Plymothian

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,² which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, ³ concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh ⁴ and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,⁵ through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,⁶ including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

⁷ To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Apostle

When I travel around Chicago I see a lot of storefront churches that claim to be apostolic or they are even pastored by Apostle such-and-such.  It seems like a grand title, and it also seems charismatic.  When I see the world ‘apostle’, it connects in my mind with anointing and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Despite the lowly status of ‘slave’ or ‘servant’, Paul also owns the lofty title of ‘apostle.’  He is not an apostle because of his own authority, but Jesus exercises his authority in calling Paul.  Mathew 10 shows us clearly how apostles are made.  Jesus confers upon the disciples his authority and designates them as apostles.  As apostles, these 12 men are to go into the world as Jesus’ representatives and make a difference.  An apostle is one who is sent.  They are also a representative of the one who sends them.

So how is Paul and apostle if Jesus commissioned and sent his 12? Paul was commissioned by Jesus, too.   After bursting into Paul’s life on the road to Damascus, Jesus met with Paul in the wilderness (Galatians 1:17) and  commissioned him for service.  Paul, then ends up sharing the qualifications of the original apostles.  They were all instructed by Jesus, given authority directly by him, and they went into all the world to communicate the good news.

Paul knows that he is not called an apostle because of his own worth.  It is by grace that he is given such a high status by the one whom he persecuted.

Although we are not apostles in the original sense of being taught directly by Jesus and commissioned by him, we are apostles in a lesser sense.  We have been taught the words of Jesus as his apostles have taught us in scripture.  We know the good news of Jesus and how life with him transforms the soul and transforms the world.  We have been commissioned to go into all the world and make disciples.  So, we too, should have a spirit of evangelism that burns in us.  We should see ourselves as missionaries.

The idea of missionaries has been somewhat hijacked by the professional missionary of the 17th-20th centuries.  We have all listened to exotic stories of adventure from foreign lands.  I know because I was enthralled by those stories and set sail from England many years ago.  However, as one who now lives far from the country that I call home, I have seen the weakness of our exotic definition.  Just like we define a minister as the one in the church that we pay, so we define a missionary as the one in the church who raises support or who lives in the 10-40 window.  We are all called to be ministers and we are all called to live missionally.

So is Paul talking of himself in this passage just like any one of us could?  No, not really.  He is claiming a position among the first apostles with their elevated status.  This will lend his letter more authority and credibility for the task that he is about to perform.  The most direct application is not that we should be missionaries too, like Paul.  The most direct application is that we should pay close attention to what Jesus communicates through his servant apostle Paul.  Although it is all well and good to read books by Christian writers, like the newly published 20 Things We’d Tell Our Twentysomething Selves, Peter and Kelli Worrall (the authors) lack the authority and credibility of Paul.  Reading the letters of Paul, even before the New Testament became what it is, were more authoritative than reading the works of Julius Caesar or Aristotle.

Questions

1. What is the second thing that Paul claims to be?
2. What does apostle mean ( maybe look it up?)?
3. In what ways is Jesus as apostle different from Paul the apostle, different from John Kelly (see above) the apostle?
4. How should we redefine ourselves as an apostle?
5. How should Paul’s status as apostle change how people read the Book of Romans?

Introduction by Randall from Moody Publishers

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqr_L6BFpIQ

Kelli:              Good morning!

Peter and I have been looking forward to this chapel for quite some time. We have been looking forward to sharing this book with you. Our prayer is that it will bless you, encourage you, and challenge you in your walk.

Unfortunately, one of the requirements for a chapel speaker is that they can actually speak. And I am having a hard time doing that today. So I’m going to have to keep my part brief and let my very capable partner carry the bulk of the time.

But today we just want to give you a little background on this book project and an overview on what it is about.

So this all started about 18 months ago, when I wrote a little article that I didn’t really want to write.

I was on a sabbatical from my teaching position to write a book. It was a completely different book—about spiritual formation. And I was writing my way through the spiritual development journey—beginning in childhood. I was using some of my own faith journey to talk about these things, as well as some research and some stories of other people I know. I called that book This Odd House.

As I was writing my way through that manuscript, I sent a couple excerpts over to Relevant magazine where a former student of mine was the editor. His response was that these articles were maybe a bit heavy for his audience. They were a bit long for their online format. But, he said, what did really well for Relevant were those list-y articles. “5 reasons you need a mentor” or “7 ways to get a date in a Christian way.”

My thought was, Really? A list-y essay? I didn’t want to write listy essays. I thought they were overdone.  I thought they oversimplified important and complex topics. I thought I would never write a list-y essay.

But then.

A few months later—when I got to the point in my This Odd House project where I was writing about the 20s—and the transition to adulthood—and how important that decade is to our faith journey—how it is a key time to really ground your faith, and grow your faith, and make it your own—well, when I got to this period in the writing of This Odd House, I found myself truly reflecting on what I wish I had understood better when I was in my 20s. And wondering if I had understood these things better, would my 30s have gone differently. As a result of these reflections, this 20 Things listy essay sort of wrote itself.

I posted on my blog. “20 Things I Might Have Told My 20Something Self.” And for my humble blog, it got a considerable number of views.

