Romans 1:19-21

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"19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world  God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ~ Romans 1:19-21

Today, we continue our study of Romans 1 where we are given the process that unbelieving man has gone through that has resulted in his rejection of God and His culture. This process is ultimately steeped in the pride of man. This comes as no surprise since the very sin that inaugurated sin is pride.

In v.19-20 of today's passage we read, "19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world  God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

God can not be blamed for the demise of man because He made Himself known to man through creation. Although God is invisible, He is knowable. God has given man visible proof of His existence in the creation. In addition, He has given us a conscience to know in our hearts that He exists. And so, we are without excuse. 

The argument that Paul uses in this portion is known as the teleological argument  which is the argument of God's existence from the design in creation. Water, for example, is lifted against gravity thousands of feet into the air, suspended until it is carried inland where the rain falls. No earthly agency can lift water like that. God equipped the sun through the process of evaporation to do this incredible thing. And, think of it, the sun is perfectly placed ninety-three million miles away from earth suspended in the air. The very essence of the One who created us all is absolutely everywhere in creation.

Men have experienced God, His wisdom, His power, and His goodness in every moment of their existence, and man has largely rejected God. In doing this man has suppressed the truth about God. When we observe creation, we understand that this world was custom made. In fact, all of creation was designed. And, since it has been designed, it must therefore have a designer. Through the art that we find all around us, we know that there is an Artist behind it all.

The word "plain" in v.19 means evident. In fact, the atheist must turn off his reason in order to believe there is no God behind all of creation. The further out into our galaxy and beyond that we go the more the atheist expects to find chaos, but it never happens because the God of the Bible created it all with design. God would never send someone to hell who didn’t have an opportunity to know Him. The God of the Bible is a God of justice, truth and equity, and, we can trust Him. 

In v.21 of today's passage we read, "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."

Man, in his heart, knows there is a God. Creation manifests the existence of God. The word used here translated "knew" means intimate understanding. It is intimate because God has placed eternity in our hearts. We call this our conscience. And, between our conscience and His creation, man knows there is a God behind it all.

The natural order of things is revealed in v.21. After we acknowledge God exists, it is natural for us to glorify Him. To glorify God means to be defined by Him or to agree with His definition of all things and choosing to live accordingly. But, the man who turns off his logical capabilities does not acknowledge God and therefore does not glorify His existence. This is the heart and soul of the fallenness of man that he refuses to glorify God. 

God could have just obliterated man after we rebelled against Him, but He didn't. God desired to reach out to man by revealing to man His glory. And, God didn't stop at creation, He sent His Son who was full of the glory of God. In sending His Son, God revealed Himself more intimately to the willing.

Interestingly, all of the created world, other than man, naturally glorifies God. In the Old Testament we read, "The heavens declare the glory of God." Creation does not argue with God on this issue. There has never been a revolt among the stars of the sky. No, they day in and day out glorify God by existing according to the purpose for which they were made. The animals glorify God as well. They live and behave in the way that God created them to. Only fallen man chooses not to operate according to his God-given specifications.

When man turns off the revelation of God through his conscience and creation, gratitude for his Maker makes no sense to him at that point. Rebellious and unbelieving man does not ascribe everything he possesses to the God who gave it to him in the first place. When man arrives upon his rejection of God, pretty soon he has no one to thank. Then it becomes illogical for man to be thankful. 

The final words in v.21 are: "but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."

Man’s failure is not that he fails to recognize God, but that he refuses to glorify God. Instead of glorifying God and being grateful to Him, "their thinking became futile." This means their ability to make sense out of life becomes "empty" and "senseless." When we reject God, we end up with an empty mind. Man's empty thoughts, lead him to uselessness, pointlessness, purposeless thinking.  They go from truth to emptiness.

According to the Bible, the heart is the source of emotion, intellect and volition. We feel, think and behave with our hearts. The foolish heart has been “darkened” or separated from its true source. This means that a heart that has been darkened feels, thinks and acts as though God does not exist. And, when we choose not to serve the true God, we will end up serving a false one made in our image. The rejection of the God of the Bible is the height of foolishness and arrogance and results ultimately in the worship of self. This is what darkens our hearts. And that is very important because faith, real faith is the ability to see with our hearts.

Romans 1:18

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"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness." ~ Romans 1:18

What do you think of when you hear the words "the wrath of God?" When I was younger, I had an understanding of God which was quite inconsistent with the Bible. I believed that God was lurking behind any billboard, just waiting for me to do something wrong, and then He would pounce on me. This view of God was not accurate. In fact, the Bible consistently teaches that the problem is not with God, it is with us. 

