Romans 10:14 // Spread the Cheer

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? (Romans 10:14)

If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; 12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works? (Proverbs 24:11-12)

Preaching/witnessing is necessary. Not that people cannot theoretically be saved without hearing the gospel from a missionary, but that most people will not be. Take the risk, share your heart and life with someone. Make yourself vulnerable and say what needs to be said without being terrified by rejection.

I'm going to do that now.

Blessing of Blessings

The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; 2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; 3 Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah. 4 Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel. 5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions. 6 Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. 7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. 8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. 9 Save, Lord: let the king hear us when we call. (Psalm 20)

This would have to be the blessing of blessings. One aspect of it particularly stands out to me: "(The Lord) fulfil all thy counsel." There is nothing like seeing someone helped significantly by our advice, to have this happen is a blessing from God indeed.

Romans 10:11-13 // What We Count On

For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:11-13)

This is what we count on, not that we have done well in living up to God's law, but that the Lord Jesus will save us if we depend on him.

Romans 10:5-10 // He Trusted In God

For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:5-10)

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32)

Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. (1 Peter 1:21)

And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)

There are moments when I am overwhelmed by a sense that I am worthy of no good thing. These moments do not happen very often, which is not to my credit. At such times I must resort to one thing: Jesus is saving me. He has the will to save me. He has the power to save me. This is my only solid hope. However Jesus saves me, he will save me in the end because I trust in him.

Own Strength

Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power. (Psalm 21:13)

God can be exalted in his own strength, but we cannot.

Romans 10:5-10 // Harmony of Scripture

For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:5-10)

For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. (Deuteronomy 30:11-14)

Some Christians think that they are "New Testament" Christians. But a true New Testament Christian is an Old Testament Christian as well. If this were not the case Paul would condemn the Old Testament rather than using it to support his claims. The New and Old Testaments, by which I mean the Hebrew and Greek portions of the Bible, are united and harmonious. They come from different cultural, circumstantial and literary perspectives but they complement each other, rather than competing.

Christ has given us his law to know the standard by which we are to live, but he has also given us himself to allow us to live forever in obedience to that standard.

Romans 10:5-10 // Live In Them

For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:5-10)

Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 18:11)

And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them. 12 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them. 13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them. 14 But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out. 15 Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands; 16 Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols. 17 Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness. 18 But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols: 19 I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; 20 And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God. 21 Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness. 22 Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth. 23 I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries; 24 Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols. 25 Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live; 26 And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 20:11-26)

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. (Galatians 3:10-12)

Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. (Habakkuk 2:4)

Keeping the law of God is about lifestyle, when these passages refer to how people shall live in them they are talking about how obedience to God's law dictates a good lifestyle. This can be seen clearly in Ezekiel 20:25 where it is contrasted with the worldly standards that the Israelites had adopted: and judgments whereby they should not live. These standards did not teach the Israelites the good way to live. They taught them a lifestyle of death in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb. They killed their babies in worship of the idols they had chosen.

Many today worship themselves and many kill their babies for the sake of their own desires. But there are many other ways in which the commandments of men have distorted their lifestyles.

Cross References for Romans 10:5-10

For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:5-10)

Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 18:11)

For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. (Deuteronomy 30:11-14)

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32)

Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. (1 Peter 1:21)

And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)

Jews and Pop-Christians

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. (Romans 10:1-4)

The use of 'end' in verse four is presumably in the sense of fulfilment rather than destruction, in order to harmonise this with the rest of Scripture.

Paul wishes for the Jews to be saved, since they are devoted to God, despite the fact that they are so wrong in their ideas about him. I could say the same of many groups of Christians and also of Muslims. Jesus is revealed in the Scriptures and in his faithful people, those who see Christ are responsible to accept him in everything. No matter how zealous a person may be, no matter the glory of the label they wear, they must accept Christ in his fullness.

The Jews tried to make themselves good so they ignored God's provision to forgive and reform them. In doing this they not only made it impossible for themselves to actually reform, they also condemned themselves by refusing the forgiveness for their past sins. Many today claim that they trust in the grace of Christ alone for their righteousness, but they refuse to live up to his standard. They have taken the opposite extreme of the Jews, rather than trying hard to have righteousness and ignoring God's way to obtain it; they preach part of the gospel and ignore what it means to be righteous.

Believe in Jesus, and he will fulfil the law in you.

Neither Presumption nor Legalism

As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. 26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.
27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: 28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.
29 And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.
30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (Romans 9:25-33)

I am going to look at this passage again, last time I just dwelt mostly on the last paragraph.

Why did Jacob get God's favour and not Esau? Why did Isaac get God's favour and not Ishmael? Why did the Gentile Christians get God's favour and not the Jews? The Jews were given God's true and holy law and eventually they did their best to reach this standard. The Gentiles never really tried to keep the law very much, and we still don't really attempt it, though Seventh-day Adventists try harder than most. God gave the law, but the law was always meant to be the standard for judging the sinner not the means for saving the repentant. The law shows me God's standard for behaviour, but it is the Holy Spirit, who works in my life through faith, that brings me up to that standard.

The Christian who is not interested in living up to God's law cannot really exercise faith, because he is comfortable with his law-breaking, his sin, Jesus cannot save him. But the Christian who strives to keep the law cannot exercise faith either, because he is trying to save himself, Jesus cannot save him. Both the presumptuous and the legalist are in an unsaved condition, but repenting from this error and turning to Jesus for help will bring you salvation.

God wants to save you more than you want to be saved. He has given you Jesus' blood to save you and he has given you Jesus' law to show you what being saved looks like. Don't try to hop around on one leg or row with one oar. Have faith in God that brings good works.

I have often seen reading the Bible as something I must do, because after all, I really must do it. But God wants to rework my attitude to read the Bible because I know how greatly it will bless me. Praise the Lord for understanding my weaknesses!

A Blessing

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: 25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: 26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. (Numbers 4:24-26)

A blessing I have just received, may it be for you also.

It is a pity that we do not bless each other more often, this is a very biblical thing to do and a very positive thing. I have been as guilty as any of spending so much time building ramparts around theological conflicts that I forget to take the time to just pronounce a blessing on people. Let this be something we do.

Tut Tut to Those Rich Oppressors

Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. 3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. 4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. 5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. 6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you. (James 5:1-6)

James seems to be written to Christians, is this also written to Christians?

I generally consider everyone in Australia to be rich, but maybe this is an unhelpful comparison which is not at all what James intended. The general perception that we in the West are the "rich" and those elsewhere are the "poor" who need our help may be just that, a perception. Jesus is not so interested in social justice as a "just us" you and me with a good and holy character. We need to personally use what we have to help those who do not have, this is not limited to finances.

There are some social justice aspects of this text however. Taking advantage of people. If you shop for the cheapest product and don't question why it is so cheap you are surely doing this. Perhaps looking for a pay rise can be an example of this too.

I have begun wondering recently perhaps I should fully disclose my income and expenses if I become a pastor. If nobody knows what I earn, spend or give, how can I be a good example? It doesn't make any sense. Lord give me wisdom regarding this.

