LookingtoJesus

June 28

Bible Reading: Romans 11

Romans 11:33, “Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”

Paul concludes his setting forth of God’s great plan of salvation (Romans chapters 1-11), with a doxology (Romans 11:33-36).  This is something Paul was elsewhere prone to do (Romans 1:25, 9:5, 16:25-27; Galatians 1:4-5; Ephesians 3:20-21; Philippians 4:20; 1 Timothy 1:17, 6:14-16; 2 Timothy 4:18).  Instructive truth regarding the person and works of God should likewise compel us to break forth in praise to Him “from (whom) and through (whom) and to (whom) are all things” (Romans 11:36).  As John Piper has said, “Education about God precedes and serves exultation in God…Good theology is the foundation of great doxology.”

The immediate context of this particular doxology is Paul’s preceding dissertation regarding the past and future estate of Israel and how, according to God’s plan, “a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Romans 11:25).  God’s plan is literally a plan for the ages, ultimately working to encompass people from “every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).  The plan constituted an unforeseen “mystery,” which was “hidden for ages in God” (Romans 11:25).  In His plan, through the church, the “manifold wisdom of God” is made manifest “to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 3:10).

Two words are used to express the transcendence of God.  The ESV translates them as “unsearchable” and “inscrutable.”  The word “unsearchable” translates a Greek term meaning “incapable of being searched out or examined.”  The word “inscrutable” translates another term better translated “past finding out” (KJV).  Collectively, the two terms negate any possibility on the part of man, in his own efforts, for comprehending the doings of God.  As was stated by the prophet Isaiah, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9; Job 5:9, 9:10, 26:14; Psalm 36:6, 40:5, 92:5, 139:6; Daniel 4:35).

His unsearchable ways are consistent to the “depths of the riches of (His) wisdom and knowledge.”  The terms “wisdom” and “knowledge” are cousins.  In his commentary on Romans, Frederic Godet commented on these two terms, “The second, gnosis (knowledge) refers especially in the context to divine foreknowledge, and in general to the complete view which God has of all the free determinations of men, whether as individuals or as nations.  The former, ‘Sophia’ (wisdom) denotes the admirable skill with which God weaves into His plan the free actions of man and transforms them into so many means for the accomplishment of the excellent end which He set originally before Him.”

The preeminence of God with respect to His knowledge and wisdom is a good thing.  We ought never to think of God in terms of human wisdom amplified. In His omniscience, He is infinitely transcendent. 

“God knows instantly and effortlessly all matter and all matters, all mind and every mind, all spirit and all spirits, all being and every being, all creaturehood and all creatures, every plurality and all pluralities, all law and every law, all relations, all causes, all thoughts, all mysteries, all enigmas, all feeling, all desires, every unuttered secret, all thrones and dominions, all personalities, all things visible and invisible in heaven and earth, motion, space, time, life, death, good, evil, heaven, and hell.”

A. W. Tozer

In these difficult and precarious days someone might ask, “Does anybody here have a plan?”  And were we to forever search to the ends of the earth, we’d not find sufficient wisdom in the minds of man to resolve that which troubles our world.  But God does indeed have a plan.  Creation and the cross testify to His great wisdom (Romans 1:20; 1 Corinthians 1:24-25, 30). 

In a world gone mad, it’s good to God to keep in mind that God knows all and knows what He’s doing.  He is absolutely trustworthy and praiseworthy!

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.

June 27

Bible Reading: Romans 10

Romans 10:2, “They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.”

The pilot spoke to his passengers over the intercom.  “I’ve got good news and bad news,” he said, “the good news is that we’ve got a strong tail wind and are making good progress. The bad news is that our navigation system is broken and we’ve no idea where we are going!”  So, it can be when a person labors hard in a cause, but that cause is not guided by knowledge of the truth.

“Zeal” is defined as having “a strong feeling of interest and enthusiasm that makes someone very eager or determined to do something” (Webster’s Dictionary).  Prior to his conversion, the Apostle Paul had been a zealous persecutor of the church (Philippians 3:6).  But afterwards, having been saved by grace, he enthusiastically devoted himself, in Christ, to a worthy cause.  He could relate to his lost Jewish brethren. Their’s was a misguided zeal.

