Gospel Credit (Rom 4:1-25)

Rom 4:1-25; 4:5

"But to the one who does not work, but believes on Him who declares the ungodly to be righteous, his faith is credited for righteousness" (Rom 4:5, HCSB). "However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness" (Rom 4:5, NIV).

What are the things that bring you great happiness in life? What are the best things that you have in life? Likely they include persons and things about your life that delight you and bring you love, joy and peace. Good food does that for me, since I am a foodie. I am embarrassed and ashamed to admit that during my latest and current trip to Manila and Malaysia I gained 9 lbs (4 kg) in a month! It seems that I turn into a glutton whenever I go back to eating food that I ate growing up. I also love pets. Thus, I also loathe to hear about cruelty inflicted to animals who are virtually at the mercy of humans. It seems as though I still grieve inwardly whenever I think about losing both my dog and my cat. Surely the best things we have that bring us delight and joy are people close to us. After 33 years of marriage my favorite person is still my wife, who is my best friend and the person I would most rather be with...even if we annoy each other whenever we are together. Usually it is in fun and jest. At other times it is our unintentional highly annoying idiosyncrasies. I wrote this last year after 32 years of marriage. As a grandfather, it is such a delight to just see my grandkids pictures and videos on Facebook and Skype. I've also experienced good heath and success in life. Virtually all the things that brings me happiness and joy are basically free gifts. As Christian I realize that I deserve and earn none of them. If anything, I know that I deserve the opposite. I know that the countless blessings I experience are all entirely God's mercy and grace to me, freely given, especially His Son (Gal 2:20, MSG). God blessed me before I believed in Him. God continues to pour out his blessings upon my life after my conversion in 1980. The key verse Rom 4:5 fully resonates with me in that I did nothing but sin as an ungodly person (Isa 64:6; Gen 6:5), while God only blessed (credited) my life as though I lived a perfect life (2 Cor 5:21), which is anything but the truth.

The Turtle on the Fence Post

The late Alex Haley, who wrote Roots, had a unique picture on his office wall of a turtle sitting on top of a fence post. Whenever someone asked about it, Haley would say, "If you see a turtle on a fence post, you know that he had some help. Any time I start thinking, 'Wow, isn't this marvelous what I've done?' I look at that picture and remember how this turtle, me, got up on that post."(Leadership as cited in The Best of In Other Words, 1996, 135). 

The Gospel Excludes Pride and Boasting (Rom 3:27-31)

Romans 3:27-31; 3:28

"So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law" (Rom 3:28, NLT). "Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law" (Rom 3:27-28, NIV).

I love to boast about my uniqueness. I'm an introvert. Though I love engaging and interacting with others, I also love my time alone time of solitude, reading, meditation and contemplation. I'm autonomously driven. Though I will listen to what others say, ultimately I'll make my own decision, even if it is unpopular. I'm an agent provocateur. I simply love stirring things up. I even love annoying my cats and my wife in fun and jest. Incidentally, my cats are often annoyed by me and swipe at me in response, but my wife has accepted my highly annoying idiosyncrasy as part of our complex marital intimacy and joy...most of the time.

Persuasive Preaching

Persuasive Preaching: A Biblical and Practical Guide to the Effective Use of Persuasion by R. Larry Overstreet is a helpful book for preachers, pastors, and ministers of the gospel. It is not an easy read but more like a textbook with much interaction with the Greek. But I enjoyed reading it and found it useful and practical as a bivocational preacher. It prompted me to think seriously about persuasion, and to reassess how I am to preach and teach and communicate Scripture by using persuasion biblically. This book has 4 logical parts moving from issues, need for, theology of, and how to regarding persuasive preaching:

1. Issues Facing Persuasive Preaching.
   
2. Biblical Basis of Persuasive Preaching.
   
3. Structuring Persuasive Messages.
   
4. Pertinent Applications in Persuasive Preaching.
   

What is persuasion? "Persuasion aims at change. It may be change of belief, change of attitude, or change of behavior, but change is the goal." Overstreet makes a very strong case for the utmost importance of persuasion in preaching. Preaching that was geared toward some change was the norm in the past. But persuasion in preaching has been replaced by a more reflective and contemplative style of preaching where the congregation may simply feel informed but not feel challenged or motivated by the sermon. Overstreet encourages the return to persuasion in preaching that would lead to positive change in the congregation.

