Introduction to Romans

The book of Romans was written by Paul and shows us the truth about Jesus Christ.  Throughout centuries, Paul’s letter has changed lives.  There are layers upon layers of doctrine in this book.  As you study you will go deeper into these truths.  There will be some confusion and there will be some wow moments.  The book is simple yet eternally complex and full of doctrine.  It will challenge you and make you rethink why you believe what you believe.  If you are not confused during this study, you are not stretching your mind enough.  It will show you the character of God and that He is truth and trustworthy.

Romans can be broken up into sections:  Rom. 1 -11 lays out the doctrine, truth of Christianity and Rom. 12-16 is about how do we live based on this doctrine.   

The theme is the righteous revelation of God in the gospel.  He talks about the gospel, sin, grace, faith, salvation, sanctification, sovereignty of God and service to God.  Paul sums up his theme in Rom. 1:16-17.  “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.  For in the gospel righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”

What is the gospel?  The gospel is the story of Jesus.  It means “good news”.  It’s God's plan for salvation.  We have all done wrong things called sin.  We can’t save ourselves from punishment by our own efforts so we are hopeless, but God didn’t leave us hopeless.  He sent Jesus into the world to take the punishment we deserve.  Jesus was sent by God, born of a virgin, was crucified, died on the cross and was buried.  Then 3 days later He was raised to life.  He did all this so man could have a renewed relationship with God.  All we have to do to be saved from the punishment we deserve is to believe in Jesus and His story. 

In chapters 1-3:20 we learn about sin and the human condition.  Chapters 3:21-8 we learn salvation comes through Jesus Christ.  Chapters 6-8 are about sanctification.  Chapters 9-11 are all about the sovereignty of God and His glorious plan for creation.  Chapters 12-16 are about service and tell us how we can live for Him. 

                                                

Romans will show the true identity of every person.  The book shows how God will deal with humanity’s sin by the work of Jesus on the cross.  It starts off telling us how bad we are then tells us there is hope.  That hope is Jesus Christ.

The book of Romans contains some of the deepest theological truths in all the Bible.  I have studied Romans several times, but each time God has something different to teach me.  I am excited to dive into this book again.  I hope you will join me as we study together each week.

Next time we will begin with Romans 1.  Have a blessed day and thanks for visiting my site.  Hope to see you here again.

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How do I know if the Bible is true?

The Bible is God’s Word.  God reveals himself in many ways, but mainly He chose to reveal himself through his word.  It was written over 1500 years ago.  It was written by 40 different people, in 3 different languages and on 3 different continents.  It is 1 big story and 1 author, God.  There are 66 books in the Bible – 39 in Old Testament, 27 in the New Testament.  It has high standards of morality and is the best selling book in the world has ever known.  No book has ever been more analyzed or criticized.  Why is it attacked?  It’s the revelation of God whose message demands must be destroyed or obeyed.  Many times people have tried to destroy it.

The Bible is about:

How the universe and the human race started, how humans sinned and how the suffering started, and how the human rescue plan of God started - Gen 3:15 (the promise).

The Bible reveals:

God, his creation, his unlimited power and wisdom, his laws, a God of moral standards, history with God in control, Jesus as a God of compassion, God’s solution to sin, his special people in a special place, a special family, a special child:  John 3:16  (fulfillment of his promise)

It also reveals the future with a new heaven and a new earth without pain and cruelty.  Only the righteous will be there with the Lord.

75 % of the Bible is Old Testament.  Jesus came to fulfill the OT prophecy.  God tells how, why and when Jesus, the Messiah would come.  Proverbs 30:5-6 tells us His word is flawless.  Revelation 22:19 tells us not to add or take words away from it.  We should not sit around and argue about what it says.  It implies complete authority and we should not debate over it. 

Hebrews 4:12 – “For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”   So matter what your age, 10 – 110, it can speak to us.

When you read the word of God, do you believe it is God speaking to you or do you read it and then just go back to your regular life?  If God came in person and told you to stop stealing or cheating, or whatever, wouldn’t you say, “OK, I will”?  Why wouldn’t you do it if God’s word says to do the same thing - that is, if you believe it’s God’s word?

2 Timothy 3:16-17 – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2 Peter 1:20-21– “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.  For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit “.