So I sent that listy article over to Relevant. My former student editor for Relevant accepted the article and published it on their online magazine. And the readers of Relevant seemed to resonate with it as well. A Catholic online journal in Croatia even picked it up and translated it. So I guess it even had some international appeal.

A few weeks after the Relevant article was posted, Randall Payleitner from Moody Publishers asked if we could meet. He wondered, Would I be interested in exploring a 20 Things book?

I am a slow learner. My initial response was, “Really?” A listy book? I was focused on This Odd House. And I didn’t think I wanted to write a listy book.

But then.

A few months later I went back to Randall, waving a big ol’ white flag in surrender, believing that God was indeed calling us to write about these 20 things, and I asking if Moody Publishers was still interested. He said, “Yes.”

Then, I also went to Peter and asked if he would write the book with me. Thankfully, he too said, “Yes.”

I’ll let him tell you a little more about the process and the book itself…

Peter:           When my wife came home and told me I was writing a book, I was both honoured and a little surprised.  I thought that, being that she is the writer, she would write it.  However, we decided to work out a system and the system has served us well.  To write the book, I sat down and wrote each chapter using Kelli’s article as a guide for what we were talking about.  I wrote a full chapter from my own perspective and included my own stories.  I drew from my experience in my twenties and from the many conversations that I have had with students and friends who have had questions which we have processed together.  Because I am a student at Trinity and because I like to read, we include some of the research that we have come across in order to support our ideas.

After I had finished I would submit my draft to Kelli who would craft it using her supernatural writing powers.  Kelli has an MFA in Creative Non-fiction.  She teaches classes in Creative non-fiction at Moody.  Not everyone knows what creative non-fiction is.  The problem is that non-fiction means that you are writing the truth.  People like Bryan O’Neal have surmised that since my wife is creative with the truth, she must be really good at writing lies.  The truth is that she very carefully chooses the words she uses and how they are put together.  She crafts how the truth is delivered.  So I am very comfortable handing her the truth and having her polish it up until it sparkles.

Apart from polishing what I wanted to say, she also removed much of what I really didn’t need to say.  That created space for her to express her own opinions.  Sometimes a lot of space and sometimes not as much.  The result is an intertwining of our voices in a way that represents the best elements of our marriage.

I get excited when we have students over from Moody and we talk about life as they make themselves comfortable in our living room.  Sometimes when I read the book, the extra time that Kelli has taken to choose exactly the right word makes me wish that I could always find words like this as a natural part of my conversation in Joe’s Coffee Shop or in my office when I meet one-on-one. Concerning our marriage, the whole is definitely better than the sum of its parts.

What kind of book did we create?  Kelli and I do not teach theology and we are not qualified to publish some important critique of the language in the Masoretic text.  Although I studied Bible in Moody Graduate School and this book reflects the wisdom the professors shared with me, it is not an exegetical group of sermons which work through a book of Scripture.  It is more an exegesis of life.  It distills the testimony of Kelli, myself and the friends we have made into a concentrated collection of key ideas.  So, 20 Things We’d tell Our Twentysomething Selves is not a theological textbook.  It is not a biblical exposition of scripture—though Scripture is present.  It is a Christ centered conversation.  It communicates how we have corrected our course ever so slightly each day and realigned ourselves with our Creator.  Jesus is our North Star by which we navigate more fervently now that we are older.  We sometimes lose sight of him in the storms and we often focus on our own fears rather than his constant grace, but the course that we sail is more constant now than it was and more true than it has ever been.

I don’t think you should read our book because we are exceptional.  Kelli and I are part of a fallen creation.  We are human beings far from Eden, too.  However, God took us through a journey and we would like to share a testimony of his grace.  God restored me after I had been convinced that ministry and a life of service were for people far better than me.  God brought back Kelli from the edge of despair and gave her joy and purpose.  God has been gracious in restoring the years the locusts have eaten.  We were not exceptional sinners and we are not exceptional saints.  We had moments where we were hot or cold, but much of our reality was lukewarm.  What we want to share are some of the truths that lit a fire under us.  All the many commandments faded into one.  Legalism gave way to love.  Out of love came obedience.  In increased obedience we found more freedom.  Freedom to breathe, see the colours and celebrate life.  What we would want for you is to trace the twenty things to the one thing.  Somehow, like us, you would gain a greater understanding of what it means to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.  To see more clearly the depths of his love for his children and respond to it.

The book is written in some ways against drifting.  Drifting is a word that describes much of Kelli and my twenties.  We quote a sermon in the book that was written about Solomon.  When Solomon was a young king he did not choose evil with a will set against God.  Solomon drifted into sin and disobedience.  Like the reeds that drift in the river, they always drift downstream.  Hopefully the book would open people’s eyes to the value of making a decision to move in the right direction.  Hopefully you will learn the lessons we had to learn a little sooner than we did.