William Borden was from the wealthy Borden family.  For his eighteenth birthday, he was given a trip around the world.  That trip changed his life.  There is a tragic story in his biography about a Hindu woman in India, whom William Borden came across in his travels.  Having means of her own, she had visited all the most important temples in India to try to escape the burden of sin.  She carried awful guilt over her husband’s death at a young age, when she was only a child of thirteen.  She attributed it to some wickedness on her part in a previous life.  To atone for this unknown sin and to obtain relief for heart and conscience, she spent seven long years traveling on foot from shrine to shrine, facing untold hardship and danger; but the burden grew only heavier as time went on.

She then determined to become a fakir (a Hindu ascetic).  Deciding that she had not suffered enough, she gave three years to self-inflicted torture, honoring the formulas in the sacred books for pleasing the gods.  She carried out her plan, though the sufferings she endured seemed incredible.  For one period of six months, she sat without shelter in the sun all day with five fires burning around her, perspiration streaming from every pore.  Wealthy men brought wood and kept the fires burning as an act of merit.  With no clothing but a loincloth, her body smeared with ashes, and her long hair dubbed with cow-dung, she was an object of veneration to the pilgrims, many of whom worshiped her as they fed the fires.  At night she took her place in the temple, standing before the idol on one foot from midnight until daylight, her hands pressed together in the attitude of prayer, imploring the god to reveal himself to her.

Then, to increase her sufferings, when the cold season came with chilly nights, she went down at dark to the sacred pond and sat with water up to her neck, counting her beads hour after hour till dawn appeared.  And so, she called upon Ram, day and night, with no response.  “If thou art God,” she used to plead, “reveal thyself to me.  Reach forth and take the offering I bring.  Let me see, hear, or feel something by which I may know that I have pleased thee, and that my sin is pardoned” —but there was no sign, no rest, no peace.

When the years of her long struggles were finished, she went to Calcutta, cut off her once-beautiful hair, and threw it into the Ganges as an offering, exclaiming, “There—I have done and suffered all that can be required of mortal man, yet without avail!”  She lost her faith in the idols and ceased to worship them.  “There is nothing in Hinduism,” was the conclusion forced upon her, “or I would have found it.”

There is no record of what became of her, but William’s awareness of her experience was a part of what God used to change his life.  He returned home with the desire to become a missionary.  William went off to Yale and, as a student, zealously devoted himself to sharing the gospel with his fellow students.  He formed Bible studies, started prayer meetings, and shared the gospel with the homeless and in the rescue missions.  He gave himself to the preaching of the gospel.  Why?  Because God had saved him and burdened him with compassionate concern for lost souls.  Upon graduation from Yale, Borden turned down some high-paying job offers.  In his Bible, he wrote two more words: “No retreats.”

His zeal for sharing the gospel was so intense that upon his father’s death, and with his family then begging him to take over the Borden Empire, he refused, thus turning his back on the corresponding wealth and prosperity.  He ventured on to missionary endeavor but died prematurely at the age of 25 of spiral meningitis.  In his abbreviated life, he faithfully served God and had a fruitful ministry.  Guided by Spirit-revealed truth, he zealously devoted himself to the worthiest cause (Titus 2:14).  Prior to his death, Borden had written two more words in his Bible.  Underneath the words “No reserves” and “No retreats,” he had written: “No regrets.”  (William Borden’s experience based on excerpts from the book, “Borden of Yale,” by Mrs. Howard Taylor; Bethany House Publishers).

Well-instructed zeal towards a worthy cause is a virtuous thing, misguided zeal is a waste of effort and time.

Not the labors of my hands
can fulfill thy law’s demands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save, and thou alone.

June 26

Bible Reading: Romans 9

Romans 9:1-2, “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears witness in the Holy Spirit—that I have sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.  For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”

Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, was a man who had great love for his own people.  But not all his kinsmen believed that.  His message of salvation by grace alone was contrary to the way of thinking of many of his Jewish brethren.  In their deep-seated animosity towards the Gentiles, they recoiled at the notion of the salvation of the “heathen” by grace alone.  They disliked the message and hated the messenger.  They opposed him, persecuted him, and—on more than one occasion—even tried to kill him.

But Paul loved his Jewish brethren.  He was well aware of the rich heritage and great privileges they possessed — “the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises” (Romans 9:4).  The patriarchs belonged to their race and from their race came the Christ (Romans 9:5).  That so many of his brethren had rejected Christ anguished Paul (Romans 9:1-3).

He loved his kinsmen and wanted them to know that.  He called upon two witnesses in affirming his love for them—both himself, in Christ, and his conscience, in the Spirit.  Despite their opposition, persecution, and attacks—the Apostle Paul loved them.  They hated him, but he loved them.

