JC Blog

Wow! This statement is the pinnacle of the entire case against humanity. Paul is the prosecuting attorney building his case against mankind. The first chapter of Romans showed the Gentiles guilt before God because of their innate knowledge of Him. The second chapter of Romans showed that the Jew were worst off then the Gentiles because they had the Word of God but did not keep it. And finally the beginning of chapter 3, concludes that everyone is guilty before God, citing back to Old Testament scripture supporting this claim.

This is not a new concept. They condition of mankind was hopeless before Christ. The Amplified Bible describes the state as 'under sin, held down by and subject to its power and control.' The grasp of sin so tight that we had no hope of defeating it. By looking at this collage of Old Testament scripture that Paul shared, it is evident that man was destitute to save himself. We needed a savior.

The truth expressed in this passage of scripture is crucial to understanding the Salvation message. Since we were never capable of reconciling ourselves to God by atoning for our own sin, God did it for us. He paid the price with His precious blood shed on the cross.

We have to recognize this in order to move pass the condition that we are in. Once we accept the terms that Paul has laid out over these many verses, we are free to move into the next section of scripture. Paul will move from being the prosecuting attorney to the defense attorney acquitting us on the bases of Christ.

Today, it is my prayer that you will join me on this journey of faith. I pray that God will enlighten your heart to the truth of His word. God Bless you!

It is true that having the Law brings about superior knowledge, but it also brings about more accountability before God. Because what could be omitted by ignorance, cannot be by awareness. The Jews were relying on the Law, banking on the fact that they were good enough.

However, good enough does not cut it. James says in James 2:10, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." Paul by comparison is stressing the fact, that the laws the Jews are claiming to have kept, are the same laws, they have broken. Stealing, adultery, Idol worship and coveting.

Paul speaks to the intent of the heart. It is not breaking a law only if you act upon it, the law is broken with the engagement of our mind. Jesus said in Matthew, "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." ( Matthew 12:34 ) Sin lives in intent and objective not only actions. Therefore as Paul explained the nuances of the Law in Romans 2, it lays to rest that the Jews could ever fulfill it by their actions.

The Jews had a form of godliness but they were sinners just like the Gentiles. Their presented piousness which was hypocritical to what they claimed to be. Because of it, it caused the Gentiles to blaspheme God. Their representation of God gave Him a black eye.

Today, we see the same thing. We see people relying on what they can do for God instead of relying on His saving grace. They become so legalistic and self righteous, that outsiders want no part of God. It is a sad state when we take something so perfect, so holy and so simple as God's unmerited favor and kindness and turn it back into the letter, propelling others under the burden of it.

Today, may you rest in God's provision of Grace. May you throw off everything that holds you in chains and simply worship Him because He deserves it! Know that you relationship with Him rest solely on what He's done for you, not the other way around! If you do this, instead of repelling others away from Christ, you will lead them to Him!

Yesterday we concluded that the righteousness that the law and prophets testified about comes to climax and fulfillment through Jesus Christ. We concluded that the entire Old Testament law brings us to the realization that we have to have faith in Jesus in order to met those standards. But what happens when someone is not familiar with the Law, the Prophets or even the Bible?

In today's passage Paul is specifically speaking about Gentiles. We can classify the entire population of the world into three categories. First we have the Jews, those naturally born into the race of God's chosen people. Secondly we have the church. Everyone who has put their faith into Christ Jesus as their Savior. And Finally we have Gentiles or nonbelievers, which by default is everyone else. Paul is referring to the fact that even though they may not know the Law, the requirements of the Law are written on their hearts.

Every race, every population of people recognized the conscience. The conscience is that inner voice that identifies right from wrong. When we are in the wrong, our conscience bothers us. We may experience guilt or remorse. The conscience is yet another example of how the knowledge of God has been written on our hearts from the very beginning ( Romans 1:19-20 ).

So what Paul is saying is that the intuitive knowledge of God written on our hearts shows us what the Law requires. Because our conscience bears witness to it and either accuses us or excuses us. This inner voice recognizes the need for a Savior because it by default knows right from wrong and knows when we are in error. Remember the purpose of the Law was to direct us to Jesus. So even if we do not have the law our conscience works in the same capacity. Our conscience bears witness against us and identifies sin in our lives. If we have the knowledge of sin, then we also have the knowledge of the need for a Savior. Therefore, our conscience points us towards Jesus.

