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Meeting Jesus in the Gospels

The Gospels refer to the first four books in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They concern themselves with the life and teachings of Christ. Each of them is named after the apostles who wrote them, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

‘Gospel’ is derived from the Greek euaggelion, meaning a ‘good message’. Many biblical scholars believe Mark was written first, and that Matthew and Luke borrowed heavily from it. Others believe Matthew was first.

These three books are referred to as the synoptic gospels, meaning they all share a similar point of view.

The book of John was written last. It dives much deeper into the theology of who Jesus is.

It was 50 years or more after Jesus ascended to His Father that the gospels were written; and they weren’t even circulated until the remainder of the New Testament was completed.

The gospels are written in no chronological order, but I am going to present them that way, as well introduce you to all four books simultaneously – cherry picking the chapter and verse that best reveals the greatest clarity regarding the event being described.

You’re going to love it! Let’s begin:

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. Jn. 1:1 – 5. NLT

                  We have seen this many times. Jesus is the Word of God. He speaks for His Father. He existed before time with God, and everything was made by God, directly through His Son. John is establishing Christ’s deity.

            Jesus is portrayed as the life-giver. And we also see Him portrayed as the ‘light’ (of truth) for everyone. That light overcomes the darkness of Satan and his machinations.

There came a man commissioned and sent from God, whose name was John. This man came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe [in Christ, the Light] through him. John was not the Light, but came to testify about the Light. Jn. 1:6 – 8. AMP

                  This is of course, referring to John the Baptist. He was the first to begin Christ’s ministry by preparing the people for His redemption.

The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. Jn. 1:9-11 NLT

            Christ came to save everyone that inhabited His world. Yet His own people, the Jews, for the most part did not believe He was the Son of God. However, for those who did believe, received a far better outcome:

But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name— who were born, not of blood [natural conception], nor of the will of the flesh [physical impulse], nor of the will of man [that of a natural father], but of God [that is, a divine and supernatural birth—they are born of God—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified]. Jn. 1:12, 13. AMP

                  This is nothing less than complete salvation and we can see that it is only available through Christ.

And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception). Jn. 1:14 AMP

                  This refers to Jesus’ incarnation, human, but guileless. The only begotten Son.

            John the Baptist brings yet more clarity about our Savior:

John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’” John 1:15 NLT

                  John is referring to the fact that Jesus has far more spiritual authority than he; and then he is alluding to the fact that Christ existed before time began.

From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. Jn. 1:16 – 18. NLT

            John the Baptist offers what is obviously Holy Spirit revelation about Christ’s deity once again, that the Father and His Son are one. Also, we are given a hint about Jesus’ ministry which will supersede all that came before.

                  Are you beginning to see just how BIG your Savior is? And His promises are just beginning…

Get ready for the earthly birth of our incarnated Christ – next time!

                  Goodnight and God bless.

The End of the World as We Know It 5

Every time we approach our study of the book of Revelation, I am going to emphasize that to understand the book, it must be approached in the chronological order of events, i.e., in proper sequence. So far, we’ve seen Christ set the goals that we must pursue to reflect the glory of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – and how to increase our efficacy in evangelism.

            Then we were able to see the Jehovah’s throne room, the inhabitants within – including the Holy Spirit, elders, angels, Jesus in His glory, and we watched His opening of the ‘7 seals’, which is an overview of coming events within the ‘tribulation period’: (see Part 1; 2; 3; and 4).

            What happens next, is the sounding of the ‘7 trumpets’, which herald the coming of the wrath of God, in the form of partial disasters, (as Jehovah is still trying to draw as many people as possible to come to repentance for salvation), each more cataclysmic than the one before.

            It begins, where we left off last time, (see Rv. 8:2, 3.), where incense was mixed with the prayers of the saints and offered before God:

Then the angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed, lightning flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake. Rv. 8:5 NLT

            This first trumpet was filled with God’s judgment, to avenge martyred saints during the tribulations. The result was destruction of 1/3 of the earth’s trees, grasses, and vegetation by a deluge of heavenly hail, fire, and blood – exacerbating the famine brought by the apocalyptic horseman on the black horse.

(Note that these events somewhat parallel the plagues God put upon the Egyptians, that precipitated the freeing of the Hebrews from their taskmasters (see Ex. 9:17-26.)