Paul used two words in expressing his heart-felt compassion.  “I have great sorrow” translates the Greek “lupe” which means “pain, grief, or mourning.”  It is the same word used to describe the feelings of the disciples when they were warned by Christ of His pending departure (John 16:6).  “And unceasing anguish” translates the Greek “odune” which means “intense pain, anguish, or torment.”  It is the same word used to describe Lazarus’ anguish and agony in the midst of the flames of hades (Luke 16:24).  Paul was saying that he was experiencing an intense, unceasing sorrow and agony in the knowledge of the truth that his kinsmen were doomed in their unbelief.  Where do such emotions come from?  They come from God.  They are in the heart of God—who take no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23); who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16); “who desires all people to be saved” (1 Timothy 1:4).  They come from Christ—who felt compassion for the distressed and downcast multitudes (Matthew 9:36), who came to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10).  In Christ, by the Spirit, Paul’s heart was filled with God’s compassion for lost souls.  To the degree in which we are filled with the Spirit, we will experience a similar degree of compassionate concern.

The Apostle Paul loved his people so much that he wished he could exchange his salvation for theirs.  The Greek term translated “accursed” means “to be devoted to destruction.”  He was willing to suffer the loss of his own salvation so that his people might gain theirs.  He was, of course, speaking emotionally and hypothetically, not theologically.  He had already denied the possibility of that which he wished for (Romans 8:37-39).  But he was willing, if possible, to give up that which was most dear to him, for the sake of those who were dear to him.  Moses had spoken of that kind of sacrifice (Exodus 32:32).  Christ made that kind of sacrifice (Galatians 3:13).  In following in Christ’s steps, Paul shared that perspective.

The Apostle Paul had two things that are essential to every would-be witness for Christ.  He had a Spirit-borne compassionate concern for the lost and possessed a willingness to sacrifice for the sake of reaching them.  He followed in the footsteps of Jesus, in his willingness to endure much for the sake of the gospel.  His example is both commendable and instructive.  Others may hate us for the message we bear, but as ambassadors for Christ, we are ambassadors of love.

“Did Christ o’er sinners weep, and shall our cheeks be dry?  Let floods of consecrated grief stream forth from every eye.”

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.

June 23

Bible Reading: Romans 8

Romans 8:35-39, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

No one would have deemed Jesus a conqueror, and no one could have foreseen His ultimate triumph, when the cosmic powers of this present darkness were zealously workng to do Him harm.  One apparent defeat led to another and then yet another.  The religious leaders had long conspired against Him.  Then He was betrayed by one closest to Him and was arrested.  In His moment of need, He was abandoned by His closest friends, though they had promised their undying allegiance.  An unjust trial with lying witnesses led to His deliverance to the governor. Yet He refused to make any kind of defense.  Given a choice, the crowds chose to release Barabbas instead of Him.  And then that same crowd was incited by the leaders to cry out for His crucifixion.  Any faint glimmer of hope which remained was soon eclipsed in the forthcoming events.  He was scourged, stripped of His clothing, mocked as they adorned His head with a crown of thorns.  They spat on Him and mocked Him and led Him away to the cross.  The Scriptures declare “cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree,” yet that’s exactly where He found Himself.  He came to His own and His own received Him not.  Instead, they mocked Him–the soldiers, the religious leaders, the thieves crucified with Him and those passing by.  He was utterly alone and forsaken, ultimately abandoned by the One with whom He has shared divine and eternal fellowship, His own Father was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief.  It was the most ghastly and horrific of scenes in all the annals of human history.  And no human witness on that day could have imagined what would soon come to pass.  All was seemingly lost–the mission, the man, the hope for a deliverer.  If it were a modern sporting event, the hometown crowd would have long before proceeded for the exits.  

Yet things are not always as they appear to be, and that’s especially true when we factor in God’s power and love.  The death of Christ on the cross was not a victory for the forces of evil at all–far from it–it was the very means by which their defeat was assured. Unwittingly, they had only worked “to do whatever (God’s) hand and (God’s) plan had predestined to take place” (Acts 4:28)!  There could be no greater defeat than if man had prevailed to murder his maker, but the grave was powerless to hold Him and a cursed cross soon gave way to an opened tomb, when defeat and triumph traded places. History has witnessed no greater triumph than Calvary’s victory over sin, and death, and the devil himself!

