Since we can experience salvation in Christ, now what?
Click here for an online Bible. Romans 12:1-2
Paul makes a shift in his letter at this point. He begins with “therefore.” This refers to all that has been addressed so far. In the first eleven chapters of Romans, Paul has been explaining salvation. He said that all people are sinners and are separated from God because of that sin. It doesn’t matter what religion you are, you are separated from God. The only way of reconciliation to God is by faith in Christ. Those who respond in faith are saved by the grace of God. It is not because of anything inherently good about us; it is because of God’s grace. Because of His mercy, He has chosen to save some people.
Therefore, in view of God’s mercy …
Paul has just made the case for how amazing the mercy of God is in saving us who deserve condemnation. So now he urges his fellow Christians (my brothers) to consider their appropriate response to the mercy of God.
He urges us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. The image is of a burnt sacrifice. We often associate burnt offerings with the Law of Moses. There are burnt offerings in the Law, but we see burnt offerings earlier. Noah offered burnt offerings after the flood. God told Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt sacrifice. Abraham knew what He was talking about. Even Isaac understood and asked where the lamb was for the offering. Before receiving the Law on Mount Sinai, Moses told Pharaoh to let the Israelites go and make burnt offerings to God. A burnt offering is an animal that is killed then burned on an altar as an offering to God. There are two aspects to remember about the offering. The animal is killed. It is a reminder of the seriousness of sin. As sinners, we deserve death. The death of the animal is a vivid picture of the death which comes from sin. Secondly, there is a cost. The best animal of the flock is offered as the burnt sacrifice. The person offering the sacrifice is giving up something which is of value. He willingly gives it up to God in love and faith.
Offering ourselves as a sacrifice builds on this picture of the burnt offering. We die to self and give ourselves to God. Paul specifically says that we are living sacrifices. But we still die to self and now live for God. There is cost. We give up our selfish desires and personal plans. Instead, we make God’s priorities our priorities.
So, how do we do this? Paul says that it is done by the renewing of our minds. That means that we have to change how we think. We have to learn how to think the way that God would have us to think. We feed on God’s word in order to have the information that God has given us and to adopt the attitudes of God.
The reward is that then we can understand God’s will. As we are transformed in our thinking, our will becomes aligned with God’s will. We want what God wants. Our greatest joy is to see God’s will accomplished.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Friday Romans 11:33-36
Paul sums up his discourse on salvation.
Click here for an online Bible. Romans 11:33-36
Paul has been dealing with some difficult concepts. People are separated from God because of sin. Even the people that God had chosen as His own, the Jews, suffer from this separation. God revealed Himself to all through nature so that everybody can see their guilt before God. He has specifically revealed Himself to the Jews through the Law and the Prophets to show their guilt.
But God has also revealed Himself through His son, Jesus Christ, who suffered and died so that any who respond in faith can live. All are lost because of sin, but any who believe can be saved. Salvation is by the grace of God through faith in Christ. This is the only way of reconciliation with God.
God has chosen some for salvation. These are the elect. In His sovereignty, He has chosen to save some. His holiness demands justice because our sins deserve condemnation. His love prompts Him to step in and save some. Sin there is nothing that we can do to deserve salvation, the choice is based on His sovereignty, not anything in us.
As we ponder these truths, we can respond in a couple of ways. We can object and accuse God of not being fair. He should save everybody. But, in that scenario, justice would have no meaning. We could deny the truth of election and maintain that we chose God. But, that fails to understand the depth of our corruption. It also minimizes grace and the love of God.
Or we could respond like Paul in Romans 11:33-36. He sings a song of praise to God. Who could have come up with a plan like this other than God? From the death of Christ comes eternal life. From the giving up of self comes true freedom. Praise be to God. Amen.
Click here for an online Bible. Romans 11:33-36
Paul has been dealing with some difficult concepts. People are separated from God because of sin. Even the people that God had chosen as His own, the Jews, suffer from this separation. God revealed Himself to all through nature so that everybody can see their guilt before God. He has specifically revealed Himself to the Jews through the Law and the Prophets to show their guilt.
