August 6, 2021
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Romans? Here’s today’s reading:
Romans 1 (NIV)
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord........Continue Reading
To come up with one concise comment on any chapter in Romans seems futile now that Pastor has taught in such detail and length on each chapter but here goes… :))
Paul starts and inspires me in his confidence in sharing God with believers and non-believers alike. His desire to not only share the Gospel with those who need it but also encourage his fellow believers in their faith should be contagious to us wanting to do the same.
That being said the last half of this chapter is a sad but real picture of what this world looks like even today because so many have turned from God and have no desire to do what’s right in His eyes. Thus why we need to follow Paul’s example and be bold in our faith and actions and stand against the tide of this world!
Romans 1
Some of these verses have in the past made me go and say, “who would build something and make it a god?” But that is exactly what we tend to do! Sometimes subtly, we worship material things rather than God. The things that are supposed to be tools to worship Him become our idols. They spend more time on these things, rather than God. Now sometimes, we can do both – and that’s a different story.
Proverbs 14, Psalms 15, Romans 1
God has made a way to Him through His Son Jesus. He has made Himself known through creation and the knowledge of Him is evident all around. If humans could be honest with themselves, they would know enough to believe who God is. But Paul makes clear that many don’t want to believe and because they want to do what they want to do and not listen to God, they reject Him and chart their own course. And that just leads to a deeper spiraling away from God and into greater evil. And God even helps the process downward until society is filled with individuals whose behaviors are depicted at the end of the chapter. It’s a fitting description of our world today. But it has taken a while for us to get here, but it started just how Paul said it would…we don’t want to believe and we want to do our own thing. And it has been all downhill from there…..Making believing and following Him that much more difficult, but oh so much more necessary as well…..
For I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” – Romans 1:16-17
What a wonderful distilling of the Gospel, what it is, and what it means to us. That our salvation comes from the revealing of God’s righteousness through the Gospel and our faith in it. Not in any work we might do nor in our own righteousness (which is sorely lacking), but in who He is.
Romans 1 Paul wasn’t ashamed of the Gospel and we shouldn’t be either, salvation is for all believers. There is righteousness by faith for all who believe. Then Paul goes on to talk about Gods wrath on mankind, for those who suppress the truth and live sinful lives. God has given them depraved minds, not knowing right from wrong, it’s happening all around us now times haven’t changed much.
Romans 1
There is so much in this chapter.
1. The clear gospel. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
2. God’s wrath against unrighteousness.
3. Man is without excuse. God is evident. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
4. Man decides to go with unrighteousness….and God allows them to.
I felt a deep sadness reading the last paragraph. They didn’t like to retain God in their minds….and the results are devastating. I have felt through most of my Christian life that most people are good….(friendly, kind, considerate, honest) even though I know that is not correct Biblical doctrine. Perhaps I believed this because we live in a nation founded on Christian principles, that that is part of our cultural expectation – to obey agreed -upon laws and to live by agreed-upon principles, even if you aren’t a Christian. An evil force has infiltrated our nation and sown seeds of lawlessness. Come, Lord Jesus.