Interestingly, the gospel message begins with a statement about the wrath of God. Frankly that’s diametrically opposed to most of our evangelistic techniques. Most of our contemporary evangelism purposely avoids the wrath of God. We talk about love, and we talk about happiness, and we talk about abundant living, and we talk about forgiveness, and joy and peace. And we offer people all of those things and ask them if they wouldn’t like to have all of those things. But we very rarely talk about God's judgment. We err when we do this.

The shortness of life, the brevity of it, the sorrow of it, the tragedy of all of the pain involved, this is all part of what is captured here under this phrase, "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven." No one escapes God's wrath; it is being revealed, and we have to face it. Fear, for most, must be the first pressure applied. This is the case because we will not understand anything about God's love until we understand God’s hatred of sin. We do not understand nor do we appreciate God's grace until we understand the wickedness of our sin.

God’s attributes are perfectly balanced in His divine perfection. If He had no wrath, He would not be God. God is perfect in love, on the one hand, and He is equally perfect in hate, on the other. Just as totally as He loves, so totally He hates. As His love is unmixed, so is His hatred of sin unmixed. 

The bad news has to come before the good news, doesn’t it?  It’s kind of like going to the doctor and having the doctor say, “I have bad news. You have a fatal illness that has killed many people. But, I have good news. A cure has been found, and I have it right here.” The good news means nothing without the bad news.  We must diagnose the disease before the cure can be appreciated. The bad news is God hates sin, and, the good news is God loves us.  We must start with His hatred of sin. There must be the diagnosis before there can be the cure.

When mankind chose to ignore God's definition of things, we gave the enemy the right to define us and our world. Thus, we are not defined by God and we are messed up because of it. Of course, as Paul has pointed out in Romans 1:16-17, God moved to remedy our sin problem by sending His Son to remove the chasm what was created by the rebellion of mankind. 

When it comes to sin, it is in our nature to water down its definition. We define sin as whites lies, mistakes, disorders. No, sin is deliberate wicked rebellion. It is wicked because we have allowed the one who opposes God and who is wicked to define things for us. Yes, we were deceived but we gave into it. 

Notice the order in v.18 -- godlessness and then wickedness. Throughout the Scriptures, this order is never reversed. It is our godless definitions that produces the wicked actions that we make. That is why the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against man. Godlessness isn't necessarily atheism or the belief that God doesn't exist. Godlessness is acting as though he doesn't exist. 

As a result, like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, we try to hide or suppress the definition of God of all things by embracing the definitions of Satan. We do not do this knowingly. No, we have been deceived into believing that Satan's definition of things is right and normal. That is until his definition of things begins to bite us in the butt. And then, we want to blame God for that. We act selfishly and we deliberately hurt each other because we disregard God and His definition of things. By means of these hurtful and selfish acts, the truth is suppressed. 

We live in a world in which the truth from God is all around us, but we are busy covering it up, hiding it, suppressing it, keeping it from being prominent and dominant in our thinking and our living. It is against that attitude of hiding truth and suppressing the truth that the wrath of God burns. The reason why life has turned tragic in so many cases is because the world is deprived of the truth which is necessary for life and liberty and freedom and godliness to be realized.

The wrath of God is the absence of God in our world and our lives.

The greatest demonstration of God's wrath ever was given at the cross of Christ. God's hatred for sin was shown best when He poured out His wrath on His own beloved Son. And, He did not hold it back even from His own Son. This underscores God's love for fallen man. That’s how much He hates sin. And, He had not, we would have been left in our sin, defined and destined by Satan himself. 

Romans 1:16-17

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"16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'" ~ Romans 1:16-17 

We return to our study of Romans where we are given the most life-transforming truths ever given to man in one book. In fact, every major doctrine in the Bible is delivered in this letter. If we really understand and respond to these truths, for us, time and eternity will be totally altered. 

There are four key words in these two verses that make up the thesis statement for this book. Once we have understood these four words, we will discover that we will never be ashamed of the gospel ourselves. These four words are "power," "salvation," "believes" and "righteousness." 

In v.16 of today's passage we read, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile."

The Apostle Paul was not ashamed of the gospel, because it deals with the bottom line real issue in all of our lives. Paul had been imprisoned in Philippi, chased out of Thessalonica, smuggled out of Berea, laughed at in Athens, ridiculed as a fool in Corinth, stoned while in Galatia. And yet, he was eager to preach this gospel in Rome. The Apostle Paul was convinced of the veracity in the gospel. His eagerness was the result of understanding that the gospel does something no man can do for himself: to change his heart. It is the righteousness of Christ only that makes the sinner worthy before God. And, this righteousness is free to anyone willing enough to believe that the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ solved our greatest problem. This is what Paul writes about throughout the book of Romans.

Paul used the word power to describe the ability of the gospel to change the human heart. By using this word from which we get our English word "dynamite," Paul wrote of the omnipotence of God. The all powerful God of the universe is behind this operative power of regenerating us, of making us alive to Him.