            The second trumpet sounds:

Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and a great mountain of fire was thrown into the sea. One-third of the water in the sea became blood, one-third of all things living in the sea died, and one-third of all the ships on the sea were destroyed. Rv. 8:8, 9. NLT

            More famine, and mercantile deaths – disastrous for the food-chain supply. (This trumpet has been thought to symbolize extreme volcanic activity.

            And the third:

The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from heaven. It fell on a third of the rivers and springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood, and a third of the waters became wormwood. So, many of the people died from the waters because they had been made bitter. Rv. 8:10, 11. CSB (see also Ex. 7:20 – 25).

            (The Greek apsinthos is translated as ‘absinthe’. It produces a bitter oil that is poisonous to the nervous system. Also called ‘wormwood’ because the oil was used to kill intestinal worms.)

            This disaster is thought to be caused by a meteor strike.

            Then the fourth trumpet sounds:

Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and one-third of the sun was struck, and one-third of the moon, and one-third of the stars, and they became dark. And one-third of the day was dark, and also one-third of the night. Rv. 8:12 NLT (see also Ex. 10:21 – 29.)

            The fifth trumpet sounds of things demonic. The apostle John shares his vision:

Then I looked, and I heard a single eagle crying loudly as it flew through the air, “Terror, terror, terror to all who belong to this world because of what will happen when the last three angels blow their trumpets.” (The 5th trumpet unleashes the ‘first terror’.)

Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen to the earth from the sky, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. When he opened it, smoke poured out as though from a huge furnace, and the sunlight and air turned dark from the smoke.

Then locusts came from the smoke and descended on the earth, and they were given the power to sting like scorpions. They were told not to harm the grass or plants or trees, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

They were told not to kill them but to torture them for five months…In those days people will seek death but will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them!

The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. They had what looked like crowns on their heads and their faces looked like human faces…and teeth like a lion. They wore armor, and their wings roared like an army of chariots rushing into battle…Their king is the angel from the bottomless pit; His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon – the Destroyer. Rv. 8:13 – 9:9 & 11. NLT

            (These demons are proscribed from harming any plant life. So even though this fifth judgment is commencing, the first one must not be totally fulfilled yet.)

            [The ‘eagle’ is thought to an angel, as is the ‘star’ that falls to earth, this angel being wicked – allowed to release ‘locusts’ (demons) against humans who did not accept Christ. Ruled by Apollyon/ Abaddon, God is using the demons to torment the rebellious.

            The sixth trumpet brings death (the ‘second terror’):

Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice speaking from the four horns of the gold altar that stands in the presence of God. And the voice said to the sixth angel who held the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great Euphrates River.”

Then the four angels…were turned loose to kill one-third of the people on earth. I heard the size of their army, which was 200 million mounted troops…The riders wore armor…The horses had heads like lions, and fire and smoke and burning sulfur billowed from their mouths…their tails had heads like snakes, with the power to injure people. Rv. 9:13 – 17 & 19. NLT

But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols…And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts. Rv. 9:20, 21. NLT

            This army is from the ‘east’, (some scholars believe from Asia), making it separate from the ‘army of the north’ that attempted to invade Israel, but was decimated by God. This larger army is on the march to Israel for the battle of Armageddon, killing one-third of humankind on its way.

            ***The sixth trumpet is humankind’s last warning. There will be no salvation available to anyone once the seventh trumpet is sounded. Still, as you can see from the last Scripture above, there will remain hardened hearts who persist in their rebellion.***

The Second Interlude:

            In this section, God is adding more detail to what has taken place thus far. Just as with the ‘seventh seal’, there is an interlude in heaven just before the seventh trumpet sounds. John’s vision shifts earthward:

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face shone like the sun, and his feet were like pillars of fire. And in his hand was a small scroll that had been opened.

He stood with his right foot on the sea and the left foot on the land. And he gave a great shout like the roar of a lion. And when he shouted, the seven thunders (God) answered. When the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Keep secret what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down.” Rv. 10:1 – 4. NLT

            (Some believe the angel to be Christ.) John had readied himself to write down what the angel was going to say, but the angel forbade him. Instead, John was to keep it to himself – some mystery he was privy to, that we do not know…

Then the angel I saw…raised his right hand toward heaven. He swore an oath in the name of the one who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and everything in them, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it.

