There is no partiality with God ...
For there is no partiality with God. For all who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous before God, but those who do the law will be declared righteous. For whenever the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things required by the law, these who do not have the law are a law to themselves. They show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as their conscience bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or else defend them, on the day when God will judge the secrets of human hearts, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus. -Romans 2:11-16 NLT
In these few verses Paul addresses the issue of those who have not heard of the name of Jesus. He tells us that the Gentiles (those not counted as God's chosen people) have a law that is written in their hearts and a conscience that bears witness to right and wrong. I tend to see things in that light. I think that we are all created with a God given ability to respond to the voice of the Holy Spirit. God has never been partial with respect to race or ethnicity.
I love the way that the apostle speaks to the issue of responding to the information that we already have. He does not say that those who do not understand Sabbath laws should keep them. Rather he indicates that faith is responding to the things that we already know. The gentile Cornelius was such a man and the bible tells us that he was was devout and God-fearing. This man knew in his heart to be charitable and he generously responded in faith to God's voice.
Lord, help us to be like Peter and share the good news of your Son to those who are like Cornelius.
God’s kindness leads you to repentance ...
Therefore you are without excuse, whoever you are, when you judge someone else. For on whatever grounds you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth against those who practice such things. And do you think, whoever you are, when you judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? -Roman 2:1-4 NLT
Self-righteousness is one of the nastiest demeanors that a believer can have. I should know. In days gone by I often played the role of Pharisee looking down on others and judging them for the things that they did. I look back with shame at the attitude that I carried. I did not really understand that my judgment of others was creating a condemning sickness in my soul. Thanks be to God that I was forced to change. As my life got harder I had to let go of my judgment.
In my former years I could quote you the verse that tells us that "God’s kindness leads you to repentance". Yet I did not really understand that often God expresses his kindness through us. Kindness is the opposite of judgment. One cannot carry judgment in their hearts and then be the loving and kind presence of God to another. In contrast the Lord would have us to forbear and be patient with each other. For we do not really know how God is working in another's heart.
We need you so much Lord. Please drive every shred of self-righteousness from us. Help us to be kind.
God gave them over ...
For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies among themselves. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. -Romans 1:21-26 NLT
Is there a more troubling verse in all of holy writ than "God gave them over"? In these few sentences the apostle seems to reflect the sentiments written in the sixth chapter of Genesis when God says that he will not strive with man forever. I do not like to say it but there is time when He who is endless with patience will be patient with our obstinence not longer. The world is filled with those of whom it is plain to see that God has given them over to their unrelenting unbelief.
Many prefer to use the verses that follow these to condemn sexual sins that they are not tempted by. These, when they speak of this chapter, rarely ever mention, as Paul does mention, how God gives people over to covetousness, malice, envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility, gossip and slander. It is always easier to point to another's sin. Yet the context remains true that some love sinning more than they love God. These exchange the truth and glory of God for a lie.
Help our desires to be your desires Lord. Cause our hearts to always glorify you and give you thanks.
People are without excuse ...
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness, because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse.
-Romans 1:19-20 NLT
Salvation has never been an issue of the head. As Paul writes here, the world around us testifies to a Designer. Refusing to acknowledge this Designer of the universe is not scientific at all. Who can really look at the amazing and logical nature of the world around us and think that it all happened by accident? It is no more logical to do so than to credit the invention of the light bulb to random happenstance. One would have to have a biased agenda to do so.
In light of that, one has to wonder why so many deny the existence of a Designer. Paul says here that it is a matter of unrighteousness. From the beginning this has been so. In Eden our ancestral parents exchanged the truth for a lie. Since that time the lie grows. The lie tells people that there is no meaning to life. Everything is random. There is no Designer. No God to give an account to. It is an issue of the heart and people are without excuse.
Lord, we plead for those who are caught up in the mental gymnastics of atheism and agnosticism. BRING THEM HOME.
I am not ashamed of the gospel ...
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness, because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. -Romans 1:16-19 NLT
These words remind me that the gospel is all about the One who said that He would be ashamed of anyone who is ashamed of Him. To be ashamed of the good news is to be ashamed of Jesus Christ. In contrast we who live by faith proclaim the good news in the very way that we live. We acknowledge his transforming power when we love unconditionally. We shout out his salvation when we forgive. His righteousness is revealed when we live by faith.
I think that the phrase "the wrath of God" is one of the most misunderstood ones in the bible. The Greek word for wrath here is the same as the one translated as anger in this verse from the third chapter of Mark.
After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.Theologian Albert Barnes says of this that "our Lord has taught us that anger is never lawful except when it is tempered with grief or compassion for those who have offended." And Paul tells us here that God has made the gospel plain to all men - there is no one truly ignorant. The issue is not knowledge but a hardness of heart that keeps one from faith.
Show us any hard places that have lodged in our hearts Lord. Cleanse us of things that are not of faith.
That we may be mutually comforted ...
First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world. For God, whom I serve in my spirit by preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness that I continually remember you and I always ask in my prayers, if perhaps now at last I may succeed in visiting you according to the will of God. For I long to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, that is, that we may be mutually comforted by one another’s faith, both yours and mine. -Romans 1:8-12 NLT
Many times Paul opens his letters saying that he prays for his readers. Do you ever wonder what the prayers of the apostle looked like? I wonder how detailed and specific his prayers were. It begs the question of how we too should pray. Should our prayers include a laundry list of our needs and wants? Or should they more embody a deep trust in the One to whom we pray? Perhaps our focus on specific needs reflects worry more than faith and thanksgiving?
The words "that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you" speaks to me about the heart of a spiritual parent. I love the way that Paul writes about mutually comforting each other. These words reminds me that we are members of God's family. We so need the comfort of family when times are rough and their joy in our successes. Life is not meant to be lived in solitude. God comes to us in the form of others. We are His gifts of love to each other.
Bind us together Lord. Teach us to pray for each other. Help us to be Jesus to each other and to the world.
The Good News is about his Son.
This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. -Romans 1:1-4 NLT
These days we do not hear much of people calling themselves apostles. For sure there are a few but in general we use words like missionary and church planter to describe the work that Paul was commissioned to do way back then. I think that a strong sense of calling is required to do this kind of work. When I consider the beatings and imprisonments that he suffered the word "apostle" is not all that attractive. Perhaps it was never meant to appeal to our flesh?
What images come to your mind when you hear the words "Good News" or gospel? In just a few sentences Paul tells us that the gospel is prophetic - the coming of the Messiah was predicted centuries before he came. He tells us that the gospel is all about Christmas and Easter. The first four books of the New Testament are called gospels and tell us that the Good News is all about the birth, life, death and resurrection of God's Son. This gospel is for Jew and Gentile alike.
Lord, when I ponder your gospel all I can say is thank you Jesus for coming with such Good News for mankind.
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