There is a basic power within us all that makes us clamor for change. Deep down within us all, we really want our lives to be different, but we are utterly impotent to change ourselves. The advertisers of this world know this and make billions of dollars convincing on us that their product will change our lives. But, it never happens that way. This is why God delivered the gospel the way He did. He delivered the gospel of His Son as a force that He uses to transform our very lives through a personal relationship with Him.

The Romans were a very proud people due to their advancements in the world. They prided themselves on their military power that could conquer all other nations. They also had a tremendous program of road-building. They even had some of the greatest law-makers of history. And, Paul knew that the Romans also were powerless when it came to changing their hearts. They were powerless to eliminate slavery. In fact, up to half of the population of the Roman Empire were slaves. They were powerless to change the stubborn, hostile, hateful hearts of men and eliminate violence. The Roman Empire was full of violence and corruption and the suicide rate was extremely high at that time. The Romans could do nothing about these things. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ only that unleashes the power of God to do these very things that man cannot do. 

In v.17 of today's passage we read, "For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'"

The righteousness of God that Paul writes about speaks not of a righteous God judging an unrighteous world, as much as a righteous God imputing righteousness to an unrighteous world. I find it staggering that God would use His very own righteousness to forgive us. And, the death of God was a must for the righteousness of God to be delivered to the ungodly. 

The salvation that God offers us operates only through faith, that’s all. This salvation is not something we will ever earn, it is something we receive when we recognize our need for it. This is why the Apostle spends the first three chapters of this book convincing us that we are sinful, wretched, and, hopeless apart from Christ before he delves deeply into the gospel. This is why the word "law" appears 78 times throughout this epistle. It is the law of God which condemns us in our sinful state. It is the efforts of Christ, only, which renders us acceptable before God.

Biblical faith is trust. Even faith or the ability to believe is a gift from God. And, this faith is trusting and believing in our hearts that God has raised the Lord Jesus from the dead. Faith in Him renders salvation from the penalty, power and presence of sin. It is not baptism. It is not moral reform. Salvation is not going to church, and, it is not conforming to rules. It’s not even self-discipline and restraint. It’s not morality. No, this salvation is a personal relationship with God wherein our hearts are being changed as we learn of His great love for us for eternity.

Romans 1:11-15

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11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles. 14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. ~ Romans 1:11-15

Today, we continue our study of Romans which was written thirty years after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first seventeen verses of Romans provides an introduction that points us to the goal of the book which is service. In our last blog/podcast we considered four of the seven characteristics which aid us to serve God and others best. Today, we will consider the final three. 

In v.11-12 of today's passage we read, "11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith."

The fifth characteristic which aids us at being servants is fostering a loving heart for others. Serving must never be done to gain attention from others. This calling is doing the will of God from the heart. "For God so loved the world that He gave..." That is what love does, it gives. The number one quality of love is giving; it gives of its time, talents and treasures. The Apostle Paul wanted to give to the believers in Rome something that would establish them in their walk with the Lord.

The phrase "spiritual gift" reveals that the source of the gift was the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul wanted to give the believers in Rome a gift from the Holy Spirit. And, his purpose was "to make them strong" in their faith in the Lord Jesus. Paul greatly desired to provide for them the means to make them more spiritually mature. That is what makes a church strong, the exercising of our spiritual gifts for one another's benefit. 

The Apostle also expected them to minister to him with the spiritual gifts that they had been given by the Holy Spirit. Thus, Paul expected they would mutually be strengthened by one another's faith in Christ. This is how God wants the church to operate, each of us ministering to each other, building up one another by our faith and sharing and exercising the gifts God has given. The professionalization of ministry has undermined this idea for many, many years. This explains why many churches lack maturity in the faith.

In v.12, we see the sixth characteristic that enables us to serve best. The way the Apostle wrote v.12, it is revealed that he had a humble disposition. I say this because the Apostle wasn't just planning to go into the church at Rome and exercising his spiritual gifts, he wanted the ministry to be a mutual thing. That takes humility which is the sixth characteristic designed to make us the servants God wants us to be.

Humility is born out of a heart that has lost sight of self. When we are truly humble, there will be no hint of superiority when we are around others. This idea of mutual ministry is born in such a context. And, this is what makes a local body of believers stronger in the faith. 

To be humble means simply to consider the needs of others more important than our own. The Lord Jesus considered that our need was so great that He left heaven to come here to meet our need. When we get to heaven, we will know then the enormity of that decision that the Lord Jesus made to humble Himself. The humble hearted servant is always thankful, prayerful, willing to be the solution to the problem if it's God's will. And it all comes out of a loving heart that seeks to wrap itself around others, not only for what it can give, but also for what can be given. In fact, when we prevent others from giving to us, we are stunting their spiritual growth.  

In v.13 of today's passage we read, " I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles."