He said, “There will be no more delay. When the seventh angel blows his trumpet, God’s mysterious plan will be fulfilled.” …Then the voice from heaven spoke to me again. “Go and take the open scroll from the hand of the angel…” Rv. 10:5 – 8. NLT

            Thus, the culmination of everything that God has been revealing throughout history, will begin to manifest at the sounding of the seventh trumpet.

So I went to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. “Yes, take it and eat it,” he said. “It will be sweet as honey in your mouth, but it will turn sour in your stomach!” Rv. 10:9 NLT

            The scroll represents the Gospel – sweet to those who embrace it, and bitter to those who refuse it.      

Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.” Rv. 10:11 NLT

            Some biblical scholars believe that the apostle John never left the island of Patmos, and that he is receiving instructions to finish recording his vision of Revelation. Others believe he died of old age in Ephesus – in which case, he would be receiving a directive to preach and teach anew.

            The angel then gives the apostle a new task:

Then I was given a measuring stick, and I was told, “Go and measure the Temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers. But do not measure the outer courtyard, for it has been turned over to the nations. They will trample the holy city for 42 months. Rv. 11:1, 2. NLT

            Forty-two months (3.5 years according to the 30-day months that comprise the Jewish calendar), represents the second half of the tribulation period. The measuring rod is generally interpreted to symbolize God’s protection.

            The Temple of God is seen by some to represent the body of Christ; and the ‘trampling of the holy city’ represents the persecutions set against that body during the tribulations.

            Others interpret this Scripture to refer to a literal ‘new temple’ that will be built in Jerusalem during the first half of the tribulations – after God delivers Israel from the ‘army of the north’, and after Israel accepts Christ as the Messiah.

            Continuing with John’s vision of the ‘second interlude’, (still focused earthward), we listen in on a new revelation from Jesus:

“And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will be clothed in burlap and will prophesy during those 1,260 days.”

These two prophets are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of all the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire flashes from their mouths and consumes their enemies…They have the power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall for as long as they prophesy.

And they have the power to turn the rivers and oceans into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish. Rv. 11:3 – 6. NLT

            The wearing of burlap by the two witnesses signifies a ‘last call’ to the unbelievers to repent. Others see the ‘witnesses’ as symbolizing the ‘witnessing church’ – either in present time, or in the last half of the tribulations.

            Other interpreters see them to be literal prophets of great power, [also citing that the Bible states that two witnesses are required to corroborate truth (see Dt. 19:15)], and have likened them to Elijah and Enoch, or Moses and John – but they can’t be identified with any certainty.

            Jesus continues:

When they complete their testimony, the beast that comes out of the bottomless pit will declare war against them, and he will conquer them and kill them. And their bodies will lie in the main street of Jerusalem, the city that is figuratively called “Sodom” and “Egypt”, the city where their Lord was crucified. Rv. 11:7, 8. NLT

            We see then that the two witnesses have been preaching is Jerusalem, a city that at that time resembled other cities infamous for their moral degradation. And they are killed by ‘Satan’s beast’. Look too, at the shameful denizens of that city:

Those from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. And those [non-believers] who live on the earth will gloat over them and rejoice; and they will send gifts [in celebration] to one another, because these two prophets tormented and troubled those who live on the earth. Rv. 11:9, 10. AMP

            So, people from all over the world throw a party because these meddlesome prophets had been putting a damper on their immoral and pagan frenzy. However, God is going to have the last word!

But after three and a half days, God breathed life into them, and they stood up! Terror struck all those who were staring at them. Then a loud voice from heaven called to the two prophets, “Come up here!” And they rose to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched.

At the same time, there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people died in that earthquake, and everyone else was terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

The second terror is past, but look, the third terror is coming quickly. Rv. 11:11 – 14. NLT

            The resurrection of the two witnesses marks the end of the tribulations. The time for repentance and salvation for unbelievers has gone down the commode.

            Those interpreters who see the two witnesses as a symbol of the church, see this resurrection as a symbol of a post-tribulation ‘rapture’ of the martyred church.

            This juncture marks the end of the second interlude. Next time, the seventh trumpet sounds!

            Goodnight and God bless.

