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Reflection on Romans 13:8-14

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Scripture

Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

Observation

Owe nothing to anyone except the debt to love. Loving my neighbour fulfils all the commandments. Love does no wrong to others, so it fulfils the requirements of God’s law.

We must live as children of the light. Time is running out. The night is nearly over and the day of salvation will soon be here. We must therefore live in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Application

What does a message about the return of Jesus normally look like? Often, it is a call to be careful about the rise of the Antichrist. It might be an appeal to get saved, or to share the gospel with those who are not saved.

Paul here uses the belief that Jesus is coming soon to encourage us to get ready by putting on deeds of righteousness. Jesus is coming soon, so make sure you are living the way you should be.

Paul tells us that we must clothe ourselves with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. To me, this means two things- a commitment to prayer and worship, and a commitment to overcoming the sins in my life.

If we are really aware that Christ is already with us, then of course we will make prayer and worship a priority. These things flow from a heart transformed by Him.

Equally, we will be wanting to live in a way that is worthy of His presence. Paul says, “Don’t even let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” The sins that cause so much guilt and shame start with our thoughts. If we train our brains to shun these thoughts, then our lives will reflect the glory of Christ.

Prayer

Lord, please change me to be more like Christ, Thank you for the Holy Spirit who brings conviction of my sins. Help me to put away deeds of darkness and walk in your light. Amen.

Reflection on Romans 13:1-7

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Scripture

Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.

Observation

We must submit to governing authorities. God has placed them over us in order to bring peace and order to society.

If we do the wrong thing we will be punished, but if we do what is right, we will be honoured.

Likewise, we are to pay taxes and fees in order that government workers may be paid.

Application

Paul tells us to submit to governing authorities as a part of our christian discipleship. Christians are not meant to be anarchists. Lawlessness is from the devil, not from God.

There are times when we must disobey governing authorities, for example, when they require us to do something that is contrary to God’s will.

When Peter and John were ordered by the Sanhedrin to cease preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus, they refused. They said, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”

In some jurisdictions where churches have been discriminated against in the name of public health, some pastors have refused to shut down their services. In the U.S. State of Nevada, where churches are forbidden but casinos are allowed to operate, some churches are circumventing the regulations by meeting in casinos.

There is a hierarchy of authority in God’s kingdom. God is over all, then governments in their area of authority, then church leaders in their area of authority, then husbands, wives and parents.

Of course, christians may disagree on where the lines should be drawn. Our default position is to obey, but where governments require us to disobey God, we must refuse the government’s requirements.

Prayer

Lord, today I pray for all who are in Government positions- Prime Minister, Premiers, parliamentarians and bureaucrats. May they know your blessing as they rule over us, and may they know your limits on their activities. Amen.

Ephesians 3:8

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Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:8. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:8

“To me, although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ .”

Paul was never proud or arrogant about his position in the church. It was all given by the grace of God. He had reason to be proud. He was a very educated man in the Jewish religion and qualified in every way- the Pharisee of Pharisees, as he says elsewhere.

No, Paul is always aware of his own sinful nature. He is the least of all the saints, he says. One could interpret this as false humility. but it seems sincere in Paul. He does not use his office as an apostle to demand support from the churches or from individual christians. There is no sense of entitlement or demand for honour. Earlier on in Ephesians 2: 19- 22, he uses the analogy of people being like bricks in a temple or house that Christ is building. Paul, in that analogy, is no more important than any other part of the building.

Paul was often aware of his own failings in persecuting the church. He described himself as a late comer apostle, one whose birth was delayed. Early in his ministry, people doubted his apostleship and even his conversion. In that sense he was the least of the saints.

Paul was given a grace to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. In the previous verse, he makes clear that everything he has and does is due to grace, God’s gifting, given through the mighty working of God’s power.

Paul’s calling was to go to the Gentiles. Although he was qualified to preach in the synagogues, his rejection by the Jews drove him to the Gentiles. He had a far greater impact amongst the Gentiles than the Jews, although in natural terms it should have been the opposite way around .

Through God’s grace, the least of all the saints had a great impact on the Gentiles of the ancient world, and continues to do so today.

Paul’s message was about the unsearchable riches of Christ.

The riches of Christ extend beyond forgiveness of sins. Because he has bought us redemption, Christ brings us from death to life, Hell to Heaven, a guarantee of eternal joy.