Preaching at its heart is all about persuasion. Overstreet exegetes the Greek word for "persuasive" (πειθός) peithos. He looks at the use of persuasion in the gospels and the epistles. Persuasion is aimed at honoring God and to help bring people closer to God. Peitho (πείθω) is about convincing people toward action and not mere head knowledge. It includes elements of winning over, obedience, confidence, convincing, faith, trust, and as an emphatic declaration of Christ. Overstreet urges preachers not to just teach Scripture but to empower listeners toward action. He points the "logos," "ethos," and "pathos" in  Paul's theology of preaching. Logos uses logic, pathos appeals to the emotion, and ethos stems from the speaker's integrity and credibility.

Importantly, Overstreet differentiates biblical persuasion from human manipulation. The former is ethical while the latter is not. He points out eight ways to distinguish persuasion from manipulation. For eg., biblical persuasion is honest, does not oversimplify, has no pretense, is not misleading, is not lopsided, while manipulators tend to be deceptive, controlling, have a lack of awareness, and a distrust of the audience. The biblical preacher acknowledges the role of the Holy Spirit that does the true work of inner persuasion. Overstreet concludes with many tips about how to move toward a call to action.

You can access a PDF excerpt here.

I received a free copy of this book from Cross Focused Reviews on behalf of Weaver Book Company.

Preaching By Ear

I love this book! As one who began preaching with some regularity only a few years ago I realized rather soon that preparing and writing out a sermon during one's private study in a room is quite different from preaching the sermon before a live audience. The written sermon should be primarily for reading and study, while the preached sermon is for the listening audience. The author, Dave McClellen, explained this important difference by exploring the art and science of orality from the ancient masters Augustine, Plato, Aristotle and Quintilian. McClellan also explained Preaching by Ear in two videos on youtube: Preach By Ear - What's the problem (2 min) and Preach By Ear - Beginnings (5 min).

Having attended a church for over three decades where the sermon is always read from a written script, I sensed its limitation without knowing exactly how to explain why. A few years ago, I began experimenting with preaching extemporaneously, and found it to be far more fulfilling and organic. McClellan's book helped confirm my suspicions that extemporaneous preaching enables you to connect with your congregation in the moment with unlimited flexibility and vulnerability, which a prepared script is never able to do.

A significant emphasis from Augustine and Quintilian is that the character and integrity of the orator (preacher) is far more important than the skills he may possess in orally communicating his knowledge. Vir bonus (Latin: a man of virtuous character) is perhaps what Quintilian is best known. For Quintilian, there is no separation of speech and speaker. Who a person is irrepressibly leaks into what is said. "We are to form, then, the perfect orator, who cannot exist unless as a good man, and we require in him, therefore, not only consummate ability in speaking, but every excellence of mind." 

McClellen writes, "I've preached sermons where I was funny, even entertaining and very fluent. But my heart was missing. I've covered my lack of heart with humor and stories that are fun to tell. A preacher without deep reflection can hide even in the midst of a passionate delivery. So we have to be mindful that our words and tone demonstrate the deep reflection to which Quintilian refers."

The quotes at the beginning of the chapters also summarizes well each chapter:

"Every age has its own outlook. It is specially good at seeing certain truths and specially liable to make certain mistakes. We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our own period. . . . The only palliative is to keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books." C. S. Lewis, "Introduction" to Athanasius, On the Incarnation.

"For no one may benefit another with that which he does not have himself." St. Augustine, On Christian Doctrine

"It is not true, as some writers assume on their treatises on rhetoric, that the personal goodness revealed by the speaker contributes nothing to his power of persuasion; on the contrary his character must almost be called the most effective means of persuasion he possesses." Aristotle, Rhetoric.

"I am convinced that no one can be an orator who is not a good man, and even if anyone could, I should be unwilling that he should be." Quintilian (35-100 AD), Institutes of Oratory.

"According to our way of thinking you would think the Lord would at least have put off being born until after the invention of printing, that until then there had been no fullness of time, and that he would have secured for himself a few high-speed presses." Søren Kierkegaard.

I received a free copy of this book from Cross Focused Reviews on behalf of Weaver Book Company.