The seventh characteristic that aids us to be servants is

fixing our eyes on the fruit which is really the expression of God in the context of ministry. 

Paul didn't go to Rome because he was prevented by the Lord from doing so. It was not the Lord's will at that point that he go to Rome, even though Paul desperately wanted to. Paul's view of the ministry was a quest for the will of God which always produces spiritual fruit.  

Ministry is not an end in itself, it is a means to an end. The purpose of ministry is to get people to engage with God. The product of the growth of our faith is a desire to see others experience what we have experienced with God. I have never understood why Christians want to bash others for their sinfulness. We should be so broken hearted for them that we compassionately and patiently work with them until they enter into or go further into a personal relationship with God. Ministry is to touch the hearts of people with the truth of God.

In v.14-15 of today's passage we read, "14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome."

It is out of a sense of obligation that we are motivated to serve God and others. And, we owe the same to the best as we do the less. The word "eager" literally means "a great readiness of mind." The Lord Jesus once said, "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." The word translated "willing" is the same word used here translated "eager."

The Apostle Paul yielded himself into being expendable because, he knew the love of the Father. When we are defined by God's love, we will be compelled deeply from the heart to help others in any way we possibly can. The Apostle wrote, "For to me to live is Christ; to die is gain." All of this leads us to life’s true purpose which is: To know God and to make Him known.

Romans 1:8-10

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8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. ~ Romans 1:8-10

Today, we continue our study of Romans 1. In the first fifteen verses of this epistle, the Apostle Paul gives us seven characteristics that are needed in order to equip us at accomplishing the goal of this book. You will remember that the last section of Romans is about service, so, being a servant is the end result of knowing all of the theological truths found in this most powerful epistle. 

In v.8 of today's passage we read, "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world." 

The first of the seven characteristics needed to serve well is that we have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul has been demonstrating since the very first word of this epistle, the servant of the Lord must have firm faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Without the Lord Jesus, there is no point to our endeavors to serve God and others. Only the Lord holds the keys to effective servant leadership.

The second of the seven characteristics needed to be the servants that we want to be is prayer. In v.8 the Apostle highlights his prayer for the believers in Rome, even though he had never met them. It is a shame that most think of prayer as a crisis event. They think, “I'm in trouble, I had better pray.” But, prayer is conversation with our Maker who knows everything. It is wise of us to seek Him to know the One who knows all of the secrets of a successful life.

The Apostle Paul began this prayer with: "I thank my God." This introduces us to the third of the seven characteristics of the biblical servant , and, that is being grateful. Being grateful is a learned characteristic. The alternative to gratitude is complaining. Rather than complaining, it is better to go to the Lord with our needs and while telling Him about our needs, make the effort to be thankful. There is a silver lining in every cloud, only discovered by him is looking for it.

Gratitude is the ability to experience life as a gift. It liberates us from the prison of self-preoccupation. When we make it a habit of thanking God, we will be most effective at serving Him which is an effective antidote for complaining. Gratitude is the soil in which joy flourishes.

In addition to being in relationship with the Lord and developing that attitude of gratitude, our growing faith in the Lord Jesus enables us to serve best. This is the fourth characteristic that enables us to be the servants that we want to be.

At the end of v.8 the Apostle accentuates the idea that the faith of the Roman believers was being noticed all around the world. It was the faith of the Christians in Rome that got the attention of the Roman world. 

Our faith is like the modulator on a transistor radio. The finer the tuning to the frequency the better we hear the station. It is the same with our faith in the God of the Bible. That which fine tunes our faith in the God of the Bible best is the Word of God. It is imperative that when we read the Bible, we do so in order to meet with God. Instead of just studying His Word, we must learn to become more and more intimate with Him. This only happens in the context of relationship with God. And, the more His Word gets into us, the more we generally are enabled to hear Him with our hearts. And, this is when our faith in Him grows.

In v.9 of today's passage we read, "God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times."

The phrase: "whom I serve in my spirit" is key to our understanding of how our walk with God works. The Apostle Paul had been raised in Judaism and he knew religion intimately for himself. He knew the externals of religion. In fact, Paul understood how religion serves the flesh. And, the flesh is the sinful desires that we all have within us, even though we may have been "born again." To religious people, service is external and superficial just like religion. True service is a heart thing. True service happens when our hearts are engaged with God and others and we do it with the right motivations.

In v.10 of today's passage we read, "and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you."

These four characteristics that we have considered help us to hone in on the will of God for our lives. All that we desire in this world is merely echoes for the will of God for our lives. 

In Romans 12:1 we read, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."

Literally translated, the last four words of this verse means "logical and reasonable service." The last section of the book of Romans is about service and it makes a lot of sense that Paul would write what he did here in Romans 12:1.

