Romans 13:1-5

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1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. ~ Romans 13:1-5

Today, we continue our study of what a servant looks like in our day to day lives. Today, we transition into Romans 13 which describes how a living sacrifice responds to the authority structure in our lives. The authority structure in our lives is so crucial because how we respond to authority reveals our relationship with God. In addition, how we respond to human authority reveals the infrastructure of our souls.

God tells us in the fifth command to "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you."

This is the first of the horizontal commands. The first four have to do with our relationship with God while the last six have to do with our relationship with humans. And, how we deal with our parents authority will be reflected in how we relate with and to others. This means that all the horizontal relationships are mainly impacted by how we learn to honor our parents.

Christian living is not divisible, it is not detachable from any part of our lives. Our relationship with God impacts every aspect of our lives. No part of our lives is unaffected by our devotion to the Lord Jesus. And one of the crucial life areas where Christianity is lived out is in relation to those in authority over us. 

In v.1 of today's passage we read, "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God."

Today's passage begins with: "Let every soul be subject to governing authorities." The Apostle Paul begins with this because there is no authority except from God. This means that those in governing authority over us have been place there by God, even the tyrants. By the way, Caesar Nero was the very Nero who eventually took Paul's head off with an axe. God says to us to obey them because they were appointed by Him; He works through them even though they do not know Him. Of course, God doesn't cause them to do evil, just as He doesn't cause us todo evil.

It was shortly after the flood, in Genesis 9,  when God established human government. After the flood, God gave the mandate that whoever sheds man's blood, by him, blood must be shed. So, God issued capital punishment for murderers. Not for killers but for those who murder.

In v.2-4 of today's passage we read, "2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil."

The word "resist" is a military term meaning "to arrange yourself to take action against."  When we resist the government, we bring judgment on ourselves. This means that we will suffer the consequences of stepping out of line. We live in a culture that does not respect authority, and we are suffering from this lack of respect. Like Israel's culture in the book of Judges, our culture is fast spiraling into anarchy. This is the result of the lack of respect, and this lack of respect is ultimately for God.  

We do not ever have to fear if we do the right things because the authorities are only supposed to uphold the law. But if we do what is wrong, we should fear. The word translated "terror" here comes from the Greek word from which we get our word phobia. There should be a certain healthy fear if we're doing what is wrong. We should fear because God works through the authority structure in our lives, even when that authority is harsh. 

Note that Paul refers to the human authority in v.4 as God's ministers or servants. God's design for government is to promote justice by rewarding good behavior and punishing evil behavior. And, if we are wise, we will respect the authority. And when we respect the said authority we will grow in the influence of God in our lives.

In v.5 of today's passage we read, "Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake."

At the end of the day, we should do the right things because God tells us to do the right things. And, He tells us to do the right things because so that by doing the right things our conscience is clear. Our conscience is that little place inside of us where God speaks to us of what is right and wrong. It is in that inherent sense of what honors God, that we should find our strongest motivation to submit and obey human government as if it were unto Him. God tells us to do what is right, so that through our ordered lives, He provides His best for us and we provide for others an example of how a society works properly.

Romans 12:19-21

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19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. ~ Romans 12:19-21

We return today to our study of Romans 12 which is full of imperatives that aid the believer in Christ at being the servant of God. Servanthood is not what this world cherishes. In fact, it is not desired by the default mode of our flesh. Servanthood is the product of God inculcating His culture in us and it comes with a price. However, once our eyes have been opened to the reality of God's kingdom, servanthood becomes a beautiful proposition that advances His kingdom, not only in our lives but also through our lives.

In v.19 of today's passage we read, "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord."

This verse begins with a precious reminder, a reminder that we are loved by God. It is only when we are defined by God and Him alone that we are given to His kingdom, His rule in our lives. When we are defined by His love what is valuable to Him becomes valuable to us. And, the longer we live in this world that is going to hell in a hand basket, the more we are convinced that God's ways are much better than anything this world has to offer us. 

The Apostle Paul gives two reasons why we should not exact evil on those who purposely inflict some form of pain upon us. The first is: We are to "give place to wrath." God knows when we have been insulted or hurt or treated badly. And, we can trust Him to fight our battles. I think of the day that God led Gideon to pair down his 32,000 man army to 300. This was a daunting task for Gideon and it is also daunting for us. It is daunting because it is contrary to this world's culture which continues its best to define us. 

The second reason why we should not exact evil on those who intentionally hurt us is that God alone claims the right to avenge because He alone can work it out in a redemptive manner. God's goal is always redemption. Even in Romans 1:24,26,28 where His wrath is defined as "He gave them over," His wrath has always had as its goal the redemption of those who were still rebellious. Perhaps we interfere with His plan to even save those who harm us when we invite the purposes of the evil one into the senecio when we fight back in the flesh. 

In v.20-21 of today's passage we read, "20 Therefore, 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.' 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

When we resist the flesh and treat those who harm us with love, the truth found in Proverbs 25:21-22 will happen. The "heaping burning coals on his head" does not mean that we get even with them. No, this refers to the ancient way of lighting fires. They didn't have matches in those days, so if they wanted to light a fire in their homes, they could borrow some coals from one of our neighbors. The sharing of his coals became a picture of the generous neighbor who responded generously to his neighbor who had treated him so badly. The best way to overcome an enemy is to make him our friend.

Three times in v.14,17 and 21, the Apostle has stressed the fact that we are not to return evil for evil. The main way we express God's love to the unsaved in this world is by not reacting in vengeance to their ill-treatment of us. We either are overcome by evil or we are overcome by God. We cannot let evil alone for if we do, we will be overcome by it. We must fight according to God's battle plan, and, His plan is to pray, invite His love and resist evil. 

Despite all of the pressures upon Gideon to trust himself, he obeyed God by pairing his army down to so little even though it seemed outwardly foolish. Gideon's humility before God helped him and God's victory came because Gideon bowed his will to God, even when it did not make human sense. Though the opposing army was vast, perhaps as high as 135,000 or more, in Gideon God found a man who was willing to trust Him enough to obey him. That kind of faith is a rare and precious find. Will you be a Gideon today? Will you be defined by God's culture? Will you resist the flesh and choose to love those who deliberately hurt you? The battle rages!

Romans 12:17-18

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17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. ~ Romans 12:17-18

Today, we return to our study of Romans 12-16 where the Apostle Paul shows us what a servant looks like. This whole final section in the book of Romans is all predicated on the command in Romans 12:1, "By the mercies of God, present your bodies a living sacrifice." Being a sacrifice to the Lord is the same as being the servant of the Lord.