Table of Contents

Prologue     

Part 1: Preparing the Preacher

      1.   Something Old, Something New     

      2.   The Wise Preacher: Augustine's Homiletic     

      3.   Baloney: Why We Trust Some Speakers and Dismiss Others     

      4.   Quintilian: A Surprising Preaching Tutor     

Part 2: Developing an Orally Based Model of Preaching

      5.   Why God Is Partial to the Spoken Word     

      6.   Tongue before Text: Introduction to Orality     

      7.   Finding the Sermon That's "Already There"     

      8.   Swallowing the Word: Building a Sermon Inside You     

      9.   Going Off Script: The Internalized Sermon in the Live Room

Theme of Romans: Gospel, Righteousness, Grace

Structure of Romans based on Rom 1:16-17

1. The gospel reveals the righteousness of God (1-8).
2. First for the Jew, then for the Gentile (9-11).
3. The righteous by faith will live (12-16).

"What God has given to us" (1-11) gives way to "what we are to give to God." But what we are to give to God cannot be produced independently of God's continuing gracious provision. It is not simply a transition from "theology" to "practice." It is rather a focus more on the "indicative" side of the gospel to a focus on the "imperative" side of the gospel.

1. What the gospel is (1-4): Justification.
2. What the gospel does (5-8): Assurance and hope.
3. How the gospel spread (9-11): Jew first, then Gentile.
4. How the gospel works (12-16): Offer yourself to God.
   

Analysis of Romans (Douglas Moo, The Epistle to the Romans)

I. Introduction (1:1-17): The theme of the letter (1:16-17).

II. The Heart of the Gospel (1:18-4:25): Justification by faith.

III. The Assurance of the Gospel (5:1-8:39): The hope of salvation.

IV. The Defense of the Gospel (9:1-11:36): The problem of Israel.

V. The Transforming Power of the Gospel (12:1-15:13): Christian conduct.

VI. Conclusion (15:14-16:27).

Tracing the Righteousness of God Through Romans (Bob Deffinbaugh)

1. The Righteousness of God - Introduction (1:1-17).
2. The Righteousness of God in Revealing the Unrighteousness of Man (1:18-3:20).
3. The Righteousness of God in Saving Unrighteousness Man (3:21-5:21).
4. The Righteousness of God is the Goal of Salvation (6:1-8:39).
5. The Righteousness of God in History (chaps. 9-11).
6. The Righteousness of God Reflected by Believers (chaps. 12-15).
7. Paul's Postscript (chap. 16).

Structure of Romans Based on the Theme of Grace (Christopher Ash; ESV Gospel Transformation Bible)

1. Introduction (1:1-15).
2. Body (1:16-15:13).
1. Coming under grace (1:16-4:25).
2. Living under grace (5:1-8:39).
3. The overflow of grace (9:1-11:36).
4. A church shaped by grace (12:1-15:13).
   
3. Conclusion (15:14-16:27).
   

The Christmas Promise

The premise of The Christmas Promise is simple and clear: God keeps his promise. This core truth is repeatedly emphasized. This Christmas story begins with a promise. Long ago God made a promise and He kept His promise. We and our children need to know that God is trustworthy. God is worthy of our trust because He keeps His promises. This story illustrates how God can be trusted to keep His word.

The book also explains how God promised to provide a king, a new king, and a rescuing king, and a forever king, who was confirmed by God's special messengers. By following the messengers' instructions, their words always came true. As in Matthew's Gospel, men who followed a bright star on a long journey saw how the message was true. God indeed keeps His promises. We can always trust God, even today. Many pages were illustrated with sketches of kings, both old and modern from around the world: Chinese, English, a Pharaoh, a modern president. Kings have authority and leadership so that this newly born king is someone we can trust and follow without fear.

The visual illustrations are simple, attractive, cartoon-like, child-friendly and a visual treat. I recommend this to parents to read with their young children.

7 Objections About Christianity

In the first section of Reason for God, titled "The Leap of Doubt," Tim Keller answers 7 common critiques and doubts about Christianity:

1. There can't be just one true religion
2. A good God could not allow suffering
3. Christianity is a straitjacket
4. The church is responsible for so much injustice
5. A loving God would not send people to hell
6. Science has disproved Christianity
7. You can't take the Bible literally

In the second half of the book, titled "The Reasons for Faith," Keller gives 7 reasons to believe in the claims of the Christian faith.

