Romans 12: Living Sacrifices

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Wednesday, Feb. 15: Romans 12

With Romans 12, we reach a pivot point in Paul’s letter. After laying out the theological ramifications of the Gospel, Paul turns here toward more “practical” matters of Christian living. For Paul, ethics flows naturally from theology; behavior follows belief.

The first word of v1 is of crucial importance: “therefore”. Paul is not offering moralistic advice nor is he distinguishing between theory and practice. He links the two: one who shares the faith presented in the previous 11 chapters lives by the following imperatives: first, and foremost, they present their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. Under the Old Covenant, life was perpetuated by the blood of goats and rams. Christ’s fulfillment of the Mosaic law renders this sacrificial system obsolete in light of the New Covenant — a Covenant predicated on an entirely different kind of life-giving death. Although “living sacrifice” might sound like a contradiction of terms at first, it gets at the heart of the Gospel. By identifying with Christ’s death in baptism, we experience the new life of His resurrection (Romans 6.4). Paul says our “spiritual act of worship” is to live sacrificially devoted to God.

Paul also urges us to avoid conformity with the world. The Greek word used for “world” is also translated “age”. Those who follow Jesus orient themselves to “the age to come”, believing it has already dawned in Christ. But to live “in the world but not of the world” requires constant renewing of the mind. Christians are called to take up a counter-cultural stance, following the example of Jesus in seeking out Kingdom alternatives for life.

Paul urges humility in community: “I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think…” (v3). Although each member of the body will function uniquely and differently, these gifts are to be used in humility as gifts of grace from our common God. This humility of spirit becomes a springboard for the Christian community and fosters an atmosphere of fervent, genuine love. “Let love be genuine…Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

One way to avoid conformity with the world is to practice the teachings of Rom. 12:9-21. Instead of cursing those who would persecute you, seek to bless them. Rather than repaying evil for evil, do the honorable thing. Live in peace, insofar as it depends on you. Be hopeful; be patient; be full of zeal and resilience. These are the marks of a Christ-follower.

One final note: Paul’s admonishment to “Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” is a powerful description of the life of the church, in my opinion. In the church, covenant love is celebrated; joy is shared over the birth of a child; and praise is given to God when a lost sinner comes home. Conversely, the church is the place we share our brokenness and pain; we weep together over a lost loved one; we hold those who have no one to hold anymore; we hold hands in the waiting room as the surgery begins. Through it all — through all the joy and all the tears — we commune together as God’s people. I truly believe God calls us to rejoice together and weep together because this quality is intrinsic to His character. He calls us to this because HE is the one who also rejoices with us; HE is the one who also weeps with us.

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Romans 11

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Tuesday, Feb. 14: Romans 11

Paul finishes his thoughts here on Israel and God’s faithfulness to His covenant promises. This block of text (ch9-11) is difficult terrain, but the topic (God’s faithfulness) is central to Paul’s theology and to the message He is communicating in Romans. In fact, Paul’s thesis that God is ALWAYS faithful to His covenantal promises provides the grist for the rest of Romans, the more “practical” matters of Christian ethics that we’ll dive into tomorrow.

Paul asks in v1 “Did God reject His people?” His answer: absolutely not! The Messiah’s entry into the world is proof of God’s faithfulness; the Messiah’s death on the cross is proof of God’s self-giving love; and the Messiah’s resurrection is proof of God’s eternal power of sin and death. In the Messiah, Paul is saying in Romans, God has demonstrated His faithfulness. So, back to the question, God hasn’t rejected His people; it’s the other way around. God’s people have rejected His effort to faithfully reconcile them, remove their sin, and redeem them. In my opinion, this seems to be Paul’s main point in this section of Scripture.

But Paul takes us deeper in this chapter, stating that Israel has experienced a “hardening (v25)” in order that the Gentiles might come to salvation. Paul sees this, too, as proof of God’s faithfulness. God never intended for His promises to remain the exclusive possession of Israel; instead, His intention for Israel was that they would be a light to the Gentiles (Isa. 49.6), teaching the world of the covenant faithfulness of the Creator God. But what happens when “the full number of the Gentiles has come in (v25)”? What about Israel? What about God’s covenant promises to them?

