There is plenty to think about in the first chapter of Romans. For this first posting, I’d like to concentrate on verse 16. I think it’s the culmination of all that Paul has been saying up to this point and the basis for everything that he has to say afterwards: The power of the Gospel message. The Romans epistle is really all about that message. It is Paul defining the Gospel and explaining it’s ramifications for life.

So, I guess the first question would be “what is the Gospel?” Many folks would define the Gospel to be the totality of all that is written within the Bible. I’d perfer to narrow it down a little better than that, however. The Gospel is THE message of the Bible. It’s the reason that Scripture was written and everything there is to point to that one central message. But, the message is very specific.

The word ‘Gospel’ is an old English word that means ‘good news’  The Christian Gospel is God’s good news to mankind. It’s the “antidote” to the very bad news that we are all in trouble. The world is a shambles. Although it was created to be perfect - a literal paradise, it has deteriorated into a place of pain, suffering, and death. We are all sinners and therefor find ourselves separated forever from God. The good news is that God has done something about that problem. He has made a way for us to be reunited with Him, forever. That’s really good news!

The Gospel message is that there is nothing that we need to (in fact - nothing that we can do) to get right with God. Christ has done it all and simply believing and relying on that fact is sufficient to save us and reconcile us to God, joining in His eternal life.  That’s great news! Too many misunderstand the Bible’s message and think that the way to God is to be a good person, to be nice, to be obedient. But, that’s quite the opposite from the truth. You can’t find your way to God by being good.

When Christ uttered the words “It is finished”, he meant more than “that’s all, folks.”  The phrase that he used actually means something like ‘paid in full.’ It was a term used in a legal or accounting sense. It was written on the bottom of the document that outlined a convicted criminal’s sentence to state that the punishment had been fulfilled. It was also scrawled on a business receipt to declare a debt has been paid. Yes, when Jesus took his last breath with those words, he was saying that my debt of sin had been paid, my capital sentence was carried out!

This is the Good News of God. This the power of God. He has taken the initiative to rescue us from the grips of sin. He has reconciled us to Himself. He has done all the work in order to bring us into a new life. Our only response is to believe the message and trust in Christ’s finished work. What could possibly be better news?

I’m not a overly-emotional person and this isn’t the first time that I was taken back by my own reaction to the death of a loved one. “What’s wrong with me? Why don’t I break down and cry? It’s OK, it’s expected.”  But, in this case at least, the tears never came.

My stoicism aside, the more I thought about Donnie’s life and death, the more I realized that it’s not a tragedy at all. Absolutely, we will miss him- especially his wife, Debbie who only had him for a few short months since their 3 month old marriage wasn’t even out of the honeymoon stage. But, ultimately, all the reasons for tears are self serving ones. We cry because of what we have lost, but I began to consider what Donnie has gained since Friday.

My brother’s life has never been easy. From his early years, he was hobbled by a learning disability that always seemed to separate him from the other kids. The disability wasn’t as severe as that of some kids, but it was enough to be noticed as “different” …and we all know, it’s usually a curse to be labeled as different in the classroom or on the playground. To his credit, Donnie saw the world a little differently, too. He was the eternal optimist that didn’t have the ability to ever be sceptical. He always saw the best in everyone he ever met. Naturally, he was often taken advantage of. The rest of us often didn’t live up to the faith that he put in us.

As a teenager, Donnie was diagnosed with diabetes. This was, as it turned out, the beginning of the end. The diabetes led to many and various complications from the amputation of toes to a severe heart complication that ultimately claimed his life. Through it all, Donnie remained upbeat and optimistic - always planning things he wanted to do down the road.

But one thing that he had that couldn’t be taken away was his faith in Jesus. Donnie placed his trust in his Savior as a teenager and this faith was foremost in his life from there after. One of his joys was to pass out Christian literature to friends and strangers alike.

So, my thoughts finally came to what it was that Donnie had gained. And it was A Lot!  Words of condolence are usually shallow as well as hollow. We always say, “He’s in a better place, now” with a conviction that sounds more like wishful thinking than a firm faith in our Redeemer. Donnie’s funeral service fully served to highlight that it was, without a doubt, a joyous occassion. Yes, there were tears, but there were also plenty of smiles and praises to God.

Donnie no longer was restricted by all those things that held him back on this dirt. Donnie was reunited with his beloved Mother who he missed every day of his life. Donnie finally has met the brother or sister that was miscarried some 30 years ago. And Donnie is finally in the arms of his Lord and Savior, the one who has loved him the most. Yes, our loss is Don’s gain and I’m more than happy to suffer the loss for his benefit. So long, Donnie. Some day soon, I’ll be there and I expect you and Mom to be ready to give me the tour!

