Identity

Jesus Christ is the way out of the mess in this world. He is the 'Mess-iah'. Israel was aware that there would be a Messiah. They had a tough time holding on to that thought and then when he actually showed up, most didn't recognize him. The law had become their Messiah.  The gentiles were another story. They didn't have a law. They had no Messiah. They were literally nobodies to the Judeans. Yet they too were offered the gift of salvation. Both groups of people were given the opportunity for a new identity as sons of the living, powerful God! 

Romans 3:21- 26 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (NIV)

Everybody wants identity. This is a driving force behind why people join clubs, causes and careers. These become defining factors in their identities. Our identity with Christ is different. We actually become sons of God defined by His power and love. When we recognize our identity with Christ, our lives change. True humility flows from this recognition and that is what unites us (Ephesians 4:1-3). Our trust, strength, power is in God just as Christ's trust, strength and power was in God.

Between the 'Loosey Lefty ' and the 'Uptighty Righty'

 At the time when Romans chapter one was set down on parchment, the world had two parties: the Judeans and everybody else (right wingers and left wingers biblically). The Judeans were considered the chosen ones of God, the rest were the wild and wooly unbelieving pagans. It was law behavior verses no law behavior.

In the beginning there was Adam.  There was no one who could fit the bill better than Adam of being the chosen one. There was no one else around until Eve. When Eve arrived, along came the dual opportunity of someone to be chosen and someone not to be chosen.  God is not sexist so the choice was not between Adam and Eve, but between them and God's instructions. They chose.

You might say the poor pagans don't have a chance. It's not like God is walking with them in a garden. Wait a minute look around, don't they have a choice too?

Romans 1:20a But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power...... (The Message)  

There is an epistle growing in our front yard. It's a tree. Trees are incredible. The roots dig down deep to provide sustenance. The trunk shoots upward in an amazingly entirely different direction for life energy. The branches fan out so every leaf with its flat, upturned architecture gets an equal shot at the sun. The whole organism works together with intricate precision to do its thing. It wasn't by 'luck' that a tree became a tree (sorry Darwin) and yet God's word is even better than a tree. It's roots run very deep and it would take more than a lifetime to dig it out. It's trunk (Christ) is sturdy and holds us up stalwartly to get the best from God. It's leaves are equal-opportunity positionally! 'The basic reality of God IS plain!' It is simple. We choose to accept it. God has put the beautiful things of His creation right in front of our eyes. It's our choice to see them.

God is big on freewill choice. If He wasn't, how hard do you think it would be to make everyone in this world believe Him? Think about it! He's God! He had to go and give us all freewill choice! There is no determinantly chosen spiritual elite. God doesn't operate like that. Everybody had, has and will have a choice! The poor pagans are without excuse! We don't have to feel sorry for them.

Just as the pagans changed the truth of God's creation into strange twist and turns, ignoring the perfection with which it was designed, Israel went  to another extreme. They became experts eventually of pushing the letter of the law way beyond God's intention, landing in the ditch of judgmentalism. Both roads are miserable and are described in Romans chapters one and two.

Romans 2:4(Amplified Bible)Or are you [so blind as to] trifle with and presume upon and despise and underestimate the wealth of His kindness and forbearance and long-suffering patience? Are you unmindful or actually ignorant [of the fact] that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repent (to change your mind and inner man to accept God's will)?

The big point that is made is that God's goodness and love are readily observable in all that He created and not to be taken lightly. God is all good. The darkness of this world is from another source. It is our choice to accept or reject, real life or the ditch.

There are lots of versions, translations that foster denominations, non-denominations and undenominations. Regardless of this, there is still one body of Christ. A tree is a tree whether it is an oak, an elm or giant redwood. Basically, lightsynthesis (or photosynthesis) involves first God, then His Word, Christ, and the gift of holy spirit. All these sources of light operate effectively in our lives when we choose to center our lives appropriately.

The Just Shall Live by Faith

Change in Plans and the Will of God

Romans is a book that presents the 'big picture' of believing.  Everything in this basic treatise teaches the doctrine and practicality of the foundation of the grace administration as it rests on believing God and what he has provided through Jesus Christ.

In  Romans chapter 1, Paul records his desire to go to Rome but the "right time" had not presented itself.

Romans 1:8-13 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. For I long (Link -epipotheo) to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.  Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.

