Let Freedom Ring. Romans 14.

Chapter 14 of Romans is a great passage about our freedom in Christ. We can eat and drink and even be merry I suppose, as long as we don't cause someone else to stumble. That makes sense, and it makes me feel free. But, and this is a big but, we are not free to judge others, or cause another brother to stumble, or fall into sin because of our freedom. In reality, our freedom brings far more responsibility than actually serving as a blank check to happy times. What gets me the most is verse 12 -"So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God." Notice it doesn't say "give an account for my brother over there who is really screwing up". No, just an account for me. Thankfully, I am under no condemnation, but I will need take responsibility for my freedom. So, eat, and drink and be merry. But remember, "make every effort to do what leads to mutual edification" (verse 19). Cheers!

hook's note: Dan Ferguson is Pastor of Outreach and Missions at BCC.

Debt Free. Romans 13.

“Debt free!” It’s a worthy goal and aspiration of many people. We want to be free from unnecessary financial obligations to others that enslave us. However, the Bible says that there is one debt that we should always owe. Your first inclination might be to think that the debt would be to God. However, Paul has another debtor in mind.

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another” (emphasis added). Our debt to God was paid in full by Jesus at the cross, but our debt to other Christians is never paid off. This means that we are never done demonstrating love to other people in the church. Jesus declared that loving others was a facet of the greatest commandment in the Law (Matt. 22:39 -40). Here Paul goes a step further by saying that if you love another Christian you have fulfilled the law.

This challenges us on a number of fronts. We want to believe that there is a basic standard and that there is an “above-and-beyond” standard. We feel that if we do more than the basic requirements that there should be some kind of reward for us. The way Paul presents this, there is no “above-and-beyond.” No matter how much love I have shown for another person, I haven’t given them all the love that I owe to them. This definitely challenges many of us. We don’t want to be in debt to another person. I have known people that intentionally refuse to accept the good graces of others because they don’t want to owe them anything.

This challenge to never be “all paid up” in the loving others category is a revolutionary idea, especially in light of our culture. The truth is that this world’s system is passing away and Jesus’ return is imminent. When we choose to live counter-culturally by loving others without end our attachment to this world diminishes, and we put ourselves in a better place to be ready to welcome Jesus when he returns.

hook's note: Scott Gassoway is Pastor of Middle School Students at BCC.

Conformed or Transformed. Romans 12.

"Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2a NIV This verse is one that I would categorize as a "life verse" - it is one that is foundational for me and I believe is one that is a key verse for all believers.

We are commissioned by Jesus to “go and make disciples” and Christian discipleship is not a state to be attained or a goal to be achieved. It is a process of constant, continual, lifelong learning and following after Jesus. That process results in life transformation which is the ultimate goal in spiritual formation in the church. Paul says that we are called to “conformity with Jesus Christ” (Romans 8:29). Whereas Paul had previously encouraged conformity to Christ, he now discourages conformity to the patterns of this world and encourages believers to undergo a transformation through a changed mind.

I believe that transformation happens as we are engaged with the Word of God and we allow God's Spirit to reign in our lives so that we are transformed according to God's pattern and by God's power. As we find ourselves being transformed into the likeness of Christ as disciples then we can function like the church body and live the kind of lives that exemplify the Christian graces he describes later in this very chapter.

Are you conformed to this world or are you being transformed by the renewal of your mind?

hook's note: Steve Isom is the Pastor of Adult Ed at BCC, and is all about transformation.

Saved by Envy. Romans 11.

When was the last time your heart was broken by the unsaved?

Here in Romans 9-11, we have a powerful example of what it feels like to grieve for those who have rejected God. And in Paul's case, the people doing the rejecting are his own people, the Jews. Paul's love and desire for his own people never left him. And when he writes to the multi-cultural church in Rome, he wants to make sure that they know that neither he nor God has given up on Israel.

How gut-wrenching must it have been for Paul, a lifelong Jew, to finally see that Jesus is the real Messiah, only to have the rest of his people reject the very notion. Then, incredibly, Paul finds himself living and ministering amongst the Gentiles, the very people who have always been incapable of living correctly in the eyes of Jews.

The culture shock must have been pretty intense. But it must have been even more shocking, as a Jew, to ever find yourself in the position of looking at a Gentile and saying, "I want what he's got!" Of course, that's exactly what happened.

As you read through Romans 11, notice a few things:

1) Paul uses the OT example of Elijah and the prophets of Baal to show that God intended to keep a faithful "remnant" for Himself in order to make the same point now: God intends to choose some of Israel to receive by grace what they couldn't earn by works. The fact that He allowed some to be hardened is not an argument that God chose some to go to Hell. It's a method by which He helped save those who wouldn't have been saved otherwise by showing how impossible it is to keep the law. And, even despite their hardness, the Jews have not stumbled too far to be rescued by the mysterious grace of God.



2) Because of the stubbornness of the Jews, the Gentiles were allowed to become partakers of the Gospel. And so, the hardened Jews saw that those who had no business being holy were suddenly called holy and "grafted" in to the family of God. Imagine what they must have thought to see idol-worshipping, heathen Gentiles suddenly understand themselves to be "children of God." If the Gentiles could do it, surely the Jews must be able to accept the Messiah. And so, as Paul writes, "salvation came to the Gentiles to make Israel envious."



3) How will God save all of Israel? Could it be that Israel's response to the Gentiles' inclusion will make them turn away from godlessness?

"Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all." (11:30-32)

In other words, our disobedience leads to God's mercy. And of course, Paul has already said that this mercy doesn't give us license to sin more. Instead, this mercy leads us to repentence and obedience.



4) And just to make sure that he makes it clear that a) he doesn't fully understand why God is doing what he's doing, and b) it still seems a bit crazy to him, Paul includes his "doxology." "Who has known the mind of the Lord?" "How unsearchable are His judgments." It makes so sense for God's chosen people to reject Him. It makes no sense for idol-worshipping Gentiles to be made holy. And it's crazy that God would use envy to bring His people back to Him.

But when God's heart is broken for His people, He doesn't hesitate to use any means necessary to get them back.

One final note: I totally agree with Gerry about the question of figuring out who's chosen and who's not. That's not our job. Scripture is very clear that Paul doesn't spend any time trying to figure out who's in or who's out. He takes the Gospel to every one without regard of their culture, history, or even their attitudes. And we should do the same.

“All the Ends of the Earth Will See the Salvation of Our God.” Romans 10.

As a young man, after spending a few years in the work force, I felt God’s urge to explore World Missions. And so, after getting a 3 month leave from Tektronix by God’s grace, I took off for the University of North Dakota for a summer of linguistics training from Wycliffe Bible Translators. Further stints with Wycliffe followed on later.

The Scriptural inspiration was Rom 10:15: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” That passage has never left me.

In looking at the Old Testament reference, Isa 52:7, we see the image of a herald, proclaiming to Israel that their captivity is coming to an end. What a joy! The Lord has “comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem”. But most of all, and we can’t forget this, the message is “Your God reigns”; and “all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.” It’s all about God, [just a little] about us. To Him be the glory; we get the reflection of the glory.

If we look carefully at this passage in Isa 52:5-10 we see two verses that are quoted in Romans, and another alluded to all over:

Isa 52:5 = Rom 2:24 - God’s name mocked because of Israel’s sin
Isa 52:7 = Rom 10:15 – God’s salvation proclaimed
Isa 52:10 ~ Rom 10:13,18, 15:9-12, 15:19; 1:8, 16:19 – “ends of the earth” seeing God’s salvation

We see here a progression: from 2:24 (God’s name mocked), to 10:15 (God’s name proclaimed), to 10:12-13, etc. (the nations accepting the message), and then finally at the end of Romans in 16:27 (God’s name glorified).

Paul was steeped in the Old Testament, and thus we see OT themes bursting out all over. And don’t forget, in Rom 1:2 Paul describes his mission as proclaiming “the gospel [God] promised beforehand in [the OT].” Here in Isaiah we see a microcosm of God’s redemption story, his plan for world missions if you will, played out in Israel’s exile and return. In Romans we see Paul’s exposition of this story, expanded to cover all of human history. As we carefully look at the OT passages we will find themes like this again and again.

There is another tie between Rom 10 and the Rom 2:24 text, although it comes out further in the passage at 3:22. I discovered this while memorizing some Romans verses, and found that two of them “sounded the same”. In 3:22 and also in 10:12 there is this phrase “there is no difference”; it was very distinctive. I found out later that the Greek words are totally identical and that nothing else like it occurs anywhere else in the Bible. Here are the two passages, somewhat expanded:

. . . there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
. . . there is no difference between Jew and Gentile . . . the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

This clearly shows a thematic tie (and I have since confirmed this in some commentaries). We have the negative and the positive. In the Romans 3 passage (beginning at 1:18) we see the culmination of the Jews’ attempt to maintain purity by “separatism” and nationalistic pride, all the while playing the “judge” of the Gentiles’ sins. The result (3:10-18) was a string of sins just as bad as anything the Gentiles did. There was no difference; they all fell into the same cesspool, and failed to give glory to God.

