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What to Read Before You Vote

This week Connie and I went to the local board of elections office and voted. We were among the over one million Georgians who have so far participated in early voting. I believe that voting is a privilege and a cornerstone of a free society. It is one of our duties as Christian citizens.

The mid-term elections remind me of the importance of the book of Romans, especially chapter 13. This is part of Paul’s practical application of the doctrinal teaching in the earlier chapters. Romans 13 gives us relevant instruction about a Christian’s duty to the government. Here is another good reason to read the book of Romans, especially in an election year.

Romans 13 teaches us that civil  government is established by God. Elected public servants are said to be servants of God. Human government, as an institution, was ordained by God, just as he created the human family and the church.

Of course, this does not mean that tyrants and evil dictators are personally doing God’s bidding. Vladimir Putin is not carrying out God’s will when he authorizes the bombing of civilians in Ukraine. Jesus said to Pontius Pilate that his authority to rule came from God (John 19:11). But Pilate obviously misused that authority when he handed Jesus over to be crucified. Ancient rulers Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus were called God’s servants in the sense that they were carrying out his will on the stage of human history, even when they were not aware of it.

Paul knew very well that there would be rulers who abuse their power. He himself was treated unjustly by some authorities. He was stating the divine ideal, knowing that there were rulers who did not live up to what God expected of them, to suppress evil and reward good behavior (Romans 13:3-4). That is what good government is supposed to do, to punish wrong and promote what is right.

When the authorities get it backward and promote laws that contradict God’s law, civil disobedience may be called for. When the apostles Peter and John were forbidden to proclaim the gospel in Jerusalem their response was clear: “We must obey God rather then human beings!” (Acts 5:29). This helps us explain how to carefully apply Paul’s words in Romans 13:2 about not rebelling against the authority of government.

Paul may have written this because some early Christians may have been tempted to rebel against state authorities out of their loyalty to Christ as their King. Paul wanted them to know that church and state have complementary roles and Christians owe a duty to both of them. He probably had in mind what Jesus had said: “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (Matthew 22:17).

The duties of citizenship also include paying taxes  for the benefit of society and showing respect to those in authority (Romans 13:7). Paul goes further and writes about loving our neighbors, even those with whom we may have disagreements, political, or otherwise. His words are strikingly relevant in 21st century America: “The commandments . . . are summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:9-10).

It helps us to maintain a proper perspective on governments and world events when we remember that the Lord of history is coming again. His return will usher in the visible kingdom of God. It is the expectation of the return of the Lord Jesus that is a mighty incentive for Christians to live the way we are supposed to live in this world (Romans 13:11-14).

All this reminds me to pray for my country, to support good government, and to vote for wise and truthful leaders. Read Romans 13 and then vote.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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What Now?

Romans 12 is Paul’s answer to the question, “What now? Now that I have believed in Jesus, how does God expect me to live?” This chapter answers that question with an appeal to readers to live lives worthy of the mercy God has shown them in Christ.

Some readers of Paul’s letter to the Romans might be tempted to argue with his teaching on justification by faith alone. “If a right relationship with God is a matter of his grace and our faith, then does that not permit immoral living?” People were already asking that question of Paul himself (Romans 3:8, 6:1). Romans 12 is his answer.

I have recently been trying to stimulate interest in the book of Romans. I have prepared brief introductions to each chapter on this blog site. Chapters 1-8 are about justification by faith. Paul uses legal terminology to describe the way of salvation to people living under the laws of Rome. “Law” is not the means by which we gain acceptance and right standing with God.

Chapters 9-11 remind us that the gospel is for Jews as well as Gentiles. Israel is not permanently set aside in the plan of God. There were Jews and Gentiles worshipping together in the Christian assemblies in Rome. Paul reminds them that the Jews are still beloved for the sake of God’s promises to the ancient patriarchs. His calling and gifts are irrevocable. God has planned a glorious future for restored and redeemed Israel.