Ecclesiastes

If you read the book of Ecclesiastes, it will tell you to enjoy life. Rather than telling you to accumulate material things so that you can enjoy life, it describes the emptiness of doing this. When Jesus calls on the rich man to give his wealth away, he is not being cruel. By accumulating wealth, the rich man has accumulated fear of losing it. If he found good places to give his wealth to others, he would be poor, but he would be happy. He would only have his needs met, not his wants, but that is all he had before. But now in addition, he has his need for love met as well.

To give your wealth where it is needed and only have what you need, this is not burdensome as long as you have Jesus to enjoy life with.

Romans 9:25-33 // Righteousness By Faith

As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. 26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.
27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: 28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.
29 And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.
30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (Romans 9:25-33)

Jesus trips Jews up. Jews are offended by Jesus and Christianity, but if they believe on him, and some of them do, they would no longer be ashamed because the Hebrew Scriptures are not discarded but fulfilled in Jesus and Christianity. The Jews tried to obey the law by will power and multiplying rules, they were supposed to obey the law by faith. That is, to submit to the Spirit's leading and ask for the Father's mercy and meditate on the works of Jehovah as played out in the Hebrew Scriptures and not focus on their own sins or virtues but wait patiently for God to do a work in their hearts leading to righteousness. This is what the Gentiles, the Christians that is, have been doing; and they have obtained the righteousness that the Jews failed to obtain. Christians have mostly fallen away from this into antinomianism (doing away with the law) however.

Sometimes it is hard to know in detail what God's law teaches, but to major in majors: to focus on the points his word teaches us to focus on, this is a good place to start.

Love and War

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. (James 3:17)

The desire to fight and win comes from Satan, the wisdom to love comes from God.

Romans 9:19-24 // Predestination and Theodicy

Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? (Romans 9:19-24)

The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. (Proverbs 16:4)

So here I am, muddling through the parts of the Bible that most strongly seem to support predestination.  It is not because of Romans that I am skeptical of predestination, but because of the rest of the Bible. I am also familiar with another text that I have used to teach predestination, which I have pasted above. So why don't I believe in predestination? Well, I sort of do. I believe in a kind of predestination, but not a kind where God actively chooses some to be lost. Maybe nobody teaches that, I hope they don't. But that is the distinct impression I have got from people and it is also the impression that these texts give. I want to show that the latter of these impressions is untrue.

So the fact that God hardens some people, that could make us feel like we can blame God for our sin and justify ourselves. Paul is not saying this is valid, he is only anticipating this objection to his teachings. Paul meets it interestingly, he breaks from logic for the first time in this book, and goes to dogma, though it is logical dogma. Paul says we should not question God, and hammers that point home. This is very good advice. If God is really all-powerful, all-loving and all-wise, it is just dumb to question him, since we are none of these things. So Paul doesn't address predestination here, he basically says we shouldn't question God on the subject.

So Paul could have replied, God is not unjust because the wicked chose to be wicked before God hardened them and God simply knew this would be the case beforehand, he did not choose it for them.

But sinners who are going to be lost because they will always refuse to be converted are least damaging to God if they are really obviously his enemies. The man who uses profanities and gets drunk every day is less of a threat to God's reputation than the charismatic pastor who teaches lies or is a hypocrite. Likewise sin operating to the full will fill us with a hatred of sin that we would not have without seeing the consequences of it. Without evil consequences of divorce we would not understand why God says he hates divorce. Without evil consequences of oppression we would simply call it good business practice. Well, maybe we do call it that. There are many sins that our society does not see as sinful because the consequences are hidden or compensated by wealth, technology, government and probably other things as well.

God does not choose some to be lost. God does not force anyone to choose him or to reject him. God chooses to save everyone and some choose to avail themselves of this salvation. God is love.

God will pay the wicked back for the wrong they have done to us. God will not let the evil of the wicked be in vain, he will make it an illustration that will help eradicate sin from the universe forever. God's ways are just.

Arguing On The Internet

It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling. (Proverbs 20:3)

It is right to stand for truth and justice and to speak for those who cannot. But in doing this we ought to be circumspect, considering whether we are really contributing to the solution or to the problem.

Blessing of the Words

May your words be the kind that you can acknowledge with joy in front of God and all humanity.

Romans 9:14-18 // God Hardened Pharaoh's Heart

What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. 17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. (Romans 9:14-18)

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us- ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

This part of Romans is where it starts getting really troubling for me, because I used to believe and to teach that this means God chooses some to be saved and some to be lost. That is still the way it seems to read for me, but it cannot mean this because the scripture cannot be broken and 2 Peter 3:9 makes it clear that God's will is to save everybody. So what is Paul talking about?

Verse 16 seems to summarise the point of this passage. God's will is supreme. But what does he mean when he says he has mercy on who he decides to and hardens who he decides to?

This whole chapter is about the fact that the Jews are not God's people any more. The fact that they are descended from Abraham does not make them the subjects of the promises made to him, because the Arabs are also his descendants but not subjects of the promises. The Jews like to think that they are God's special people, so do the Muslims, so do Christians, does God allow every religion that claim it to be his genuine true people on Earth? Of course not! Only one group can represent God perfectly.

God can choose his own criteria for the people he will call his own. He is not bound by genetic descent, or the desire of religious leaders, or apostolic succession; that means he can show mercy to gentiles or Jews, which is the point of this book. On the other hand, just as God can decide who can be his representative, he can also decide who can be the Devil's representative.

Pharaoh is a good example, people wax verbose in criticism of God for "hardening Pharaoh's heart" as is mentioned in this passage. But let me ask you: Did Pharaoh initially want to let them go, or initially refuse?

And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. 2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. (Exodus 5:1-2)

Pharaoh refused for the reason that he did not acknowledge Jehovah (or his existence we may say?) as a god to be obeyed. It was not until much later that God hardened Pharaoh, strengthening his resolve, so that God would be able to show the Egyptians how powerful he was, helping them to be saved as well.

God chose to harden one who did not believe, God chooses to have mercy on those who do believe. Paul and Peter do not disagree, God does not force anyone to be lost, he is doing his best to save those who will let him. But believe me, you don't want to be like Pharaoh.

Romans 9:10-13 // Favouritism and God

And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. (Romans 9:10-13)

Paul is really getting enthusiastic here, and as usual when our friends are getting hyped up, we sit back and think, what is he thinking?

What Paul writes is true, he is writing under inspiration. But to base infant baptism, predestination and cheap grace on this text would be extremely premature (no pun intended).

God knew what Jacob and Esau would be like, he knew they would both be rotten in their own way. But he knew who would repent and put his trust in him (Romans 8:29) and chose him rather than Esau. The point Paul is making is that Jacob was declared righteous (sort of) before he was even born, proving that you don't need to do anything to be declared righteous. So the point is that salvation is not earned, it is given by God. God knows who will accept this gift, but this is not the point (indeed, it is completely useless speculation to debate predestination) the point is that the gift is not conditional on deeds, because no deeds were done when God already showed favour to Jacob.