But in Rom 10:11-13 this is all turned around. Now, by sending Messiah Jesus, God did what Israel failed to do; he became a light for the Gentiles (Gen 12:3, Isa 42:6, Lu 2:32). And so, “there in no difference . . . everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” If we move forward to 10:18, noting the reference to Psalm 19, we will pick up the reference to God’s glory: “The heavens declare the glory of God . . .”

May each of us consider how we may help in the task of spreading God’s glory throughout the nations.

---------------------------

Part two:

I feel constrained to comment briefly on Rom 10:9-10, since these are so often quoted and serve as the final passage of the "Romans Road" to salvation. And because I became a Christian in my college years, this passage is also very important to me.

This passage follows 10:8 ("the word is near you, it is in your mouth and in your heart") and the pair of strange verses in front of it, which talk about ascending into heaven and descending into the deep. It is all a reference to Deut 30:11 ff, where Moses puts God's law before his people, interestingly enough describing it as "not too difficult". In fact, God is a gracious God, and does not want this to be too difficult. It is within our reach, but it is a matter of the heart. And this becomes much more clear in the NT, although in the OT it was always so.

What I find most interesting here is that God does not expect us to search all over for his truth. As he says in Deut 30:13 we do not need to "cross the sea"; nor do we have to reach up to heaven or go to the bottom of the ocean. The message is that we don't need to search for God; in reality he is searching for us. He is putting his word near us, in our mouth and in our heart if we will only accept it.

And some of the time God will use us to "cross the sea" to help get his word to others.

hook's note: Robb Starr is a long-time member at BCC, and has studied Romans extensively.

Crooked sticks. Romans 9.

So, like most of us, unless you are a die hard “Calvinist”, or a died in the wool “Arminian”, you probably don’t give much thought to the argument that has been waged over the centuries since the time of John Calvin. You know, I’m talking about the doctrine of free will, versus the concept of election. After all, these are both taught in scripture. But does one stand over the other?

Romans chapter 9 is one of several places where the concept of election is heralded. It is one of the hallmarks quoted by Calvinists. However, while the doctrine of election is clearly articulated here, it is in light of Paul’s passion for his Jewish brethren. He starts the chapter out by stating such. Yet he quickly turns to leaning clearly on God’s will, not his own. Paul would have his own brethren saved to the peril of his own salvation. We should be quick to see however here that the point he is clearly making is that salvation is not an entitlement. We see this “non-entitlement” thought clearly delineated in the 4th chapter of Romans as well where Paul states that if Abraham had earned it, his righteousness would be a paycheck, and not the result of his faith. His circumcision came after his faithfulness as a sign of his commitment to his Lord; he was right with God because of his faith, not because of his circumcision. In this, the 9th chapter, Paul releases the electrifying non-entitlement statement that “not all who are descended from Israel ‘are’ Israel”. He then goes on to point out the chosen lineage coming from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and in the case of Jacob, how he is chosen by God over Esau (Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated … by the way … that term hated, in context here is devoid of ‘passion’. While it does mean “separated”, and “despised”, it is not with the same emotional context as commonly used today – rather it is meant to differentiate directionally where His favor would be pointed). Paul then points out how this lineage is revolutionarily extended to those who are children of Abraham; revolutionarily not because these are Jewish people by race, but rather because it is extended to those who exhibit this same faith that Abraham exhibited; even unto gentiles. There’s nothing in there about keeping the law, wearing phylacteries, or never cutting your curly locks! Abraham received Gods promise (Genesis 12) because of his faith. All those who exhibit this faith are children of Abraham. God has chosen children of the faith to be His lineage. Paul drives this home by quoting Isaiah not once, twice, or three times, but four times – OUCH!

So then, the question arises; which is Paul exhorting us to here, election or faith? Election, which from the Greek “Ekloge” clearly means “God Choosing” those whom He bestows his favor upon. However faith is different. It seems to have implication as to a voluntary act, or an act of the will. Faith is tied directly to the concept of “belief”. In John, when Jesus was questioned as to what the works are that please the Father, His answer was very direct, “The work of the Father is this; “believe” in the one whom He has sent (of course meaning Jesus). That term “believe” is from the Greek Pistueo (pist-yoo-o) which means to have total confidence in, to place your complete trust upon, to have reliance upon … all in direct relation to your eternal salvation. Again, this implies a cognizant “giving up of” reliance upon yourself. This is clearly an act of the will. So are you confused? I am!

One final point of reference as to “who gets in to heaven by which means”. It comes from the 1st chapter of Ephesians. It looks like it’s a banner day for the Calvinists here in the beginning. Paul leads off the inning by stating “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the “will” of God. Sounds like election to me! Then we jump down to verse 4, where again he implies pretty directly (at least some) being chosen by saying “For He ‘chose’ us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.” He then goes on to say “In love, He ‘predestined’ us (wow, now that’s a big word with big Calvinist implications) – to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera … all the way down through verse 12. It’s full of this “being chosen” stuff. But then we get to verse 13. Here comes the bottom half of the inning; it seems that the Arminians come up to bat. He says “And You Also” – (obviously meaning a different group of people than he was discussing in the first 12 verses) were included in Christ when you “heard” the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having “believed” you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession (now there’s a whole other discussion about eternal security … which ought to make some of you smile) – to the praise of His glory”. Now wait a minute … first we have to hear, and then we have to believe? Those sound like works? How come we are not chosen in the same vein as the Jews, the Apostles, and Paul?

What does this all me to us Born Again believers in Jesus Christ? Pragmatically speaking with regard to your eternal salvation as it stands right now this minute, not much! I mean from a “mysteries of God” thing, it’s pretty amazing to try and comprehend how it is that God chooses to save. It’s even more amazing that, as Dean Carey used to say, “God chooses to use crooked sticks like us to hit home runs”. He uses us to bring His message of salvation out to the lost. But as far as you personally are concerned, you are Born Again! For you, the work is done, it is complete. You have the Holy Spirit inside of you as a deposit … guaranteeing your salvation. You are crucified with Christ, it is no longer you who lives, but Christ living in you! Why worry about what is out of your control? You know what you have to do … get to doing it … NOW!

There is no need for us to sweat, let alone argue over this. We are commanded to make Disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – teaching them to obey all that He commands. We are not called to decipher if one person is chosen or not, that’s not our gig. Nor are we to decipher “if” He will save them. That’s His job. To you, that care is a distraction! Our job is way big enough. Share the Gospel! And if I read the reaction correctly from so many Christians, the job of fulfilling this “command” is sometimes too much for them (my hats off to all of you folks working in the “discipleship” … education … department at BCC, you get to fix this problem!).

It is certainly a mystery how God chooses to save. To me, it’s even more of a mystery that he would use a “crooked stick” like me to hit one out of the park. God has placed many a pair of eyes in front of us that he has warranted an all out search for. Do something about it! Now that’s a lot to comprehend!

hook's note: Gerry Lefebvre is a long-time member of BCC, plays a mean trumpet, and teaches the Disciplemakers class, Sundays at 11:00am.

No condemnation. Romans 8.

To me, two of the most powerful words spoken in any movie, are heard near the end of Saving Private Ryan. The movie is set in France during WW2 where a small company of men is sent to find and bring safely home the only surviving brother of three who were in the war. In the course of carrying out their mission, nearly all of the men give their lives to bring Ryan back home, including their leader who is played by Tom Hanks. Before he dies, knowing that Ryan will soon be headed home, he looks into the young man’s eyes and speaks these compelling words he says, “Earn this!” He wants him to understand that he has been given a gift. These words become a kind of calling upon his life to live in a significantly different way because of the great price that was paid for him to be alive.

To me, two of the most powerful words found anywhere in the Bible were penned by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8. The setting is everyday life, and Paul points out that we are in a very real battle with the forces of our flesh and the law of sin. Our great lack holiness has permanently separated us from God so that being with Him at all is impossible. We are doomed. Then enter his compelling words in verse one, “…no condemnation…” Once we were dead in our sins, without hope, alone. Our life expectancy was zero! But we have been rescued by Christ, at the cost of His dear life. These two words are a message of freedom and a new life…here and for eternity.

I see so many parallels between these two missions. Both were rescue operations that required traveling far from home, in hostile territory. Both missions were for the benefit of someone/s who did not know them at all. Both required absolute commitment to the point of death to ensure success. Both succeeded in setting their people free. In each case, their freedom was a free gift for the recipient. Each left a profound impact on the lives of those rescued.