Now we have arrived at a turning point in the letter. Paul knows that his discussion about justification by faith demands an answer to the question about right living. Right living begins with surrender to the will of God (Romans 12:2). The name of this site is “His Will Blog.” It is based upon the assumption that it is possible for Christians to know and to do the will of God.

Romans 12:1-2 describe the Christian’s approach to God in worship. Romans 12:3 is about living with oneself. The rest of the chapter is about living in community with others (Romans 12:4-5). All Christians have gifts (abilities) to use to contribute to the life of the church. Paul lists some of them: prophecy, service, teaching, encouragement, giving, leadership, and mercy (Romans 12:6-8). By his grace, God gives these special abilities to his people to meet the needs of others.

As we serve one another in this way, we must be motivated by love. It must be sincere.  We can’t fake it. If we are to “honor one another above ourselves” it will only be because our minds have been renewed by surrendering to the Holy Spirit of God (Romans 12:2).

Furthermore, this loving service should be enthusiastic (with “zeal,” v.11). An apathetic and bored church member is a poor advertisement for the gospel. With fervent and hopeful spirits we are to give ourselves to prayer, hospitality, blessing, forgiveness, peace, and empathetic acceptance of all kinds of people (Romans 12:12-20).

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12;21). This is a word for us today. We live in a society torn apart by selfishness, violence, immorality, idolatry, lies, racial hatred, and slander. People all around us are distressed about the direction our nation is going. Romans 12 is a compelling picture of what a Christian’s life should look like before a watching world. If the people around us saw these attractive qualities in us, perhaps more of them would be drawn to Christ.

Francis Schaeffer famously said that the world has every right to reject our message if they do not see us Christians living lives of love.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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God’s Plan for Israel

The Bible tells us that the Jewish people have a great future. Romans chapter eleven is one of the most important biblical texts in this regard. The apostle Paul teaches us that although ethnic Israel has been temporarily set aside as the main vehicle of spiritual blessing to the world, God has not ultimately rejected the Jews. Israel will be restored and revived! Read about it in Romans 11.

God has a plan for the nations.

In Romans 11 Paul emphasizes his special calling to be an apostle to the Gentile nations of the Roman world (v. 13, 15:16). This same chapter tells how through the Christian gospel, the Gentiles are the beneficiaries of God’s covenant promises to Israel. The unbelief of the Jews made a way for Gentiles to be saved (vv.11-12). The advance of the gospel to the Gentile nations is called “riches for the world” (v.12) and “reconciliation to the world” (v. 14).

This reminds me of God’s promise to Abraham: “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3). Paul applied this to the Gentiles in his letter to the Galatians: “Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham the man of faith” (Galatians 3:9).

It has always been God’s plan for his good news to be spread throughout the nations of the world. Romans 11:25 speaks of “the full number of the Gentiles” who will eventually be saved.

God has a plan for Israel.

The fact that Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles does not mean that he disregarded his own people, the Jews. In Romans 11 he says that his personal conversion to faith in Jesus Christ is one evidence that God is not finished with Israel (v. 1). He states emphatically, “God did not reject his people whom he foreknew” (v.2). He sees in his own ministry a steady stream of Jews coming to faith in Jesus, recipients of God’s grace (v.5). They are still the Lord’s people.

While some are hardened in their antipathy for Jesus (vv.7-8), there remains a believing remnant who are drawn to the joy, freedom, forgiveness, fellowship, and peace enjoyed by Gentile believers. They are made envious in a good way to desire what the Gentiles have experienced in Christ (v.11).

Paul goes on to outline a glorious future for Israel which will result in blessing for the whole world. This is described as “life from the dead” (v.15). This makes me think of the prophet Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones which are resurrected and given new vitality (Ezekiel 37:3). This is a prophecy of the restoration of the nation Israel in the plan and purpose of God.

God’s plan is the church.

Paul introduces the word “mystery” in verse 25. In his letters this word was used for the revelation in the present of a truth that has been concealed from believers in Old Testament times. Ephesians 3:3-6 explains the unfolding of this “mystery” as the New Testament revelation that believing Jews and believing Gentiles are now members together of one spiritual organism, the true church, the body of Christ.

