A Christian is Unconquerable (Romans 8:26-39)

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Rom 8:37).

"A Christian is an impregnable person. He is a person that never can be conquered." Richard Sibbes. The Bruised Reed. 17th Century. [See Notes below.]

** Memorize Romans 8:28, 8:31-32, 8:37-39.

      A Christian Cannot be Conquered because the center, core and crux of Christianity is that Christ was Crucified for the Church and the Cosmos.

Change (Romans 6:1-14)

• If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
• What do you wish you could cut out OR add to your life forever, instantly?

1. How might you answer someone who says that it is no big deal for a Christian to sin, since grace will cover it (Rom 6:1; 5:20)? [Why did Paul's Jewish opponents oppose his teaching of grace (Rom 6:15?]

It's OK when God Withholds and Things Don't Go the Way You Want

God would give you everything you ask for if you knew everything that God knows.

If we have the perspective that God has, if we can see the end at the beginning, if we could see all hearts, if we knew everything that is to know and all the contingencies, then what God gives us is what we would ask for. Thus, God will always answer your prayers if you know everything that God knows.

Change a Bad Wrong Attitude

My sentiment and attitude for most of my life--even after becoming a Christian--which all my 4 children unfortunately experienced was "Go ahead, make my day." What my children felt about my attitude was "as if I didn't give an f... about what people felt or thought." Sadly, I didn't mind it and sometimes still do not, due to my own stubborn insistence on my own rightness.

But over the past decade or so, I am intentionally trying to change that, based on:

• "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" (Rom 12:18), and
• 
  "For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man" (2 Cor 8:21).

Yet a favorite verse of mine is

• "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me" (1 Cor 4:3-4).

My life should not be affected by what others think of me, since I should be more concerned about what God thinks of me. So, yes, I shouldn't care how others judge me. But I do judge myself, for I'm often acutely aware of my sins, which never entirely goes away. So my conscience does bother me and I can only avail myself to God's judgment and God's mercy.

Even as I fail often, I desire to live with a heart of "fear and trembling" before God (Phil 2:12), and with "humility and tears" (Ac 20:19), and by my faith and conviction of one "who loved me and gave himself to me" (Gal 2:20).

Legalism, Liberalism and the Gospel

Ben Toh; June, 2018

Legalism (conservatives, generally“older”) “Jews”	Licentiousness (liberals, generally “younger”) “Gentiles”	The Gospel
God is holy – shape up.	God is love – be yourself	God is holy and love.
Man is a soul. Spiritual life important.	Man is a body. Physical life important.	Man is both body and soul.
Just teach the Bible (evangelism). Focus on the soul and eternal life.	Just do social justice. Focus on caring for the present life of all people.	Do both.
Sin is very serious – beat yourself up and/or beat up (criticize) sinners.	Sin is no big deal – ignore sin, minimize sin in yourself and others.	See Christ on the cross – he took your sin very seriously and still loves you.
Repent of “sin.”	Repentance? What is that?	Repent of sin, especially self-righteousness.
Reject physical pleasure. “Deny yourself.”	Satisfy your physical desires. What feels right is right.	Physical enjoyment is good, but live wisely.
Hard to embrace unrepentant people – people  who don’t change.	Embrace people with no consideration of whether they change or not.	Embrace people with prayer and tears for their repentance/conversion.
You must do this. You must do what I say.	You don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do.	Do what is right in love (grace and truth).
You must earn righteousness.	You don’t really need righteousness. Who knows or cares what that is anyway.	Receive God’s perfect righteousness.
Critical, condescending, condemning, censuring, conditional.	Embracing, welcoming, unconditional, non-discriminatory. Ignore and overlook issues.	Face and confront issues with unconditional love.
Critical of (hates) liberals - too loose.	Critical of (hates) conservatives - too rigid, inflexible.	Critiques both. Loves both.
Impatient. Absolute.	Tolerant. Relative.	Gracious. Kind. Absolute and tolerant.
Just change.	People don’t need to change.	People can change, but it takes time. There are no quick fixes.

Either my way of the highway. Anyway is okay. Jesus says, "I am the way."

Grace, Enthusiasm and Power (Romans 1:1-17)

"As it says in the Bible, 'the just shall live by faith'" (Rom 1:17b, The Kingdom New Testament, N. T. Wright). " "The righteous by faith will live" (NET Bible).  "The people God accepts because of their faith will live" (CEV).

Romans 1:16-17 is the gospel, the theme and the thesis statement of Romans in summary form and the essence of Christianity. It summarizes Paul's theology as a whole.

"The gospel is not advice to people, suggesting that they lift themselves. It is power. It lifts them up. Paul does not say that the gospel brings power, but that it is (present tense = continually) power, and God's (omnipotent) power at that." Leon Morris.

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 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.

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).
    

Romans summary (N.T. Wright)

From the NIB (New Interpreter's Bible)

• Chapters 1-4: God's gospel unveils the fact that in the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, the God of Israel has been true to the covenant established with Abraham and has thereby brought saving order to the whole world. In the face of a world in rebellion and a chosen people unfaithful to their commission, God has, through the surrogate faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah, created a worldwide--that is, a Jewish and Gentile--family for Abraham, marked out by the covenant sign of faith.
  

• Chapters 5-8: God has thereby done what the covenant was set up to do: to address and solve the problem expressed in biblical terms as the sin of Adam. In the Messiah, Jesus, God has done for this new people what was done for Israel of old in fulfillment of the promise to Abraham: Redeemed from the Egypt of enslavement to sin, they are led through the wilderness of the present life by the Spirit (not by the Torah), and they look forward to the inheritance, which will consist of the entire redeemed creation. This is how the creator will finally put the whole world to rights. All this is the result of God's astonishing, unchanging, self-giving covenant love expressed completely and finally in the death of Jesus.
  

• Chapters 9-11: This section highlights the peculiar tragedy of the gospel's revelation of God's righteousness--namely, the ironic failure of Israel to believe in the Messiah. This, too, however, turns out to be held within the strange purposes of God, whereby Israel's fall, acting out on a grand scale the death of Jesus, is the means by which salvation can extend to the whole world. This cannot mean that Jews themselves are thereby forever debarred from participating in the covenant blessing; Paul himself is a counter example, and God desires that even now, by recognizing that it is indeed their promised blessings that the Gentiles are enjoying, more of Paul's fellow Jews will come to share in the new covenant membership. Gentile Christians, therefore, are warned severely against anti-Jewish arrogance. This section ends with a paean of praise for the strange but glorious purposes of God.

• Chapters 12-16: The community that is created by this gospel must live as the true, renewed humanity, in its internal and external life. In particular, it must reflect God's intention that Jew and Gentile come together as one worshiping body in Christ. Paul's own plans are bent to this end, and his greetings to different groups in the Roman church may indicate his desire to bring together disparate groups in common worship and mission.
  

What is the Gospel? (Rom 1:1-6, 14-17)

After a very brief introduction of himself (Rom 1:1), Paul begins his magnum opus by launching off into what the gospel is (Rom 1:2-6,14-17). What is the gospel (to which Paul has been set apart)?