This is why God can declare me righteous now. I am not truly righteous in my behaviour, but God is going to get me there. As a baby, Jacob was not truly righteous but God knew he was going to get there just like me. To be learning from Jesus, submitting, is to be on the path to righteous behaviour, to be on that path is to be declared righteous, and saved. Amen.

It is interesting that Paul says the unborn children had done no good or evil yet. This text blows the so-called doctrine of Original Sin out of the water, God's word has declared that unborn children have done no evil. They have not even done evil through their parents or ancestors. Unborn children have done neither good works nor sin, they have nothing to repent of, nothing to be saved from. The soul that sinneth it shall die. It is once we personally sin that we need a saviour, and personally sin we have, to our shame and discredit.

Romans 9:6-9 // Racism, Jingoism and God

Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. 9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. (Romans 9:6-9)

Simply by reading the news you wouldn't know it, but an enormous issue in the debate about Israel and Palestine is that a huge number of Americans believe that the Jews, or the Israelis, are the people of God and are subjects of the promises made to ancient Israel and Judah. The theory is that the United States must retain God's favour by supporting Israel in every way, under any conditions. I am not against Israel any more than I am against Lithuania or Congo, but is the nation of Israel really heir to the promises of God?

This passage shows clearly, that nationality and ethnicity are not important to God. Said another way: God is not a jingoist, God is not a racist. God makes promises, and he acts according to those promises. In this instance the promise involved Sarah, and so must the fulfilment, so Isaac was the ancestor of the Jews not Ishmael. More about that another time.

Paul is giving a lengthy explanation on who the people of God really are because most Jews were lost; and still are. He is explaining that God has not broken his promise by not saving the Jews, he never promised them unconditional salvation, it is because they have not kept their side of the bargain.

For those of us living in the West, it is very easy to demonise the Arab world, Russia and China, but God is not into that stuff. God wants everyone to be saved, and we ought to be doing our best to spread this gospel through the whole world without spreading western culture and politics in the process.

Romans 9:1-5 // Reaching Loved Ones

I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: 4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. (Romans 9:1-5)

Paul has so great a burden for his own Israelite people that he would be willing to give up his own salvation for them.

Here is a love that I have trouble relating to.

Despite Paul's "burden" he was not called by God to work among these people, but rather to reach the Gentiles.

Sometimes the people we love most are the hardest to reach, the hardest to be patient with and persuade. Reach out to somebody else's loved one, and pray that somebody will reach yours.

Law and Order come to Church

I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. 10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church. (3 John 1:9-10)

This passage is a helpful one, because it makes a number of things clear.

1) There are men in the church who are ambitious and/or rebellious, and not trustworthy.
2) There are men in the church who are supposed to keep other church leaders accountable.
3) There are people who are spiritual brothers in Christ that are not members of the visibly organised church.
4) There are people who have been disciplined by the church who were in the right.
5) Despite all this, there is not condemnation of organisation in the church.

Let all things be done decently and in order. (1 Corinthians 14:40)

Romans 8:37-39 // More Than Conquerers

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39)

In all the trials that come our way we are more than conquerers. A conquerer was one who won a campaign, this would probably require him to not only win several battles but also take a city, which always took a lot of patience, cunning and sacrifice. A conquerer was highly honoured in ancient Rome. There would be a big parade on the streets to honour him and he would be allowed to build a monument to show future generations that he was a conquerer. What is more than a conquerer?

He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. (Proverbs 16:32)

There is no military feat that makes a man greater than a conquerer, but to be slow to anger and to have your attitude (spirit) under control makes a man greater than a conquerer. Jesus is the one that makes us greater than conquerers. I know Paul may have just meant to emphasise that we can overcome our trials, but I think the parallel here is interesting.

We can be slow to anger, we can control our attitude, we can endure every challenge because nothing can ever separate us from Jesus and his love for us.

A final note. For most of my life I dreamed of military glory, of wounding and being wounded for my country. These dreams cannot be fulfilled in the armed forces, but only by exercising self-control in a crisis for my heavenly country. Only Jesus has the fulfilment of my dreams, only Jesus can fulfil yours.

Why not let him start preparing you to fulfil your dreams by accepting him into your heart right now?

Romans 8:31-36 // Logic of Suffering

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. (Romans 8:31-36)

Another Handel's Messiah moment; If God be for us who can be against us? Fond memories of that song.

So here's the point, God the Father is unimaginably powerful, and he let his Son Jesus die for you because he loved you so much. How can anything bad ever happen to you?

Well, it can actually; though as we saw in verse 28, this will be for your ultimate good. God has a way of making things turn out well, no matter how bad they may seem right now. When things are good we do not need to be afraid for the future because God will take care of us, we have peace. When things are bad we do not need to despair for the future because God will take care of us, we have hope.

I have experienced these, you can too, if you submit to Jesus.

Romans 8:28-30 // If you love God

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30)

What is Paul talking about? He is saying that God has your life under control if you love him.

If you love God, he is making everything in your life contribute to your ultimate happiness.
If you love God, he knew it long ago, and determined long ago to restore you to the image of his Son, to be alike in character.
If you love God, he wants you to be one of Jesus' brothers or sisters.
If you love God, he has pleaded with you to come back to him.
If you love God, he has pardoned your sins (got you off the hook) publicly.
If you love God, he has starting making you an awesome (glorious) person.

Not everybody loves God, it is worthwhile for you and me to love him, and to encourage everyone else to do the same. The place to start is by showing love to those around us.

Romans 8:26-27 // When In Doubt, Just Pray

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)

Not only will the Spirit of God restore us physically to a perfect state when Jesus returns, but the Holy Spirit helps overcome our weaknesses now. An example is prayer. We often don't know what we should pray about, but if we are simply putting the time in to pray, the Holy Spirit will echo our feelings that we cannot express in words. God, who knows the hearts of all, also knows the thoughts of the Holy Spirit who thus asks God for things on our behalf when we are not able to do it consciously.

I am glad that the Holy Spirit can intercede for me, because I frequently am overwhelmed by the sheer number of things I could pray for. Just to kneel in humility and come before God is enough, even if you can't get words out, prayer is doing you good. It is better to get the words out if you can though, since this helps you to appreciate it a little when God answers your prayer. Sometimes I have had what I felt was an answer to a prayer that I had not even prayed, I think that is an example of this.

If you are not sure how to pray, just pray.

Romans 8:24-25 // Sick of Waiting for a Tree of Life

For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. (Romans 8:24-25)

Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13)

Hope deferred makes the heart sick. This is a true saying. I have had hopes that dragged on without resolution, neither having nor losing. It is a sorry state to be in. When I have something I have the joy of possession. As Christians there are many things that we possess even now: forgiveness of past sins, power over sin and Satan, laws, wisdom and power to live harmoniously with those around us. But there are also things we do not yet have: Immortality, freedom from sorrow, freedom to learn and explore all things. But when Jesus returns in glory we will obtain these things. For this reason we have a hope in Jesus return, because until he returns these things will not be ours. Some wait more patiently than others, for whatever reason. Some expect this return to be very soon, many with this expectation have been bitterly disappointed in the past, their hope was deferred and their hearts made sick. But whether you are sick of waiting or patiently waiting, if you have legitimate hope in Jesus' second coming, when it comes it will be for you a tree of life. Literally and metaphorically.