This section has troubled scholars for years. Paul makes the statement in v26, “And so all Israel will be saved.” How do we make sense of this? There are three prevailing opinions on what this text means:

  1. By referring to “Israel”, Paul is talking about “spiritual Israel”, the remnant God has preserved throughout history — i.e., the church. In this interpretation, the church assumes the identity of the people of God that Israel carried in the OT.
  2. By referring to “Israel”, Paul is talking about a remnant of Jewish Christians God has preserved throughout history. If this interpretation holds, then Paul is referring to this remnant as an embodiment of “true Israel”.
  3. By referring to “Israel”, Paul is talking about the yet-to-occur redemption of a large portion of Jewish people near the end of salvation history. In this interpretation, “the Deliverer (v26)” will reconcile Israel back to Himself at the time of His second coming.

Whichever interpretive path you take on v26, the ultimate point is still the same: God is faithful to keep His promises. Remember how Paul began this whole discussion in Romans 9.6: “It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.”

V22 is a balanced treatment of the character of God: “Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.” God’s kindness has been lavished on these Gentiles Paul is addressing; God’s sternness, in this conversation, is directed at Israel for rejecting the covenantal faithfulness He demonstrated in His Messiah. This verse also serves as a balance to the prevailing perceptions of God as either a cosmic traffic cop (legalism) or the universe’s doting grandfather haphazardly doling out mercy and spiritual lollipops. Paul’s depiction here is consistent with the balance of Scripture: God is a covenant God who seeks communion with a covenant people. God expresses Himself in covenant love, but He also sets the terms and conditions of the covenant. He forgives, but He also commands. He redeems, but He also requires. Love and justice; grace and discipleship; mercy and obedience — these are different sides of the same covenantal coin in Scripture.

There are several other interesting verses in this chapter, but this post is already getting lengthy. I’ll leave it up to you all to discuss any other interesting verses in the comments section.

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Romans 10

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Monday, Feb. 13: Romans 10

In Romans 10, Paul continues his discussion on the state of Israel and the distinctions between law and faith. Verse 4 is a powerful summation of Paul’s argument: “Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.” The word translated “end” is “telos” in Greek. Telos means end, termination, completion, goal. The following note comes from the Key Word Study Bible (a great tool for biblical word studies, in my opinion): “In Romans 10.4, telos means either termination or goal. Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes. This means that the Law as a covenantally demanded obligation has come to an end because Jesus has fulfilled its demands and imparted His righteousness to those who believe. The standards of righteousness come to us now not from the outside by imposition, but from within by the Spirit who writes the Law upon our hearts.”

We’re reminded that Jesus says He came not to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but instead to fulfill them (Matt. 5.17). Earlier in Romans, Paul pointed out that faith doesn’t nullify the law, rendering it void (Romans 3.31). But a proper understanding of law sees Christ as its ultimate conclusion. Law is not a means of works-righteousness. Righteousness is imparted only through faith in Christ.

In a masterful use of Scripture, Paul uses Deuteronomy 30 as a springboard into this discussion: “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.” Paul interprets this ancient text in light of the proclamation of the lordship of Jesus. Confession of Christ as Lord is the key to right-standing before God — a far cry from the teachings of those Judaizing influences Paul seems to oppose in the NT. Listen to these verses again:

v9 – “…if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
v12 – “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,”

Paul resolutely believes in the importance of sharing Jesus with others. In vv14-15, he spells out the importance of belief; which necessitates preaching; which necessitates sending teachers out into the world. Quoting Isaiah, Paul comments about the beauty of those who come bearing the Gospel message (v15).

The final part of the chapter will segue us into our discussion for Tuesday from ch11. Although Paul expresses a heartfelt desire for all Israel to be saved in the first part of chapter 10, he also says Israel is without excuse for her unbelief. He quotes the Psalmist as proof that Israel has heard the word of God. He quotes Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and Jeremiah to substantiate his claim that Israel is a disobedient, obstinate people, lacking in understanding.

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Romans 9: Is God Faithful?

