*Every chapter in the book of Romans could fill it's own book with theological stuff, so I am just going to hit on a few things and you guys can comment on a few things and we'll really dig into Romans.
1:5 - Receiving grace goes beyond accepting a simple gift...grace is a gift that should challenge us to step out in obedience to God. The good actions and works we do, do not save us - God's grace saves us... BUT in light of God's awesome forgiveness, we should live to serve and honor Him.
1:10 - What does it mean to pray without ceasing? Is this a phrase that means "every time I pray, I pray for you," or does it mean that Paul is constantly trying to focus his mind on God and others - attempting to literally connect to God without ceasing? What does praying without ceasing look like for me?
1:11 - Do I long to see fellow Christians - do I long for the next time I can be together with brothers and sisters in Christ? Or do I get caught up in the meaningless? Is fellowship cutting in on my TV time? I want share in this passion for being with believers that Paul has (Not to say that you don't spend time with non-believers, but my TV or computer aren't really non-believers (Although they do spout non-Christian messages)).
1:16 - Did you read that too! The gospel is the power of God. When we buy in to the gospel...when we live it out...when we talk about it...we are wielding the power of the creator of the universe - the alpha and omega - the unmade, maker, and that is awesome! Do I live my life like I am filled with the power of God?
1:18 - Wrath is God's automatic response to sin...His goodness has to go to war with sinful rebellion. He is not evil - He has to respond to evil with wrath because He is completely good.
1:28ff - As they pulled away from God they descended in darker and darker depths of rebellion (Notice that things like envy, jealousy, gossip, slander, disobedience to parents are some of the lowest forms of sin - stuff we deal with every day - so don't get too cocky), and finally they reached their vilest form and became people that were ministers of the world's gospel and not God's. They became missionaries of evil, leading others into sin. That is not good.
2:4 - How many of us have forgotten about God's grace before? God's grace should lead us to living graciously ourselves and living repentant lifestyles. Strangely, many people in the church (Which should be a stronghold of grace and mercy), choose to ignore the implications of God's grace and try desperately to save themselves through righteous behavior while raining judgement upon everyone within their radar. If we truly know the grace of God - it should be obvious through our grace-filled lives.
2:6ff - Pretty simple equation thrown down for us about how we should live our lives...
Good = humbly seeking God
Evil = arrogantly seeking yourself
Which of these better describes you? Which one better describes me?
2:23 - The price of Christian hypocrisy is steep...when we live as hypocrites, we run God's name through the mud. Not good.
2 comments:
1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
There went that evolution thing right out the door. I wonder how many excuses people will have for ignoring God. I know I have some, but I understand that there really is no excuse which makes me all the more thankful for grace and forgiveness. To me the worst excuse that will ever be given – I just didn’t know.
1:28 (Msg) Since they didn't bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. Just think – God is holding you back from certain things – possibly sinful things. But if you don’t acknowledge God and give Him thanks for it, He might let you run loose – ouch!
2:4 (Msg) God is kind, but he's not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change. What I need all the time – a radical, life changing Master.
Want radical – follow Christ.
j
The conversation of hypocrisy is always a fun one. I think there is a real danger with it. When people tell me that I run the danger of hypocrisy, and what it means, what happens when I actually do sin? I feel like a hypocrite, and to save any face I have left, I hold out on living for the gospel, just so "I won't be a hypocrite." I had a conversation with a student once, and here's what I said: "Jesus did so much for us on the cross, that now the gospel of Jesus Christ is too good to suffer for our sin. This means two things: when we come to Christ, we must make every effort for life change and repentance so that when we speak, we leave no doubt. This also means that when we do sin, we need to remember our commitment to Christ and what His grace does for us, and not allow ourselves to slow down the witness. When we sin, we need to follow through on the commitment to lead that small group. When we sin, we need to follow through on our commitment to fill that ministry shift we signed up for. With an constant mind for sanctification, we must not allow the Gospel to suffer for our sin that we know grace will cover. Don't be a hypocrite; do everything you can for life change. When you fail, get back up and run harder.
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