Romans 8:18-23 // Immortal Animals

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:18-23)

Paul knew a thing or two about suffering. When we witness to people we get upset that they ignore us, when Paul witnessed to people, they tried to kill him (e.g. Acts 14). You could say Paul lost everything for Jesus, but he did not think his losses were worth even comparing to the rewards. Paul imagines all the creatures of our world waiting for the time when we will be restored and this world will be restored with us. Because all creation is suffering under the curse because of us from the fall to this day, but creation will be restored when we are restored. When we were cursed with mortality, animals were also cursed with us, and when we are given immortality, so will the animals. I do not know whether the animals we know today will personally be in the new Earth, but I see no reason that they should not be.

It is not just animals that suffer under creation, but our own physical bodies. Especially as we grow old we begin to feel the effects of the curse, and we look forward to the time when our bodies will be perfect forever.

Confess your Faults

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16)

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. (Philippians 2:3)

Resolve disagreements. Resolve them from a standpoint that I am more at fault, do not be defensive.

What does it mean to confess faults? Is that telling everyone about my sins?

There is a reason why the word faults is used instead of "sins"; in both the Greek and the English sin is deliberate misbehaviour whereas fault is an accidental failure. Confess, in both English and Greek actually means to acknowledge or agree, not to tell someone a secret. So confess your faults does not mean tell people about your specific sins, but rather it means be willing to admit when you are wrong.

That's it, be willing to admit when you are wrong.

Pornography is Legalised Brutality

Note: I have not put any explicit content here, I don't think that is appropriate, but what I discuss in this post is very troubling. I also try to be very honest about my own deep, subconscious attitudes. This is not the kind of thing I think about, talk about or write about usually. I just think it needs to be done.

Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. 15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. 16 For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously. (Malachi 2:14-16)

God cares about women. While browsing an online forum about psychology I noticed a thread about ways of overcoming addiction to pornography. I have heard about pornography from the pulpit from time to time but I don't remember ever hearing anyone giving ideas about how to get out of it. So I looked at the thread and saw some men had made a few suggestions. But a woman posted a long article (or more like fact-sheet) that was intended to show that pornography is bad.

For the purposes of the thread, I'm not sure how relevant the article was. But it may be useful for people  to know how brutal pornography actually is. Let me explain the reasoning, I don't remember where I read/heard it, but the reasoning is very good I think. Lust, sinful desire (not necessarily sexual), is a particularly selfish sin. (Proverbs 6:30-32) In fact we could probably suppose that lust is selfishness in its raw form. In this sense "lust" is entirely different from "sexual arousal/passion/desire" although these words are often used interchangeably. Sexual arousal, passion and desire can be appropriate in the right context (Hebrews 13:4) and a book of the Bible is even dedicated to this, though we often like to spiritualise it away (Song of Solomon).

Sexual arousal is closely linked with love, trust and empathy, lust is not. Lust is closely linked with violence, hatred and… pornography. Lust is a desire to have; to have pleasure, power and fulfilment with no regard to others. This is why the Bible says: I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. (Romans 7:7b) Covet, meaning breaking the 10th Commandment, wanting something that you cannot have without hurting someone, a desire that cannot be righteously satisfied as I once heard it defined.

To experience lust and love at the same time is not possible, because lust wants to take from others and love wants to give to others. It is possible to experience pleasure in the context of love (in any sense), in fact, it is impossible to give love and not experience pleasure. The "selfless" act always brings an emotional reward. It is good to receive love from others, and even seek love from others, especially from God (Acts 17:27; Matthew 6:33) but not to take from them what they do not want to give.

There seem to be three types of exchange. Lustful exchange, taking anything by force or manipulation (including short term giving/loving behaviour), we call this violence. Equal exchange, giving something on the condition of receiving something in return, we call this business, commerce. Loving exchange, giving to another person unconditionally often resulting in a loving exchange in return. We all desire so much to participate in a loving exchange, and a relationship with God is the ultimate fulfilment of that desire.

Since lust and love are so contradictory; hatred and violence cannot exist in the mind while empathy is present. While empathising with a person, one cannot hate or violate. That is the theory. Practically speaking, when people are aware of the horrors that people, especially women, who are involved in producing pornography must endure they must be prompted to feel empathy. This feeling of empathy overwhelms lust, leading the viewer of pornography to be horrified by what he sees not exited.

I have known this idea for some time and had the opportunity to practice it. Growing up in a Christian family sheltered me from many things, but going to school or just passing along a street provide ample sources of corruption. I say corruption because what I was exposed to affected me, though not only in the way people usually talk about.

I experienced an element of lust from what I saw, from what my friends told me and from the way that young women related to me. I frequently saw people who should have been wearing more clothes, both in images and reality. Fortunately I rarely saw complete nakedness, unfortunately, not never. My friends and others who were not my friends told me about things I was not yet curious about at the time, awakening these things before I was naturally ready for them. Their way of talking about sexuality also led to making it a little more separated from marriage and relationship in my mind than it had been. This is typically called the "objectification of women", which starts in the images and gets fostered by young males spending too much unsupervised time among themselves. The behaviour of the young women was usually quite okay. The problem is that it only takes one or two young women to do a lot of damage.

There are a minority of young women in high school who develop early; often mentally but especially physically, and because of the way our system operates, these young women actually have a lot of influence on high school culture and therefore the mental development of many people. In the public (government) school I went to, these young women seemed to get their identity from their sexuality and I think my lack of interest in them was taken as an insult. They attempted to reform me at times, or punish me, I'm not sure which. But I thought it was normal that women would do this, just a fact of life, until I went to a Christian school and I saw a much better world.

Anyway, this is all to say that lust has two sides. The side the Christianity talks about is the sexual desire side, but there is another side, hatred of women. My public school education created a resentment in me towards women. It was women, both teachers and students, that seemed to be attacking me and manipulating me, I feared them and maybe I even hated them.

This is a very new realisation for me, but I share it because I think it is extremely widespread. I believe that although I know I have room for improvement, Jesus has healed my attitude towards women. For the last few years I have had to work with women in ways that has required me to grow a lot spiritually. My work has been in a powerless, assisting role in my local church congregation, the de facto (real) leaders in this congregation are all women, various kinds of women. They have been my supervisors, my co-workers, my teachers, my directors, my rebukers, my counsellors, often simultaneously. They all have been my friends. I believe God put them in my life to bring a restoration to my mind.

I still believe it is wrong for women to exercise authority over men (1 Timothy 2:12), at least in the church. I am not meant to be writing about feminism but about pornography. I got onto this topic because I was trying to understand and recall my ineffective way of overcoming lust.

I knew it was wrong to desire women as an object, and I resisted this temptation better than most I think, but instead Satan took me with the other trap. I thought that to avoid lusting I needed to hate instead and I began to hate the average promiscuous (sexually active) woman. I am sure I did not think this consciously, but it just seemed a natural assumption. For example, I would be forced to hear or sing songs that I associated with either female promiscuity or feminism and my friends and I would deal with them by changing the words to make them about hate or death. I am not the first to have done this kind of thing, and I may have picked it up somewhere. Roman Catholicism and Freemasonry are notable for connecting womanhood with evil and there are no doubt a lot of more present-day examples.