In Romans 11 Paul illustrated this truth with the metaphor of an olive tree. A symbol of Israel, the olive tree pictured the nation’s place in the plan of God (Romans 11:16-24). In Paul’s example, the Jews are like a cultivated olive tree and the Gentiles are like branches of wild olive trees that have been grafted into the tree to share in Israel’s spiritual advantages.

With this example, Paul was teaching the Gentiles in the church in Rome not to think of the Jews as being somehow displaced or replaced in the plan of God. There was to be no anti-Semitic prejudice in God’s church. Jewish and Gentile believers are one in Christ. God’s promises and relationship to Israel will never be cancelled (v.29).

The church is looking forward to the coming of “the Deliverer,” the Lord Jesus. His advent will usher in his kingdom and will save Israel and the nations from their sins (Romans 11:26-32). According to Paul, this will put God’s mercy and wisdom on display.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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Good News for Everyone

There are good reasons to read Romans chapter ten. For one thing it conveys the world’s most important message in terms so clear that any person can understand. The chapter also magnifies God’s grace, demonstrating that salvation  is not a matter of doing, but believing. It shows God’s loving concern for all people everywhere. Romans ten is saturated with quotations from the Old Testament, emphasizing its continuing relevance and authority.

What is the world’s most important message? It is the good news that through faith in Jesus Christ, people everywhere may be given the gift of righteousness (v.4). It is the good news that Christ and his righteousness are accessible, not remote and distant. In verses 7-8 Paul quotes Deuteronomy 30 to show that what Moses said about his teaching and the law, is now true of Christ and his gospel.

Romans ten shows us that it is possible to have misdirected zeal. The people of Israel in Paul’s day were pursuing righteousness the wrong way. They were trying to produce righteousness by religious works instead of by faith. In Verses 4-5 Paul contrasts works righteousness and faith righteousness to explain that it is not a matter of doing, but believing.

What is it that is to be believed? It is the truth that “Jesus is Lord” (v.9). This profound declaration was perhaps the earliest Christian creed. It was the confession that the historical Jesus of Nazareth was the “Lord,” or Yahweh revealed in the Old Testament. This is the Christian belief that God is revealing himself in Jesus Christ.

It is also necessary to believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. Christ came to earth, died on the cross, was raised from the dead by the power of God, and is now accessible to all who will have faith in him. Paul writes, “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (Romans 10:10). To be “justified” is to be declared righteous before God.

This righteous standing is given as a gift of grace to those who trust in Christ and call on him for salvation. Paul quotes the Old Testament again (Joel 2:32) when he writes, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). To “call” is to appeal, or to ask. It honors God when we ask for what he has promised to give. It dishonors him when we doubt his promise or try do do for ourselves what only he can do (Romans 10:3).

Romans ten shows God’s loving concern for all people everywhere. “There is no difference” Paul says (v.12). There is no favoritism with God. Racial and cultural distinctions are real, but when it comes to salvation, they do not matter. God wants his gospel to spread all over the world and Paul quotes Psalm 19 to illustrate this fact (v.18).

God has raised up messengers who will spread the good news to the nations of the world. Evangelists, missionaries, witnesses, ambassadors are commissioned to proclaim the gospel as heralds of salvation. Christ sends them, they preach, people hear and believe the message, and they call on the Lord for salvation. According to the Bible, those who call are saved.

This missionary impulse is what is behind Paul’s impassioned prayer for his own people in verse 1: “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.” Paul quotes the prophetic vision (Isaiah 65:1-2) that underlies the desire to spread the message. Referring to the Jews’ rejection of Jesus, Paul describes the compassionate God as a rejected parent holding out his hands to rebellious children, inviting them to come home (vv. 20-21).

