Tag: Faith

Morning Musing: Romans 3:19-20

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“Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are subject to the law, so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God’s judgment. For no one will be justified in his sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

One of the best books on preaching I’ve read is Andy Stanley’s, Communicating for a Change. He thinks of his sermons in terms of movements. He aims to have five movements in each sermon. He labels them me, we, God, you, we. If the previous section had Paul in the “you” part of his message, he brings things around here back to “we.” Paul has been dumping truth on his audience. Here, just before the turn, Paul plants himself squarely in the midst of the rest of his readers. He was someone who was covered by the law too. And it was just as incapable of saving him as it was everyone else. In other words, rules can’t save us. Let’s talk about it.

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Morning Musing: Romans 3:7-8

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“But if by my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner? And why not say, just as some people slanderously claim we say, “Let us do what is evil so that good may come”? Their condemnation is deserved!” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Incorrect thinking leads to bad ideas. As we have talked about before, bad ideas lead to all sorts of unfortunate consequences. To put that another way: Ideas have consequences; bad ideas have victims. As Paul nears the point where he lands with both feet on the emphatic conclusion of this opening section of his letter to the Roman believers, he addresses one more round of incorrect thinking. Let’s take a look at this with him.

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Digging in Deeper: Romans 2:17-24

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“Now if you call yourself a Jew, and rely on the law, and boast in God, and know his will, and approve the things that are superior, being instructed from the law, and if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light to those in darkness, an instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature, having the embodiment of knowledge and truth in the law —  you then, who teach another, don’t you teach yourself? You who preach, “You must not steal” — do you steal? You who say, “You must not commit adultery” — do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? For, as it is written: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

When I lived in Denver, there was a pastor of a large church in a nearby city who had to resign after a very public moral failing. He spent years calling his congregation to live with the righteousness of Christ, but then it was discovered that he had a quiet meth habit and had been hooking up with male prostitutes. The church recovered eventually, but it was a pretty tough season for them for a while. We live in a culture that hates religious hypocrisy, and loves to shine light on religious hypocrites. Paul is inclined to agree with this. Let’s take a look at what he says here in the next part of Romans.

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Morning Musing: Romans 2:5-8

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“Because of your hardened and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed. He will repay each one according to his works: eternal life to those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality; but wrath and anger to those who are self-seeking and disobey the truth while obeying unrighteousness.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Salvation is based on grace. If you’ve been around the church for long, you’ve probably heard that. It’s sort of one of the church’s central messages. In fact, if you’ve been around the church for very long and that’s news to you, you should probably find a new church because the one you’re at now isn’t very good. But as much as salvation is based on grace, judgment is not. Let’s talk about the basis of judgment and what it means for us.

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Morning Musing: Hebrews 11:13-14

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“These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth. Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Sometimes life is hard. It’s hard for all sorts of different reasons. Sometimes it’s hard because we’ve made it hard. Sometimes it’s hard because somebody else has made it hard for us. The end result generally winds up being the same regardless of the starting place. We’re left looking around and wondering how we got here. More than that, we’re left looking around wondering how long we have to stay here or even what we can do to get out of here. But the truth is that in so many of the hardest hards in our lives, leaving isn’t a viable option. What if, though, there was a way to transform the hard into something else entirely? A song I’ve been listening to recently offers a bit of reality both of the now in our hard, but also a window into what could be. Let me share it with you today.

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