I know some of you will meet with Kelli and me.  For those of you who do that, read a chapter slowly with a cup of tea (coffee will do although it is a poor substitute).  There are questions at the end of the chapters which we can discuss when we sit down together.  Maybe the chapter will raise many of your own questions.  They may even uncover some things that are difficult to think through on your own.  In that case we can talk about them.  However, we won’t have time to sit down with everyone that we would like to, so we have created a conversation space on our web-site: PeterandKelli.com (a change from what is said in the video).  It’s not the same as face-to-face, but it is a place where thoughts can be shared and ideas can be discussed.  We are planning on posting there every week, but we will join the conversation much more regularly than that.  Also you might find others in that space who have the same questions that you do.  You can connect with others in a way that is almost exactly dissimilar to Christian Mingle.

For those of you who are active and are looking for a conversation as you run, cycle or walk – we wanted to create something for you, too, so we made an audiobook with the help of Jon Gauger from Moody Radio.  The audio book will be available in the next couple of weeks. That will be more like the conversation that we imagined when we created the book.  We both recorded our own sections that we contributed, so we go back and forth a bit.  Hopefully it will be like having a work-out buddy talking with you about things that really matter.  We both like to jog when we get the chance, so if it goes particularly well, you could invite Kelli and me along for the live version.

Whatever way you choose to join the conversation, though, we want it to be one of mutual encouragement as we keep our eyes fixed on our Lord.  You can check in on the conversation at our website at peterandkelli.com.

Kelli:              We wrote this book for you. The dedication page says, “For our students: past, present, and future.”

As we close this morning I’d like to read you our 20 Things. After chapel, Moody Publishers is making the book available—just for today and just for you—for 5 dollars.

                #1: EXAMINE YOUR FOUNDATION CAREFULLY

It’s your worldview. Look deeply at what you value and what you believe about God and man and truth and reality. Then make it your own. Because it will affect every decision you make. Because life has a way of picking you up and tossing you around, and you always want to nail the landing

# 2: REMAIN TEACHABLE

More specifically, find a mentor—a parent, a pastor, a teacher, a spiritual guide. Or just a person who is living as you would like to live. Spend time with them. Look and listen and learn. And, most important, be different because of them.

#3: DIG DEEPER THAN YOUR DOUBT

When waves of doubt rock your faith, don’t panic. Don’t despair. And don’t jump ship without very careful considerationSeek answers to your questions. And when you get hold of the truth, hang on.

#4: CHOOSE YOUR COMMUNITY CAREFULLY

Your friends will give shape to your life. They will either stunt your growth or spur you on. And when you find good friends, keep them. They are like gold. Treasure them. Invest in them. Spur them on too. Be the kind of friend that you would like to have.

#5: FEED YOURSELF

Feed your body, your mind, and especially your soul. When your soul is starving, you can’t see straight. So learn what sort of nourishment you need: a group Bible study? a worship song? a long run? an art project? a prayer with a friend? This is an individual matter, so take the time to figure out what fills you up.

# 6: FOSTER GOOD HABITS

As Annie Dillard said, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” So don’t wait until tomorrow to get up early, go to bed on time, exercise enough, save money, and so on. The patterns of your life today are the person you will become.

# 7: LEARN TO REST

Though this could fall under “foster good habits,” for me (Kelli), it deserves its own point. I am terrible at resting. I can trace this trouble back to my twenties—when I was single and lonesome and (more) insecure. To distract myself, I filled my days and nights to overflowing—a bit fuller and more frenetic each year. If I could, I would tell my twentysomething self that busy is not better, and your worth is not measured by the length of your to-do list. 

#8: BE PATIENT

Learn to wait well. You are used to getting things in an instant and on demand, but life doesn’t always work that way. Neither does God. His timing is rarely yours, but His is always right. He doesn’t rush, and He never delays. Instead, He unfolds a plan carefully designed and perfectly timed to bring Him glory.

#9: DON’T WORRY

It’s a waste of time, energy, and emotion. Worry will tie you in knots. Keep you up at night. Make you cranky and crazy. Nothing good ever comes of it. Worry is fear for the future, but worry does nothing to actually change it. So instead of worrying, make the best decisions you can right now. That’s all you can do. Then let it be.

#10: ADJUST YOUR EXPECTATIONS

So much of our disappointment and frustration—with people, with life, with God—occurs because we presume that life should go our way. I (Kelli) still remember the Friday night when the lightbulb of this lesson first switched on for me. Years ago I was driving home from work, mulling over my expectations for the weekend and already becoming irritated, knowing that they wouldn’t be met. So I decided to change them. I made the conscious decision to rewrite my personal plan for those two days. I put only one thing on my new agenda: “Love Peter well.” That I could do. Over Peter himself I had no control, but I did have control over my own mind. Lo and behold, our weekend went well, and I was in no way disappointed.

#11: TAKE RISKS

Follow God’s leading boldly into the unknown. Heed His call, leaving the outcomes in His hands. As a wise friend advised me when we were contemplating putting our hearts on the line to foster our now-adopted son Daryl, “Do what you won’t regret.”

#12: EVALUATE YOUR EMOTIONS

They are tricky, and they can be trouble. Often, they spring up from our triggered trauma. For example, let’s say (hypothetically) your husband says something about your blog. He might mean it innocently, even positively. But (hypothetically) you hear it differently. You immediately feel threatened, defensive, hurt. All of your (hypothetical) insecurity swells to the surface in an instant. You can go with it. Milk it. Act on it. Hurt him back. Or you can do the better thing and take it back to truth.

