Continuing
\nour topic at hand we will see three things in particular today: 1)
\nEdifying each other in the church; 2) What does it mean to not be
\nashamed of the gospel of God; and 3) What does it mean when Paul writes
\nthat "The just shall live by faith"?<\/p>\n
Still in Paul’s introduction, we start to see the basis for his
\nletter and yet also the great care he takes in executing the letter to
\nthe Roman believers. We’ll see this great care repeated in the final
\nchapter, but for now we see the amount of praise and love he has for
\nthe Roman brethren in that their faith is being proclaimed (1:8)
\nthroughout the whole world. Indeed, the fire of the gospel, which was
\nsparked in Jerusalem , burned outward at such a tremendous rate that
\nthe entire world was set ablaze with the message of good news from God.
\nElsewhere Paul mentions that the report of the Roman obedience to the
\ngospel has reached all ears and this is where he finds great rejoicing
\nover these brethren?and yet he wrote to them so that they would be wise
\nin what is good and innocent in what is evil (16:19).<\/p>\n
Paul’s great love is exhibited in the very fact that he makes mention
\nof these people in his prayers (1:9, 10) and also for his very great
\ndesire to come to Rome ( 1:10 ). As we stated earlier, Paul was
\ncarrying a gift southwards to the Jerusalem saints, a relief gift (
\n15:26 -27) for the tough conditions which were being faced there. He
\nwould have liked to have journeyed to Rome ( 1:13 ) but he had things
\nthat prevented him (which he later goes into further detail on in
\nchapter 15).<\/p>\n
He wished to cultivate fruit (1:11-13) among the Roman brethren so
\nthat they may be edified in the faith and that he would be encouraged
\ntogether with them?each of them feeding off of each other’s faith. <\/p>\n
It is actually quite a tremendous thing that the use of a spiritual
\ngift to impart edification to other believers results in a mutual
\nstrengthening. If you momentarily take a look at Ephesians 4:16 where
\nPaul goes into an explanation of the body is being fitted and held
\ntogether by what every joint supplies. The edification of the body
\nisn’t reliant on any single member or a council of members, but on each
\nindividual member using the gift supplied by the very Lord Jesus
\nHimself on His exalted throne. <\/p>\n
Not Ashamed of the Gospel…? <\/strong><\/p>\n But that, after all, is an aside from the topic at hand, for in the Here lies the foundational step to understanding verses 16 and 17. Is he saying that he is not afraid of persecution from men? After Or could it be that he is saying that he has a reason to have shame Let’s not have a weak understanding of this gospel, brethren. Paul Paul was pointing out that he was eager to do this preaching because This gospel is the very power of God for salvation to everyone who "The Just Shall Live by Faith"?what does THAT mean? <\/strong><\/p>\n This is why Paul quotes a certain verse from Habakkuk when he points People take this entire portion to support this idea of faith as if Therefore, we turn to the book of Habakkuk and note the context of The Lord then answers Habakkuk that He is raising up a people, the The prophet finds himself confused and upset, pointing out to God As Habakuk waits for an answer (and also for chastisement?2:1) God This subsequently leads to Habakkuk’s prayer where he asks that the So when Paul makes reference in verse 17 of chapter 1 to the just It is therefore not surprising that the subject delves into the very wrath of God in the following verses and chapter.<\/p>\n -r-<\/span> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Continuing our topic at hand we will see three things in particular today: 1) Edifying each other in the church; 2) What does it mean to not be ashamed of the gospel of God; and 3) What does it mean when Paul writes that "The just shall live by faith"? Still in Paul’s introduction, we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-romans"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nfollowing verses he begins the ground work of why this Jew is writing
\nto these Gentiles. He is, after all, a believer like they are
\nbelievers, in the truest sense of the word…but His calling was
\ndifferent than other believers. As a Jew, He was called by the very
\nLord Jesus Himself, an act of tremendous mercy and grace for the
\npurpose of making Paul into a walking advertisement of mercy and grace.
\nIt is for this reason that Paul was called out to the Gentiles as this
\nvery public example that if the Lord could take a proud man such as
\nSaul of Tarsus, a man who stood like Pharoah in his stubborn resolve,
\nand show such mercy on him, how much more mercy would he show the
\nGentiles who have never heard of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
\nThe slave Paul, called to do the work of apostle, this ambassador work,
\nis a debtor to Greeks and barbarians?rather people who speak some
\nforeign non-understood language. Both to the wise (such as the
\nphilosophers) and the foolish he was willing to preach to. <\/p>\n
\nPaul underscores how he is eager to preach the gospel to them in Rome
\nand then goes onto say that he is not ashamed of the gospel, this good
\nnews. <\/p>\n
\nall, Paul was a walking example of a person who just wouldn’t give up.