Here, then, are some good reasons to read and meditate on Romans ten: the clarity of the gospel, the beauty of grace, the accessibility of Christ, God’s loving concern for all people, and the continuing authority of both the Old and New Testament scriptures.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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Hard to Understand

The apostle Peter admitted that Paul’s letters “contain some things that are hard to understand” (2 Peter 3:16). Readers of Paul’s letter to the Romans are not surprised by that. Trying to understand Romans chapter nine is like probing the deepest mysteries of God’s revelation. Because of that, some people prefer to avoid it altogether.

Romans 9-11 deal with God’s purposes for the Jews. Paul has been writing about the the gospel’s impact upon the Gentiles. Now he feels it necessary to address questions about God’s plan for Israel in light of her opposition to the message of Jesus. Has God forgotten his promises to Israel? Has he canceled his covenant with his chosen people?

While Romans nine contains some “hard to understand” truths, there are good reasons for us to read them. First, it is clear that Paul takes the Hebrew scriptures (the Old Testament) seriously. He quotes from them to support his argument. We can learn much from Paul’s use of the Old Testament (Romans 15:4).

Second, What Paul says about nations and people groups, applies to individuals too. The theology of the chosen people carries forward into New Testament theology as a description of the people of God who are in Christ (Romans 8:29-30).

Third, the gospel is the same for Jews and for Gentiles (Romans 1:16, 9:24). Paul expresses a passionate concern for his own people, ethnic Israel. He desires and prays that they too will believe in Jesus as Savior and Messiah (Romans 9:1-3, 10:1). God has a plan to restore a remnant of Israel (Romans 9:27).

Fourth, we ought to read Romans nine because it emphasizes God’s attributes: his sovereignty, his faithfulness, his righteousness, his justice, and his grace. Among other things, these aspects of God’s character mean that he is good in all that he does. He is true to his promises to his people, Jews, as well as Gentiles.

Fifth, as we read Romans nine, we are led to the conclusion that there are some purposes of God that are mysterious and inexplicable. If this is humbling to our proud spirits, that’s a good thing. In fact, God is God and we are not. He does not owe us an explanation for why he does what he does (Romans 9:20-21).

This applies to the doctrine of election. Its is beyond my feeble capacity to understand or explain how we are commanded to believe the gospel, then, having believed, to learn that it was because we were chosen. But that is exactly what the book of Romans teaches (Romans 8:29-30). Believers discover that God had a plan all along which included them!

Romans 9:30-32 illustrate this. A right relationship with God (described as righteousness) comes only through faith in Christ, not by trying to keep the law. In Paul’s example, the pagans, who were not seeking righteousness, found it when they heard the gospel and believed in Jesus Christ. The Jews, who were seeking righteousness through pursuing the law, “have not attained their goal.” This was because they did not pursue it by faith.

This means that Romans nine also teaches human responsibility as well as sovereign election. Jesus taught both as well (John 13:18, 15:16, 3:16-18). These two doctrines are not contradictory, as some suppose. They are complementary like two oars on the same rowboat, two wings on the same bird, two flywheels on a machine, turning in opposite directions but working together with intersecting cogs.

How both can be true may indeed be hard to understand. But perhaps there are things we were not meant to understand, but simply to bow in reverent submission before an all-wise God who always does what is right.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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Certainty

In my fifty year pastoral ministry I have had occasion to be with folks who lacked certainty about their relationship to God. Some of them were troubled emotionally about this and yearned for inner peace and assurance. Others lived in blithe indifference, happily unconcerned about their need for Christ, and unaware of their spiritual peril. They seemed to believe that certainty of eternal life was not even possible.

For those who really care to know, the book of Romans, chapter eight promises eternal security. It affirms the unshakable promise of God that those who belong to him through faith in Christ are given the hope (assurance) of glory. In this chapter, Paul, “the apostle soars to sublime heights unequalled elsewhere in the New Testament,” wrote John Stott. He said, “Romans 8 is without doubt one of the best-known, best-loved chapters of the Bible.”

It is not hard to understand why this is true. The inspired words of Romans eight promise the certainty of deliverance from eternal condemnation, the certainty of the resurrection of the dead, the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers, and the Spirit’s witness that they are God’s children.