There is one significant difference, however. Ryan was left alone to somehow live his life differently in the power of his own strength. Not so with those of us who now belong to Christ. Verse one tells us that our condemnation is removed, not because of our good (yet imperfect) efforts, but because of the perfect efforts of Jesus Christ. And when we are “in Christ” we are not only forgiven, we are changed. We will never again be alone. Ryan received a gift of life. But how great a new life we who trust in Christ have received!

As you read through the rest of Romans 8, be mindful of how powerful this “new” life really is. Paul teaches us that we have a new position, a new deliverance, a new relationship with His family, a new hope, a new provision, and new answers in this life.

May those two little words have a renewed and powerful impact on your life as you live in a significantly different way, yet in the power of God’s Spirit living within.

hook's note: Greg Wright is a pastor at BCC overseeing Small Groups and Worship.

Sinner or Saint? Romans 7.

In the first 4 chapters of Romans, Paul shows that all of us, religious or not, are sinful and deserve judgment and death. He shows us that through faith alone, in Christ alone, we are forgiven, our sins are covered over, and we are justified before God solely by the death of Jesus.

In chapters 5-8, Paul begins to show us who we now are through the life of Jesus. We are not just sinners who are forgiven, who still have an old sin nature, who someday will get to replace it when we get to heaven. We have been filled with the Holy Spirit and as we learn to walk in faith in that Spirit, we develop character, perseverance, and hope. Not only were we reconciled to God, we became full of the life of Christ! (Rom 5) Not only did our sin nature die with Jesus, we are freed from slavery to sin, and our new spirit is alive and a slave to Christ alone! (Rom 6).

Romans 7 is perhaps one of the most misinterpreted and controversial passages in the bible. On first read it sounds like Paul is confessing to us what you and I often feel and have often heard taught – that we want to do good, but we are sinners by nature, and the sinful nature we have keeps us doing what we hate. I am altogether evil, and will be until I’m fully redeemed in glory, so I need to deny myself from acting out who I really am. That is not what this passage affirms! You do not have two natures battling within you, and living the Christian life is not about denying who you really are to attempt to become what you should be.

The confusion begins with the chapter divisions. Rom 7:1-6 is completing the thought from chapter 6 with an example. Rom 7:7- 8:11 is a new section emphasizing how different who we are in Christ is to who we were before. The second confusion is with the Greek words translated “sinful nature” in vs 5 and vs 18 in many translations, which should be translated “flesh”. It is just flesh, not a second nature battling within.

The next part of the confusion is whether Paul is referring to himself as a believer, or what he was like as a law abiding Jew before he knew Christ. Many might identify with and say this passage is just like how they feel as a believer. But that is not what Paul is referring to. Note in vs 5 he says “when we were controlled by” the flesh, ie. before we knew Jesus, back when we were slaves to our flesh. Vs 14 also affirms that he is speaking as to when he was a “slave to sin”, but in 6:22 he just told us that in Christ we are no longer slaves to sin! Therefore, this passage is written describing himself when he was a law abiding Jew, before he had a new spirit.

Now try reading the passage from this perspective – vs 1-6 as an a completion of chapter 6, and vs 7-8:11 as a new topic beginning with a review of his life before Jesus and a picture of his life in the Spirit, and inserting “flesh” when you see “sinful nature” in Chapters 7 and 8.

Rom 7:1-6 once our “sinful nature” was our flesh enslaved by the law to sin, but now that nature is dead, we are not enslaved to it, and we have no more obligation to it than a widow does to her dead husband – we are free to pursue a new life married to Jesus. We are now free to live by our new “nature” –our new Spirit housed until heaven in our flesh.

Rom 7:7-25. Paul contrasts this new life in the Spirit with the old life in the flesh by reflecting back on the frustrating conflict he felt trying to obey the law as a Jew. He willed to do good, but he was a slave to the sin that reigned in his body. Who will rescue him from this body of death? God will through Jesus! In fact, he will do it twice, or at least in two parts. First we are recreated in Christ and filled with His Spirit now (2 Cor 5:17, Gal 2:20), and later we will lose our flesh (I Cor 15:50-55). Both of these themes are emphasized in one of the most powerful chapters in the New Testament. But that is for tomorrow!

Let me end on a personal note. I spent many years struggling as a Christian to deny myself, reckon myself dead to sin, and freed from sin (when I was convinced that I was not), and feeling as frustrated as Paul did before he knew Jesus. Maybe that is where you are now. Romans 5-8 released me from that as I finally understood who I am in Christ and began responding to that in faith. I’m not a sinner, nor do I have a sin nature, nor am I even who I was before I knew Jesus. I’m more than forgiven and justified, I’m a new creation altogether, filled with the Spirit of God, a partaker of the divine nature, and am being conformed to the likeness of Jesus, my spirit crying out to know Him from deep within. I am a son of God, of a holy nation and kingdom of priests, an ambassador chosen by God and gifted to serve Him uniquely. My spirit doesn't even want to sin, so I ruthlessly starve fleshly habits and instead offer myself willingly, eagerly as an instrument of God. I am a saint, and in faith I will walk in the Spirit and the works He has given me! Once you see this, the entire New Testament will confirm that it is true. Walk on with me fellow saint!

hook's note: Mark Owen is an elder and community pastor for Ethnos.

On Being Crucified. Romans 6.

I remember having to write a paper in seminary on any passage from Galatians that I wanted. My thoughts automatically drifted towards Galatians 2:17-21. The day before the paper was due, I walked into the computer lab at Multnomah, sat down, and read the passage.

And then the tears came.

Unexpectedly, surprisingly, I noticed something in this passage that altered my understanding of my life in Christ.

What I realized that day was that Christ loved me enough to make it possible for my life to change. Left to myself, my life would never get better, I would never know God and become like Christ. For some reason, God looked down on me and sent His son to die so that my life might be forever altered. See, it doesn’t say, “Christ was crucified for me” or “Christ was crucified because of me,” but it says, “I have been crucified with Christ.” The passages took on a whole new meaning for me when I read it that way, because it means that something within me has changed.

As I was thinking about the text for today, Romans 6, I realized that Paul is unpacking that idea from Galatians 2 in much more detail. Here are some thoughts about Romans 6 to chew on. I hope they help.

1-4 – When did you die? Instead of asking people when they were saved, the better question is, when did you die? When did you recognize that the life you live does not have to be soaked with sin? If you have indeed died to sin, you cannot live in it any longer. But why? Is it because you simply try harder not to sin? Is it because of your good attendance at church and bible study? No. Paul is about to tell you how this death to sin occurs.

We’ve been baptized into Christ and baptized in His death. In other words, we are fully incorporated into Him. We are also buried with Him, so that we might be raised with Him. Now what does this really mean? If you participate in Christ, if Christ has truly come into your life, you become like Him, you “die” with Him so that you can live a new life. Therefore, you die to sin. You don’t just keep making the same decisions time and time again, then relying of God to forgive you so that you can go do it all again.

Or at least, you don’t have to. And, the end result is that you can live a new life, not just in the hereafter, but now.

In verses 5-10, we see the same sentence structure used twice to describe our new life.

5,8 – Full Union – we have fully become united with Christ, so we know that when we die we will live with heaven.
6,9 – Finished with sin – we no longer should be slaves to sin. Our old self might refer to the way we were in Adam. The reality of Adam is that we knew about sin, but Paul says that “our old self,” or the Adamic part of us, was crucified with Christ. In other words, it died. We now can choose whether or not to sin.
7,10 – Final work – you have been freed once and for all, you don’t have to return to the life you once had in Adam.

This section suggests that our identification with Christ takes place so that we can be permanently free from sin’s domination.

So why don’t we feel free?

11-14 – Well, try counting yourselves dead to sin but alive to God. In other words, recognize that this drastic, total change has in fact taken place in your life. You have to consistently recognize this truth, to be fully persuaded that God is capable of doing this in your life. Don’t let sin reign. Don’t offer your body to sin, but offer yourself to God, because he brought you from death to life. Sin does not have to be your master because of the grace of God. But it doesn’t happen automatically. Putting away sin does not happen without our cooperation. God did not make us robots. We have the ability to choose to make this principle real in our lives.

Sometimes we get a glimpse of what this life looks like. I think that as I sat in front of that computer that day and read Galatians 2, I caught a glimpse of the depth of life that has been offered to me through Christ Jesus. I have complete freedom from sin, if I choose to grab it. If you really want to live as a Christian, you must understand and accept this reality. Then, when it comes to making choices, you’ll know that you have more options than you think.

But, how does this work out practically? What about all those choices that you and I have to make every day? Is it really as simple as choosing not to sin?

God seems to think so.

In Joshua 24, God tells a long story through the mouth of Joshua to the entire leadership of the nation of Israel. This story contains the major events in the history of the nation of Israel. God did this, God did that. Why is He telling the elders all of this? In this case, the whole story is told for a purpose. Joshua wants Israel to make a choice. They must choose between two alternatives: serving themselves, or serving God. These are really the only two options that God is giving His people: it’s either God or yourself. There are no other choices to make.