#13: PRESS INTO PAIN

While no one wants to experience pain, you will. Don’t be shocked. Don’t run from it. Don’t ignore it. Don’t fight it. Let it burn. Let it melt your heart. But never fear that God has abandoned you to the flame. He is there. His presence is unwavering. He is pursuing you and purging the dross. You are not being punished. You are being purified.

#14: TAKE SIN SERIOUSLY

There is no such thing as “getting away with it”—even if you don’t “get caught.” Though grace is gigantic and forgiveness is free, sin does still stain. And the spot will undoubtedly spread further and sink deeper than you can initially see.

#15: EMBRACE GRACE

Accept it with open arms and open heart. Hold it tight until it soaks into your soul. Then release it. Give it away. To your family, to your friends, to your church. When I (Kelli) was a twentysomething, my church was falling apart. The pastor left. The leadership couldn’t agree. The congregation was about to split. I was disillusioned and critical, sitting in judgment over all of them, looking down my nose with disgust. But that posture helps no one, and it is not your place. Instead, be a conduit for grace.

#16: SEEK HEALING

Don’t imagine that the trauma of your childhood has been left in the past. It simmers under the surface. And it will surprise you at how suddenly it can boil up or suck you under. The work of healing those hard places might involve reading books or finding counseling. Don’t be too afraid or too ashamed to ask for help.

#17: LIVE LOVED

Wake up every morning and—before you put your feet to the floor—let your mind and heart linger on the fact that the Creator of the universe loves you passionately, completely, unconditionally, and eternally. Nothing matters more than this.

#18: CULTIVATE AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE

Train your eyes on this hope, this inheritance, that will “never perish, spoil or fade.” That is “kept in heaven for you.” For it is in this that you are “filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:4, 8 niv). Peter (the apostle) said it better than we ever could. Here’s just a sampling.

#19: MAKE GOD’S GLORY YOUR GOAL

I (Kelli) used to repeatedly recite the following mantra to myself when a big project loomed and I feared the outcome. Would I succeed or fail? Would my reputation rise or fall? “It’s not about me. It’s all about Him.” I said it over and over and over again. I still do. And I am confident in this: He will do whatever brings Him glory. That is all that matters. That is all I desire. Remembering this removes all of the pressure.

#20: FINALLY, PREPARE TO BE AMAZED

Your life may look something like you envisioned, or it may take you to places that you never imagined. Regardless, hold on tight, because God is in the business of blowing your mind.

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ² which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, ³ concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh ⁴ and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,⁵ through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, ⁶ including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

⁷ To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Slave

When my appetites speak to me I sometimes obey them.  I eat too much or play too much.  My body suffers, but at least I am not a slave to my passions.  I have a choice to bring myself under the rule of God.  I am his slave.  I am his servant.  In doing that I have freedom from the other masters who would have dominion over me.

The slavery in the passage is not like the slavery in the south.  Roman slavery did relegate humans to something less than the image of God, but it did not treat them as cattle and work them on plantations in quite the same way as those who owned slaves in the South of The United States.  In Israel slavery was different again.  It had unique aspects like The Year of Jubilee.  Sex-trafficking is an example of modern slavery.  People’s rights are taken from them and their bodies are sold at a profit.  Slavery is not a positive image and so many translations soften the impact by replacing the word with ‘servant’.  Whichever way you look at it, though, Paul is talking about a person who gives up their rights and submits completely to the will of another.

Paul is a servant of Jesus, the Messiah.  We are all servants of someone.  Paul has made his choice to serve the Messiah, or Christ, Jesus.  Christ is such a loaded term.  It speaks of cosmic majesty and historical destiny.  Jesus is so transcendent to Paul that he lays his life down before him.  Paul had been a slave of the Jewish legal system, but as he will explain later that system was killing him.  Others around Paul were a slave to their passions, but Paul had not been one of them.  The truth is that human freedom is not a freedom from masters, but it is a freedom to choose which master will rule over us.  Like Paul, I choose Jesus.

Prayer

May I surrender the illusion of my own freedom from masters.  Let me choose you each day and be glad that my master is so good and gracious.

Questions

1. How does Paul describe himself first?
2. Who is his master?
3. Why might Paul use this as his opening identification?
4. To what things are people enslaved today?
5. How does slavery to Jesus mean freedom?

Author

The writer of this letter was the apostle Paul (see 1:1 and note). No voice from the early church was ever raised against his authorship. The letter contains a number of historical references that agree with known facts of Paul’s life. The doctrinal content of the book is typical of Paul, which is evident from a comparison with other letters he wrote.

Date and Place of Writing

The book was probably written in the early spring of a.d. 57 (see chart, p. 2261). Very likely Paul was on his third missionary journey, ready to return to Jerusalem with the offering from the mission churches for poverty-stricken believers in Jerusalem (see 15:25–27and notes). In 15:26 it is suggested that Paul had already received contributions from the churches of Macedonia and Achaia, so he either was at Corinth or had already been there. Since he had not yet been at Corinth (on his third missionary journey) when he wrote 1 Corinthians (cf. 1Co 16:1–4) and the collection issue had still not been resolved when he wrote 2 Corinthians (2Co 8–9), the writing of Romans must follow that of 1,2 Corinthians (dated c. 55).