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Friday, Feb. 10: Romans 9

After the crescendo of ch 8, we’re entering into one of the more difficult sections of Paul’s writing. Paul turns an eye toward his fellow Jews to discuss Israel’s status as God’s chosen people. Have the promises of God failed? Has God rejected Israel proper in favor of a “new” chosen people — the Christians to whom Paul is writing? These are the kinds of issues Paul turns to in Romans 9.

Paul takes up the issue a few different ways. He starts off by grieving the condition of Israel. The sonship, the glory, the covenants, the receiving of the Law, the promises — these are Israel’s possession. Israel is uniquely situated to receive the fulfillment of God’s promises in Jesus…yet they reject Him. You can see Paul’s heart on display when he says, “For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers…(v3).”

But Israel’s rejection does not negate God’s faithfulness. “It is not as though the word of God has failed” (v6). Paul points out that true children of Abraham are descendants of his promise and his faithfulness, not necessarily descendants of his flesh. “This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring,” (v8). Paul then traces the lineage of this promise from Abraham through Isaac to Jacob and Esau, Moses and even Pharaoh’s role in this whole thing (v7-18).

In v20, Paul pushes back a little at those who would put God on trial. “Are you going to answer God back? Is this REALLY what you want to be doing?” Paul sees God’s faithfulness to His promises; therefore, our part to play is to live out faithfulness to the Covenant Promiser. As such, Paul doesn’t have much room for those who want to accuse God — at least not in this section of his writing. He closes the chapter with quotations from the prophets (Hosea, Isaiah) to demonstrate God’s faithfulness to “the remnant” — true Israel, children whose very identity is linked to the promise of a loving and faithful Father. This number includes us — children of the promise, descendants of Abraham by faith.

In Rom. 9.5, we have one of the most important theological statements about Jesus in the NT: “Christ, who is God over all…”. The early church grappled with how to understand Jesus as fully God and fully man at the same time. But in this text, Paul equates Christ the Son and God the Father. Plenty of other passages speak of Christ’s subservient nature to the Father, but Paul doesn’t qualify his statement here. God the Son is of the same essence — the same “stuff” — as God the Father. Jesus is not less than God the Father in this sense; He is not some “lesser god”. But that’s just the point: He subjects His will to the will of the Father and, in so doing, wins our salvation.

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Things I Want to Remember: Vol. 17

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Jason

Jackson’s joke for today:

Jackson: “Dad, why did the pelican walk across the road?”

Me: “I don’t know. Why?”

Jackson: “To get away from Justin Beever! Ha ha ha!”

I have no idea what this joke means, but Jackson cracked himself up with it! Not sure which part is my favorite: the fact that he butchered the opening (it’s supposed to be a chicken, not a pelican; and he crosses “the street”, not “the road!) or the fact that he butchered Bieber’s name!

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I want to remember how Abby Kate is such a little Momma to Sadie. She loves to hold her — almost too much! But you can tell that she’s going to be a great Mommy someday. And really, I’m not surprised…she comes by it naturally!

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I want to remember Joshua’s pure joy at playing baseball. He’s a pretty good little athlete, but baseball is really his thing. We had our tryouts for the upcoming season last Saturday. Watching Joshua in the batting cage, I was so proud of where he is and what he’s able to do. We’ve come a long way from the day he entered the world at 2 lbs. 5 ozs.

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I want to remember what a voracious reader we have in Abby Kate. See Sunny’s post here.

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I want to remember how much my kids love Star Wars!

The Jedi Bybees

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Romans 8: Spirit Over Flesh

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Thursday, Feb. 9: Romans 8

We could probably spend a whole month talking about all the encouraging truths Paul lays out for us in this great chapter. With yesterday’s study in mind, I think ch8 flows naturally out of Paul’s comment about this new “law of the Spirit”. In fact, you could say Paul turns the spotlight on the Holy Spirit in this chapter.

