Romans Chapters 3 and 4 - April 30, 2008

3:1 - When you read through the initial chapters of Romans, you start to wonder (At least I do), what is the advantage to being plugged into church and bible study if it just means you are going to be held to a higher standard? I mean, if creation itself tells us about who God is, wouldn't it be easier to be a tribesmen in a jungle and know who God is but not be held accountable to the law? Heck no! Just think for a second about what the being a member of the church brings us...truth - a way to live in this world that is not self-destructive; fellowship - building each other up and helping each other out; guidance - answers to inherent tough questions and hope for a future outside of sin and death; God's will - you understand the purpose that you were created to live out as you etch His word on your heart. How could confusion, fear and sinfulness be better than forgiveness, truth and hope?

3:5 - How can God rain judgement down on us when our sinfulness makes His goodness ands forgiveness even greater? God demands justice because He is justice - He is just. That is the only option for Him...when wrong is done justice must be met out, even if our sin brings out His goodness even more.

3:20 - We have an advantage for living through God's law -0 it is good and makes our lives better...but that does not save us. In fact, living with a knowledge of God's actually pinpoints exactly how sinful we are and shows us how much we need the grace of Jesus Christ. Grace is what saves us - law just teaches us how to live and grace saves us from our failure to live up to it.

3:22 - ALL who believe. There is the prerequisite for receiving the righteousness of God. Believe. All people sin. All are offered the grace of God. All can be justified if they choose to accept His forgiveness and believe that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ paid our debt. Seems to me that there is not just a chosen few that get saved...seems to me that God offers His mercy to ALL. Choose to believe.

3:27-28 - I have struggled in my life with boasting. I like to have a little fun, talk a little smack, talk some trash...whatever you want to call it. I've gotten better in my old age, but there is still an urge to boast that rises up within me on occasion. Well, I just got a free pass to boast from Paul! Yay! I can boast about the awesomeness of God's grace and what that has meant for my life anytime and anyplace! The only boasting we are allowed to do as Christians has nothing to do with our skills or accomplishments...it is a humble boasting that gives all the glory to God. Get to boasting!

4:3-4 - Accepting a gift is not work, it is gracious humility. Do you think my son considers it work to open up presents on his birthday? No way - he is having the time of his life...very different from the attitude he has when he is asked to clean his toys up from the living room. A gift is free and receiving it is an act of thankfulness to works. Thank you God for the gift of forgiveness.

4:10-11 - I thought this was very similar to baptism. You can be saved before you are physically baptized through your belief in Jesus Christ, but you get baptized as a seal of the righteousness you receive from God through faith (And because we were commanded to do it and because Jesus did it).

4:24-25 - Abraham had faith that God would bring life from his dead body (i.e. his freakishly old body) and from the barren womb of his wife. Similarly we are called to put our faith in the power of God to raise Jesus from the dead and trust in the hope of the empty tomb. May we live like we believe it.