thoughts about God – and whether or not they reflect who He truly is - matter enormously to Him (Mt 16:13-20; Ps 50:21; Acts 17:24-31).
- It is continually learning the art of discerning good and evil (Heb 5:12-14).
- It brings about truly holy actions (1 Pet 1:17; 1 Pet 4:7).
3) A holy mind begins with a holy humility that not only accepts one’s God-given gifts, but one’s God-given responsibilities also (vv. 3-8).
- To Paul’s question, “What do you have that you did not receive?”
(1 Cor 4:7), true humility answers, “Nothing!”
- Our gifts are not to be neglected, nor are they to be abused for our own self-satisfaction. Rather, they are to serve the church (vv. 6-8).
- To those who have been given much, much more will be asked (Lk 12:48).
- God has scattered His gifts among His people so that all of them may see how much they need each other (1 Cor 12:12-26). In this way God humbles His people, and He gets all the glory.
3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Main Points
1) The right response to grace shown by the Holy God is a holy life (v. 1, 2a).
-A set-apart life – we are to be different from the world (v. 2a), because we are not our own (1 Co 6:18-20; Eph 5:3; 2 Co 5:15)
-24/7 worship – whatever we do is to be done for God’s glory alone (1 Co 10:31; Col 3:17; Col 3:23-24)
-from the heart – knowing that God always sees and knows our inner disposition (Jn 4:24; Heb 4:12-13)
2) A holy life begins with a holy mind (v. 2).
- A holy mind is not the world’s mind, which is characterized by lusts of appetite, lusts to possess, and pride of possessing
(1 Jn 2:15-16; James 4:4). Rather, it is learning to be content in all circumstances (Php 4:10-13) because it is satisfied in God (Ps 73:25-26).
- It holds true to what the Scriptures teach of God. Our thoughts about God – and whether or not they reflect who He truly is - matter enormously to Him (Mt 16:13-20; Ps 50:21; Acts 17:24-31).
- It is continually learning the art of discerning good and evil (Heb 5:12-14).
- It brings about truly holy actions (1 Pet 1:17; 1 Pet 4:7).
3) A holy mind begins with a holy humility that not only accepts one’s God-given gifts, but one’s God-given responsibilities also (vv. 3-8).
- To Paul’s question, “What do you have that you did not receive?”
(1 Cor 4:7), true humility answers, “Nothing!”
- Our gifts are not to be neglected, nor are they to be abused for our own self-satisfaction. Rather, they are to serve the church (vv. 6-8).
- To those who have been given much, much more will be asked (Lk 12:48).
- God has scattered His gifts among His people so that all of them may see how much they need each other (1 Cor 12:12-26). In this way God humbles His people, and He gets all the glory.
9/16/06
Summary of Romans 5-11
1) God's reconciling grace - shown not only by Christ's substituting death, but also His justifying righteousness - ensures a hope of future glory that not even suffering stands in the way of, but rather serves (Rom 5).
2) Because of their union with Christ, Christians are free from the bondage of sin; and yet they are commanded to resist the beckoning call of sin to rule their lives (Rom 6).
3)Because of their union with Christ, Christians are free from the bondage of the Law; and yet they are reminded that they belong completely to another - that is, Christ (Rom 7).
4)The Holy Spirit's presence in Christians' lives assures them that they will fulfill the Law's demands, and ultimately conquer sin and death, because of the inseverable, empowering, and Fatherly love of God towards them (Rom 8).
5)While it may now appear that God's promise to redeem Israel has failed - because Israel has rejected Christ - Christians must remember that not all ethnic Israelites are truly God's people; He is free to choose some and reject others. Also, prior to Christ's return, God will bring a massive number of Israelites to faith in Him. Therefore, God's promise will hold true after all (Rom 9-11).
2) Because of their union with Christ, Christians are free from the bondage of sin; and yet they are commanded to resist the beckoning call of sin to rule their lives (Rom 6).
3)Because of their union with Christ, Christians are free from the bondage of the Law; and yet they are reminded that they belong completely to another - that is, Christ (Rom 7).
4)The Holy Spirit's presence in Christians' lives assures them that they will fulfill the Law's demands, and ultimately conquer sin and death, because of the inseverable, empowering, and Fatherly love of God towards them (Rom 8).
5)While it may now appear that God's promise to redeem Israel has failed - because Israel has rejected Christ - Christians must remember that not all ethnic Israelites are truly God's people; He is free to choose some and reject others. Also, prior to Christ's return, God will bring a massive number of Israelites to faith in Him. Therefore, God's promise will hold true after all (Rom 9-11).
Summary of Romans 1-4
1. Paul’s apostleship involves not only his proclamation of the gospel to unbelievers for bringing them to faith, but also his proclamation of the gospel to believers for bringing them to faith-driven obedience (Rom 1:1-15).