So, the believer follows in the footsteps of Jesus.  To “suffer with Him” is the path to which they are called (Romans 8:17).  And as with the Master, so it is with those who follow in His steps.  Every heavenward step is met with opposition.  The forces of evil are always working to tempt and accuse.  The narrow way is filled with peaks and valleys and unexpected turns.  Failures mount up.  Burdens grow.  Discouragement is either near at hand or just beyond the horizon. Sometimes things look an awful lot like defeat.  Even though all glimmers of hope might be lost, it never truly is!  In His death and resurrection, Jesus “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them” (Colossians 2:15)!  His triumph is yours too!  You became more than a conqueror the moment you put your faith in Jesus!  No matter what comes your way in the here and now, no matter how bleak things might seem, you are forever victorious through Him who has loved you!  

“If we barely manage to win our way to heaven by the skin of our teeth, we could be said to be a conqueror, but a ‘more than conqueror’ is someone who takes the worst that life can throw at him and uses that to become victorious. ‘More than conqueror’ is one who, by the grace and the gift of God, and in the strength of God within him, actually takes the very things that are designed to destroy him, and they become stepping stones instead of stumbling blocks. That is being ‘More than conquerors.’”

Ray Stedman

“In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

I heard an old, old story
How a Savior came from glory
How He gave His life on Calvary
To save a wretch like me
And I heard about His groaning
Of His precious blood’s atoning
Then I repented of my sins
And won the victory

O victory in Jesus
My Savior, forever
He sought me and He bought me
With His redeeming blood
He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him
He plunged me to victory
Beneath the cleansing flood

June 22

Bible Reading: Romans 7

Romans 7:24, “Wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!  So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”

One question raised in this passage (Romans 7:7-25) is the identity of the “wretched man.” Three possibilities have been suggested: 1) an anonymous unconverted man; 2) the Apostle Paul before his conversion; and 3) the Apostle Paul in his “present tense” experience.  Both 1) and 2) cannot be true, since Paul speaks of attitudes towards the law which are not concurrent to an unconverted person (Romans 7:16, 18-21, 22). Since the verbs used in verses 24-25 are all in the present tense, the logical conclusion is the Apostle Paul is speaking of himself in his “present tense” experience as a converted (i.e., saved) person.  The deliverance he longs for and expects can only be fully realized in the future redemption of his body.

Three main points are made regarding the law: 1) the effect of the law is to give knowledge of sin (Romans 7:7, 13; 3:20); 2) the law does this is by declaring God’s prohibitions and commands which work to goad sin into active rebellion, thus making a person aware of the specific shortcomings into which sin then leads him (Romans 7:8, 19, 23); and 3) because of the weakness of the flesh, the law avails no power to a person to do the thing commanded and cannot deliver a person from sin (Romans 7:9-11, 22-24).  The term “flesh” is used to describe the fallen human condition, which is the old, earthly temporal order subject to the power of sin—weak and corruptible and unimprovable.

Not “I” but “He!”  In Romans chapter 7, the pronoun “I” occurs 27 times and the Holy Spirit is not found once.  The passage, in its “self” focus, ends with this question: “Wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?”  In self, there can be no rescue from sin.  No amount or degree of wanting, willing, or working can work to deliver a man from sin. In Jesus alone can victory be found. As the hymn aptly puts it, ‘None else can heal all our soul’s diseases!’”

A triumphant change of perspective takes place in the transition from Romans chapter 7 to Romans Chapter 8.  In Chapter 8, the pronoun “I” is found only twice and the Holy Spirit is referred to repeatedly. That chapter begins with a declaration of freedom (Romans 8:2) and concludes with a promise of overwhelming triumph (Romans 8:37)!

F B Meyer has commented on this: “The key to the plaintive moan of this chapter consists in this. It is the result of the endeavor to live a holy life apart from the power of the indwelling Savior, and independently of the grace of the Holy Spirit. All such efforts are sure to end in wretchedness. We can no more sanctify ourselves than we can justify. Deliverance from the power of sin is the gift of God’s grace, as forgiveness is. And it is only when we have come to the very end of all our strivings and resolvings, and have abandoned ourselves to the Savior He should do in us and for us what we cannot do for ourselves, that we are led to cry, ‘I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.’”

F. B. Meyer

“Wretched men are set free from sin only through the indwelling presence and power of a Wonderful Savior!”

Joy floods my soul for Jesus has saved me,
Freed me from sin that long had enslaved me
His precious blood, He came to redeem,
Now I belong to Him;

Now I belong to Jesus,
Jesus belongs to me,
Not for the years of time alone,
But for eternity.

June 21

Bible Reading: Romans 6

Romans 6:1, “What shall we say then?  Are we to continue in sin that grace might abound?”

