Romans 16:1-16

Dear RTB’ers,

Paul sends greetings and love by name to a couple dozen people in today’s reading. Most of them are quick mentions; only Phoebe and Prisca and Aquila have a couple of comment verses from Paul. We’ve seen Prisca and Aquila before. You may recall that Paul met them in Corinth in Acts 18. They had recently come from Italy, having been run out of town by Claudius. Paul was a tent maker by trade, as was Aquila, so Paul stayed with them in Corinth. Then Paul took them to Ephesus with him and now we find them back in Rome. So it’s no surprise that they get more than a quick mention.

So that brings us to Phoebe, she of more words than any other person mentioned in today’s reading. So, who is she? All we know is what we read today. There is no other mention of her in the rest of Scripture. Cenchrea is a port city near Corinth, so apparently Phoebe is leaving the Corinth area and traveling to Rome. Paul simply asks the Romans to receive her graciously as he offers high commendation for her. One AI search suggested that she may have been the courier bringing this letter to the Romans. Very possibly!

So, a lot of names, a lot of people, and Paul knew each of them personally. But let’s not diminish the “quick mention” of these people. They are known to Paul and highly regarded by him. That alone places them in good company!

Blessings!

Romans 15:14-33

Dear RTB’ers,

Paul’s hopes (expectation, even?) went unanswered (reminder, Paul is writing to believers in Rome): I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain… (v. 24a) and When therefore I have completed this [collection] I will leave for Spain by way of you. (v. 28) Did Paul ever make it to Spain? There are strong arguments that he did, in fact, make it there. One of my Study Bibles argues for that “trip”, with documentation from a number of sources. Still, that’s only conjecture. Another dashed hope: …that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints… (v. 31) Paul was not delivered from the unbelievers in Jerusalem; in fact, they caused him to be arrested and to remain in custody the rest of his life! One of Paul’s prayers, however, was answered: I have longed for many years to come to you… (v. 23b) Yes, he got to Rome – in chains!

So, any unanswered prayer in your lives? I have a big one for myself – pain relief (even healing?) for my injured shoulder. Or what might the Holy Spirit have in mind for me and for you with these unanswered prayers? (Editorial comment: “No” is also an answer to prayer.) Pray and wait, wait and pray.

Blessings!

Romans 15:1-13

Dear RTB’ers,

Paul continues to continue to argue his point to the Jews, that the Gentiles are heirs also to the faith of Abraham: For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised … in order that the Gentiles might glorify God… (vv. 8-9). He offers four Old Testament quotations to back up his claim. I am constantly amazed at Paul’s command of Scripture. In a span of just four verses (9b-12) he quotes from II Samuel, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and twice from Psalms. Understand, folks, he did not have Google to search electronically for “Gentiles”. He KNEW where to find those specific verses. Amazing!!

We are now in Albania, where minarets abound and Christian churches are hard to find. I wonder what Paul would be saying to the Moslems if he were writing today. A good thought as we head back to Slovakia.

Blessings!

Romans 14

Dear RTB’ers,

Today’s passage is all about disagreement and the judgment that results from our differing opinions. One of my main faults (that I see in myself) is that I am excessively judgmental. I was worse in the past and I feel that the Lord has corrected that in me to a great extent from where I used to be, but I still find myself finding fault with other people, for whatever reason. I guess that’s why the verse that jumped out at me today was the same one that hit me four years ago: Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. (v. 15b) It’s the second half of that quote that struck me: …him for whom Christ died. “Him for whom Christ died” includes every person on this planet – not just the Christians to whom Paul is speaking and admonishing. Jesus died for every person who has ever lived and for those yet unborn. To find fault in anyone is to diminish Jesus’ sacrifice. That’s a thought that I’m going to carry with me today, especially every time I see a minaret. I am going to remind myself that Jesus died for each and every one of those Moslems who worship therein, every one: …him for whom Christ died…

Blessings!

Romans 13

Dear RTB’ers,

Another election is upon us, less than four weeks away, and Paul’s words in today’s first seven verses should be in every Christian’s mind and in every heart as we honor Paul’s words: For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. (v. 1b) Just now I went back to the reading to look for Paul’s exact words as to praying for our authorities. I was surprised that Paul, who writes “Pray without ceasing” (I Thess. 5:17) “Pray about everything” (Philippians 4:6, edited), did not mention praying for our authorities. However, our church leaders have clearly urged us on in that direction and it’s a worthy practice for all believing Christians.

Blessings!