Further, the eighth chapter of Romans describes how God works to achieve his good purposes in the lives of his children, even (especially) when they encounter hardship and suffering. It declares the certainty of God’s love and his eternal purpose in calling his own people to himself.

This chapter stands in shining contrast to the doubts, introspection, and discouragement that colored Paul’s mood in chapter seven. It provides a ringing answer to the plaintive, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” (Romans 7:24). Romans seven is about the work of the law in imposing death. Romans eight is about the power of the Holy Spirit in giving life through the gospel.

The chapter opens with the declaration that there is “no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). The word “condemnation” is derived from the courts of law. It is a metaphor Paul uses to teach about the believer’s judicial (legal) acceptance before a holy God. It is different from the tone of self-condemnation in chapter seven. The words “no condemnation” reiterate the doctrine of justification which has been Paul’s theme in the opening chapters of Romans. It means the believer is declared “not guilty” on the basis of faith in Christ.

Romans eight also tells about the Spirit’s role in helping believers live life as God intended. The Old Testament law was powerless to make us right with God or to give us the ability to live righteous lives. God did what the law could not do through his Son’s sacrifice on the cross and through the indwelling Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. Right living is now possible through Spirit-enabled obedience to God’s will. The requirements of the moral law are thus fulfilled as we live under the guidance of the Spirit (Romans 8:4).

In this chapter the Holy Spirit is mentioned nineteen times. The Spirit supports the testimony of our human spirit that we believers are indeed God’s children (Romans 8:14-16). The Spirit helps us to pray as we ought to pray, even when we do not know how to frame our prayers (Romans 8:26-27). The Spirit enables us to call on God as a loving and compassionate Father (“Abba,” v. 15). The Holy Spirit is said to be the firstfruits of our future inheritance (Romans 8:23).

Paul does not sidestep the reality of suffering in this present life. There is no escapism in his description of living on earth. Yes, believers are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, but that does not mean that life will be free of trouble. In fact, Paul says that it is precisely because we are in Christ that we “share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Romans 8:17). 

Suffering is common to all humanity. All of creation groans in anticipation of its renewal. Like Jesus (Matthew 19:28), Peter (Acts 3:19,21), and John (Revelation 21, 22), the apostle Paul foresaw the liberation and restoration of the whole of creation. This, he says, will happen in conjunction with the future glorification of all of God’s children. For now, we who believe are to live in anticipation of the resurrection and the completion of our redemption (Romans 8:18-25).

As we live in this in-between time, we are given the rich assurance that God is for us and no power in the universe can stand against us. In a beautiful and powerful series of rhetorical questions Paul answers uncertainty with certainty, doubt with assurance, and fear, with a bold statement of the believer’s eternal security in Christ (Romans 8:28-39). In the words of Zane Hodges, we are given here “a superbly elegant paean of praise to the permanence of God’s love in Christ.”

Read these verses aloud to yourself and let them feed your certainty of God’s good purpose for you.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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The Struggle to Live as a Christian

The book of Romans is important for the guidance it gives for every day living. In the sixth chapter we read about the exalted  new privileges Christians are given. According to Paul, believers are enabled to live righteous lives because of their spiritual union with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection. A desirable new life is possible. But according to Romans seven, the Christian life is not always easy. To be frank, sometimes living for Christ feels like a struggle.

Romans seven contradicts the idea that a righteous life is achieved by rules, regulations, and resolutions (Romans 7:4). It further refutes the notion that human nature is essentially good. It exposes human weakness and the limits of our knowledge and ability. It reveals the fact that the Christian life sometimes feels like an internal battle.

Paul may not have been awash in the temptations of today’s social media culture (lies, hatred, violence, pornography) but he faced enough of the pressures of the world to admit, “For I have the desire to do good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:18-19).