A transition takes place from Romans chapter 5 to Romans chapter 6. The first 5 chapters discussed justification, chapters 6 and beyond, focus on sanctification. Romans 6:1 includes one of the many rhetorical questions found in the epistle.  Paul, anticipating that some might object to what he had previously taught, raised the very questions they might have proposed.

Kenneth Wuest explains, “So Paul proposes the question, “What shall we say then?”  Say then to what? We go back to Romans 5:20 for our answer which we find in the apostle’s statement, ‘Where sin abounded, there grace was in superabundance, and then some on top of that.’  (Paul’s teaching is that no matter how much sin committed, there are always unlimited resources of grace in the great heart of God by which to extend mercy to the sinning individual).  The objector’s thought was as follows; ‘Paul, do you mean to tell me that God is willing to forgive a person’s sins as often as he commits them?’  In response to Paul’s affirmative answer, this legalist says in effect, ‘Well then, if that is the case, shall we Christians keep on habitually sinning in order that God may have an opportunity to forgive us and thus display His grace?’  That is the background of this man’s reasoning.” 

Kenneth Wuest (K. S. Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Studies in the Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament: Grand Rapids: Eerdmans).

Paul’s immediate response to the questions is “By no means” (Romans 6:2)! The supposition that continuation in sin would be an appropriate response to grace was anathema to Paul (i.e., KJV, “God forbid”). The Greek phrase used by Paul, “me genoito,” represents the strongest Greek idiom to indicate repudiation.

It is important to note what Paul did not say in response to the question. He did not say that it is important for the believer in Christ to not continue in sin because he would risk the possibility of forfeiting his salvation. That would, of course, contradict what Paul elsewhere clearly affirmed regarding the security of the believer (Romans 5:1; 8:31-29).  The fear of loss of one’s salvation is not the answer to the question.

The reason why the believer in Christ is not inclined to continue in sin in a habitual manner (1 John 1:8 and 3:9) is that he has experienced a radical transformation through his intimate identification with Christ (Romans 6:3-4). The term baptism is used to describe the work of the Spirit which transpired when the believer trusted in Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13).  The term speaks to the intimate “identification with Him in death, burial, and resurrection” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary).  By means of this identification, the “old self was crucified with him” (Romans 6:6) and the believer was raised then with him to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Put simply, he has been made to be “a new creation” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20). It is his relationship with Christ (his new identity) that instructs and motivates him, by the Spirit, to put off sin (Colossians 3:3-5).

When asked what God had taught him most deeply about life, George Mueller (1805-1898), pastor and philanthropist, explained: “There was a day when I died, utterly died, died to George Mueller, his opinions, preferences, tastes and will, died to the world, its approval or censure, died to the approval or blame even of my brethren and friends, and since then I have studied only to show myself approved unto God.”  The Apostle Paul said much the same thing in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

“Death to sin is the necessary consequence of union with Christ, who delivers from its depraving, condemning, and reigning power.” – T. Robinson

I have ceased from my wand’ring and going astray,
Since Jesus came into my heart!
And my sins which were many are all washed away,
Since Jesus came into my heart!

June 20

Bible Reading: Romans 5

Romans 5:12-15, “ Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned — for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.  But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.” 

Our recent experience with the COVID pandemic has worked to better educate us regarding such health contagions.  We learned, for example, that Covid is highly transmissible, and it can be deadly (especially for the elderly or those who have low immunity).  We learned about social distancing, mask wearing, and vaccines.  Sadly, we all likely knew of someone who has had COVID or maybe even someone who has died from it.  We should all take precautions to minimize our risk in any such situation, but there’s another pandemic which is even more “transmissible.” It has a 100% mortality rate.  We read about here in Romans 5 and how it happened in Genesis 3.

Contrary to God’s explicit command and despite His dire warning of the deadly consequences, the woman having been devil-deceived, partook of the forbidden fruit.  Then she gave to her husband, and he ate as well. They had experienced intimate fellowship with God and had been well provisioned in an idyllic paradise.  But all of that would suddenly and radically change.  Their eyes were opened, and they realized they were naked.  They sewed fig leaves together to make themselves loincloths—mankind’s first attempt to rectify the effects of his lost condition according to his own wisdom and by his own self efforts.  In desperate fear, they hid from God.  Spiritual death had entered into man’s existence.  Physical death would likewise come soon enough (see Genesis chapters 4 and 5).

