Romans

The book of Romans.

1. God’s Wrath Revealed

The promised one, the son of David, is declared to be the Son of God.

5: Our goal - to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations

8-15: We must be praying always for the Christians we hope to serve and to desire to see them face to face when we are far apart.

How do we impart spiritual gifts to one another?

Our gospel should go out to the civilized and the uncivilized.

16-17: Faith is the means by which we grab hold of the salvation and the power promised to us.

18-32: Knowledge of God is fairly clear unless we make ourselves ignorant of it. Nevertheless we have an incentive to ignore God and dishonor him because our hearts are so misguided and foolish. We seek out idols instead. Mankind becomes perverse. Sexual degeneracy is the result of idolatry. Thus we have homosexuals and furries.

If they had been attentive to honoring God, their hearts would be pure and they would not be compelled to destroy and corrupt their bodies with weird sex.

We must acknowledge God or else our hearts too will be full of evil, covetousness, malice, envy, the desire to murder and lie and do every awful thing.

2. God’s Righteous Judgment

1-5: How does this connect with what Christ said regarding judgment?

How does this connect with what the apostle said regarding how we must prepare to judge moral cases within the church and some day judge angels?

We are supposed to judge sin but how can we do this if we are also compromised by impurity, unbelief, and covetousness?

6: Important to remember the teaching of the New Testament is consistent - we will receive our due according to our works. Good works will be rewarded and bad works will be punished.

7: Those who patiently do good will receive immortality and honor.

8: Those who reject the truth will receive wrath.

This "rendering" or heavenly reward, based on works, is perhaps distinguished from the justification that comes from faith.

9-11: Every person of any status, in the old covenant or outside of it, must fear the wrath of God, because we have done evil and God shows no partiality. But those who do good will receive glory.

Is Paul speaking then and now, both of this life and the life to come?

12-16: Those foreigners who have followed their conscience may receive a good reward when Jesus judges the secrets of men. But, their conscience is already beginning to accuse them because they know they are transgressing God's law. (3:9 - really, none are righteous)

17-24: How shameful it is that those who received all the commands of God still do evil. A rebuke for Jews then and Christians now.

25-28: We keep the foundation of the law by loving God and loving our neighbor.

3. All Are Guilty

James Jordan: All men come under judgment, but in the Old Covenant Gentiles could be saved if they trusted God and followed His ways apart from the Law, while Jews were saved if they trusted God and followed His ways revealed in the Law. Moreover, the faithful Noahic Gentile believer had a true inward circumcision, while the faithless Jew had negated his own outward circumcision (chap. 2). In other words, as far as salvation was concerned, the Jew had no special place in the Old Covenant order. So then, why did Jews exist? They were set aside to minister the oracles of God as priests to the nations (3:1-8). These oracles of God were the Law-Word of the Old Testament. Apart from a living faith-relationship to God, however, the Law-Word only killed men by condemning them. The living faith-relationship, which existed provisionally in the Old Covenant, has now arrived in its fullness because of the work of Jesus Christ. This faith-relationship establishes the Law-Word in a sphere of life instead of death (3:9-31).

1-8: The unfaithfulness of those who have been given God's words only serves to emphasize how gracious and powerful God is. The constant mistakes of Peter are recorded through the New Testament; it was his confession of faith and Christ's constant forgiveness in choosing him that qualified him to carry forth the gospel and lead the church despite his personaly insufficiency.

It's great to be chosen.

9-18: Yet for us personally it's of little advantage to be one way or another because we are all suffering under sin and death and the curse. Evil everywhere.

19-20: The law works to "stop mouths", hold everyone accountable, and bring everyone to a knowledge of sin. What is meant by stopping mouths? Just leaving the nature of right and wrong unquestionable?

21: The law witnesses to righteousness but cannot manifest it. Righteousness comes about through faith in Christ.

23-26: As no one can keep the law, justification comes as a gift from God. We are redeemed by Christ's blood, and we receive that redemption through faith.

All this shows his righteousness even as it heightens our lack of it innately.

27-31: Regardless of one's participation in the law, one is justified by faith. The faith isn't designed to overthrow the law but actually achieve righteousness that the law points to.

4. Abraham Justified by Faith

1-8: Our righteousness is a gift.

9-12: Abraham is a father to all the circumcised, but also to the uncircumcised who grasp the righteousness of God by faith. The promises given to him apply to us, his descendants by faith.

