Maintaining a Healthy Fear of God
Trust and Obey – Part 8
An Introduction To The Book Of Romans
While we do His good will, He abides with us still, And with all who will trust and obey.
We are moving briefly (if I may say so) to align some of our posts from our previous webpage with this topic we are dealing with, Maintaining a Healthy Fear of God. we hope to do this in order to show the links of the book of Romans with the centrality of the Christian faith – The Cross of Jesus at Calvary. We Think that a good understanding or grasp of these resources on the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is an absolute necessity for one to be a able understand what we will be discussing in the book of Romans. These resources can be found on this site and also at SAB21st or FACEBOOK
A. THE BOOK OF ROMANS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.
In my own Christian walk, I have found that the Book of Romans is one of the most relevant books of the bible because of it’s relevance to our world today. It is also that part of the New Testament that brings to reality, the life and the finished work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in our everyday living. That life and work which brings down the barrier between God and man; and brings the only solution to the innumerable problems caused by man’s pride of thinking “I can go it all the way” without God”; as it demonstrates the effects of God’s truth upon mankind. The gospel of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is that solution.
Paul is the author of Romans but he did not write it himself as seen in Rom.16:22. “I, Tertius, the writer of this letter, greet you in the Lord”. This is the only mention of Tertius in scripture. He actually wrote the book of Romans from the Apostle Paul’s dictation. This letter was written in commercial bustling city of Corinth, Greece (The London or New York of that time); and sent between A.D. 55 and 58. Paul was at the tail end of his third missionary journey at the time of its writing.
Although Paul had never personally been to Rome before, he wrote this letter to the saints in Rome (1:7) whom he had never met, which informs his longing to visit them (1:11). He was also not the founder of this church, so he definitely had written the letter through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The keywords and phrases to get familiar with in Romans include; Law, sins, Sin, Blood of Jesus, Cross, grace, repentance, faith, justice, flesh, spirit, justification, sanctification, eternal purpose, Glory of God etc.
B. WHEN AND WHY WAS IT WRITTEN
Paul wrote the letter to introduce himself and communicate his love for them and his desire to visit them (1:9-12). He hoped to go eventually to Spain and wanted to first fellowship and minister to them in Rome, with the hope that they will assist him in his ministry in Spain. For the present he must return to Jerusalem for he is taking gifts for the relief of the poor brethren there. Toward this end, he desires their prayers for God’s blessings (15:23-32).
We can see the fearlessness of the writing as guided by the Holy Spirit as he was forthright with issues he picked up with the Romans despite the fact that he already knew that he was going to need their help for his ministry in Spain.
C. NOTABLE THEMES AND TESTIMONIES OF THE BOOK
1. TRUTHFULNESS OF CHRISTIANITY. Augustus, a philosopher and teacher who lived between the fourth and fifth centuries came under conviction concerning the truthfulness of Christianity. He like the scientist or well off bankers of his day (even today as you will see in our cities) as he described in the 8th book of his “confession” similar to “Cityboy: Beer and Loathing in the Square Mile” by Geraint Anderson which describes life within the square mile of the city of London – the bankers’ haven. Despite these bouts of conviction from the Holy Spirit He kept putting off the chance of confessing, renouncing and turning away from his sinful ways. So one day while he was in Milan Italy he heard a child singing in Italian
“Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarrelling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires”.
This was the beginning of the ministry of St Augustine as he was later known. After this experience he wrote in 8th book of his “confession”: “No further would I read, nor did I need; for instantly, as the sentence ended—by a light, as it were, of security infused into my heart—all the gloom of doubt vanished away.” “take, Read” “take, Read”. As he had never had a song like that before he taught this could be a message from God (how so religious of him!!): So he rushed to the nearest copy of the bible he could lay his hands on and opened at random. The first words that met his gaze were in Romans13:13-14:
“Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” (Romans 13:13-14)
2. FUNDAMENTALITY OF “RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH” TO CHRISTIANITY
This letter to the Romans, just as it deals with the morally deficient individual, so does it deal with the morally astute person, it deals very much with those who want to please God by their own works. This was the case with Martin Luther, the father of the protestant reformation; for Luther, instead of growing closer to God – He felt further away. Instead of getting to love God more – He hated Him more for requiring apparently impossible standard of righteousness in him as a believer and all human beings in general. He gradually developed a secret anger against God. In his desperation, by grace he found the book of Romans and in chapter 1 verse 17 Luther read:
“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith”.
By reading this Luther realised that it was not his own righteousness that God was looking for, but the righteousness of Christ that is available to anyone who cares to ask for it. He discovered that we do not have any righteousness of our own to bring to God because we are bankrupt sinners. We receive God’s righteousness, not through any works of our own, but by faith alone in the finished work of Christ. When we put our faith in Christ, we take God at His word and believe what He says about us and His saving grace in Christ. Luther said:
I had no love for that holy and just God who punished sinners. I was filled with secret anger against Him. I hated Him. . . . But when I learned how the justification of the sinner proceeds from the free mercy of our Lord through faith, then I felt born again like a new man.
