Saturday, June 8, 2019
Friday, June 7, 2019
Romans 4
Outline
- Commendation, Greetings and Doxology (ch. 16)
Romans 4
1 Abraham was, humanly speaking, the
founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with
God?
2 If his good deeds had made him
acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not
God’s way.
3 For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham
believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”
4 When people work, their wages are not a
gift, but something they have earned.
5But people are counted as righteous, not
because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives
sinners.
6 David also spoke of this when he
described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for
it:
7 “Oh, what joy for those whose
disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.
8 Yes, what joy for those whose record the
LORD has cleared of sin.”
9 Now, is this blessing only for the Jews,
or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that
Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith.
10 But how did this happen? Was he counted
as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was
circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised!
11 Circumcision was a sign that Abraham
already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be
righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of
those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as
righteous because of their faith.
12 And Abraham is also the spiritual father
of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of
faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.
13 Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole
earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s
law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.
14 If God’s promise is only for those who
obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless.
15 For the law always brings punishment on
those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no
law to break!)
16 So the promise is received by faith. It
is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not
we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For
Abraham is the father of all who believe.
17 That is what the Scriptures mean when
God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened
because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who
creates new things out of nothing.
18 Even when there was no reason for hope,
Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations.
For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”
19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even
though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as
dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.
20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s
promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to
God.
21 He was fully convinced that God is able
to do whatever he promises.
22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God
counted him as righteous.
23 And when God counted him as righteous,
it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded
24 for our benefit, too, assuring us that
God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised
Jesus our Lord from the dead.
25 He was handed over to die because of our
sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.
Thursday, June 6, 2019
Romans 3:9-31
Outline
1.
The principle
established (3:27-31)
- Commendation, Greetings and Doxology (ch. 16)
Romans 3
9 Well then, should we conclude that we
Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all
people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin.
10 As the Scriptures say, “No one is
righteous— not even one.
11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking
God.
12 All have turned away; all have become
useless. No one does good, not a single one.”
13 “Their talk is foul, like the stench
from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips
from their lips.”
14“Their mouths are full of cursing and
bitterness.”
15 “They rush to commit murder.
16 Destruction and misery always follow
them.
17 They don’t know where to find
peace.”
18 “They have no fear of God at all.”
19 Obviously, the law applies to those to
whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and
to show that the entire world is guilty before God.
20 For no one can ever be made right with
God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we
are.
21 But now God has shown us a way to be
made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was
promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.
22 We are made right with God by placing
our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no
matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall
short of God’s glorious standard.
24 Yet God freely and graciously declares
that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from
the penalty for our sins.
25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice
for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed
his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when
he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,
26 for he was looking ahead and including
them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his
righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be
right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
27 Can we boast, then, that we have done
anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on
obeying the law. It is based on faith.
28 So we are made right with God through
faith and not by obeying the law.
29 After all, is God the God of the Jews
only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is.
30There is only one God, and he makes people
right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.
31 Well then, if we emphasize faith, does
this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when
we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Romans 2:1;3:8
Outline
- Commendation, Greetings and Doxology (ch. 16)
Romans 2
1 You may think you can condemn such
people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are
wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge
others do these very same things.
2 And we know that God, in his justice,
will punish anyone who does such things.
3 Since you judge others for doing these
things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same
things?
4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind,
tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you
see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?
5 But because you are stubborn and refuse
to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For
a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
6 He will judge everyone according to what
they have done.
7 He will give eternal life to those who
keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God
offers.
8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath
on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live
lives of wickedness.
9 There will be trouble and calamity for
everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the
Gentile.
10 But there will be glory and honor and
peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the
Gentile.
11 For God does not show favoritism.
12When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed,
even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s
law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it.
13 For merely listening to the law doesn’t
make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight.
14 Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s
written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even
without having heard it.
15 They demonstrate that God’s law is
written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse
them or tell them they are doing right.
16 And this is the message I proclaim—that
the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret
life.
17 You who call yourselves Jews are relying
on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him.
18 You know what he wants; you know what is
right because you have been taught his law.
19 You are convinced that you are a guide
for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness.
20 You think you can instruct the ignorant
and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God’s law gives
you complete knowledge and truth.
21 Well then, if you teach others, why
don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal?
22 You say it is wrong to commit adultery,
but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen
from pagan temples?
23You are so proud of knowing the law, but you
dishonor God by breaking it.
24No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles
blaspheme the name of God because of you.”
25 The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has
value only if you obey God’s law. But if you don’t obey God’s law, you are no
better off than an uncircumcised Gentile.
26 And if the Gentiles obey God’s law,
won’t God declare them to be his own people?
27 In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep
God’s law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God’s law but
don’t obey it.
28 For you are not a true Jew just because
you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony
of circumcision.
29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is
right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the
law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with
a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.
Romans 3
1 Then what’s the advantage of being a
Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision?
2 Yes, there are great benefits! First of
all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God.
3 True, some of them were unfaithful; but
just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful?
4 Of course not! Even if everyone else is
a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him, “You will be proved right
in what you say, and you will win your case in court.”
5 “But,” some might say, “our sinfulness
serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it
unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (This is merely a human point of
view.)
6Of course not! If God were not entirely fair,
how would he be qualified to judge the world?
7 “But,” someone might still argue, “how
can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and
brings him more glory?”
8 And some people even slander us by
claiming that we say, “The more we sin, the better it is!” Those who say such
things deserve to be condemned.
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