13-15: We are heirs of the world through faith. This is what was promised to Abraham.

16-25: Though with a barren wife and near death, Abraham believed in God's promise, and God fulfilled his promise by bringing out of him many nations that would rule over the earth.

What is this spiritual mechanism in the cosmos by which good things "count" to us?

5. Peace and Hope in Christ

1-5: Everything we go through is turning us into the kind of person and heart that can be a ready vessel for God's love, with all the good hope and holiness that come with it.

6-11:

What does Paul mean by distinguishing justified by blood with saved from God's wrath?

Just as Jesus's death can bring enemies of God into reconciliation, so also we who are now at peace with God can look forward to resurrection. This is perhaps two salvations we may speak: salvation here and now into fellowship with Christ, and then ultimate salvation from the grip of death.

12-14:

Sin is not counted where there is no law - not counted by us? or the cosmos? Or by God?

What does it mean for the sinning of some to not be comparable to Adam's transgression?

15-17: How could more have the grace of God than the billions who have died under Adam's curse? Is this hypothetical universalism?

The glory that we inherit in a heavenly reign with Christ will greatly surpass all of the misery that the reign of death has brought. The grace that is invading the world far exceeds the tragedy and trespass.

Righteousness is dispensed to us as a free gift and with it grace will reign on earth through us; we will reign insofar as we act in Christ, in faith and righteousness. Earthly rulers come and go but the grace is permanent.

6. Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

1-4: Just because the grace is so overwhelming and powerful does not mean that we are continue being sinful.

Rather, we want the glory and perfection of Christ now, as much of it as we can grasp.

5-11:

Just as we look towards our death with hope in glorious resurrection and fearful of Christ's judgment, we can live now hoping to receive great spiritual gifts and love, just as our sinfulness is already being put to death right now. We can look for freedom from sin right now even if the final freedom will be our death.

The flesh has to die because sin is in embedded in it. Baptism looks forward to the full death and resurrection where the sinful body is replaced with a glorious purified body. But resurrection as a process can already begin, a little bit, insofar as we can present ourselves to God to be used for righteous ends and not sinful ones. The end of sanctification is eternal life.

The power of death itself is conquered by Christ. So we must face all death with total faith and fear his judgment more than we fear bodily expiration.

12-14:

Law and death and fear in some ways only increase the knowledge of sin and sin's dominion.

How do we "present our members" to God as instruments for righteousness? Is that in prayer or in service to the church?

15-23: We must always choose to slave in obedience to some power or end. Are we going to slave for sin and death or slave away for life and righteousness and Christ?

If we are obedient to the teaching of Christ, we can have total freedom from sin. This love, this spirit, this righteousness overwhelms it.

Our ability to be slaves can at last have a fruitful purpose.

Some people are excited to throw off morality and righteousness. It can seem tiresome and burdensome to have to drive on the right side of the road, as opposed to on whatever side you want, with your lights off, in the middle of the night. But ultimately, seeking that degree of freedom from God just results in death and is no freedom at all. By contrast, taking on obedience to all of the ways of Christ leads to a total sense of peace and freedom.

Eternal life in Christ Jesus is a free gift.

7. Law and Sin

1-6:

The law is not binding on the dead, but on the living. Our sinful flesh has been crucified and died with Christ and has been risen to new life just as he rose to new life. By faith we can make the same journey in our spirit that he did two thousand years ago.

All of this is so that we can live in the fruit of peace and joy, which is the offering that God desires from us.

The law provokes our flesh to seek death and annihilation. It tempts and accuses us. But we are freed from that captivity through the renewal of the Spirit.

When we do good, it's not because scripture taught us; we do good because the love of God is in us and love of God's people, a living breathing Spirit, and we can perceive and dwell in that goodness because of that free gift of new life. The scripture and the written code clarifies and reminds us what is evil, if we are falling into temptation and sin, we can be shaken awake in fear, and corrected if we're straying into confusion rather than the way of Christ's spirit.

7-12: Paul is going back and forth attempting to explain why the law is holy but that mode of understanding holiness only provokes more evil in our evil hearts. Thus we need a new heart entirely for the law to become something besides provocation -- instead, a promise and a gift.

13: Why did sin need to be shown to be sin in response to the commandment?

14-20: Under the law, we can learn to want all sorts of good things but still lack the power to actually attain them.

