JC Blog

Who cares about the laundry list of people Paul is thanking at the end of Romans 16? What application does it have for us today? This seems to be a common question that arises when getting to the close of a book of the Bible. In fact, in many small group settings, a large sigh is heard when chosen to read over the list of names, hoping to pronounce them right and wondering why it matters that it is read at all.

As I ponder over these names of countless individuals that helped and ministered with the Apostle Paul these phrases stand out, "fellow workers in Christ Jesus", "They risked their lives for me," "all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them", "worked very hard for you", "They are outstanding among the apostles", "tested and approved in Christ". These are among the few attributes that Paul gives them when instructing the Romans to accept and greet them in the Lord. They obviously come very highly recommended by Paul and deserve a moment for us to ponder as well. Finish Reading Article...

Many people think the end goal is heaven. They hope that at the end of their lives the amount of good they've done will outweigh the bad. When the tallies come back they will be granted access into heaven based upon works and being good overall.

Even many churches teach that the goal of Salvation is to escape Hell. The most recognized and recited verse in the Bible is John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." A lot of times, we put a period after 'shall not perish', but the verse clearly emphasizes the goal of salvation is having eternal life. Finish Reading Article...

One of the main stumbling points for both Christians and non-believers is reconciling the differences between their view of God in the Old Testament and their idea of who Jesus is in the New. These views can appear to contradict each other unless we understand this important truth: the Old Testament only gave partial revelation of God's nature, but Jesus gives us the clear and perfect image.

Jesus is the expression of God's love toward us. "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe" (Hebrews 1:1-2). God has always tried to communicate with us. He sent messengers, prophets and kings to show us his intentions. Each one gave a portion of the truth. But we could not fully understand God’s character by the limited revelation they conveyed, so God sent Jesus to communicate His full nature to us.  Finish Reading Article...

"The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace: (Romans 8:6)

This verse is a barometer to how one is fairing in life. Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). He meant exactly that, this world is full of trouble, heartache and persecution at the hands of the world, but in the midst of these things it is possible to have peace. James said something similar when he said, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds" (James 1:2). He was saying don't be surprised at it when you become the worlds target because of Christ and don't be caught off guard when you experience pain in life. These verses are meant to encourage us and give us hope. And today we learn how to have life and peace in the midst of the world in which we live.

The Amplified Bible puts it best, "Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever]" (Romans 8:6 Amp). If we are living out of our new nature as born again believers, then it doesn't matter what comes our way, because we will experience soul peace. Finish Reading Article...

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Romans 8:1).

Guilt, shame and remorse are debilitating. These like a cancer will keep you motionless, defeated and unworthy of your calling. If you are unable to move pass what you have done in life, you will never fully grasp God's grace and loving kindness towards you. God loves you, He sent Jesus to die for you and He has completely forgiven you. So any condemning feelings you have toward yourself are not from God. His desire for you is that you free and moving forward in life fulfilling His destiny for you. Not only so, but He wants you to experience this freedom daily, fully and completely. That is why the Apostle Paul penned these words... "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Romans 8:1).

What a glorious verse! Paul has just unequivocally given us the answer posed in Romans 7... Who will rescue us from the left over effects of the sin nature that trips us up in life? Praise be to God, it happens by Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit. When we live according to the Spirit of God, he gives us the power to escape all the condemnation and guilt that life throws our way. Because of Jesus, there is no condemnation unless we void this amazing gift by condemning ourselves. Understanding this grace is the key to living free, pursuing the life that the Lord has set you apart for. Finish Reading Article...

"What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet." (Romans 7:7)

After hearing Paul's argument that we are freed from both the sin nature and the Law through Christ, the next logical question was 'Is the law sin?' We see the correlation between the two, the law strengthens the desire within us to sin and sin gives the law power over us. When you see that the law is what condemns us then it is natural to start questioning it's intent.... Since the law strengthens sin against us and is used to condemn us, is the law identical with sin?

Paul's response, certainly not, God forbid! He used the strongest nuance of the Greek text to stress that this isn't so. Instead he illustrates one of the benefits of the Law, the law makes us aware of what sin is. The law is what brought about the consciousness of sin and the sense of guilt associated with it so that we would know what sin was. When the commandments came, along with it came the awareness of our inability to keep the Law. Later on in this very same passage, Paul tells us that the sin used the law as a weapon against us so that we could plainly see our sin and our shortcomings before God (Romans 7:13). The Law is not sin, the Law merely gave us a perfect representation of the righteousness that God ascribes to. Sin is what made us fall short of obtaining this. (Romans 3:23) When you look at vastness between the our sin and God's holiness, then the realization comes that you will never be righteous before God by observing the law, because the law is what convict you of your sins (James 2:10). Finish Reading Article...