- In the New Testament, being reminded of truth is as important for the Christian as being instructed in it (Romans 15:14-16; 1 Cor 15:1-8; Php 3:1; 2 Tim 2:8-14; 2 Peter 1:3-15)
- While the gospel certainly has the cross-work of Christ at the centre of its message (1 Co 2:2, Gal 6:14), its meaning encompasses all of what God does for His people - and in his people - to prepare them for His kingdom (Mk 1:14-15; Rom 8:30; 1 Co 15; 2 Cor 4:1-18; Eph 2:4-10; Eph 5:25-27; 2 Thes 2:13-14; 2 Ti 1:8-12; Tit 2:11-14; 2 Pet 3:11-13)
2. In the gospel, God takes action to put people “in-the-right” with Himself. Trusting what God has done will result in a right relationship with Him (Rom 1:16-17).
3. The reason for God’s action is that human sin has so severed people’s relationship with God that they are hopeless and helpless to deliver themselves from His wrath (Rom 1:18-3:20).
- Sin is defined as idolatry: worshipping anyone or anything other than the Only One for whom worship is reserved (1:24-25)
- Sin is also defined as breaking the revealed Law of God (2:17-24)
John Piper describes sin very comprehensively by showing how it dishonours God's attributes:
The glory of God is not honored.
The holiness of God is not reverenced.
The greatness of God is not admired.
The power of God is not praised.
The truth of God is not sought.
The wisdom of God is not esteemed.
The beauty of God is not treasured.
The goodness of God is not savored.
The faithfulness of God is not trusted.
The promises of God are not relied upon.
The commandments of God are not obeyed.
The justice of God is not respected.
The wrath of God is not feared.
The grace of God is not cherished.
The presence of God is not prized.
The person of God is not loved.
The above statements are taken from this sermon.
Question 1: Why does God hate sin so much to bring His eternal wrath on those who commit it?
Question 2: Does a gospel proclamation that leaves out God's wrath and man's sin a sound message? Why or why not?
4. Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross satisfied the wrath of God; therefore, God can justify (“declare just”) those sinners who place their trust in this death and the One who suffered it (Rom 3:21-26).
Question 3: What are the two natures of Jesus (Rom 9:5; Heb 1:1-3a; 1 Tim 2:5-6; Hebrews 4:15)? Why does the effectiveness of Christ's cross-work for us depend on the reality of these natures?
5. The faith that puts us “in-the-right” with God involves confidence in God’s promises and no confidence in our works (Rom 3:27- 4:25).
Question 4: What are we suggesting to God if we approach Him with the confidence that He will receive us on the basis of our works?
Question 5: What is a promise of God from Scripture that has strengthened you and kept you on the path of following Christ? How is such a promise "good news" to you?
- In the New Testament, being reminded of truth is as important for the Christian as being instructed in it (Romans 15:14-16; 1 Cor 15:1-8; Php 3:1; 2 Tim 2:8-14; 2 Peter 1:3-15)
- While the gospel certainly has the cross-work of Christ at the centre of its message (1 Co 2:2, Gal 6:14), its meaning encompasses all of what God does for His people - and in his people - to prepare them for His kingdom (Mk 1:14-15; Rom 8:30; 1 Co 15; 2 Cor 4:1-18; Eph 2:4-10; Eph 5:25-27; 2 Thes 2:13-14; 2 Ti 1:8-12; Tit 2:11-14; 2 Pet 3:11-13)
2. In the gospel, God takes action to put people “in-the-right” with Himself. Trusting what God has done will result in a right relationship with Him (Rom 1:16-17).
3. The reason for God’s action is that human sin has so severed people’s relationship with God that they are hopeless and helpless to deliver themselves from His wrath (Rom 1:18-3:20).
- Sin is defined as idolatry: worshipping anyone or anything other than the Only One for whom worship is reserved (1:24-25)
- Sin is also defined as breaking the revealed Law of God (2:17-24)
John Piper describes sin very comprehensively by showing how it dishonours God's attributes:
The glory of God is not honored.
The holiness of God is not reverenced.
The greatness of God is not admired.
The power of God is not praised.
The truth of God is not sought.
The wisdom of God is not esteemed.
The beauty of God is not treasured.
The goodness of God is not savored.
The faithfulness of God is not trusted.
The promises of God are not relied upon.
The commandments of God are not obeyed.
The justice of God is not respected.
The wrath of God is not feared.
The grace of God is not cherished.
The presence of God is not prized.
The person of God is not loved.
The above statements are taken from this sermon.
Question 1: Why does God hate sin so much to bring His eternal wrath on those who commit it?
Question 2: Does a gospel proclamation that leaves out God's wrath and man's sin a sound message? Why or why not?
4. Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross satisfied the wrath of God; therefore, God can justify (“declare just”) those sinners who place their trust in this death and the One who suffered it (Rom 3:21-26).
Question 3: What are the two natures of Jesus (Rom 9:5; Heb 1:1-3a; 1 Tim 2:5-6; Hebrews 4:15)? Why does the effectiveness of Christ's cross-work for us depend on the reality of these natures?