Pornography is probably the most widespread of these. Although I've never seen any, I have no reason to doubt the witness of those who got out of it and of those who have studied it. Modern pornography is primarily about degrading women. (I can give references, but privately, my sources explicitly refer to adult content, send me a private message if you want evidence) It is not so much focussed on heightening sexual arousal, but rather on expressing repressed anger against women. I think it is a bitter indictment on feminism as a movement that they actively encouraged pornography and were partly responsible for its legalisation in the first place, even today pornography is defended by most feminists.

Modern pornography is brutal, and surely cannot fail to turn men into brutes. There was much good in feminism, but also some bad. Pornography feeds the resentment of men who have been hurt by women, and there are many, many such men. We cannot really stop men feeling the resentment, nor should we. Most have got good reason to be upset, like I did. This resentment can be dealt with properly by Jesus, who can turn it into a desire to form healthy relationships and train the young to deal faithfully with each other. This is what Jesus did for me. But those who instead get into pornography begin to believe that the way to deal with being hurt by women is to hurt them back. It's the old Satanic line: "Do unto others before they do to you." Such men must surely become brutal towards the women that love them, and sin is added to sin, and the world keeps getting worse and worse. (I'm thinking of 2 Peter 1:4)

To ban pornography will not work. But I would like to see legislation that would cause making pornography to be unviable. For example making it very easy for participants to sue the producers, or making a law like the biblical one that would give a victim of rape unlimited access to the rapist's money and allow a participant in pornography (or prostitution) to sue for rape by a "customer". Either way, pornography would be far too risky to produce. I hope these laws are made and the pornography is destroyed.

But as I see it, there will always be abuse wherever there is sin. My aim is to introduce men and women to Jesus so that he can save them from the evils that the Devil has taught us to destroy ourselves with.

Romans 8:12-17 // Adopted by God

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (Romans 8:12-17)

Paul has been explaining how it is that we are not condemned if we have the Holy Spirit in our lives. I have been reading and re-reading this passage here, and it hasn't been making a lot of sense to me. I have compared some different translations, and now I see that the first verse should not end with a full stop. The Greek uses a comma, not a period, although the original would have had no punctuation of course. I have used modern punctuation to try to make the meaning clearer, though not with much regard to the technicalities of language: Therefore brethren, we are debtors. (not to the flesh, to live after the flesh, 13 [For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die] but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.) 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

If I am right about the punctuation, verse 12 is probably connected to verse 14. Until I've heard back from my friendly expert on ancient Roman adoption I will simply conclude that Paul is saying that we are debtors to God because we are adopted sons of God. Those who live "after the Spirit" are sons of God, so they are debtors to God for adopting them. Sometimes you need to read Paul's writings backwards to make sense of them.

So in the parenthetical (bracketed) section, Paul is making the point that we do not have an obligation that is physical, God does not require rituals from us or great selfless acts or keeping his laws meticulously. If this is where we hope to get our salvation from we will not be saved, we will die. But if we stop thinking about how we are measuring up, by thinking about the fact that we are saved by grace, we will be saved, we will live.

We have an obligation, we are debtors, to God; because he has adopted us, not making us slaves, but giving us the privilege of close association with him. The heir not only inherited the kingdom, but took on the co-management of the kingdom with his father. As joint-heirs with Christ we have a place of honour in the universe that we do not deserve at all. But those who will be joint-heirs with Christ will also join in his persecutions. We all have a different cross to bear, I don't know what mine is to be, but I know that Jesus is able to carry me through and I want to endure temptation so that I may receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised me. (See James 1:12)

Romans 8:9-11 // Assurance

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Romans 8:9-11)

Here is the answer to the question of how we may live after the Spirit. If we ask God to give us the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus he will live in you and me. (Luke 11:13; John 14:14)
So you and I who are converted and have the Holy Spirit are not living after the flesh but after the Spirit. Christ is working on us to change us by his Spirit, we may not be sinless yet, but he is working on it. If we are not living in submission to the Holy Spirit's working in our lives we are not a true Christian, we are not saved.
If on the other hand we are living in submission to God, our life has been laid down. We have died to our reputation among our friends, we have died to our dreams of worldly greatness, we have died to our plans for our happiness. But more literally, like every human on Earth, we are living under a death sentence because we have sinned.
Notice that Paul does not say: "our sinful spirit is dead" or "our innocence is dead". Paul is not teaching original sin here, he says the body is dead because of sin and he doesn't stop there. He goes on to say  but the Spirit is life because of righteousness because the Holy Spirit is able to give us life because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
If the Holy Spirit was able and willing to raise Jesus from the dead, he will also raise those of us who follow Jesus unto death. Some would say, that even now the Holy Spirit is what gives us life, but I don't see evidence for that here or elsewhere. Someone is welcome to share if they do.
We have God's promises now, he promised to give us the Holy Spirit, and he promises that when we receive the Holy Spirit we are living after the spirit. Do not waste this gift, keep following God's leading and do not let the Devil turn your attention to your weaknesses all the time.

Romans 8:5-8 // Spiritually Minded

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:5-8)

This makes perfect sense to me for the first time.

To "mind" is to be mindful, conscious or obedient. When it says "after the" refer back to 8:1 where those who are not condemned ...walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit and go back further to understand what this means. Romans contrasts two groups of people. Those who are "after the flesh" and those who are "after the Spirit". This passages explains this contrast a little.

The "after the flesh" group are mindful, conscious and obedient to tangible (fleshly) things. They are mindful of their reputation among their community. They are conscious of "how well" they are doing compared to other people. They are obedient to the rules and mores of their community. In an upstanding community these people will seem very "Christian" in a "Gangsta" community these people will seem abhorrent.

The "after the Spirit" group are mindful, conscious and obedient to intangible (spirit) things, this passage may be referring specifically to the Holy Spirit. Either way, they are mindful of their reputation with the ruler of the universe and the rest of its inhabitants though they cannot see them or hear them. They are conscious of their complete failure to live up to God's perfect standard but also conscious of the fact that Jesus is their only sure hope for restoration. They are obedient to the laws and counsel (advice) of God although they are not as obedient as they know they should be, but they want to change. In every community these people are recognised as "weird" and "too religious" and frequently as "legalistic" but by those who truly know them they are loved and respected (unlike those who deserve these descriptions) because of their practical demonstration of genuine love. Sometimes they are not yet this distinct, but everyone who is "after the Spirit" will be as peculiar as this soon enough.

To be carnally minded, to think like the world, to intentionally "fit in" to your community, is death. It will surely lead you to lose the chance for eternal life, even if your community is a monastery. You must not be led by your community, you must be led by God.

To be spiritually minded, to take unseen things into account, to intentionally "fit in" to God's kingdom even though it hasn't reached us yet, is life and peace. It may lose you your life now, but it will win you a future life of peace that will never end, and also a present life of peace that nobody can take away.