Servanthood which is the opposite of the self life is God's goal in our lives. Deciding to be a servant does not come natural for any of us, in fact, it is the byproduct of the workings of God's grace and mercy in our lives. This is why it takes so long for us to see the value of being a servant. While most believe this life is about what we get, the life the Lord Jesus died to give us is about what we give.

In v.17 of today's passage we read, "Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men."

When somebody does something evil to us, unless we are walking tightly with the Lord, we will react to evil with evil. This is our default mode or our natural reaction. In order to avoid this, we must daily submit ourselves to the Lord as His servants so that we do not go the way of the self. We must prepare and position ourselves to do good when evil comes. This is a deliberate process, otherwise we fail at being the servants of God in this dark and lonely world. 

Looking to exact revenge on someone is one of the biggest expressions of insecurities known to man. It takes a bigger than big man to treat those who mean us harm with kindness. And, the inevitable result of trying to get even with people is that we escalate the conflict. When we feed the flesh this is inevitable and inescapable.

This does not mean that we should seek to please everyone, rather it means that we should live righteously according to God's principles in plain view of everyone. We should be fair and honest in all of our dealings with others. We should be above reproach in the sight of our peers. This incredible result is the byproduct of knowing God and His culture for ourselves. The more we understand God's grace toward us, the more likely we are to also extend grace to others when they wrong us. This happens supernaturally as the result of submitting ourselves to God as living sacrifices and by renewing our minds by the Word of God. When we do this His presence is known to others through our yielded lives.

In v.18 of today's passage we read, "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men."

The Golden Rule says, "Do unto others what you would want them to do to you." This principle came from the Lord Jesus as recorded in Matthew 7:12. In fact, the Lord Jesus reminds us that this relational principle in life is much of what God gave us through the Old Testament Law and Prophets.

The general rule in life is: "Hurt people, hurt people." We must be careful not to assume another person's motives. They might be in crisis and need some grace.There are some people in this world when we try to make peace with them, we discover it is just not possible. When we have tried everything there is to do, and they will not respond, we can't a whole lot about that. The reality is that it takes two to make peace. But, if it’s possible, as much as we can, we are to never let the conflict come from us. We are to always make peace and resist conflict.

Understanding the principle found in Romans 8:28 that God uses all things together for our good is key in all of this. The Old Testament Patriarch, Joseph understood this principle very well, and, look at where it got him. When his brothers wanted him dead, Joseph continued to be defined by God which meant that he responded to the hate in his brothers with love. Interestingly, Joseph's brothers tried to get rid of Joseph because they were being defined by the self. And, as a result, they wanted to get rid of Joseph. But, in doing so, they fulfilled Joseph's dreams. Amazingly, in the end, the Lord allowed the ill-treatment of Joseph to equip Joseph to bring God's blessing to many in Egypt and throughout the world. It takes the ability to recognize that God is sovereign and that He uses all things for our good. We never know how involved God is involved even in the most difficult days of our lives.

Romans 12:14-16

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14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. ~ Romans 12:14-16

Today, we continue our study of the last section in the book of Romans, Romans 12-16. In this section the Apostle Paul is giving us a glimpse of what it looks like to be a servant. Whereas in Romans 12:3-13, Paul’s instructions are on how believers in Christ should relate to each other. In Romans 12:14-13:7, his commands concern how believers should relate to unbelievers. The life of the servant is the goal of the believer in Christ. 

One might think that today's passage is the grouping of disconnected verses, but that is a mistake. For, you see, these verses lift up the concept of coming to the end of the self life. These attitudes that the Apostle accentuates in this last section of Romans reflect the disposition of the servant. Selflessness is the thread that ties all these verses together.

In v.14 of today's passage we read, "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse."

Taking the route of the Lord is always hard on and contrary to the flesh or the sinful desires that are yet within us, even though we have been forgiven. The servant of the Lord blesses those who persecute or curse him. The word "bless" is the Greek word from which we get our English word eulogy, which are the good words spoken in remembrance of a person who has died.

The Roman culture and environment made it quite difficult for the believer in Christ during the first century. The word "persecute" comes from the Greek word which means: "to pursue" or "to chase away." Over time it came to mean "to harass" or "to treat in an evil manner." In the New Testament it is used of "inflicting suffering on people who hold beliefs that were different. Hence the need to bless those who render persecution. 

When we walk with the Lord, we must not be surprised by persecution from the world. Our fallen default mode always leads us to try to control that which we do not understand. But, when we come to know the God who longs to shed abroad His love in our hearts, we are positioned to realize the reality of this command in a given moment in our lives. As believers in Christ, we are equipped to do the impossible; to love our enemies. We can only bless our persecutors when we are more concerned about their eternal welfare than we are about our suffering. This is the depth that the culture of God brings to the soul of those humble enough to be defined by God.

In v.15 of today’s passage we read, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”

Once we have entered into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, we are positioned to go from one spectrum to another, from rejoicing to weeping. The main thought accentuated here is that we have the heart of the Lord. This is the characteristic of the one who has come to know the Lord for himself and who walks with Him daily. When the disposition of those we find ourselves with enables us to adjust from one end of the spectrum to the other, we demonstrate the we are being defined by the One who went through hell to make us citizens of heaven.

In v.16 of today’s passage we read, “Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.”

This verse means think about everybody equally. It is a command to not be a respecter of persons. It means to have a heart for everyone just like the Lord Jesus when He came to this earth. With the Lord and His culture, there is no place for aristocracy among His people. God expects us to be at home with the lowly as well as the with the elite.

The word “humble” means “to get down on the ground with the lowly.” It doesn’t mean we ignore those who are high, it means we don’t pursue them only. It means we long to see everyone right with their Creator. This is what the Lord Jesus did with the woman caught in the act of adultery. When the religious leaders brought her to the Lord while He was teaching in the Temple, they threw her at the feet of the Lord. It was then that the Lord Jesus "stooped." He stooped in order to communicate this was why He came, to lift up the condemned.

In addition, we cannot be wise in our own understanding of life for when we do, we fail to be defined by the God of the Bible. We must be careful not to think that everything begins and ends with us. It was Solomon who wrote, “Lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”

Romans 12:11-13

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11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. ~ Romans 12:11-13

Today, we return to our study of Romans 12 which is a part of the broader subject matter that the Apostle Paul is presenting in this section which is what a servant looks like in Romans 12-16. Today's passage accentuates certain qualities that must be present in our lives in order for us to be effective servants for God. 

In v.11 of today's passage we read, "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." 

Spiritual fervor is evidence of faith that is alive and it is discovered along the pathway of the servant. This kind of passion is the product of our daily encounter with the God of grace for it is grace that arrests us to the point of our greatest desire. The commitment of an arrested servant of the Lord is contagious, lifting the faith of other believers by simply being defined by what the Lord says. Like a match stick ignites a fuse of dynamite, so someone’s spiritual spark can enflame an entire community for Christ. Spiritual fervor burns brightly in our service to God! 