5. The faith that puts us “in-the-right” with God involves confidence in God’s promises and no confidence in our works (Rom 3:27- 4:25).
Question 4: What are we suggesting to God if we approach Him with the confidence that He will receive us on the basis of our works?
Question 5: What is a promise of God from Scripture that has strengthened you and kept you on the path of following Christ? How is such a promise "good news" to you?
6/12/06
Rom 11:25-36
25I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
"The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27And this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins."
28As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. 32For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
33Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
34"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"
35"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"
36For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.(NIV)
Main Points and Discussion Questions
1. Great numbers of Jews will come to Christ just before He returns (vv. 25-27).
-“so that you may not become conceited” – Paul desires that the Gentiles - to whom he already gave a great warning (11:20-22) - be humbled by God’s grace and not fall into the trap of thinking that they were the “replacement” for Israel.
- ”All Israel will be saved” – the church has differed over just what the meaning of this phrase is here. Typically, there are 3 interpretations:
a) the entire church
b) the “remnant” already spoken of in Rom 9-11
c) the entire nation of Israel
-I subscribe to c), partly because 1) against view a), the word “Israel” has referred to the ethnic nation throughout Rom 9-11; and 2) against view b), it is precisely not the remnant that Paul is referring to in the immediate context – rather, his “them” and “you” contrast (esp. in v. 28) reveals he is talking about the Israelite nation.
-However, this does not mean that all who have ever been an Israelite will be saved (that would contradict Paul’s words in Romans 9:6ff), nor does it even mean that all Israelites at the time of Christ’s return will be saved. Often the phrase ‘All Israel” refers to ‘many as a representative whole’ (see Josh 7:25; 1 Sam 25:1; Dan 9:11).
2. Jews and Gentiles are ‘on equal footing’ in God’s sight (vv. 28-32).
-From verses 28-32, John Piper draws out “the four stages of God’s design in history”. Through these we can see that neither Jews nor Gentiles have anything to boast about before God:
1) The time of Gentile disobedience—the time when God let the nations go their own ways and sink further and further into sin, while God patiently wrote a lesson book for the nations in the history of Israel as he gave them law and writings and prophets.
2) The time of Jewish disobedience—the time when they rejected their Messiah, Jesus Christ, and God gave them up to hardness.
3) The time of mercy shown to millions of Gentiles through the spread of the gospel to all nations and calling out a redeemed people of God—a fullness of the Gentiles.
4) The time of mercy on Israel as God completes his redemptive plan and takes away the hardening and saves the nation of Israel with a mass conversion to Christ.
Note: Above four points taken from this sermon of Piper's.
The main point of chapter 11 is to show that “God has designed and guided history—both its disobedience and its obedience—so that in the end it will most fully display the reliability of his promises and the magnificence of his mercy—to prevent human pride and produce white-hot worship.” (Piper)
3. God’s ways are perfect, and perfectly free of any contribution by anyone or anything. Therefore He deserves all glory and praise (vv. 33-36).
-Theology gives way to doxology. And yet, there’s still plenty of theology in this doxology! Note the following things:
a) God is infinitely above and beyond us (v. 33, 34)
b) God doesn’t need our counsel (v. 34)
c) God doesn’t need our service or gifts (v. 35)
d) He gives everything (v. 36)
e) He sustains everything (v. 36)
f) He demands our worship in return (v. 36)
For similar thoughts, check out Ps 50:7-15 and Acts 17:22-31.
Discussion Question 1: How does this view of God compare and contrast with ideas of God in the world – and even in the church – today?
Discussion Question 2: So far in the Book of Romans we’ve seen that Paul wanted to remind the church in Rome of God’s mercy, even though they were genuine believers. Why did the church in Rome need this reminder, and why do we, by extension, need it too?
"The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27And this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins."
28As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. 32For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
33Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
34"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"
35"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"
36For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.(NIV)
Main Points and Discussion Questions
1. Great numbers of Jews will come to Christ just before He returns (vv. 25-27).
-“so that you may not become conceited” – Paul desires that the Gentiles - to whom he already gave a great warning (11:20-22) - be humbled by God’s grace and not fall into the trap of thinking that they were the “replacement” for Israel.
- ”All Israel will be saved” – the church has differed over just what the meaning of this phrase is here. Typically, there are 3 interpretations:
a) the entire church
b) the “remnant” already spoken of in Rom 9-11
c) the entire nation of Israel
-I subscribe to c), partly because 1) against view a), the word “Israel” has referred to the ethnic nation throughout Rom 9-11; and 2) against view b), it is precisely not the remnant that Paul is referring to in the immediate context – rather, his “them” and “you” contrast (esp. in v. 28) reveals he is talking about the Israelite nation.
-However, this does not mean that all who have ever been an Israelite will be saved (that would contradict Paul’s words in Romans 9:6ff), nor does it even mean that all Israelites at the time of Christ’s return will be saved. Often the phrase ‘All Israel” refers to ‘many as a representative whole’ (see Josh 7:25; 1 Sam 25:1; Dan 9:11).