But God has also revealed Himself through His son, Jesus Christ, who suffered and died so that any who respond in faith can live. All are lost because of sin, but any who believe can be saved. Salvation is by the grace of God through faith in Christ. This is the only way of reconciliation with God.
God has chosen some for salvation. These are the elect. In His sovereignty, He has chosen to save some. His holiness demands justice because our sins deserve condemnation. His love prompts Him to step in and save some. Sin there is nothing that we can do to deserve salvation, the choice is based on His sovereignty, not anything in us.
As we ponder these truths, we can respond in a couple of ways. We can object and accuse God of not being fair. He should save everybody. But, in that scenario, justice would have no meaning. We could deny the truth of election and maintain that we chose God. But, that fails to understand the depth of our corruption. It also minimizes grace and the love of God.
Or we could respond like Paul in Romans 11:33-36. He sings a song of praise to God. Who could have come up with a plan like this other than God? From the death of Christ comes eternal life. From the giving up of self comes true freedom. Praise be to God. Amen.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Thursday Romans 11:11-32
Paul looks forward to the Jews coming to Christ.
Click here for an online Bible. Romans 11:11-32
The majority of the Jews have not experienced salvation through faith in Christ. Does this mean that they are cut off forever? Paul says, “By no means!” This condition is temporary. God has preserved a remnant of the Jews, but the majority of them have hardened hearts.
God has brought the gospel to the Gentiles, so that they can be reconciled with God. And He will use the faith of the Gentiles to reach the unbelieving Jews.
Paul speaks to the believing Gentiles. He warns them not to be arrogant. They have not replaced the Jewish people. He uses an agricultural example to explain. The way olive trees were grown was by grafting fruit-producing branches to a wild tree. The wild tree was strong and hardy. It could support the domestic branches and then produce better fruit. What God has done is somewhat different. The domesticated tree is Israel. However, the domesticated tree has not been producing fruit. So, God has taken wild branches (the Gentiles) and grafted them to the domestic tree. Now, the tree can produce fruit.
At a time in the future, God will graft the natural branches back into the tree again. Then the people of Israel will no longer be hardened to the gospel, but will respond in faith. This is not a promise that every single Jew will be saved but is better understood that Jews will be saved from all over Israel.
When will this time be? We don’t know. We know that it will be when the full number of Gentiles have come to faith. This will not be a new way of salvation. It will be like it always has. Salvation is by grace through faith.
Just as God did not let the Jews slide, He will not let us slide. We are called for a purpose. We have a mission. That mission is to glorify God and take the message of Christ to the world.
Click here for an online Bible. Romans 11:11-32
The majority of the Jews have not experienced salvation through faith in Christ. Does this mean that they are cut off forever? Paul says, “By no means!” This condition is temporary. God has preserved a remnant of the Jews, but the majority of them have hardened hearts.
God has brought the gospel to the Gentiles, so that they can be reconciled with God. And He will use the faith of the Gentiles to reach the unbelieving Jews.
Paul speaks to the believing Gentiles. He warns them not to be arrogant. They have not replaced the Jewish people. He uses an agricultural example to explain. The way olive trees were grown was by grafting fruit-producing branches to a wild tree. The wild tree was strong and hardy. It could support the domestic branches and then produce better fruit. What God has done is somewhat different. The domesticated tree is Israel. However, the domesticated tree has not been producing fruit. So, God has taken wild branches (the Gentiles) and grafted them to the domestic tree. Now, the tree can produce fruit.
At a time in the future, God will graft the natural branches back into the tree again. Then the people of Israel will no longer be hardened to the gospel, but will respond in faith. This is not a promise that every single Jew will be saved but is better understood that Jews will be saved from all over Israel.