This passage is a window into our lives as Christians today. We have seen God do incredible things, we have an intellectual understanding of God. And yet we face the same choice that the nation of Israel faces here. God says, “Fear me! Serve me! But, if that seems undesirable to you, then choose yourself.” We are in the same boat today, and we have a choice to make.

In Romans 6:15-23, Paul echoes this moment in the life of Israel, but he frames it as an individual choice.

15-16 – The basic question is this: because we have grace, does that mean that we can and should sin? The answer of course, is no. But why? If we decide that we are going to listen to that part of us that calls us to sin, we have made ourselves slaves. But, Paul just said two verses earlier that we don’t have to be slaves to sin anymore. In other words, what Paul is saying here is that we have the power now, through Christ and Christ alone, to make a choice about whether or not we obey our sinful desires or not. The choice, as he says in verse 16, is between sin and obedience. And here’s the thing: we automatically make a choice. We can’t stand back and look at these things and say, “I’m not going to choose.” By choosing not to choose, we choose ourselves. This is one of the essential truth of the Christian life: we are constantly making our choice for or against God.

Please understand: you can’t do any obeying on your own. God expects us to obey Him, but our obedience is the product of His grace. By saying, “God, I want to serve You,” you allow Him access to your life to do the work that He wants to do. This is called submission.

17-18 – Paul stops here and gives thanks for the situation that the Roman Christians find themselves in. He gives thanks not so much for their former slavery to sin, but that because of their obedience, they have appropriated God’s power to come away from sin and be slaves to righteousness. It’s always easier to see what you need when you don’t have it. These people can look back and see the history that they have and recognize where they came from, just like the leaders of Israel could as God spoke to them through Joshua.

19 – Here’s the center of this section. Think about what it would mean if you spent all your energies not on yourself and your desires, but on becoming holy. That’s what this is all leading up to. Choosing yourself will always lead you to wickedness and selfishness, choosing God will always lead you to righteousness and holiness.

20-22 – Paul now states the reverse condition: when you were slaves to sin, you were set free from the control of righteousness. It’s interesting that most non-Christians think of Christians as so restricted and so constrained by faith. But non-Christians have to make the same choices that Christians are confronted with. The difference is, they are not free to live a truly righteous life, because they don’t have the living Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. If one is not serving God, then whether knowingly or not, one is serving sin.

So, Paul is saying, think about it: How did being a slave to sin affect you? What benefit did you reap at that time from those things that you are now ashamed of? You ever sit around and tell those stories about your past and all the junk that came from it? Why? It’s one thing to learn from your mistakes. But don’t keep reliving them. Move on!

Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you gain leads to holiness, and ultimately eternal life. Holiness is what we’re talking about here. Choosing God leads you down the path to holiness.

23 – The conclusion of this section makes it clear what the stakes are in this discussion: those who are slaves to sin are storing up for themselves death, but those who are slaves to righteousness have received the free gift from God and have gained eternal life. Remember, this section starts with the question, “Should we sin because we have grace?” When we receive Christ, when we receive grace, we are free to choose our master. We don’t have to sin. We can choose not to. But it’s not automatic. Throughout this section, Paul throws in commands, implying that it just doesn’t happen without your cooperation. God can offer you salvation without your cooperation, but He can’t make you holy without your cooperation.

At the end of God’s story, Joshua looks at the long history that God has demonstrated, and he says, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” What are you going to do? Look at your own life, and see for yourself. There have been times when you have been pursuing holiness, and there have been times when you have forgotten God. You’ve made these choices throughout your Christian life. And now, you can choose once and for all. That’s what Paul wants you to know. Sin does not have to dominate you. It doesn’t have to be a roller-coaster faith. God is powerful enough to remove that from you. You’ve been crucified with Christ. But, you have to choose to live His life and let yours go.

hook's note: Tom Beasley is senior pastor of Butteville Community Church. His blog is here.

... to be continued. Romans 5.

Have you ever been watching a television show, only to realize at some point that there isn't enough time left for the plot to resolve, and this episode is going to end with the words, "... to be continued"? How do you react? Inevitably when the next episode does air, it begins with words like, "previously on ...", or "last week...", or "the story so far."

The story so far...
We certainly haven't followed the traditional road through Romans, and I think that's a good thing. I hope that you'll take a moment to look at the posts for Romans 1-4 if you haven't already done so. Let me backtrack just a bit and paint a very broad picture of what Paul has written.

In verses 1:16,17, Paul provides us with the heart of what he means by the gospel -- the good news. As he announces it, this good news reveals the righteousness of God, and describes the powerful means God provides salvation for any who believe. Much of what follows will amplify and expand on those ideas. Here's a definition of salvation I've found useful: salvation is deliverance or rescue from danger or death to a former state of safety, especially from the consequences of a broken relationship with God. In the NT, sometimes the word salvation refers to the action or event, and sometimes it refers to the state of being.

Paul proceeds to describe the universal condition and need of mankind, and then how God meets that need, how He provides salvation. The transition between the description of the need and the provision for solution takes place in v.3:19-26.

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed – namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed. This was also to demonstrate his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus’ faithfulness.

Note that both thoughts concerning the gospel that Paul stated in verses 1:16,17 are contained in this section: God's righteousness, and the power to save -- "the just and the justifier" as Steve quoted last week. Note also that the need of mankind is stated, followed by God's provision to meet that need: "For there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

In chapter 4, Paul has shows that just as the condition of unrighteousness is true of all of humanity, so too, is God's solution. He uses the Biblical account of Abraham to do that, and in the process nails down this thought: Abraham's faith was credited as righteousness. This faith wasn't without action, just as ours should have action. As Robb said, we're called to obedience that comes from faith.

This gets us to today's reading, which contains two large thoughts. The first is contained in verses 5:1-11, in which Paul tells about the blessings we receive as a result of our being made right in God's eyes by the actions of Jesus -- peace, joy, hope, and love. And now...

Today's episode.
Paul's second large thought (v.5:12-21) is a summation of the history of God's creation, humanity, into just two points of significance: Adam's fall and Jesus' life and death. Both are about the same thing: obedient response to our Creator. In Adam's case, we don't need to concern ourselves with all his life, just the point where he was disobedient, because after that it doesn't matter. In Jesus' case, we do need to see all of His life, all the way to death on a cross, which was His last act of obedience. And He did it -- He was fully obedient to the Father's will.

That's pretty much all I wanted to say. Meditate on Paul's thinking about Adam and Christ. Meditate on your own about the significance of Adam and Christ, as Paul surely did in formulating his way to tell the good news. Celebrate the fact that as dismal as sin is, that as great a contaminating failure as it has been, how much greater is the recovery through God's grace. "Where sin has been multiplied, grace has been showered, so that as sin was king in the land of death, grace might reign in justice for an eternity of Life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (v.5:21 translation by Andy Gaus)

As Ernie said last week, there are people who still don't know this gospel story. People you know. People you can tell.

... to be continued.

The One who declares the unrighteous godly. Romans 4.

As we consider the 4th chapter of Romans today, we need to remember a key point Paul made near the end of what we know as chapter three…

For we consider that a person is declared righteous by faith apart from the works of the law. (Romans 3:28).

We are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

Our reading today goes on to further amplify this point. Remember, one of the key points of the entire book of Romans is this matter of justification by faith.

Verse four is obviously a key verse in this passage:

Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited due to grace but due to obligation. (Romans 4:4)

When you “work” at your job, your salary or wage is not a gift. It is something you have “earned”. Your employer is obligated by law to pay you for your time and energy expended in the task(s) for which you are responsible.

In contrast, our salvation, though costly beyond our human conception, is “free”. It is given to us as a free gift! We are saved by God’s grace through faith and it has nothing to do with anything we “do”! Salvation is a totally humbling gift. There is nothing we can “brag” about when it comes to being one who is right with God. It is completely His work, not ours! It is the fruit of His work given freely to those who trust in His work and in His promise.

And why does he give us salvation in this way? Because it is His nature! Listen to how God characterizes Himself in these words penned by the Apostle Paul:

But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness. (Romans 4:5 NIV)

How is God characterized by Paul in this chapter? He is one who “declares the ungodly righteous”! Isn’t it amazing that the only true and living God, our Creator, has this nature! Religious people usually think of God as the one who “rewards” righteous people with salvation. But this is a lie. Our God, the only true and living God is the one who deals with sin and judges it. And having dealt with our sin in the execution of Christ, he declares “ungodly” people like you and me as “righteous” because we are trusting in His promise to do so.

