Messages

There are three world religions that trace their beginnings back to Abraham. Two of them use his life a picture of what it means to follow the Law of God. And one, Christianity as described by Paul, uses Abraham as an example of what it means to live by faith. Righteousness was not a wage that Abraham earned, it was a credit he received by faith. It wasn’t something he received because he followed the law, but before.

We are all powerless to be righteous on our own. We can’t obey our way into the kingdom. That can leave us all a bit hopeless. Which is what makes the Gospel Good news. There is now a righteousness available that doesn’t come through the law, but comes by faith to ALL who believe. Those who had Fatih before Christ and those of us who have faith after christ can ALL be made righteous through the blood of Jesus. And because it isn’t something we have done, but what he has done, we don’t take the credit, instead we give him our lives.

Paul has argued that all will be judged based on what they do. If you keep the law, you are righteous. (2:13) if you do not, you are condemned as a law breaker. (2:25-27). So our best hope is being better at law keeping, right? Wrong. There is no one righteous, not even you. The law wasn’t given to make people righteous, it was given to prove they aren’t righteous.

There are advantages to being in the company of the believers, even if you aren’t a believer. Living the word, even without believing the word, will bless your life. We all benefit from living in a nation that was founded on the word of God. Even those who don’t believe it. Paul also declares that God’s faithfulness is not predicated upon our faithfulness. He will be faithful to his promises, both good and bad, no matter what.

It is one thing to have the truth, it is something else to live by it. In this text Paul, speaking to the Jewish people in the church, affirms their teaching of the word, but questions their obedience to it. Again, the expectation isn’t that we know what is right, but do what is right. And no one has lived up the standard of the law. We are all lawbreakers, which is why we need Jesus.

We often judge others by their actions, while judging ourselves by our intentions. Paul declares that everyone will be judged, not by what they have heard, or even what they have believed. We will all be judged by what we do. Not that our actions save us, but our actions testify to whether we are saved. We will all be held to account for what we do with what we know. (Note the pronoun “you” he is talking to Jews).

In this text, we read one of the scariest lines in the Bible for a third time: “God gave them over.” As Paul outlines the wrath of God on the gentiles, He gives them over to the depraved mind they so long for. And as a result, Paul shares twenty-one sins that are a result. When these actions and attitudes seem normal and natural to us, we can assume we have a depraved mind too.

What do you do when you don’t want to obey God? You create your own. In this text, Paul describes people who choose to create their own Gods so that they can live their lives however they want. In doing so, they exchange the immortal Glory for Mortal glory and the truth for a lie. The result of idol creation is always sexual immorality.

Before God reveals his wrath, he reveals himself. The creation we live in reveals the creator behind it. God has not left people in the dark. If they don’t know him or see him, is because they choose not to know him or see him.

In this text, we learn Paul has yet to visit this church, but he longs to. Even though he did not plant this church, he has a passion for them. He is praying for them constantly. He wants to strengthen their faith. He wants to see a harvest among them. He is obligated and eager to preach the Gospel because he is not ashamed. Which begs the question, how many of us feel compelled to share the gospel with those around us?