Tag: Romans

Morning Musing: Romans 4:9-12

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“Is this blessing only for the circumcised,  then? Or is it also for the uncircumcised? For we say, Faith was credited to Abraham for righteousness. In what way, then, was it credited—while he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? It was not while he was circumcised, but uncircumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith, while still uncircumcised. This was to make him the father of all who believe but are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also. And he became the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith our father Abraham had while he was still uncircumcised.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

I don’t think I consciously remember a single Sunday school lesson before about sixth grade (and I only remember one from that year). But I do remember my third and fourth grade class quite well. Our teachers brought us Schwartz’s glazed donuts and Tang, and we sang Father Abraham most weeks. It was a silly Sunday school song whose motions we always did backwards such that we wound terribly dizzy by the end of it. But the point of the song was to teach a theologically rich spiritual truth that we find Paul espousing in this next part of his letter.

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Morning Musing: Romans 4:6-8

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“Likewise, David also speaks of the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: Blessed are those whose lawless acts are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the person the Lord will never charge with sin.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

History builds on itself. You can’t make proper sense out of the present without understanding the past. History is linear like that. It is always going somewhere. Sometimes it winds this way and that and even doubles back a bit, but forward is always, ultimately where it is going. This is because it is being guided along by a God who has a plan. It is a plan He has been slowly revealing for a very long time. And He also leaves clues ahead of time for those with eyes to see. A bit of an excursus today as we pause to ponder an accessory point in Paul’s argument. Let’s talk about God’s plans and how we know them.

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Digging in Deeper: Romans 4:1-5

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“What then will we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about—but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness. Now to the one who works, pay is not credited as a gift, but as something owed. But to the one who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

For all of human history before Jesus, and in every religious movement other than the one bearing His name since, salvation in whatever form it has been imagined has been understood to be the result of things we have done. When we do the right things, we gain the prize of life. We receive the reward of our efforts. What God offers in Christ, however, is radically different from this. And better. As Paul continues in his presentation of the Gospel, he now sets his sights on unpacking how salvation works and why, in spite of what we might have imagined, it has actually always worked the same way.

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Digging in Deeper: Romans 3:27-31

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“Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By one of works? No, on the contrary, by a law of faith. For we conclude that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then nullify the law through faith? Absolutely not!  On the contrary, we uphold the law.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

We are naturally drawn to the concept of equality. Now, we often confuse equality for fairness because fairness is easier to get our minds and selfish hearts around. Small children don’t complain, “That’s not equal!” They complain, “That’s not fair.” But whether we are thinking in terms of fairness or equality, we have to clarify which end of the process is getting our attention. When it comes to salvation, the God who saves us is just. As a result, He has created a path way to salvation that is perfectly fair and equal for all people. Let’s talk about what this means, how it works, and why it’s such a good thing.

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Morning Musing: Romans 3:25-26

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“God presented him as the mercy seat by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

When an offense occurs, someone is responsible and someone is offended. There may be more than one responsible party, and there may be more than one offended party, but there is at least one of each. Indeed, if there is no offended party, then it wasn’t an offense. That is, it wasn’t wrong. And when this offense has occurred, it has to be made right or justice is never achieved. Today, let’s explore why God is always the ultimate offended party, and what He has done about making sure justice—His justice—is ultimately satisfied.

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