My wife and I presently live in Siberia. Most of the population here have no idea of what God is like. And they certainly don’t know that he is the God who “declares the ungodly righteous”. My responsibility is to make myself available to God to be used in two ways:

1. To inform people here that they are ungodly, i.e., that they sin against their holy Creator. And once they have been convicted of this reality by the Holy Spirit (John 16:8),
2. it is then my responsibility to inform them that their Creator, the very one against whom they have sinned, is also the one to whom they can turn for mercy and grace!

The heart of man is the same no matter where you live. The need of man is the same no matter where you live. Are you carrying out these two responsibilities in your part of the world? Are your friends and workmates aware that their Creator is one who “declares the ungodly righteous”? Are they aware that they are ungodly? Are they aware that they have no hope unless they receive mercy, grace, and forgiveness from their Creator? If not, you have some work to do!

hook's note: Ernie and Ricki Pruitt are BCC missionaries serving in Siberia.

Disadvantaged or Justified? Romans 3.

As I thought about this chapter I was initially thinking about the opening question that Paul poses regarding the advantage in being a Jew or the value of circumcision. It plays out well in the rest of the chapter especially in verse 23 when we must all acknowledge that we are disadvantaged or "fall short" of God's criteria for righteousness - we are sinners and are hopelessly lost.

Then I read the post for Romans 2 and it turned my attention away from the negative musings about all of our failures and sins and pointed me back to the awesome grace of God who is both "just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus" (v. 26). God's law convicts us of our sin and demonstrates our need for a savior as we become conscious of our sin when faced with the righteousness and justness of God, but the joy and delight in this chapter is to be found in the fact that the same God who is so holy and righteous is the one who loves us and saves us from our sins.

The real gem in this chapter is not our sin and lostness, but the fact that God is both "just and Justifier". Praise the Lord for the fact that in my hour of need - when I was "disadvantaged" and lost, He has provided for my redemption through His Son, Jesus Christ.

My prayer for you today is that as you read you see yourself not as a hopeless sinner, but as one who is blessed and justified in Christ. May your reading of Romans 3 today be one that is full of God's grace and truth!

The Kindness of God. Romans 2.

So I'm reading through the first couple of chapters of Paul's letter to the Roman's and I'm thinking "Wow, this is bad news", all this talk about God's wrath against mankind and His righteous judgment against sinners. Yet this bad news is exactly what makes the Gospel the good news. But in the midst of all this wrath and judgment talk, I hear the word "kindness" - specifically God's kindness. In verse 4 of chapter two Paul says that it is God's kindness that leads us to repentance. Of course we know the role of repentance in our salvation, but how many times do we actually acknowledge that it is because of God's kindness that we can come to faith. I am encouraged. Salvation is all of God. In fact, as John Piper once wrote - God is the Gospel - the beginning, the middle and the end - it is all about God. As you read through the predicament of mankind as Paul relates in this letter, thank God for His kindness. I trust it has led you to repentance and to faith in Christ.

A Gospel for all Nations. Romans 1.

So, now, on to Romans. What do we make of this book, the first of the epistles in the New Testament? The NIV Study Bible describes it as “The most systematic of Paul’s letters.” Others, however, find the “system” elusive.

Right now, I’m thinking of the tsunami of wrath unleashed in verses 1:18 and which continues, with just a few interludes, up until 3:20. What manner of God are we encountering in this journey? But I also know we will reach the glories of God’s awesome love crystallized in 8:31-39, so I do not lose heart.

Romans can be confusing. I remember several years ago being constantly mystified why Paul constantly seemed to go on tangents and non sequiturs. So we see in Rom 6:15, “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” Well, okay, here we have it: the great “Calvinist – Arminian” debate (can a person lose his salvation) is about to be solved! Ok, Paul, what happens to the person who is “saved by faith” and yet continues in sin? Does he lose his salvation, or not?

And yet Paul gives us no help. He’s already off on a different path.

Only later did it dawn on me that perhaps Paul wasn’t thinking about the “Calvinist – Arminian” question, since obviously those two gentlemen lived 1500 years after Paul.

To find out what Paul was thinking about in Romans, we can look at 1:1-5. We see here “Jesus Christ”, “gospel”, “by his prophets in the Holy Scriptures”, “obedience of faith among all the Gentiles”. And then we can go to the very end of the book (16:25-27) and we see “Jesus Christ”, “gospel”, “prophetic scriptures”, “to all nations . . . obedience of faith”. Very interesting -- we see here a bracket around the body of the book. As we learned in school long ago: “First tell them what you are going to say, then say it [16 chapters worth], and finally tell them what you just said.” If we keep these themes in mind then perhaps we may follow the flow of Paul’s thought more easily as we read through the book.

My own capsulized version of Paul’s thought goes like this: “The OT prophets taught the good news [gospel] that the Messiah [Christ] would come, and all nations would receive God’s promises through faith in Him.” Paul’s opponents, to whom he is responding in Romans, had a different opinion: “God’s promises in the OT were obviously given to the Jews, and therefore anyone who expected to be part of God’s kingdom had better become a Jew and get circumcised.”

And, by the way, notice that Paul says “obedience of faith”. He does not say “faith instead of obedience”. As we encounter the “faith - works” passages later on in Romans, to supplement our previous study of Galatians and James, it might be useful to keep these “bracket comments” in mind.

Another thing that had me confused at first was Paul’s comment in 1:2 about the “gospel promised beforehand in the Holy Scriptures”. This meant the Old Testament, and we see that Paul frequently quotes the OT (always positively). That seemed strange, because as I understood it, the OT taught “salvation by law” or “salvation by works”, whereas the NT taught “salvation by grace through faith”. So why did Paul call his message the “gospel promised in the [OT]”, if he was supposedly contradicting the OT message of “salvation by works”? To make sense of all this, it will be helpful to pay careful attention to how Paul uses these OT passages, as the letter progresses.

And from here I’ll move to another side of Paul, because he was not only a rigorous theologian, but also had a pastor’s heart. We can see this starting at 1:6, and especially in 1:11-12 where he yearns for fellowship with them; and we can observe from chap 16 how well he knew several of the people from that church.

And finally, we can’t forget that Paul had the legs of a missionary. His gospel “to all nations” was carried out in his body as well as his words. As we see from Acts, he did finally make it to Rome, as to most everywhere else in the region. Most commentators think he was in Corinth as he was writing the letter. As he says in 1:13-15 “I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I often intended to come to you (and was prevented until now), so that I may have some fruit even among you, just as I already have among the rest of the Gentiles. I am a debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. Thus I am eager also to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome.”

As I read through Romans I am taken by Paul’s intense missionary zeal. In fact, I don’t know how one can fully grasp his message without that understanding. His rigorous theology said, “The gospel must go to all nations, not just Jews; can’t you see even in the OT how this is prophesied!” And his personal comments (1:13-15 as noted above, and see also 15:19-24) show that his practical theology is just the same. His mind, soul, and body were all on the same page.

hook's note: Robb Starr is a long-time member at BCC, and has studied Romans extensively.

Mission possible. Matthew 28.

One of my favorite TV shows as a kid was Mission Impossible (not to be compared to the movies of the same name). In the opening scene, the head of the Impossible Mission Force would find a tape recorder in some unusual location, and then listen to his mission while examining a packet of materials: "Good morning, Mr. Phelps. The man you are looking at is ... Your mission, should you choose to accept it... As always, should any of your IM Force be caught or killed... This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim."

"Here's your mission should you choose to accept it." Matthew 28 ends with Jesus' instructions to His disciples and to all disciples who follow. He gives them a mission, but one that's possible, although in some ways it must have seemed overwhelmingly impossible to them at the time -- make disciples of all the nations. Here's how Matthew related the event:

“So the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain Jesus had designated. When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. Then Jesus came up and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'” (Matthew 28:16-20 NET)

For the most part, in this blog I've tried to steer clear of the commonly expressed ideas in the passages we're reading -- the ones that you often hear preached on. Instead, I've tried to focus on small pieces, on application and devotion, or sometimes on explaining difficulties in the text of the day. Today, though, I think it's essential to concentrate on this mission given to the eleven, and to us, even if you've heard it before. And I don't have any profound thoughts to give you, just an encouragement to really pay attention to what Jesus said. (How's that for an encouragement to quit reading?)

Let's dispense with the language issues first. One classic way people have viewed this commission of Jesus is to focus on the verbs: go, make, baptize, and teach. That's not a bad way to look at what Jesus said, and certainly has devotional impact. It's just a little imprecise, and there's also impact in the precision of what Jesus said. First, the tense of "go" is better expressed in English as "having gone". That's not nearly as natural as the command we read in most translations, but look at the implication -- within Jesus' command to them and us, is an assumption that we will, that we have, that we are going. Paraphrasing, "once you've hit the road for Me, make disciples everywhere. And you will be hitting the road."