The most likely place of writing is either Corinth or Cenchrea (about six miles away) because of references to Phoebe of Cenchrea (see 16:1 and note) and to Gaius, Paul’s host (see 16:23 and note), who was probably a Corinthian (see 1Co 1:14). Erastus (see 16:23and note) may also have been a Corinthian (see 2Ti 4:20).

Recipients

The original recipients of the letter were the people of the church at Rome (1:7), who were predominantly Gentile. Jews, however, must have constituted a substantial minority of the congregation (see 4:1; chs. 9–11; see also note on 1:13). Perhaps Paul originally sent the entire letter to the Roman church, after which he or someone else used a shorter form (chs. 1–14 or 1–15) for more general distribution. See note on 2Pe 3:15; see also map, p. 2314.

Major Theme

Paul’s primary theme in Romans is the basic gospel, God’s plan of salvation and righteousness for all humankind, Jew and Gentile alike (see 1:16–17 and notes). Although justification by faith has been suggested by some as the theme, it would seem that a broader theme states the message of the book more adequately. “Righteousness from God” (1:17) includes justification by faith, but it also embraces such related ideas as guilt, sanctification and security.

Purpose

Paul’s purposes for writing this letter were varied:

1. He wrote to prepare the way for his coming visit to Rome and his proposed mission to Spain (1:10–15; 15:22–29).
2. He wrote to present the basic system of salvation to a church that had not received the teaching of an apostle before.
3. He sought to explain the relationship between Jew and Gentile in God’s overall plan of redemption. The Jewish Christians were being rejected by the larger Gentile group in the church (see 14:1 and note) because the Jewish believers still felt constrained to observe dietary laws and sacred days (14:2–6).

Occasion

When Paul wrote this letter, he was probably at Corinth (see Ac 20:2–3 and notes) on his third missionary journey. His work in the eastern Mediterranean was almost finished (see 15:18–23), and he greatly desired to visit the Roman church (see 1:11–12; 15:23–24). At this time, however, he could not go to Rome because he felt he must personally deliver the collection taken among the Gentile churches for the poverty-stricken Christians of Jerusalem (see 15:25–28 and notes). So instead of going to Rome, he sent a letter to prepare the Christians there for his intended visit in connection with a mission to Spain (see 15:23–24 and note on 15:24). For many years Paul had wanted to visit Rome to minister there (see 1:13–15), and this letter served as a careful and systematic theological introduction to that hoped-for personal ministry. Since he was not acquainted directly with the Roman church, he says little about its problems (but see 14:1—15:13; cf. also 13:1–7; 16:17–18).

Content

Paul begins by surveying the spiritual condition of all people. He finds Jews and Gentiles alike to be sinners and in need of salvation. That salvation has been provided by God through Jesus Christ and his redemptive work on the cross. It is a provision, however, that must be received by faith—a principle by which God has always dealt with humankind, as the example of Abraham shows. Since salvation is only the beginning of Christian experience, Paul moves on to show how believers are freed from sin, law and death—a provision made possible by their union with Christ in both death and resurrection and by the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Paul then shows that Israel too, though presently in a state of unbelief, has a place in God’s sovereign redemptive plan. Now she consists of only a remnant, allowing for the conversion of the Gentiles, but the time will come when “all Israel will be saved” (11:26; see note there). The letter concludes with an appeal to the readers to work out their Christian faith in practical ways, both in the church and in the world. None of Paul’s other letters states so profoundly the content of the gospel and its implications for both the present and the future.

Special Characteristics

1. The most systematic of Paul’s letters. It reads more like an elaborate theological essay than a letter.
2. Emphasis on Christian doctrine. The number and importance of the theological themes touched upon are impressive: sin and death, salvation, grace, faith, righteousness, justification, sanctification, redemption, resurrection and glorification.
3. Widespread use of OT quotations. Although Paul regularly quotes from the OT in his letters, in Romans the argument is sometimes carried along by such quotations (see especially chs. 9–11).
4. Deep concern for Israel. Paul writes about her present status, her relationship to the Gentiles and her final salvation.

Outline

• Introduction (1:1–15)
• Theme: Righteousness from God (1:16–17)
• The Unrighteousness of All People (1:18—3:20)
  • Gentiles (1:18–32)
  • Jews (2:1—3:8)
  • Summary: All People (3:9–20)
• Righteousness Imputed: Justification (3:21—5:21)
  • Through Christ (3:21–26)
  • Received by Faith (3:27—4:25)
    • The principle established (3:27–31)
    • The principle illustrated (ch. 4)
  • The Fruits of Righteousness (5:1–11)
  • Summary: Humanity’s Unrighteousness Contrasted with God’s Gift of Righteousness (5:12–21)
• Righteousness Imparted: Sanctification (chs. 6–8)
  • Freedom from Sin’s Tyranny (ch. 6)
  • Freedom from the Law’s Condemnation (ch. 7)
  • Life in the Power of the Holy Spirit (ch. 8)
• God’s Righteousness Vindicated: The Justice of His Way with Israel (chs. 9–11)
  • The Justice of God’s Rejection of Israel (9:1–29)
  • The Cause of That Rejection (9:30—10:21)
  • The Rejection Is Neither Complete nor Final (ch. 11)
    • There is even now a remnant (11:1–10)
    • The rejection is only temporary (11:11–24)
    • God’s ultimate purpose is mercy (11:25–36)
• Righteousness Practiced (12:1—15:13)
  • In the Body—the Church (ch. 12)
  • In the World (ch. 13)
  • Among Weak and Strong Christians (14:1—15:13)
• Conclusion (15:14–33)
• Commendation, Greetings and Doxology (ch. 16)