When we were first entered into a personal relationship with God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, we began to learn about  this newfound faith at a rapid pace. But, there came the time when our excitement in the Lord waned. This waning of our passion for God is a dangerous pathway to consider. We must do all we can to avoid it. One of the most noticeable marks of a Christian walking in the Spirit is that he retains joy, no matter what is happening in his life. We are the best servants when we remember that the foundation of Christianity is God’s faithfulness, not ours.

The Apostles point in this verse is: "Do not be lazy in zeal." The point is: "Don't lose your zeal while hurrying." The issue here is losing sight of the grace of God. Two times in the New Testament, in Galatians 6:9, and in 2 Thessalonians 3:13 we are commanded to, "Be not weary in well-doing." Same idea as is here in this verse. There has to be intensity in our Christian lives  because the opportunities are alluding us. In Ephesians 5, the Apostle puts it this way, "We are to redeem the time, to buy it up because the days are evil." And, as the Apostle Paul demonstrated way back in Romans 3:21-8:39, it is the grace of God that which produces the greatest desire within us to be God's servants. We must keep His grace in view.

In v.12 of today's passage we read, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." 

The way to rejoice in hope is explained by the two others things mentioned here. We can rejoice in hope because we are patient in affliction, and we are patient in affliction because we have been faithful in prayer. This process is what makes us patient. So, whether we are encountering trials or things seem to be going peacefully, we must make it our practice to run to God daily.  

In order for a fire to remain lit, we must have oxygen and fuel. In the same way, in order for our spiritual lives to remain lit, we need the breath of the Spirit upon our lives and the honed practice of being faithful in prayer. When we are faithful in prayer, we will be able to be patient in affliction. We won't quit in the middle of the battle because we have learned to quietly wait for God to accomplish what He has promised. This, of course, makes us rejoice in hope because we discover that God has a thousand and one different ways of working things out, ways that we could never even imagine. 

In v.13 of today's passage we read, "Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." 

When the love of God has come to define us, we will have a heart that is large and we will have hands that are open. The word "share," is the verb form of the noun "fellowship." Share is the verb form of koinonia, and it means "sharing with in order to meet the needs of the family." 

To "practice hospitality" is to have our homes open in order to manifest the impact that God's love has made upon us. Hospitality literally means "brotherly love guest" or "loving the strangers." When our hope is fixed on the Lord and we are enduring affliction in prayer, we will have a heart for the stranger. As Mike Yaconelli once said, "Christianity is home for people who are out of step, unfashionable, unconventional and counter-cultural." This is the way of the Lord Jesus.

Romans 12:9-10

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9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ~ Romans 12:9-10

Today, we return to our study of the practical portion of the book of Romans. Everything in the last section of Romans, Romans 12-16, is predicated upon the first command in Romans 12:1, "Present your bodies a living sacrifice."

In v.9 of today's passage we read, "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good."

The starting point of the Christian experience is love. The Lord Jesus, in John 13, said to His disciples, "You are to love one another and, by this, shall all men know that you are My disciples.” Love is the supreme reality, while sin is the supreme unreality. And, when we have come to the end of the self life, we come to the beginning of real love. God is love, and, one expression of God's love is His grace. Grace is love that seeks us out when we have nothing to give in return. Grace is being loved when we are unlovable.

The word "sincere" literally means "without hypocrisy" or "without wax." This concept came from a practice of the early Roman merchants who set their clay jars out for sale. If a crack appeared in one of the clay pots, the merchant would fill it with wax the same color as the jar, so a buyer would not be aware that it was cracked. Insightful buyers learned to hold these jars out in the sun, and if the jar was cracked, the wax would melt and the crack would be revealed. The honest merchants would test their wares this way and mark them "sincere" or "without wax." 

Once experienced for ourselves, God's sincere and authentic love enables the believer in Christ to hate what is evil and cling to what is good. This is a restatement of what the Apostle wrote in Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the word." Only when the believer in Christ has experienced God's love for himself is he positioned to love like this. It was J.I. Packer who once said, "There is tremendous relief in knowing that God’s love for me is utterly realistic—based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst of me—so that no discovery now can disillusion God the way I am so often disillusioned about myself." 

The evil the Apostle Paul writes about here is anything that is defined differently than the definition that God has given us. The "good" is the definition that God has given. We are to hate the sin but love the sinner. When the world sees a church made up of people who are not afraid of blemishes, they will be naturally drawn to it. Our blemishes only point to the unblemished character of the Lord Jesus.

When many look at the Church they see impostors. They see people who have not experienced the brokenness needed to come into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. As a result, they conclude that the Lord Jesus is an impostor. But when they see followers of Jesus who are real, they see a Jesus who is real. Christianity is not us becoming stronger, it is us becoming more aware of our weakness and incompetence. Of course, this positions us to really get to know the lover of our souls. And, as we get to know His love, it radically changes how we view ourselves and others. It changes how we operate within community.

In v.10 of today's passage we read, "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves."

The word "devoted" is a contraction of two Greek words one which means brotherly love and the other, family love. This word literally means to display deep affection, and concern, particularly to a family member. Paul is telling us to love even if the only thing we have in common is the DNA of our Heavenly Father. He is saying, "Love like you're part of the same family." 

Then he says, "Honor one another above yourselves." Honor is an important concept in the scriptures; We are told to honor our father and mother. Honor means to estimate with value, and show appreciation. The command, therefore, is that we would show genuine appreciation and admiration for others. And, again, we are told to put self in the rear view mirror as we honor others more than ourselves. The point is that we would regard one another as valuable, that we would see the worth of one another and never consider another as valueless. The way to get here is to find our own value in the cross of the Lord Jesus. There is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends.

Romans 12:6-8

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6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. ~ Romans 12:6-8

Today, we continue our study of Romans 12 where the Apostle Paul is instructing us on the purpose for which God made us in the first place: to be servants. I find it quite instructive and mind altering that in eternity, according to Luke 12, the Lord Jesus Christ will serve all of us whom He redeemed from the penalty of our sin. I would say that when we embrace the role of a servant, we are in great company. 

In today's passage the Apostle mentions seven different spiritual gifts. The reason the Apostle brings up the gifts of the Spirit here is just that, they are gifts of the Spirit. Different people with different gifts serving the Lord differently. These are the tools that God uses in our lives to accomplish what He has called us individually to do for Him in our communities. The gifts given us are the tools of the servant. And, when we are not behaving as servants, we can use these gifts wrongly.