The second language issue is that the commission is about going out and making disciples. Baptizing and teaching are the ways in which we make disciples. Adding to my paraphrase above, the next sentence might read, "Here's how you make disciples. Call them to follow me, and have them express their commitment in baptism. Teach them what I taught you, not just for understanding, but for application to their lives in obedience." Implied in this, of course, is that the eleven disciples are also to obey. And we are to obey, too, because we're those disciples they were to "make".

Let's look at one more aspect of the language, and that is the idea contained in the word translated as "nations". The Greek word, ethnos, has already been defined as a word of the day (see the archive). It carries with it the idea of a distinct group of people, not necessarily a nation as we understand it today. The common description used today is "people group". This word also meant not-Israel, or put another way, all the Gentile nations. Thus contained in Jesus' commission of His disciples is the expressed understanding that His message of the kingdom of heaven, is for every people.

Remember a couple of chapters back, where we read that just before Jesus was crucified, He told a few parables describing what it meant to live in readiness for His return. One of those parables was about the servants who were given money to multiply for the master, as told in Matthew 25:14-30. The task given them, the amount of responsibility they received, was commensurate with their ability. The major point of this parable, like that of the faithful and wise slave told earlier, is that the way we wait in readiness for the Master's return is to apply our abilities fully to the responsibility He has given us. I'd like to suggest that the mission to make disciples is our primary responsibility while we wait in readiness. Each of us can and must apply our abilities, our gifts, our situation in life to this task.

There really is no greater calling for us. And we'll all contribute in different ways, and in varying degrees, just as Jesus taught in the parable. We are commanded to love God and love others, no doubt. But our assignment is to make disciples -- those who will likewise obey those commands to love God and love other, along with all the other commands Jesus gave us. And as we obey Him and His commands, we will also, no doubt, be more productive in the making of disciples. But our assignment remains -- make disciples through baptizing and teaching.

This commission is a topic rich beyond the scope of a blog entry to begin to cover. But here are a couple of thoughts. Before someone takes the step of baptism, they have to understand a number of items -- their need, the solution provided by Jesus, the commitment made in taking that step, and the invitation of God's Spirit. They may not understand this completely, but without some understanding the baptism is meaningless. So a part of making disciples, is to participate in that process, either directly or indirectly, of developing an understanding on the part of those who don't yet follow Jesus. Supporting missionaries, for example, allows the kingdom message to literally go out to all the people groups. More directly, we have an impact on those within our sphere of influence, by how we live, what we say, and in directly sharing our relationship with Jesus.

Once someone has decided to follow Jesus (though it probably begins before then), we can participate in the teaching them the commands of Jesus, and their need to obey them. Again, we may play various roles in this process of becoming mature followers of Jesus.

Regardless of our specific role, we each have a role to play, and it's incumbent on us to take that responsibility seriously. Likewise we are also in the role of the learner and obeyer, so that we also become mature disciples. And as we do, then we'll have the joy of taking on additional responsibilities for Him.

One final thought. We're not on our own. "And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Thank God for that.


This is our mission possible, and we choose to accept it.

Good Friday thoughts. Matthew 27.

We're almost finished with Matthew's account of Jesus the Messiah. One of the benefits of our reading program is that each quarter we'll spend time in a gospel, adding to our understanding of the One we follow. In Mark's account we get the basic structure of Jesus' ministry, with an emphasis on the sequence of events and the activities of His life which demonstrated His authority and servant-hood. In Matthew, we see much of Jesus' teaching, and the way in which He fulfilled prophecy, establishing Him as the kingly Messiah. Later, in the accounts of Luke and John, we'll gain additional perspective about Jesus.

But every account will reach this day, the day we call Good Friday, when after a series of bogus trials, Jesus was executed on a cross. Yes, there will be some variations in the accounts, and that is one way to approach the reading for today. For example, Mark gives us the time (the third hour) Jesus was crucified, Matthew does not. Matthew tells us about Judas and his attempt to return the money to the Jewish leaders in remorse.

In the end, though, we are faced with the death of the Messiah. It's a dark day, a day of remorse on our own part, a day to reflect on God's love and sacrifice. A day when the curtain between God and mankind was torn in two. In His letter to the Romans, Paul puts Christ's death at the heart of his theology -- "But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us... For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by his life?" (v.5:8, 10).

All the teachings we've received in Matthew -- the blessings for the poor in spirit, for the meek; the need to come into the kingdom humbly, like a child; the call to live lives in line with the heart of the law; the necessity of being a forgiving community -- all these teachings and more, culminate in Jesus' sacrificial, excruciating, and shameful death on a cross. We can't avoid it. It is a good day to reflect on Jesus' life and death.

God bless you in your reflection.

Failed commitment. Matthew 26.

"Peter said to him, 'Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you.' And all the disciples said the same thing." (Matthew 26:35 NET)

Peter sounds completely ready to die for or with Jesus at this moment. The other disciples agree.

"At that he began to curse, and he swore with an oath, 'I do not know the man!' At that moment a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: 'Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.' And he went outside and wept bitterly." (Matthew 26:74,75 NET)

What happened to that resolve in the short length of time before the rooster crowed?

And what happens to our resolve when we fail in keeping a commitment to Him?

People get ready. Matthew 25.

This has been an unusual week for me as I've settled down at the computer to write an entry for each day's reading. Most days the process is straightforward: read the passage a couple of times, and write about either what caught my attention, or about what looks like it needs further explanation. Occasionally, I've approached the reading with the intent of sharing resources, tools, and techniques for studying the Bible, such as the sequence on doing a devotional study, or dealing with parables.

But this week I've had the same two reactions to each day's reading. The first reaction is that I see a "sermon" or "lesson" clearly laid out in the chapter. I don't want this blog to be about sermons, even if it's not without sermonizing. And, of course, a sermon would take a while to flesh out and record, and that's time that I don't have, and you probably don't either. The second reaction I've experienced is a reluctance to comment on smaller parts of the chapter. As I think about it, that may be in part because I've seen a big picture for the chapter and so I'm reluctant to break it down further. But some of my hesitation is that the issues Jesus talks about, and the lessons He teaches in these last three chapters, are best wrestled with unfiltered. I didn't know it would be the case for Tuesday and Wednesday, when I wrote on Monday, "No further comment required."

And so I'm tempted today to simply say have at it, and be done with the post. Instead, I'll share a very brief set of points from the lessons in chapter 24, and 25 without fleshing them out at all. Think of them as the starting outline of a sermon or series of sermons about living in expectation of Jesus' return. You get to expand the thoughts, or add to them, or change them, to make this your own sermon(s) or lesson(s) for yourself.

Introduction.
At the end of Matthew 24, Jesus told His disciples, and us, to keep watch. Chapter 25 records His continued description of what it means to live a life where we keep watch. As you read and reflect, keep in mind the audience who heard Jesus initially, and more importantly those who received Matthew's gospel. These folks were anticipating an early return of Jesus and had begun to suffer persecution in the mean time.

The Thief in the Night. Matthew 24:42-44.
Jesus issues the call to live a life that is ready for His return.

The Faithful Servant. Matthew 24:45-51.
The task of the faithful servant while awaiting the Master's return is to take care of the responsibilities assigned to him (or her). Don't slack off from those duties during the wait.

The Ten Bridesmaids (or Virgins). Matthew 25:1-13.
Staying alert doesn't mean that life won't go on (all 10 fall asleep), but it does mean to do all the right preparation so that when called upon you're ready to go.

The Parable of Responsibilities. Matthew 25:14-30.
Carry out the Kingdom responsibilities given to you.

The Evidence of Faithfulness. Matthew 25:31-46.
Serving one another is serving Him.

Endgame. Matthew 25.
If you need any further encouragement to do the right thing, take a look at what happens in the end.

Have some fun getting ready.

Technology. Matthew 24.

As I was driving home from Bend yesterday, I was thinking about how marvelous technology really is. What started me thinking was hearing a voice on the radio from Nigeria, followed by one from Arizona, and then two from France. All of these voices were talking to someone in England who hosts a worldwide radio talk show. Radio and telephone linked all those voices together. I realized that just being able to hear one voice over the radio is pretty incredible, especially while rocketing down the road in the middle of pine trees that were far enough away from my home that for most of human history it would have required a month's journey to see. Later I put a CD in my player and was able to listen to musicians who had performed this music years ago in Africa -- a trip in space and time that was unimaginable until the late 19th century. I listened to that music while driving past a lake that only exists because of technology.

Over the course of that drive I experienced several kinds of climate and geology, seeing sights in a day that might take a lifetime to experience in the past. I talked to my daughter 100 miles away. I learned about how many other travelers were on the road ahead of me in time to make any adjustments to my route. I knew the kind of weather the readers of this blog in the Portland area were enjoying while I was still feeling the chill of mountain air.

