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Showing posts from June, 2021

Romans 3:1-8

What good is it to be a Jew? What good is to be circumcised? It is good in a lot of ways. First of all, God's messages were spoken to the Jews. It is true that some of them did not believe the message. But does this mean that God cannot be trusted, just because they did not have faith? No, indeed! God tells the truth, even if everyone else is a liar. The scriptures say about God, Your words will be proven true, and in court you will win your case. If our evil deeds show how right God is, then what can we say? Is it wrong for God to become angry and punish us? What a foolish thing to ask. But the answer is "No". Otherwise, how could God judge the world? Since your lies bring great honour to God by showing how truthful He is. You may ask why God still says you are a sinner. You might as well say, "Let's do something evil, so that something good will come of it!" Some people even claim that we are saying this. But God is fair and will judge them as well. My Ref...

Enduring Word Commentary on Romans 2

Key points of importance: In  Romans 1 , Paul pointed out the sin of the most notoriously guilty. He now speaks to those who are generally moral in their conduct. Paul assumes they are congratulating themselves that they are not like the people described in  Romans 1 . Notice that the moralist is not condemned for judging others but for being guilty of the same things that he judges others for. This is something the moral man would object to (“I’m not like them at all!”). Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering : Paul points out that the moralist himself presumes upon the   goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering   of God, which all should bring the moralist into a humble repentance instead of an attitude of superiority. Goodness   may be considered God’s kindness to us in regard to our   past   sin. He has been good to us because He has not judged us yet though we deserve it. Forbearance   may be considered G...

When the Righteous Suffer - John Piper

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Enduring Word Commentary on Romans 1

These are extracts from the  Enduring Word Commentary on Romans 1 A bondservant… an apostle : Paul’s self-identification is important. He is   first   a   servant of Jesus Christ , and   second  called to be an apostle . There were several ancient Greek words used to designate a slave, but the idea behind the word for   servant   ( doulos ) is “ complete and utter devotion , not the abjectness which was the normal condition of the slave.” (Morris) “ A servant of Jesus Christ,   is a higher title than monarch of the world .” (Poole) The word “ God ” occurs 153 times in Romans; an average of once every 46 words – this is more frequently than any other New Testament book. In comparison, note the frequency of other words used in Romans:  law  (72),  Christ  (65),  sin  (48),  Lord  (43), and  faith  (40). Romans deals with many different themes but as much as a book can be, it is a book about...

Romans 2: 17-29

Some of you call yourselves Jews. You trust in the Law and take pride in God. By reading the Scriptures, you learn how God wants you to behave and you discover what is right/ You are sure that you are a guide for the blind and a light for all who are in the dark. And since there is knowledge and truth in God's Law, you think you can instruct fools and teach young people. But how can you teach others when you refuse to learn. You preach that is wrong to steal. Bud do you steal? You say people should be faithful in marriage. But are you faithful? You hate idols, yet you rob their temples. You take pride in the Law, but you disobey the Law and bring shame on God. It is just as the sovereign scriptures tell us, "You have made foreigners say insulting things about God" . Being circumcised is worthwhile, if you obey the Law. But if you don't obey the Law you are no better off than people who are not circumcised. In fact, if they obey the Law, they are as good as anyo...

Romans 2:8-16

This passage says: But He will show how angry and furious He can be with every selfish person who rejects the truth and wants to do evil. All who are wicked will be punished with trouble and suffering. It doesn't matter if they are Jews or Gentiles. But all who do right will be rewarded with glory, honour, and peace, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. God has no favourites! Those people who don't know about God's Law will still be punished for what they do wrong. And the Law will be used to judge everyone who know what it says. God accepts those who obey His Law, but not those who simply hear it. Some people naturally obey the Law's commands, even though they don't have the Law. This proves that the conscience is like a law written in the human heart. And it will show whether we are forgiven or condemned when God appoints Jesus Christ to judge everyone's secret thoughts, just as my message says. I have been wicked and You have punished me with ...

Romans 2:5-7

So these verses say: But you are stubborn and refuse to turn to God. So you are making things even worse for yourselves on that day when He will show how angry he is and will judge the world with fairness. God will reward each of us for what we have done. He will give eternal life to everyone who has patiently done what is good in the hope of receiving glory, honour and life that lasts forever. Dear God, I turn to you. Help me in my sin and unbelief to do patiently do good. I so long to depart this world and live with you in eternity. Love from R.

Understanding Romans 2:12

So this verse says that: " Those people who don't know about the law will still be punished for what they do wrong. And the Law will be used to judge everyone who knows what it says ". It is incumbent on myself to find out and preach the law to myself and apply it. The law is not straightforward in the Bible and is often, on first appearance, contradictory. For example, the disciples were told to ' dust the sand off their shoes and leave homes and places that did not welcome them '. On the other hand, Jesus preached that we must ' turn the other cheek when someone hits you' and 'if they want your tunic, give them also your shirt '. So I am sometimes confused about the situations in which we apply the law and what law we apply. As a law student, this is especially interesting for me, because when cases are heard in court, usually the lower courts will follow the letter of the law. That is, they are bound by precedent and also statutes. However...

Applying and praying Romans 2:1-4

Romans 2:1-4 states the following: Some of you accuse others of doing wrong. But there is no excuse for what you do. When you judge others you condemn yourselves, because you are guilty of the same thing. Do you really think God won't punish you when you behave exactly like the people you accuse? You surely don't think much of God's wonderful goodness or His patience and willingness to put up with you. Don't you know the reson God is good to you is because he wants you to turn to him? I have judged others and compared myself as righteous compared to them. So I am condemned because I do the same thing. Please save me from the punishment I deserve. Open my eyes to Your wonderful goodness and patience and I thank you God for putting up with me so that I can turn to you. Yesterday, I did not work as I should have or prepared myself for the meetings. I got a $65 fine owing to not getting a ticket in a car park owing to being in a rush to get to that meeting. I deserve th...

Praying Romans 1

So this verse says that: " Those people who don't know about the law will still be punished for what they do wrong. And the Law will be used to judge everyone who knows what it says ". It is incumbent on myself to find out and preach the law to myself and apply it. The law is not straightforward in the Bible and is often, on first appearance, contradictory. For example, the disciples were told to ' dust the sand off their shoes and leave homes and places that did not welcome them '. On the other hand, Jesus preached that we must ' turn the other cheek when someone hits you' and 'if they want your tunic, give them also your shirt '. So I am sometimes confused about the situations in which we apply the law and what law we apply. As a law student, this is especially interesting for me, because when cases are heard in court, usually the lower courts will follow the letter of the law. That is, they are bound by precedent and also statutes. However...