Good Morning!
We are studying Paul’s letter to the believers
in Rome in our Sunday Bible study. This
week’s study focus is the insufficiency of the Law of Moses to redeem. Paul spends the first part of this letter talking
about how a person’s relationship with God is restored.
Paul’s first objective in his letter to the church at Rome was to
help people see their lostness. Before a
person desires to be saved, he or she must realize (1) they are lost; (2) their
incapability to redeem themselves; (3) God has, through Christ Jesus, provided
for all to be saved; and (4) coming to Christ is simple: believe in the heart
and call upon His Name. So, let’s start
our stroll …
·
Romans 3:10 – No one is righteous. Think of the best person you have ever
personally known … and realize that person – even if it is yourself – is a
sinner. Sin separates us from God … and often other people. Sin is a malady that is universal.
·
Romans 3:23 – All have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God. Paul reiterates his
earlier point. No one is sin free.
·
Romans 5:8 – God reveals His love for all
humanity in this way … even though we are all caught up in sin, Christ died for
us. Our first two verses point to hopelessness. This verse is the first with
hope.
·
Romans 6:23 – The wage due for sin is DEATH
(separation from God forever); the gift from God and of God is ETERNAL LIFE
(restoration of relationship) through Christ Jesus, our Lord.
·
Romans 10:6-13 – Salvation in Christ is simple
trust. 6 But the
righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will
ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will
descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the
dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you
confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with
the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture
says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to
shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and
Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all
who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord will be saved.”
The question that comes to all is “where do I
stand?” And that is a question that each individual has to pose to themselves.
Well, this is a short post … in comparison to
yesterday’s post. But it is an important
one for all of us to consider. Our
relationship with God is vital for us to have eternal life. The alternative is eternal separation from
God … a painful existence. Consider this
… being cast into the lake of fire does NOT end one’s existence. The Lake of Fire is a place of torment … which
to me means that the person is aware of his or her situation and unable to do
anything about it. So, spending time
considering one’s relationship with God is crucial for all of us.
On the bright side, those who have received
Christ are no longer under condemnation. Hallelujah!!! I hope all of us find
ourselves in that wonderful situation.
God bless each one of you this good weekend.
Agape’
Mr. Jim
Prayer: Father, thank You for the assurance we find in
You through Christ Jesus, our Lord. In Jesus’ Name … Amen.
Scripture for today: The Roman Road
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