2. Jews and Gentiles are ‘on equal footing’ in God’s sight (vv. 28-32).
-From verses 28-32, John Piper draws out “the four stages of God’s design in history”. Through these we can see that neither Jews nor Gentiles have anything to boast about before God:
1) The time of Gentile disobedience—the time when God let the nations go their own ways and sink further and further into sin, while God patiently wrote a lesson book for the nations in the history of Israel as he gave them law and writings and prophets.
2) The time of Jewish disobedience—the time when they rejected their Messiah, Jesus Christ, and God gave them up to hardness.
3) The time of mercy shown to millions of Gentiles through the spread of the gospel to all nations and calling out a redeemed people of God—a fullness of the Gentiles.
4) The time of mercy on Israel as God completes his redemptive plan and takes away the hardening and saves the nation of Israel with a mass conversion to Christ.
Note: Above four points taken from this sermon of Piper's.
The main point of chapter 11 is to show that “God has designed and guided history—both its disobedience and its obedience—so that in the end it will most fully display the reliability of his promises and the magnificence of his mercy—to prevent human pride and produce white-hot worship.” (Piper)
3. God’s ways are perfect, and perfectly free of any contribution by anyone or anything. Therefore He deserves all glory and praise (vv. 33-36).
-Theology gives way to doxology. And yet, there’s still plenty of theology in this doxology! Note the following things:
a) God is infinitely above and beyond us (v. 33, 34)
b) God doesn’t need our counsel (v. 34)
c) God doesn’t need our service or gifts (v. 35)
d) He gives everything (v. 36)
e) He sustains everything (v. 36)
f) He demands our worship in return (v. 36)
For similar thoughts, check out Ps 50:7-15 and Acts 17:22-31.
Discussion Question 1: How does this view of God compare and contrast with ideas of God in the world – and even in the church – today?
Discussion Question 2: So far in the Book of Romans we’ve seen that Paul wanted to remind the church in Rome of God’s mercy, even though they were genuine believers. Why did the church in Rome need this reminder, and why do we, by extension, need it too?
6/10/06
Romans 11:1-24
1I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3"Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me"? 4And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal." 5So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
7What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, 8as it is written:
"God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes so that they could not see
and ears so that they could not hear,
to this very day." 9And David says:
"May their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
10May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever."
11Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!
13I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry 14in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." 20Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
22Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!(NIV)
Main Points and Discussion Questions
1. Israel has not been abandoned by God (vv.1-6, 11-16).
Even if not all ethnic Israelites are part of "spiritual" Israel, there are certainly some who are, including:
a) The Apostle Paul himself (v.1)
b) The 7000 in Elijah’s time who did not bow down to Baal (vv. 2-4; cf. 1 Ki 19:1-18)
c) a chosen remnant from Paul’s time until now (v.5)
-This reality of a ‘remnant’ is not the end of God’s mercy to Israel; rather, it points to God’s large-scale redemption of ethnic Israel in the future (vv. 11-16, 25-29)
Discussion Question 1: How can we reconcile God’s pronouncement of envy as a sin with Paul’s intent to arouse his own people to envy, when they see him win Gentiles for Christ?
2.Presently, Israel stands under God’s judgment, but this is not meant to be God’s last word to them (vv. 7-10).
-Paul cites Old Testament Scriptures which prophesy the judgment upon Israel (Deut 29:4, Isa 29:10, Ps 69:22-23)
- in the longer discourse of Moses from which Deut 29:4 is taken (Deut 29:2 –30:20), there is hope that, one day, God will circumcise the hearts of Israel (30:6)
-These Scriptures bring up the difficult matter of God’s “hardening” of Israel – this does not mean that God “implanted” evil that wasn’t there, but more likely that God “gave them over” to their sins without restraint, just as He has done, in a sense, with the whole world (Rom 1:24, 26, 28)
3. As they ponder their inclusion among God’s people, Gentile believers must fear God appropriately and not become proud (vv. 17-24).
-In Rom 2-3, Jews received stern warnings from Paul – here in Rom 11, it’s the Gentiles’ turn to receive them.
- Verses 20 to 22 are for all believers and are meant to be taken seriously – we are commanded throughout the New Testament to persevere in the faith in order to obtain final salvation from our sin (Mt 24:12-13; 1 Co 10:1-14; Col 1:22-23)
- But doesn’t this contradict all of the assuring promises of Romans 8?
-No. God uses our heeding of both promises (2 Pe 1:3-4) and warnings (Ex 20:20; Jer 32:40) as some of the means by which He completes the good work He started in us (Jn 17:17; Rom 8:30; Php 1:6).
Discussion Question 2: In verse 22 we are asked to consider the “kindness and sternness” of God. What are the dangerous frames of mind we can fall into if we give attention to one at the expense of the other?