In Proverbs 16:1, God's Word says

Plans pertain to the heart of man, but the last word is from the Lord. (NIV)

God's answer to anything exceeds whatever plans man makes. Humans often pride themselves on the integrity of their word. "It may appear to be a very high standard of righteousness that makes a man's word his bond: it may actually be a higher one still for a man to appear untrustworthy because he desires ever to obey the higher will of God. …… Consistency has sometimes been obeyed before the claims of added light, and then consistency becomes self-will and pride.  It is certainly humbling for a leader to confess to making a mistake, but what a trustworthy leader is he who will make the confession!" (Charles Welch, The Just and The Justifier).

In Chrysotom’s translation [early church leader] of II Corinthians 1:17 Paul talks of the will of man and the will of God:

17 Do I plan after the flesh, that the yea with me must be always yea, and the nay always nay, as it is with a man of the world who makes his plans independently of God’s overruling of them?

Paul's example was Jesus Christ who always did the Father's will. There are many other records in both the Old Testament (the Joseph record in Genesis is a good example) and New Testament (John 11 - raising Lazarus from the dead) where men and women  kept to the 'God first' priority.

During Paul's life, he got several green  and red lights. He blew a big red light when he went to Jerusalem, but stopped at the Bithynia and Asia intersection and ended up taking a better route to Macedonia. We can learn a great deal about believing by examining these records.

Paul's example was Jesus Christ who always did the Father's will.  God's ultimate sovereignty should never be considered lightly in any situation.  Call it 'lowliness', 'poor in spirit', or humility, this is  quality of believing in someone's life that is of the utmost importance.

"Please turn off electronic devices and fasten your seat belt for take-off."

How about this: as you are talking on the cell phone, the house phone rings, the cell phone bings with email, then plays another sound for text message and your husband asks you a question. This is just a small part of life and yet all encompassing at times, especially when you are supposedly retired!


We need some uninterrupted time. "Please turn off electronic devices and fasten your seat belt for take-off." Never were truer words ever said. A sound mind requires this.


On airplanes, the pilot asks you to turn off certain devices below an altitude of 10,000 feet. The electromagnetic signals could interfere with vital transmissions to the cockpit. This happens to us too! The vital transmission from God via His Word can  be effected by incoming static if we don't give it our undivided attention.


So many things draw our attention.  We are bombarded by phones, computers, TV, movies (DVD or otherwise) and radio.  We are exposed daily to hundreds of opinions. We don't have to adhere to them, but they take up our headspace even when we disagree. We just drift along accepting and rejecting this or that without realizing how much time is eaten up by stuff that we can't do anything about.


Electronic communication is not bad in and of itself. There are great benefits, like being able to text a picture of a sleeping baby to new parents when they go out on date night, sending great Bible verses to someone who needs to be encouraged or hearing the gunfire live from the duck blind in North Dakota! I can fellowship with anyone any moment, any hour!


In order for our lives to be really rich, however, we need to protect our 'uptime' with God. He can communicate sometimes faster than a text message, but we have to be able to hear it. Wouldn't it be great if there was a device that would turn everything off by one single button (Do I need to copyright this idea?) 

Be eager to find out all about God and what he approves, a seeker of truth who has no cause to be ashamed, analyzing and correctly applying it to life. II Timothy 2:15 (my modified version)

By focusing on God consistently we can soar to greater altitudes (It's the seated-in-the-heavenies view. The world looks so small from an airplane!) and we are not so dependent on 'speed dialing' only in emergencies!

Christian Independent

There is a lot of talk these days of the 'independent voter' as election time draws near. The word 'independent' has three parts: 1. 'in' - meaning 'not'; 2. 'depend' - from the French word 'dependre' translated 'to hang down'; 3. 'ent' which is a suffix used to change a verb into a noun or adjective.

When God gave us the absolute grace of providing holy spirit to people, he was providing for a unique independence from anything that  could separate us from Him. This is something he provides contingent on our free-will choice. God does not control us, nor does he want to. The gift of holy spirit does not control either.

Being 'poor in spirit' (Matthew 5:3) is humbly recognizing God's resources.  It is an active recognition, not like the little guy in the picture above who is passively dependent on the hammock and tree limbs to hold him up.  He is stuck in  a rut-like mode with learned dependence on the curvature of the net holding him. Just let him try to stand up or even sit up for that matter!  God's truth sets us free from molding entanglements and control helping us to take action with confidence. 

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (NIV)

There are very important times in our lives that God helps us to break certain patterns in our lives. It is all a part of our growth and maturing as Christians. Our culture, society, our families and associations all exert a gentle influence on the way we think, some good and some not so good at times. However, equipped with the resources that God provides we can be free from that which 'hangs us down' in a detrimental way and be free to live above the mundane.