The purpose of the Bible is essential for:

            Salvation – it reveals God, ourselves, our Savior

            Teaching – foundation of what we believe

            Conviction – it’s the test of our action

            Training – the rod of discipline

Why do we believe it’s true?

            The Prophets – spoke for God.

            Jesus – the spirit will guide you into all truth.

            Paul – we speak in words taught by the Spirit.

            Peter – not clearly invented myths, but an eyewitness.

John – we proclaim what we’ve seen.

It speaks with authority.

Many gave their lives for it.

By listening and weighing the evidence.

I’ve always believed that the Bible is God’s word, but never really read it like I believed it.  I don’t know about you, but I will never just read scripture the same way again.  It is God speaking to me!

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Psalm 1

The book of Psalms is a book of poems or songs of praise, worship, thankfulness and repentance.  It is used often as comfort, especially at funerals.  Many of the Psalms are written by David.  Some are written by Asaph, Moses and Solomon.  Some have no recorded author.  Today we will look at Psalms 1 which is about 2 groups of people – friends of God and enemies of God.  The key word in this Psalm is blessed.  It teaches that a happy man avoids evil and delights in the Word of God. 

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.” – Psalm 1:1.  “Blessed” means happy.  There is joy and contentment in God who isn’t in these 3 places.  Wicked people try to convince themselves and us their way is better.  We need to seek God’s counsel.  To be blessed of God means that we are walking in the salvation Jesus bought for us on the cross with His blood.  “Man” indicates that it is an individual thing.  It must be a decision for each person.  “Sit in the seat of mockers” means you are hanging out with them and will be drawn into their same attitude.  He is telling us “don’t do it”.  We will be happier if we find better friends.

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” – Psalm 1:2 The Word of God is the “law of the Lord”.  We need to meditate on it.  When we read and study the Bible, the Holy Spirit teaches us what we need to know.  To meditate is to spend a lot of time focusing on a thought.  To “meditate day and night” means to take His Word and its principles wherever we go whether it is at home, church, work, or school.  If we really love God and want to please Him, we should make our decisions based on His Word. 

Are you in God’s Word daily or only when you are in crisis situations?

Do you consult God and His Word before making decisions?

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers.” – Psalm 1:3.  A tree planted by water will be a very strong one.  The water will nourished it just like Scriptures nourish us.  God’s Word will make us strong and make us yield fruit.  To yield fruit means we model characteristics of God like “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” – Eph. 5:9.  The fruit of the spirit is produced automatically when we yield to the Holy Spirit and walk in obedience to Him.  “Whose leaf does not wither” means it is an evergreen symbolizing everlasting life. 

How are you nourished by the Scriptures?

What kind of fruit are you producing?

“Not so the wicked!  They are like chaff that the wind blows away.  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, not sinners in the assembly of the righteous.  For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” – Psalm 1:4-6.  Chaff is very dry like a dead leaf.  When crumpled up, it will break into many pieces and the wind will blow them away.  Chaff is husk of grains that are separated during harvest.  It is of no use and is discarded.  It will be the same on Judgment day.  The ungodly will be discarded and destroyed.  They will be sentenced to eternal punishment, but the righteous will have eternal life with Him in Heaven.  “The Lord watches over the way of the righteous” means He knows everything and will always be there to protect us for eternity.  He knows our hearts and is involved is our lives.  We are made righteous when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  It is very comforting to know that God watches over those who love Him.

To which group do you belong?

Jesus says in John 4:13-14, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal live.”  Eternal life is given when we put our faith in Jesus.  He is the only way we can become righteous.  Without Him we would remain wicked and dry like a crumpled leaf.  He alone can offer us eternal life.  We cannot be good enough by ourselves.  Without Jesus’ salvation we would remain like a desert, but with Him we are like a tree planted by streams of water.  We are healthy and living like a rainforest.

Psalms is a wonderful book to read and study.  It is full of lessons to live by.  Psalm 1 tells us how to be happy by what we do and what we should avoid.  I hope this has stirred your interest and you will read more of the book of Psalms.  See you next time.  Hope to see you here.

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Are You Blessed?