God declared a curse: on the serpent, on the woman, on Adam, and on the earth itself.  Our predecessors could hardly have imagined the tragic and far-reaching consequences of their sin, for their sin unleashed a sin contagion upon all of humanity.  Romans 5:12 explains: “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.”  There you have it.  The transmission rate for sin = 100% (all sinned).  Likewise, the mortality rate for sin = 100% (death spread to all men). We are all born into this world with a nature to sin, deserving of death (Romans 3:23, 6:23).

There’s good news amidst the bad in this sad account.  In cursing the serpent, God spoke of One who would come from the woman who would render a fatal wound to the serpent.  This promise looked forward through the centuries to the incarnation of God’s Own Son who, through His own death, would destroy the devil (Hebrews 2:14).  God was faithful to that promise!  Despite the man and woman’s tragic choice, and by way of contrast to their ill devised fig leaf clothing scheme, God Himself clothed Adam and Eve with garments of skin (Genesis 3:20-21).  Those garments, provided through animal sacrifice, were prophetic of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God on a cross for sins.

Death reigned through the trespass of Adam, but Jesus came to reverse the curse for those who will put their trust in Him (Romans 5:12-15).  Instead of death and judgment, they experience the grace of God in forgiveness and salvation.   God’s truth, righteousness, and justice were all demonstrated in the judgment He bestowed, his love, grace, and mercy were likewise revealed in His provision for Adam and Eve. 

Who can measure the loss, pain, and sorrow that was unleashed on that fateful day when sin entered into the world!  And to this day, we live in a broken world that groans under the weight of sin’s corruption.  The sin pandemic has scarred us all and unleashed immeasurable heartache.  But praise be to God that He has worked in His love and wisdom to send His Son to rescue us.  In the majesty of His grace and mercy, we find and experience hope!

Every gravestone gives a silent testimony to the spread and reign of sin since the time of Adam.  The cross, on the other hand, bears testimony to the salvation availed to all through Jesus Christ.

One day when heaven was filled with His praises,
One day when sin was as black as could be,
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin,
Dwelt amongst men, my example is He!
Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away,
Rising, He justified freely for ever:
One day He’s coming—oh, glorious day!

1.

June 19

Bible Reading: Romans 4

Romans 4:16-17, “That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.”

The earliest believers in the church were all Jews.  And even as believers in the Lord Jesus, they still considered themselves Jews under a covenant relationship with God–a covenant relationship that involved circumcision. So, it’s not surprising that they expected all believers to follow the Old Testament covenant requirements. That was no problem until the gospel ventured beyond the Jews and into the Gentile world.  Some of the Jews expected and demanded that the Gentiles be circumcised.  The first Jerusalem council met to debate that very issue (Acts 15:1-21).  But even after it was decided in that council to not require circumcision of the Gentiles, the matter remained a point of contention.  Paul addressed that very issue in many of his epistles, and here in Romans chapter 4. 

Paul had previously stated that both Jews and Greeks are under sin (Romans 3:9), and that “none is righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10).  So how can anyone be made righteous?  Can a person be saved by his own doings? Did being circumcised guarantee one’s salvation?

Romans chapter 4 speaks to the truth, made clear in Abraham’s example, that justification is by faith alone. A key word in the chapter is the word “counted” (NASB, “reckon;” 4:3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 22, 23, 24). The word translates the Greek “logiszomai” which “primarily signifies ‘to reckon,’ whether by calculation or imputation” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary).

Our chapter speaks to the divine means by which a sinner can be reckoned righteous.  And it is not as most people think.  Besides the term “counted,” two other terms are prevalent in this chapter — “faith” and “righteousness.”  Those two terms are part of the divine equation.  A sinner is not made righteous by his own doings, but by faith.

Abraham gained righteousness, but not by works. “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:3). Right standing with God is not attained by man’s doings, as shown by Abraham being declared righteous before he was circumcised.

Jesus Christ, “who was delivered up for our trespasses,” has provided the means for forgiveness for all who “believe” (Romans 4:24-25). “For our sake he (God) made him (Christ) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). He represents the sole means through which true righteousness can be obtained. In a divine exchange of glorious benefit to repentant sinners, God has worked an accounting miracle for those who believe. On the basis of one’s faith in Jesus, their lawless deeds are forgiven, covered, canceled out (Colossians 2:13-14; Ephesians 1:7), and they are declared righteous instead (Romans 5:1). 