I am so thankful by default that God placed inside us the need for Him. The Bible says in II Peter 3:9 that God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." He has proven this by creating the knowledge of Him in our hearts so that as we become aware of Him, He can reveal Himself to us. Today, may you let yourself be found by God. May the grace of His Son Jesus cover you and bring you into right standing with Him!

Recently at work, we have been conceiving a name for a new business endeavor. As we embark upon this task it is proving extremely difficult. We want a name that embodies our business philosophy, describes our services and provides insight both to what we value and to what we will deliver. We want our name to summarize who we are because a name says everything...

The same is true for our mission and calling as Christians. The name we have been given says everything. In Philippians 2, Paul tells us that God was so pleased with Jesus' redemptive work and so completely satisfied with His atonement for our sin that He gave Jesus the 'name above every name'. As Christians we also partake in the benefits of the association with that name. We are called Christians because our foundation and faith is built upon Jesus our rock and chief cornerstone. The name we bear says everything...

Grace is a beautiful thing and it is for Jesus' name's sake alone that we received it. Grace is unmerited, unearned favor and kindness. It is not something we can obtain on our own and It pleased Him and glorified Him to grant this grace to us when he redeemed us.

When we receive this grace we also received a commission to proclaim this good news and free gift to people everywhere. This mission is not an obligation but a privilege to glorify the very name that we have been called and saved by. Calling people from all walks of life into this new and living way of life stems from obedience to the word of faith we have heard, in accordance to the power and purpose of the name of Jesus.

Even as our new business name embodies everything we hold dear, the name of Jesus encompasses who we are and our purpose and mission of this life. Recognizing and calling upon the name of Jesus is the single most important thing you can do in life. Today, if you have never believed in, adhered to or trusted in that name, I pray that you will call upon it and receive the same grace of the many saints who came and called before you. Amen.

Jesus told his disciples in John chapter four, "Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." ( John 4:35 ) Jesus was preparing his disciples to reap what they had sown not, because others had already done the preparation work and the harvest was ready. He wanted them primed and eager to collect the return on what had been sown.

Near the beginning of Paul's letter to the Romans, he tells them that he planned to come to the them to have a harvest among them. Paul understood the principal of seedtime and harvest and he knew that the time was fast approaching when he would harvest in that city. The Christians were established and their fame had spread, but Paul desired to go to them and preach the good news of Jesus Christ to everyone he came across. Because the gospel yields results.

One of the most striking things about this statement was that Paul was in expectation of what the Lord would do among them. He had experienced it everywhere he went and knew that in Rome, it would be no different. The reason that Paul eagerly expected such a bountiful harvest was due to knowing God and knowing the grace by which he was saved. Receiving the good news of Jesus brings about a yield some thirty, some sixty, some one hundred fold. ( Matthew 13:8, Mark 4:8, Luke 8:8 )

Today as you work or go about your business, remember the grace to which you were called and be in expectation of the harvest. The seeds have been planted and the ground has been cultivated and is waiting for the a harvester to come along. May God bless you as you sow and reap abundantly.

Abraham's promise came four hundred and thirty years before the Law was given through Moses. Therefore it is impossible that the promise could ever come by the Law, it has to come by faith. Because faith was the original catalyst for the righteousness that the promise produced.

The Law was given to the Jews and the Law was intended for the Jews, not for the Gentiles. The purpose was to lead them to Christ. It acted as a schoolmaster or guardian to lead towards Christ and His appointed time. Therefore they were always to be justified by faith according to the promise to Abraham given centuries before the Law. ( Galatians 3:23-25 ).

Abraham's offspring was also to be recipients of the promise. The Jews assumed that the heirs were physical decedents of Abraham. However, the promise was that all nations on earth would be blessed by Abraham ( Genesis 12:3 ) and that he would be the father of many nations ( Genesis 17:4 ). However as Paul worded the promise in today's passage, Abraham was the heir of the world. So this removes any claim the Jews had, that they alone were sole beneficiaries of the promise of God.

So the promise comes by faith and the promise is offered to everyone who has faith in it. That faith is what obtains the righteousness that the Law could never provide. Today, the promise has been fulfilled in Jesus and the words spoken to Abraham in Genesis 12 have come to pass. The entire world has been blessed by Abraham and his example of faith.

