Romans 13:8-10 :: The Whole Person

Romans 13:8-10 in the TNIV and Message translations

On the first reading of verses 8-10, I thought Paul used the "debt of love" phrase to transition away from the citizenship issues he's been addressing and turn to more personal, relational matters.  But I think that's wrong.  His point is that they are one and the same.  My desire is to compartmentalize: this is Christian living, but that is business, and that is citizenship, and that is personal finances.  No.  Life is Christ, in all and through all, equally relevant in the home, the church, the neighborhood and the marketplace.  "Love your neighbor" applies as much to my political adversary and my boss the family next door.

Brad and I were recently reminded of a graphic representation of this way of living we learned in college.  This visual still sticks with me.  Christ at the center of life, not compartmentalized in to one area, leading and directing in every part.

Romans 13:3-5 :: Jesus and your boss

Romans 13:3-5 in the Message and TNIV translations

"For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good." v.4 TNIV

This is how sick I am: when I first read that, I thought, "what if I worked at Dunder Mifflin, and Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute were my bosses?"  Those guys are God's servants?

If you haven't yet worked for someone you thought was inept/corrupt/unfair/out to get you, you probably will.  I have had some great bosses, and some terrible ones.  And I've learned a great deal from both.  As painful as the experiences with the bad bosses were, they were formative experiences.  God taught me and grew me under bad bosses in ways I never would have grown under an easier boss.

The one in authority over you may not always be good, but he/she can be for your good.  What does God want to teach you through your relationship with your boss?

Romans 12:14-16 :: What does the music sound like?

Romans 12:14-16 in the TNIV and Message translations

First, I want to thank Brad for carrying all the load on the Intake blog and so many other things recently, as Elizabeth and I have been attending to family issues during her mother's illness.  We are especially thankful for our community in times like these.  Now, to the text...

"Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not think you are superior."

v. 16 TNIV

Now my first thought is to justify myself and say, "self, you're not stuck-up, and you don't think you are superior," which on one level may be true but robs God of the opportunity to teach me and grow me.  So I have to make a conscious decision to open myself up, let God broaden my vision.

This morning I gave the invocation for the YMCA partners campaign kickoff, and before I prayed I talked about two single parents who live nearby that I knew had personally benefitted from the partners fund when they needed help with their kids.  Later I met another single mother of four whose kids receive after school care through the partners fund.  I'm slow, but I'm starting to connect the dots.  I asked the Y director about the single parent connection, and he said, "about 40% of the kids in our after school programs are from single parent households."  That's at our local elementary schools, in our neighborhoods.  There are two single moms that I know of on my street, and I'm sure my street is probably normal; multiply that by the dozens and dozens of streets around here and you get the picture: hundreds of single parent households.  Let's add to that the lesbian or gay households.  And add to that the ethnic and international households.  And add to that the households where the inhabitants are rough around the edges, or seem to party too much or too hard, or the one where the cops seem to show up every so often.  The point is obvious: my neighborhood is not nearly as homogenous as my social circles are.  We don't have to be "stuck-up" as we perceive it to be actually stuck-up in practice; all we have to do is let social gravity pull us into the orbit of those like us.  We don't have to actively think we are superior; we only have to make no effort to overcome whatever social barrier exists between ourselves and others.

Now, when I go back to Paul's opening phrase in verse 16, "Live in harmony with one another," I see something different.  Harmony is a great word.  Musically, it is two or more voices singing the same tune, each in its own unique way, but each compliments and enhances the other.  Harmony is impossible among people who have no connection.  Multiple solos do not equal harmony.  There is no "live and let live" in harmony, no "good fences make good neighbors."  And the better people know each other, the tighter the harmony gets, the better the music.

I need to be passionate about making harmony where I live.  I can't be satisfied with only connecting to the other married couples with 2.5 kids, or only people with my same skin color, or only the people who make me comfortable, or whatever.  The best I may be able to hope for with that crowd is nice unison, single-note music.  But God is calling for harmony, for my voice linked to voices not like mine. That's beautiful music, and when it is sung the world stops to listen.

The Roman Road Challenge

Our challenge to Springs of all ages this month is to memorize the following 5 verses from Romans.  Called the "Roman Road," they are the gospel message in 5 short verses.

Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."


Romans 6:23, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Romans 5:8, "God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 10:9, "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:13, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Parents, learn these with your kids.  Tables, challenge one another to learn them and check on progress week-to-week.  Print them out, put them on the fridge or your bathroom mirror; email or text them to yourself or others; add them as a note on your smart phone or computer.  If you have an idea for learning them, share it with others as a comment on this post.

