Romans 9:1-33

I did not count how many times my Study Bible used the word “faith” in its notes to today’s reading. But as I read the text without the notes, what seems clear to me is not an issue of faith, but one of obedience. So now I’m struggling with trying to understand faith and obedience – how are they similar, how are they different. And I begin to wonder if faith has to do with the heart (believing, being) and obedience has to do with the hands (acting, doing). I note in my comments in the second link below, “…we respond to whatever God puts in front of us, again fully seeking His will, His wisdom, His guidance.” To me, that is a statement of faith – seeking, seeking, seeking, but not doing. Obedience follows, based on faith. As/after we seek, we do – and what we do is either obedience or disobedience. Confusing! Carol said to me, just before I began to post, “Today’s reading is difficult.” She should post to you all why she said that.

See also:

• June 26 (2020) / Romans 9:1-13
• June 27 (2020) / Romans 9:14-29
• June 28 (2020) / Romans 9:30-10:13

Romans 8:18-39

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good… (v. 28a) My Study Bible also offers a second translation for the second half of this verse: …God works all things together for good… Either translation supports the notion that when we pray for particular situations or outcomes, the end of our prayer should always be, “Not my will, but your will be done.” (Mt. 26:39, Mk. 14:36, Lk. 22:42, Jn 6:38 NASB, slightly edited). If all four Gospel writers included these words spoken by Jesus, it must be the case that we need to follow His lead, pray and move forward with whatever outcome results from whatever situation we face. We can wonder why God is doing what He is doing or why He is letting happen whatever is happening, but in the end it must be “Your will be done.”

See also:

• June 24 (2020) / Romans 8:18-30
• June 25 (2020) / Romans 8:31-39

Romans 8:1-17

If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (v. 11) Most of us would like to interpret this verse as God promising eternal life with Him for those who have accepted Jesus and live for Him. But this verse could also suggest a renewed life in our present existence, He … will also give life to your mortal bodies…. I think the key to seeing this verse as referring to eternal life is in the phrase, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead… The previous verse seems to apply to our mortal lives here on earth: …if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (v. 10) So I think verse 10 refers to life here on earth and verse 11 refers to eternal life. It’s how I understand it – in fact, how I “claim” it. If Christ Jesus has been raised from the dead, we also will be raised from the dead. What a glorious thought!!

See also: June 23 (2020) / Romans 8:1-17

Romans 7:1-25

For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. (vv. 22-23) Particularly in these two verses, but also throughout the last half of today’s reading we see this contrast between my mind and sin. I see this cartoon depiction of an angel standing on a person’s one shoulder and a devil standing on the person’s other shoulder, each whispering into the person’s ear. It’s a cute depiction, but really quite true, except that the angel is really the Holy Spirit working in our lives. Archbishop Beach says it well in today’s podcast where he speaks of temptation. Here is a quote from that summary: You will be tempted again and again, but the temptation itself is not the sin. The sin resides in your grabbing onto the temptation; dwelling on the temptation; and following through on the temptation. (his emphases) Beyond the quote he offers one of the few verses in my life that I have worked on and memorized: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (again, his emphases, I Corinthians 10:13) Paul’s final words today echo our Archbishop: Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (vv. 24-25a) Divine echo!!

See also:

• June 21 (2020) / Romans 7:1-12
• June 22 (2020) / Romans 7:13-25

Romans 6:1-23

In verse 16b Paul contrasts sin and obedience, …you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness, making them almost opposites. Since the clear opposite of obedience is disobedience, by extension we see that sin equals disobedience. That is, when we sin we are disobeying God. That brings it closer to home!

Paul uses the word “slaves” eight times in seven verses (16-2, 17, 18, 19-2, 20, 22). I suggested in my second set of comments from last year (in the second link below) that we play around by substituting “willing servants” for “slaves”. If we play that game a bit we find that we are willing servants to sin (17, 20); willing servants to impurity (19); willing servants of/to righteousness (18, 19); and willing servants of God (22). I like the thought of being a willing servant of righteousness and of God, but the thought that I am a willing servant to sin and impurity cuts deeply. But that’s exactly what it is when we give in to sin. We simply nod to sin and say, “OK, sin, you’ve got me.” What a sad state that is…!!