When will this time be? We don’t know. We know that it will be when the full number of Gentiles have come to faith. This will not be a new way of salvation. It will be like it always has. Salvation is by grace through faith.
Just as God did not let the Jews slide, He will not let us slide. We are called for a purpose. We have a mission. That mission is to glorify God and take the message of Christ to the world.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Wednesday Romans 11:1-10
Paul continues to explain the condition of Paul’s Jewish brethren.
Click here for an online Bible. Romans 11:1-10
God called Abraham to establish a family which would grow into a great people. They would be the people of God. They were to show the rest of the world how to relate to God. God gave them rules and made promises to them.
They claimed the promises of God, but overall as a people, did not follow the standards which God had given them. However, God had always said, “If you follow me, then I will bless you.” He had always told them to live by faith.
So when Jesus came as the fulfillment of God’s promises, and the Jews rejected Him, they missed God’s promise.
Paul asks the question, “Did God reject His people?” No, He did not reject His people. In reality, they had rejected Him. Paul points out that there were many Jews who did believe. Paul himself was a Jew and he was a follower of Christ. Many Jews were believers.
This problem was not new. Paul looks back to the time of Elijah (1 Kings 18 and 19). The Jewish people had fallen into the pagan worship of the false god Baal. Elijah had the great showdown with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Baal was shown to be a false God and the prophets of Baal were killed. But then Queen Jezebel set out to kill Elijah. He ran and hid in the wilderness. He complained to God that he was the only one left who was still faithful. God told Elijah that He had preserved a remnant of 7000 who had not followed Baal.
The same was true in Paul’s day. God had preserved a remnant who were still faithful. Paul was part of that remnant. They were preserved by the grace of God. The others were hardened.
This hardening of the hearts is troubling to us often. God says that He wants people to come to faith but He says that He hardens the hearts of people so that they cannot come to faith. What’s up with this?
I addressed the issue of hardening some back in Sunday’s blog. The main point is God’s sovereignty. He is in charge. He can harden the hearts of people in order to bring glory to Himself. He knows what is best. He is all loving and all merciful, yet He is also holy and just.
He hardens people by turning them over to their own corrupt nature. The hardening examples that we see in the scripture are in response to people hardening their own hearts.
Click here for an online Bible. Romans 11:1-10
God called Abraham to establish a family which would grow into a great people. They would be the people of God. They were to show the rest of the world how to relate to God. God gave them rules and made promises to them.
They claimed the promises of God, but overall as a people, did not follow the standards which God had given them. However, God had always said, “If you follow me, then I will bless you.” He had always told them to live by faith.
So when Jesus came as the fulfillment of God’s promises, and the Jews rejected Him, they missed God’s promise.
Paul asks the question, “Did God reject His people?” No, He did not reject His people. In reality, they had rejected Him. Paul points out that there were many Jews who did believe. Paul himself was a Jew and he was a follower of Christ. Many Jews were believers.
This problem was not new. Paul looks back to the time of Elijah (1 Kings 18 and 19). The Jewish people had fallen into the pagan worship of the false god Baal. Elijah had the great showdown with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Baal was shown to be a false God and the prophets of Baal were killed. But then Queen Jezebel set out to kill Elijah. He ran and hid in the wilderness. He complained to God that he was the only one left who was still faithful. God told Elijah that He had preserved a remnant of 7000 who had not followed Baal.
The same was true in Paul’s day. God had preserved a remnant who were still faithful. Paul was part of that remnant. They were preserved by the grace of God. The others were hardened.
This hardening of the hearts is troubling to us often. God says that He wants people to come to faith but He says that He hardens the hearts of people so that they cannot come to faith. What’s up with this?
I addressed the issue of hardening some back in Sunday’s blog. The main point is God’s sovereignty. He is in charge. He can harden the hearts of people in order to bring glory to Himself. He knows what is best. He is all loving and all merciful, yet He is also holy and just.
He hardens people by turning them over to their own corrupt nature. The hardening examples that we see in the scripture are in response to people hardening their own hearts.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Tuesday Romans 10:1-21
Paul continues to explain why many Jews are not saved.