7What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, 8as it is written:
"God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes so that they could not see
and ears so that they could not hear,
to this very day." 9And David says:
"May their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
10May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever."
11Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!
13I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry 14in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." 20Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
22Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!(NIV)
Main Points and Discussion Questions
1. Israel has not been abandoned by God (vv.1-6, 11-16).
Even if not all ethnic Israelites are part of "spiritual" Israel, there are certainly some who are, including:
a) The Apostle Paul himself (v.1)
b) The 7000 in Elijah’s time who did not bow down to Baal (vv. 2-4; cf. 1 Ki 19:1-18)
c) a chosen remnant from Paul’s time until now (v.5)
-This reality of a ‘remnant’ is not the end of God’s mercy to Israel; rather, it points to God’s large-scale redemption of ethnic Israel in the future (vv. 11-16, 25-29)
Discussion Question 1: How can we reconcile God’s pronouncement of envy as a sin with Paul’s intent to arouse his own people to envy, when they see him win Gentiles for Christ?
2.Presently, Israel stands under God’s judgment, but this is not meant to be God’s last word to them (vv. 7-10).
-Paul cites Old Testament Scriptures which prophesy the judgment upon Israel (Deut 29:4, Isa 29:10, Ps 69:22-23)
- in the longer discourse of Moses from which Deut 29:4 is taken (Deut 29:2 –30:20), there is hope that, one day, God will circumcise the hearts of Israel (30:6)
-These Scriptures bring up the difficult matter of God’s “hardening” of Israel – this does not mean that God “implanted” evil that wasn’t there, but more likely that God “gave them over” to their sins without restraint, just as He has done, in a sense, with the whole world (Rom 1:24, 26, 28)
3. As they ponder their inclusion among God’s people, Gentile believers must fear God appropriately and not become proud (vv. 17-24).
-In Rom 2-3, Jews received stern warnings from Paul – here in Rom 11, it’s the Gentiles’ turn to receive them.
- Verses 20 to 22 are for all believers and are meant to be taken seriously – we are commanded throughout the New Testament to persevere in the faith in order to obtain final salvation from our sin (Mt 24:12-13; 1 Co 10:1-14; Col 1:22-23)
- But doesn’t this contradict all of the assuring promises of Romans 8?
-No. God uses our heeding of both promises (2 Pe 1:3-4) and warnings (Ex 20:20; Jer 32:40) as some of the means by which He completes the good work He started in us (Jn 17:17; Rom 8:30; Php 1:6).
Discussion Question 2: In verse 22 we are asked to consider the “kindness and sternness” of God. What are the dangerous frames of mind we can fall into if we give attention to one at the expense of the other?
6/1/06
Romans 9:30 - 10:21
30What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. 32Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone." 33As it is written:
"See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
1Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
5Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who does these things will live by them." 6But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) 7"or 'Who will descend into the deep?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
16But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?" 17Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. 18But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:
"Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world."[j] 19Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says,
"I will make you envious by those who are not a nation;
I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding." 20And Isaiah boldly says,
"I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me." 21But concerning Israel he says,
"All day long I have held out my hands
to a disobedient and obstinate people."(NIV)
Main Points and Discussion Questions
1. A right standing with God cannot be obtained through obeying the Law (9:30-33).
- works cannot justify anyone before God (Gal 2:15-16)
-the Law only brings wrath if one seeks to obey it (Rom 4:15)
-the Law was intended as a tutor meant to lead us to Christ (Rom 3:20; Gal 3:21-24)
2. People can’t truly know God apart from Christ and faith in Him, regardless of what efforts they make, or enthusiasm they have (10:1-4).
- Paul had great zeal as a Jew, and cites examples to show it, but realizes it was all rubbish compared to Christ (Php 3:3-11)
-Paul admired the religiosity of the people in Athens and told them so, but proceeded to give them the knowledge of God that he knew they lacked (Acts 17:22-34)
-In one of Jesus’ parables, the Pharisee may reveal a great zeal through the duties he boasts of, but – unlike the tax collector – he fails to realize that he is a helpless and hopeless sinner before God (Lk 18:9-14)
3. The righteousness that is provided by God in Christ is available to anyone who believes (vv. 5-13).
-It is as close as the Word that is proclaimed (vv. 6-9)
-However, verse 9 cannot be turned into a “formula” for evangelism – more is involved in true Christian belief than what is spoken of here (see, for example, Acts 3:19-21; 2 Co 5:15)
-nevertheless, verse 9 proves that the resurrection is crucial (Rom 1:4; 1 Co 15:17-19)
-verses 12-13 not only shows that God is no respecter of persons, but reinforces His purpose to to build His church from a multitude of tribes, languages and nations (Mt 28:18-20; Rev 7:9)
Discussion Question 1: From what we have seen in this week’s passage so far, in what way(s) could we describe the gospel as both inclusive and exclusive? What ramifications does this have for our witness in the world today?