1. The clues of God
2. The knowledge of God
3. The problem of sin
4. Religion and the gospel
5. The (true) story of the cross
6. The reality of the resurrection
7. The Dance of God

100 Pianos Tuned to the Same Fork

"Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow.

So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship."

A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, The Pursuit of the Soul.

Faith by AW Tozer, The Pursuit of God

Faith is the least self-regarding of the virtues. It is by its very nature scarcely conscious of its own existence.

Like the eye which sees everything in front of it and never sees itself, faith is occupied with the Object upon which it rests and pays no attention to itself at all. While we are looking at God we do not see ourselves--blessed riddance.

The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One. While he looks at Christ, the very things he has so long been trying to do will be getting done within him. It will be God working in him to will and to do.

Faith is not in itself a meritorious act; the merit is in the One toward Whom it is directed. Faith is a redirecting of our sight, a getting out of the focus of our own vision and getting God into focus.

Sin has twisted our vision inward and made it self-regarding. Unbelief has put self where God should be, and is perilously close to the sin of Lucifer who said, "I will set my throne above the throne of God." Faith looks out instead of in and the whole of life falls into line.

Why Study Romans

Why should we take some time to study Romans? Perhaps take up to one year to study it in some depth and detail?

• Martin Luther called Romans "really the chief part of the NT, and ...truly the purest gospel. It is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but also that he should occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul."
• John Stott says, "(Romans) is the fullest and grandest statement of the gospel in the NT...a timeless manifesto of freedom through Jesus Christ."
• Douglas Moo, NT scholar, says, "Romans is Paul's summary of the gospel that he preaches. The theme of the letter is the gospel."

Romans sermons preached so far all begin with the word "Gospel," because it is the theme of Romans.

The written sermons listed below are for reading; the preached sermon is for listening by video or audio:

1. Gospel of God's Grace (1:1-6): Can you explain compellingly what the gospel is?
   
• The gospel or good news is the gospel of the grace of God (Ac 20:24).
• Paul's purpose of life is that he was set apart for the gospel of God (Ac 1:1).
• The goal of the gospel is for Jesus' name sake (Rom 1:5).
  
2. Gospel Enthusiasm (1:7-15): How enthusiastic and excited are you about Jesus?
   
• Paul could not contain his eagerness to preach the gospel in Rome (Rom 1:15; Jer 20:9).
  
3. Gospel Power (memorize 1:16-17): Why can't you save (change) yourself by your own power?
   
• There are three tenses of salvation (Eph 2:8; Tit 3:5; 2 Tim 1:9; 1 Cor 1:18; Phil 2:12; Rom 5:9-10).
• The gospel reveals the righteousness of God.
  
4. Gospel Faith (1:16-17): Is faith a work you must do, or a gift you receive?
   
• Why is gospel faith God's work and not a human work (Phil 1:6; 2:12-13)?
• Does living by faith make you righteous?
• Explain the difference between "the righteous by faith will live" and "the righteous will live by faith."
  
5. Gospel Suppression - Idolatry (1:18-2:5). What do you truly want more than anything else in the world?
• "An idol can be ... anything that can substitute for God." (Rom 1:23, 25)
  
6. Gospel Impartiality (2:6-29): How will God judge you (Rom 2:6)? Why (Rom 2:11)?
• Does God judge religious Jews differently from irreligious Gentiles? Christians from non-Christians?
• Contrast the reward of the righteous (Rom 2:7,10) with the destiny of the wicked (Rom 2:8-9).
  
7. Gospel Accusation (3:1-20): What is everyone accused of (Rom 3:9)?
• How can it be true that no one seeks God (Rom 3:11) and no one does good (Rom 3:12)?
  
8. Gospel Righteousness (3:21-26).
• Martin Luther regards Rom 3:21-26 as "the chief point, and the very central place of the Epistle, and of the whole Bible." Others regard it as "the center and heart" of Romans, and "possibly the most important single paragraph ever written."
  
9. Gospel Boasting (3:27-31): Why should a Christian not boast and feel superior to others (Rom 3:27)?
   
10. Gospel Credit (4:1-25).
11. Gospel Blessedness (5:1-11).