Who is the “I” in Paul’s statement? Is he writing about himself or someone else? If Paul is describing his own experience, is it his experience before he became a Christian or his experience as a Christian, struggling against sin? Does it matter? I believe it does. This gives us more reasons why it is helpful to read Romans. This is practical guidance on living as a Christian should live.

Christians are not under law (Romans 6:14) in the sense that they are not justified by keeping the law. It is not possible to keep the law. The purpose of the law is to reveal the will of God for his people and to make clear what sin really is in the sight of God (Romans 7:7, 13).

So who is the “I” in Paul’s discourse? He must be a real Christian because he says he delights in God’s law (Romans 7:22), which he says is holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12). He is a humble Christian, unlike the proud Pharisee Paul was in his pre-Christian days (Philippians 3:4-6). He is an honest Christian, bluntly admitting to the inner conflict going on inside himself between his old sinful nature and the new nature, who he really is in Christ (Galatians 5:16-17; 1 Timothy 1:15).

I believe Paul is telling his own story and making a universal application for every reader of his letter. In the seventh chapter he contrasts the old way of life with new life in Christ (Romans 7:4-7). The “old” Paul was married to law and controlled by the sinful nature. The “new” Paul is united to Christ and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. He still has the ability to sin, but now he has an appetite for a life lived to please and glorify God.

Romans seven is complex and not easy to understand. I believe Paul’s experience is mirrored in the experiences of many Christians who sometimes feel exhausted by the struggle against sin. Victory is possible through the Holy Spirit (Romans 7:6).

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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If You Had One Book to Read…

For years I owned the complete 54-volume set of the Great Books of the Western World published by the Encyclopedia Britannica. On occasion I would read samplings from  some of the renowned poets or philosophers whose works are preserved in the collection. But not like I wanted to. And not like I intended to.

I am embarrassed to admit I neglected to discipline myself to undertake a systematic exploration of these volumes. One of the thoughts I had held in the back of my mind was that in retirement I would finally have time to use “The Syntopicon,” the topical index to the Great Books edited by Mortimer J. Adler. It is a guide and introduction to the entire collection, making the great ideas of Western thought accessible to people like me.

Alas, I gave the set away when we moved to Georgia. There simply is not room in our apartment for all the books I wish I could have kept. Before we moved I gave away over 15 boxes of treasures, books that have shaped and enriched my life. I also gave away my set of the Harvard Classics and the multi-volume set of Will and Ariel Durant’s Story of Civilization. I miss them every day.

Sometimes as I scan the remnants of my library, looking for a particular volume, I remember that I had had to let it go. “Why didn’t I keep that one?” I ask myself. I am consoled by the knowledge that many of the books ended up in the libraries of churches, younger pastors, missionaries, and my adult children.

If I were going to keep only one book, which one would it be? I could enumerate here some of my favorite authors and their works, but let me cut to the chase. If I were marooned on a desert island, and could have only one book with me, I would want it to be the letter of Paul the apostle to the Romans.

The reason for this choice is the book’s supremely important subject. It is about the righteousness of God and how human beings may be given a right relationship to him. It is an exposition of the gospel of grace for all people, Jews as well as Gentiles. Its themes include guilt and forgiveness, justification by faith, living as a Christian, Israel’s ultimate restoration, the security of believers in Christ, and the priorities of missions and evangelism.

If it has been a while since you read Romans, I urge you to take it up again and read it thoughtfully. Please do not neglect it as I neglected the Great Books. Its subject is too important to ignore. It is (I say this seriously) a matter of life and death.

If you read Romans, you will see that the themes of death and life appear in Romans 6. Paul answers questions from an imaginary critic who misunderstands and distorts his teaching. Doesn’t Paul’s teaching on salvation by free grace promote sinful behavior? “Emphatically not!” the apostle answers.

A believer’s experience in Christ is a spiritual resurrection from death. Paul says we should conclude that in Christ we have died to the life we lived before conversion. And we are raised with Christ to a new life (Romans 6:1-14). Christ died to sin (Romans 6:10) in the sense that he bore sin’s penalty and condemnation on our behalf. God’s moral law is satisfied and we believers are the beneficiaries.

