A study on the book of Romans (part 3)

We move on to the next section of Paul's letter.  It is important for us to remember that the division of letters into chapter and verse is not in the original texts.  These were added later to help the reader.  This means that Paul's letter flows naturally from the last study.

If you have not read the last two short studies, I recommend you do, as they set the context for this passage.

Romans 2:1-29

"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.  Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.  So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?  Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realising that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

[Who are these people passing judgement?  This applies to both sides of the division in the Church in Rome, but in light of the previous section, it is particularly salient for the more conservative Jewish Christians, who might be feeling put on a pedestal of righteousness by Paul's harsh words about pagan life.  We can imagine the puzzlement, however, as a Jewish Christian might be thinking that as a good Jew, they have never committed any of these sins.]

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.  God ‘will repay each person according to what they have done.’   To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life.  But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.  There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile;  but glory, honour and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.  For God does not show favouritism.

[The Jews would have believed that God does show favouritism - they, after all, are God's special and chosen people.  As a Jewish Christian, they would have a willingness to accept that glory, honour and peace is given first to the Jew and then the gentile.  But Paul's careful words are a sobering reminder that there will also be trouble and distress - first for the Jew and then the gentile.  Paul is carefully positioning his argument that both Jew and gentile are treated equally by God.]

All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.  For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.  (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law.  They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)  This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

[A confusing concept for Jewish Christians in that day is the place of the Law, which was the Jewish Torah and teachings of what we now call the Old Testament.  The Law is how they knew what was sin and what was not.  What then of gentiles, who knew not of the Law?  Paul is here laying out a revolutionary concept.  The gentiles can be considered to be right by the Law when their hearts and consciences result in behaviour that is consistent with the Law.  Now Paul here cannot be referring to the very Jewish specific customs and dietary requirements, but rather the overarching concepts as Jesus refers to in the words of the Great Commandments of loving God with heart, soul, mind and strength, and loving our neighbour as our self]

Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark,  an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth – 

[at this point, we can imagine the conservative Jew nodding enthusiastically, because deep down, this is what many believed and indeed is the case of many in our church today]

 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?  You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?  You who boast in the law, do you dishonour God by breaking the law?  As it is written: ‘God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.’

[Paul is asking the conservative Jewish listener to consider their own hypocrisy]

Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised.  So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised?  The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a law-breaker.

[And here is the nail in the coffin of the Jewish arrogance.  Paul, himself from a respected and strict Jewish background, aware of all the requirements of the Law, is saying that the non-Jew is morally on higher ground when their behaviour is better than the Jew.]

A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical.  No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God."

[And here is the crux of the matter.  Pleasing God is not a matter of legalistically following Scripture, but of a renewal of the heart by the work of the Holy Spirit.]

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There is a desperately sad irony that in our Church today, many of the more conservative wing quote Romans 1:18-32 at other believers as a way of condemning them and their views, trying to show how the law is clearly against them.  Yet in doing so, they are using a passage designed to do the exact opposite - heal the division.  What Paul wants of us is to live life by the Spirit.  In doing so, we live as God wants.  This is not a licence to sin, but a warning against legalism and judgemental attitudes against other Christians.

A study on the book of Romans (part 2)

Following on from our last study (http://musingmonk.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/a-study-on-book-of-romans-part-1.html), we now will look at one of the most controversial passages in Romans.

Before we do, however, I would suggest revisiting our first study (see link above) to understand the context in which Paul was writing.

There is conflict, division, a real tension between more conservative Jewish Christians and gentile Christians (who would have been considered much more liberal by the Jews).  Paul's purpose in writing is to promote unity in this divided community.  This is a crucially important background to our next section.

Paul starts this next section by affirming the Jewish position (remember, they were the minority group and were looked down upon by many gentile Christians).  A Jew would be acutely aware of how they must differentiate themselves from non-Jew.  Their strict laws and observances were drummed into them from a young age.  Paul writes in a way to get them on board by highlighting the pagan world round about as we shall see in verses 17-32.

Romans 1:17-32

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

[Here, Paul addresses the issue of non-Jews being aware of God, despite their lack of education and training in Jewish ways.  Essentially, he is saying we can know the Creator by his Creation.  We cannot make the excuse of not having been educated as a Jew.]

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

[Here, there is a clear reference to pagan activities.  Paul is not talking about Christians, but about pagans who have rejected God and instead chosen to worship false gods.]

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.  They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is for ever praised. Amen.

[Many of the pagan temples were known for their hedonism and sexual activities, including temple prostitutes and orgies.]

Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.  In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

[The only reference in the Bible to female sexuality of this kind - it is not known if Paul here means lesbian activities, or women adopting a sexually aggressive and traditionally male role in sexual activities with men.  Rather than the natural sexual intimacy of a loving relationship with a woman, we hear of a licentious and lustful behaviour.  We do not know the exact nature of the men's shameful acts with other men, but can safely assume they were sexual and "un-natural"] - see however, my other postings on how this relates to homosexuality today.

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worth while to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.  Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practise them."

[Again, Paul clarifies that he is not talking about non-Jewish Christians, but those who choose not to  acknowledge God.  The fruit of this life is wickedness, evil, greed, depravity, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, hating God, insolence, arrogance, boasting, doing evil, disobeying parents, having no understanding or fidelity or love or mercy.]

At this point, bearing in mind that this letter is likely to be read aloud in public to a diverse audience, you can imagine how the Jewish Christians will be buoyed and will anticipate that Paul is on their side (after all, he was himself a strict Jew).  By highlighting the sins of pagan worshipers of false gods (remember how Paul introduces this - with images of mortal man, birds, animals and reptiles), Paul is raising the Jewish awareness of how they have been set apart as God's people.  This was an important affirmation that the Jews needed to hear, particularly proclaimed aloud in front of their gentile brothers and sisters.