See also:

• June 19 (2020) / Romans 6:1-14
• June 20 (2020) / Romans 6:15-23

Romans 5:1-21

Much more… This phrase (and its similarities) occurs six times in today’s reading (Rom. 5:9, 10, 11, 15, 17, 20). Paul is really emphasizing the extent of Jesus’ sacrifice as so much greater than mankind’s sin. I’m imagining Paul (or any preacher) speaking these words out loud. Each occurrence of this phrase suggests (demands!) emphasis. Only in verse 20 – Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more… – does this spoken phrase soften, in that all the more here suggests finality, closure, completeness, rest. Try it, folks. Read these verses out loud. Much more…!!

See also:

• June 17 (2020) / Romans 5:1-11
• June 18 (2020) / Romans 5:12-20

Romans 4:1-25

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” (v. 3, quoting Genesis 15:6) My Study Bible had this to say as a comment on this verse: “Abraham had kept no law, rendered no service, and performed no ritual that earned credit to his account before God. His belief in God, who had made promises to him, was credited to him as righteousness.” This comment sums it up nicely!

Folks, I’m no Bible scholar, but I did spend a fair amount of time last year breaking down these readings and I think both of my sets of comments from last year (both links below) would be good for you to review. I don’t think I could comment further today and add any more clarity to this difficult chapter. Paul uses many words to get across one major point: The just (righteous) shall live by faith. (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38, in addition to the whole of this chapter).

See also:

• June 15 (2020) / Romans 4:1-12
• June 16 (2020) / Romans 4:13-25

Romans 3:1-31

I’ve always thought of Romans 3 as one of the more difficult chapters in all of Paul’s epistles. But last year we read it in three readings and I was able to break it down more than I could with just a quick read. I would encourage you to read my comments from last year (in the links below); they were helpful to me last year and again today.

According to The Chronological Study Bible, Paul is pulling from Isaiah and four different Psalms in his quotes in verses 10 through 18. My other Study Bible has his quotes as from Isaiah and six different Psalms. His quotes are not word-for-word what we have in our Bibles today, but I am impressed with Paul that he is able to pull these quotes together at all. I doubt that he had a Psalter readily at his disposal; mostly I imagine these verses popping into his head one by one and him writing them down quickly. Which speaks substantially to his upbringing and his training…! Impressive!

See also:

• June 12 (2020) / Romans 3:1-8
• June 13 (2020) / Romans 3:9-20
• June 14 (2020) / Romans 3:21-31

Romans 2:1-29

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? (v. 4) The first half of this verse reminds me of our pastor back in Richmond whom Carol and I heard say one Sunday morning in a small group lesson time that he did not believe in hell, that a loving God would never assign someone to hell for all eternity. At that point we knew that we had to leave. Unfortunately it took us another three years before we joined St. Andrew’s.

There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil … but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good… (vv. 9a, 10a). These verses sound like truth when our final judgment arrives, but it’s a bit troublesome in our natural world. That is, there are two books, When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold Kushner and Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People by David Arnold that suggest just the opposite, that tribulation and distress fall on good people. Naturally the second half also applies, that glory and honor and peace fall on bad people. Be that as it may, Paul was clearly speaking in the present tense, because after both of these phrases he adds “the Jew first and also the Greek”. I know (in my head, but maybe not in my heart) that trying times for us are meant to teach us something – that if God is allowing difficulties in our lives, He who could right all wrongs is allowing those occasions to happen. So I take these verses as eternal truths with a full understanding in our natural world that God is God and I’m not!

See also:

• June 10 (2020) / Romans 2:1-16
• June 11 (2020) / Romans 2:17-29

Romans 1:1-32

Homosexuality is an issue that the church has been dealing with for some 2,000 years, as Paul writes in today’s reading: For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men… (vv. 26b-27a) It’s an issue that (in part) brought St. Andrew’s to where we are today. The ordination of a gay bishop in New Hampshire during the Episcopal Church’s Triennial Convention in 2003 led many committed believers and entire church bodies to leave the Episcopal Church. Many individuals simply found new places to worship, but entire groups of individuals, like our St. Andrew’s “founders” chose to start new congregations, many of which aligned with the Anglican Church. It was a tough beginning for our St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, but our Lord has clearly blessed that decision. No doubt all of us have family and friends who are gay or who support gay relationships. It’s also surely the case that not even in our congregation does everyone agree with the ACNA stand on same-sex issues, but that’s a personal item between each of us and God. I pray that all of us seek the Holy Spirit daily and let Him lead our hearts as He chooses.

See also:

• June 8 (2020) / Romans 1:1-15
• June 9 (2020) / Romans 1:16-32