It is not only reasonable for man to be available to God, it is also logical for our existence. Frequently this word translated "worship" is translated "service" in the Bible. Service and worship are synonymous. The greatest worship that we will ever render to God and to others is to serve Him. Paul says, "I serve Him in my spirit," and, his spirit was full of the Holy Spirit.

When we are filled with God's Spirit, we will be granted the heart of the Lord. As a result, we discover, like the Apostle Paul, we will be engaged in praying for those we serve regularly! This is why the church in Rome flourished. The late Mike Yaconelli, founder of Youth Specialties once said, "The power of the Church is not a parade of flawless people, but of a flawless Christ who embraces our flaws. The Church is not made up of whole people, rather of the broken people who find wholeness in a Christ who was broken for us."

Romans 1:5-7

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5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; 7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ~ Romans 1:5-7

Today, we return to our study of the epistle written by the Apostle Paul to the believers in Rome. As we have stated before, the theme of Romans is the availability of the righteousness of God to everyone who believes the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The thesis and the outline for Romans reveals the purpose of the book. The thesis is found in Romans 1:16-17. And, the outline is: Chapters 1-3 are about the sinful condition of man. Chapters 4-5 are about salvation. Chapters 6-8 are about sanctification. Chapters 9-11 are about the sovereignty of God, and chapters 12-16 are about service. The last section of this epistle reveals the ultimate point to the book: a life of service to God and to others.

In v.5-6 of today's passage we read, "5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ."

Through Christ we have received the grace of God which includes not only His favor, but also His daily involvement in our lives. As a result, we have also been called to the mission of sharing the gospel with all who will listen. The word "apostleship" literally means "sent with a message." Believers in Christ have been saved from the consequences of our sins to be sent with the message of the good news that our sins have been paid for eternally.

When we came to believe in Christ, we affirmed our faith in the God of the Bible. When we really believe the gospel we will be defined by it to some extent on a daily basis. No one has ever been made right before God through obedience, but, our obedience is evidence that we have entered into a personal  relationship with God.   

When we came to faith in Christ, we went out of unbelief into faith in Him, out of the darkness spiritually and into His light. We came out of a life of separation from the God of the Bible into a life of relationship with Him. The gospel is best delivered to and more quickly believed by others when we share it out of the context of our daily relationship with Him.  

In v.7 of today's passage we read, "To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

Here we have three great truths about our privileges as believers in Christ. And, these three great truths particularly aid us in the call of God upon all of our lives to share the gospel message with all who would listen to us. In doing this, we serve them in the greatest possible way because the gospel impacts their eternity. And, if we are not convinced of the veracity of the Lord Jesus and His gospel, we will not share this most important message with others. 

The three great truths in v.7 are: We are beloved of God, we are called of God, and, we are saints. These are the privileges of the gospel, the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ. No longer do we fear death because our sins have been forgiven us.

To be the "beloved of God" means we are loved by God. According to Ephesians 2:4, He loved us even when we were dead in sin. According to Ephesians 1:6 God can give His love to us and we can access it because His Son died for us. And so, the privilege of the good news is that we are loved by God. God loves everyone, but not everyone has access to His love. It is only through believing the gospel do we have access to God's love.

The second privilege of the gospel is that "we are called of God." This word "called" means the specific message issued by God to follow Him. In John 10:27, the Lord Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice and they follow." In tandem with the Holy Spirit God called us into relationship with Himself and by His grace we heard and did not turn away. As a result, we now enjoy a personal relationship with Him. Through the daily experience of relating with God, learning to talk to Him and learning to hear Him respond, we are positioned to serve others best by sharing the gospel couched in the story that God is giving us with Him.

The third privilege of the gospel is that "we are saints." By virtue of being loved by God, and, by virtue of being called by God, we have been made saints through the Lord Jesus. This means we have been made holy or perfect in the eyes of God through His Son. When God looks at us, having trusted in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross, He sees us through the lens of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This transaction has taken place due to the fact that we have come to trust in the Son's work on the cross on our behalf. And, as a result, we have been set apart to serve God and others. This is the ultimate theme of this book.

Romans 1:2-4

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1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God. 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. ~ Romans 1:1-4

Today, we continue our study of Romans 1. The Apostle Paul wrote the book of Romans from the city of Corinth. He wrote this letter in order to provide for his readers the theology needed to live the life God has called us to, best. 

In the truest sense of the word, Christianity is not a religion because religion is man trying to earn God's favor which is an impossibility. This is why the Lord Jesus had to come to earth and live a perfect life and die a perfect death. In going to the cross, the Lord Jesus had to take the punishment from God for that which had separated us from God. We were unable to endure the wrath of God due to our sinfulness.

So, Christianity is a personal relationship with God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why He went to the cross, to open the access point to God to sinful man. This relationship requires of us nothing to get us into heaven in the future, but, it requires a lot of us now in order to get heaven into us now.

In v.2 of today's passage we read, "the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures."