Before they can get overly arrogant about their position however, Paul quickly turns the tables on them.  We will explore this in the next chapter.

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A quick point needs to be made about homosexuality here.  Many Christians use the above passage as "clear evidence" that God condemns all homosexual activities.  However, there are 2 points to be made here.  Firstly, if this is a true reading of this passage, then equal strength of opposition needs to be made for all the other groups of sin mentioned in this passage - including gossiping, boasting, arrogance and dishonouring of parents.  To have integrity in applying God's word fairly, we cannot take one sin and put it on a pedestal of unrighteousness, while turning a blind eye to others.

Secondly, and of paramount importance, is that the people Paul is describing here are clearly pagans engaging in promiscuous and licentious living.  The fact that everyone knows about these behaviours means that it is not the private intimacy of a loving couple, but instead public sexual promiscuity and in all likelihood associated with temple worship.  The people being described "neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him".

Our debates today on homosexuality in the Church are about a much different people - brothers and sisters in Christ who do seek with all their hearts to glorify God and give thanks to him.  The fruit of the Spirit is at odds with the acts of the sinful nature and we must be careful not to compare a homosexual Christian with this group of sexually promiscuous and licentious pagan worshipers Paul is referring to in this passage.  This is particularly important in light of the next part of his letter and the whole purpose of what he is writing in this letter, right through to the end of Romans.

A study on the book of Romans (part 1)

Like every parent who says they don't have a favourite child, I am going to confess that Romans is one of my favourite books in the Bible.  Luther himself is alleged to have described it as the most important letter in the New Testament.  There is so much theology in it, that it is a rich resource for anyone wanting to understand the Christian faith better.  However, it is also one of the most powerful templates for conflict resolution and dealing with difference in the Church.  And yet, ironically, it is frequently used as a tool for division.

This has prompted me to write a series on this book.  Today, we look at some of the context and Paul's introduction.

Romans - the context

Paul is writing to a church with a unique set of problems.  A predominantly gentile Christian group, worshiping alongside a strong minority of Jewish converts.  These Jewish Christians believed (understandably from their perspective) that faith in Christ required an additional adherence to the Law (the Torah, or first 5 books of the Old Testament).  In this way, Christ fulfilled this law, but did not do away with any of its requirements.

The gentile Christians, however, did not have this background and would struggle to see how in order to become a Christian, they must first become a Jew.

The infighting and division was not just light-hearted debate.  Some believe that Jewish Christians were actually expelled from Rome by Claudius around AD49 as a result of this in-fighting, and that the gentile Christians looked down on Jewish Christians.  Only around AD54 did the Jewish Christians return, shortly before Paul is believed to have written this letter.

This melting pot is actually a powder keg.  And Paul's desire is to sort it out.

In the context of this strife, the opening words of Paul are deeply significant.  I will copy them below from the NIV translation:

Romans 1:1-17

"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God – the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

[Note here the affirmation of the historic Jewish faith of the Holy Scriptures and the prophets and of the line of David.  Paul here is giving a place of importance to the Jewish minority, affirming that they are the ones who initially called Gentiles to belong to Jesus Christ]

To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:  Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

[Note Paul's use of the inclusive "all of you" and the love he bears for this Church]

I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.  I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

I am a debtor both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

[In this context, the Greeks and non-Greeks show Paul's love for both Jew and non-Jew]

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.  For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’"

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In these last words, Paul emphasises a key component of the Christian message - our "righteousness" comes by faith, and not by following rules and laws, which the Pharisees were keen to promote.

Paul, in his introduction, is very cleverly crafting a letter that aims to unite a divided audience.  He affirms both Jew and Gentile, bringing them together under the banner of Christ.  

The next section in our study will explore how Paul continues to bring people together.  Ironically, the next section is often quoted completely out of context by some Christians to divide other believers and to call others sinful.  We will explore what Paul is really saying and doing in our next study.

In the meantime, I close with Paul's own greeting.  Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Black Fridays indeed

If you ever need a reminder how low humanity can sink at times, you might wish to look at these Black Friday video clips: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/28/walmart-fight-black-friday_n_4357939.html

For any reader blissfully unaware of this phenomenon, it is a shopping day, the first Friday after the American celebration of Thanksgiving.  Stores in America will have lots of special offers and sales and it results in stampedes, fights and even deaths.

Let's be clear, this is not a problem with America.  The American consumer culture just happens to be the context for this expression of humanity's darker side.

Paul, in an often misquoted passage of the Bible says that the greedy will not inherit God's kingdom (1 Cor 6:10).  It would be entirely inconsistent with the rest of the New Testament if we read this at face value to mean that any expression of greed bans you from Heaven, like a list of misdemeanours that God and his angels are on lookout for (we are saved by faith in Jesus and the deposit of the Holy Spirit in our lives begins a process of renewal and transformation in us).  What I think Paul is saying is that a life far from God shows itself in its fruit.  The fruit of humanity without a relationship with God can be ugly indeed.

Don't get me wrong, there are some wonderful atheists out there also, kind and good people who strive to live a moral life of integrity with their personal values.

Yet Paul is speaking to a Christian audience in his letter and he reminds us to keep an eye out for the symptoms of sin in our lives.  When we find ourselves hurting others for our own personal gain we spectacularly fail to model the life of Christ to others.  The life that loved others, served others, healed, helped and listened to others and made real personal sacrifice for others.

The solution is not to try hard not to be greedy (we can tiptoe towards salvation by works if we are not careful), but to reconnect with the life of Jesus whom we are following and fill ourselves with the awareness of God and allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives.  The fruit of that Spirit is good indeed.

Then we can see the black Fridays in our lives transform into glorious Resurrection Sundays.