Romans Introduction

I have finished preparing for The Marriage Retreat at Lake Geneva.  Now I can get back to my regularly scheduled programming.  I had finished the book of Acts at the end of the Summer and this was the conclusion of studying Matthew through Acts as a series.  Now I am looking at Paul’s first letter.  Romans wasn’t necessarily written first, but it is included first because it is the longest of the letters.  It has a high place in church tradition because it complains the most complete overview of Paul’s theology.  Evangelists have used it to preach the gospel and have extracted a summary which is sometimes called The Roman Road.  I have personally written it out by hand a couple of times and sent it to friends as though it were a personal communication from me.

It is exciting to think that I will be working through a book again.

Prayer

God prepare our hearts for a journey down the Roman Road.  May we build upon what we know and challenge those thoughts too.  For your glory.

Questions

1. Who write Romans?
2. What was the date of the book?
3. Why was it written?
4. What are some main themes?
5. What comes to mind when you think of the book of Romans?

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Pinnacle

I was looking over Genesis 1 and 2 using the new Logos Bible software that my wife purchased.  It had connection to a number of commentaries and so I browsed through them.

The first thing that struck me was man’s relation to the soil.  The word for earth and the word for man in Hebrew are very similar to each other.  It implies to me an earthiness that is in man.  The term earthiness describes a person who is unaffected.  I hear in it a sense of innocence, which is evocative of mankind’s state in the garden.  Of course the term can also mean unrefined and crass, but we won’t push things too far.  When I think of affected people, I think of people who have added layers and layers of masks.  They are hypocrites.  This reflection is not the result of solid exegesis.  It is probably not in the mind of the original author or the reader.  However, it does connect me with a deeper appreciation of cutting things down to their essence.  What is it that makes a person all that he should be?  What is it that we add that makes a person something corrupted?  Even when we think that our additions  and refinements?  How have we departed through our tinkering from the original design of God?

The second thing that struck me was that the introduction of mankind was a pinnacle.  The text builds its creation narrative toward a man who is superior to all else around him save God himself.  The majesty of man stands out.  Somehow we have abased ourselves, but we were meant to be the pinnacle.  It seems arrogant to walk out into undisturbed nature and think of ourselves as its master.  However, we were designed to cut down, control, and cultivate.  What a heady responsibility!

Prayer

As we walk this earth let us see our true potential.  Help us not to accrue gaudy trinkets, unaware of their vulgarity.  May we let go of schemes which lead us farther from you.  Thank you for the dignity that you give to the unclothed baby purely because they belong to the human race.

Questions

1. How are the words for Adam, mankind and earth related?
2. What is the role of mankind?
3. Why does mankind have its own distinct creation story on day 6?
4. How has mankind lost his relationship with the earth?
5. How can we regain some of the dignity of being the pinnacle of creation?

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You1 shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,2 she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LordGod called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”4 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,

cursed are you above all livestock

and above all beasts of the field;

on your belly you shall go,

and dust you shall eat

all the days of your life.

15  I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring5 and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel.”

16 To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;

in pain you shall bring forth children.

Your desire shall be for6 your husband,

and he shall rule over you.”

17 And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife

and have eaten of the tree

of which I commanded you,

‘You shall not eat of it,’

cursed is the ground because of you;

nin pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

18  thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;

and you shall eat the plants of the field.

19  By the sweat of your face

you shall eat bread,

till you return to the ground,

for out of it you were taken;

for you are dust,

and to dust you shall return.”

20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.7 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Paradise Lost

I have sat with many people who try and explain why their marriage has failed.  The story is gut wrenching, no matter who tells it, because it is so close to all of us who are married.  If one person decides that the marriage is over it is over.  One person can decide it is over for many reasons.  One person experiences pain or alienation.  The husband lacks passion because he is depressed.  He had passion when they dated, but now his love-making seems disinterested or routine.  The isolation becomes unbearable and despite his efforts to show more passion, it is decided that it is too late in the game and she leaves him.  A husband might feel dominated, ordered around and that his love of life is slipping away.  The constant correction, humiliation, and anger of his wife whittles away at his reserves and he decides he is better off regaining his independence.  A woman pressured by life loses her grip on her faculties and her paranoia and pain take her to places that her husband can not follow.  Having decided that he can not reach her any more he cuts himself loose and creates a new life.  A couple seems to have a functioning and warm relationship, but then disaster strikes and they lose a child, or they can not have children, or they become bankrupt.  Unable to process the disappointment and grief together they walk away.

