God’s agape love, in the salvation of Jesus the Christ, covers a multitude of sin.
We truly do need our Father's hand to hold. No matter how many years we've lived or how long we've followed the Lord, we never outgrow our dependence on God.
"'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness' ... For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
This doesn't mean weakness is an excuse to be lazy or passive. We are still called to work hard with the gifts and resources God has given us (1 Corinthians 3:13-14). But we will be most effective when we humbly ask Him to work through us. Ultimately, God cares more about our humility and growth in character than about our achievements and status or our comfort and ease. When we feel uncomfortable, when we face our limitations, we are more likely to turn to God and rely on His strength and help. First5
I Worried
I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers
flow in the right direction, will the earth turn
as it was taught, and if not how shall
I correct it?
Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,
can I do better?
Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows
can do it and I am, well,
hopeless.
Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,
am I going to get rheumatism,
lockjaw, dementia?
Finally, I saw that worrying had come to nothing.
And gave it up. And took my old body
and went out into the morning,
and sang.
Mary Oliver
Know that life is precious. Savor your day. Let a sense of wonder find you this week. It can happen in many forms. Linger. Drink in. Savor. Oh... and go out into the morning, and sing... SabbathMoments
How should we, as Christ followers, treat others?
Romans:
Righteousness practiced In the church
- In society 12:9–21
- Toward government 13:1–14
- Toward other believers 14:1–15:13
12:9-21
There are at least four Greek words for love, not all of which are used in the NT. (1) The highest form of love is agape. This is a self-sacrificial love. It involves an act of the will whereby one seeks the best for another. The Greek word philos means “affectionate regard,” and the derived form philadelphia is translated brotherly love in this verse. (3) Philostorgos means “family affection” and is translated kindly affectionate in this verse. (4) Eros means physical love and does not occur in the NT.
The greatest proof of the truth of the gospel message and of the reality of Jesus’ love is the love believers show to each other. Christ is the model for such self-sacrificial love. Christians should not offer their service half-heartedly or in a lazy manner. Instead, Paul encourages the Romans to serve eagerly and in earnest.
Hospitality means “love of strangers.” The progression in this verse is significant. As we dedicate ourselves to meeting the needs of our fellow believers, we will have opportunities to serve strangers and thus witness to them about the love of Christ.
Bless means “to speak well of” or “praise.” Because believers are a body, when one part hurts, everyone feels the pain; when one is joyful, everyone can rejoice. Christians cannot be indifferent to the suffering or joy of their fellow believers.
The word good in this verse means “morally good,” “noble,” or “praiseworthy.” This is the positive side of the negative command not to return evil for evil. A Christian should not concentrate on the evil in others, but instead should focus on what is good. By doing so, we encourage others around us to aspire to the good.
The believer’s aim should be to live peaceably. Believers are not to seek personal revenge, but rather to let God punish. Freed from vengeance, believers can give themselves to mercy, even toward their enemies. By acts of kindness, the believers will heap coals of fire on the head of their enemies, perhaps bringing shame and repentance to them. It is possible for an enemy to become a friend. This is the phenomenal power of God’s love that believers are connected to through Christ.
13:1-14
God, the supreme Sovereign, has ordained that there should be governing authorities. Every believer is to be subject to these various authorities, even if these authorities are as evil as Nero (a.d. 54–68), the emperor of Rome who cruelly persecuted Christians. When Paul wrote this letter, Nero was in power. Yet Paul exhorted the Roman believers to submit to Nero’s authority, because that authority was ordained by God Himself. Judgment does not necessarily include eternal punishment. God may judge people through the human authorities He appoints. Believers must obey government not only because it is their civic duty, but because it is their spiritual duty before God.
In the present context, owe no one anything primarily means respect and honor. No doubt money is also included, but this passage does not prohibit borrowing.
Love is a debt that is never paid in full. This verse is not a command to love ourselves. It is a recognition that we do love ourselves, and commands us to love others just as genuinely and sincerely as we love ourselves. Love excludes murder, adultery, stealing, and lying. Therefore when we love, we automatically fulfill the prohibitions of the law. If we attempt to live by the law, we quickly discover that we are breaking the law. But when we act in accordance with God’s love, without being under the law, we fulfill it.