Because of Christ, we are heirs of the Father. We have been adopted into His family. The people who were once far off are now right in the centre of God’s good will. As heirs, we are destined to inherit a share of all that God has, both seen and unseen. Nothing is withheld from us.

We have victory over the evil one, the Devil, who seeks to devour our souls. We have been set free from sin by Christ. This is not just freedom from the penalty of sin, but also a liberation from the grip of sin to enslave us and hold us captive. We are now free to act in accordance with God’s will for us .

These are just some of the riches of Christ, and they are all given to us by his grace.

The riches are unsearchable. They are so deep and full of meaning that we might spend a lifetime, even eternity, coming to an understanding of them.

It is as if we are given a treasure chest of coins and rare gems. As we pick up one item and examine it for both beauty and value, we are amazed by it. Then we pick up other items, stones that we have never seen before. As we dig deeper, we discover that the treasure chest has no boundary – it just goes deeper and deeper for ever.

We can just see a glimmer, a dull reflection of all the treasure that God through Christ has graciously poured upon us .

Key points in this verse

  • Paul saw himself as the least of all the saints.
  • Paul was given grace to take to the Gentiles the message about the unsearchable riches of Christ
  • The riches of Christ extend beyond just forgiveness of sins.
  • We could spend eternity discovering the riches of Christ

Reflection on Romans 12:9-21

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Scripture

Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring one another.

Observation

We are to love each other sincerely, not in pretence. We should seek to be affectionate in loving each other and in honouring one another,

We are to rejoice, be patient and generous. We should bless those who persecute us, rejoice with those who are happy and mourn with those who are sad.

We must not seek to take revenge, but to leave that to God’s righteous anger. We must not retaliate against evil, but instead conquer evil by doing good.

Application

Our culture is not good at expressing godly love- this is not surprising since many people do not know God. The attitude, by and large, is we support people when we agree with them or they are useful to us. When that situation changes, we move on and ignore them.

The Bible calls instead for a genuine love amongst christians. Paul tells us in the previous verse that we must really love one another and not just pretend to. Here he tells us to love each other with genuine affection.

So no pretend love, chummy expressions and fake laughter while waiting to put a knife in.

How do we get there?

Firstly we have to understand that we are not perfect or worthy of God’s favour. I am just as bad as anyone else apart from the grace of God. Being honest about my own sins and failures makes me more accepting of others.

Secondly, we need to pray for other people. This means not just confessing their sins for them or asking God to change them. It means honestly and sincerely asking God to bless them.

Thirdly, it means showing honour to each other. Find the good things that you can praise them for, both to themselves and to other people. Don’t be afraid to talk other people up, rather than pulling them down.

As we genuinely seek to build others up, we will find that God’s love abounds among us,

Prayer

Please help me, Lord, to love others, both the christians and the not- yet christians. Help me to put them above myself and to honour them from my heart. Amen.

Reflection on Romans 12:1-8

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Scripture

Don’t copy the behaviours and customs of the world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Observation

We are to give our bodies back to God, a holy and living sacrifice. This is the way to worship Him. Our thinking must change from the ways of the world so that God can change us,

Paul exhorts us to be honest in our evaluation of ourselves, and to not think we are better than we really are.

God gives us all different gifts, and we do different things well compared to others. For some the gift is prophecy, for others serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading or kindness. Which ever of these gifts we have, we should use them to the best of our ability and for the glory of God.

Application

We should not copy the behaviour and the customs of the world.

This is a process of learning God’s ways and putting behind us the world’s ways. Every culture has its good points and bad points; that is points of agreement with God’s ways and points of rebellion against God’s ways.

Western culture is obsessed with sex, possessions and personal glory or pride. Increasingly, with identity politics gaining traction, we are encouraged to judge people by the colour of their skin or by their sexual identity.

We are to put all of this aside, taking on the values of God’s kingdom. We are to live lives that exemplify both God’s love and His holiness. Effectively, we have to lie down on the altar and let God kill our old nature.

As we co-operate with the Holy Spirit, we discover that we become more and more like Jesus in attitudes, thoughts and actions.

Prayer

Please help me, Lord, in this process of changing my behaviour and actions to line up with your ways. It is not easy, but I thank you for the grace I need to change my thinking. Amen.