Each heart knows its own pain.  The shame and the guilt, the isolation and the inability to be love and be loved go way back.  The system is broken and we too are products of that system.  If we drift we tend to disconnect and destroy.  Some marriages dissolve but others create ‘divorce within marriage.’  In those cases the couple stays together but they live different lives or hidden lives.  In some cases a dominant spouse has a clear idea of the way that the marriage should be.  He or she decides the priority of the tasks and communicates the agenda with the compliant one.  One spouse is hidden behind control and the other spouse is hidden behind compliance.  If the controlling spouse relinquished control they would feel exposed or weak and so when their control is challenged they accuse the others around them of selfishness or being ‘pushy’.  If the pleasing spouse steps up and reveals their true heart they feel ashamed and vulnerable.  They often feel selfish because a controlling parent kept them in their place as a child.  There are so many ways to hide.  We either run off into a new relationship or we keep ourselves in poisonous patterns of behaviour to live out a toxic marriage.

In this day and age ‘irreconcilable differences’ is a common catch-all for reasons for divorce.  Psychiatrist Karl Lehman has an interesting take on how we get there.  It is our own inability to cope that leads us to leave another.  The emotions which we can’t deal with, which get triggered, he says, are our own.  We all bring forward unresolved trauma and we all have pain which is unprocessed.  The memory of that pain is triggered by those closest to us.  It comes rushing to the fore when similar events happen in the present or when sensitive questions are asked.  In our rage or despair we blame our present circumstances.  We want to hide it deep down and forget about it.  We can not see that our spouse has done us a favour by revealing areas in which we need to grow.  Because of the pain we believe they have caused us, we want to fight them, freeze in hopes that it will go away, or flee.  A difficult marriage can transform a person into something beautiful, but our culture does not teach that narrative.  Instead of listening to the redemptive voice of God, one member listens to their own heart trying to justify its desire for independence.  They want to blame their spouse, the serpent, the culture – but the consequences of taking on the responsibility of our own emotional turmoil is too much.  God calls us to love our enemies.  We do not become anything special by loving those who love us.  Every culture celebrates loving the lovely.  God loves us when we are unlovely.  We were created in the image of God.  God restores his image in the most self-sacrificial of people.  Not doormats who allow tyranny and sin, but people who know themselves and reveal themselves persistently regardless of the reception.  It takes courage to love first.  To turn the heart back toward the spouse who has wronged us, deserted us, lied to us, or hidden from us.  However, in this passage that is exactly the heart that God reveals.  He doesn’t feel great about Adam and Eve’s sin.  He knows the millennia of estrangement that they have just caused.  However, he clothes them with garments and cares for their needs.  It is beyond us to do the same.  We will not find the answers to our relationships by sitting alone and developing our case against others.  We need to leave our self to die and live the life of God.  Only then can we rediscover the good of the Garden.

Prayer

Let our relationships teach us to die to ourselves.  Let us embrace the new life that you have for us through enduring through difficult times.  May we press into pain and have the difficult conversations that are necessary in order to reveal ourselves.  Give us the courage to be both vulnerable and to endure.

Questions

1. What marriages have you seen fail?
2. How was hiddenness a part of that failure?
3. How can couples have a healthy self-disclosure when dating?
4. How do couples endure the pain of disappointment?
5. How do you redeem a relationship that has lost all feeling?

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

8And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”12The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14The LORD God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”

16To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you.”

17And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”

20The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

22Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Ra (Evil)

As Church of the Open Door continued its summer series on Tov (Good) it came to the story of Genesis 3.  In this context Good was defined as God’s blessing or flourishing that flows through Creation because of its connection with God.  Evil is defined as the breaking of connection with God and his goodness.  The result is a withering on the vine.  Those who do not connect with God instantly lose their connection with life.  The life of God ceases to flow freely through God’s agents into the creation and that which could have endured for ever shows its inability to sustain itself.

The marriage union between Adam and Eve is not destroyed but it is dying.  God in his grace maintains a connection of sorts, but the intimacy of sunset walks in the Garden of Eden is lost forever.  A life of innocence, fulfilling work and playful joy is now marked with shame and fear.  Community life is replaced by community shame and blame.

Evil is not an essence in and of itself.  Evil is not a thing created by mankind.  Mankind takes the perfect life that is created by God and makes it its own.  In taking of a perfect and good thing by God we make it something less.  Sometimes we are proud of our work, but if we see the reality as God sees it we are left living a horror and an abomination.  The only solution is to pluck it out, kill it and start over.  More efforts by mankind to make an evil thing good only leads to more ugliness.  I am reminded of my son when he broke one of his more expensive toy cars.  He knew that I, his father, would be disappointed so he raided the drawers for glue, scotch tape, or anything else that looked like it would help.  The wheel still lay detached from the broken car, but the car itself now looked like more of a mess than it ever had before.  Rather than make more attempts to fix the car, I took it and replaced it with a new car that I purchased on line.  He had felt awful but now his face lit up as he learned a lesson about grace and its re-connection with what is good.

Marriage was created by God.  The union of a man and woman has a perfection to it which is good.  We have tried to improve on marriage through the years.  We have used it to pursue our own goals rather than God’s.  We have used it as a selfish source of pleasures.  We have looked on spouses like property and shown them off with all the pride that we would a new set of clothes or an ear-ring.  We have dealt with male domination and we have discarded marriages in divorce because our hearts were weak.  All our modifications of marriage increase evil.  To move forward well, we have to look back.  We have to see the ancient truths that were designed by God in the harmony of the Garden.