Click here for an online Bible. Romans 10:1-21
The Jews had been given the Law, yet many of them did not experience salvation. Paul says in verse 1 that his heart’s desire is that they be saved. They are zealous but in the wrong way. Their zealousness is based on their own effort rather than the grace of God.
Paul makes three quotes from Deuteronomy 30. In that passage, Moses instructs the Israelites to follow the Law. He tells them that God wants them to follow Him with all of their hearts and souls. God desires obedience, but salvation has always been by faith. The faith that Moses talked about was a faith in what God promised for the future. Now we know that the faith is about Jesus Christ.
Paul links the gospel of Christ with the call to faith of the Old Testament. Nobody can believe unless they hear the gospel message. Someone has to go and tell people about Christ. So, how did the Jews hear the message? Paul quotes from Isaiah and Psalms. They heard the message through the prophets.
But maybe they didn’t understand. Paul quotes Deuteronomy again. If pagans can understand the message, then certainly the Jews who had known the word of God should be able to understand.
The problem was willful disobedience. The issue was hard hearts.
That is still the problem. People do not respond to Christ because they need more information. They resist because of the hardness of hearts.
Click here for an online Bible. Romans 10:1-21
The Jews had been given the Law, yet many of them did not experience salvation. Paul says in verse 1 that his heart’s desire is that they be saved. They are zealous but in the wrong way. Their zealousness is based on their own effort rather than the grace of God.
Paul makes three quotes from Deuteronomy 30. In that passage, Moses instructs the Israelites to follow the Law. He tells them that God wants them to follow Him with all of their hearts and souls. God desires obedience, but salvation has always been by faith. The faith that Moses talked about was a faith in what God promised for the future. Now we know that the faith is about Jesus Christ.
Paul links the gospel of Christ with the call to faith of the Old Testament. Nobody can believe unless they hear the gospel message. Someone has to go and tell people about Christ. So, how did the Jews hear the message? Paul quotes from Isaiah and Psalms. They heard the message through the prophets.
But maybe they didn’t understand. Paul quotes Deuteronomy again. If pagans can understand the message, then certainly the Jews who had known the word of God should be able to understand.
The problem was willful disobedience. The issue was hard hearts.
That is still the problem. People do not respond to Christ because they need more information. They resist because of the hardness of hearts.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Monday Romans 9:30-33
What is God doing?
Click here for an online Bible. Romans 9:30-33
Paul has been giving an explanation of election. God has chosen that some would believe. He is writing to the church in Rome. There were several Jews who had become followers of Christ in Rome. That was the case in all of the churches. When Paul traveled to new places to preach the gospel, he always went first to the Jewish community. They were prime candidates to hear the gospel. They knew the Scriptures. They knew God. They were waiting for a savior. When they heard the gospel, some believed and others rejected belief. Then Paul went to the Gentiles with the gospel. Many believed.
Many of the first century Christians were Jews, but a growing number were Gentiles. Why did God not save all of the Jews? Can God’s promises be believed?
Paul begins a new segment of his argument in Romans 9:30. “What then shall we say?” What do we make of this truth of election? What is God up to?
The Jews who have been pursuing righteousness by following the Law of Moses have not received salvation. The Gentiles who knew nothing of God have received salvation. What’s up with that?
The issue is faith. Paul has already explained that salvation is by grace through faith. The nation of Israel has not been pursuing righteousness by faith; they have been pursuing righteousness by works.
Paul quotes from two verses in Isaiah (8:14 and 28:16). He combines them into a single verse. The problem at the time of Paul was the same as the problem in the time of Isaiah (700 BC). In Isaiah’s time, the nation of Israel tried to rely on neighboring kingdoms for protection rather than relying on God. They did not follow God in faith. They same problem was still around at the time of Jesus. As a population, they did not accept in faith God’s plan in the person of Jesus.
