Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is 1 Corinthians 16; Acts 19:21-20:6; Romans 1.
I've been looking forward to Romans. It's been a while since I've read it, but I remember at the time thinking that it was probably the best book in the Bible for explaining what a Christian is and how to be one. Anyone who went on Teen Missions will have the "Roman Road" in their Bible. The Roman Road is a series of verses to help someone explain why one needs to accept Christ as their Saviour, and how to do so, which is by faith. The Roman Road, as one might expect, begins with Romans 3:23, but Romans 1:16-17 is kind of an introduction to the theme of the book of Romans.
Scripture - Romans 1:16-17
"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.”
Observation
The gospel is the power of God that brings salvation by faith.
Application
The following is an excerpt from Exploring the Riches of the Book of Romans by Bob Deffinbaugh.
...in November of 1515, Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk who was a professor at the University of Wittenberg, began to expound the Book of Romans to his students. The more he studied the Epistle, the more he recognized that the Pauline doctrine of justification by faith was central and crucial to the argument of the Epistle. But he found himself struggling to understand it. He describes his struggle with this Epistle and his dramatic conversion when the message came clear to his mind, heart, and soul:
I greatly longed to understand Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, and nothing stood in the way but that one expression, ‘the righteousness of God,’ because I took it to mean that righteousness whereby God is righteous and deals righteously in punishing the unrighteous … Night and day I pondered until … I grasped the truth that the righteousness of God is that righteousness whereby, through grace and sheer mercy, he justifies us by faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas before ‘the righteousness of God’ had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul became to me a gateway to heaven. (emphasis mine)
In these two introductory verses (Romans 1:16-17), Paul asserts his confidence in the gospel and gives us two reasons for his boldness in proclaiming it. First, the gospel is the “power of God for the salvation” of both Jews and Gentiles. Second, the gospel reveals the righteousness of God. The rest of the Epistle, as I understand it, is Paul’s explanation of this fundamental truth: THE GOSPEL REVEALS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD.
This has been a recurring theme throughout our study this year - we are not righteous, we cannot become righteous on our own, and only by faith can we be made righteous by God.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you that the gospel is for us. We thank you for everything you've been teaching us through this study, and we pray that now, as we read more about your wonderful gift of salvation that we would learn more about who you are and about your righteousness. Strengthen our faith, fill us with your Spirit, and may the love and joy that come from being Spirit-filled overflow to those around us. In Jesus' name we pray, AMEN.
Tomorrow's passage: Romans 2-4.
1 comment:
There are soooo many truths to be gleaned from Paul's writings. I think every time I read his letters, I understand something new. There are just so many layers!
I like that take on righteousness - almost like it's righteousness from the opposite perspective.
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