Romans by Chris Hearty (2019)

Faith is not a blind leap but a trusting in God and His promises. We can boldly enter the throne room of grace if we have been declared righteous by faith in Jesus Christ. While we were still sinners, God made a way for us to be friends with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Now that we are friends with God, we can rejoice and have peace in all circumstances.

Adam was an imperfect earlier type of the perfect type to come later, Jesus Christ. In chapter five of Romans, Paul gives several ways Jesus perfected Adam's errors. Through Adam, many died, but through the grace of Jesus, eternal life is available to all people. Adam brought condemnation , but Christ brought forgiveness. Adam brought a reign of death, but, much more did Christ bring a reign of life. Adam's single act brought death, but Christ's single act brought life, and abundantly.

We KNOW that the old man is crucified with Christ and no longer dominates us if we are in Christ. In faith , we are to CONSIDER ourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, we PRESENT ourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead. Now, we come before God as a new creature, not like the old creature, full of dread and shame, but with joy and confidence. It is in congruent to come before God with our heads hanging in shame, but we can come boldly before God, confident in our complete acceptance based on Jesus' forgiveness.

What does it look like to depend upon God as we grow spiritually? Paul teaches us how to depend upon God and not on our own fleshly power to grow spiritually. Although the Law is good and holy, it is not meant for us to try to live under Law as we endeavor to grow in our relationship with God. The Law brings death, but the Spirit brings life. We can look to the Law to know where we fall short, but not to find the power to change and grow. We can only find that in Christ Jesus.

Paul is addressing his Jewish audience, who was questioning if God's plan had failed. It seemed to the Jews, God had changed his mind about working through the Jewish people and instead had turned to the Gentiles. Paul explains that God's had a plan has not failed! From the beginning of human history God had a plan to rescue all people. He fulfilled that plan through Jesus Christ at the cross. From the beginning God's strategy was to bring about the Messiah through the Jewish people, who faithfully preserved the oracles of God for thousands of years.

Paul continues his argument that God's plan for Israel has not failed. On the contrary, it is bigger than anyone could have imagined. Anyone who believes, and receives the free gift of salvation, becomes a part of God's grand plan. God has neither forgotten not rejected Israel. He will in due time return His attention to restoring Israel.

Chapters 1 through 11 of Romans is an exposition of the incredible mercies of God. In Chapter 12, Paul exhorts us, based on all that God has done for us, to give our entire lives to serving God. Many Christians mistakenly believe engaging in worship is an isolated event, distinct from our other Christian or worldly activities. The book of Romans refutes this idea that reduces worship to merely singing, dancing or praising God. Romans, instead, is consistent with the rest of the New Testament that presents worship as giving our whole lives to living in obedience to God. It is a life of lived out every day in thankfulness.

The Body of Christ is filled with people with many diverse giftings, supernaturally empowered to serve the Body of Christ as well as the world at large. Every member of the Body has a unique role that they can fulfill to demonstrate the love of God to a lost world. God is calling each one of us in the Body to step out in faith and let our love for one another shine brightly in a dark world.

As Christians, we must be subject to the governing authorities, regardless of how just or in just they may be. They are there for our good, to keep civil order. To be subject to the governing authorities is not the same as blindly obeying. There may come a time when Christians must disobey a governing authority in order to be obedient to God's authority when the two are in opposition. \r\n Christians are free to have personal, political opinions but, they must be subordinate to the Word of God. The Body of Christ's job is not to get entangles with political affairs, but to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Biblical love is a commitment to give of yourself in all ways for the benefit of another. It is sacrificial, forgiving, emotional, and confrontational. We can know what real love is because God is love. We can know real love if we know God. By receiving His love, we can know love and in turn, give real love to others.

Within God's realm of moral truth, we have extraordinary freedom of conscience. Only, we are not free to impose our conscience upon all other Christians. Nor do we have the freedom to judge the weaker conscience of another believer in Christ. Instead, we are to sacrifice our personal freedom in order to serve the weaker person in love.

Living in unity requires the encouragement of Scripture in order to have the endurance needed to place our hope in God's promises. God's plan has always been for those who believe in him to demonstrate outwardly what is true about them inwardly. The world is going to judge the validity of Christianity by what they observe in the behavior of Christians.