Look at the promises God gives us here regarding the Holy Spirit:

1. Through Christ, the Holy Spirit sets us free from sin and death. Rom. 8.1
2. The Holy Spirit unites our “living” (conduct, ethics) with our “thinking”. Rom. 8.5
3. The Holy Spirit is the promise of life and peace. Rom. 8.6
4. The Holy Spirit is the promise of resurrection. Rom. 8.11
5. The Holy Spirit is the promise of adoption. Rom. 8.15-16
6. The Holy Spirit is the promise of inheritance. Rom. 8.17
7. The Holy Spirit is the promise of hope. Rom. 8.22-24
8. The Holy Spirit is the promise of help in weakness. Rom. 8.26
9. The Holy Spirit is the promise of intercession in prayer. Rom. 8.26
10. The Holy Spirit is the promise of God’s love toward us. Rom. 8.31-39

A keep a note that a good friend of mine wrote me years ago. In this note, my friend shared some of his struggles to live out God’s calling for him: to be the kind of husband, father, employee, friend, and man God wanted him to be. At the end of the letter, my friend quoted from this chapter and he wrote, in large bold print: SPIRIT OVER FLESH. That was his prayer and he was asking me to join him in praying that God’s Spirit would victoriously reign over his flesh. I think my friend understood the theme Paul is laying out for us here. Through His Spirit, God is waging against our fleshly desires, our human compulsions, to bring about His Kingdom reign IN us. As Paul has already argued, there is only one way this happens: IN CHRIST.

Let us remember today that IN CHRIST, there is no condemnation.

IN CHRIST, we cannot be separated from the love of God.

IN CHRIST, sin and death no longer have the final word.

IN CHRIST, tribulation and distress and persecution and famine and nakedness and danger and sword no longer have the final word.

IN CHRIST, we graciously receive ALL THINGS necessary for life and peace and love.

IN CHRIST, we are truly more than conquerors.

IN CHRIST, SPIRIT OVER FLESH.

This is Good News.

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Romans 7: Law vs. Spirit

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Wednesday, Feb. 8: Romans 7

It would be easy to assume that Paul has a negative view of the OT Law based on some of his writings (especially Galatians!). I think we have to remember that Paul is arguing against those who have improperly elevated the Law onto the same plane as the atoning work of Christ. It’s not that Paul dislikes the Law; in fact, as a Torah-observant Jew, he would have much use for it. See v12: Paul argues that the Law is holy in that it comes from God and illuminates our sinfulness. But Paul’s concern is to make the Law subservient to Christ — and in the case of Gentile converts, to render the Law obsolete for their relationship with Jesus.

We’ll talk more about this in Galatians, but Paul’s “salvation equation” works something like this:

Faith in Christ = Salvation

Paul is arguing against those who would want to make this addition to the equation:

Mosaic Law + Faith in Christ = Salvation

For Paul, adding anything to the first equation is a violation of the Gospel.

We can see Paul’s understanding of this new relationship with God through some of his phrases in this chapter:

v4 – bearing fruit to God
v6 – released from the Law
v6 – the new way of the Spirit

The purpose of the Law is to make us cognizant of our sin.

The purpose of Christ is to liberate us from this sin into a new life, a new Way of being — the new way of the Spirit.

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Marriage Is Love

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Jason

A friend of mine asked me to write a guest piece for his blog. His name is Warren Baldwin and he writes extensively on family and marriage. (You can access his blog by clicking here.) This is a little something I wrote for him entitled “Marriage Is Love”. This is essentially what I tell all my pre-marital counseling couples.

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God is love.

This little phrase is densely packed with theological insight. Scripture teaches that God exists in eternal relationship – Father, Son, and Spirit. The essence of this relationship is love. Prior to creation, prior to anything, there was love – the eternally binding love of Father, Son, and Spirit. Each member of the “Godhead” is distinct and differentiated; Father is distinct from Son who is unique from Spirit. And yet, the “oneness” of these three is found in an essential characteristic: love. We see the depth of this love in that God chose to create us in the first place. Out of His great love, He creates a space where He isn’t – at least not fully – in order for differentiated creation to exist. Out of His great love, He wills us to exist within His good creation. And out of His great love, He imbues humanity with the potential to bear His image within the created order (Gen. 1:27).