21-25: Even as the mind learns to love the law of God, the flesh is still operating captive to the law of sin. Thus we need a new body entirely, the body of Christ, which can rise again from the dead and not just be held captive in death forever. A spiritual and glorious body.

8. Life Through the Spirit

1-8: We cannot allow sin to set the terms, or the flesh, or the law. We must follow the prompting of God's spirit.

9-11: We are promised RESURRECTION POWER.

12-17: If we suffer with Christ, then we are heirs with Christ. We can be adopted as sons of God. This implies incredible celestial glories and powers that are hardly imaginable to us. The saints will reign. However, we see this not just in the glorious possibilities of heaven that our hearts long for, but also in real time, right here and now, the way that the love of God flows through us inevitably creates the source of all new happiness and true wealth in this world, as the greatness inherited from the first Adam decays over millennia from sin and the curse. More and more the only goodness left comes from Christ.

18-25:

The whole created order waits to see what mankind will be like under the dominion of Christ.

What does it mean for the whole creation to obtain the freedom of the glory of God's children?

We have the firstfruits of the spiritual gifts, but we still await the full glory.

26-30:

The Spirit of God is at work in our hearts deep deep within ourselves, beyond the places that we have described with words. God knows what is at work in our heart, both the bad things and what he is doing. But it is being made like Jesus.

This has been the plan of God all along.

31-39:

God gave us his own Son. Is there anything else in the world that he won't give us?

Is there any force that can destroy Christ's people when he loves us?

Nothing can take us away from our inheritance.

9. God’s Sovereignty

1-5: Paul loved his people, though, and was sorrowful for them. His love was so great he could be tempted to choose them over Christ -- after all, they were the race from which Christ came.

6-13: Nevertheless not all of Abraham's offspring were chosen to inherit the full promise. There were many, many children of the flesh who were not given the full inheritance. There was a specific lineage of inheritance.

14-18: Is that unfair? No. God chooses to have mercy for his own glorious plans. And he hardens the hearts of some cruel foes for his own glorious plans.

19-24: If God is at work in our hearts all the time, then how are we responsible for them?

That is what we are. That is what we were made to be. Vessels of wrath and vessels for mercy.

25-29: The prophets predicted that the Gentiles would also become the people of God and become adopted.

30-33: The righteousness comes by faith in Christ, not by attempting to heap up works without him.

10. Faith Comes Through Hearing

1-4: Trying to build religion apart from Christ is fruitless.

In their ignorant commitment to law apart from Christ, they never attain the righteousness that the law was always intended to culminate in.

5-13: We must call upon the name of the Lord. We want his riches.

Some use this passage as the basis for "speed evangelism" of trying to get as many people to call on God's name as possible. But that's not Paul's point. Paul is talking about how God gives righteousness freely now to those who believe in Christ and confess his name, which is an act of the heart and the mouth, in CONTRAST to submitting to the captivity of the law.

14-17: We are to preach the gospel throughout the whole earth, that some might hear and believe.

18-21: The knowledge of God is going throughout the whole earth but still the children of Abraham are rebellious.

12. Living Sacrifices and Love

Romans 11-12 is helpful here - after talking about the grafting of gentiles, the ethnic inheritance of the Hebrews, of the Mystery of Israel, Paul talks the body must be sacrificed to God, it must be kept holy. God's plan? Riches for the world! (I see it happening, I see it happening all around. Very postmil verse from Paul here). It's ambiguous how much Paul is talking about individual souls and entire nations here. They are intermingled - members of one another. But essentially, as Christians, our holiness as individuals, taking responsibility for our individual bodies being presented in worship to God, works to purify our nations - the root working its way out to the branches - ultimately, Christ being the root of all new humanity. So we need to not be arrogant towards other peoples or other people in the church because we are all members of a new body, a new corporation, a new city, a new kingdom. This new body is one where sexual and status desires are somewhat irrelevant. But it obviously doesn't eradicate our desires! Our body longs for every kind of goodness, the kinds of goodness that only the summit of a nation provide, and even beyond! It's insatiable, really. So how do we honor our flesh and not torture it while still disciplining it in light of the highest corporation? By testing, and testing is painful but also fun.

