*My apologies about yesterday, I am going to try to throw an extra commentary down Saturday.
FYI - I LOVE ROMANS!!!
10:4 - There is no righteousness through law...there is only failure...you will fail to uphold the law completely. There is only righteousness through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Let us turn to him in humility and offer ourselves as living sacrifices, knowing full well that he is our only hope.
10:6-7 - Faith is not about what you do. If faith was about you ascending into heaven through your good works, you would be belittling the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. If faith was about you sacrificially going into the bowels of hell to raise up the dead, it would mock the death of Jesus. Faith is about putting our trust in the fact that the Son of God did something to save us that none of us could ever do.
10:9 - Salvation without water...(GASP!) The nerve of this guy Paul! You mean to tell me that it isn't the holy baptismal water that saves? No it is not the water that saves...it is your belief in Jesus Christ. Then why get baptized? A.) Because Jesus did it, and as followers of Christ, why would we dare think that we are above something he lived out. B.) Because we were commanded to by scripture. C.) Because it is an outward symbol of the inward act of dying to self so that we can rise to live for Christ. D.) It is a ceremony that solidifies your commitment to Christ before God and man. F.) Why wouldn't you do it after seeing these reasons?
10:13 - Here is another example of Paul presenting both sides of the predestination equation. After repeatedly saying that God it is God's choice in chapter 9...in chapter 10 he says that EVERYONE who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved. Preach like an Armenian and hope like a Calvinist.
10:14-15 - Beautiful treatise on evangelism - why do it? How can people call on someone they don't believe? They can't. How can people believe in somebody they have never heard of? They can't. How can they hear about it if nobody preaches? They can't. How can anybody preach if they haven't been sent out? They can't. Can there be a more simple explanation about why we should share the truth about Jesus Christ? If you care about the eternal souls of the people you share this world with - share Christ with them (How's that for pouring it on?).
2 comments:
I like what the Message had to say in chp 10 (you read it and find the verses) - Say the welcoming word to God—"Jesus is my Master"—embracing, body and soul, God's work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That's it. You're not "doing" anything; you're simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That's salvation.
One of the best summations of salvation I’ve heard.
j
I like the verses on faith. There are times in my life where it is so easy to look at what's been done and say, "look what I did..." when in reality we need to have a mindset that Jesus does all through us. Without Jesus, we are nothing. It's a great reminder for me everytime I start to get a big head...
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