The Lord Jesus Christ was many years before promised to us; He came as predicted by God in the Old Testament. In fact, there are at least 324 different prophecies in the Old Testament that He fulfilled. And, the likelihood that He would fulfill those many prophecies is way beyond human comprehension! 

In v.3 of today's passage we read, "regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David."

The Lord Jesus was a descendant of Israel's King David which emphasizes the humanity of the Lord Jesus. As the Son of God, He was conceived in the virgin's womb by the Holy Spirit. This was how He could share the nature of God with that of man. 

God had to come as a man in order to die on the behalf of sinful man. When we break the laws of society in which we live, we lose the right to move about freely in that society, among the people who abide by its laws. The Lord Jesus was arrested and made to pay for our crimes in order to “pay our debt to God.” 

The Lord Jesus came to earth because we could not pay our debt to God. When we broke God’s laws, we lost the right to associate freely with Him. God is perfect in every way, and our sinfulness has separated us from Him. This debt had to be paid in full. According to 1 Kings 20:42, in order to set us free who were supposed to die, somebody had to take our punishment. That someone was and is the Lord Jesus Christ.

In v.4 of today's passage we read, "and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord."

The Lord Jesus Christ came by "the Spirit of holiness" which means when He came to this earth He came as a whole person, He came to demonstrate what it looks like to be holy or whole. The glory of the good news is that God's goal for us is to make us whole, so that we can handle life with all of its pressures and troubles.

At the root of our problem is our sin which undermined our perfection or wholeness. This loss of our wholeness is what made us selfish. It is our lack of wholeness that made us inadequate to do and to be according to God's perfection. This lack is in its essence, covetousness.

This is also why the Lord Jesus came "in power by his resurrection from the dead." The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest evidence that He is the Messiah and this is where our faith ultimately rests its hope. We can have confidence that God has told us the truth by the unshakable fact that He raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Through His resurrection, Christ conquered the penalty and power of our sin and covetousness. As a result of believing in Him, we do not have to obey sin. He through His death, burial and resurrection overcame death on the behalf of anyone who will simply believe on Him and His life-giving work on the cross. 

Romans 1:1

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Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God. ~ Romans 1:1   

Today, we begin a new study on the book of Romans. The Church in Rome had its beginning in Jerusalem when some Jews who lived in Rome were on pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. While in Jerusalem to worship, these people heard the sermon that the Apostle Peter preached in Acts 2. As a result, they trusted in the finished work of the Lord Jesus and became followers of Christ. Later, when they returned to Rome, they started meeting as believers in the Lord Jesus.

The most often words used in Romans are “God,” used 153 times, the word “law,” used 72 times, the word “Christ” used 65 times, the word “sin” used 48 times, the word “Lord” used 43 times and the word “faith” used 40 times. It is rather easy when we are studying a book of the Bible to determine the themes of the book by identifying the repeatedly used words therein.

So, Romans is about God, His law, Christ, sin, the Lord, faith and all the ramifications of those terms. The thesis statement is in Romans 1:16-17 which reads in the Message translation:

“It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.” 

In our passage for today, the Apostle Paul ended the verse with "... separated to the gospel of God."

Christianity is not a religion because religion is man trying to earn God's favor, which is impossible to do. The Lord Jesus came to earth to live a perfect life and to die a perfect death on the behalf of mankind. He did this because we could not be good enough to earn God's favor. On the cross the Lord Jesus was punished for our sin which had separated us from God. "A Christian is not someone who is good, he is someone who has experienced the goodness of God." This is what it means to be separated to the gospel or "good news" of God. It means that we have the Gospel in such close view that it defines us daily. I like what one preacher once said, "I must live so close to the cross of Christ that I get splinters in my nose."

The Book of Romans has five divisions: Chapters 1-3 are about the sinful condition of man. Chapters 4-5 are about salvation. Chapters 6-8 are about the sanctification of the believer in Christ. Chapters 9-11 are about the sovereignty of God. And, chapters 12-16 are about the service of the believer.

In v.1 of today's passage we read, "Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God."

The initial description the Apostle Paul gives us in today's passage is he was a bondservant of Jesus Christ. A bondservant is a slave. The Greek word "doulos" means “one who is subservient to, and entirely at the disposal of his master.” In Roman times, the term bondservant referred to one who was held in a permanent position of servitude. Under Roman law, a bondservant was considered the owner’s personal property and he had no rights of his own. We chose to be a bondservant.

Like us, the Apostle Paul learned that being a bondservant of Christ is not a duty. It is rather an act of devotion because the Lord Jesus has delivered us from the eternal clutches of Hell itself through His sacrifice made on our behalf on the cross. 

After identifying himself as a bondservant, Paul referred to himself as an apostle. The Greek word used for "apostle" means one sent on a mission. Now, even though I believe there are no modern day apostles like Paul, one of the twelve, I believe that God has called all believers in Christ to mission. This mission varies each day, but each mission has one commonality: a personal relationship with God and loving on people. 