I have a question. Now, be careful before you answer. It’s sort of a trick question. Was the Bible written to us, today? The answer is no. It’s proper to say that the Bible was written FOR us, but it was written TO the original, ancient audience.

That’s not to say that the Holy Spirit cannot give us individual insight into a passage. We count on that. But, we must not forget that Scripture was first written to those early recipients. It may sound like I’m nit-picking, but it’s actually an important point. When we study a passage of Scripture and try to understand what the writer is saying, we must first ask: “How did the original readers understand this passage?”

We are blessed with the riches of enormous amounts of Bible study material, today. We have thousands of books dedicated to helping us understand God’s Word. We have resources such as internet, television, radio, DVD’s that offer a wealth of Bible teaching. We benefit from two thousand years of scholarship from Godly men and women. But, we do have one major handicap in our Bible study. We, in 21st century America, are far removed from the original language, customs, and culture of those ancient times. We have extra work to do when we try to understand Scripture that those original readers never needed to worry about.

Let’s take a phrase in Romans 12, for example: Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head. (Rom 12:20) What in the world does it mean to heap burning coals on his head? That sounds violent…or is it that we’re sending him into Hell’s fire? No, Paul was simply saying that by showing kindness to our enemy, we may lead him to repent and get right with God. The key to understanding the passages is an understanding of ancient culture and customs. In those days, when a man wanted to show the world that he had repented from a previous wrong, he would walk through the streets with a pan of hot coals on his head. That signified his guilt and change of heart.

The Bible is filled with many such phrases that totally escape us today, yet were common concepts in the minds of the original readers. In order to get a proper understanding of such expressions, it falls upon us to do a little extra research. Fortunately, we do have all of those aforementioned resources available to us.

So, as you study the Scriptures, try to get a feel for how the original recipients understood it. Next time, well take a step further in the process and discuss “extracting the timeless principles” from the text.

Technorati Tags: The Wall, sin, evangelism, sinner, salvation, hell

As time goes on, I’ll have more of the Romans studies formatted and posted for your use. Meanwhile, I hope you’ll take advantage of these resources. After you’ve finished the first section, drop back in and we’ll discuss the passage and you’ll have a chance to share your own insights.

Ron

Welcome to Bible Insights Magazine.
I’m excited… after weeks of designing, writing, and tweaking, Bible Insights Magazine is ready for prime time! It’s been frustrating at times (web coding isn’t exactly my forte) but having the website up and running is well worth it.

So, whats the purpose of all this? My goal is simply to be used of God in whatever way He seems to be leading. The internet is a logical medium to expand my teaching ministry beyond the church walls. It’s just so cool for an “average joe” like me to be able to potentially reach the world with God’s Word. I don’t mean to sound pretentious, but the potential does have me excited.

So, I’d like to invite you to stop by often, not only to keep abreast of the latest additions, but also to join in the discussion. Another exciting thing about this medium is that it’s a two-way street. Unlike reading a book or watching tv, you can participate. So jump in and get up on the soap box with me!

To get things started, why not download the Romans study #1, take some time to study the passage, and we’ll start a discussion in the Bible study section. I’ll see you there in a few days!

We admire the trees but never notice the massive forest that the trees are a part of. In a nutshell, this is my heart as a Bible teacher: showing the relationship between the trees and the forest. That’s where it all starts, discovering the great themes of Scripture - in short, understanding doctrine.

Doctrine seems to be an unpopular word in this day and age. (I can almost hear the groans at the mention of the word.) No one wants to talk about doctrine. It’s too divisive… It has no practical relevance… it’s for theologians to argue about. But, really, the word doctrine simply means “teaching.” Doctrine is only a statement of what we believe. For instance, theologians talk about Theology Proper. A five dollar term that simply describes “what we believe about who God is and what He is like.” That sounds like something we ought to have a handle on, doesn’t it?

This is why I so enjoy teaching the book of Romans. Nowhere in the Bible is there such a concise and straight-forward presentation of the basic teachings of the Christian faith. I believe that a good understanding of Romans will carry us far as we study the rest of Scripture. Knowing what we believe is a good foundation as we go about the task of “doing church.”

Believe it or not, if you’ve ever studied Romans, you’ve been learning doctrine! Have you ever delved into studying Hamartiology? That’s just a big word for the doctrine of sin. How about Soteriology? (the doctrine of salvation) It wasn’t too painful, has it? I hope not. If you begin following my series on Romans (found in the Bible Study Guides page), it’s always my goal to make Bible study enjoyable and not too academic.

So that’s the starting point for my teaching philosophy - discovering how Scripture fits together, as a whole. Not that I think that’s where it should end. It’s not enough to get it right if we don’t do it right. When we know what we believe it’s time to act on it. Sound doctrine is the vehicle for life change! …and that’s the ultimate goal of any Bible teacher.