What is the main point of this passage? The Christians at this time in the Roman world made up a VERY small portion of the population. They were fairly powerless...they were often persecuted and looked down on...they were being kicked out of their communities for putting their faith in Jesus Christ...it would have been very easy for them to become ashamed of their beliefs. Paul encourages them here by saying that they have nothing to be ashamed of...in fact, they are the ones who have heard and chosen to follow the powerful Gospel of Jesus Christ that offers salvation to anyone who believes. They have chosen to follow the Truth, and there is no shame in that!
What part of the passage spoke most deeply to you? The final phrase in the passage, "The righteous shall live by faith." is what really sticks out to me. If you and I have been made righteous through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and our faith in that sacrifice...it should be reflected in every aspect of our lives. On a daily basis we should operate with the understanding that we are living by faith. That should determine who we are, how we speak, the things we do...yet I think we often just exist...we often don't do anything that really requires faith...in fact, sometimes we kinda forget about our faith over the course of a busy day - and that isn't right!
What kind of questions does this passage bring to mind for you? What does it mean that the Gospel was given first to the Jew and then to the Gentile? What does it mean that "the righteousness of God was revealed from faith for faith?" First off, the role of the Jews in Christianity was a huge issue that Paul deals with in the book of Romans. As Gentile men and women were becoming Christians, there was a lot of discussion about where the Jewish Christians fit into the mix. Paul wants to affirm their place in salvation history here. He confirms that they were the people that God chose to enter into covenant relationship with first. This does not mean that God sees the rest of the world as a fallback...it simply means that this is the way that God chose to work out His salvation plan for the world. He raised up a priest nation (Israel) to be a light for the world...He entered into the world through the Jewish community, to offer His life as a sacrifice...and He did this to offer salvation to everyone on earth. Secondly, God displayed His covenant faithfulness by His act of mercy on the cross. God's righteous act of self-sacrifice and forgiveness was revealed for all to see at the crucifixion. God showed His faithfulness (To people who didn't deserve it), so that we would be able to place our faith in Him and allow Him to make us righteous.
What do these verses challenge you to do, and what are the steps you need to take to met that challenge? I am challenged in two ways: to be unashamed of my faith and to live faithfully on a daily basis. I think there is an epidemic going around...Christians in America who live like they are ashamed of what they believe. I do it...you do it...we try to convince ourselves that we don't, but we often live in shame. We hold our tongues where there are opportunities to reach our and share our beliefs (We say, "I don't want them to think I am cramming my beliefs down their throat."). We plan and work and worry and drive ourselves insane, because we don't REALLY trust that God is in control (We say, "God helps those who help themselves."). We often look exactly like the non-Christians in our culture - the things we care about, watch, buy, say, etc. We feel like we are missing out on something out on something if we don't chase after all the things the world does, and that is a sign of uncertain faith. I think the cure to this epidemic comes in the form of the second challenge. I have got to find a way to live in faith every day. I have got to push myself to step outside of my comfort zone...to have meaningful conversations...to serve...to do things I cannot do through my own strength - I have got to live by faith if I am going to be unashamed of my faith.
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