\nOne need only look at that long list of accomplishments, as it were, in
\nthe name of the Lord (2 Cor 11:23 -33). <\/p>\n
\ntowards the gospel because it’s so unsophisticated in a sophisticated
\nworld? How often have we heard this verse used to engender in us some
\nodd version of faith. "Go preach the gospel to your atheistic friends,"
\nthey may say "You have faith and you are not to be ashamed of this
\ngospel…the just shall live by Faith!" <\/p>\n
\nis not here stating either of those aforementioned things. He was
\nspeaking to the very capitol of the world where philosophers ran in
\ncircles and scientists, if you will, argued their thesis daily. There
\nwere theologians aplenty in Rome , be it for different religions and
\nthere was acceptance of each others practices. Ancient Rome had many
\nsimilarities to Modern Day Europe and America . They would decry any
\nbelief system that proclaimed itself to be the only true way as
\nfoolishness and complete nonsense. They perhaps would hear of this
\nresurrected Jesus and point out the foolishness of such a statement and
\narguing that there may be a historical Jesus, but He surely didn’t
\nresurrect?merely a wise philosopher or moralist. <\/p>\n
\nthis gospel was from God Himself (as we have already established a
\ncontrast to the Human Government in Rome ) and this gospel makes sense!
\nThis isn’t some idea or belief system based on some blind faith but
\nbased on witnesses and proofs. This wasn’t some contrived philosophical
\nargument but made sense to the level that Paul could stand with the
\nwise and the foolish both apologetically defend the gospel! <\/p>\n
\nbelieves to the Jew first and also to the Greek! Paul doesn’t have any
\nshame at all for this gospel but is completely confident in this gospel
\nfor it is the means and power of God unto saving men. <\/p>\n
\nout that the very righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith
\nin that "The Just shall live by Faith" <\/p>\n
\nrelying on something blindly, but this is not how Paul is using it at
\nall. We are inevitably drawn to look into the book of Habakkuk under
\nPaul’s own encouragement later on in the book of Romans that the things
\nof the past are given for our own instruction (15:4). <\/p>\n
\nthe verse. Habakkuk the prophet stands in the City and notes the
\nviolence and wickedness all about him. He cries out to the Lord
\nwondering why the law is ignored and justice never upheld. He cries out
\nthat Justice is being perverted (Hab 1:1-4). <\/p>\n
\nChaldeans no less, who will do things that even if the prophet were
\nexplicitly told, He would not believe. These people will swoop into the
\nvery homes of the children of Israel and seize the places that are not
\ntheirs, collecting captives like sand. They mock kings and laugh at
\nfortresses and rely on their own laws. In effect, this horrendous
\ncalamity about to overtake the people was raised up by God, the role
\ngiven to a people who were just as bad as the offending children of
\nIsrael . (Hab. 1:5-11) <\/p>\n
\nthat he is eternal and too good to approve evil. How is it, he wonders,
\nthat the Lord brings unrighteous men to judge the people of God? How is
\nit that wicked men are being allowed to do such a thing to those who
\nare less wicked than them? (Hab 1:12-17). <\/p>\n
\ntells him to get stone tablets so that others may be warned. He points
\nout that this horrendous event is for a future date, an appointed time
\n(2:3) but though it hasn’t happened as of yet, wait…it most definitely
\nwill. He then gives Habakkuk tremendous words of comfort that the proud
\nman, His soul not being right, but the righteous man will survive this
\ncalamity by his faith in God. God then goes onto expand on this sifting
\nby means of highlighting the wicked man and proclaiming woe to the
\nthose who have wicked gain in their house for they are sinning against
\nthemselves and not placing themselves so high as to escape the oncoming
\ncalamity (2:9-10). This oncoming calamity will befall the wicked like a
\nwave and the Earth will fall silent before Him. ( 2:20 ). <\/p>\n
\nLord revive His work and also that the Lord trampled the nations and
\nwent for the salvation of His people ( 3:12 ,13). Habakkuk has been
\ncomforted in such a way that his prayer is in the past tense although
\nthe events have not yet happened! <\/p>\n
\nliving by faith, he is not referring to some daily walk that is
\nconfident on God (although the thought may definitely be included as an
\noutworking). He is referring to the fact of judgment and how the just
\nshall survive the calamity of great and furious judgment. It is by no
\nmeans, but their faith in the eternal God. <\/p>\n