Romans 12

Dear RTB’ers,

Yesterday’s last verse seemed like the ending to a letter: For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. (v. 11:36) However, we begin Chapter 12 with a “…therefore…”, so Paul must have picked up his “pen” again, offering a number of “do’s and don’ts” for daily Christian living. The lines that jumped out at me today were echoes of what I posted yesterday: …I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think… (v. 12:3b), and Never be wise in your own sight. (v. 12:16b) Repeating yesterday: “Do not be arrogant!”

Carol and I had morning coffee on a balcony overlooking a river in Mostar, Bosnia. As I looked down the river over the city I could see six minarets, places of Moslem worship. Truly, I was sick at heart. Over the past many days we’ve been reading about Paul grieving over his Jewish brothers. We can also grieve today over these millions of people who are worshiping one God, but not our Savior, Jesus. Our host here is truly a wonderful man, very warm and welcoming. So we can love the people and pray for them, but still be saddened for the message that they are missing.

Praying for my brother and my sister and Courtenay’s brother and caregiver and millions of others, all in Hurricane Milton’s path…

Blessings!

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See also: December 13 (2023) / Romans 12:1-15:13

Romans 11:25-36

Dear RTB’ers,

Lest you be wise in your own sight… (v. 25a) These few words spoke to me immediately – don’t be wise in your own eyes! Paul’s words are timeless. In this epistle his audience is Gentiles in Rome, but we hear him loud and clear today and forever. Right now Carol and I are foreigners in a strange land, and our really special blue passports define our U.S. citizenship, but we need to be careful not to be that “ugly American” that we occasionally hear about (and some of whom we’ve met!). By grace we were born in the USA, nothing we did to earn that citizenship! I also wrote a few years back about us not making too much of ourselves as being Anglican and being arrogant toward those in other denominations who do not align themselves with what we follow as traditional, historical Christian beliefs. Do not be arrogant…! God is God, I am not!

Blessings!

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See also: December 12 (2023) / Romans 9-11

Romans 11:11-24

Dear RTB’ers,

I’ve always enjoyed this section of Romans – the grafting in of the Gentiles into the Jewish root, and some of the original branches (Jews) breaking off from the root and then being grafted back in. Each of these types of grafting (in this text) is successful because God can do what God wants to do. Years ago, back in the church where we worshiped in Northern Virginia we heard a sermon from a guest preacher (who I recall was a bishop). His sermon was on this passage and as he spoke he actually demonstrated this grafting process, building his sermon as he performed the grafting. It brought this passage to life!

We, too, were grafted in, as an entire Christian church, beginning on that first Pentecost, when God took those wild branches (the apostles and others in the upper room) and filled them with His Holy Spirit, grafting them fully into the faith of Abraham. And billions more over the years – you and I included! Wild branches grafted onto our Jewish root… Awesome!

What a great passage!

Blessings!

Romans 11:1-10

Dear RTB’ers,

What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened… (v. 7) I am thinking of Paul’s “elect”, as to who they were. Paul is writing Romans around 55 A.D., some twenty years after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Paul had met a number of the apostles – Peter and James, in particular as we saw mentioned in Galatians, plus (probably) a number of the other of Jesus’ followers who knew Him personally. These were obviously among Paul’s “elect”; they were Jews who were now believers following Jesus’ message. But I think that Paul is really thinking of the Jewish religious leaders who knew the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms, who were among those he included as hardened in the Scripture he quotes in verse 8: God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day. (Paul referencing Moses’ closing speech from Deuteronomy 29:4.) In much of his ministry Paul is doing battle with these Jewish leaders, trying to prove to them that Jesus was/is their promised Messiah. He sees them as hardened, unwilling to accept the many “proofs” that he offers them as to Jesus being their Messiah.

But Paul’s words still speak to us today: The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened… There is nothing special about us that we should be among “the elect”. Somewhere, somehow, maybe somebody, certainly the Holy Spirit spoke to us and we answered God’s call on our lives. And we all have family and friends out there today with hardened hearts, blind eyes, and deaf ears. But the Holy Spirit can soften those hard hearts, open those blind eyes and ears, and bring them to faith. Does He need us? No, He can do what He wills. But I’m guessing that He’d like us to join Him on His many saving missions.

Blessings!

Romans 9:30-10:21

Dear RTB’ers,

How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? But how are they to preach unless they are sent? So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. (vv. 14-15a, 17) We are all preachers. We have all been sent – maybe overseas to another country or maybe to the USA, to Kentucky, to Woodford and Jessamine and Fayette Counties, to St. Andrew’s in Versailles. We are all missionaries. How are they to believe if they have not heard?

Blessings!