Believers are pictured as being asleep or inactive. Salvation here refers to the future, when believers will be saved from the presence of sin. Thus salvation here speaks of the imminent return of Christ.
Night is the present age during which we live in Satan’s domain. Day is the beginning of a new life with Christ in His glorious reign. At hand means “is imminent”; the Lord could return at any moment.
Note that Paul puts strife and envy on the same level as drunkenness and lust.
Believers should clothe themselves with Christlike characteristics such as truth, righteousness, and peace
14:1-15:13
Those who were weak in the faith did have faith; they had trusted in Christ. Some of the Roman believers might not have accepted the apostle’s teaching concerning certain practices, such as accepting that all food was clean if received with thanksgiving. Instead, they ate only vegetables. The strong in the faith are told to receive the weak and not to dispute over doubtful things, which literally means “reasonings” or “opinions.” The mature believers were not to pass judgment or to enter into dispute with those who were less mature.
The strong are not to despise the weak, that is, to treat them with contempt. The weak are not to judge the strong by attempting to place excessive prohibitions on them. The exhortation does not mean it is wrong to have strong convictions, but that all people have a right to their own convictions. This principle is basic in dealing with disputes. Days and diets are not the issue, but whether what is being done is committed to the Lord. None of us refers to believers, not people in general. Believers belong to the Lord. They live and die in relation to Him. Therefore Christians should aim to please Him. The weak are not to judge, and the strong are not to show contempt, the same word that is rendered “despise”.
All believers are accountable to their Master, Jesus Christ, for they will appear before Him. At the judgment seat of Christ, every believer’s life will be evaluated to determine his or her reward. One day everyone will submit to God’s authority. He will judge all people before His great throne.
If anyone considers some activity to be unlawful, then it is wrong for that person to engage in that activity. Paul here builds on the principle of conviction with the principle of consideration for the brother who is weak. This is a step in maturity. If eating meat destroys a weak believer, then the strong believer should not eat it. Your good is what you, the believer, consider to be good. Be spoken of as evil means “reviled” or “slandered.” Do not cause your freedom, a good thing, to be reviled because of the way in which you use it.
The kingdom of God does not consist of external things like food, but in spiritual realities like righteousness in action and thought, peace that seeks harmony, and joy that comes from the Holy Spirit. Those who understand the spiritual realities of the kingdom will not choose the brief joy of satisfying selfish desires over the spiritual joy of putting aside those desires for the sake of others.
The believer should edify, that is, “build up.” That is, do not “throw down” or “demolish.” Paul has already exhorted mature believers to have consideration for the weak believers. Here Paul exhorts the mature believer to identify ways to build up those weaker in the faith.
There is little distinction between stumbles, offended, and made weak. Paul uses all three words to reiterate that a mature believer should not cause the downfall of another believer. Paul does not require the strong to abandon their convictions about things not condemned by the law. Instead he encourages them to have faith about such issues. Although mature believers may refrain from eating meat in front of weaker believers, they can still believe that Christ gives them the freedom to eat all types of food.
Christ is the ultimate model for the strong believer. He renounced self-gratification so that He could clearly represent God and His cause. Through patience (endurance) and the comfort (or encouragement) of Scripture, believers learn that they have hope. In this case, if strong believers are patient with the scruples of the weak, they have hope of being rewarded. Attributing to God the same virtues just ascribed to the Scriptures, Paul prays for the unity of all believers. Therefore introduces the conclusion of the discussion begun in 14:1, where Paul began with the command to receive the weak believer. Thus the command to receive one another is addressed not just to the strong believers, but to all believers.
Jesus Christ became a servant to the Jews for two purposes: (1) to confirm God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and (2) to demonstrate God’s mercy to the Gentiles so that they might glorify Him. Paul cites four passages from the OT to prove that God intended the Gentiles as well as the Jews to glorify Him. Paul quotes from all three divisions of the OT (the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms or Writings), and from three great Jewish leaders (Moses, David, and Isaiah), to demonstrate that God’s purpose was always to bless the Gentiles through Israel. Although the nation of Israel has been set aside for the present, both Jews and Gentiles are being brought together in the church. The root of Jesse is a title for the Messiah. Jesse was the father of David, and the Son of David was the promised Messiah. The NKJV Study Bible
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