What an amazing thing to have a heart for the lost. Paul had the most revelation of his peers and just wrote an amazing account of grace in the first eight chapters of Romans. Then as chapter nine begins he reveal his heart for the lost children of Israel. His sorrow at their dismissal of Jesus was unbearable to him, for he maintained a close and intimate walk with the Lord. Knowing God so well and the depth of his love for mankind, he was broken hearted by those who wanted to remain under the law wrapped up in religion, instead of having this relationship with God.

He writes to us that his consciences confirms in the Holy Spirit his anguish at their obstinacy. The Holy Spirit was bearing witness with his spirit this fact. Not only is this so but it prompted and enlightened him to this truth of how their denial of the Messiah brought the Lord increasing sorrow. Peter said, God is "not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" ( II Peter 3:9 ). His hearts desire is for us to chose him seeing how he has chosen us. For Israel, the chosen race of God, this rejection was doubly painful.

Paul went onto say, "For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race..." ( Romans 9:3 ). As a shepherd and leader called to minister the gospel, his grief at their rejection must have cut deep. It is the same intense revelation that caused Moses to say something similar on Israel's behalf. "But now, please forgive their sin-but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written" ( Exodus 32:32 ). They both knew the intensity of God's love and couldn't bear for their people not to experience it as well. Jesus was driven by this same desire to save His people. So he had come to died in their behalf so the entire would could be reconciled to him and blessed through them as a nation. The Holy Spirit revealed to Paul how this rejection grieved the Lord as well.

No doubt that Paul's desire to see his brothers and sisters come to the Lord sparked an interest among the Jews. Although he was the apostle to the gentiles, he said in Romans 11, "...Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?" ( Romans 11:13-15 ). What a marvelous perspective to have, he knew that the Jews rejection of Jesus blessed the entire world because Salvation first came to the Jew and then overflowed to the Gentiles. So if their rejection meant blessings for the world, what will their acceptance bring?

Today, like Paul I have a heart for the lost. It is my prayer that the world know Jesus in a personal way. No longer through ritual and religion, but tossing that aside to really know him in a life changing way. Today, my spirit bears witness with the Holy Spirit to his incredible love for mankind. May you also understand how he loves you and how you were set apart to bless the world through Jesus, Amen.

The book of Romans is a masterfully written exposition on grace. This letter to the believers in Rome has changed the hearts of many as they read and understand the wonderful truths nestled inside. Paul wrote this letter to these Christians to explain his revelation of grace. This revelation was not made of man but Paul received it directly from the Lord Jesus himself. "I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ" ( Galatians 1:11-12 ). What Paul taught was beyond previous comprehension and understanding. Becoming a student of this letter, written to the church in Rome, will change your heart and bring you into a deeper relationship with the Lord.

Because Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles he wrote to this church to settle a dispute between the Messianic Jews and the Gentiles. The church was a diverse group of people who had settled in Rome from other areas. There is no record of a visit to this church by an apostle offering doctrinal teaching and guidance.  In fact many assume that these Christians had been in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given ( Acts 2 ). They spread and settled in Rome. The church was comprised of Gentiles who had converted from idol worship and devout Jews who believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Problems arose when the Jews urged the Gentiles to live as Jews and undergo the rite of circumcision. Because of Paul's mission to preach the gospel to the Gentiles he felt an obligation to write to this church and settle this dispute among them explaining completely the grace of God.

As Paul starts to wind down his letter he gives this church his vote of confidence that they are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. By understanding what Paul had written to them they had an excellent working knowledge of grace. What he wrote could settle every dispute that might arise because of their different backgrounds. Now they would be able to move into the freedom of Christ leaving behind traditions and customs they previously held. Paul wrote without inhibition and without apology to remind these believers of the truth of Christ. He made much of his ministry to preach the gospel of Jesus in its fullness. He wanted to present the Gentile church to the Lord as an acceptable offering, full of knowledge, understanding grace and living holy and purely in this world.

Like the church in Rome as we wind down this in-depth study of the book of Romans, the Holy Spirit is able to sanctify us in the truth of this letter so that we become living examples of the work of Christ Jesus. So many things have been covered and understanding these amazing truths will change our lives. Like Paul, I am confident that understanding this book will bring you to the point of being a teacher of grace and able to instruct others in the truth of Christ. I pray that you remind yourself of these things always and continue to read this book of the Bible regularly. I pray that the truths inside will change your perspective and you will live out of the grace of God that was given to you in the person of Jesus Christ.