Week 49
2 Corinthians 10-13
Paul defends his ministry against the accusations of the many who were against him, and speaks briefly of the authority he had from Christ as an apostle to punish such enemies of God. He warns the Corinthians to beware of false apostles and prophets, who are continually attempting to deceive any who will listen to them. Even so, there were none of those false teachers who could point to the things they suffered for Christ, which Paul lists as evidence of his own selfless service for Jesus, and for his readers. He also relates the time that he was taken up to see the third heaven, which probably occurred when he was stoned in Lystra (Acts 14:19), and left for dead, although he was not allowed to speak about what he saw and heard in heaven. He also makes mention of his own infirmity in the flesh, which the Lord would not heal, even after much prayers.
Paul commended himself in many ways to the Corinthians, but he was not seeking to promote or puff himself up in their eyes, but rather to show them the lengths that he had gone to, so that they might believe, and grow into Christian maturity. He’s telling them that he has earned the right to speak to them as a father, which none of the false teachers could likewise prove.
Romans 1-3
The book of Romans is considered the greatest of Paul’s epistles, which provides a systematic commentary on the gospel of salvation by faith alone. It is believed to have been written by Paul from Corinth, as he was preparing to head back to Troas, and then back to Judea. Paul did not found the church in Rome, and this epistle does not address any problems with the church there (as he did with the Corinthians and other churches he wrote to). The central theme of this book is stated in chapter 1…
Romans 1:16-17 NKJV - For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."
God will judge the whole world with righteous judgement, and even those who have not heard the name of Jesus, or been told the things of God, will be judged rightly, and no one will be able to say “not fair” to Him on that day.
There is no partiality or unfairness with God, and we should therefore keep ourselves from judging others, since only God is qualified to do so.
Not even the Jews can claim to be righteous because of their heritage (sons of Abraham), or because of keeping the laws of Moses, as it is only those who approach God in faith (like Abraham did), who will be justified. Every person ever born proves they are sons of Adam because they all sin, and they all die (which is the curse of sin), and there are none who are good enough to be accepted by God in their own righteousness. As stated in Romans 3:23, every person has sinned, and failed to live up to God’s standard of righteousness. So, acceptance by God must come another way - through faith in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, Who came to the world in God’s grace to take upon himself the punishment for sin that every person deserves.
Romans 4-6
There are no works sufficient for reconciliation with God, as that is only available through faith. Paul points out that Abraham believed, and was counted as righteous (Genesis 15:6) before he was circumcised, proving that faith alone is important, and not works of the flesh, or being a circumcised descendant of Abraham.
God demonstrated His love for us, in that while we were still sinners Christ came and died for all. Sin is forgiven in the blood of His sacrifice, and we are raised to eternal life with Him. The disobedience of one man, Adam, introduced sin and death into the whole world. The obedience of one Man, Jesus, annulled original sin, making it possible for every person to escape the curse of death in Him.
We are expected to sin less after being saved. We have been baptized (or buried) into His death, and we have likewise been raised from the dead with Him to eternal life, so we shouldn’t let sin have control of us any longer.
Everyone is given a choice - receive eternal condemnation for sin in our own unrighteousness, or accept the free gift of eternal life in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
Romans 7-8
God’s laws in the Old Testament are perfect, however they were never intended to save anyone from sin. They only proved the impossibility of obeying God’s laws because every person is born with an inherent tendency to do the wrong thing, and were designed to show us the need for a solution of rescue from God, Who came in the form of man to do that very thing. Even we prove the impossibility of perfectly obeying God’s law when we try to do so in our own strength, however Jesus has sent His Spirit to us, so that we might be successful in living for God as He leads us.
God does not condemn anyone who is in Jesus Christ, but quickly forgives us when we ask, and His Spirit leads us moment by moment, and gradually forms our character into the image of Jesus, Who is the perfect model for us to follow. When we follow the leading of God’s Spirit, we prove that we have become His children, and He will take control of the circumstances in our lives, working all things for our good, and for His glory. Nothing in this world, or from the devil can separate us from the love of God, and His care for us as His adopted children.
Romans 9-11
Paul takes a 3 chapter departure to talk about the condition of Israel before God, as it was a burning question among Christian Jews at that time - “if the Jews rejected the Messiah, God’s Son, has God rejected the Jews?” Paul provides a resounding “NO” to this question in these 3 chapters, and confidently tells us that God will be faithful to save a remnant of Jews before He comes to judge the world. The Jews are not saved because of a different covenant, as Jesus Christ is the only way to God, but a remnant of them will turn and accept Jesus as their Messiah during the great tribulation at the end of the age.
There is no scriptural basis for anti-semitism, yet it has been a cancer within some of the Christian church for more than 1,500 years. Some of the Christian church fathers taught that God had rejected the Jews for killing Jesus, and they deserved to be wiped out as God’s judgement upon them. There were many christian churches who cooperated with the Nazi’s during world war 2, even though there were many other Christians who gave their lives trying to protect the Jews. Anti-semitism is from the devil, who tries to thwart the plan of God by eliminating the Jews, however God will protect a remnant throughout remaining human history, and they will turn to Him in faith at the end.
Romans 12-15
In light of all that God has done, Paul says it is a reasonable thing for us to serve God with our entire being, with a willingness to die for Him, and a commitment to living for Him as separate from the world. He will transform us into the image of Jesus Christ if we allow His Spirit’s work in us to succeed. Love God and each other like Jesus first loved us, and work to be a peace with everyone. Be in subjection to our governing authorities, let love be the measure we apply to all people, and do not behave like those in this world.
Do not judge one another over the things they believe or do, but provide them with a godly example. It is foolish to think that righteousness is bound up in rules of behavior, like what we eat or drink, or the day we worship God on, since righteousness can only be found in Jesus, and in following His simple examples of serving others in God’s love. We are to bear one another’s burdens, and build each other up in Christ.
Romans 16, Acts 20:2-21:16
Even though Paul did not found the church in Rome, there were many there that he knew, and had ministered together with in previous times, including Priscilla and Aquilla, in whose home the church was meeting at that time. Paul warns them, just like he did with many other churches, to guard against divisions within the church, and to be on the lookout for wolves (men) who would come in to create disagreements and arguments within the body of Christ.
Prior to sailing back to Syria, Paul makes another quick trip through Greece (Macedonia and Achaia). After sailing from Troas, they stop in Miletus, on the coast of Asia Minor, and Paul sends for the elders in Ephesus to come and meet with them there. Paul didn’t want to go to Ephesus because he would end up staying there too long, and he wanted to be in Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost. He meets with the Ephesian elders, and gives them parting instructions, knowing that it was very unlikely that he would ever see them again. He tells them to shepherd the people in their church like Jesus, and warns them that wolves will rise up even within their own group, so they must be on guard. He told them that chains awaited him in the near future, and he left them after many tears, since they would never see him again. They then set sail for Tyre, in Syria, where they stayed a week before traveling south to Judea, and they stayed with Philip (the deacon) in Caesarea. In every place they went Paul kept getting warnings of his future arrest, and people tried to talk him out of going to Jerusalem, but he knew that all of that was going to happen according to the Lord’s will.