Luther, like Paul, discovered that Christianity is Jesus Christ, that it is not about the philosophy of men, like Paul said in his letter to Timothy:
“ As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” (1 Timothy 1:3-5)
Like the first and most important commandment tells us:
LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND
So;
Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ?
Do you love Him with all your heart?
Do you love Him with all your being?
Does He occupy your thoughts?
Is He the centre of your attention?
Do you speak often of Him?
There is nothing like being conquered by His love. It lifts you out of the “shallow and selfish, constantly shifting ebbs and flows of cultural sands” of our day. May our very person, like the “man in Christ,” be filled with more and more of Him
“who loved me and gave Himself for me”
because
“You are not your own; you were bought at a price”
Paul was in love with Christ, and that is the only way you can explain him. He had been conquered and captivated by the living Lord Jesus Christ. I believe with all my heart that when He has conquered our hearts, we will love Him the same way and then and only then will our contemporaries say of us, “There is a man, or there is a woman, or there is a young person in Christ.”
The question now is;
Is this ancient writing now relevant in our 21st century jet set, Internet propelled, Godless, greedy, self righteous society drenched in human blood?
How does this apply to our very existence or survival- can we expect this letter to meet our needs today?
The answer to this is yes and I say again yes
because as JM Boice puts it:
“Christianity has been the most powerful, transforming force in human history – and the book of Romans is the most basic, most comprehensive statement of true Christianity”
Looking at the Political background at the time Paul wrote the letter; the first century church was under Roman rule. God used Roman rule (epitomised by the world political, economic and religious set-up of today) to protect, to consolidate, to extend, and to test His young church. The city itself was prosperous and growing. Working class, slaves (just like the employment laws of today that guarantees maximum profit for the employer often to the detriment of employees and their families) and also aristocracy lived in Rome. Economic subsidies, wealth, poverty, entertainment, government, public buildings, parks, famous people, military, and intrigue filled the city.
Nero was the emperor at this time. He ruled from A.D. 54-68. He became the emperor at age 17 and committed suicide at age 31. Just like today (especially in the western world) There was a reasonable decent standard of living (for some, more that enough for them and generations of their children) which tends to make a man think that he is self sufficient and able to “go it” all the way without God, a gradual move to the situation Paul describes in chapter 1 verses 28-32:
“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”
D. OVERVIEW OF ROMANS
Book of Romans demonstrates the effects of God’s truth upon mankind. The heart of this letter is the barrier between God and man and the solution to this problem.
The gospel of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is the solution.
The gospel message is that God’s righteousness is offered to mankind based on the death and resurrection of Christ; man receives God’s righteousness by faith in Christ alone. So in the course of our study of the book of Romans we will be looking at God’s truth in these categories:
Eternal Purpose: Greeting and introduction:
Christ as the theme, God’s righteousness and man’s unrighteousness, (Romans 1-3).
God gives His righteousness through faith alone, (Romans 4-5).
The gospel:
We Can Live the Normal everyday Christian Life? (Romans 6-8).
Universality / Outworking of Christianity in individual and national life:
God’s Plan for Israel, (Romans 9-11). Day to Day Christian Living, (Romans 12-16).
In our next post we will have a look at
GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE – Foresight of The Master Planner
Most Importantly!!!!!
You might say – “Why do I have to know and experience this Jesus you are going on about?” Here is why, when and how you can get to know Him.
Admit your spiritual need.
We all are sinners: nobody likes that title “SINNER”, but the bible says in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”.
What is the result of sin?
In Romans 6:23 we read “The wages of sin is death…” in other words, every sin is another step towards death. One thing that we need to remember is that God never sends anyone to hell; one can send himself there by rejecting the truth.
Since we can never measure up to God’s standards by our own strength; God has reached out to mankind.
In Romans 5:8 we read, “God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. It is Jesus, after all, who is the source of life’s greatest high.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17).
What must a person do to accept this gift?
Simply receive it! Matthew 11:28 states –“come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…for my yoke is easy and my burden is light”. Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me” Jesus stands at the door of your heart and knocks, seeking entrance into your life to give you peace, change you for the best. John 1:12 says: “For as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God”.
If you haven’t already received Christ as your Saviour, don’t put it off another day! Take time right now to reflect on the state of your life, how does Romans 3:23 apply to you? Ask God to empower you to see the true state of your heart – “The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) then when enabled, invite Jesus into your life. Confess your sins. Receive His forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. You could pray something like this:
Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner in need of a Saviour. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. Thank You for giving me eternal life. Help me to live my life in a way that pleases You, for whatever time You give me here on earth. I look forward to living forever in Heaven with You. Amen.