This truth obligates us to think of ourselves as servants (slaves) of God, not of sin. Grace liberates the believer from slavery to sin. That same grace prompts voluntary servitude to God (Romans 6:15-23). All humans are either slaves to sin, Paul says, or slaves to God. The service of God is the true freedom for which Paul erupts in praise and thanks to God (Romans 6:17).

This is practical. What Paul is talking about is how a believer is set apart for God. In theological language we call this sanctification, living to please God as we grow in grace and knowledge. Romans 6 has to do with how we may avoid doing wrong, especially since we live in bodies that are prone to sin, in a world that promotes sin, and against a spiritual enemy called the devil, the tempter, who pressures us to sin.

The answer in Romans 6 is the believer’s identification with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection. For success in the Christian life we must “lean into” that truth every day. We may benefit from this daily attitude toward life: Recognizing that we died with Christ to the old way of life and we are raised with him to a new way of life; Relying or trusting in that truth; Releasing ourselves into the service of God, surrendering ourselves, not to law, not to rules, not to resolutions, but to his Holy Spirit.

Can you see why I say that Romans is an essential book? I think it is greater than all the Great Books put together. Read it again as if for the first time.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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In Adam or In Christ

Paul’s letter to the Romans is a theological masterpiece. It declares the good news that people who are separated from God by sin may be considered righteous in God’s sight and reconciled to him in peace.

A key word in the book of Romans is “justified.” It means to be legally cleared and declared “not guilty,” because of God’s grace. This grace is completely undeserved. It is based, not on anything we might do, but entirely upon what Christ Jesus has done on our behalf.

In the opening chapters of the book, Paul demonstrated that all people everywhere are guilty of sin and subject to sin’s penalty, death. In chapter five, Paul delves deeper into his theme and proves that the death penalty was because of the sin of the first man, Adam. Death was in the world ever after the sin of Adam and its presence is proof that it originated with him. As the head of the human race he transmitted the tendency to sin to all of his descendants. Death is the result.

“Therefore, just as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). If you read Romans 5:12-21 you will see that all people are either “in” Adam, who disobeyed God and brought death into the world, or they are “in” Christ, who obeyed God and brought eternal life. Those who are in Adam are constituted as sinners. Those who are in Christ are declared righteous and given legal standing before God.

Zane Hodges explained it this way: (Jesus) is “the supreme model of obedience to God in a world where the disobedience of the first man wrought the calamitous tragedies of sin and death.” The fact is, because God judged all of the human race because of one man’s (Adam’s) disobedience, he is able to save the human race because of the righteous obedience of one Man (Jesus Christ).

Romans 5:12-21 compare and contrast Jesus and Adam. They represent two humanities, two communities. Those who by natural birth, are in Adam, are justly declared to be sinners by nature. Those who are in Christ by faith are graciously declared to be right with God and accepted. Human solidarity with Adam leads to death. Human solidarity with Christ leads to life, according to Paul.

But read on. To be in Christ is to be justified before God. The first half of Romans five gives us seven extravagant benefits of justification. The first is peace with God. “Therefore since we have been justified through faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.1). Peace is the absence of conflict, friendship, acceptance.

The second blessing in Paul’s list is access, or a place to stand before God’s throne of grace. “We have access by faith into this grace in which we now stand” (v.2). The third is hope. This is the confident expectation that God’s glory will be revealed to us and in us (v.2). The ability to rejoice in spite of hardship is another fruit of justification. This is the development of Christian character through a mature response to trials (vv. 3-4).

The fifth benefit of justification is the love of God poured into our hearts by his Holy Spirit. The present inward ministry of the Spirit is one proof of God’s love (v. 5) Another is the death of Christ for our sins (vv.6-8). “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (v.8).

A sixth benefit of justification is salvation from the future judgment of God. The book of Revelation describes how the wrath of God will come upon the world because of its rebellion against God and rejection of his Son.  No true believer will have to suffer the ultimate judgment of God. Our sins were judged and paid for on the cross! “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath though him” (v. 9).