God did not reject all of the Jews. He accepted those who responded in faith. God did not save all of the Gentiles, only those who responded in faith. The same is true today. The invitation is to respond in faith to Jesus Christ and receive the free gift of salvation.
The irony is that those who should have understood the message of the gospel did not. The gospel was a stumbling block.
There is a warning for us. Whenever we rely on our own abilities instead of God’s strength, we are not living by faith. Whenever we follow our own plans instead of God’s plan, we are not living by faith. Whenever we think that our lives are our own instead of belonging to Him, we are not living by faith. And when we are not living by faith, we may find that God’s real plan seems like a stumbling block.
Click here for an online Bible. Romans 9:30-33
Paul has been giving an explanation of election. God has chosen that some would believe. He is writing to the church in Rome. There were several Jews who had become followers of Christ in Rome. That was the case in all of the churches. When Paul traveled to new places to preach the gospel, he always went first to the Jewish community. They were prime candidates to hear the gospel. They knew the Scriptures. They knew God. They were waiting for a savior. When they heard the gospel, some believed and others rejected belief. Then Paul went to the Gentiles with the gospel. Many believed.
Many of the first century Christians were Jews, but a growing number were Gentiles. Why did God not save all of the Jews? Can God’s promises be believed?
Paul begins a new segment of his argument in Romans 9:30. “What then shall we say?” What do we make of this truth of election? What is God up to?
The Jews who have been pursuing righteousness by following the Law of Moses have not received salvation. The Gentiles who knew nothing of God have received salvation. What’s up with that?
The issue is faith. Paul has already explained that salvation is by grace through faith. The nation of Israel has not been pursuing righteousness by faith; they have been pursuing righteousness by works.
Paul quotes from two verses in Isaiah (8:14 and 28:16). He combines them into a single verse. The problem at the time of Paul was the same as the problem in the time of Isaiah (700 BC). In Isaiah’s time, the nation of Israel tried to rely on neighboring kingdoms for protection rather than relying on God. They did not follow God in faith. They same problem was still around at the time of Jesus. As a population, they did not accept in faith God’s plan in the person of Jesus.
God did not reject all of the Jews. He accepted those who responded in faith. God did not save all of the Gentiles, only those who responded in faith. The same is true today. The invitation is to respond in faith to Jesus Christ and receive the free gift of salvation.
The irony is that those who should have understood the message of the gospel did not. The gospel was a stumbling block.
There is a warning for us. Whenever we rely on our own abilities instead of God’s strength, we are not living by faith. Whenever we follow our own plans instead of God’s plan, we are not living by faith. Whenever we think that our lives are our own instead of belonging to Him, we are not living by faith. And when we are not living by faith, we may find that God’s real plan seems like a stumbling block.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Sunday Romans 9:14-29
Paul continues to explain election.
Click here for an online Bible. Romans 9:14-29
Paul has just introduced the idea of election (choice). Usually when we use the word choice with salvation we think of the choice of people in accepting or rejecting Christ. As with many doctrinal issues, there is tension in the doctrine of salvation. Who does the choosing? Do we choose God, or does God choose us? The answer is, “Yes.”
Another way of labeling the issue is free will versus God’s sovereignty. The Bible teaches both. In this part of Romans, Paul is stressing the truth of God’s sovereignty.
Paul anticipates the question, “Is God unjust?” There are two factors at work: justice and mercy. They come from God’s characteristics of holiness and love. God is holy and we are sinful. We know that wrath is God’s holy response to our sin. Holiness is what drives justice. Sin deserves condemnation. We deserve Hell because of God’s holiness. If God let everybody off the hook, then there would be no justice.
However, we also know that God is loving. It is because of God’s love that not everybody is condemned. This is the concept of mercy. Because God is merciful, some are saved.