Where is the Theological Bedrock of Christian Thought 2

In part one, we established that it is the book of Romans. We looked at the Gospel and Christ’s place in it – as well as our mandate to spread the Good News. The apostle Paul also revealed what darkness lies ahead for the naysayers.

            Now, Paul continues by speaking about faith…

            We cannot earn our salvation. It is a gift of God’s grace. And if a gift, there can be no exchange. Salvation is not something that we accomplish. Faith is the vehicle in which we receive the gift of salvation. Faith is not a doing; it is a being and a having.

            Faith is not something that we produce; it is a gift that we receive when we accept Christ as the living Son of God:

(…let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Heb. 12:1, 2.)

            Jesus gifts us with faith to nurture our eternal relationship with Him. God uses our acceptance and practice of our faith to ‘justify’ (from the Greek dikaioo, meaning to ‘make innocent’) us in His eyes through the Propitiate (from the Greek hilasterion, meaning ‘an atoning victim’), i.e., Christ upon the cross.

            Paul begins:

For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” Rm. 4:3 NLT

But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised?

Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and was declared to be righteous – even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. Rm. 4:10, 11. NLT

Clearly, God’s promise is to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was not based upon his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. Rm 4:13 NLT

            Thus, Abraham’s faith in God purchased the blessing of faith for all future descendants who would embrace it by coming to Christ:

And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. Rm. 4:23 – 25. NLT

            Faith is what unifies us as children of God. It is the centerpiece of God’s covenant promise:

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

We can rejoice too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Rm. 5:1 – 5. NLT

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Rm. 5:6 NLT

…God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.

For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. Rm. 5:8 – 10. NLT

            God is love. He is merciful. Therefore, Love is merciful. Even when we were enemies of God, (enslaved to the ways of the world), He opens His arms through the arms of His Son and scoops up everyone who is willing to be the recipient of His love.

            In His limitless mercy, Jehovah sacrificed His Son so that we could be transformed, cleansed of worldly enslavements by His grace, to become children of God, who are called to spend eternity in His love…

            When you have a better understanding of what you are placing your faith in, it will be strengthened. The apostle dives right in to do just that, by clarifying what Jesus did, and what it meant.

            First and foremost, God sent His Son so that He could undo the sin of Adam, and point you heavenward:

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Rm. 5:12 NLT

But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.

And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.

For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Rm. 5:15 – 17. NLT

So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rm. 5:21 NLT

            Through Jehovah’s clemency and grace, He struck down your Adam-derived death sentence by the free gift of Jesus Christ. And the suspension of your sentence is eternal…

            If Christ has done all this work and saved us, do we then have liberty to willfully sin?

…should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Rm. 6:1-4. NLT

We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.  Rm. 6:6, 7. NLT

When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you should also consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. Rm.  6:10 – 14. NLT

            Jesus died for all our sins, for all time. Those who receive Him obtain the transformation of righteousness – literally becoming new men and women in Christ. In response, we are called to walk in God’s ways as best we can.

            However, our flesh will not give up its cravings. There will be moments when our will is weak and we give into them. Yet we can always tap into the resurrection power of Christ to help us oppose sin and reduce our transgressions to a minimum. God promises us that He will always make a way to escape our potential sins. (See 1 Cor. 10:13)

            If we do slip, (and we will, repeatedly), we can present ourselves to God with confession and repentance for a cleaned slate…

            Next time, we’ll see that even Paul wars with sin.

            Goodnight and God bless.

Where is the Theological Bedrock of Christian Thought?

            Last time we examined the apostle Paul’s epistle, the biblical book of 2 Corinthians, which he wrote in Macedonia (see Where Do You Stand in the Conflict Between Good and Evil?).

            In the winter of 57 A.D., Paul traveled to the city of Corinth, where he concluded his third missionary journey. While in Corinth, the apostle penned another letter, this one to be circulated amongst the churches in Rome. Who planted those churches is unknown. This letter is now known as the biblical book of Romans.

            Paul had preached for over two decades now – whereby God continually strengthened and clarified His message through the apostle. He is now using Paul to help unify the Roman churches, some Jewish, others consisting of Gentiles. In the book of Romans, he brings a far greater depth of understanding of Jehovah’s plan, through an extremely detailed exposition of the Gospel.