So the carnal mind is enmity against God, even those who live in a "Christian" bubble and like to fit into their "Christian" community are enemies of God for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Even if you are in a Seventh-day Adventist bubble where the community does actually respect God's law rather than man's law, the person who keeps God's law out of a desire to conform to their community is not subject to the law of God. No matter how obedient your community is to God's law, you must not focus on your community for your sense of self-worth/salvation/goodness/morality. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

If you want to please God, Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:2) Read the Bible for yourself praying for the Holy Spirit to teach you, and think about what it means. Then when you have an idea of something relevant to you, get out there are do it! Amen.

Reflection on Perfection

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (John 15:5)

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

A further comment on perfection. Perhaps a clarification, perhaps an exploration. Perfection means "wholeness", a seed can be a perfect seed, a shoot can be a perfect shoot, a tree can be a perfect tree but it has never "arrived" and it only stops growing when it is dead. Perfection is to be a present reality, the full surrender of the heart to Jesus, the realisation that without him I am nothing.
To be entirely sanctified, to be blameless, to be without spot or stain, to be like Jesus in character, to hate sin: this is not a present reality for the saved, but rather a goal, a hope, a mission. God wants us to be entirely sanctified, and preserved blameless before the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he takes responsibility to do that work if we let him. We will not be aware of our purified state until Jesus comes in the clouds and we are called to meet him in the air, then we will know.

Perfection in the sense of present submission for continual growth is and will always be ours to have. Perfection in the sense of unlimited glory is and will never be ours, it is for God alone. The tree can be perfect in its flawlessness, but can always grow, can always be better. God is who he is. God does not change, God alone does not need to grow, he is perfect in his eternal immutability (unchangeableness). We can find perfection in him, only as we allow ourselves to grow continually.

I hope that makes sense.

Aspiring to Perfection

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. (James 1:2-4)

There is no place I know of in the Bible where it says we should be sure of our perfection. We don't need to feel perfect, and we will always need to trust Jesus for our salvation. But there are many clear Bible commands to be perfect, and we should at least aspire to this ideal.
I am so happy about doing James in Sabbath School, and the fact that whoever wrote the study guide does not twist the scriptures to be politically correct.

Romans 8:2-4 // Life v. Death

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:2-4)

The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. What law is this? What rules does it consist of? Who polices this law? These are confusing questions. The truth is that Paul uses the word "law" in more than one way. Here he is using it in the scientific sense. The law of gravity. The laws of thermodynamics. Murphy's law. This kind of law can otherwise be called a force in this context to avoid confusion.

So there is a force from the Holy Spirit who gives life through Jesus and this force frees me from the force (power, law) of sin and death in my life. This means that the previous passages in Romans 7 were not Paul's present state but his past state. Paul described the convicted but unconverted man's struggle with his sinfulness and inability to overcome it. Paul himself, has overcome the force of sin by the force of Christ.

Now Paul uses law in the other sense. God's holy law was unable to stop me from breaking it because it is not a living creature, it is only as strong as the person who tries to keep it, and I was too weak. The law is no more capable of making me obey it than a mirror is capable of rubbing a man's face clean. Funny thought.

But this failure to keep the law is reversed by Jesus who was sent to overcome sin while loaded with our human weakness, and some extra burden as well. The purpose of all this was so that we would be able to follow his example and overcome sin in our human weakness. This is what the Word of God says.

The way we are to do this is not by focussing on keeping the law, that is walking after the flesh, and a sure way to fail. But rather to focus on Jesus and the mission he has given us. "As I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of Glory died. My richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride." Not only the cross, but all aspects of true theology and true love for God and humans (a little different to "humanity") will bring you closer in line with God's law.

Becoming more obedient to God's law is the sign that you are getting closer to God.

Romans 8:1 // Like Him Not Sin

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)

He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. (1 John 2:6)

And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. (John 17:19)

People typically focus on the no condemnation part of this text, and this is not entirely wrong. It jumps out at us, we do not want to be condemned, and we consider this text to be evidence that we are not. Let us also consider that the reason we are not to be condemned is being in Christ Jesus and therefore (walking) not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

What does it mean to walk after the Spirit? The second passage shows us that we ought to walk as Jesus walked. Does this mean walk in sandals? That is unlikely. The third passage shows that Jesus wanted us to copy him in spiritual disciplines. It seems strange that Jesus would "sanctify" himself, considering he was already sinless. So even a sinless man can be more sanctified, that is a strange thought, maybe I'm missing something here.

I do think that Jesus meaning is clear. Jesus did things that would make it easier for us to avoid sin if we copied him. Jesus spent special time devoted to prayer (and meditation?) as well as praying on the spur of the moment. Jesus knew "his Bible", he knew it really well, I mean, most theology professors would not know their Bible as well as Jesus did even while he was on earth with the weakness of his humanity on him. Jesus lived a simple life and turned everyday situations into opportunities to witness, like getting water from the "woman at the well". There is so much more of course. By studying the life of Jesus we can learn from him how to follow him in more than just name, and by doing this we can "walk" like him and not like sin, and we will not be condemned. Praise the Lord! Amen.

Romans 7:21-25 // Split Personality or Work In Progress

I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7:21-25)

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. (2 Peter 3:14)

As I read the book of Romans, this is the point when I start wondering what is going on. The other two references show that the early church taught what people generally call "perfectionism" today: the idea of consistently overcoming sin before the resurrection. The Thessalonians reference, also from Paul shows that he expects God will sanctify them completely, which is exactly what most modern theologians teach cannot be done. He also expects that God will preserve their body blameless, not just spirit and soul. The reference from Peter shows an expectation that the Christians will do something proactively to ensure that they are faultless.

Does Paul contradict Peter, and indeed himself? It is possible of course that I have completely misunderstood these two latter passages, I am no theologian. But these passages are not in isolation, there are references like them all through the Bible. What is more, the latter passages seem much clearer to me that Paul's abstract essay in Romans 7. We must understand parts of the Bible that are unclear by comparing it to the clear Bible passages on the same subject (Isaiah 8:20) comparing spiritual things with spiritual (1 Corinthians 2:13). I am unclear on what Paul is trying to say in Romans, so I am going to accept that he does not mean it is impossible to be righteous in reality, he must mean something else.

The most helpful explanation, I think, is that Paul is putting himself in the place of a young Christian. This fits with the context, since what we have seen so far has been about the reality of our sinfulness, even of the Jews who keep the superficial letter of the law (2 Corinthians 3:6). So this baby Christian, whether Jew or foreigner, has realised that his sins are very real and going to leave him very dead for a very long time. He has come to Jesus and starts wanting to keep the law, his inward man, his reason, judgment and conscience tell him that he must not indulge in that shameful habit any more, that he must start doing more wholesome things. But he can not force himself to do it, it is just too hard. Part of him wants to do what is right but deep down (flesh) he really wants to sin, "just one more time…"

His heart is full of sadness because he wants to be like the people at church who just seem to be spiritually perfect, they are wonderful people, he wishes he was like them but part of him just wants to stay the same and he can't find it in himself to change. But thanks be to Jesus Christ, because even in this state he is completely saved, if he dies he was have a part in the resurrection, because Jesus is able to save him. Even though he serves sin with his body, Jesus recognises that in his mind he is a servant of the King. You may be like this, if you have put your trust in Jesus and hate your sin then you are saved, even if you have sins that are dragging you down. But the story does not end there, if you become content with your sin you will be lost, so we must continue reading.