"But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." (Romans 7:6)

The difference between the living under the Law and living according to the Spirit is huge. There is hardly a comparison. That is why Paul says in today's passage that we serve in a new way. The Amplified Bible puts it this way, "But now we are discharged from the Law and have terminated all intercourse with it, having died to what once restrained and held us captive. So now we serve not under [obedience to] the old code of written regulations, but [under obedience to the promptings] of the Spirit in newness [of life]." (Romans 7:6 Amp). It is not out of obedience or obligation but out of a inspiration by the Spirit of God.

We can look at a child to further understand this concept. When you tell a child not to touch the stove because it is hot, they have to obey based on your knowledge. The only knowledge of what is hot comes by your experience. They are choosing to obey according to your understanding of what is hot, not their own. Most of the time, they cannot fathom what hot is, so they will touch it and experience it for themselves. It turns out unpleasant but their understanding then comes from experience and not theory. Finish Reading Article...

"For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage. So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man." (Romans 7:2-3)

Throughout the New Testament Paul uses the illustration of marriage to show us awesome truths. The intuition of marriage existed before the fall in the perfect state of the garden and continues in every tribe, nation and society no matter how remote. This dates back to early recorded history. Marriage is something that is universal in our understanding.

There are so many parallels between marriage and Christ and the Church in the Bible, so to understand these, gives us insight into Christ. Today, Paul is contrasting our marriage relationship to the Law and how death frees us from that so that we may belong to another without being unfaithful. In Genesis, when Eve was given to Adam, he said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, ' for she was taken out of man." For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." (Genesis 2:23-24). Do you see that the result of marriage is a uniting together, no longer two but one flesh. Marriage is holy, even among unbelievers. The same union happens when two become one flesh, God blesses that union. Finish Reading Article...

"Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who does these things will live by them." (Romans 10:5)

There is a difference between the righteousness that the Law offers and the righteousness that comes by faith. Paul started out this chapter by saying the Israelites were zealous for God but their zeal wasn't based upon the truth of Jesus and because of it they sought to establish their own righteousness based upon the law (Romans 10:2), (Romans 10:3). Then in verse four he made an amazing declaration that Christ was the end of the law so we could be righteous and holy by faith (Romans 10:4). This is an amazing truth but difficult to accept unless one's heart is in alignment with this truth from God's word.

Our relationship with God has always been based upon a heart change even at the time that the Law was given this was the objective. Moses warned the Israelites when he gave them the law that the man who obeys them will live by them (Leviticus 18:5). It wasn't based on Ten commandments, it was more extensive and based on over four hundred laws and precepts. If you religiously followed one law then you had to follow all laws. Moses warned them about this. However he also understood that this revelation of God's decrees was simply intended to get them ready for the promised Messiah and not to be a means to an end. It outlined everything Jesus would be and it showed us how He would be the perfect sacrifice before God in our stead. Moses warned that if anyone was trusting in the law to save them, they would soon discover how impossible it was. If you live by the law then you will die by the law. Finish Reading Article...

"Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes." (Romans 10:4)

Throughout the course of Paul's letter to the Romans he wrote extensively about how the Law could not justify us before God. Rather the true intent of the law was to point us to Christ. After building his case against mankind in the first two chapters, Paul wrote in Romans 3, "But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference" (Romans 3:21, Romans 3:22). He showed that this way had always been God's plan from the very beginning. Both the Law and the Prophets testified about Jesus as the means for justification. We were never supposed to cling to the Law to bring us into right relationship with God. The Law was meant to condemn us; this is why Paul said in Corinthians "the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (II Corinthians 3:6). Then went on to call the Law the "ministration of death"because that is what it was (II Corinthians 3:7). It only brought us death. It accused us before God, it showed us our guilt before God and it magnified our sin before God. It could never justify us, instead it silenced us and held us accountable (Romans 3:19).

In today's passage Paul exclaims, "Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes" (Romans 10:4). Through faith, the law's power is broken over us. We no longer stand accused by it because through Christ the law is completely fulfilled in us. And if it is fulfilled then it no longer applies. Paul said in Romans 6 that as believers we are no longer under the control of the law we are now under the control of grace (Romans 6:14). This is an amazing truth to understand. Colossians says, "When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross" (Colossians 2:13-14). Part of our redemption is that God cancelled the written code that accused us. He nailed it to the cross with our sin and defeated it once for all. It is done and it is over. What a blessing this is! Finish Reading Article...