What grabbed me the most, though, was that this technology allowed me to see, hear, touch, and taste vast amounts of God's creation. This is a blessing of epic proportion. Again, thinking back through all of the people who have lived on this planet, it's only the most recent, and those who live in areas where the technologies of transportation, communication, and information have advanced this far, who get the chance to have that experience. Next year, a group of people from BCC will walk in the locales Jesus walked in. Others will vacation in places as diverse as Europe, Florida, California, and Montana, while others serve in Haiti, Honduras, or Siberia. In my half day I started in desert, speeding past volcanic outpourings, through mountains and vast forests, and into the wet, fertile Willamette valley. If I had been so inclined, by the end of the day I could have been sitting underneath some of the largest and oldest trees on this planet. Or sitting on a boat in the Puget Sound. Or walking in the sand looking out on the largest body of water on the planet, whose movements are influenced by the lesser light in the sky. Or -- even gone home and looked at pictures of people on that moon!

The flip side of technology is that I could have raced through the drive without paying much attention at all to God's creation, and to the results of the creativity He has given us as human beings. I could have lived yesterday without once considering that there will be many situations in my life, and in our lives, where technology will be no answer. Perhaps never even considering them at any point in my life until they arrive, because technology has provided answers to so many challenges in my lifetime. Technology can be mighty impressive at times, but, in the end, our very existence, every breath we take, is a gift from God.

After hearing Jesus talk about Jerusalem in terms of "desolation", the disciples point out to Him the magnificence of the Temple -- technology. "Now as Jesus was going out of the temple courts and walking away, his disciples came to show him the temple buildings. And he said to them, 'Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, not one stone will be left on another. All will be torn down!'” (Matt. 24:1,2) In other words, guys, don't be too impressed by what humans have built, it can (and will) be destroyed. The temple's a temporary thing.

There's a larger lesson that Jesus has in mind in these words. He's preparing the disciples for the time when His sacrifice will replace the sacrifices in the temple, His spirit will be present in their lives and they will no longer have to go to the temple to worship, and the understanding that they will become the stones of God's temple (we'll read about this understanding in places like 1 Peter). For the moment, I want to spend just a bit more time on technology and man-made stuff.

During part of my drive I was thinking about what it would be like if this car and I could be plopped down into the midst of first century Palestine. Better than a car, what about a motorcycle that could ride on the trails of the day? If the disciples were impressed with the Temple, imagine someone riding into the court of the gentiles on a Honda. How miraculous would that bike appear, and how much would they be able to grasp about how it worked, using analogs to machines of their day? What would a ride at 35 miles per hour feel like to them? It would all be incredible, wouldn't it? That is, until the tank ran dry.


Technology impresses, there' s no getting around it. The creativity and ingenuity of people reflects God's own nature. We're made in His image. But it can be a trap. The trap is dependence and isolation. These are the reminders I need today -- don't miss the universe God has given us to live in. Don't expect man-made stuff to last forever, or rely on it for ultimate answers. Don't forget that the very resources we shape into technology come from God. And as Jesus says at the end of the chapter, be good stewards of His house, using His resources wisely, and live expectantly in anticipation of His return.

No further comment required. Matthew 23.

“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel!" (Matthew 23:23,24 NET)

Here's my optional comment. Gnats and camels are both on the prohibited foods list.

He passes. Matthew 22.

For some reason, the series of tests that Jesus goes through in Chapter 22, reminded me of a scene in one of our family's favorite movies, The Court Jester. There really is no comparison in terms of importance or application to our life, but sometimes that's the way my mind works. In fact, in the movie scene, there is no merit at all in the fact that the jester, played by Danny Kaye, passes. Whereas, Jesus not only passes with merit, but rebukes and teaches in the process. And even though this is deadly serious business for Jesus, considering what will happen in just a few days, there is also something farcical in the behavior of the various groups trying to trap Jesus.

If you don't know the movie, here's the wikipedia entry. Briefly, in the movie which is a comedic Robin Hood-like tale, Danny Kaye poses as a court jester to infiltrate the castle of the king, who has usurped the throne from the rightful heir. Needless to say, he goofs up and is entangled in a series of misadventures culminating in him being mistaken as the notorious Black Fox. The king can't just kill him outright, because his daughter the princess is in love with him. So he decides that if this jester becomes a knight, then he can be challenged by the grim and grizzly Griswold to a battle for the hand of the princess. Pretty goofy so far, huh? You may remember the dialog just prior to their contest -- "The pellet with the poison's in the vessel with the pestle. The chalice from the palace has the brew that is true."

Here's the scene I was thinking of this morning. The king wants the jester to be a knight, but to become a knight requires successful completion of a series of arduous tasks, which could take years to accomplish. Frustrated, the king decides to speed things up:

King Roderick: Rules of Chivalry be hanged! Ravenhurst, take that nincompoop, and knight that nincompoop by noon tomorrow!

Here's the screenplay for the scene (Hawkins is Danny Kaye):

Captain of the Guard: [Hawkins is being tested for Knighthood] He must scale a wall in full armor.
[Hawkins is tossed over the wall]
Captain of the Guard: Candidate passes!
[later]
Captain of the Guard: He must bring down a hawk in full flight.
[a hawk with an arrow is tossed on the ground]
Captain of the Guard: Candidate passes.
Hawkins: But I didn't even shoo...
Captain of the Guard: [shouts] Candidate passes!
[later]
Captain of the Guard: He must capture a wild boar with his bare hands.
[a piglet comes out of a chute followed by sound effects of splashing in the mud]
Captain of the Guard: He passes!

If you know the movie, you're probably at least smiling. If not, you can borrow my copy. The knighting ceremony that follows is hilariously slapstick.

Back to the Bible. Jesus is in Jerusalem after His entry into Jerusalem on what we celebrate as Palm Sunday. After teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus is challenged in turn by the Pharisees' disciples (under direction of the Pharisees and accompanied by supporters of Herod), some Sadducees, and then one particular Pharisee described as an expert in the religious law. And in each case -- He passes!

Each of these verbal tests was designed to trap Jesus into either saying something the leaders could object to or something the people would object to. Not only does Jesus work His way out of these tests, but He incorporates a useful teaching in the process. This is the teacher that I want to be like! He passes. Quickly. Elegantly. Truthfully. Even compassionately, when you take into account all who would be hearing the lesson.

And He'll pass the harder test that lies ahead.

The peril of theology. Matthew 21.

For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.
(Matthew 21:43 NET)

The conclusion to Jesus' parable of the tenant farmers provides an interesting lesson in the interpretation of Scripture. Let's spend a little time looking at this. As we begin, I'll just say up front that I'm going to disagree with some men (didn't find any women in error) of great learning and ability, which is not meant to disparage them. In fact, my disagreement may stem from a misreading on my part of what they've written. But in my opinion, their interpretation is colored by their theology, and that's the point I'd like to look at closely today.

When you read Jesus' conclusion in v.21:23, the natural questions to ask are:

1. Who is "you" that the kingdom will be taken from?
2. Who are "a people" (nation in other translations) it will be given to?

Some commentaries answer these questions based on their theology. Here's what it says in the Bible Knowledge Commentary:

"Two interpretations of this verse are often presented. One is that Jesus was saying the kingdom had been taken from the Jewish nation and would be given to Gentile nations who would produce the proper fruit of genuine faith.
...
A better interpretation is that Jesus was simply saying the kingdom was being taken away from the nation Israel at that time, but it would be given back to the nation in a future day when that nation would demonstrate true repentance and faith."

In this commentary, while two interpretations are given, the first interpretation is made to align with the second one, with qualifying statements about it such as, "the kingdom has not been taken away from Israel forever," and "the church is not now inheriting the kingdom."

Explaining theological bias.
Are you following this? I didn't really at first glance. What the commentators are saying is that even though this looks like Jesus is saying that Israel has forfeited their right to the Kingdom, it's only temporary. And they're making sure both interpretations come to that conclusion. The reason they do, I think, is because their theology insists that this is how the end times will work out. Their belief is that God's covenants with Israel will be fulfilled in the end times. The answer to question #2 above can't be that the church has succeeded Israel's role in the world or that Gentiles are the people identified by Jesus as the ones to whom the Kingdom will be given.

It's important to realize that this theology (called dispensationalism) is based on a whole reading of the Bible, and it is the dominant theology in evangelical circles today. You may well ascribe to the basic teachings of this theology whether you realize it or not. And it's not my argument here that dispensationalism is an incorrect big picture of the message of the Bible, or a correct one. What I am saying is that I think the commentaries miss the true or reasonable interpretation when they let dispensational-colored glasses influence their interpretation, as above. Here are some other examples:

• Exploring the Gospel of Matthew: An Expository Commentary. The author spends a couple of paragraphs arguing that Jesus can't be referring to a permanent removal of the Kingdom from Israel, including this statement: "The nation cannot be the church, for the church is not a nation; it transcends all nations."
  