The mercies of God - the bowels of God! We are God's nerves and the prickles in his heart. So we shouldn't be syn-schematized with the aeon, but be renewed in our mind and be testing to discern God's thelema for us, so we know what's good. and that's how we figure out what we are meant to do and what we are gifted for, because we have each been given different kindness from God. Sadly to me I must be cautious with high flying thoughts but instead always be moderate because that serves Christ's body more, according to how much faith I have.

14. Judgment and Weaker Consciences

Some people have weaker consciences. We must do everything out of faith and love, so we must be very careful and gentle not to provoke people who are concerned about displeasing God with a given action, even if in truth they are perfectly free.

4: It's not our job to micromanage other Christians in their obedience to Jesus.

5: Christians are free to practice holy days or not practice holy days. As long as they do what they do to honor Christ.

10-12: It is easy for us to look askance at how other people live their lives. But we must be concerned about how God will judge us.

We will appear before the judgment seat of God, which is the judgment seat of Christ. Christ, we know, is merciful to the humble but will relentlessly punish the proud and those who have despised his people.

Are you preparing yourself to give an account to God for every word, every deed, every day of your life? Number your days.

'So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.' Psalm 90:12

'O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!' Psalm 39:4

He wil lbe measuring whether you have followed those two great commandments: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

You must keep an account of that. Times where you have despised your brother leave their mark on the world and God will see; likewise, he will see where love has bound everything together.

23: We must do everything in faith because that is where our spiritual power comes from. Doubts cause us to drift, lose all our power and love -- all doubt leads to sin. The only way to act rightly is in total faith in God's love and mercy towards you, which helps you become more and more aware of his providential arrangement of all things for you day to day, so that your acts can be ordered rightly.

You can always have disagreements with other Christians in good conscience. What you can't do is disagree with the love of God.

15. Christ the Hope of All

1-3: We live to please ourselves but God calls us to work towards pleasing our brothers. Being charitable towards their weakness is the least that we can do, not to torment them for being uncertain or misguided about some things. What further can we do to please those who God has placed next to us?

4: Scripture exists for us to be encouraged.

Many people feel burdened by scripture and run away from it. This is a sign that Satan has blinded them. Reading through scripture or having scripture read to you should make you feel like you are beginning to float off the ground, as the words from God crack open all the bad ideas you've been having and sweep them away with a great wind, the breath of something greater. Stuck with your own thoughts is being cooped up in a sad dark suffocating cellar. Going through a few chapters of scripture should blow the dungeon's door of its hinges and haul your heart up into the hills, into the clouds of heaven. All you have to do is hear those words with a heart of faith and love. But if your spirit's all askew, if you aren't ready to actually believe it, there's nothing that will get through and there will be no joy in it.

It's so simple what God wants: for us to be in harmony with each other. Our peace is his glory. And he is ready to give us all the encouragement and hope and peace of mind that we need to do that. It's all right there, ready to be taken, in the words of scripture and in the fellowship we have with Christ through his people, and almost no one wants to seize ahold of it!

7: When we welcome one another, we glorify God. We must not forget the way that we were welcomed - unclean, strangers and enemies of God. So we must be ready to welcome anyone - those who are unclean, foreigners, and enemies to us. But especially, especially we must welcome and love those who hope and believe in God.

8: Christ fulfilled all the promises given to the patriarchs by being a servant to the house of Israel. But he also came to give hope to all nations on the earth.

14: Paul was satisfied that they had what it takes to love one another. 2000 years later, after countless wars and corruption and schisms, the church in Rome still preaches that Christ is lord. The work of a minister in whatever city they are should be to train them up to love and instruct one another. You want them to still be proclaiming Christ and loving one another millennia later.

15: Delivering the gospel is priestly service

20: Interesting that Paul did not want to build upon another's "themelion" or foundation. How could that inform how we perceive church traditions and denominations? How we think of missions work? What's the value of building on another's foundation vs. starting straight from the gospel and building from there?

27: The saints receive the spiritual gifts of God and will rule with Christ over the earth, and the faithful from any nation may receive this spiritual inheritance. So, it is fitting that the newcomers send in material aid to the needy Christians. We should be fascinated how this turns on its head the typical idea of missionary aid. Evangelical mission organizations rarely request that new converts send in money back to the poor of the home church's community -- to do so might be seen as sleazy or cultish.

16. Salutations and Final Instructions

Interesting that we the church have Satan crushed under our feet. My father drew attention to the way Roman soldiers' sandals were designed for trampling. Good cultural detail.