Romans 14:9

Romans 14:9 says, For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.  Paul tells us in this verse why we need to do all for the glory of God.  Christ died to redeem everyone, and those that accept His free gift of salvation have everlasting security through Him.  We do not suddenly no longer belong to Christ when we die, but are freed to be in an even closer relationship with God.  As long as we live, though, we are to be Christ's representatives in the world. Verse ten adds, But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.  I believe Paul is reminding us that it is not our responsibility to judge fellow believers.  We cannot let ceremonies and rituals separate us from other believers in Christ.  That is the key though. Not everyone, or religious organization believes in salvation through Christ alone, but it is still not our responsibility to judge anyone. We are to reach out with the love of Christ to them.  We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. We can only obtain mercy by the sacrifice of Christ, so He alone is worthy to judge anyone.  We are not to allow the way others worship to cause us to look down on them.  As long as they are worshipping God through their relationship with Christ as Savior and Lord, we are to rejoice with them.  Today, there is almost a dividing line between traditional and contemporary worship, but if both bring honor to God, they are both correct.  Neither group should feel superior to the other.  Verse eleven continues, For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.  Here Paul is referring to Isaiah 45:23.  The fact that not everyone believes this does not change the truth of the fact. Paul was not stating some new truth, but was simply reminding people of what the scripture already taught them.  Verse twelve states, So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.  We need to rejoice as followers of Christ that when we stand to give our account before God that we are forgiven through Christ.  If we were to stand before God without salvation through Christ, we would all be condemned.  One day, ever knee will bow and every tongue confess to God.  It does not say that those who believe in God, or even just those who believe in Christ, but everyone will stand before God to give an account.  Verse thirteen adds, Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.  Paul tells us that what we need to judge is our own actions, to ensure that we don't put a stumbling block in the way of anyone.  We can really only be accountable for our own actions, which flow out of our thoughts. For that reason, our minds must be attuned to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse fourteen continues, I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.  Paul had no doubt that Jesus Christ had led him to understand that nothing was unclean by nature, but if a person felt that something was unclean, then for that person it was.  Verse fifteen concludes, But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.  I believe Paul is telling us that we are to live so that we do not become a stumbling block to others coming to Christ.  We may know that no earthly action can separate us from our faith in Christ but does not mean that we are to act superior to those who feel certain actions do stand in the way.  Paul used the example of eating meat used in sacrifice to God. Paul knew there was nothing wrong with eating it, but he was not going to eat it if it kept anyone from coming to Christ.

Romans 14:1

Romans 14:1 says, Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.  Paul begins to address some of the disputes that had arisen among Christians.  He tells us that we are to receive those who are weak in faith, but we are not to get into disputes with them over unimportant issues.  The only issue that really matters is that a person accepts Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Any other issues, it is not the responsibility of one Christian to judge another, but it is really the responsibility of the one stronger in faith to help the weaker one to grow in faith. Verse two adds, For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.  There are Christians today who do not eat meat, and I would guess this is what Paul meant when he referred to those who eat only herbs.  There was also the issue of eating meat sacrificed to idols in Paul's day.  Some Christians would eat it and some wouldn't.  I believe we can also apply this to the things that we drink.  We are not to let these things become points of contention between believers, but we are to reach out to one another in the love of Christ.  This takes away any judgmental attitude, and it is always the responsibility of the one who is stronger in their faith in Christ to uplift the one who is weaker.  We are never called to get on a spiritual high horse as it were.  Verse three continues, Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.  I believe Paul is once more warning us against judging others because of physical factors.  What we eat or don't eat is not the issue, but the fact that God has received us through Christ is.  If we are followers of Christ, God has received us, no matter what we choose to eat.  Diet will never make us morally superior, so we need never judge or even dispute with fellow believers about it.  Verse four Paul states, Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.  Paul was asking us why we feel that we are capable of judging other Christians, since they are not our servants, but God's.  God alone is qualified to judge each believer, so we don't need to attempt to make it our responsibility.  We need only to love others as God loves us.  Verse five adds, One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.  I believe that Paul was talking about what could be called holy days, under ceremonial law. The Sabbath, or the Lord's Day as it would become, was the one day that was to be observed. We today vary on the importance of certain holy days, but we need to be certain in our own minds why we do or do not view them as important.  Verse six continues, He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.  I believe Paul gets to the heart of the matter here. Whatever we are doing or not doing, we should give thanks to God and do it for His honor.  We are not to live in a certain way to make ourselves look better than others, but always live that God might be glorified and the lost of the world might be reached with the gospel.  Verse seven says, For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.  We may feel that what we do is is no one else's business, but Paul tells us that our lives always impact others.  As followers of Christ, we must always live to bring glory to God.  Verse eight adds, For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.  This is the truth that believers must live life by.  Whatever happens, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's, and for that reason we must always attempt to live for His glory.