Prayer

Deliver us from evil.

Questions

1. What is the knowledge of good and evil?
2. What is evil?
3. How does the fall of man relate to the reverence of evil?
4. What evil do you see in the world?
5. What evil are you fighting against?

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

²⁸ And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”²⁹ And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. ³⁰ And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. ³¹ And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Tov (Good)

Peter Kapsner preached a series at Church of the Open Door over the summer.  It tells the grand narrative of the Bible, but he particularly hones in on ‘good’ and ‘evil’.  Our word for good does not really communicate the full meaning of the word that it translates.  In fact in different passages of scripture the word for good is translated differently.  The Hebrew word is tov.  We hear it from Jewish friends when they drink and say mazel tov – literally good luck/fortune.  However, the Hebrew, which can also be transliterated tobh, has many meanings depending on the context (http://www.biblestudytools.com/encyclopedias/isbe/good.html).  Kapsner argues that the repetition of the word good in Genesis 1 brings us to a dynamic fullness.  Things are as they should be, but they are also flourishing.  They are moving toward a God-ordained reproduction and growth.  God himself lies behind the goodness that infuses creation because he is good.  He is flourishing and dynamic, life-giving and in harmony.

If we apply the full range of tov to man and woman it reveals God’s intentions more fully.  God gives his life to men and women and lives with them.  He is the source of their life and nourishes their souls.  His life flows through them as they work together to bring nurture, care and flourishing to the plants and animals in the Garden of Eden.  As God communes with them, so they carry his image and become majestic in their bearing.  They are not clothed in fine robes and wearing crowns made of gold, they are naked and they feel no shame.  There is nothing that shields them from each other or from their God.  They are open to each other and open to Him.  This is good.  The connected relationships as a means to flourishing is life-giving.  With the fall the nature of the relationship with God, others and self is broken.  Life ebbs away.  Kapsner says in his subsequent sermon, “In dying people die.”  In being disconnected from the Creator, people find that their ability to nourish themselves is diminished.  The light begins to dim.  The flame flickers for a while longer before each brief candle is extinguished.

Listen to Peter Kapsner’s sermon here: http://www.thedoor.org/media.php?pageID=45

Prayer

God, what you have meant for good we have turned to evil.  We have cut ourselves off and hidden ourselves from the wellspring of life.  May we become open and healed.  May we regain the tree of life by seeking your heart and your reconciliation.  In our relationships may we be open and courageous to rediscover the truth.

Questions

1. How does God describe the entirety of his creation?
2. What is the meaning of the Hebrew word ‘tov’?
3. How does knowing the Hebrew enhance the reading of the English?
4. How have 21st century humans cut themselves off from the source of good?
5. How can you be an instrument in restoring the flow of good from a gracious God to his estranged creation?

The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.

If you do not know,
    O most beautiful among women,
follow in the tracks of the flock,
    and pasture your young goats
    beside the shepherds’ tents.
⁹ I compare you, my love,
    to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.
¹⁰ Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
    your neck with strings of jewels.

¹¹ We will make for you ornaments of gold,
    studded with silver.

On Wearing Ornaments

The man in the poem tells the woman how he may be found.  There is a quest for intimacy which the woman must follow.  Having given her the guidance to reach his destination he compliments his woman.  To be compared to a horse doesn’t sound like much in our language.  However, to compare a woman to an expensive car might hit closer to the mark.  A mare among Pharaoh’s chariots would be classy and expensive.  It expresses the both the woman’s worth and her beauty.  The beauty she has is enhanced with jewels and ornaments.

Some people might object to a woman using make-up or jewelry to enhance her natural beauty.  The New Testament has been read in ways that seem to contradict the praise in this passage.  1 Timothy 2 reads, ” ⁹ likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, ¹⁰ but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.”  How do we harmonize the two?

The women that Paul addresses were not exhibiting control or restraint.  With the resources that were available to them, it seems that they were squandering finances on adornments that should not have been a priority.  The warning of Paul is not against adornment but against vanity.  The main focus for all women, as for men, should be a focus on God.  As we saw in Genesis, man and woman are caused to work together for the glory of God.  If the work of God is accomplished in tending for the work she has been given and she also has the resources to tend her own garden to the glory of God then so be it.  If, however, she focuses on her looks and is overcome with such a vanity that God is lost in the mix something terrible has happened.

The Song of Songs passage praises a woman for spending a little time tending the beauty that God has given her.  The man appreciates her beauty and her efforts and gives her an appropriate compliment.  We might do well to style our hair, tidy ourselves up, make ourselves presentable.  People who take a little care with what God has given them are good stewards.

Prayer

May I take a little time to tend the body and the appearance that you have given me.  May I not take it too far and obsess on how I look or sink resources into keeping up with fashions and fads.  May I be appropriate in what I wear and how I wear it.  May it speak of beauty because you are beautiful.

Questions

1. What direction does the man give the woman?
2. What does he praise?
3. What make-up and jewelry might an Israelite woman in Solomon’s harem have worn?
4. How do you synthesize Song of Songs with 1 Timothy?
5. How do you choose what is appropriate to wear?