“Your eternal destiny depends on your understanding and personally believing the truth that Paul has been hammering on in Romans 4, that we are justified (declared righteous) by faith alone. We are not justified by works or by moral behavior, but rather by faith in the God who credits righteousness to the ungodly apart from works (Romans 4:1-8). This blessing is not based on religious rituals (Romans 4:9-12) or on keeping the Law, which only serves to condemn us (Romans 4:13-15). Rather, as Paul now shows, saving faith is rooted in God’s grace, it rests on God’s promise, it revels in God’s glory, and it relies on God’s power.”

Steven Cole

“Not the labors of my hands Can fulfill thy Law’s demands … Thou must save and Thou alone.” – Augustus Toplady

Jesus, your blood and righteousness
my beauty are, my glorious dress;
mid flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
with joy shall I lift up my head.

June 16

Bible Reading: Romans 3

Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

In his book “The Total Depravity of Man,” A. W. Pink wrote, “That something is radically wrong with the world of mankind requires no labored argument to demonstrate.  That such has been the case in all generations is plain from the annals of history… But when we come to inquire exactly what is wrong with man, and how he came to be in such a condition, unless we turn to God’s inspired Word no convincing answers are forthcoming.  Apart from that divine revelation no sure and satisfactory reply can be made to such questions as these: What is the source of the unmistakable imperfections of human nature?  What will furnish an adequate explanation of all the evils which infest man’s present state?  Why is it that none is able to keep God’s law perfectly or do anything which is acceptable to Him while in a state of nature?”

A. W. Pink

In Romans 3:9-18 we find Paul’s explanation regarding the source of man’s troubles.  Using quotes from Psalms, Proverbs, and Isaiah, Paul speaks from God’s perspective of man’s radical depravity.  Most suppose man to be basically good, but that’s not what God’s word says.

The words “none” and “no one” are repeatedly used, emphasizing the universal nature of man’s plight.  Man is a sinner four different ways—by nature, by word, by deed, by attitude—as J. Vernon McGee liked to say, “God is giving men four strikes, even though in baseball you only get three.”

Romans 3:10-12, “There is none righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”  The passage speaks to the innate sinfulness of every human being.  He is not righteous and does not seek for God.  In sin, he has become useless to the Creator.  He does not do good (at least not in a God-glorifying sense).

Romans 3:13-14, “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.  The venom of asps is under their lips.  Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”  Man is sinful in his words, his throat likened to an open grave, his lips to the hidden abode of a venomous tongue, and his mouth to a fountain of curses (James 3:1-12; Ephesians 4:29).

Romans 3:15-17, “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” In his book “Lessons from History” Will Durant notes that “in the last 3,421 years of recorded history only 268 have seen no war.” And even in the absence of war, man still does not live in peace. Adam and Even sinned. Cain killed Abel. Man’s been walking down a violence-filled path ever since. It is as a sheepherder friend has explained, sheep are stupid and docile, whereas men are stupid and hostile.

Romans 3:18, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”  This quote from Psalm 36:1 speaks to the root cause of man’s problem.  Dismissing God’s relevance, man does as he pleases. 

Man is not basically good; he is radically depraved.  He is, by nature, “aliened and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds” (Colossians 1:21).  Romans 3:23 serves as an apt summary of man’s depraved condition.  All have sinned—in thought, words, and deeds—and have fallen short of God’s glory.  We’ve sinned, not as a result of their environmental conditioning, but because that is who we are by nature in Adam (Romans 5:12).  Man is radically depraved and, as a result, is utterly helpless to do anything to rectify his lost condition (Ephesians 2:1).  Salvation must therefore come from an outside source. 

Anyone who tries to make it to heaven by his own good works is, in fact, attempting the impossible.  J. Vernon McGee once spoke of what he called “the game of jumping to Catalina Island.”  Of course, it’s ridiculous to think that anyone could jump the 25 miles from the Santa Monica pier to Catalina Island.  The one who leaps the farthest gets just as wet as the person who barely clears the end of the pier.  But McGee was making a point.  In his unique homespun way he said, “Now, up to the present, nobody has made it…. I see some people that I’m sure could out jump me.  But I’ll tell you this, they won’t make Catalina.  All come short.”  He was demonstrating the absurdity of thinking that man, being radically depraved as he is, could ever get to heaven by his own efforts.  The Bible says in Romans 3:10, “There is none righteous, no, not one.”  McGee concluded, “For that reason, you and I today need His redemption” (Romans 3:21-26). 

No amount of human resolve or effort can work to bridge the gap between a man’s depravity and God’s glory.  Christ came to bridge that gap.  He alone can save!

There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus–
No, not one! no, not one!
None else could heal all our soul’s diseases–
No, not one! no, not one!