Reflection on Romans 11:25-36

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Scripture

For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.

Observation

Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will only last until the full number of Gentiles have been saved. They are now enemies of the Gospel, but God still loves them.

Once we Gentles were rebels against God. Now the Israelites are the rebels, while God’s mercy has come to the Gentiles.

God’s riches and wisdom are beyond our understanding. Everything comes from Him and exists by His power.

Application

God’s gifts and His call can never be withdrawn. That is an awesome promise.

An evangelist who fell away from the Lord became a motivational speaker and a sales consultant. These have the same skills set as his ministry. Eventually he was restored to ministry and continues in his gifting. God’s gift was never withdrawn, despite the man’s sin and rebelliousness.

I have known several people who made a commitment to follow Jesus when they were children. They later stopped walking with the Lord. Then, decades later, they once again responded to the call on their lives. It seems that God honours decisions made by children and works hard to bring them back to Himself.

We can turn our backs on the Lord and know that whatever gifts and calls He has given us will not be taken away. However, this is not something we should assume. It is far better and more joyful to keep on walking in obedience to the Lord.

I find it encouraging also to recall this when I am struggling in my ministry. When it seems that the promises of God are as distant as they were 20 years ago, I need to recall that God’s promises don’t change and there is no Plan B. The call, the gift, the promises will not be withdrawn.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, that even when we are not faithful to you, you remain faithful to us. Amen.

Reflection on Romans 11:11-24

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Scripture

Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe towards those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.

Observation

God’s people, the Jews, did not stumble and fall beyond recovery. God made salvation available to the Gentiles, wanting the Jews to be jealous and claim the blessing too.

Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy. But some of the branches of the family tree were not holy, so they were broken off. Then God grafted in the Gentiles in their place.

We should not become proud about this. If we should stop being obedient to Christ, we too could be broken off the tree.

Application

One of the problems with grace is that we can turn it into a kind of easy salvation: Just say the prayer and you are in.

But this is not how God works. He removed from His family tree those Jews who refused to obey Him. He will do the same to those of us Gentiles who refuse to obey Him.

We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works. In other words, my faith in Jesus should result in a life that, over time, becomes like Him. I turn away from sin and selfishness, towards a life of love and kindness.

To claim to be a christian while engaging in sin is nonsense. To go to church and continue to be untouched by holiness is hypocrisy.

Paul is clear that this kind of action will not be blessed by God. He is kind to those who accept His grace, but severe to those who refuse to obey Him.

Prayer

Lord, I don’t like to think of your judgement. Please help me to be obedient to you. May your Holy Spirit so transform me that I become like you. Amen.

Ephesians 3:7

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Here is my commentary on Ephesians 3:7. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 3:7

“Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me by the working of his power.”

The gospel is the amazingly good news that God is saving, or at least wants to save, every person whether Jew or gentile through the promise in Christ Jesus; God’s grace is available to all.

Paul was made a minister of this gospel. He was moulded into the ministry by God, who took all of Paul’s learning and knowledge of scripture, and turned him into a powerful apostle, teacher, and evangelist.

The word for minister here means a servant, not a slave. The word is diakonos from which we get the word deacon. It can mean and attendant or minister. Paul here is saying that his calling is to serve the gospel. The gospel is like a master, a force that directs his life .

In other places, Paul describes himself as a slave to Christ. A slave suggest someone who is owned, generally for any purpose the owner might desire. The implication of the word diakonos, though, is that there is a specific purpose, a calling that is on Paul’s life. He could not be used for any other purpose then to preach the gospel, because that is his life’s sole reason for existence.

Paul was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace.

The grace of God is a many-faceted thing. We most often think of God’s grace in the context of salvation. We are not saved by anything that we can do, nor by good deeds, nor by animal sacrifices, nor by acts of heroism. It is only because God, in his love for us, gives us the gift of forgiveness that we are saved.

God’s grace is experienced in other ways also. The gift of life itself comes from God. The provision of our daily food, shelter, and clothing is by grace, even when we have a job that provides these things .

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are graces that enable us to serve God and his people. The word for gift in the various New Testament passages that describe spiritual gifts is itself derived from the word grace. This is why John Wimber preferred the word gracelet to the word gift – it places the attention on the giver not the receiver of the gift.