In v.6 of today's passage we read, "We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith."

God has given us spiritual gifts so that we are equipped to fulfill His calling on our lives. Spiritual gifts are the ability God has given each of us enabling us to do His will, not ours. These spiritual gifts are quite fulfilling when we are turning our backs on the self life and pursuing the role of the servant.

The first gift mentioned in today's passage is prophecy. According to the Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 12-14, this gift enables one to speak forth the Scriptures. The Apostle instructs "prophesy in accordance with your faith." That is, speak in proportion to the confidence and assurance of what God has said in His word. The one with the gift of prophesy must not speak beyond what God has already revealed in His word. The one with this gift must be careful never to speak on his own authority or from his own resources. The litmus test in this case is the completed written word of God, the Bible.

In v.7 of today's passage we read, "If it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach."

Then there are some who have the gift of serving. The word the Apostle uses here for serving is the word from which we get our word deacon. This word describes ones ability to help others with a cheerful spirit causing them to be blessed by it. Those with this gift serve willingly and cheerfully. They serve so that everybody is helped and blessed. 

The next spiritual gift here is that of teaching. The gift of teaching is the ability to interpret the scriptures and to clarify its meaning to others. The one with the gift of teaching will have the ability to help others to understand what the scriptures mean. In addition, he will be able to help his audience to realize the application of the truth being taught. 

In v.8 of today's passage we read, "If it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully."

Then there is the gift of encouragement which comes from the Greek word for exhort. We tend to think of the one who exhorts as getting into our grill, but actually, an exhorter encourages others. Now, he might do it with firmness, but his exhortation will be gentle and motivating. Encouragement was the gift that Barnabas had. In fact, the name Barnabas means "son of encouragement." When we see Barnabas in the Scriptures, he is always found with his arm around somebody's shoulder, encouraging, comforting, and urging on. In fact, Barnabas did this with John Mark when John Mark failed miserably while on one of the missionary journeys with the Apostle Paul.

Then there is the gift of giving. Contrary to what most think, this gift is not only giving of one's resources, included are also this person's time and talents. And, like all the other gifts, the more the one with this gift uses it, the more he will have to give. God created this idea of the law of reciprocity which says we reap what we sow. Reciprocity is a fundamental part of the glue that holds a community together, and, the more we exercise our gifts, the more the blessings grow in that context. 

The Apostle writes, "give generously" which literally means, "Let him give with simplicity." This means to give without calling people's attention to it. Just as much as this gift is a gift from God, the desire to remain anonymous is as well. Those with the gift of giving often like to sit back and watch those whom they have given to receive the blessing. They do this because they are well aware of the fact that their gift is given as unto God and they delight in the opportunity to be used by God in the life of another. This is the case with all of the gifts. 

Then there is the gift of leadership. The Greek word the Apostle employs here is a word that literally means "leading meetings." It comes from a root word which means "to stand up before others." Then, Paul says, do it with diligence which means, "Do not wing it, be prepared." Those with this gift naturally love to plan and this admonition plays right into the giftedness of the one with the gift of leading. 

Then, Paul mentions the gift of showing mercy which is helping those who are often undeserving or neglected. Mercy is what we express when we are led by God to be compassionate. It is more than feeling sympathy toward someone; it is love enacted. Mercy desires to answer the immediate needs of others to aid them in their suffering, loneliness, and grief. Mercy is a champion of the lowly, poor, exploited, and forgotten and often acts in a way that lifts those in need of mercy.  

Finally, in context the Apostle Paul has been accentuating the idea of servanthood. In fact, the gifts of the Spirit are products of God's grace in our lives and they coincide with the purposes that He has for a certain community of believers. God rarely bless us with only us in mind. He expects us to exercise our spiritual gifts for the benefit of others. Essential to being the servants God has called us to be, we must exercise the spiritual gifts that God has given us. Our spiritual gifts empowers us to serve. Humility is required to serve. And, when we are operating as servants the spotlight will not be upon us, it will be on the Lord Jesus.

Romans 12:3-5

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3 For 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 faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ~ Romans 12:3-5

Today, we return to our study of Romans 12-16, the last section of the book. Everything in this section is predicated upon the command to "present your body as a living sacrifice" in Romans 12:1. So, this last section in the book of Romans describes what a living sacrifice looks like in the every day life of the believer in Jesus Christ. And, as we have pointed out before, to be a living sacrifice, we must have experienced the mercies and the grace of God. 

In v.3 of today's passage we read, "For 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 faith God has distributed to each of you."

The Apostle begins this verse with the words: "For by the grace given me." Paul is not referencing saving grace; this is the grace specifically that God extended to Paul when He called him to be an apostle. Here, the Apostle Paul puts humility on display, even in the way he refers to his apostleship. Paul was made an apostle by the mercy and grace of God. 

The verb "think" is related to the noun "mind" used in v.2. The renewing of our mind results in the kind of thinking called for here where the Apostle Paul reminds us: "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought." Paul is not saying that we should not think of ourselves, it is that we should not think "more highly than we ought." The believer in Christ must not cherish exaggerated ideas of our own importance. This is the way the enemy trips us up. He tries to get us to think that we are more important than we really are. Remember, he does not get us to follow him directly, no, he gets us to follow him indirectly by tempting us to follow ourselves.

Our natural reaction to God using us in His work in this world is we tend to think that we are pretty awesome. And, when God works in and through our lives, we tend to want to take credit for it. We are in great danger when on the heels of God doing something awesome in or through our lives that we entertain exaggerated ideas of our importance. It is always at this point that we must remember that God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise.  

In today's passage, the Apostle contrasts pride with faith. There is a humility to faith and that humility produces dependence upon the Lord. This is the best place we can be in a given day, dependent upon the Lord. The problem is we tend to be most reminded that we need God when life is not going so well. We tend to forget God when life seems to be going well. And, biblical humility flows out of selfless abandonment to the will of God.

In v.4-5 of today's passage we read, "4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."

As we considered in Romans 6-8, our sanctification is the process whereby God is changing our souls which is made up of our mind, will, and emotions. Most think that the point of our sanctification is that God is making us better. This is not biblical. When we conclude that our sanctification is about us, we throw a wrench into the process that God designed it to have. The point of our sanctification is pointing others to the One who transforms us: the Lord Jesus Himself.

On the currency of the United States is the latin term "E pluribus unum" which means "Out of the many One." This 13-letter motto was suggested in 1776 at the time of the American Revolution. E Pluribus Unum was once the motto of the United States of America and referenced the fact that the cohesive single nation was formed as the result of the thirteen smaller colonies joining together. It was a must in those early days when this country was so young that the colonies needed one another to survive. This is the same for believers in Christ; we need each other. And, the greatest threat to our unity is our pride.