Romans 6:20-23 :: Wages or Gifts?

Romans 6:20-23 in the Message and TNIV translations

Romans 6:23 is the third memory verse in our "Roman Road" memory verses, after Romans 3:23 and 5:8.  I encourage you to commit these to memory, and help your kids learn them also.  There are only 2 more after these, and all 5 together are a good summary of Romans and the gospel message.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  This verse sets out a clear choice between two lives, or two ways of living.  We can live a "wages" life or a "gift" life.

Adults are more familiar with the "wages" lifestyle.  Work, get paid.  But it doesn't always work out that way.  I took a position at a church once, knowing that 6 months of my salary had been paid by a single donation of stock from a generous donor.  About a week into the job, the phone rang at the church and I happened to be the one to answer it.  There was a very nervous stock broker on the other end of the phone, saying that he had made a huge mistake on his client's behalf and moved a decimal point one space to the right.  He had transferred ten times the intended amount of stock to the church, and he needed to fix it.  Little did he know that his "mistake" was supposed to be my salary.  I just sat there listening to this man talk, with a sick feeling in my stomach.  The story had a good ending, at least for me--the donor told the church to keep the stock and fired his broker!  But it was a scary few days.  Wages are a promise of something in the future.  How often do people work and not get the wages they were promised?  Especially in today's economic climate, it's a regular occurrence.

Sin--life apart from God--promises a wage it never delivers.  Eugene Peterson translates it this way in the Message: "Work hard for sin your whole life, and your pension is death."  You pursue a selfish dream, and then at the end when it's too late, you find out there is no payoff.  Sin uses you and throws you in a ditch.  Spiritually speaking, that is "wage" living.

"Gift" living is a completely different arrangement.  For starters, you don't have to wait for it.  Eternal life is not just life after death, it is full life right now.  It is the life of a child rather than an adult.  Several scriptures talk about the blessings of this life as "deposits" that guarantee and hint at our life with God in the hereafter.  "Gift" living is also not related to our performance.  Gift living is want to rather than have to.  We serve God because we love him and want to please him, not because a wage or punishment is hanging over us.  It is life with a different motive.

How do you view life?  Is it a gift or a job?  Are you still expecting life outside of God to pay off?  Are you looking for wages from God or receiving gifts?

Romans 6:19 :: Freedom Through Slavery

Romans 6:19 in the TNIV and Message translations

It is de-emphasized in the Message translation, but Paul is using a slavery metaphor in most of chapter 6. It is hard to imagine slavery being anything other than bad.  It is the opposite of freedom, one of our highest values. So it makes sense to us for Paul to describe sin as slavery, and Grace as freedom. We get that. But Paul then describes the Christ-life also as slavery. Become a slave to God, he says. In this kind of slavery there is true freedom, he says.

Underlying truth #1: slavery is our only real choice. The idea that we can be the masters of our own destinies is a myth. Freedom from God is just slavery to sin, packaged to appeal to our egos. It is delusional.  You and I will never, in truth, sit on the throne of our own lives. We do, however, get to choose who does.

Underlying truth #2: freedom comes not from us taking the throne, but from the character of the Master who does. We can be free, as slaves to God, because of our Master's nature. As His servants, we are free from the chains that once held us. We walk freely in the world and enjoy all the benefits of His household. But make no mistake, we belong to Him. Like the prodigal son, we can only expect to be servants, but God embraces us and calls us sons and daughters.

I would rather be a slave in God's household and than a "master" in my own.  I've already tried the former, and it doesn't work out so well.

Why do you think the illusion of controlling one's own destiny has such an appeal?  What benefits do you enjoy as a "slave to God"?

Romans 5:15-17 :: Changing the Story

Romans 5:15-17 in the Message and TNIV translations

On Sunday, Brad challenged us to consider what kind of story we were living. Today, Paul talks about the story the whole world was and is living, and how Jesus changes the story.

Every great story has a main character, a hero. In the Hebrew story of humanity, that character was Adam. The first man. The prototype. His name means "man" in Hebrew, and is also a wordplay on the Hebrew words for "made" and "earth." He was Adam, but he was also Man. He was the world. He was all of us, and he was a hero. But his story was a heroic tragedy, the story of great potential spoiled by a fatal flaw. And his story became our story--yours and mine. A story of what could have been, and wondering whether it can still be.