In Exodus 33, God said to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy.” The people had rebelled against God and the Lord said that He would destroy the people. Moses pleaded with God for the Israelites. God said that He would spare the people. Moses asked God to show his glory to Moses. God allowed Moses to have a glimpse of His glory. What God was saying to Moses is that He is in charge. He chooses who He will have mercy on and who He will show His glory. God is sovereign.
Then Paul says that God hardens whoever He desires to harden. Paul specifically mentions Pharaoh. When Moses told Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, Pharaoh hardened his heart against God. In chapter 9 of Exodus, we read that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. How does God harden a person’s heart? Remember back in Romans 1 when we saw how God’s response to the sinfulness of people can include turning them over to their sinfulness. Part of the general blessing we enjoy is the restraint of evil. God’s hardening of a heart is His withdraw of restraint and releasing them to their own sinfulness. We see in the case of Pharaoh, God’s hardening of Pharaoh’s heart was in response to Pharaoh’s hardening of his own heart.
We are often uncomfortable with the doctrine of election. We think that it is not fair. Paul says that we are not in a position to pass judgment on God. God has the same authority over us as a potter has over a piece of pottery.
So, what do we do with this? If God chooses who gets saved, do we really have any free will? Why share the gospel is God has already made His list? Are we just robots?
We know from our experience that we have free will. We choose whether or not to follow God. We live in our perspective. We live in the world of free choice.
Buy we have confidence in God. We know He has chosen to save some. So, we know that some will respond to the gospel. We know God’s justice and mercy is perfect. We trust Him.
This is the tension.
Click here for an online Bible. Romans 9:14-29
Paul has just introduced the idea of election (choice). Usually when we use the word choice with salvation we think of the choice of people in accepting or rejecting Christ. As with many doctrinal issues, there is tension in the doctrine of salvation. Who does the choosing? Do we choose God, or does God choose us? The answer is, “Yes.”
Another way of labeling the issue is free will versus God’s sovereignty. The Bible teaches both. In this part of Romans, Paul is stressing the truth of God’s sovereignty.
Paul anticipates the question, “Is God unjust?” There are two factors at work: justice and mercy. They come from God’s characteristics of holiness and love. God is holy and we are sinful. We know that wrath is God’s holy response to our sin. Holiness is what drives justice. Sin deserves condemnation. We deserve Hell because of God’s holiness. If God let everybody off the hook, then there would be no justice.
However, we also know that God is loving. It is because of God’s love that not everybody is condemned. This is the concept of mercy. Because God is merciful, some are saved.
In Exodus 33, God said to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy.” The people had rebelled against God and the Lord said that He would destroy the people. Moses pleaded with God for the Israelites. God said that He would spare the people. Moses asked God to show his glory to Moses. God allowed Moses to have a glimpse of His glory. What God was saying to Moses is that He is in charge. He chooses who He will have mercy on and who He will show His glory. God is sovereign.
Then Paul says that God hardens whoever He desires to harden. Paul specifically mentions Pharaoh. When Moses told Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, Pharaoh hardened his heart against God. In chapter 9 of Exodus, we read that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. How does God harden a person’s heart? Remember back in Romans 1 when we saw how God’s response to the sinfulness of people can include turning them over to their sinfulness. Part of the general blessing we enjoy is the restraint of evil. God’s hardening of a heart is His withdraw of restraint and releasing them to their own sinfulness. We see in the case of Pharaoh, God’s hardening of Pharaoh’s heart was in response to Pharaoh’s hardening of his own heart.
We are often uncomfortable with the doctrine of election. We think that it is not fair. Paul says that we are not in a position to pass judgment on God. God has the same authority over us as a potter has over a piece of pottery.
So, what do we do with this? If God chooses who gets saved, do we really have any free will? Why share the gospel is God has already made His list? Are we just robots?
We know from our experience that we have free will. We choose whether or not to follow God. We live in our perspective. We live in the world of free choice.
Buy we have confidence in God. We know He has chosen to save some. So, we know that some will respond to the gospel. We know God’s justice and mercy is perfect. We trust Him.
This is the tension.
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