I believe marriage is the greatest context for humans to bear God’s image to one another. In marriage, we experience the unconditional love of our mate. On your good days, on your bad days, on your mundane days, and on your worst days, the loving presence of your spouse is a constant amid life’s turbulent seasons. In this way, marriage is held up to the world as a reflection of the unconditional, self-giving love that binds the Triune God in eternal relationship. We hold marriage up to the world and we say, “This is how God loves. This is faithfulness. This is commitment. This is love!” When we love our spouses unconditionally, we stand as God’s proxies in their lives, a breathing embodiment of the covenantal love of God. In marriage, we give ourselves over to being fully known – warts and all. Yet, our fears are allayed by an unconditional promise: “I love you and I always will love you. It’s okay. You can be yourself around me.” Again, we say to the world: “This is who our God is. For our God knows us fully and completely. And yet, He pursues relationship with us. He never wavers from this pursuit. He is love.” More than any other institution, marriage holds the potential for the image of God to be played out most fully, most intimately, and most precisely.

God is love.

And so is marriage.

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Romans 6

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Tuesday, Feb. 7: Romans 6

This is one of my favorite chapters in Scripture. Paul addresses some common human assumptions re: sin and grace. He takes on permissiveness: Is it better to sin so that grace may increase? By no means! (verses 1-2) Later, he argues the same reasoning re: the Law — should we go on sinning because we’re under grace, not the Law? Again, by no means! Paul makes his appeal by pointing to the risen Jesus. Christ’s resurrection validates His victory over death (v9). But it’s not just that He conquered death; his death brings down the power of sin once and for all (v10). For Paul, the resurrection of Jesus diminishes the hold sin has on us. Therefore, we are no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to righteousness (v18).

I love the contrast of v11: dead to sin, but alive to God. The imagery of baptism declares the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus as the primary story of our lives. In baptism, we submit ourselves to the will of another, trusting them to take us under and bring us up out of the waters. This is a beautiful demonstration of the spiritual immersion that occurs simultaneously: in faith, we submit our whole selves to God, trusting Him to put to death the old person, trusting Him to raise us as transformed and redeemed. All of this is so we “may live a new life (v4)”. This new life is what Paul declares in v11 — a life fully alive to God.

Although Paul can be pretty abstract and theoretical in Romans, all of his theological insight is focused here: on making these believers more aware of the life God has called them to. We might say, Paul is most interested in God’s people being more fully alive to God. In order to do that, sin must be dealt with. And Paul will have much more to say about that in the coming chapters.

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Romans 5

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Jason

Reading for Monday, Feb. 6: Romans 5

Reconciliation and justification emerge as some major themes in the first part of Paul’s letter to the Romans. The justification that he discussed in chapter 4 restores peace between God and humanity. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Rom. 5.1). We are a people longing for peace. As a minister, I speak to so many guilt-wracked people, men and women who carry around these burdens, whether it’s past sins, current struggles, relationship problems, wayward children, etc. What they’re most hungering for — what we’re ALL hungry for — is a word of peace and hope. To know that all of this strife and burden doesn’t have the final word in our lives.

Paul lays out a trajectory that helps make sense of our struggles. Sufferings produce endurance; endurance produces character; character produces hope; and hope leads us to God’s love that has been poured into our hearts (v5). In our weakness, we can remember that Christ died PRECISELY BECAUSE we are weak and incapable of justifying ourselves before God. This, for Paul, is cause for rejoicing (v11).

Paul contrasts Adam and Jesus in the second part of the chapter. Sin and death entered into the world through Adam (v12), but grace and life come through Christ. The sin we read about in Genesis 3 was a “game-changer”. God created the world, called it good and intended for His creation to bear witness to His glory. (This is part of our understanding of humanity being made in God’s image, Genesis 1.27.) Yet, through sin, this image is marred and corrupted. And we all participate in this same willful disobedience (Rom. 3.23). The condemnation we experience as a result of sin — personified here by Adam and his disobedience — is overcome through the justification we know in Christ. Romans 5.17 speaks of the “abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness” that are ours in Christ. Now sin no longer has the last word. Instead, “as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord,” (Rom. 5.21).

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