Romans 13:6

Romans 13:6 says, For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.   I believe Paul was talking about supporting the government materially. We may feel that there are way to many taxes on us today, but that does not give us the right to ignore paying them or to attempt to find dishonest ways to avoid them.  Verse seven adds, Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. We are to be good citizens, supporting those in a position of authority.  We may not like taxes, but we usually want what they provide for us.  Usually when we disagree with how taxes are spent it is because someone else benefits from that more than we do.  We may not want taxes, but we want the government to step in when there is a natural disaster that affects us personally.  We need to remember that nothing of this world will go with us into the kingdom of God to come, and therefore should not be our greatest concern.  Verse eight continues, Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.  Some interpret this to mean we are never to borrow money, but I don't believe that was what Paul was saying.  I believe he was telling us not to attempt to cheat others out of what we owe them.  If we live life out of love for our fellow man, then we will always want what is best for them.  This will eliminate any desire to attempt to keep for ourselves what we owe them.  We must always remember that we are to live to bring honor to God.  Verse nine states, For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  Paul is talking about the commandments that have to do with the way we relate to other people.  If we are followers of Christ, we already have to be obeying the commandments that relate to God and us.  In this verse, Paul reminds us that we are still to follow the other commandments, not for salvation but to be able to live at peace with our neighbors while bringing honor to God.  After reminding us of all the things we shouldn't do, Paul summarised it all by telling us what we should do.  We are to love our neighbor as ourselves.  When we do this, disobeying all the other commandments mentioned here will never be a possibility.  Verse ten adds, Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.  If we truly love our neighbor as God expects us to, we will never even have thoughts of wishing them evil.  When we love God and our neighbor as we should, the law is fulfilled, because we will never have a desire to go against the law of God.  Of course, since we still have free will, we may still have times when we don't love as we should, and then we find ourselves under the penalty of the law again.  This does not mean we are suddenly not saved, but it does mean we are in need of repentance and forgiveness.  Verse eleven continues, And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.  I believe Paul was calling for Christians to awake spiritually because the time of Christ returning was closer than they thought.  We today hear many Christians saying that the second coming is going to be soon, but we really need to be spiritually awake because for each follower of Christ everyday we are one day closer to being united with Him. Verse twelve says, The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.  We are to walk in the light of Christ, and not to live in a spiritual slumber.  The day to do what God calls us to do is at hand. Verse thirteen adds, Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.  Paul calls on us to live honestly with God and with all people.  This will then keep us from all the negative actions mentioned in the rest of the verse.  Verse fourteen continues, But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.  This is how it is possible to live above the sinfulness of the world.  We put on the Lord Jesus Christ.  I believe this means to be filled with and led by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 13:1