  
• The Holman New Testament Commentary seems to get this a little better, not emphasizing the dispensational concerns with this statement of Jesus, but still showing the concern is there. The author says, "the stewardship would reside in the hands of the church. but God was not finished with Israel. He grafted the church into Israel's roots, but he will set to it that his covenant with Israel and his calling of the nation will be fully realized upon a day yet future..." He then goes on to apply other Scripture to make the point.
  

The same criticism can be made of those who disagree with dispensationalism when they let their viewpoint color their interpretation.

When theology helps and hinders.
While it is important to consider the whole of Scripture as a part of a passage's context, it is the outer edge of context. Context begins with the verses next to the passage in question and works outward, from paragraph to chapter and so forth, eventually including the entire Bible. It is also important to harmonize what you might think is the meaning of a given passage with other teachings of Scripture. Theology is, in part, an attempt to apply both those principles, using the context of the whole teaching of the Bible to harmonize specific teachings. The weakness in a theological viewpoint shows up when theological concerns override a simple, clear understanding of a passage, often because the passage is one that's difficult to reconcile with tenets of the theologian. That's especially true if the passage is one that those who disagree with a particular theology use to bolster their arguments. Apparently, this passage in Matthew is one of those passages for dispensationalists.

A reasonable interpretation.
If we stick with the parable itself and the immediate context, it seems pretty clear that just as we talked about when discussing this parable in Mark, the villains in the parable -- the tenants -- are the leadership of Israel. Israel is the vineyard. And so, when Jesus says, "the Kingdom of God will be taken from you," he's referring to those leaders. That's really as far as we need to take this lesson.

Therefore, in answer to the two questions I posed at the outset, the "you" in question #1 is Israel's religious leaders. The people who will receive the Kingdom in question #2 are those who produce the fruit of faith. It may be possible to be more specific about the answer to #2, but I don't see it as essential. I'll come back to that in just a minute.

In the Bible Knowledge Commentary the author seems to recognize the pointedness of the parable toward the religious leaders, but then gets busy defending a dispensational point of view when it comes to answering the two questions. When he makes the answer to #1 the nation of Israel, not just its leaders, he has to spend time explaining why the answer to #2 then, isn't the church or the Gentiles. They can't be the successors to the covenant promises given to Abraham and David according to his theology.

If we were to extend this lesson any further, to see if there is more specificity in the the answer to question #2, it's certainly possible, maybe even probable, that Jesus had His followers in mind, as the "people" to whom the stewardship of Kingdom would pass to. That is, the apostles and their successors, the leaders of the church would replace the religious leaders of Israel. If that is a correct understanding of what Jesus meant we would expect to see it confirmed in other Scripture. Certainly if we look at 1 Peter 2:9, there is some validation in the idea that Jesus had the church in mind as stewards of the Kingdom message. We can definitely say that the criticism earlier quoted ("The nation cannot be the church, for the church is not a nation; it transcends all nations.") is incorrect. Peter uses the same word as Jesus did, ethnos, to describe the church as a holy nation, singular. And he uses it when talking about the stone that was rejected that became the cornerstone or capstone, just as Jesus did.

Beyond that extension, I suspect we're treading on thin ice if we want to add to the interpretation of verse 43. Clearly the Pharisees understood that in both parables of chapter 21, Jesus was talking about them, and not the nation of Israel. Matthew points that out in verse 45, "When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them." It seems sufficient to simply leave the lesson there. The leaders of Israel have rejected the Son of David and disputed His authority in the same way the leaders in the past rejected the prophets. But in rejecting the Son, they have rejected their rights to have anything further to do with the Kingdom of God and its promises. It's those who accept the Son who are now the stewards of the Kingdom and the recipients of the promises. And we know who their are, because they bear the right fruit.

What's the point.
Two points, really. The first is that you need to be careful when consulting commentaries, because sometimes their theological viewpoint may be reflected in their interpretation. The more important point, though, is that you can do the interpretation, and you should do the interpretation, to the best of your ability.

I'm going to guess that before you began to read this post, you had a pretty good understanding of the nature of these two parables Jesus told. Do your best to stick to the text and exercise your own judgment before consulting others. And when you do, remember that every teacher has his or her own biases, which may color the interpretation they give.

Even me.

Kingdom values. Matthew 20.

The parable in today's reading is pretty transparent, isn't it? Our discussion last week might have left the impression that parables are always difficult to understand, and that they always need to be explained. Jesus said this, "You will listen carefully yet will never understand, you will look closely yet will never comprehend." This parable reminds us that it may not be the parable itself, but the lesson of the parable that we won't understand. Let's see how that works in the case of this parable.

Jesus tells us that this parable is about one of the values of the Kingdom. The Kingdom operates according to God's choice, and His choice is to reward everyone who works in the Kingdom without regard to length of service, or position, or type of work. Because I'm using the word work, don't mistake this for our earning something. The only step needed on our part is to decide who's Kingdom we're going to work in, not the work itself. That's really the point. It's God's merciful and gracious choice to reward everyone, not the work we do.

What might incomprehensible to a listener, hearing but not understanding, is that this truth is contrary to how we think life works or how it should work. The world says, "We earn our keep. The more valuable the work, or the longer we do it, the greater the reward. Work hard, get ahead." (And the lesson of the parable isn't that these are values we should discard. Jesus also talks about rewards from our labor.) But God also says, "In my Kingdom, 'I want to give to this last man the same as I gave to you. Am I not permitted to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?'"

Our joy is to serve Him. His joy is to be gracious beyond all expectations. If you hear this lesson but can only think of the world's viewpoint that the Kingdom values don't make sense, then you are listening without understanding. To put it in contemporary language, Jesus tells you something that is the opposite of how you've always thought, and you respond by thinking, "What? Just what?"

This lesson isn't told in a vacuum. Remember from our discussion about story parables that they are intended to provoke a response. This story comes at the end of Jesus' teaching about hierarchy in the Kingdom after John and James have asked (through their mother according to Matthew) to sit at Jesus' side in His Kingdom. Perhaps they thought they had some special claim to those positions because of length of service or the work they had performed. Perhaps all the disciples who then jumped into the argument were upset, not because this request was just wrong, but because they might have wanted those positions too.

Jesus then tells them that they shouldn't view the Kingdom like the rest of the world, and illustrates that teaching with this parable. The unstated ending is, "Guys do you get it now? God makes the choices about reward. Why in the world would you be unhappy that others get the reward you were also promised? Isn't it just a tremendous result to receive the reward? And not to worry about how generous God is?"

Lord, let me always have ears that hear and eyes that see.

Busy being adults. Matthew 19.

I'm indebted to Janell Struckmeier for the inspiration behind today's post.

One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.

But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left. (Matthew 19:13-15 NLT)

In these three short verses, something of significance took place. Stop for a minute and think about the fact that out of all the incidents that must have occurred in Jesus' life, all three synoptic gospels record this one. Once again Jesus used the present moment to both do something that needed to be done, and to teach His followers something that needed to be learned.

The blessing of children by the elders and rabbis was a custom in first century Palestine. While typically, this was done formally on the Day of Atonement, it seems likely that it was a common practice whenever a special teacher came into the area. The placing of hands on head, was a way to show acceptance and identification with the children, and affection, too.

The disciples saw this request as an intrusion into their adult stuff. "Hey, the teacher's busy teaching us. We've got Kingdom business to attend to. Perhaps another time. Parents, surely you've seen how many adults need the Rabbi's time.? And keep the kids quiet while you're leaving!"

I see Jesus' response as primarily one of affection and joy. Of course He'd want to take the time to touch and bless each one coming to Him. It would be a pleasure, not a chore. At the same time, when He saw the disciples' response, He knew they need to learn something too.

The first lesson He taught them is that the children are significant. Just because we're busy talking about life in the Kingdom, doesn't mean that these children shouldn't be allowed to receive Kingdom blessings too. They are significant on their own. "Let them come. Don't stop them."

One of the implications of this lesson is that the children have value and needs of their own, right where they are. Not just as "the future." Not just as we sometimes say in church, as "a way to appeal to the family", or as "a way to reach the parents for Jesus." Right now in their life, right where they are, they need the blessing of Jesus just like adults need that blessing.

The second lesson flows out of the first. We can understand what the Kingdom is about, what is valuable and what isn't, in the example of these children. "The Kingdom belongs to such as these." Not only did Jesus treat the children as significant, He said that it was their insignificance and powerlessness in their society, that made them significant in the Kingdom of Heaven. They were the example of who is important in the Kingdom -- those who come in trust, who come as outcasts, as powerless, as insignificant -- those are the ones who will receive full acceptance and new importance in the Kingdom. Jesus overturned the commonly held values of society, just as surely as He later would the money-changers' tables in the temple.

Who are the children seeking God's blessing in your life? Who are the invisible, the powerless, the ones who are kind of a bother when we're busy doing our adult stuff? Who do we need to see as significant today? And does our attitude need any adjustment when it comes to our position in the Kingdom?