Diversity is necessary for unity, and unity gives diversity purpose. Each of us is different and therefore special, but in our uniqueness, we belong together in Christ. The fact that we are one body “in Christ” unifies us in our uniqueness and gives us purpose. This allows us to appreciate our differences instead of being threatened by them. God implores us to appreciate our uniqueness, the uniqueness of others and our interconnectedness brought about by our position in Christ. 

If we want to know how unity and diversity work together so that each person’s value is appreciated, we can do no better than to consider God Himself. He is one God, but He is also the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The members of the Trinity have separate roles, but they’re connected to each other. God exists in a relationship that takes action for the sake of love. The Father creates. The Son redeems. The Spirit empowers. Each member of the Trinity has value that is recognized and appreciated by the others. When we in the Father’s family unite under the lordship of His Son, we will enjoy the power of the Holy Spirit, we will honor God and we will fulfill His purposes in this world, especially with the body of Christ. We reflect the Trinity when we embrace both unity and diversity.  And, we embrace unity amid our diversity when we resist the self life.

Romans 12:2

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"Do not conform 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." ~ Romans 12:2

Today, we continue in our study of the book of Romans. In our previous two studies we transitioned into the final section of this book which reveals the ultimate goal of God for us as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Servanthood which is the opposite of the self life is God's goal in our lives. Deciding to be a servant does not come natural for any of us, in fact, it is the byproduct of the workings of God's grace and mercy in our lives. This is why it takes so long for us to see the value of being a servant. While most believe this life is about what we get, the life the Lord Jesus died to give us is about what we give.

The first command in today's verse is: "Do not conform to the pattern of this world." The word "conform" refers to an outward expression of behavior that does not reflect what is inside of a person. The word actually implies the idea of masquerading; People wear masks when they’re trying to present an image of something they are not. So Paul is saying, as believers in Christ, when we conform ourselves to the pattern of this world, we’re wearing a mask that is inconsistent with our identity. This verb is written in the middle voice, and, it is best translated: "You, yourselves, do not conform to the pattern of this world." The way this command is written makes it obvious that we perform the action, not God. When we conform to this world ways, we act as a fish out of water. And, the pattern of this world is the way of the self.

The second command, found in today's verse, is written in the passive voice, meaning that someone outside us is responsible for the outcome. So, the command: "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind" is best translated: "Be transformed by God by the renewing of your mind." Only God can transform us into people who are increasingly defined by Him. We cannot transform ourselves, but we can renew our minds with His word, and when we do so, God will transform us. The role that we play is to be diligently in the word of God, daily. Then, we must mull over whatever He is showing us in a given day, asking the Holy Spirit to sensitize us to His leading into the will of God. The life that is saturated by the grace of God will produce a mind that will be saturated by the word of God.

The word "mind" could also be translated worldview or God's way of thinking and living. With our minds, we decide what to do with our bodies or our whole existence. The mind molded by the mercies of God and the word of God, results in a life that brings glory to God. When we offer ourselves to God, we make ourselves available to Him so that we can respond to His will. The word translated "perfect" is getting at the fulfillment of purpose. We fulfill God’s purpose for us when we respond to His will affirmatively. And, might I add that we will find ourselves fulfilled when we walk in His culture. 

God's goal for the believer in Christ is that we get to the place where we are realizing His purposes in and through our lives.  When we have been arrested by the mercies of God, when we are cognizant of the fact that He has rescued us from the very fires of hell, we will be motivated to do God’s will out of gratitude. The way of the enemy is always forced upon us, in fact, he knows know other way but forced entry. The way of the Lord is the way of gentle persuasion. He does not force Himself onto anyone. This is the way love behaves.

In the remainder of the book of Romans, it is revealed to us what God’s will looks like in our lives in a given day. And, at the center of His will, we will see that we are transformed for the sake of others and for the advancement of God's culture in their lives. This is God's calling for all of us as believers in Christ. A transformed mind yields a transformed will. This process of transformation eventually produces in us what God wants. When we present your bodies to God, and, when our minds are being renewed, we will naturally operate according to the culture of God. 

The ability to test and approve the will of God is at the believer's disposal at this point. What a privilege to be about to measure something so big and so important. Of course, this is what the word of God does for us. And, this is why we must be in His word daily. Better yet, we will be able to do this when His word gets into us daily. In Psalm 37 we read, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." That means when we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will actually plant within us the desire for His will. And, we all know that nothing happens in this world apart from God’s will which frightens the godless, but it stabilizes the one who is walking in God's will.

Romans 12:1 (Part 2)

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"I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." ~ Romans 12:1

Today, we return to our study of Romans 12:1, the jumping off point into a live of servanthood. The Bible has a lot to say about servanthood because the central theme of the Bible is the Servant of all, the Lord Jesus Christ. Once we have come to know the Lord and His priorities in this world, we will give Him His rightful place as Lord of our lives. And, His lordship will be expressed in the way that we serve others.

As we mentioned in our last study, the main idea in today's verse is that servanthood begins with experiencing God's mercies or compassions for ourselves which will translate into a transformed heart that will live to bring glory to the Lord Jesus. As we get to know the Lord and what He has done for us, especially the fact that He rescued us from the clutches of hell itself, we will have a growing desire to love Him because He loved us first.

As we mentioned before, choosing to be God's servant or sacrifice will render four characteristics according to today's verse. The first we considered in our last study: it is a living sacrifice. Our choice to set aside the self life that this world encourages us to embrace renders life, not only in our lives but also in the lives of those around us.

Today's study is about the other three characteristics of being a servant. These characteristics are byproducts of the the fact that we have experienced God's grace and mercy. This is what I like to call the grace saturated life. You see, the closer we get to God, the more of His presence others will see in and through us. These are characteristics that only God can produce through our broken and yielded lives. The key for us is that we daily make the choice to submit our wills to Him and then watch Him work in and to and through our yielded lives. We are to live as though we have been justified. We are to live as though we are forgiven.

The second characteristic of this yielded life to God is that it is "holy." The Greek word the Apostle employed here translated "holy" is multifaceted. It means to be set apart for its intended purpose, but it also means complete or full. The idea is that our daily choice to crawl up on the altar of God for His purposes for that day is steeped in the fact that we have been fulfilled by the mercies of God.

In Leviticus 20:26 we read, "You shall be holy to me; for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine."

The promises which appear in the Old Testament belong also to us who live this side of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ because it is through the cross that we have been made whole before God. The word "holy" comes from the same root word from which we get our word wholeness. So, holiness means "wholeness" or "completeness." And if we read wholeness in place of holiness everywhere we find it in the Bible we will be much closer to what the writers of that book meant. To be whole is to have together all the parts which were intended to be there, and to have them functioning as they were intended to function.