The grace of God was responsible for the gift which was given to Paul. Paul is at pains to express a sense here that whatever he might do as the minister of the gospel, it is all through the gift of God. It is not his innate talent. He might be the smartest person in the room, but it is God who has done this, not Paul.

All of this was given by the working of God’s power.

God’s power (dunamis) is the same power that created the universe in six days, which raised Christ from the dead, and which turned Paul from persecutor of Christ’s followers into an apostle of Christ .

God’s power brings the non-existent into existence. He spoke and it happened.

God’s power restored life – resurrection life- into Christ’s body. This same power will raise all of his followers from death also. God’s power is life giving power.

The same power took hold of a violent and zealous man, and transformed him into a tireless minister of grace. Under the law, Paul sought to bring death, but under God’s grace he seeks to bring life.

This power of God is restless, hovering over all of creation. The wind is often used as an analogy for God’s power. It is always moving. It brings movement and excitement. It cannot always be recognised, but its effects are plain.

The working of God’s power produced the gift of God’s grace in Paul. The word for working is the word from which we get energy. God’s energising power was poured into Paul to enable him to fulfil this ministry to which he was called .

God’s power is not a self-referring thing like a bright light. God’s power brings change by working in people’s lives. This energy fills us, changes us, enables us, transforms us. It is like a flow of electricity through a person’s spirit .

Key points in this verse:

  • Paul was made a minister of the gospel
  • The gospel is about God’s grace
  • Paul had a specific calling or a role to be filled.
  • God’s grace is experienced in many different ways
  • Paul’s gift or calling was given by the working of God’s power

Reflection on Romans 11:1-10

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Scripture

It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace – his undeserved kindness in choosing them.

Observation

God has not rejected the people of Israel. It is like the time of Elijah when the prophet thought he was the only one left in Israel who was faithful to the Lord. The Lord showed him there were 7000 people who had not worshipped Baal.

Most of the Jewish people are seeking salvation through good works, Paul says, but some, though a minority, have received God’s grace and have been saved through faith in Jesus Christ.

Application

God has never completely abandoned His people- either Israel nor the church. There has always been a remnant, a small group of people who remain faithful to Him regardless.

This is true of the Jewish people. Although most have rejected their Messiah, Jesus, some have responded to the Good News.

It is also true in the church. Sometimes whole denominations have departed from Biblical truth to pursue the ways of the world. And yet, a faithful few remain, witnessing to the power of salvation.

Whole nations are turning their backs on the christian faith which established their culture and which united the nation. While the mainstream might have moved on, a remnant remains faithful to Jesus Christ.

So I remain hopeful for Australia and for the denomination I left over twenty years ago. Jesus is still building His church, and He is still Lord of the nations.

Prayer

Lord, even when all seems dark, you are the light of the world. I pray for revival in my town and in my nation. Lord, turn the hearts of people back to you. Amen.

Reflection on Romans 10:11-23

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Scripture

But how will they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how will they believe in him if they have never heard of him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?

Observation

The Lord has promised that everyone who calls on the Lord will be saved. But they cannot call on the Lord if they haven’t heard the promise, and that means that somebody has to have told them. Even that presupposes that somebody has sent the messenger.

Not everybody welcomes the Good News. Faith comes through hearing, but some will hear but not receive it. Even though God greets us with open arms, some people remain rebellious and disobedient.

Application

All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. First we have to hear the message of salvation. This means that, mostly, somebody has to go and preach the message. That places the responsibility on local churches to send missionaries and evangelists to people who have not yet heard the Good News.

There are people who are called to go to distant places and foreign cultures to be full-time missionaries. Others are gifted as evangelists and fill that ministry whether locally or as itinerants.

The most effective evangelism happens as ordinary christians share their faith at work, at home or at leisure locations such as the pub, gym or whatever. Ian Robinson calls this “Gossiping The Gospel,” which is a wonderful expression of allowing Jesus into our every day conversations.

Churches have to be sending agents, allowing and equipping members to be witnesses of the gospel in the 167 hours a week that are not church.

We can sit around and complain about the sad state of civilisation, or we can do something about it by instigating a gospel- led recovery, sharing with one person at a time.

Prayer

Thank you, Father, for the Good News that changes lives. Please help me to share you with my friends every day. Amen.