God provides us with the ability and power to live active and fruitful lives. His spirit at work in our lives provides strength, comfort, protection, love, knowledge, wisdom, power and a home in the body of Christ. None of these qualities control us, they are tools that help us as we live in this world.

Rich Fellowship!

Romans 1:11-12 Amplified
For I am yearning to see you, that I may impart and share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen and establish ('establish' Link) you; that is, that we may be mutually strengthened and encouraged and comforted by each other's faith, both yours and mine.
This is not talking about activities or a social event, this is talking about the full sharing of like-minded people among whom God moves and energizes their relationships. The "yearning to see you" is because of the richness of the energized spirit of God. ('yearn' or 'long' Link)  Paul wanted to let them know he wanted to see them even though something was holding him back at that time.

It is not about meetings, pulpits, pews, song books, the ladies auxiliary, circle suppers, politics, denominations, or formula Christianity. Some of these things may be props, but they sit at the perimeter, not the center of life with God.  God is true, real and individually a part of our lives.  Unity based on the Spirit of God in each one of us is the ultimate goal for true fellowship. ('koinoneo' Link)

Paul, a Servant

Paul, right out of the gate, in Romans, labels himself 'a servant' in Romans 1:1. He is a servant of Jesus Christ  before any of the rest of his credentials.  Later on in the same chapter, Paul expresses this heart  in:

Romans 1:11  For I long to see you, that I may impart (Link- Metadidomai) unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;

His desire to give was all wrapped up in establishing (Link - sterizo) others. Any person who loves God has the same calling if he or she has recognized the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was the servant of all servants (Philippians 2:7)!

As we recognize what God has done, is doing and will yet do for us, we cannot help but love Him and love others with the same love. That's the way it is supposed to work.

The word 'impart' is an interesting study .  It's the 'what do we do?' in practice.  Paul was studied in the scriptures, passionate about God and had a unique awareness of the meaning of God's gift of His Son and the role of the holy spirit in our lives.  That is what he gave. He has openly laid out the truth of the mystery (God's intent with the death, resurrection and ascension of His son in helping us to become powerful sons and daughters). He helped people by setting them firm in God's love. That was his gift that he imparted to the Romans and us as well.

Romans 1:12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

Paul's humble attitude is so clear in verse 12. He himself benefited from their 'mutual faith'.

Each of us has something unique to give others and receive in return.  However, doing good for the sake of doing good is not what this is about. Servants have a master; it is our master's business we must be about in order to produce the satisfying, mutual fruit of God. It is then we can truly 'distribute (link - koinoneo) to the necessity of the saints' as servants.

Philippians 3:3

For we are the circumcision (figuratively), which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice (boast) in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Hypocrisy

Superstition, idolatry, and hypocrisy have ample wages, but truth goes a-begging.” Martin Luther

Romans

The treatise of Romans is part of the 'all truth' that Jesus Christ spoke about in John 16:13. In verses 7-11 that truth is laid out:

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 

Of sin, because they believe not on me;

Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more: 

Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

Three important subjects are covered in the seven church epistles: sin, righteousness and judgement. These are  the subjects of the great treatises, Romans, Ephesians, and Thessalonians that beautifully show what God has made us to be in light of the death, resurrection and ascension of His son.

Romans reproves the world of sin. Sin is the inattention to what God has done for us and the symptoms that result from that lack of attention. The recurring theme in Romans is believing in the grace and finished work of Jesus Christ.  Chapters 1-11 teaches about how the work of Christ has brought us to the place of also being called God's sons. Chapters 12-16 teaches how to practically live in light of this.

Ephesians is the treatise about our righteousness and a Father's love.

John 16:25-27 These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

Chapters 1-3 of Ephesians specifically teach  about our righteousness, while chapters 4-6 is about how to practically apply it.

Thessalonians is about the hope, our future as believers lifted out from the present world and its dominions and spiritual lawlessness. It points to the eventual return of Jesus Christ.

The book of Romans is absolutely essential for our freedom in this life. It lays the foundation for living a life that honestly glorifies God. God has always desired to have a relationship with man. It started in Eden. Adam and Eve decided to ignore God's instructions and fell.  Jesus Christ took the fall and got up so that our relationship with God could be on a permanent basis. Ignorance is not bliss in this case. Romans is a book to pay attention to.