The third characteristic of this yielded life to God is that it is "acceptable to God."

Once we have through Christ been declared "holy," it makes sense that our sacrifice to God for the benefit of others will be acceptable to God. God called us to Himself through His grace and His mercy which has rendered for us a whole new outlook on life. We now see what is really important in this world and it is not what we thought it was before we came into a personal relationship with God through His Son. God's call to us to live a merciful life is a call to live a worshipful life. And, our aim of showing mercy is essentially showing to others the God of the Bible. More accurately He reveals Himself through our broken and yielded lives. The aim of having bodies is to make the glory of God more visible. He shines best through our merciful behavior. This is what is acceptable to God. And, it must be steeped in faith because the only thing that pleases God, humanly speaking, is faith.

The fourth characteristic of this yielded life to God is that it is "reasonable." Literally, our lives of servanthood is a "logical service." You see, it is only reasonable for us to be available to God. It is our logical reason for existing. When we became believers in the Lord Jesus, our spirits were awakened to God. Now that we have been born again, we are learning to be surrendered to God. There are times when we live schizophrenic lives, and our bodies do not follow what our spirit has already experienced with God. 

Furthermore, Paul tells us, this is the only thing that makes sense. "This is our reasonable or logical worship." This is the way we worship God. And, worship is allowing God to use all of us, even our bodies for His glory. This is the only thing that makes sense for the born again believer in Christ. This is the smartest thing we could ever do. The Apostle Paul used the Greek word "logikos" to describe this worship. True worship isn't singing songs are going through rituals, it is living a yielded and obedient life to God because we have been arrested by His grace and His mercy.

Romans 12:1 (Part 1)

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"I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." ~ Romans 12:1

Today, we transition into Romans 12 where we come to the final section of the book of Romans which is about service. You will remember that we began this study in Romans 1 considering seven characteristics of a servant, and now the book ends with a portrait of the servant.

In today's verse, the Apostle used the word "therefore" indicating that all that follows is conditioned by all that came before. In Romans 1-3 all of mankind was presented as hopeless in our condition of sin. In Romans 4-5 we learned about the believer's one point in time when he is justified in the presence of God by faith in the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on the cross. In Romans 6-8 we studied sanctification which is the soul changing work of God in the believer in Christ. This ongoing work involves the changing of our minds, our wills, and our emotions. Whereas our justification gets us into heaven, our sanctification gets heaven into us now.

Everything from Romans 12 until the end of the book is conditioned upon that one prepositional phrase, "by the mercies of God," or, as other translations have it, "in view of God's mercy." This prepositional phrase introduces the first main idea that Paul is bringing out in this book which is: the more we come to see the mercies of God, the more we will long to submit ourselves to Him and to obey Him. The Greek word used for mercy means to supply forgiveness and compassion for past failures. Mercy is what God pours out upon us through the Lord Jesus Christ. Mercy is our only hope because there is nothing we have done, or can do to make us acceptable before and useful to God. The mercy of God counters the fact that we deserve hell for our violent rebellion against God. 

Once we understand the mercies of God, the Apostle urges us to present our bodies a living sacrifice to God. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross, when understood by the forgiven sinner, prompts us to lay down our total existence for the glory of God. One preacher once said, "I must live so close to the cross that I get splinters in my nose." 

As, I am sure that you know, the most inner part of us is our spirit. In fact, when we were born again after inviting the Lord Jesus into our lives, it was our spirit that was made alive to God. Due to the fact that we are trichotomous beings, in addition to our spirit we also have a soul and a body. And, even though we value our bodies the most, our spirit is the most important part of us because it is the only part of us that is born again.

Now, the obvious question then is: Why did the Apostle urge us to submit our "bodies" to the Lord? Well, since our bodies are most important to us, it is the last to go, it is the last part of us that we yield up to God. In addition, the work of God is most profoundly delivered through our bodies which He is training to follow His Spirit and His Word.

The word "present" used in today's verse is a technical term often used to refer to the Old Testament Levitical priests who would offer their animal sacrifices on the altar. We are reminded in 1 Peter that we are a holy priesthood, and we are therefore to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God. We, as priests, are to offer ourselves to God as sacrifices. We are to do this every day, and, in doing so we are yielding our total existence up to the Lord. 

Notice that the sacrifice we are to make should be living, holy, acceptable and reasonable. Today, we are just considering the first of these four characteristics of a grace saturated life. Then we will consider the other three in the following studies.

A "living" sacrifice renders life not death. In the Old Testament believers were called to “make” a sacrifice from a dead sacrifice. In the New Testament believers are called to “be” a sacrifice from a living sacrifice. The key to all of this is that we are to live by dying to self. 

The Lord Jesus said in John 12:24, "I assure you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself – but if it dies, it produces a large crop."

Being a "living sacrifice" is the product of growing in intimacy with God. And, this type of intimacy is only experienced by those who go through deep waters with Him. When we remain by ourselves, we really miss the real reality. The essence of sin is the self, and, when we follow the self, we will be selfish. When we die to self, loneliness may be our reality, that is until we begin to see that the loneliness is a means into deeper intimacy with the Lord. The way of the self is not the way of our Savior. His way leads us to selflessness or down the path of the servant. 

Our sacrifice must not be out of duty, it must be born out of our devotion to Him. In fact, if it is not done out of devotion, we should not do it. I say this because in order to be a living sacrifice we must be steeped in the mercy and grace of God. The biggest threat to this grace-saturated way of living is the thinking of many that has been influenced by this world's economy rather than the economy of the God of the Bible. This causes many to think that the Christian faith is linear and they evaluate it according to this world's way of thinking, when in actuality it is quite the opposite. God's economy is upside down and inside out, and only those who have been accosted by God's grace and His mercy really see get it. 

When we "die to self" we reveal that we understand that God created us for a reason; that we are a part of God’s plan for the world. To be used of God one must understand the essence of who we really are now, and how it is that God can use us. 

The world says, "Live for self!" God says, "Die to self!"   

The most difficult prayer for the believer in Christ is, "Not my will, but Thine be done." When we learn to die to self, we discover the "abundant life" the Lord Jesus offers. It is accessed by depending upon God, who provides much more than we can imagine. When we die to self, we discover the freedom of a life freed from a life of self-obsession, and we become more preoccupied by loving others. This moves us away from "the self life" and we find ourselves wanting to serve God by serving others. It is then much easier to pay attention to the concerns, interests and needs of other people when we are no longer preoccupied with ourselves.

Romans 11:33-36

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33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?”