Romans 13:1 says, Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.  This verse and the next few have to do with how we as followers of Christ relate to those in power.  Here, Paul tells us that we are to be subjected to those that rule over us, because they only have the power that God allows them to have.  Theirs is an earthly power and God has the eternal power.  The early Christians were accused of attempting to overthrow the government and establish an earthly kingdom, and Paul I believe was reminding them and us that ours is not an earthly kingdom. The question becomes where do we draw the line at obeying the government?  If we are called on to do something that is clearly against God's law, then should follow the law of God.  I cannot imagine what it is like to be a follower of Christ in some parts of the world today, but wherever we are, we need to acknowledge that God is the One Who will be with us no matter what.  We must put our faith in Him and live up to our calling as Paul taught in the last chapter.  Many things are done today in the name of Christ that are just the opposite of what He teaches.  I wish I could say that I fully understand when we should not submit to the powers of the world, but can only conclude that if it has to do with earthly things, then we should, but if it has to do with violating the laws of God, then we should not.  Verse two adds, Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. This verse is for me especially hard to understand, but I believe has to be interpreted in the light of loving your enemies.  We must submit to the will of God as His followers, and in doing so acknowledge His sovereignty over all.  We are to live in a way that reflects honor on God.  Verse three continues, For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:  I believe Paul is saying that if we are obeying the law, we have nothing to fear from the law.  Once more, I believe we have to draw the line at any law that would cause us to do anything against the law of God, but even then we have to ask how do we go against that law.  I believe that whatever action we take has to be under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and must bring honor to God.  We also have to realize that there will be consequences when we disobey the law.  Verse four states, For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.  Paul lived in a time when Christians were being openly persecuted, but he said they were to still obey the rulers of the land, but under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  When we do this, we do not have to fear those in power.  I do not believe that this means that there is never a time to stand in opposition to the rulers of whichever country we live in, but that when we do that we are sure that we are doing it to bring glory to God.  Verse five adds, Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.  I believe Paul is telling us that as followers of Christ we are to obey the laws of the government not just to avoid punishment, but also that we won't have a guilty conscience.  We cannot follow God and break the law without it bothering us.  We are to live to glorify God.  Again, I believe that if we must choose to obey the law of man unless it violates the law of God, then we must choose to obey the law of God, no matter what it costs.  I also believe the Holy Spirit will guide us in this decision, and it will always be one that will bring honor to God.

Romans 12:10

Romans 12:10 says, Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;  In these next few verses, Paul tells us how we should live our lives as followers of Christ.  First, we are to have a brotherly, or God given love for one another.  We cannot have this type love for others and want anything less than what is best for them.  We are to put them above ourselves. Just as Christ died to save all people, we are to be willing to die to self will to reach others with His message of salvation.  Verse eleven adds, Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Here, Paul is telling us how God expects us to live in the world.  Again, when I say Paul is telling us, we need to acknowledge that is God telling us through Paul.  We are not to do our work half heartedly, but to the best of our ability.  We do this because the way we do our work reflects on God.  If we claim to be followers of Christ and try to do as little as possible to get by at work, this does not show the world that we live by a higher standard.  As God's people, whatever we are doing we represent Him to the world.  Verse twelve continues, Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;   Paul tells us that we need to be a rejoicing people because we have hope in Christ.  This enables us to be patient in tribulation.  When we encounter problems in life, we need to just patiently continue to serve God.  We can do this more effectively if we are in continual prayer with God, seeking His strength to see us through.  Verse thirteen states, Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.  I believe this means more than paying the preacher, though that is certainly included.  It means we are to help fellow Christians who are in need.  I know we are called to help everyone we can, but we should especially be looking to help meet the needs of fellow believers.  We should willing reach out to those around us with the love of God.  Verse fourteen adds, Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.  Here Paul moves from our fellow Christians to the rest of the world.  We are to bless those who persecute us and not curse them.  We cannot pray for the destruction of others even if they hate us, but we must pray for their salvation. We can never eliminate all the evil from the world as long as people have self will.  Verse fifteen continues, Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. We are to share in the lives of others.  If the have good news, we are to rejoice with them and not be envious of them.  If they are suffering, we are to suffer with them. Verse sixteen says, Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.  I believe that Paul is telling us that we are to treat all people equally, no matter their standing in the world.  If we attempt to live by our standards instead of God's, then we are truly wise in our own conceit, which is not wisdom but a lie.  Verse seventeen adds, Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.  We are not to live by the philosophy that says I'll get even with you, but we are to forgive others.  I believe living honest in the sight of everyone means more than financially, but means in every aspect of our lives.  Our actions must be consistent with our words and beliefs. Verse eighteen continues, If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.  It may be impossible to live at peace with some people, but we need to make sure we aren't the ones who make it impossible.  We are to show the love of God to the world.  Verse nineteen states, Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.  As followers of Christ, we are to have the same attitude He had on the cross and ask that God forgive those who harm us.  Verse twenty adds, Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.  We may want to believe that God does not mean this in all instances, but I don't see an exclusion.  I do not see a concept of let's destroy them before they harm us. Verse twenty-one concludes this thought saying, Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.  We are to overcome evil through the goodness of God.  I believe that to approach the world any other way as followers of Christ is to give in to evil.