4. Gentiles – who did not seek God – have embraced the gospel, while Jews – who were offered God’s saving grace in Christ – have rejected it (10:14-21).
One example, among many in Scripture, of the “irony” of God’s choosing:
-It is the tax collectors and prostitutes, not the Pharisees, who enter the kingdom of God (Mt 21:32; Lk 18:9-14)
-It is the foolish, lowly and despised things that God chooses, rather than the strong (1Co 1:26-30)
-It is the “uneducated” and “unlearned” whom Jesus chooses to be His apostles, instead of the learned (Acts 4:13)
-It is the humble who are exalted, not the proud (Lk 18:14b; 1 Pe 5:6; Jas 4:6-10)
Discussion Question 2: What do these patterns of God’s choosing reveal about God Himself? What impact should these thoughts have upon the way we relate to God and to other people?
"See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
1Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
5Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who does these things will live by them." 6But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) 7"or 'Who will descend into the deep?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
16But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?" 17Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. 18But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:
"Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world."[j] 19Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says,
"I will make you envious by those who are not a nation;
I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding." 20And Isaiah boldly says,
"I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me." 21But concerning Israel he says,
"All day long I have held out my hands
to a disobedient and obstinate people."(NIV)
Main Points and Discussion Questions
1. A right standing with God cannot be obtained through obeying the Law (9:30-33).
- works cannot justify anyone before God (Gal 2:15-16)
-the Law only brings wrath if one seeks to obey it (Rom 4:15)
-the Law was intended as a tutor meant to lead us to Christ (Rom 3:20; Gal 3:21-24)
2. People can’t truly know God apart from Christ and faith in Him, regardless of what efforts they make, or enthusiasm they have (10:1-4).
- Paul had great zeal as a Jew, and cites examples to show it, but realizes it was all rubbish compared to Christ (Php 3:3-11)
-Paul admired the religiosity of the people in Athens and told them so, but proceeded to give them the knowledge of God that he knew they lacked (Acts 17:22-34)
-In one of Jesus’ parables, the Pharisee may reveal a great zeal through the duties he boasts of, but – unlike the tax collector – he fails to realize that he is a helpless and hopeless sinner before God (Lk 18:9-14)
3. The righteousness that is provided by God in Christ is available to anyone who believes (vv. 5-13).
-It is as close as the Word that is proclaimed (vv. 6-9)
-However, verse 9 cannot be turned into a “formula” for evangelism – more is involved in true Christian belief than what is spoken of here (see, for example, Acts 3:19-21; 2 Co 5:15)
-nevertheless, verse 9 proves that the resurrection is crucial (Rom 1:4; 1 Co 15:17-19)
-verses 12-13 not only shows that God is no respecter of persons, but reinforces His purpose to to build His church from a multitude of tribes, languages and nations (Mt 28:18-20; Rev 7:9)
Discussion Question 1: From what we have seen in this week’s passage so far, in what way(s) could we describe the gospel as both inclusive and exclusive? What ramifications does this have for our witness in the world today?
4. Gentiles – who did not seek God – have embraced the gospel, while Jews – who were offered God’s saving grace in Christ – have rejected it (10:14-21).
One example, among many in Scripture, of the “irony” of God’s choosing:
-It is the tax collectors and prostitutes, not the Pharisees, who enter the kingdom of God (Mt 21:32; Lk 18:9-14)
-It is the foolish, lowly and despised things that God chooses, rather than the strong (1Co 1:26-30)
-It is the “uneducated” and “unlearned” whom Jesus chooses to be His apostles, instead of the learned (Acts 4:13)
-It is the humble who are exalted, not the proud (Lk 18:14b; 1 Pe 5:6; Jas 4:6-10)
Discussion Question 2: What do these patterns of God’s choosing reveal about God Himself? What impact should these thoughts have upon the way we relate to God and to other people?
5/26/06
Romans 9:14-29
14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15For he says to Moses,
"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."
16It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." 18Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
19One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?" 20But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' " 21Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?
22What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? 23What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— 24even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25As he says in Hosea:
"I will call them 'my people' who are not my people;
and I will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one," 26and,
"It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them,
'You are not my people,'
they will be called 'sons of the living God.' "
27Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:
"Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,
only the remnant will be saved.
28For the Lord will carry out
his sentence on earth with speed and finality."
29It is just as Isaiah said previously:
"Unless the Lord Almighty
had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah."
Main Points and Discussion Questions
1. God does everything for His own glory; therefore, He cannot be accused of injustice (vv. 14-18).
- Paul asked, “Is God unjust?” in anticipation of objections to his teaching that God chose Jacob and rejected Esau on no other basis but His own will (vv. 10-13)
- God is just when he acts according to His own character and plan – and what is his plan? To make his glory (i.e. the manifestation of His rule, majesty, and supremacy) known. (v. 17; Isa 6:3)
a) He glorifies Himself in mercy (v. 15, Isa 43:6-7; Eph 1:4-6)
b) But He also glorifies Himself in justice and judgment (v. 17; Ex 9:13-18; Ex. 14:18; Isa 5:16; Eze 28:21-22; Rom 3:21-26)
c) In short, He is free to glorify Himself in whatever way He wishes (v. 15, v.18).