God wants to bless you, but maybe you feel you are not blessed.  Why do you think you are not blessed?  It is because you are too lazy to read His Word?  It is because you are disobedient to His ways?  Do you actually pray to God and then listen for His answers?  Are you afraid to submit to authority?  Do you feel self-sufficient, smug, and self-righteous?  Maybe you have no faith.  Maybe you think you know best showing you are too proud.  Maybe you never do the things you say you are going to do.  You don’t keep your promises.  You don’t have love and compassion for the less fortunate.  You have no joy and sometimes life is just a burden.  You seem to always be depressed.  Things never seem to go your way and you’re always in a bad mood.  Is life all about self and your own feelings?

Do you want to be blessed?  God wants everybody to be blessed no matter their race, color, nationality.  It doesn’t matter your gender, how money you have or how much education you have.  It is not God’s will that you not be blessed.  Being blessed is a choice.  God gave us a blueprint for a blessed life.  God gives us steps to enjoy the blessings of life in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5.

Be humble.  “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” – Matt. 5:3.  To be poor in spirit is not find pleasure in yourself and your life.   It is to be humble.  You don’t ignore God.  You realize that you have nothing that can contribute to receiving the kingdom of heaven.  There is no arrogance in you.  You admit your limitations and let Him manage your life.  When you are humble you can begin seeing the blessings in your life.

Be sorry for your bad actions and be willing to change.  “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” – Matt. 5:4.  Regret your past sins.  Forgive others as God has forgiven you.  Live a guilt free life and know that God is real and keeps His promises.

Endure problems with patience.  “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” – Matt. 5:5.  Being meek doesn’t mean to be weak, but to be strong yet gentle.  It’s being able to handle conflicts and insults.  Don’t be aggressive.  Yield control to God.

Seek what is right.  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” – Matt. 5:6.  You need to make right choices, which will make life easier.  Righteousness is the food and drink of your spiritual health.  It’s a life free from guilt and shame and sin.  It is to have a passion or desire to know God, what He wants, and to live up to His will.

Show mercy.  “Blessed are the merciful: for they will be shown mercy.” – Matt. 5:7.  The more mercy you give to others, the more you will receive.  You show kindness to others and show mercy to them above your own rights.

Be pure through faith.  “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they will see God.” – Matt. 5:8.  Cleanse your mind and clean up your act.  Free yourself from impure thinking.  Seek God and He will help you remove desires of impure thoughts and actions.  From a pure heart comes only good things like acts of love, mercy, righteousness, justice and decisions that please God.

Be a peacemaker.  “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they will be called the sons of God.” – Matt. 5:9.  God is the God of peace.  His whole plan of redemption is to provide peace for those who are alienated from Him.  He wants us to promote peace.  Love unconditionally turning the other cheek and forgiving each other.  Be kind to your enemies.  Stop any revenge and hostility.  Making peace brings God’s peace and harmony to your life.

Accept persecution.  “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matt. 5:10.  Jesus tells us if we are His followers to expect persecution.  Your belief in Christ threatens those who don’t believe or understand.  Don’t worry if you are persecuted, because you will be blessed with the benefits of the kingdom of heaven.

Accept persecution meant for Him.  “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” – Matt. 5:11.  We are to rejoice and be glad, because your reward is waiting for you in heaven.  Rejoice in and through your troubles and weaknesses.  He will make you strong.

Living up to these Beatitudes is not always easy and we will never achieve them to perfection.  But we are to strive for these standards, if we want to be truly be blessed in this life.

Some other Scriptures on blessings: 

“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” – Luke 11:28

“Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” – Ps.32:1; Rom. 4:7.

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial.” – James 1:12.

A blessing is anything God gives that makes us fully satisfied in Him.  It’s anything that draws us close to Him.  It’s anything that helps us hold on tightly to the eternal and not the temporary.  It is often found through struggles, trials, and disappointments.  God’s greatest blessing always rests in God Himself.

We all want blessings in life and it can only be found in God.  Being blessed is a choice.  We can’t find it in wealth, fame, or power.  Do you want to be blessed?  Then spend time reading the Word and ask God you give you insight into these Beatitudes.  Pray that God will give you a desire for Him.  Ask Him to show you how to be satisfied.

Have a blessed day and thanks for visiting my site.  Hope to see you here again.

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