Now, there are three elements involved in being called by God. The first element is that we are consciously defined by Him in a given day. It is essential that we are in the Word of God every day, learning His thoughts and culture. More important is this: that God's word is in us, defining our thoughts and choices for that day. Think of it: Before Abraham was a Jew, he was a Gentile. He was from Southern Iraq. That which made him a Jew was God's definition of him. Abraham embraced the culture of God and that made him a Jew.

The second element involved in being called by God is that we receive a story with Him that He gives us each day. As God speaks into our lives and we respond by faith in obedience, we will receive the narrative and that will lead us to the third element involved in our calling for that day. 

The third element comes through our involvement in the lives of the people who God brings into our lives. Through those interactions, we directly and indirectly share how God has and is working in and through our lives. It is fairly simple, but we must be diligent to ask God to give us the sensitivity of heart and mind as we share the gospel and our story with God with others. We never want to shove God down someone's throat. We want to share with them as He does to us, patiently and respectfully. There have been many days that I have not spoken of God with a person. And then the next day, I discovered that they were ready to hear about God. My policy is to wait for the opportunity as they open the door for these conversations.

Let me close with a true story from my life that illustrates my point on calling. It was the year 2010 and I was at the College Baseball World Series in Omaha, Nebraska with two of my sons. In the early innings of the first game of the three game series between South Carolina and UCLA, I heard a guy behind me yelling his lungs out, rooting for South Carolina. Playfully, I yelled at him that USC would choke. I didn't know it but the guy was offended and had planned to fight me after the game. To make a long story short that guy and I are now best of friends. I did not immediately share my faith with him. In fact, I waited for him to bring God up in our conversations. Three days later, he did just that. And, well, many years later he is a man on mission.

Mark 16:17-20

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17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. ~ Mark 16:17-20

Today, we complete our study of the Gospel according to Mark. At this point in the narrative, the Lord Jesus had accomplished what He set out to by going to the cross, paying the penalty for mankind's sin, and raising from the dead. In doing so, He not only purchased the forgiveness of God on our behalf, He also dealt a death blow to sin and death. Having believed that the Lord Jesus died on our behalf, we have been delivered from the penalty and power of sin. And, when the day comes that we are transported into eternity, we will experience the fact that the Lord Jesus delivered us from the presence of sin for eternity.

In v.17-18 of today's passage we read, "17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

This passage makes it sound as if the Lord Jesus was saying that everyone who believes and proclaims the gospel will do so with miraculous abilities. But for centuries millions of people have believed and shared the gospel, but none of these signs were manifested. We must keep in mind the environment during those days the Lord spoke these words to His disciples. It was an environment of persistent unbelief. These words were also addressed to those first disciples who struggled mightily with their disbelief. These words were not meant for all believers for all time.

On that day of great emotional ups and downs for the disciples, the Lord Jesus was saying to them, "As you are going, preach the gospel. And to encourage you, certain signs that only God can do will accompany the message."

These signs were the signs given to the Apostles. They were given in order to authenticate the message of those who first went out with the gospel into an unbelieving and hostile Jewish world. This was necessary at that time because the Jews were conditioned for, and, demanded signs to accompany the message. These signs were for the sake of those first century Jews who would believe.

In v.19-20 of today's passage we read, "19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen."

Mark closes his account of the gospel with the idea that the Lord is involved in the invisible dimensions of our lives every moment of every day. God is involved right now in our lives more than we know. Perhaps, His miraculous involvement in our lives is kind of like the equivalent of the miracles that He assured those first century believers would accompany their sharing of the gospel. 

I can point to many times in my life when it was obvious that God was right in the middle of my life's decisions. I think of the Wednesday afternoon that I met with the man the Lord used to give me direction when I first became a believer. He said to me that day, "It appears the Lord is calling you into ministry. Let's look into the possible Bible Colleges that you could attend for the training you will need." 

Then, a few months after that Wednesday, I publicly expressed my desire to attend Bible College, but I had no money. I had no way to pay for the education. It was then that the Lord led a gracious couple to me. They asked if they could speak with me and through that conversation they told me that the Lord had laid it on their hearts to pay every dime of my college education. And, of course, they did.

Then, when I had been for two years at Columbia Bible College in Columbia, South Carolina, and I wanted to leave. It had been a lonely two years there. Then, at the beginning of my third year, I met the young lady who would become my wife. At just the right moment, she entered my life. If I had entered college the Fall after I had graduated from High School, I would have never met her.

I also think of that October day in 2004 when my wife and I had built up $12,000 in debt. Very frustrated with myself and the situation, I called a wealthy friend who told me that God had plopped a sizable amount of money into his lap and he had been praying all week that the Lord would make it obvious who He had in mind for this money. The afternoon that I went to that man's office, I learned that the check was written for $12,000. Just the amount we needed.