The world still lives this story today, striving for the limits of human potential, struggling to make sense of the fatal flaws that hold humanity down. Some still hold stubbornly to the heroic view, that the original Adam greatness is latent in each of us, just trying to get out. I, for one, am less optimistic.

Throughout chapter 5, Paul describes Jesus as the new Adam. If Adam was the prototype, Jesus is the archetype, the perfect example of a human being. He was everything a hero was supposed to be. The theme of Adam's tragic story was God's Justice. Jesus' epic theme was God's Grace, that secret ingredient that overcomes the destructive power of our fatal flaw. And because of Jesus' sacrifice, we can live his story instead of Adam's.

Jesus is called a lot of things these days: my buddy, my co-pilot, my homeboy...how about "my hero"? The churchy term "savior" meant this, but we lost that meaning along the way.

How is Jesus your hero?

Throughout chapter 5, Paul describes Jesus as the new Adam.

Romans 4:13-15 :: Proverbs vs Romans

Romans 4:13-15 in the TNIV and Message translations                Reading Plan

If you read Proverbs, you get a lot of "if A then B" statements.  If you live righteously, good things will come to you.  If you turn against God, calamity will fall on you.  If you raise your kids right, they will turn out well.  If you remain faithful to God, you will prosper.  God is on one side of the equation, and we're on the other, and as long as we fulfill A then God is right there to fulfull B.

Explaining the conventions of Proverbs is a topic for another day, but suffice it to say that they are meant to be words of wisdom for living, not guaranteed rewards for certain behaviors.  And that's actually very, very good news, because most of the time we don't live up to our side.  Paul's great news in today's text is that, even if we don't do A, God is still faithful to B.  The Old Testament is full of stories of God's people being unfaithful, and God remaining faithful to them.  And God expressed this ultimately and perfectly in the person of Jesus: love, forgiveness, and reconciliation for all humanity, who did nothing to deserve it.

God's faithfulness changes the equation.  If I do A, God does B.  If I don't do A, God still does B.  If I totally abandon A and do C, God still does B.  God remains faithful to his promise, even if I don't.

"It was based on God’s decision to put everything together for him, which Abraham then entered when he believed."  God has decided to put everything together for us.  Our job is to trust Him, not run ahead and try to fix it up for ourselves.  Not to decide that we don't like what He's putting together, or how, and try to work out a better plan.

How often do you live in the "if A then B" mentality?  Do you assume that because you're one of the good people, God should reward you, or that because of the mistakes you've made, God still considers you a second-class citizen?  How do you still attempt to earn God's favor?

Romans 3:27-28

Romans 3:27-28 in the TNIV and Message translations

Brad's commentary in the THINK section of the reading plan today is excellent.  If you don't have it, you can get it here.

Instead of more commentary, I'd like to contribute a few images.  Which one of the pictures below best represents the way you view life and/or your relationship with God?

Or perhaps a different image comes to mind.  What do you think about the image?  How does it affect the way you live?  Does it agree or disagree with Romans 3:27-28?

Romans 3:9 :: The Ground Is Level at the Foot of the Cross

Romans 3:9 TNIV and Message translations

"We are all equal in the sight of God."  You won't find many people who disagree with that statement.  But there is a problem: Paul approaches it from the negative side.  We are all equally needy, equally insufficient.  Instead of starting with the positive (we are all equally loved and valued by God), he starts on the opposite side: we're all in the same boat, and it's the Titanic.

Why?  Hasn't he ever heard of positive reinforcement, or self-esteem?  Well, in this case, self-esteem is actually the problem.  In this verse, Paul is speaking directly to a specific group: Jewish Christians, who remain convinced that there is something about them--through nationality or knowledge or good deeds--that gives them a leg up on people who have a different pedigree.  Paul's message is not a "sinners in the hands of an angry God" sermon to a bunch of people seeking Him.  It is a rebuke directed at Christians who have fallen into the trap of believing they are superior.

God still speaks to us through these words...harshly.  Who are you?  You think you're better than the next guy because of your Bible knowledge or Christian upbringing?  Think again.  Actually, you're just like him.  So act accordingly.

What are the subtle ways we undermine this message?  How do we communicate an insider/outsider, good people/bad people, or wise/ignorant people perspective to those around us?  If we truly understand this message, how will it change the way we view and/or treat people?