Romans 12:4

Romans 12:4 says, For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:  I believe that Paul was continuing with the thought of why we shouldn't think more highly of ourselves than we should. We might tend to think that what we do for God is more important than what others do, but Paul tells us that we don't all serve the same purpose in God's kingdom.  We are all given certain gifts by God, and all are necessary for the advancement of His kingdom.  Verse five adds, So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.  I believe Paul is continuing to tell us why we should humbly accept whatever role God calls us for.  We should never aspire to do what someone else is called to do, and should certainly never be jealous of their calling. Everyone is needed to carry out their calling for God's kingdom to function properly.  Though there are many members of the body of Christ, we are to be one in purpose.  All the members, functioning according to their purpose, makes for the strongest body of Christ.  Verse six continues, Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;  Paul begins to give examples of the calling a person may have.  Paul tells us that we have different gifts, but they are all given to us by God's grace.  He says that if we have the gift of prophecy, the we are to prophesy according to the faith God gives us.  I don't believe that prophecy here means fortelling the future, except to the extent that the gospel tells us of everlasting life, but means proclaiming the gospel and the effect it should have on our lives. There is nothing new to add to the gospel.  Verse seven says, Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;  Paul is still pointing out that we all have a different calling. He is also telling us that is our responsibility to fulfill that calling, so the kingdom of God might grow and our faith might expand. Anytime we are fulfilling God's call for our lives, we are growing in faith.  We need some to minister and some to teach, but not all.  Verse eight adds, Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.  We certainly need people to exhort the word of God, but how often do we think of giving as a calling?  If God's kingdom is to expand, funds are required since God chooses to work through His people.  We are to give, not for show, but with simplicity. We certainly need people today to rule with diligence.  As with giving, ruling should not be self-serving, but for the good of all people, especially the poorest and least powerful.  When we show mercy, it should be with cheerfulness.  Since God has shown mercy on us, we should likewise be cheerful in showing mercy on others, and not do so grudgingly.  Verse nine continues, Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. I believe Paul is telling us that God wants us to share His love with everyone.  We cannot decide that certain people are unworthy of God's love.  We are to hold on to God's will for us, which is the good, and abhor that which is not His will, or the bad.  When we as followers of Christ all function together as one body, we can accomplish so much more than if we try to do things our way.

Romans 12:1

Romans 12:1 says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  This has always been the passage that I come back to when life is seemingly out of control.  God, through Paul, is asking us to give ourselves to God.  It is by the mercy of God that this is even possible, so it is certainly not an unreasonable request.  We are to be a living sacrifice.  Once we accept Christ and become His followers, we are to daily sacrifice ourselves to His service.  We are not called to death, but to life everlasting.  Too often we live as though once we accept Christ we have to sacrifice so much, but we are not called to sacrifice anything that we really need.  We are to live by God's plan for our lives.  Paul says this is a reasonable service.  God gives us everlasting life, so it is only reasonable that we would want to live our lives for Him.  Verse two adds, And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.  Paul says that we are not to be conformed to the world.  I believe this is more than in the way we look and talk, though those are certainly aspects of not conforming. When we want to look and act like everyone else in the world so that people will not think we are different, this is not what God says to us.  We are to be different, and not just in outward appearances, but in an inward change.  We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  We are no longer to think as the world thinks, but are to follow God's leadership in all things.  A transformer can take something small and make it larger, or it can take something large and make it smaller.  I believe too often we feel that when we accept Christ that our lives have somehow been made smaller.  We dwell on what we have given up for God, instead of seeing how much He has improved our lives.  We cannot be His followers without being transformed into something better. Our very thought processes are to be changed.  We need to remember that God looks to the reason for actions and not just the actions themselves.  Verse three continues, For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.  Paul was speaking to them through the grace God had shown him, not through the status he had achieved by birth and education. He called on us to do the same, relating to people through the grace God has bestowed on us.  When we do, we cannot think to highly of ourselves.  Instead of being boastful, we are to be sober, because we owe everything to God through faith. Since God has freely provided salvation for all, it is a small thing that He calls on us to do to willing submit to Him through faith.