I realize that it has been awhile since I have went through a book in the Bible, so I want to start this Bible study series in the book of Romans. For almost a month, I have been praying through this letter trying to understand it a little more, and I wish to share with you what I am finding.
I know parts of any Bible study can be provocative or even a little controversial. I hope to avoid those problems while encouraging a little discussion. If you do have something to write in the comments, all I ask is that it is constructive and doesn't demean anyone.
that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. Romans 1:12 (NIV)So let's get started. When reading this section of Scripture, verse 5 popped out at me:
Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. Romans 1:5 (NIV)Most of us would not consider ourselves Gentiles, so I looked up the meaning of the word. Gentile was a name given to all other nations by Israelites, and it carried a very negative connotation (almost as bad as "tax collector"). Paul was going to intermingle with people who were seen by Jews in a negative light because these people were uncircumcised and pagan in belief. He was over stepping the boundaries drawn by the people of Israel in order to reach a people group that God had clearly hoped to bring to salvation.
How often has God called us to reach out to people that others had given up on? How many people groups remain untouched with the good news of Jesus because people look down on them? How many people in our workplaces and schools remain unaffected by our faith because they look and act different?
I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. Romans 1:14-15 (NIV)How obligated are we to share the good news with all people? By obligated, I mean desperate or passionate.
Paul's faith leaped beyond prejudice and began leading him to a whole new world of people who needed good news in their life. There is an obedience that comes from faith that is unlike any other. This obedience produced by faith goes beyond natural and man-made laws. Laws only show us guilt; they do not produce obedience. Besides, laws can be interpreted in a vast number of ways by the beholder if original intent is not established.
I know this section doesn't mention the law but as you read further into this letter, Paul deals heavily with the consequences of God's law and man's law in our life. There are dangerous precedents set when we do not have anything to bind us to the law. The history of Israel shows us that fear of God alone was not enough to sustain their obedience.
Originally, Old Testament law was set up by God to show how man could have relationship with Him. Then enters Jesus. He came not to destroy or end the law, but to fulfill the law of the Old Testament. Jesus comes to do what the law failed to do: to give full, unrestricted access to God. Jesus came to give the law meaning and intent - to show us a better way. His death freed us from the confines of the law so that a relationship with God could be founded in His grace and through His justification (a word we will deal with later).
The Gospel (or good news) reveals a righteousness from God (verse 17). It is a righteousness from faith because the people who do the right thing do so by faith. Why? By faith, subconsciously or consciously, all people want to please God. Faith establishes our intent.
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Romans 1:16 (NIV)As Christians, we walk in obedience only through faith. Faith guides us and motivates our passions. Faith is believing to the point that our lives experience change and transformation. This transformation comes from and through Jesus. This is the good news.
- What is your intent today?
- How passionately will you prepare yourself to engage others about the good news they are waiting to hear?
- How motivated are you in your faith? What, if anything, needs to change?
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