Discussion Question 1: Some might object that God’s ultimate plan is to do everything for His own glory, because they think this would make God out to be “selfish”, which is precisely not what He wants His own people to be. How would you reply to that?
2. God is free to use His creatures however He wishes (vv. 19-23).
- Paul anticipates another objection – one that is commonly made by many professing Christians today who deny God’s sovereignty in election: “How can God hold us responsible for unbelief if He is the one who determines everything?” (v.19)
-In response, Paul makes no attempt to logically explain how God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility can co-exist. Not only is he content to accept the reality as it is, but he rebukes the questioner (v. 20)!
-The only response Paul makes is to affirm God’s right, as Creator and Ruler of the universe, to do as He wants with everything – and everyone – He creates (v. 21, Jer 18:5-10). Either way, He makes His glory known (vv. 22-23).
Discussion Question 2: What are the proper ways for us to respond to this doctrine of God’s freedom to do as He wishes? At the same time, however, what are some ideas we should not conclude from this?
3. The only basis for inclusion in the true people of God is God’s call (vv. 24-29).
-“Since God’s grace is what matters, then he is free to call Gentiles into His kingdom as well as Jews” (Moo, NIV Application Commentary: Romans, p. 321)
The structure of this section is something like this (ABBA pattern):
A God calls (some) Jews (v. 24a)
B God calls Gentiles (v. 24b)
B Old Testament confirms God’s call of Gentiles (vv. 25-26)
A Old Testament confirms God’s call of (some) Jews (vv. 27-29)
Contemporary application: Both the Old and New Testaments form a singular story about God’s plan to redeem a people through a Saviour-King. The New Testament should not be thought of as God’s “Plan B”, as if God had intended to save the whole nation of Israel in the Old Testament, but then “changed His mind” when He discovered that some of them wouldn’t believe.
"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."
16It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." 18Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
19One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?" 20But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' " 21Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?
22What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? 23What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— 24even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? 25As he says in Hosea:
"I will call them 'my people' who are not my people;
and I will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one," 26and,
"It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them,
'You are not my people,'
they will be called 'sons of the living God.' "
27Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:
"Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,
only the remnant will be saved.
28For the Lord will carry out
his sentence on earth with speed and finality."
29It is just as Isaiah said previously:
"Unless the Lord Almighty
had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
we would have been like Gomorrah."
Main Points and Discussion Questions
1. God does everything for His own glory; therefore, He cannot be accused of injustice (vv. 14-18).
- Paul asked, “Is God unjust?” in anticipation of objections to his teaching that God chose Jacob and rejected Esau on no other basis but His own will (vv. 10-13)
- God is just when he acts according to His own character and plan – and what is his plan? To make his glory (i.e. the manifestation of His rule, majesty, and supremacy) known. (v. 17; Isa 6:3)
a) He glorifies Himself in mercy (v. 15, Isa 43:6-7; Eph 1:4-6)
b) But He also glorifies Himself in justice and judgment (v. 17; Ex 9:13-18; Ex. 14:18; Isa 5:16; Eze 28:21-22; Rom 3:21-26)
c) In short, He is free to glorify Himself in whatever way He wishes (v. 15, v.18).
Discussion Question 1: Some might object that God’s ultimate plan is to do everything for His own glory, because they think this would make God out to be “selfish”, which is precisely not what He wants His own people to be. How would you reply to that?
2. God is free to use His creatures however He wishes (vv. 19-23).
- Paul anticipates another objection – one that is commonly made by many professing Christians today who deny God’s sovereignty in election: “How can God hold us responsible for unbelief if He is the one who determines everything?” (v.19)
-In response, Paul makes no attempt to logically explain how God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility can co-exist. Not only is he content to accept the reality as it is, but he rebukes the questioner (v. 20)!
-The only response Paul makes is to affirm God’s right, as Creator and Ruler of the universe, to do as He wants with everything – and everyone – He creates (v. 21, Jer 18:5-10). Either way, He makes His glory known (vv. 22-23).
Discussion Question 2: What are the proper ways for us to respond to this doctrine of God’s freedom to do as He wishes? At the same time, however, what are some ideas we should not conclude from this?
3. The only basis for inclusion in the true people of God is God’s call (vv. 24-29).
-“Since God’s grace is what matters, then he is free to call Gentiles into His kingdom as well as Jews” (Moo, NIV Application Commentary: Romans, p. 321)
The structure of this section is something like this (ABBA pattern):
A God calls (some) Jews (v. 24a)
B God calls Gentiles (v. 24b)
B Old Testament confirms God’s call of Gentiles (vv. 25-26)
A Old Testament confirms God’s call of (some) Jews (vv. 27-29)
Contemporary application: Both the Old and New Testaments form a singular story about God’s plan to redeem a people through a Saviour-King. The New Testament should not be thought of as God’s “Plan B”, as if God had intended to save the whole nation of Israel in the Old Testament, but then “changed His mind” when He discovered that some of them wouldn’t believe.