Romans 7:13-20 // Living the Good Life

Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. (Romans 7:13-20)

I have once again broken up a train of thought, which I did not mean to do. Paul has trains of thought like a coal train, 99 carriages long, so long you wonder if it is a continuous train all the way from mine to port. I can be guilty of the same thing though, so I won't throw the first stone.
This section starts off by saying that it is not the law's fault that I am a sinner. I would still be a sinner even if I did not know the law, and most people don't know it thoroughly. The point Paul is making in that previous section (which I said I did not understand, and still don't) as well as this one, is that rather than being a source of salvation, the law is actually a source of conviction. The law does not help me correct my behaviour, it simply shows me how bad my behaviour is. The gospel does not (especially) show me how bad my behaviour is, it shows me how to correct my behaviour, through faith in Jesus Christ.
The fact that we regret sinning, that is, we feel guilty, is evidence that we believe in the law. It is not evidence that the law is valid, the law must stand on different evidence because people will feel guilt about anything they have taught is wrong, regardless of whether it actually is wrong, and they will not feel guilty about something they genuinely believe is okay until they find out somehow that it is actually wrong.
When we have experienced conversion and Jesus has put a desire to live righteously into our hearts, we usually continue to sin. But Paul has a good way of dealing with this problem that is practical for us. Paul says that he does not sin, sin does bad things in him like a monster and parasite. This is a useful way of thinking about it, because we often think of sin as "part of who I am" but actually sin is a monster that we need to obliterate.
If sin is a monster that lives inside me, then he must be killed, and as quickly as possible. I like the analogy that if I don't feed him he will get skinnier and eventually starve to death, though he will not die quietly. Whether we can overcome sin before we join Jesus in heaven is controversial, we will definitely continue to be tempted, and Jesus definitely has the power to give us victory over all sin, but anyway, don't feed the monster. You don't like lying. You hate lying. Sin likes lying and tricks you into doing it. Frustrate sin and refuse to lie, you actually like taking the consequences of truth more than you like living a lie, believe it. The same goes for all sins. Live life as it was meant to be, life for Christ and not for sin, live the good life.

Romans 7:7-12 // Law in Self-examination

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. 9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. 12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. (Romans 7:7-12)

Paul can only be posing the rhetorical question "Is the law sin?" because he believes his readers would be likely to react that way to his previous paragraph. In that paragraph he explained that trying to keep laws is the wrong focus. But "no way!" the law is not sin. The law is not the problem, the law is like the mirror (James 1:23-25). A mirror is very useful when I am washing my face, I can see what part I need to focus on cleaning, and without the mirror I cannot see it. But I would be a madman if I tried to clean my face by rubbing it on a mirror. Mirrors were designed to help me clean my face and they are useful for that, but it is not the mirror that cleans my face, it is the water. In the same way the law shows me what I need to change and the blood of Jesus washes my sins away. Simple.

I really don't know what Paul is talking about when he talks about himself having been alive but then died when the law came. Since I don't know I think it's best not to comment. I do get the idea that Satan can use the law for his own purposes, so we need to be careful, but the law is intrinsically (in itself) useful and right.

Do you compare yourself to God's law, or do you compare yourself to other people?

Romans 7:1-6 // The Law Where There Is No Law

Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? 2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. 3 So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. 4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. 6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. (Romans 7:1-6)

The law cannot touch a dead man. When there is a plane crash and many people die, usually the pilot (who is also dead) is concluded to be at fault. Even though the law cannot touch him personally it is still used to condemn (show his guilt) or vindicate him (show his innocence). The result is relevant to his family who want to remember him as a good man, they want him to be found to be innocent. So the law is still relevant to dead men, but the point Paul is making here is that the law cannot touch him personally because he is already dead. He uses the example of widowhood and remarriage, saying that the husband being dead makes all the difference in this case.
Paul says that this is a similar idea to how we need to live our faith. It's like you have died, your "old life" is gone, the acquaintances that dragged you down, the habits that you couldn't break, the frustrations that wouldn't go away. In their place you have Jesus who will give you love, freedom and peace.
Then Paul goes on to say something a little complicated about the law, which I'm not entirely sure about. This is the sense I make of it:
Before you were converted you were doing things that you knew were wrong (and the fact they were against the law was how you knew), you knew about right and wrong and chose to do wrong and knew you were guilty of death and much of what you did just brought death closer. But now Jesus has forgiven you for breaking the law and given you power to keep it so you have no problem with the law since your law-breaking that condemned you is now over. This power allows you to know God personally and obey him intuitively based on a thorough understanding of who he is and what he wants rather than by studying the details of the law and basing your system of morality entirely on the very specific things that he required and forbade the Hebrews thousands of years ago.

Some of us find it tempting to look for clear rules to follow. Jesus gives some rules and we should follow them, but there is much more to following Jesus than this. To really follow Jesus we must think about what he wants and do it without needing to be commanded. Acts of selfless service to others and witnessing are too complex to specifically mandate but Jesus wants us to do these things.

Romans 6:23 // Self-made Man

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

Much has been made of this verse, but I will make it again. Death is quite a universal thing, there is nobody on earth today who is guaranteed to avoid death. Wages are defined as payment for work done. By doing sinful works we have earned our own death. If I do a good thing surely this is commendable but it doesn't change the fact that I also deserve death. If I died when I first sinned, as I justly ought to have, then I would not be able to do these good things I may have done later. So once I sin, everything I do after that is on borrowed time anyway, it is not to my credit. Anyway, as a creation I am obliged to do good doing it is not to my credit even if I (somehow) did it before I sinned (Luke 17:10).

But Jesus of Nazareth did not sin. Ever. Not only that, he did not need to do good or keep God's law for his own survival. Jesus is God, and as such he answers to no one and for him choosing to do good is purely to his credit, he does not owe the world anything. Let me explain this. We talk about a self-made man, I think Jesus was the only one in history, but I'll get to that.

Imagine a rich man, who left home young and started working two jobs. Once he had some savings he invested them, and his money began to multiply. Soon he began to buy up successful businesses and his wealth multiplied as his guidance caused them to expand and become even more profitable. This man never asked for anything for nothing, he acquired his riches by his hard work and intelligence. We would call him a self-made man. But this is entirely false. Many people work for him every day, if they died suddenly he would be ruined. Clever men set up the companies that he bought, and made them successful enough for him to invest in them. Many people worked hard for years to make his investment stocks profitable. Somebody gave him his first job, before he had any known skills or experience and before he had a chance to prove his good work ethic. His parents gave him everything for years, and even gave him some of what he needed to become the great man he did. They also brought him into the world in the first place. All along the way, God was there behind the scenes. Opening the womb, germinating the plants for food, keeping the sun in place for human survival, sending the rain for drinking, giving forgiveness to the hearts of every man and thus allowing the survival of civilisation. Nobody is a self-made man or woman.