The seventh blessing of justification is reconciliation with God. We who once were far from God, separated from him by our sin, are now able to be brought into close fellowship with him through Christ. “For if, when we were God’s enemies we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have now received reconciliation” (vv. 10-11).

Are you in Christ or in Adam? To be in Christ is to be justified by faith in him. The benefits of justification enumerated here are offered as a free gift. Open your heart in faith to believe the good news that you too may be “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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Abraham’s Faith, and Ours

The preacher was sincere and well-intentioned. He was passionate in his presentation. He fervently appealed to his congregation to fully surrender themselves to God, to renounce the world and its attractions, and to be willing to pay the price and count the cost of what it means to follow Jesus.

As I listened, I could not help but wonder whether he was calling the congregation to salvation or to discipleship. He seemed to blend the two themes together in a mishmash of duty, good works, obedience and faithfulness to Christ. It almost seemed he believed in salvation by works.

I sat there wondering: “If my obedience to Christ and good works are essential to salvation, how could I ever be sure that I am saved? How could I know if I had done enough? What good works could ever help me achieve eternal life? How could I know if I am as fully surrendered to the Lord as the preacher wants me to be?”

Then I remembered Abraham. He was the great patriarch of the Hebrew nation, He was, by any standard, an example of good works and faithfulness to God. He left his home in Chaldea in response to God’s call.  He worshipped God among the idol-worshipping Canaanites. He submitted to the rite of circumcision as a sign of his covenant faithfulness to God. He was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac in obedience to God’s command.

But Abraham was not justified by his good works. In his letter to the Romans, Paul used the ancient story of Abraham as an illustration of the fact that people are justified by faith alone. He quoted Genesis 15:6 to emphasize that “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:3).

“Credited” is a word taken from the business world. It is a financial term which could be used to refer to wages that are earned, or to a gift that is applied to an account freely, without a cost. Paul used the word to teach that justification before God is a gift of grace, not an earned wage. This leaves no room for boasting (v. 2).

Thus, Abraham is a pattern of faith for all of us. He believed God. That is what faith is. In the Greek language of the New Testament, the words translated “faith” and “belief” are the same word. They both mean the same thing: to take people at their word, to have confidence in the reliability of a person, an idea or a thing, to trust, to accept as true. Abraham was declared righteous because of his faith in God and his trustworthy word.

This means that everyone who, like Abraham, believes the promise of the gospel, is pronounced righteous because of the death of Christ and his resurrection. We are told in some of Paul’s other writings that Jesus was made sin for us “so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus has “become for us . . . our righteousness” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Those who believe the gospel are said to be given “the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith” (Philippians 3:9).

Abraham was declared righteous by faith alone. His faith was in the power and character of God, not in his own works. In the same way,  we who trust in Jesus for salvation are saved by faith, not our attempts at doing good. I am aware every day that my assurance of salvation cannot be based upon the fervency of my faith, or on the depth of my surrender, or on the extent of my obedience. All of these are faulty, and weak.

I am encouraged by what I read in Romans 4. “However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness” (Romans 4:5). Salvation is either a reward for works or a gift through grace; it cannot be both. Abraham’s life is a testimony to us that people are justified by faith, not by works.

Good works and faithfulness to God are evidence of our faith to other people (James 2:14-26). The preacher’s exhortations to self-denial and faithfulness were appropriate if they were a call to obedient discipleship. The Bible teaches that there will be rewards for believers who serve Christ in this life. But if the call to obedient service is mistaken as a condition for receiving salvation, the result is confusion.

Romans 4 and the story of Abraham are in the Bible for me, and for you. We are to trust the same God who was faithful to keep his promise to Abraham. “The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness — for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:23-25).

Warren Wiersbe summarized the message of Romans 4 very well. Justification is by faith, not works. It is by grace, not law. And justification is by resurrection power, not human effort.

Pastor Randy Faulkner