5/19/06
Romans 9:1-13
1I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit— 2I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, 4the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
6It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."8In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. 9For this was how the promise was stated: "At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son."
10Not only that, but Rebekah's children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. 11Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God's purpose in election might stand: 12not by works but by him who calls—she was told, "The older will serve the younger." 13Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."(NIV)
Main Points and Discussion Questions
1. Most Jews have not trusted in Christ and so face God’s wrath, and this grieves Paul deeply. (vv. 1-5)
- Paul felt the need to speak of his love for the Jews, in light of statements previously made that could be misconstrued by many of his own people (Rom 2:23-24; 3:9-20)
- “for I could wish…” – The fact that there is no way that Paul could ever be condemned by God (because of Rom 8:38-39) in the place of his people should not encourage us to overlook the deep affection and concern which is at the root of Paul’s statement
Discussion Question 1: Do we find ourselves grieving, like Paul, for those loved ones of ours who do not know Christ, and therefore face God’s condemnation? According to Rom 10:1, what should follow our grief as a matter of course?
2. God’s promises with respect to Israel have not failed, because not all of Abraham’s physical descendants are his spiritual descendants. (vv. 6-9)
-it has always been a “remnant” from within Israel that God has intended to draw to Himself – Paul shows this through the examples of Isaac and Ishmael, and then Jacob and Esau
-the true descendants of Abraham are those and only those who put their faith in Christ (Gal 3:7, 29)
3. God’s effectual calling of His true children has nothing to do with anything in them, but rather with His own purpose. (vv. 8-13)
- A closer look at the examples of the two pairs of brothers reveal this to be true – God wants to demonstrate that He does not choose according to merit, but His own purpose (cf. 1 Co 1:26-29)
- In the case of Isaac, God wishes to show Abraham – by causing Sarah to be pregnant even in her old age - that he doesn’t need the “help” that Abraham felt obliged to provide by taking Hagar as a wife.
- In the case of Jacob, there was no difference between him and Esau – neither had any advantage over the other.
- And his purpose in election is to magnify the glory of His grace! (Eph 1:3-6)
- A warning: professing Christians should not think they are free from responsibility – God’s call to faith is a genuine one, even if it is only His grace in election that makes it possible. (Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23)
- Similarly, unbelievers are responsible for their unbelief (Lk 13:34).
Discussion Question 3:
Why should the doctrine of election be cause for great humility, rather than pride?
6It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."8In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. 9For this was how the promise was stated: "At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son."
10Not only that, but Rebekah's children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. 11Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God's purpose in election might stand: 12not by works but by him who calls—she was told, "The older will serve the younger." 13Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."(NIV)
Main Points and Discussion Questions
1. Most Jews have not trusted in Christ and so face God’s wrath, and this grieves Paul deeply. (vv. 1-5)
- Paul felt the need to speak of his love for the Jews, in light of statements previously made that could be misconstrued by many of his own people (Rom 2:23-24; 3:9-20)
- “for I could wish…” – The fact that there is no way that Paul could ever be condemned by God (because of Rom 8:38-39) in the place of his people should not encourage us to overlook the deep affection and concern which is at the root of Paul’s statement
Discussion Question 1: Do we find ourselves grieving, like Paul, for those loved ones of ours who do not know Christ, and therefore face God’s condemnation? According to Rom 10:1, what should follow our grief as a matter of course?
2. God’s promises with respect to Israel have not failed, because not all of Abraham’s physical descendants are his spiritual descendants. (vv. 6-9)
-it has always been a “remnant” from within Israel that God has intended to draw to Himself – Paul shows this through the examples of Isaac and Ishmael, and then Jacob and Esau
-the true descendants of Abraham are those and only those who put their faith in Christ (Gal 3:7, 29)
3. God’s effectual calling of His true children has nothing to do with anything in them, but rather with His own purpose. (vv. 8-13)
- A closer look at the examples of the two pairs of brothers reveal this to be true – God wants to demonstrate that He does not choose according to merit, but His own purpose (cf. 1 Co 1:26-29)
- In the case of Isaac, God wishes to show Abraham – by causing Sarah to be pregnant even in her old age - that he doesn’t need the “help” that Abraham felt obliged to provide by taking Hagar as a wife.
- In the case of Jacob, there was no difference between him and Esau – neither had any advantage over the other.
- And his purpose in election is to magnify the glory of His grace! (Eph 1:3-6)
- A warning: professing Christians should not think they are free from responsibility – God’s call to faith is a genuine one, even if it is only His grace in election that makes it possible. (Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23)
- Similarly, unbelievers are responsible for their unbelief (Lk 13:34).
Discussion Question 3:
Why should the doctrine of election be cause for great humility, rather than pride?
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