Except Jesus. Jesus was not created, there was never a time that he did not exist. As the commander of Jehovah's angelic armies he co-ruled the universe but willingly came to earth on a mission to save you and me. Why Jesus came may always be a mystery, we call it love, but what does 'love' even mean?What does it really mean?

Jesus never chose to do wrong, not as a supernatural being, not as a natural man. He did not need to  ever die. He did not need to ever forgive anyone. He did not need to go hungry or sleep with a blanket that was too thin. He did not need to put up with bullying. He certainly did not need to be falsely accused of a crime against God (himself!) and tortured and executed for it. But Jesus chose all these things so that no matter what you have done, you can be his friend, you can change. Jesus will change you if you let him, but he needs to be in control. Jesus does not want anyone to claim to be a self-made man. He wants every person to acknowledge the truth, I am a Jesus-made man, so I can return to the manufacturer for repairs, the only person who has the tools to fix me.

Jesus can.

Romans 6:20-22 // Key to Awesomeness

For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (Romans 6:20-22)

As unconverted people, we do not really feel the pain of our sin. We are quite happy carrying on and managing as we are, and religious people don't know what they are talking about when they say absurd things about "a God shaped hole in your heart" or "you can't have purpose or fulfilment without Christ". It does not make sense to us why we need to believe some things or obey some rules so we can live in some strange place forever.

The solution to the unconverted heart that was copied from the Greeks by the Jews and passed to the Roman church from early days was this: the unconverted fear pain though they have no interest in heaven. So it would be taught that unless they were converted they would be tortured forever in the Greek-style underworld. This fear of eternal torture finally scared me into accepting Jesus as my saviour, but it was a hard road from there before I was really converted and accepted him as my lord. I needed to be ground to the dust by inner turmoil and see myself failing at life before I was ready to say to Jesus "okay, why don't you try it then?" I didn't word it exactly that way, but it was a bit like that. I just knew I could not have a "perfect" life with myself in charge, it was actually very good, but not perfect and I wanted "perfect" very badly.

It is the quest for the good life that God uses to motivate us in this passage. Paul asks the converted: did you enjoy sin? The obvious answer is "no, not really". It's true, the stupid sins I was risking my life with did not really give me pleasure at all. But the pure pleasures started coming when I gave my heart to Jesus. Of course I had incredible peace and joy at first, but it didn't stop there. There was a transition period, where things were mixed, but the real joys were coming through and it was undeniable that they were owing to God, whereas the negatives were clearly the result of the policy I had previously pursued.

Holiness. It means a bunch of different things to a bunch of different people. I know there's a proper definition related to something being set aside for a religious ritual, but my reading of the Bible suggests to me that can't be all it means. What is a holy person like? Is it a person that always dresses in a white robe and walks around chanting Psalms? I don't think that picture fits the Bible very well. From my reading of the Bible, I would say holy can be a kind of opposite to "sinner". I know that the opposite of sin is actually righteousness, so there is a bit of a difference here. Perhaps holiness is about doing everything for the purpose of the Glory of God (to make God look good), which obviously means abstaining from sin but is it limited to that? I doubt it.

After conversion, we are not able to sin without fear of punishment. We are led to live for Christ. When a man lives for himself, we don't like him. When a man lives for Christ, people my age have only one word to describe that kind of person (forgive our tiny vocabulary) he is "awesome". Being in tune with the ruler of the universe is the key to awesomeness. If you want to be an awesome person, always making the right choices, always saying the right things, knowing how to be happy and make others happy too, your first step is to ask Jesus to be your lord and saviour.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever. (Psalm 111:10)

Note: My first paragraph is not intended to disparage the claim that every person has a deep longing for God. I think this claim is probably true (Eccles 3:11?) in the sense that everyone needs God to be fully satisfied. I was drawing attention to the fact that most non-Christians I meet do not acknowledge a longing for God and seem to be sincere about it. They do have a longing for the real God, but that's different to the God they have heard about. I hope that those of you who relate to the first paragraph see in the other paragraphs that there are good reasons to come to Jesus even if you experience neither fear of hell nor intense spiritual longing.

Contemplate

My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord. (Psalm 104:34)

This psalm is good for meditating on God, that is, thinking, contemplating about God. It is worth doing.

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Thinking, contemplating about God is a sure way to make me more like him. It is worth doing.

Romans 6:19 // Upgrade Your Mind

I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. (Romans 6:19)

Paul speaks (and writes) to people in a way that takes their weakness and sinfulness into account. When I accepted this fact it was quite life-changing for me. I used to be quite sophisticated and enjoy confusing or impressing people with my vocabulary, and perhaps I still get a bit of pleasure from it from time to time. But I have learned that there is nothing good about an excellent explanation if it is not suited to the person being spoken to. It is not correct to say that others should learn more so they can understand me, so a long time now I have realised that it is my responsibility to express myself in such a way that the majority of people can understand.

I have tried to do that on this blog, I avoid large or unusual words, though I am often tempted to use them. Using big words is not a sign of intelligence, it is a sign of a large vocabulary. A large vocabulary usually comes with a broad knowledge, but not always with understanding. Unless I can express something in the way that a twelve year old would understand I do not really understand it. If I need to resort to special theologian words (jargon) it is evidence that my understanding is lacking.

Unfortunately we often measure the wisdom of the man by the length of his words. But this is not logical.

Teachers, speak however you need to so that your students will understand. Students, listen and obey to upgrade your mind and you will be able to understand more and more. Learning experience from the highly experienced is the easiest way to level up.

Romans 6:17-18 // Obsessive Compulsive Legalistic Order

But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. (Romans 6:17-18)

We were the servants of sin. I would say this applies to all of us. Why would we thank God that we were the servants of sin? Because that is not the whole sentence. I just make that point to remind myself to always be careful how you take part of a sentence out of context. Paul thanks God that the Romans have done what was preached to them and done it with all their heart. Not simply believed, but done. Not because they want to be seen to do the right thing but because they want to do it with all their heart.

They have accepted that form of doctrine, that was delivered or preached to them. This is an interesting statement to me. They have not modified what they heard to suit themselves. Or it may imply that the gospel they heard was not quite right but it saved them anyway because they had faith in God. Both could be true I think.

Because they wholeheartedly did what the preacher told them to do, they were made free from sin, it no longer had any hold on them. Instead they became addicted to doing the right thing. Sin is normal for this world, and sinning does not shock people much. But righteousness is exceptional, it shocks people and they respond very positively or very negatively.

You may be struggling with some sin. Is there something achievable that you have been told to do by the preacher but you are not doing?

You may feel like you are in fact saved. Do people think you are strangely addicted to doing right? Do you ever get called a legalist? Ask God to search your heart for sin and to change you by the power of the Holy Spirit living in you.

Being called a legalist is not a problem if it is not true. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. (Luke 6:26) Being called a "moderate" is usually a worse sign, though being moderate in reality is a good thing of course.

Decide that you will do anything Jesus tells you to, anything at all. His word is true and will help you to live a good life like you cannot imagine, you will not regret it.