35 “Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?” 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. ~ Romans 11:33-36

Today, we conclude our study of Romans 11 which is the third part of three chapters where the Apostle Paul is establishing the sovereignty of God by using the nation Israel as an object lesson. In Romans 9 the emphasis is on God's past election of Israel and the emphasis in Romans 10 is on Israel's present rejection of the Gospel and Romans 11 is on Israel's future restoration.

In v.33 of today's passage we read, "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!"

The deep riches that the Apostle Paul highlights here is that which causes us the most difficulty in life, yet the more difficult the situation the more deeply we go in our walk with God. In fact, let our lives take a serious turn for the worse and we find ourselves struggling to trust God, only to discover the serious turn for the worst is His way of deepening our faith in Him. 

We struggle to grasp the immensity of God! We can understand what He tells us about Himself, but we struggle getting beyond that. This is why the Christian life is such an adventure, we are always being surprised by God. And, yes it is scary at times, but since when have we enjoyed a boring life here on earth. He is always enriching us in ways that we don't anticipate. And, the greatest part to our personal relationship with Him is that we are getting to know Him who is the consummation of everything we have ever longed for all of our lives. Every desire we have finds its fulfillment in Him.

The Apostle Paul writes: "How unsearchable are His  judgments" which means He is beyond accountability. No man can call God to account and say, "You have no right to do that!" We do it all the time, but we have no right to do it. For God is beyond us; He knows so much more than we do. As John Nelson Darby once wrote, "This passage is darkness to my intellect, but light to my soul." 

In v.34 of today's passage we read, "For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?"

We don't know God's mind, but we have become God's counselors. We often think that God has made a mistake in certain cases in our lives, especially when it is not going well for us. But, since God operates on such a different level than we, His ways are way past ours. And, it explains why we struggle so much.

I love the story of the woman caught in adultery. From her vantage point I can only imagine how difficult it was to trust the Lord Jesus. It was obvious that she had been set up by the religious leaders. And then, the religious leaders take her to the up and coming religious teacher who had recently burst on the scene.

Her self-righteous accusers were ready to put her to death. So, the religious leaders brought her to the Lord Jesus. He said to her accusers, "He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone." Soon the woman's accusers were all gone, and no one was left with her but the Lord Jesus. "How unsearchable are His judgments!" His ways are so different than ours and if we just give Him time, He will position us to see the brilliance of the way He does things.

We do not know God deeply unless we go through the deep waters. Over and over in my life, I have discovered the firmness of God amidst the weakness in my soul. We often have great difficulty allowing people into our lives because we’re afraid of what they will discover. We’re afraid of what others will think of us. But, as I have discovered, God already knows what is in the broken recesses of my jumbled up and messed up soul. And, I am discovering that He still likes me. He likes you. I've thought, "He has to love me for He is God." But He also likes me even though He really knows who I really am. He even knows things about me that I do not know about myself. You see, as we delve deep into the caves of our souls, we discover Him there. And, He is always there speaking His blessing to us. The question is this: will I allow Him to define me?

In v.35 of today's passage we read, "Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?"

God is self-sufficient, sovereign, and free from any obligation to anyone. He doesn't owe the Jew or the Gentile anything because of merit. God is indebted to no man because He has given to us all things through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. And, there is nothing we could give to God that He doesn't already own or have in abundance. God is the originator of all things; all things come from Him. And, He is the sustainer of all things; everything depends upon Him. C. S. Lewis once said, "To argue with God is to argue with the very power that makes it possible to argue at all!" 

In v.36 of today's passage we read, "For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen."

The Apostle concludes with this great outburst of praise. This makes sense when we have come to see our great God as He is. He is the end purpose of all things and all things will find their culmination in Him. He is the reason why all things exist for He is the originator of all things. And, the final take away for us is will we allow Him to define us? Our existence really comes  down to our daily choice to trust Him or not. I am learning the more I trust Him the more I discover that He is trustworthy. In addition, the closer I walk with Him, the more I discover He knows much better than I.

Roman 11:28-32

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28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. ~ Romans 11:28-32

Today, we return to our study of Romans 9-11 where the sovereignty of God is accentuated. From the day that God changed Jacob's name to Israel, Jacob represented the true Israel of God, those who have placed their faith in the God of the Bible. Whereas in Romans 9, we learn of God's past workings with the nation of Israel, in Romans 10 we learn of God's present workings with the nation of Israel. And, in Romans 11 we learn of God's future dealings with the nation of Israel. 

In v.28 of today's passage we read, "Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers."

In context, the Apostle Paul has been discussing how God can be sovereign and yet have the nation of Israel, as a whole, reject God's promised Messiah. The fact that man has a free will underscores the sovereignty of God because control is not involved. The choice always underscores the main topic of the heart and that is love. Without choice their is no love. 

Due to the choice of most Jews to reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they treat Christians like we are their enemies. Through their rejection of the free gift of being made right with God through Christ's sacrifice, they lack a personal relationship with God. They lack a personal relationship with God due to the fact that their sin has yet to be atoned for. So, presently the unbelieving Jews are the enemies of God; Right now, due to their lack of faith in Him, they are not God's friends. As a result, they have been cast away.

On the one hand, they are enemies, but, based upon God's promise that He gave to the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, they are beloved of God. Unbelieving Israel is God's beloved enemy. Concerning the gospel, they're enemies. Regarding the choice of God, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. This means that the unsaved Jews are loved by an unchanging God. God loves every Jew, without exception. In fact, He loves everyone; He is by nature love. No matter how stubborn or resistant they may be, He has set His love upon them. 

In v.29 of today's passage we read, "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."

This verse explains the previous verse, why Israel is the beloved enemy of God. In the end, many in Israel will have the story with God that you and I now have; Once the enemies of God but now beloved of God through Christ. God's calling will in the end be irrevocable or He does not withdraw the promise of eternal salvation that He has given to anyone willing enough to believe in Him. And, since we did nothing to earn His salvation, we could do nothing to lose it. This is the nature of grace. Grace is like water, it always runs downhill.

In v.30-31 of today's passage we read, "30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy."

The reason the gospel went to the Gentiles was because the Jews rejected it. So in a sense we owe our salvation to Jewish unbelief. But, we have no reason to boast or to be proud because we were once strangers to the promises of God. We had none of the privileges that God gave to Israel. But because of their unbelief we have been brought in and the gospel turned to the Gentiles. We Gentiles have come into the place of God's blessing because of His grace. And if we did not believe in the Lord Jesus, we would be cast out as well.

The key word in this section is the word "mercy" which speaks of God's generosity. It implies that salvation is not something we deserve but something we don't deserve. It is the mercy of God that withholds His punishment even though it is deserved by us.  Mercy is God granting forgiveness when it is not deserved.