All the pride that would divide us comes tumbling down

Let it crumble into pieces at the mighty sound

Of the beating of the hearts of the grateful ones

All united in the power

Of Your all-embracing, all-including, all-forgiving, all-enduring love

Romans 2:12-16 :: Knowing vs Doing

Paul wrote this letter to a melting-pot church: all followers of Jesus, but from very different backgrounds and prior religious experiences; some Jews who knew the Ten Commandments and other laws of God, and many others who had never heard of them.  Yet, all of them seemed to have a common moral understanding.  Where does that come from?

The Jews were convinced that their knowledge of the Law of God positioned them better with God, but Paul blew holes right through that arrogant idea.  Knowing and Doing are not the same thing.  In fact, doing is better knowing than knowing is.  What would God prefer?  That you memorize the Ten Commandments, or that you obey them all without ever seeing the list?  The answer is obvious, and sobering.  We're studying Romans, and study has enormous benefits, but also severe limits.  We will have learned a lot by the time we're done, but that's not God's goal for us.  Our lives demonstrate what we've really learned.

I recently had an opportunity to partner with a lady in our community to serve another family in need.  From my perspective, I would say this lady is "unchurched."  She may not see herself that way.  She and her family have an interest in church, but there have been obstacles to them getting involved in one.  Anyway, back to the story: it became clear to me that this lady had repeatedly taken the initiative to serve this family.  She had reached out when others had not, kind of a modern-day Good Samaritan.  I only got involved because she contacted me, believing I might be able to help (and I was able to do so).  I was encouraged that she saw me, a Christian and local pastor, as a go-to person in a situation like this.  But I was also reminded that all the training and knowledge in the world don't necessarily produce a good heart; she hasn't had the benefit of a bunch of Bible study or church training, but all the folks who have were not the ones who made a difference for this local family in crisis.  And, incidentally, while this lady has yet to attend one of our Sunday gatherings, she and her family have come to a couple of our table gatherings.

Here are just some implications of this teaching:

• What does this tell you about the way we do church?
• What are the benefits and limits of knowledge and training?
• If basic morality is commonly understood among all people groups (as Paul implies), then that is not our unique contribution as Christians to the world.  What, then, is our unique contribution?
• How do (or should) we respond when people of other faiths, or no faith in particular, do good or demonstrate moral understanding?

Some Pre-Reading Thoughts Before We Launch into Romans

Well, here we go.  On Monday, September 6th, we will be starting our read through Paul's letter to the Romans.  We may post some preliminary information on the site between now and then, but our first official post will be on that Monday.

Find yourself a good version of the bible to read with us.  If you like to feel the pages of a bible that's great, if you like to click through the pages on your computer that's great and if you like to swipe the screens of your cell phone that's great.  Here are some recommendations for your reading:

1.  Our posts will reference The Message and/or the Today's New International Versions...most of the time.  So if you are trying to select a version, feel free.  We will post links to the posted reading on Monday for these two versions as well.

2.  If you need a good app for your phone, we suggest Bible from YouVersion and LifeChurch.tv.  It's a free app with all of the major translations and also many minor translations.  There are also various language options.  If you want to listen to the readings, every major translation is available in a downloadable format that can be imported into any mp3 player.  This is a great option for those of us with long commutes every day.

3.  Reading the bible is best done when accompanied by conversation.  While we like the online discussions, we believe they are only meant to supplement your reading and conversations with others.  Table Groups are excellent places to find people reading the same things.  You may also have a neighbor who might be interested in reading with you as well.

4.  Reading takes work.  We know that most of us aren't prone to read...anything.  Here are some interesting numbers from Harvey Mackay's business column, "Outswimming the Sharks" from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, January 4, 2007.

• 51% of Americans never read a book over 400 pages after completing formal education.
• 73% of all books in libraries are never checked out.
• The average American watches 32 hours of TV every week.
• The average American reads only eight hours (books, newspapers, magazine, Yellow Pages, etc.) each week.
• The average American annually spends 10 times more on what he puts on his head than what [he] puts into his head.

Mckay's observations: (Exclamation points his.)

• If you read one book per month for 12 straight months, you will be in the top 25 percentile of the world's intellectuals!
• If you read five books on one subject, you are one of the world's leading authorities on that subject!
• If you read 15 minutes a day, every day, for one year, you can complete 20 books!

5.  If you have the courage to pick up a bible and read along with us, join in some discussions, we are confident that you won't be disappointed - no one has been yet.  Several people have told us how great their experience in our corporate reading plans has been for them personally, for their marriages and even their whole families.  Don't miss out.