June 15

Bible Reading: Romans 2

Romans 2:12, “For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.”

In John Bunyan’s classic allegory, Pilgrim’s Progress, there is an interchange between Christian and Worldly Wiseman in which Christian seeks counsel as to how to alleviate his burden.  Worldly Wiseman responds by directing Christian to a village named Morality: “CHRISTIAN: I know what I would obtain; it is ease from my heavy burden.  MR. WORLDLY WISEMAN: But why wilt thou seek for ease this way, seeing so many dangers attend it? Especially since (hadst thou but patience to hear me) I could direct thee to the obtaining of what thou desirest, without the dangers that thou in this way wilt run thyself into. Yea, and the remedy is at hand. Besides, I will add, that instead of those dangers, thou shalt meet with much safety, friendship, and content.  CHRISTIAN: Sir, I pray open this secret to me.  MR. WORLDLY WISEMAN: Why, in yonder village (the village is named Morality) there dwells a gentleman whose name is Legality, a very judicious man, and a man of a very good name, that has skill to help men off with such burdens as thine is from their shoulders; yea, to my knowledge, he hath done a great deal of good this way; aye, and besides, he hath skill to cure those that are somewhat crazed in their wits with their burdens.”

Paul wrote his epistle, Romans, to a church comprised of both Jews and Gentiles.  And while Paul’s point in chapter 1 was to show the radical depravity of all mankind, his objective in chapter 2 was to show that Jew and Gentile alike were under condemnation.  The Jews of Paul’s day typically looked down upon the Gentiles as being especially sinful and worthy of God’s judgment.  In addition, many of them wrongly assumed that righteousness could be obtained through religious effort—the view held by Worldly Wiseman.

This chapter has application to any who would view themselves as being excluded from the dreadful description of man’s depravity found in the previous chapter.  John Mitchell once said that chapter 1 was for the “down and out” while chapter 2 was for the “up and out.”  In other words, if you, having read through chapter 1, applying God’s indictment only to others and not to yourself, you have missed the point.  Chapter 2 is for you.  This chapter speaks to the principles by which God judges sin.  That is something which is important to know if we are going to avoid the mistaken perspective of Worldly Wiseman.

Amongst the other truths affirmed regarding God’s judgment are these: 1) God judges sin according to His righteous standard (Romans 2:1-5); God shows no partiality in His judgment (Romans 2:6-11); God judges the secrets of men (Romans 2:12-16); God is not fooled by man’s religious hypocrisy (Romans 2:17-24).

Ray Pritchard offers some sobering thoughts regarding “religion” and “light” reminding us that “Since judgment is according to light, religious people have the most to fear. We who know so much stand in much greater danger than the heathen who know so little. Forget about the heathen! What about you? If you are trusting in your good works and your basic nice-guy morality to get you to heaven, you will be sadly disappointed. You’re not as good as you think you are. You’re not as nice as you pretend to be. You don’t live up to your own standards. The day is coming when you will be condemned by your own words. Your alternatives are very simple. Either face Jesus Christ now… or face Him later. Today He is your Savior; tomorrow He will be your Judge. Today, you can be forgiven; tomorrow you will only be condemned. Today, your record can be wiped clean; tomorrow your record will be used against you. Run to the cross! Run and do not walk. Run, make haste to the bleeding cross of Jesus Christ. Don’t just stand there looking religious. Religion can only damn you! If you are Mr. I.M. Okay, then drop everything and run to Jesus. Drop your morality, drop your pretense, drop your hypocrisy, drop your excuses, drop it all and run to the Son of God. The good news is this: Jesus is ready to meet you. When Mr. I.M. Okay finally comes to the cross, there he encounters the power that will transform him into Mr. I.M. Forgiven.”

Ray Pritchard

Mere external observance of religious rules can never work to satisfy the righteous demands of our all-knowing and just God.  The village of morality (Romans chapter 2) was in even greater danger than the City of Destruction (Romans chapter 1).  In Destruction, the danger was manifest; in Morality it was smothered and covered up.  Believing all to be well, the fear of pending judgment was mistakenly discarded.  But there is a judge who knows all and who will impartiality judge according to His own righteous standard.  True righteousness is needed, the kind that is “a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter” (Romans 2:29).  That kind of righteousness is availed to a man only through faith in Christ (Romans 3:21-22; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9). 

In Christ alone is safe refuge secured for those who seek to “flee from the wrath to come.”

Not the labors of my hands
can fulfill thy law’s demands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save, and thou alone.