Romans 1:14-17 I am obligated 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 at Rome. I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
The above scripture sends the clear message that righteousness exists in God alone and has come to us through faith from first to last. Faith in what? Faith in Jesus Christ and his works. As we will read later in this letter, But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. (Romans 3:21-24) We who are alive in Christ have his holy name written across our lives. We no longer face the judgment of eternal death, for we have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Now we are his and He is ours. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12) Christ's righteousness covers every part of our lives: every action, thought, and wayward inclination from the beginning of our lives to the ending. We who are alive to God by faith rest in Christ's work and not our works. Jesus through his life, death, and resurrection satisfied our need for right standing with God. On the cross, when Christ's work was completed, done, He said, IT IS FINISHED! (John 19:30) Yet, how many of us walk around, trying to complete a work that is FINISHED? How many of us lead lives of condemnation rather than joy? Our flesh says: there must be something that I can add to God's work. Maybe, I should be better today, try harder to be like God. Maybe if I love better and keep my thoughts within the guardrails of God's thoughts by thinking pure thoughts, I will be more pleasing to God. Surely, I will please God more and reveal him to the world more clearly if I do good works for him. These are all good ideas, fine goals, but nothing completes or adds to the work of righteousness that Jesus performed on the cross. He alone satisfies God. In every mili-second, Jesus is righteous, completely focused on God, and dedicated to his will. If you think you line up with God in the way you live your life, think about your thoughts when you pray to him. Remember, He is the Almighty God, the Creator. Your life exists only because of him. He knows every thought that goes through your mind. Does your mind wander when your pray? Do you mingle thoughts in your prayers: my knees are hurting; I wonder what I am going to fix for dinner; I do not know if this prayer is going anywhere; maybe I should read the Bible more; and so on. Would you want anyone addressing you this way if you could read his or her mind? No, that kind of prayer escapes the definition of holiness or a relationship that is right with God at ALL TIMES. But, who is right at all times? Only Jesus!
The gospel is simple but necessary for all people. The whole Bible leads us to the conclusion that the world needs a Savior. God had a plan: But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. (Galatians 4:4-5) Without God's intimate involvement in their lives, people live the life of Adam, often a destructive life because of the needs of the self. Cultures, societies, and whole nations have literally disappeared over the centuries because of the self-willed nature of man. We live in a world where the last tree on an island has been cut down because of a selfish need. Islands have been depopulated because of such an attitude. Today we are consuming the natural resources of this planet so fast we do not know what to do with all the garbage accumulated by our excesses. We are doing what the Bible says: if there is no God, no intimate Savior: eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die. This is the mantra: get as much out of life as you can; live for today for tomorrow you die. Jesus came for a sick and dying world. A world that will never find peace. A world that will destroy itself. Paul had a mission that he could not set down. He was driven to bring the world a rescue message, a deliverance, redemption, and eternal life. I am obligated 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 at Rome. I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Paul did not live in a time when a few men would have nuclear power in their hands, enough power to destroy every living thing on this planet. Peter might have been talking about this age when he wrote: But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. (2 Peter 3:10) A day in God's dominion is like a thousand years. Is this day of destruction a twenty-four hour day or is it longer? Will men destroy their environment or will God destroy the environment? What we know now is that we have the capabilities to destroy our earth without God's help, and over the millenniums, we have done a pretty good job of destroying our environment slowly. Man's self-willed, Adamic behavior is destructive and leads to death, but praise God, Jesus brings life, eternal life, to all who put their trust in him.
Today, after partaking of this breakfast, give yourself a chance to praise God. Be encouraged. What a wonderful Savior we have! He has brought us into the very presence of the eternal God. We are forever pleasing to the Father because of Christ's work on the cross. Our names are written down in the eternal ledger: The Lamb's Book of Life. We have nothing to fear, not even our biological death. Our faith in God and his works through Christ brings us into an existence of peace and joy, an inheritance of adopted sons and daughters in the household of the Eternal One. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. (Galatians 4:6-7) Despite our position of grace, we may sometimes fail to manifest God in our lives, but our constant drive is to do better for God's sake with Christ's light and love motivating our actions. We want him to be praised. We want him to be glorified. We want our lives to be an illustration of God's goodness, love, patience, and caring. Of course, we strive to do better as we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us. But we do not work for our salvation, for Jesus won that victory at the cross. We serve because we love Jesus, not out of obligation or fear but in great thankfulness. We love being with him, hearing his voice. He has never left us, even when the pain of this world presses in upon us, and the tears will not stop. He is there. He constantly speaks to us: "My child, my little one, I am here. I am with you, and I will never leave or abandon you." His words comfort us when we view this world that holds nothing for us. Our inheritance is IN GOD. Regardless, as Paul says, though the world is not my home, I am obligated to tell the good news of Christ and his redemption to the whole world. Let us also share the responsibility to carry the gospel of salvation and reveal Christ to a needy world. Our prayer for you is Paul's prayer for the Romans: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
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