            Indeed, the book of Romans could be called the ‘bedrock of Christian theology’. Paul begins by referring to the Gospel, and Jesus’ place in it:

God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit.

He is Jesus Christ our Lord. Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name. Rm. 1:2 – 6. NLT

            The apostle is saying that Christ’s human lineage was from that of the line of King David; and that He fulfilled all the prophecies that the Holy Spirit-inspired prophets to wrote – all pointing to the fact that He is the Messiah.

            Also, Paul reminds us, that at the moment God resurrected Jesus through the Holy Spirit, His Son came into His kingship. Finally, we see that we, like the apostles, have been granted the grace of God, through Christ, to be like apostles ourselves – equipped to spread the Gospel over the entire planet.

            The way to empower our outreach for achieving a unified body of Christ, is to persist in our awareness of the purpose and power of the Gospel and being obedient to it, to that we can stay on the right side of God’s judgment:

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes – the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” (See Hab. 2:4); Rm. 1:16, 17. NLT

            Our obedience to the Gospel allows us to take on the righteousness of Christ as our own – opening the doors to salvation. ‘…the Jew first’… refers to the salvation promise that God first made to His original children, who were then supposed to spread the Good News to all peoples (Gentiles). Alas, most of the Jews rejected Christ.

            Lastly, we see that salvation requires faith in Jesus.

            From the beginning, God has laid out His will for all to see. Those who are unwilling to receive the Good News are without excuse:

But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So, they have no excuse for not knowing God. Rm. 1:18 – 20. NLT

            Thus, Jehovah has left identifiable and irrefutable aspects of Himself within everything that He has created. He has placed a ‘knowing’ of this truth in the hearts of everyone – whereby He calls each of us to Himself, through His Son.

            Unfortunately, there will be many throughout the ages that will remain stiff-necked, with hearts of stone, who refuse to answer that call:

Yes, they knew God, but wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.

Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. Rom. 1:21 – 23. NLT

            And idolatry always results in severe consequences:

 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. Rm. 1:24 NLT

They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshipped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself…That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. Rm. 1:25 – 27. NLT

Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. Rm. 1:28 – 32. NLT

            People are still like this today – addicted to their sin and worshiping others who do the same, sowing the seeds of their own destruction. Also, just in case people say to you that the Bible does not address homosexuality as a sin, you have just read where it does.

            We must not join in with those who are hellbent, because their outcome is not a good one:

You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. Rm. 2:1, 2. NLT

…because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they have done.

He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory, honor, and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. There will be trouble for everyone doing what is evil – for the Jew first and also for the Gentile…For God does not show favoritism. Rm. 2:5 – 9 & 11. NLT

            We don’t want to rub shoulders with willful sinners. Everything that you do has consequences…

            Paul continues, first addressing the Jews specifically, telling them that they must obey the Mosaic Law to prep themselves for salvation. And because God does not discriminate, He also placed the knowledge of right and wrong in the hearts of the Gentiles. They too must answer for what they do with that knowledge (see Dt. 30:14):

Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. And this is the message I proclaim – that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life. Rm. 2:14 – 16. NLT

            LISTEN UP! Paul is about to reveal the core message of the New Covenant. The ultimate consideration regarding salvation, is about what one must have to be reconciled with God. It is not the Law. (Here is where the apostle begins to try to unify the Jews and the Gentiles):

For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. Rm. 3:20 NLT

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.

This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in the past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. Rm. 3:21 – 6. NLT

So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. Rm. 3:28 NLT

            The Mosaic Law demonstrated what perfect holiness would look like. In so doing, it also showed the impossibility of perfectly meeting those demands, due to the fallibility of our humanity. Thus, it pointed the way to our need for a righteous Messiah to remove that burden – one in whom rested the cleanser for our sins. And that cleansing, which facilitates our unification, is given to everyone who places their faith in the blood of Jesus…

            If we look again at the last Scripture, it would seem to infer that it diminishes the validity of the Mosaic Law. But is that really the case?

Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law. Rm. 3:31 NLT

            The Law is valid, yet it is impossible to be in perfect obedience to every letter of it, at all times. That impossibility is what points to our need for Christ, which allows us to be perfect in our obedience vicariously, through His righteousness. Realize too, that Jesus only bestows that righteousness upon those who have faith in who He is and in what He’s done.

            To be continued…

            Goodnight and God bless.

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