These stories and many others, have been used of the Lord in my life to say, "I'm in your life. You are on the right track, keep going." When we yield our lives to the Lord, we are in for the greatest adventure in this world that we can imagine. I am not saying that God will give us our will. No, I am saying that as we learn to yield our lives to Him, He will direct us into His will. And, what I have learned about His will is this: It is far greater than anything I could have imagined.

Mark 16:14-16

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14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. ~ Mark 16:14-16

Today, we continue our study of the gospel according to Mark. In Mark's final chapter, the Lord Jesus has conquered sin and death by being raised from the dead. The dark backdrop behind that wonderful news was being experienced by the disciples who had fled and were hiding out for fear. The disciples were behind locked doors and afraid for their lives. They feared that the Jewish religious authorities were coming after them next.

In v.14 of today's passage we read, "Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen."

Hardness of heart refers to the condition of the heart that refuses to believe in the word of God. The disciples did not believe in the resurrection, even though eyewitness testimony had been provided. For a short time, persistent unbelief among the disciples ruled them after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. 

Throughout the whole of the Scriptures, the Jews were known to require evidence before believing anything. This was a huge mistake on their behalf because in the kingdom of God, seeing is not believing. With God, believing is seeing. He expects us to believe before we see. This is, in fact, why the Lord Jesus rebuked the disciples for their unbelief. 

In Luke 24 we learn the disciples basic problem was they did not believe all that the prophets had written about the Messiah. They saw Messiah as a Conquering Redeemer, but they did not see Him as the Suffering Servant. As they read the Old Testament, they saw the glory but not the suffering, they saw the crown but not the cross.

Unbiblical unbelief is always a product of developing a hard heart. The disciples had been told repeatedly that the Lord Jesus had risen but they had refused to believe it, even after the Lord Jesus Himself had told them previously that this was going to happen. The disciples just ignored the Lord's teaching regarding His death and resurrection because it did not fit into their preconceived ideas of how they thought it would all go down. Truth that is known but not acted upon has an awful effect of hardening our hearts so that our ability to believe is lessened. 

Today, many say that if we only had the ability to do miracles like the early church did, then others would really believe. Even if God granted us this kind of power, it would not translate in massive revival because miracles do not create faith. It is instructive to remember that the Lord Jesus fed over 5000 people (on two occasions!), thousands of others saw Him perform those miracles, yet on the Day of Pentecost, there were only 120 believers.

John tells us that a week later the Lord Jesus appeared to the disciples again. This time, Thomas, who had not been with them when He appeared the first time, was present. The Lord Jesus invited Thomas to put his hand on His side and touch the nail prints in His hands and feet. As a result, Thomas fell down, crying, "My Lord and my God!" When Thomas saw and felt the nail prints in the Lord Jesus, He was shaken out of his unbelief. God knows our individual frame and He taylors the truth for us, even though He knows that the lasting kind of faith is not the product of seeing and believing.

The fact is faith comes not from seeing miracles, it comes from hearing the Word of God and then choosing to believe. In John 20:29, the Lord Jesus asked Thomas: "Have you believed because you have seen? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

In v.15 of today's passage we read, "And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.'"

When we have adequate, trustworthy witnesses who report to us what they have seen, we are wise to respond with belief. Even though we have not seen Him, we believe because of the eyewitness accounts. After rebuking the disciples for their unbelief, the Lord Jesus gave them a command to preach the gospel. Many, down through the years, have emphasized the word "go" as a command, but, it is a present active participle, meaning "as you are going." We best evangelize others by living the life God has called us to and sharing the gospel with whoever will listen because in is is the power of God unto salvation.

Now, the good news, is clearly, the death, the burial, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Through the good news, we who believe enjoy the security of knowing that our sin is forgiven us by God. We have been freed from that which griped us and was destroying us through the sacrifice of God's Only Begotten Son. Heaven is not the good news; but it is a result of the good news. The good news is that the power of evil in our lives has been broken! It has been broken by the power of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In v.16 of today's passage we read, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned."

It is not baptism that saves us. Baptism is a way to outwardly show that we have believed in the Lord Jesus as our Savior. During the first century, baptism was much more meaningful than it is today since everyone in the town would have witnessed it in the local water hole or river. We err when we baptize someone in the confines of a building.

The reality is when we believe in the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we will be saved. It is difficult to understand this word "saved" if we do not understand the hopelessness of our fallenness. Once we see how absolutely helpless and hopeless we are due to our sinfulness and the fact that we are separated from God, we will begin to understand what it means for us to be "saved." We will not believe until we see our utter need to be saved. Then, once we see that we are utterly lost, it is then that we may believe. This is why the Lord Jesus said, "believe and be saved."