God allowed sin because He has in His nature mercy.  And because God is a God of mercy, He has to exercise that mercy.  And the only way that mercy can be exercised is where there is sin. So in order for God to reveal Himself as a merciful God, He had to permit sin so that He can show His mercy toward the sinner. So, God allowed the whole world to be enveloped in unbelief and sin. He didn't make man sinful, He allowed us to be so. As a result, He shut us up in the prison of His judgment so that He might demonstrate His mercy to us. 

In v.32 of today's passage we read, "For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all."  

Israel was set aside by God temporarily because of their unbelief. Presently, the nation of Israel is not God's special people to take the gospel of the Lord Jesus to the world. They have been set aside because of their unbelief. And the Gentile church has been brought in to replace them. 

Our salvation is never gained by our merit, it is gained by us through God's mercy. In fact, it is not because we are worthy but rather because we are unworthy. And the day will come when God will grant His mercy to the believing Jew and the Jew will be grafted back into the place of God's blessing. The issue in both cases is mercy and nothing beyond mercy. It is mercy to the Gentiles. It is mercy to the Jew. It is merited in neither case by either.

At the end of this verse we read, "that He might have mercy on all." That does not teach universalism or the salvation of the whole of mankind. It simply means "all" in the sense of the Gentile church and the Jewish nation have the chance to experience God's mercy. God has allowed us all, Jew and Gentile to be imprisoned by sin so that "we might become the righteousness of God in Christ."  

I'm so grateful to the Lord for the rough times in my life because they have served me in crying out to the Lord. He has strangely been incredibly merciful to me. And, I have always known that in me no good thing dwells. That is, there has never been in me anything that could have made me right with Him. He had to cause and allow certain things in my life, most of which were very painful, to position me to see my need for Him. For so many years I was shut up in the prison of myself, unable to be persuaded by the truth. My darkened mind could not see, that is until the God of the Bible awakened me to Himself. And now, I am free to live this incredible life He has called me to where I see Him at work in this fallen and needy world. And, I am in wonder! 

Romans 11:25-27

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25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” ~ Romans 11:25-27

Today, we return to our study of Romans 9-11 which has as its overall theme: the Sovereignty of God. Underscored in this section is the fact that the people of Israel, by and large, have chosen to not place their faith in God's Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. This means that Israel forgot God, not that God has forgotten Israel. No, Israel forgot God and turned away from Him. And, they chose to reject the free gift of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

In v.25 of today's passage we read, "For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in."

There are times when believers in Christ experience ignorance with regard to God's will. In this case, our ignorance is caused by the lack of revelation on a given subject, namely here the blindness of the Jews regarding the identity of their Messiah. It is quite obvious in the Gospels and in the New Testament that some Jews did believe on the Lord Jesus as their Savior. In fact, such Old Testament passages like Daniel 9:24-27 revealed when the Messiah would come to the earth the first time. 

In Daniel 9:24-27 God gave us a 490 year prophecy concerning Israel. According to the prophecy there were three divisions. The first was the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The second would be the coming of the Messiah. The third was to be a seven year period at the end of time that many call the Tribulation. When we do the math and we multiply seventy times seven we have a total period of 490 years which are decreed for Daniel's people which are the Jews.

According to Daniel 9:25 from the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild the temple, the first period of time in this prophecy it would be a period of 49 years. The issuing of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem came in Nehemiah 2:1-8 which was 444 BC and the completion of the rebuild of Jerusalem was in 395 BC. That is a 49 year period of time that the Lord told Daniel in advance would happen.

The second part of the prophecy also found in Daniel 9:25 where we learn that from the issuing of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of the Messiah there would be 62 sevens. When we multiply 62 x 7 we get 434 years which was the many years later that the Lord Jesus arrived in Jerusalem as her King riding on the donkey. God had given Israel the precise dates to know the first coming of the Messiah but since the Lord Jesus did not fit their definition of a political messiah, they rejected Him. This underscores the utter necessity of God defining things for us.

Due to Israel's rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah, blindness in part has come upon Israel until the full number of Gentiles have come in. During this period that we know as the church age that we live in now, the emphasis of the gospel ministry has been mostly to Gentiles. When the number of the Gentiles is full, and only God knows what that is, at that point the church age will be over. The rapture of the church will take place at that point. Because of this, there is a clear distinction throughout the Bible between Israel and the Church. And, good biblical hermeneutics begins with keeping these two entities separate when we are making proper interpretation of the Scriptures.

In v.26-27 of today's passage we read, "26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins."

Note that some time in the future, the deliverer will come and turn godlessness away from Jacob who was renamed Israel. The significance of this is that Jacob is Israel in unbelief. I find Jeremiah 30:7 helpful because it describes the 70th seven of Daniel 9:27 as a time of Jacob's trouble. So, the point of the 70th seven is that God will deal with the unbelief of Israel during the Tribulation. You will also note that the first 69 sevens of Daniel 9 have been fulfilled, but the last seven has not. Most commonly call this last seven the Tribulation. The Lord Jesus refers to the last 3.5 years of the seven year tribulation as a time of great tribulation. 

I find it quite fascinating that the people group we know as the Jews perpetuate. Over and over throughout human history, the Jewish people have been the object of annihilation, yet, they perpetuate. And, it is clear, according to this passage, God has a clear plan for the people of Israel in the future. I find this comforting. God is sovereign over the will of anyone else. God, even though man resists His will, keeps His promises. And, the purpose of the Tribulation is to bring those Jews of Israel who will be living on earth during the Tribulation back to God. God will do this by the arrival of the Deliverer who is none other than the Lord Jesus Himself. When the Lord Jesus arrives on earth at His second coming, He will take Israel's sins away. This will happen because they will see Him come to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and they will recognize their Messiah as the crucified Lord Jesus. They will know that it will be Him due to the nail prints in His hands and in His feet.

Let me close by centering in on a thought that I brought up earlier. God is true to His promises. When our lives seem to be on life support, the word of God and my experiences have shown that God is true to His word. God promised the children of Israel a promised land, and, as the book of Exodus notes, God delivered. Promised Land people choose to trust God’s promises. They choose to believe that God is up to something good even though all we see looks bad. When the sky looks threatening, always respond with this thought: "But God said..." Whenever our lives do not go the way we desire, when doubts arise, we must remember the statement, "but God said…" We must be in the habit of searching the Scriptures like a miner digging for gold and trust the promises we find therein that are applicable to us. When we do this, we will be defined by God. This is how we navigate through this woeful world which seems to be spiraling out of control. This is how we navigate ourselves into the exciting adventure of a personal relationship with God.